Jahnava Nitai Das

bhuuta pisaacha nikaTa nahi aavai mahaabiira jaba naama sunaavai "Ghosts and demons run as soon as they hear the name of Hanuman-ji, Mahavira." This is a mantra from Hanuman Chalisa. Learn this mantra and chant it. Develop Hanuman bhakti and pray to him for protection.

Plenary portion indicates that the Lord has expanded, but the expansion contains all of the unlimited powers of the original form of the Lord. In the material world when you take something out of another thing, the values change, but in the Lord's case everything remains full and complete.

I think that's the most important point. 99% of the changes may be good, but if even one change is done for political reasons, then all the changes should be avoided. The risk is too great.

Plenary means endowed with all the powers of the original.

Technically Maha Vishnu usually refers to the first of the three Purusha incarnations, who is lying on the causal ocean (karana udaka) in yoga nidra. He is alone, without Lakshmi or other associates. As he breathes out, unlimited universes manifest from the pores of His skin. I think everyone has seen the pictures in the Bhagavatam. Narayana on the other hand can refer to either a specific expansion as shown by gHari above, or to any form of Vishnu.

Now if they can just get to releasing the scans of the other 699 Gita verses. I really don't see a reason why they aren't doing it. Everything is already scanned and stored in the archives. They could have these online in a matter of hours if they really wanted to.

I think that is something you may have to read on your own (Bhagavatam 10th Canto, and other writings of the six goswamis). Not many people are inclined to discuss Krishna's intimate pastimes in public.

Also, it should be pointed out that there are alternatives. And there are also different grades of cruelty. There are some organic farms that provide milk, that may involve in slightly less cruelty to the animal. Prabhupada was of the view that at the present time it was unavoidable, and that milk should always be offered to Krishna so that the karmic reaction would be less.

Just as a further point, if we do take the moderate approach and choose to utilize products that cause others suffering, we should never complain why we are suffering in the world. Everything has karmic reaction. Simply because we are devotees does not make us beyond the laws of karma. If we have utilized products that caused others suffering, then we will definitely suffer. I think many devotees do not actually believe in karma in a practical sense. They accept it philosophically, but don't think it really applies to them. It's like criminals who steal because they thought they wouldn't be caught. If a criminal knew 100% he would be caught and would have to suffer in jail, he wouldn't have committed the crime. In the same way, if devotees really knew 100% that they were going to suffer for their actions and if they really believed it, they wouldn't commit those actions.

I think Theist can give some good opinions on this. In fact he has written many times in these forums on the same subject, but I don't recall which threads.

Because it will become an argument of unsubstantiated accusations that such an such swami is a fraud, then the other side will say, "No, your swami is a fraud." There is nothing beneficial in such a discussion.

Bhagavan doesn't aways appear in India. Varaha appeared from the nose of Brahma in Satya Loka. Narasimha appeared from a pillar in Indra Loka. Kurma appeared in the Kshira Sagara.

Animals can speak, and one of the 64 arts is to speak to animals. In Kali yuga animals seem to lose the ability to speak, or we lose the ability to understand them, or perhaps both.

There are other forms of life right here next to you, but you can't see them because their bodies are subtle and they reside on the plane of chid-akasha. Through meditation it is possible to interact with that realm and see them.

There are a few other forums being worked on (most invisible right now). Once they are complete they will be open to those with post counts above a certain amount. The Gaudiya Discussions forum will probably require a post count of 100 or 200 posts. This will allow those discussions to be of a different quality as there will be no guests involved, and only long term participants will be posting.

Further along the lines of being vegetarian, please see the verse in Gita chapter 3, "yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra..." "Everything must be done as a sarcifice to God, otherwise every single action binds us in this world through karma." All the food we eat and every action we perform is creating a network of reactions that bind us. The only to be free from bondage is to perform these actions as a sacrifice to Krishna. With food this is done by offering it to Him. There are many verses in the scriptures that tell us what can be offered to Krishna, and there are many historical examples of what are offered to Krishna in temples throughout India. No temple of Krishna offers nonvegetarian food, nor onion, nor garlic, as these are forbidden in scripture. Even eating vegetarian food, if not first offered to Krishna, is binding us to samsara through karma. Every action must be somehow linked to Him. This is the process of yoga.

No problem, it helps bring those threads into view so I can find them and lock them.

This thread will be closed shortly. Both sides can make your last points before the thread is closed.

The story of Harihara murti will enlighten those who have aversion for one of the two (Shiva and Vishnu).

You failed to address the fact that they tried to re-edit while Srila Prabhupada was still alive and he called them rascals and said not to touch the books. This was 1977 just before he entered samadhi, thus making it his final instruction on editing.

Read 12th chapter of Gita. It explains the various paths to follow, first recommending raganuga bhakti, and finally, if nothing else could be followed, concluding with sacrificing the results of one's actions for some mundane cause. Somewhere in between those two extremes fall all the other spiritual paths of the Vedas.

That is irrelevant. No one said Prabhupada's Indian edition of Bhagavatam didn't need editing. Prabhupada himself instructed that it be edited, and when Hansaduta asked if they could again print his Indian addition Prabhupada replied, "No. I have full faith in Hayagriva's editing." The fact that Prabhupada's Indian edition of Bhagavatam needed editing in no way says anything about whether the final edited Bhagavatam authorized by Prabhupada needs further editing. I really fail to see any connection with these two points. And if someone doesn't understand the text then 1) he should'nt be the one translating it, and 2) he should find someone to explain the meaning to him. It doesn't mean that because a translator doesn't understand something that all of Prabhupada's books should again be rewritten on the whims to two or three individuals. It has been pointed out by Naranarayana that practically no respectable book has ever been re-edited after the author has passed away without his consent. And since bias (a defect of frail humanity) is unavoidable, the entire unauthorized editing process must be avoided. That's the job of a purport, a study guide, a reference work. It isn't anyone's right to read previous acharya's books and then decide "Oh, Prabhupada must have actually meant this because Baladeva Vidyabhushana said this over here." Baladeva Vidyabhushana and Vishvanatha Chakravarthi disagree with each other on the meanings of several verses in the Bhagavad Gita - they actually each take opposite meanings. So simply because a previous acharya has said something does not mean that Prabhupada must therefore have meant what that personality had said, and we should therefore edit it in that line. Srila Prabhupada's books are independent from Bhaktisiddhanta's books and Bhaktivinoda's books. Just because Bhaktivinoda says Shiva was a tribal god from nagaland does not mean that Prabhupada's writings should be edited to say the same thing. Each person was an individual and they all spoke indidivually while presenting the same supreme truth.

I don't think Srila Prabhupada's books need further editing. His books have already been edited, and he approved of it, he authorized their printing, and he ordered that they should not be changed any more - and that "they should again be printed as before". I have already shown one instance where Jayadvaita Swami has changed Prabhupada's personal recorded words and replaced them with his own for political purposes. Such types of editing go beyond dangerous. There may be mistakes in Prabhupada's printed books, but Prabhupada wrote in the introduction to Srimad Bhagavatam that though imperfectly composed, still devotees will relish them and be purified. The perfection of the book is not in how perfectly it follows modern grammar and punctuation, it's in the purity of the speaker. Prabhupada's lectures were also spoken in pretty bad english, but they contain the highest knowledge known to mankind. Perfection is not based on how the grammar flows, but on the essence that is conveyed. I think what really bothers some devotees is the fact that they tried editing the books while Prabhupada was living and he stopped them and demanded that they not touch the books again. Despite his direct instruction, they are now again going against his wishes since he is no longer present to defend himself. Prabhupada knew there were imperfections in the grammar at that time, but still he refused them permission to edit it and he called them rascals who "thought they had become advanced with knowledge". It's the same situation all over again.

I think there are no practicing Hindus who do not believe in rebirth, as that is an undisputable and fundamental aspect of the Hindu system of thought. Some people are born in Hindu families but don't believe in their religion. They still sometimes categorize themselves as Hindu, simply based on their birth. I would not take such people into consideration when trying to determine what are the fundamental beliefs of Hinduism. Hinduism is based on scripture, and the Vedic scriptures are clear on one point, if nothing else, and that is that the soul is eternal and rebirth is a reality.

All threads focussing on Hindu/Muslim anything will be closed and no further threads will be allowed on these topics for the present time. There are so many positive things to speak about Hinduism and the Vedic teachings. These Hindu/Muslim discussions just clutter the forums and obscure the valuable and informative posts.