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Jahnava Nitai Das

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Everything posted by Jahnava Nitai Das

  1. Actaully the three types of jivas (according to gunas) are not discussed by Raghavendra. Jayatirtha deals with these topics, but not in the manner that you mention. It is only in modern times that these teachings have been distorted to say there is no chance to change ones nature. I would like you to provide some references from the writings of Raghavendra to back your claims. As in the past I have approached Sri Vidyabhushana (the famous Madhva singer), who is a great scholar of the Madhva line, with these statements. When asked about the claims that there are different types of souls he answered "I know of only one type of soul, the hari-dasa." Your baseless allegations are full of ignorance of his teachings. Perhaps better "less on request".
  2. It is interesting to note that the Vaishnava acharyas prior to Ramanuja (Natha Muni and Isvara Muni) practiced mystic yoga. Through perfections in ashtanga yoga they were able to visit Vrindavan from South India every day, which would normally take six months to travel by bullock cart. But as the age of Kali was becoming more prominent, they ceased teaching these procedures in their line, as it was no longer very practical. This was several thousand years ago.
  3. Sri Raghavedra Swami is a great devotee of the Lord. He is an incarnation of Bhakta Prahlad, the eternal associate of Lord Narasimhadeva. He appeared to re-establish the Madhva sampradaya approximately 300 years ago. Around the age of 100 years he entered into jiva-samadhi by being burried with 1,000 salagram-silas (self-manifested deities of Vishnu in stones) while still living. Jiva-samadhi is a process where great mystics are burried alive while seated in yogic trance. His Jiva samadhi is located in a city called Mantralaya in Andhra Pradesh. He is still present and living within the samadhi for the last 300 years by his yogic power. When I get time I will write the history of this great devotee and associate of the Lord, and the many mystical pastimes he had performed.
  4. Sorry for the short answers, but I don't have much time today: "Like what happened to his wife and children? Where are they now?" His family members had no or very little interest in Krishna consciousness. His children later filed a court case against ISKCON claiming to be the rightful heirs to Srila Prabhupada's mission (and fortune). Srila Prabhupada left in his will a small ammount for maintenance to his family, everything else was left to ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada said his disciples were his true sons, as they always endeavoured to do what would please him. His material sons would only come to him to ask for money (despite him being a sannyasi renounced from the world). "What happened to Swami`s magazine, Back to Godhead, and why its subscriptions are no longer in circulation." Back to Godhead magazine is still being published by Srila Prabhupada's disciples. You can read it online at their website, which I don't know offhand. Go to the Hare Krishna Index and there is a link to it from there. "What is actually the goal of Swami`s Bhaktivedanta Book Trust?" I am sure there is an official goal listed in their incorporation documents (or what ever legal setup they have). But basically it is to print and distribute Srila Prabhupada's books in all the languages of the world (including visayan!). They may give more importance to languages that have a wider audience, as they would want to influence the maximum number of people. "How much have it earned and how the proceeds are spent?" It has earned millions of dollars as far as I can guess. The money is used to print books and to fund several activities, one of which is construction of temples in India (particularly in Vrindavan and Mayapur). "When Swami was dying, why were there nobody discussing with him about the pastimes with Radha-Krishna?" Srila Prabhupada was translating the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam up until his last days. The tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam deals with the pastimes of Lord Krishna on earth. Devotees came to Srila Prabhupada at that time to receive his divine association, not to give him their somewhat mundane association (in comparison). Both hearing and reciting the glories of the Lord has the same spiritual effect, both on the listener and the reciter. Srila Prabhupada's mission was to preach Krishna consciousness, up until his last breath. "Why was Swami focusing on his mind Krishna-Balarama prior to his departure?" Because Krishna and Balarama are the eternal forms of the Lord in the spiritual abode of Goloka Vrindavana. Balarama is the immediate expansion of Krishna, and practically there is no difference between the two except for their external features (color, etc.). Balarama is a white Krishna, and Krishna is a black Balarama. To meditate on Krishna and Balarama at the time of leaving the body is the top most perfection of life. Srila Prabhupada was an eternal servant of Krishna Balarama in the spiritual world. He is their intimate friend and associate. Thus it was natural for Srila Prabhupada to meditate on Krishna and Balarama in his final days. "And why did the children of Swami not grant him his last wish of going out to visit the different temples in Vrndavan riding on a cart?" Srila Prabhupada's disciples were worried for his health. His body was very frail, and he would not have survived the visit to Govardhan hill on a bullock cart. Whether this was right or wrong of his disciples is another point. The devotees were divided on this. It is nice to note that Sri Narasingha Swami Maharaj, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada with an ashram near Mysore, has established the worship of a deity of Srila Prabhupada along with a Govardhana sila so that everyday Srila Prabhupada can visit Sri Govardhan as was his desire. "And lastly, why is Swami antagonistic to doctors practicing the art of modern medicine?" Modern medicine is an imperfect science that has many side effects. There are many benefits in modern medecine, but at the same time there are many things that are not good. Srila prabhupada was not attached to staying in this world. He was situated beyond bodily consciousness, thus he left it to Krishna to decide if he should stay or go. It was Lord Krishna's desire that Srila Prabhupada return to Goloka Vrindavan. Thus Srila Prabhupada, with full yogic control over his prana, left his material body and returned to Krishna. "I believe Swami Prabhupad would have lived longer if there was one on his bed side who could treat him the way he wanted it to be." Srila Prabhupada knew this, but was not interested in extending his life. His mission in the material world was complete and Krishna wanted him to return to Goloka Vrindavana.
  5. From another list: >> Can u elaborate on how hindus and muslims are the same? > > To me it is simple. We are all human beings. Well, lets see. They both have two arms, and a nose. These are kind of external similarities. The Vedanta philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita speaks of a oneness much higher. Not only a oneness between all humanity, but between all living entities. We are all spiritual particulars, part and parcel of God. In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna says: vidya-vinaya sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva sva-pake ca panditah sama-darsinah "The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater." The pandita, or learned man, (which is what most humans would claim to be) is supposed to see all living entities as part and parcel of God. God is present in everyone's heart as paramatma, and ultmimately all the individual souls are of the same spiritual quality. Thus it is considered ignorance (avidya) to judge life based on the external covering. It is like thinking a man is a different person because he wore a different color shirt one day. A couple interesting points are there in the verse. One is the use of the words vidya-vinaya, knowledge and humility. Only if one possesses "humble knowledge" will one actually be learned. What knowledge mankind has cultivated today lacks humility, and thus our so-called knowledge has become desctructive. Another interesting point is the use of the word sva-pake (sva-paca) which literally means a "dog cooker". In the Vedic culture the dog was considered as an untouchable animal. One would be required to bath after touching a dog. Even in the Agama (Pancaratrika) scriptures it is mentioned that an offering for God becomes unofferable if it is seen by a dog. Now imagine there is someone who is a cooker of dogs. Even such a person should be seen with a spiritual vision, as he is not his external body, he is a spirit soul, part and parcel of God. The exact words used are sama-darsinah, or equal vision. It is not an external equal vision, but an internal realization. It does not mean that one should try to milk the brahmana and take scriptural lessons from the cow. It means we must respect all living entities, knowing their spiritual nature is the same as ours. J.N.Das
  6. I was curious as to whose translations these are. I havn't seen them before. They are kind of interesting.
  7. Today I have added three lectures on explanations of Vedic literature. They explain what are the vedas, sruti, srmiti, nyaya, and various vedanta philosophies (shad-darshanas). If you have realaudio player you can listen to them online.
  8. The news page is now being updated regularly, so check it out from time to time.
  9. The Paramatma is situated within our heart, so one can say that God is already here. The problem is we have no experience of the Paramatma because we are channeling our spiritual senses outward to the external world. Instead of hearing and seeing internally, we are hearing and seeing externally. As a result the mind must process and store all information that the senses perceive, resulting in mental disturbance. We are very careful to filter what goes in through our mouth (we drink filtered water), but very few people care to filter what goes in through the ears, the eyes, and the other senses. Just as the contamination in the water causes physical sickness, in the same way the contaminations of sound and sight cause internal sickness within the mind. As our consciousness becomes more and more polluted, our ability to perceive subtle internal realities becomes less and less. Thus we need a process of purifying the consciousness of contamination in order to bring our perception closer to the Paramatma. The Srimad Bhagavatam gives us the cure. It advises us: srinvatam sva katha krishna punya sravana kirtanah hrdyanta stho hyabhadrani vidhunoti suhrit satam By hearing the transcendental discussions of Krishna's activities and instructions all the contamination in the heart will be purified. Therefore it is of utmost importance to translate these spiritually charged books into every language on the planet in order to give every soul the opportunity to purify their polluted consciousness and experience God face to face.
  10. Sometimes spiritual life can be very simple and practical. No need to try to read into the heart of the pure devotee, or psychically channel the thoughts of the great saints. Just ask "What service can I do." And do what is requested.
  11. The verses are all very nice, but xeroxing a few texts does not benefit us fallen sadhakas very much. Please give us something substantial. We need explanations and instructions.
  12. For myself, since I am a very fallen soul filled with impersonalism and voidism, I get great joy from hearing and discussing the teachings of Bhagavad-gita, starting with the knowledge that I am not this body. Without understand Krishna in terms of tattvas, there can be no spiritual advancement, only sentimentalism. What is knowledge and what is the object of knowledge? For this we must turn to Srimad Madhva Acharya, who has so nicely presented the Nine Prameyas for ignorant souls like myself. It is on the order and instruction of Caitanya (in His unmanifested lila) that Madhva has presented these nine philosophical jewels. They are the foundation of all Vaishnava philosophy, including that of Sri Caitanya's.
  13. I have just put up the updated version of this file. Please download it again and see if it is working fully now.
  14. How are you copying the text to the message box? I use notepad or wordpad and just copy and paste. It hasn't cut my messages yet.
  15. I am not sure what the cause of the problem is. Some other people have had similar problems posting long articles. I have never had a problem with it. What method are you using to copy the article to the message box? I use notepad or wordpad and copy and paste and it hasn't caused any problems yet.
  16. For a change I thought it would be nice to post something in this forum about Reiki. We have just added three more articled on the Vedic understanding of Reiki. You may read the articles on the Reiki page. Here is a small clipping: Ten kinds of life airs - Pranas The vital force of life includes 5 main categories of life air, viz., prana, apana, vyana, samana and udana, assisted by 5 other categories of subtle life-airs viz., naga, kurma, gregara, devadatta, and dhananjaya. The vital force is like a snake because it is sustained by air, (snakes can subsist simply by drinking air) and when there is derangement of air, the vital force is weakened and thus with lesser resistance the body becomes a victim of diseases. Mental diseases are results of derangement of the subtle airs. Harmonizing the sustenance of vital force by meditation (like Reiki meditation) is especially beneficial to keep the airs ‘in order’ so that the diseases of the body become almost ‘nil’ by such exercise. When this is properly done, vital force need not be used up unnecessarily in fighting diseases. Thus, naturally the life-span will also increase. If one becomes really perfect in this, even control of death is possible, as has been proved by the great yogis of India.
  17. Since you are interested in using HTML I have enabled it. You can retry your test message and see if it works.
  18. The following is the Ananda Valli from the Taittiriya Upanishad explaining the different levels of happiness among various species of life. My comments are in brackets. saisa 'nandasya mimamgumsa bhavati | yuva syatsadhu yuva 'dhyayakah | asistho dridhistho balisthah | tasyeyam prithivi sarva vittasya purna syat | sa eko manusa anandah | "Now this is an assessment of Bliss: Let it be supposed that there is a youth, a noble youth, in the prime of age, most swift and alert, perfectly whole and resolute, most vigorous and of good learning, and that to him belongs the entire earth laden with all riches. Then we have in him one measure of human joy." te ye satam manusa anandah | sa eko manusyagandharvanamanandah | srotriyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of human joy make up a single unit of joy which the manushya gandharva possesses. A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [Gandharva in general refers to a species of heavenly musicians. There are two categories of gandharvas mentioned in these verses. The first is the manushya gandharvas - or human gandharvas, and the second is the deva gandharvas - or heavenly gandharvas. On the earthly planet there are many realms of existence that are inaccessible to the ordinary humans. These realms exist on high dimensions of space. According to the Vedic conception of reality there are 64 dimensions of existence, of which ordinary humans interact with three. The manushya gandharvas live in higher dimensions within the earthly realm of existence. There are many descriptions within the Puranas of lands existing on this planet that are inaccessible to us. For example, there are three different levels of the Himalayas. What we experience as the Himalayas is only the lowest dimensional level. It is described in the Mahabharata that Bhima was able to visit many of these higher dimensional realms when he was collecting wealth for the rajasuya yajna. Also the palace of Yudhisthira Maharaja was created by yakshas, who exist on higher dimensions. The artwork they made for the palace (paintings, carpets, ceiling, etc.) was actually animated and in three dimensions. So much so that it was not possible to distinguish it from reality. For those who are existing in three dimensions, a painting will be done in two dimensions. But for those existing in four dimensions, a painting will be done in three dimensions. This is why Duryodhana was confused when he entered Yudhisthira's palace, and ended up stepping in a pond, thinking it was the floor.] te ye satam manusya-gandharvanamanandah | sa eko devagandharva-namanandah | srotriyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of joy which the manushya gandharva possesses make the joy of the deva gandharva. A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [This verse is describing the heavenly gandharvas. They are a heavenly species. Their leader is Visvavasu, who guards the soma rasa. This category of gandharva mainly makes up the celestial musicians. They entertain the higher devas and perform in Indras court.] te ye satam devagandarvanamanandah | sa ekah pitrinam ciralokalokanamanandah | srotriyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of joy which the deva dandharva possess make the joy of the Pitrus who inhabit the long enduring would. A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [The Pitruloka is a heavenly abode which exists beyond the realm of the fourteen planetary systems of the universe. It is a very special abode within this universe. Those who perform great pious activities may be elevated to this planet. The unique feature of this realm is that one's enjoyment and duration of stay is increased according to the sacrifices of one's descendants on Earth. This is one of the reasons why the sraddha ceremony (worship of Vishnu) is performed every year to the forefathers.] te ye satam pitrinam satam ciralokaloka-namanandah | sa eka ajanajanam devanamanandah | srotriyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of joy which the Pitrus inhabiting the long enduring world possess make the joy of those demigods who are so by birth in the Ajana heaven (ajana devas). A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [The ajanadevas are those who are born during and under the rule of Manu. There are 14 Manus in every day of Brahma (the universal creator). Each Manu rules for a period known as a manvantara. This period is roughly calculated to be 71 divya-yugas (a divya-yuga consists of 4,320,000 earthly years). At the end of the Manvantara there is a partial devastation within the universe known as pralaya. There are several categories of devastation that occur cyclically within the universe, leading up the the maha-pralaya, or the dissolution of the entire universe. One such category of dissolution is that which occurs at the end of the rule of Manu. At that time the realms inhabited by these ajanadevas are destroyed along with the inhabitants.] te ye satamajanajanam devanamanandah | sa ekah karmadevanam deva namanadnah | ye karmana devanapiyanti | srotriyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of joy which the Ajana-born demigods (ajana devas) possess make the joy of those who have become demigods (karma devas) by the force of their deeds. A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [The karma devas are those who are elavated to the heavenly abode due to their performing the prescribed ritualistic activities of the Vedas (karma-kanda). These people are described by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita: yam imam puspitam vacam pravadanty avipascitah veda-vada-ratah partha nanyad astiti vadinah kamatmanah svarga-para janma-karma-phala-pradam kriya-visesa-bahulam bhogaisvarya-gatim prati "Men of small intelligence are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say there is nothing more than this." These people are completely bewildered by the illusory energy: bhogaisvarya-prasaktanam tayapahrita-cetasam Their mind is bewildered due to their strong attachment to material enjoyment (bhoga) and opulence (aisvarya). The Vedas deal mainly with the three modes of material nature. Those who do not become transcendental to the ritualistic activities of the Vedas become conditioned within the three modes. The Karma Devas are residents of the heavenly planets. Their stay there depends on the amount of punya (pious results) they have accumulated on the earthly realm. As they enjoy in the heavenly abode they use up their pious results and eventually they again fall down to the earthly planet. This process has been described in detail in another post. Ksine-punye martyalokam visanti.] te ye satam karmadevanam devanamanandah | sa eko devanamanandah | srotriyasya cakamahatasya devanamanandah | "One hundred such units of joy which those demigods who have become such by their deeds (karma devas) make the joy of the controlling demigods (devas). A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [The controlling demigods (devas) possess a life span that is equal to one day of Brahma (1,000 divya-yugas, or 4,320,000,000 earthly years). This category includes most of the elemental controllers as well as most of the demigods within the court of Indra. Various demigods such as Ganesha, Karttikeya, etc., are actually posts that are occupied by a particular living entity for one day of Brahma. At the end of the day of Brahma, when the dissolution waters fill the universe, they leave their respective posts and allow other living entities to fill them. For example, it is described in the Puranas that in the present day of Brahma, the post of Karttikeya (Skanda) is being occupied by Sri Sanat-kumara, the great liberated son of Lord Brahma.] te ye satam devanamananadah | sa eka indrasyanandah | srotiyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of joy of the highest gods make the joy of Indra. A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [indra belongs to a different category than the controlling devas. His position is based on his punya (pious results) and when his punya expires he losses his post as controller of the heavens. The enjoyment of Indra may be higher than that of the controlling demigods, but his duration of stay is much shorter. By sitting on the seat of Indra one burns up all of one's pious results at a very rapid pace. For this reason Sukracharya (the spiritual master of the demons) instructed Bali Maharaj to rule Indraloka after defeating the demigods but not to sit on Indra's throne. For if he sat on Indra's throne his punya would finish and he would lose his position very quickly. The controlling demigods hold their posts for a fixed duration of time (one day of Brahma), so they see many hundreds of Indras come and go.] te ye satamindrasyanandah | sa eko brihaspateranandah | srotriyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of Indra's joy make the joy of Brihaspati. A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [brihaspati is the spiritual master of the demigods (including Indra). Due to Indra's offence against Brihaspati he was defeated by the demon king Bali. Bali, even though he was a demon, had obeyed and pleased his spiritual master. Thus with the blessings of his guru he was able to defeat the king of heaven. The system of respecting one's guru is so powerful that even if one is a demon, one will prevail, and even a demigod will fall for offending his spiritual master.] satam brihaspaterananda sa ekah prajapateranandah | srotriyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of Brihaspati's joy make the joy of Prajapati. A sage full of revelation and free from all cravings also possesses the same joy." [Prajapati here refers to Lord Brahma, the secondary creator of the Universe. Prajapati means the lord of population. Lord Brahma, being the first living entity within the universe has the responsibility to populate the universe with all species of life. There is a secondary category of Prajapatis who are sons of Lord Brahma. This verse is not refering to the secondary Prajapatis. Lord Brahma, being the topmost living entity within the material world has the most developed senses of all. As you progress from the lower human species up to the demigods and finally to Brahma, their bodies become more and more subtle. Brahmas body is the subtlest body within the material universe. The only exception to this is Lord Siva, whose body is the time factor.] te ye satam prajapateranandah | sa eko brahmana anandah | srotriyasya cakamahatasya | "One hundred such units of Prajapati's joy make the bliss of Brahman. A sage who is full of revelation and free from all cravings possesses all these various measures of joy." [Here the spiritual bliss of realizing Brahman is described as 100 times the enjoyment of Brahma. This is not a literal equation, as the bliss of Brahman is spiritual and the happiness of Brahma is material. They are two completely different experiences, one of external matter, and the other of the spiritual self. This verse is simply trying to give us an idea of what is spiritual happiness by comparing it to something we have or can experienced within this world. It is similar to saying Lord Krishna face is as beautiful as a lotus flower. Actually Lord Krishna is the source of all beauty, and the lotus is a minor reflection of that beauty. It is impossible to compare His beauty to that of a lotus. But because we have experienced the beauty of a lotus, the scriptures will hint to us that Krishna's face is beautiful like that. In reality Krishna's beauty is unlimited times greater than anything within existence. It is actually even humorous to try to compare Krishna to something material. It is like telling a professional singer that he sings as beautiful as a donkey. Because we do not understand anything beyond our immediate perception the scriptures give descriptions in that manner.] sa yascayam puruse | yascasavaditye | sa ekah | sa ya evamvit | asmallokat pretya | etamannamayamatmanamupasankramati | etam manomayamatmanamupasankramati etam vijnanamayamatmanamupasankramati | etamanandamayamatmanamupasankramati | tadapyesa sloko bhavati | iti astamo 'nuvakah | "And this bliss which is in the human being and in the yonder Sun are the same. He who comprehends fully as stated above, after departing from this world, transcends the Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya, and Anandamaya selfs. With regard to that there is also this memorial stanza." [it is significant that for every comparison the following words are added: srotriyasya cakamahatasya, "a sage who is full of revelation and free from all cravings possesses this same joy." A self realized soul is situated in Brahman, which is described by Lord Krishna as follows: brahmano hi pratisthaham amritasyavyayasya ca sasvatasya ca dharmasya sukhasyaikanthikasya ca "I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness." One who has attained the spiritual happiness of Brahman possesses and surpasses all other levels of happiness. yavan artha udapane sarvatah samplutodake "All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water."]
  19. I think a more correct translation for sudra would be laborer, it certainly shouldn't be slave.
  20. I think a more correct translation for sudra would be laborer, it certainly shouldn't be slave.
  21. One point that deserves mentioning: According to the level of the deity the results are greater and more permanent. But the greater the results the more difficult the process is. As you move up from the lowest levels of worship of ghosts, to yakshas and yakshinis, to minor devatas, the process becomes harder and harder (i.e. there is more sacrifice and sincerity involved). The perfection one achieves by worshipping a ghost cannot be compared to that attained by worshipping someone like Ganesha, but the worship of Ganesha will require more on the part of the Sadhaka. The results will not nearly be as temporary as that attained by worhsipping a ghost or spirit. In the same way, when you go beyond the worhsip of the devatas and you take up the worship of Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the perfection you will achieve will be much greater than anything that is offered within this material world. And more than that, it will be the most permanent (eternal to be precise). But at the same time to attain it will require the most sacrifice and sincerity. From the bottom of the grades of worship up to the top most level (worship of Lord Krishna)there is a direct correspondence between the necessary endeavour for perfection and the permanence of the result. In regards to worship within the different modes Krishna says: yajante sattvika devan yaksa-raksamsi rajasah pretan bhuta-ganams canye yajante tamasa janah “Men in the mode of goodness worship the demigods; those in the mode of passion worship the yakshas and rakshasas; and those in the mode of ignorance worship ghosts and spirits.” As you progress in the modes, the worship becomes more and more purified, from ignorance to goodness. When you finally transcend the modes by worship of Krishna, the worship is completely transcendental beyond the three modes of material nature. The long term results are also described by Krishna: yanti deva-vrata devan pitrin yanti pitri-vratah bhutani yanti bhutejya yanti mad-yajino ‘pi mam “Those who wroship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors (pitruloka); those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me.” Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, in his commentary to this verse says: “Pisaca worship is called “black arts” or “black magic.” There are many men who practice this black art, and they think that it is spiritualism, but such activities are completely materialistic.” It should be noted that in this verse the first three types of worships are described as a vow (vrata). The worshipper is making a vow to the object of worship in exchange for some material gain. An agreement is being made between the two parties. But in regards to the worship of Krishna it is stated to be devotion (mad-yajinah – My devotees). There is no expectation on the part of the devotees. Their worship is completely unalloyed, without a tinge of desire for material enjoyment.
  22. "1. What type of mystical abilities do you have?" I have no such abilities. The line I follow is not interested in such things, as our aim is to become free from the desire to lord over material nature. Those who are siddhi-kami (desirous of mystic perfections) are motivated by their desire to control matter, subtle and gross. Those who are sincerely interested in spiritual life should try their best to become free from such material desires. I have seen many people who belong to other lines that focus on these siddhis. Some of the siddhis are amazing, some are just stupid. Everything from being able to pull chocolate out of the sand (the specialty of one particular sadhu) to being able to change the density of matter. Through various processes of meditation one's mind is expanded and the understandings of matter become much greater. All matter is based on sound, so through sound it can be manipulated. Further more, the physical realm of our experience exists on the subtle mental realm. Those who have conscious access to that realm can know and do things that we would consider to be mystical. There are mainly eight siddhis described in the scriptures (including the Srimad Bhagavatam 11th Canto). But the siddhis described there are of a much higher order, and require severe discipline to achieve. It is very rare that one will achieve such a perfection. But for every siddhi there is a reflection that is easily attained. The process for attaining these minor siddhis are usually outlined in the Tantra-sastra (please refer to the course on Vedic literature on this site to understand what is Tantra-sastra). The process generally involves doing upasana to a particular deity, who when pleased reveals their form to the Sadhaka. On the way many siddhis naturally develop due to expansion of the consciousness through mantra upasana and meditation. According to the category of devata one worships the result will come either quickly or after a long time, and the result will either be temporary or permanent. If you aim at a low entity, for example a ghost, the result will be quick, but it will be of minimal value. Whereas if your upasana is to a higher divinity, the result will be much more permanent and significant, but it will take much more time to accomplish. The aim of the Sadhaka generally depends on his conditioning within the modes of nature. This is described by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. Besides the eight main siddhis there are many minor siddhis, for example paduka siddhi which enables one to travel to any distant place in a moment. They are sub-categories of the primary eight. Another category of siddhi involves the control of the object of worship. You do not directly acquire a siddhi, but you maintain control over an entity who by nature of their higher existence possess natural powers. This relationship is maintained through your worship to the entity, who receives nourishment from the worship. Another category of siddhi is that which is attained through yogic meditation. That involves direct expansion of ones consciousness. The result is one's mind becomes like a receiver and many informations will be known automatically. "3. Where are you?" We are located in Mysore, in the state of Karnataka in South India. "We are currently working on recording the balance." "4. What do you mean?" We are writing these stories into a book to benefit those who are searching for spiritual life. 5. From where in sastra are these black-magic rites written? You will find them mostly in the Tantra-sastra, Artharva-Veda, and scattered here and there in other places. Besides scriptural rites, there are many others that are local rites by tradition.
  23. These articles are the true stories of one of our Sadhakas when he first attempted to pursue spiritual life. Most of the stories occured nearly thirty years ago in South India. All of the stories are factual. Most of the things described I can still show you, if you happen to come to this part of the world. Not to say that under every rock there are mystical things occuring, but if you know where to look and if you know the proper people you can see these things for your self. The stories available on this site at present are only a fraction of the occurences. We are currently working on recording the balance. Also, what is available now only deals with the Sadhakas first unguided attempts at so-called spiritual life, which in most cases was nothing more than black magic and the sort (which actually has nothing to do with spiritual life at all). By the mercy and guidance of the Paramatma this Sadhaka found a sat guru and was put onto the proper path towards self-realization. All of the stories, from the Sadhakas first neophite attempts, up to finding his true spiritual master will be put online as we complete the work.
  24. I am sorry for not writing earlier, but I have been traveling the last 10 days and have had very little chance to write. Thank you very much for posting the reference verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam. I did not have access to it, and it has been a while since I have read it. I wanted to post some verses from Taitiriya Upanishad in this connection, but mysteriously my Taitiriya Upanishad book has vanished just last week. In the higher planetary systems conception occurs only once in the life, just prior to death. It is actually a great benefit for the female denizens of heaven, as they know when they are going to die. For the males on the other hand it is quite sudden and shocking. Of course, due to their absorption in sense gratificatory activities, even the females may be taken by surprise. The descriptions of the death of the higher beings is described in detail in the scriptures. The heavenly dwellers will be enjoying with their consort, drinking the soma rasa (a heavenly intoxicant), without any idea what is about to occur. At the point when their punya (accumulated pious results) is finished they will suddenly fall from the heavenly realm (ksine punye martya-lokam visanti). There will be nothing supporting them below their feet. As they fall through the ethereal space, they can still see the heavenly abode, and they see their consort has immediately taken another partner for enjoyment, as though they had never existed. As he falls through the space, he comes to an area which is frequented by many lower beings. These beings know the area where the celestial beings fall through, thus they wait there to eat them as they fall from their heavenly abodes. These lower beings begin to devour the living entities heavenly body as he falls towards the earthly abode. While being eaten alive, the heavenly being observes his previous realm, and sees his previous consort continuing to enjoy with other men. At this time, due to the intense pain in his heart, he begins to cry, and his soul leaves his body through his eyes within a tear drop. The tear drop falls to earth and mixes with the rain clouds. When the rain falls, the soul of the heavenly being lands on the earth and enters into a seed of grain. The grain grows and is latter eaten by a human. The soul of the heavenly being (along with his subtle covering) thus enters into the semen of a human and is latter born within the earthly abode. In the Gita Krishna briefly describes this process: te tam bhuktva svarga lokam visalam ksine punye martya-lokam visanti "After enjoying in the heavenly abode (svarga-loka), when their pious results are exhausted, they again enter the abode of death ." Krishna's use of the word visalam is significant, they do not just enjoy, as we enjoy. But their enjoyment is extremely vast. Their sense perception is hundreds of times greater than ours. When they smell a flower, or when they taste something, they are experiencing something completely different than what we are experiencing through our senses. It is like someone having a cold and a stuffy nose trying to smell a flower. They will not experience the flower. We are similar when compared to the higher heavenly beings. We are not actually experiencing matter in its true state. We have no idea of how something smells, tastes, or feels. This is what is described in the Taitiriya Upanishad. And as you go up to even higher beings, the case is the same for them, until you finally come to Lord Brahma, the engineer of the material universe. Only Lord Brahma can experience matter in its true fullness. Only he knows what a flower actually smells like, or what taste, touch and sight actually are. What then to speak of sense perception beyond matter. Spiritual sense enjoyment, cannot be understood by anyone within this material world. Even material sense enjoyment cannot be understood, it is practically limitless, yet higher, much higher, is the spiritual sense perception. Thus Krishna describes it as su-sukham kartum avyayam. By using the prefix "su" Krishna is stating that it belongs to an entirely different category from the ordinary happiness of this world. In the purport Srila Prabhupada mentions the various grades of enjoyment, from the snake up to the demigods. When you compare the enjoyment of the demigod with that of the snake, they have very few similarities, what to speak of the spiritual enjoyment in Vaikuntha. We can not compare it even to the highest activities within this world, even though it may be described in similar words. As far as pregnancy not occuring within the spiritual realm, this is an obvious fact, as there is no birth nor death. Pregnancy is a process of the cycle of birth and death. In the Gita Krishna explains that whatever has a begining in time will also have an end. Thus whatever is born is sure to die. I would not put too much importance on this statement in trying to understand what is this spiritual sex being referred to, as it is just a general fact, and not a particular description. I would like to add one point which was not so clear in my original post. The "sex" that occurs between two living entities within the spiritual realm is simply an exchange of a direct loving relationship between the two due to each others appreciation for the others service to Krishna. It has no connection with the concept of sex as found within the mundane realm. J.N. Das
  25. > In srimad bhagavatham , fifth canto (one >of the purports) , prabhupad explains that >people have sex in spiritual world and >there is no possibility of conception >there. How sex is possible between >different persons in spiritual world( then >How we can be krishna conscious there)?. In >other words , this leads to a question, >what do we mean by saying that material >world is just a reflection of spiritual >world? ( I am sorry that i do not know the >exact purport and line). The term sex is in reference to the sanskrit concept of rasa, the original spiritual relationships. In the material world this rasa is best reflected as mundane sex. But even in this there are many gradations according to the degrees of covering by the three modes. The Taitiriya Upanisad describes the degrees of enjoyment among the different human species, from the common man, to the gandharva, apsara, siddha, deva, devadeva, devendra, brahma, etc. Each being one hundred times greater or more complete than the previous. As you go from lower species to higher species, what we refer to as sex exists in many different ways. It is the same for all the sensory activities. For example, our system of digestion is very gross. After we eat, the food is digested, and the waste is passed out. In the higher species such as gandharvas, the waste products are evaporated into the air automatically. There is no passing of waste. So the entire system of digestion is much more subtle, which is in tune with their own subtle existence.The activity of sex is similar. As you move up through the species it becomes more and more subtle, and less physical. For the gandharvas it involves mostly singing, for apsaras it involves mostly dancing. For higher devatas it involves mainly sight. When you come to the level of Lord Brahma, sex involves mainly the intellectual process. When you compare it to some of the lower species such as insects, they appear as completely different activities. For example after the praying mantis mates, the female eats off the head of the male. This is the same activity the gandharvas are performing by singing. The only difference is that the coverings of the the modes are so thick and heavy that it comes out in such a low aspect. Now if there is such a huge contrast even between material sex, then what to speak of the difference between material and spiritual sex. Ultimately sex is the transmission of a relationship. When we are covered by the modes, this relationship takes a lower physical nature. As you go through to higher species, the relationship becomes less and less physical, and more subtle. When you come to the spiritual platform, it no longer is a physical or mental activity, but a spiritual exchange of a relationship. This exchange of relationship on the spiritual platform is called rasa. Thus when Srila Prabhupada refers to sex between different living entities in the spiritual world, he is refering to an exchange of a spiritual relationship, with Krishna as the center.
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