Jahnava Nitai Das

Just for arguments sake, we do have the example of Brahmaji who was initiated within the heart: tene brahma hridaya adi-kavaye And we have examples of people being initiated by Narada when he simply tells them to chant "death" over and over. How the spiritual master chooses to initiate us is his choice. The ritual is not what counts.

Within ISKCON the title "His Divine Grace" is reserved solely for Srila Prabhupada as per the GBC law. In the past others have been called by this title, but it has now been forbidden.

Prior to 1977 the jyothi would appear in the sky as a bright deepam that would move in a circle. After 1977 the jyothi stopped appearing. To keep the pilgrims coming (and filling the hundi with offerings) the government arranges for a fire to be lit on the mountain top each year. Thus the "jyothi" now appears as a small fire light on a distant mountain, not in the sky.

Yes, that is him, though around 1 year ago he gave away the pet parrot on the advice of Srila Narayana Maharaja.

Kritakarma was my very close friend, so the news came as quite a shock. But at the same time I am happy because I am certain he has gone to Krishna and is experiencing the spiritual reality that the rest of us can only read about. The amount of service he did in Berkeley, Vrindavan and Los Angeles for Srila Prabhupada is immeasurable. He loved to do the hardest and most menial services, like cleaning, gardening, etc., though he also served as pujari (in Berkeley), in life membership (in Los Angeles), as Bhakta Program Leader (in Vrindavan) and as temple president of Vrindavan temple.

GBC Resolutions 2004 ISKCON GOVERNING BODY COMMISSION SOCIETY Reg. No S/74662 under the West Bengal Societies Registration Act, 1961 P.O. Shree Mayapur Dham, Dist. Nadia, W. Bengal MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ISKCON GBC SOCIETY SRIDHAM MAYAPUR, FEBRUARY 11-20, 2004 All glories to Srila Prabhupada! SECTION 100. APPOINTMENTS 101. GBC Members RESOLVED: 1. His Grace Praghosa Dasa is elected GBC Chairman. 2. His Holiness Devamrita Swami is elected GBC First Vice-Chairman. 3. His Holiness AC Bhaktivaibhava Swami is elected GBC Second Vice-Chairman. 4. His Grace Radha Krishna Dasa is elected GBC Secretary. 5. His Holiness Bir Krishna Dasa Goswami is elected Special Duty Officer. 6. The following devotees are elected full GBC members: His Holiness Bhanu Swami His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami His Holiness Devamrita Swami His Grace Praghosa Dasa 7. The following devotees continue as assistant GBC members: His Grace Hridaya Caitanya Dasa His Grace Radha Krishna Dasa 102. Sannyasa Waiting List [Action Order] RESOLVED: For 2004, these are the candidates for sannyasa: Bir Krishna Dasa approved for this year Brihad Mrdanga Dasa 4-year waiting list Gaura Hari Dasa 3-year waiting list Makhanlal Dasa 4-year waiting list Janananda Dasa 3-year waiting list Partha Sarathi Dasa 2-year waiting list Pariksit Dasa 1-year waiting list Prabhodananda Dasa 4-year waiting list Pundarika Vidyanidhi Dasa approved for this year Purnacandra Dasa 3-year waiting list Ramacandra Dasa 3-year waiting list Sarvaisvarya Dasa 3-year waiting list Siddhartha Dasa 4-year waiting list Simhesvara Dasa 1-year waiting list Svayambhu Dasa approved for this year Visvambhara Dasa 1-year waiting list Section 200: FINANCE 201. GBC Budget [Action Order] RESOLVED: The GBC budget for 2004/2005 is: Ministry of Cow Protection and Agriculture Rs. 1,62,000 Vrindavana Gurukula 81,000 ISKCON Resolve 3,24,000 Arnold Zack 2,43,000 VCal Bug Fixing 40,500 Ministry of Education 81,000 GBC Annual General Meeting 1,78,200 ISKCON Database 97,200 Health & Welfare Magazine 40,500 French Emergency Fund 2,02,500 Executive Committee Travel 2,02,500 Emergencies 1,21,500 CPO Review 1,21,500 Total: Rs. 18,95,400 202. Appointment of Auditor [Action Order] RESOLVED: Sri A. K. Shah, F.C.A., Chartered Accountant, of 125, Netaji Subhas Road, Room No. 45, Kolkata 700 001, is appointed the Auditor for the year 2004-2005. 203. GBC Financial Accounting Committee [Action Order] WHEREAS: The GBC, as the supreme ecclesiastical authority for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), appointed a sub-committee to look into the matter of funds dispersed by the BBT to ISKCON, and this sub-committee has suggested the need to establish a permanent GBC Financial Accounting Committee, The resignation of Naresvara Prabhu has left a void in the financial relationship between the BBT, the GBC, and the SMPDC, The GBC, as the representative of ISKCON, the beneficiary under the Trust created by Srila Prabhupada in 1972, has a responsibility to see to the proper receipt and dispersal of all income from the BBT and other sources, There is a need to introduce improved accounting procedures for the various monies received and dispersed by the GBC Body, RESOLVED: A permanent GBC Financial Accounting Committee is hereby established. The committee shall consist of three members, to be appointed by the GBC body for a 3-year term. The mandate of the committee shall be: a. to account for the receipt and dispersal of funds received by the GBC, especially funds received from the BBT and funds received from all sources for international projects, and to submit such accounts annually to the GBC Body. b. to make sure that all international projects, as well as other projects receiving funds from BBT construction funds submit timely reports on the use of such funds according to standards to be determined by this committee, and to audit such accounts for the purpose of certifying that the funds received were used as per the GBC's directives." c. to review and audit other accounts the GBC may from time to time ask it to scrutinize. Section 400: INTERNAL ISKCON 401 Bathing Panca-tattva Deities during Their Installation [Action order] RESOLVED: During the installation of the Panca-tattva Deities, only the local pujaris, one representative of the local GBC, and one representative of the GBC Executive Committee will bathe the Deities. We unanimously invite H.H. Sridhara Maharaja to bathe the Deities. We also invite donors to bring water for bathing. 402. Reinstatement of Rupa Vilasa Dasa [statement] WHEREAS: Rupa Vilasa Dasa was expelled from ISKCON for not complying with the conditions stated in resolution #90-73, Resolution #90-73 provided the possibility that any of the devotees expelled as a consequence of the resolution could be reinstated in the future as members of ISKCON in good standing if they presented a letter rectifying themselves in the manner expressed in the resolution; And Rupa Vilasa Dasa has now presented such a letter to the satisfaction of the GBC, RESOLVED: Rupa Vilasa Dasa is reinstated as a member of ISKCON in good standing. 403. Spiritual Degrees for ISKCON Gurus Mandatory [Amendment to ISKCON Law] WHEREAS: Although ISKCON law states mandatory and discretionary qualifications for gurus in ISKCON, and gurus having spiritual degrees like Bhaktivedanta and Bhakti Sastri is in the discretionary lists, Spiritual exams, courses, and degrees were formerly not available but now are, Srila Prabhupada, by mentioning in a letter that devotees with the Bhaktivedanta Degree would be considered for being gurus and initiating, established it as a qualification he considered important, In 1987, when the standard for serving as a guru in ISKCON was adopted, the spiritual degree system was still in an early formative stage, RESOLVED: Spiritual degrees--Bhakti Sastri, Bhakti Vaibhava, and Bhaktivedanta (when available)--are now a mandatory qualification for being granted "no objection" status to serve as a guru in ISKCON. 404. Explanations for Resolutions [internal Procedure Guideline] WHEREAS: The GBC deliberates for many hours prior to making a decision, but devotees generally do not understand the rationale behind the decision, In the future, evidence for why decisions were made will help ISKCON better implement decisions, When revisited years later, GBC resolutions are often unclear as to their original intention, Without evidence of support from guru, sadhu, and sastra, GBC decisions are subject to undue challenge, RESOLVED: The GBC Secretary shall, wherever possible, include in the minutes an explanation of the reasoning and purpose for any new laws. To demonstrate the correctness and authority of resolutions relating to spiritual or philosophical standards, the GBC shall provide for each such resolution a written explanation detailing its logic and purpose, with available evidence from guru, sadhu, and sastra. 405. Kesava Bharati Dasa Goswami [statement] The members of the GBC Body give their blessings to His Holiness Kesava Bharati Maharaja for resuming his sannyasa. 406. Congregational Preaching Directorates [Amendment to ISKCON Guideline] WHEREAS: The definition of Congregational Preaching Directorates given in the ISKCON law passed as resolution number 405 of 2002 was not sufficiently broad for situations in some parts of the world, RESOLVED: The definition of Congregational Preaching Directorates given in resolution number 405 of 2002 shall be modified to read as follows: 10.4.3.4 Congregational Preaching Directorates "Congregational Preaching Directorates" are characterized by having at least one primary location that is either stable or semi-stable, by having financial autonomy (not being financially controlled by any other affiliate), and by having activities centered on development of congregational preaching over a significantly large area. There may or may not be regular activities of public worship. 407. Picture of GBC's and Temple Presidents in ISKCON temples [iSKCON Guideline] WHEREAS: Srila Prabhupada is the Founder-Acarya of ISKCON, the GBC body is the ultimate ecclesiastical managing authority of ISKCON, the individual GBC zonal secretaries are the representatives of the GBC body, and the temple presidents are the local authority, It is a general practice of institutions to publicly display pictures of their leaders, Although a significant percentage of temple visitors know the temple president, most do not know of the GBC, what purpose the GBC body serves, or who their local GBC zonal secretary is, RESOLVED: In the reception area or any equivalent public place of every ISKCON temple there should be: A large framed picture or painting of Srila Prabhupada with a plaque saying, "His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness." Alongside Prabhupada's picture and significantly smaller, a photograph of the local GBC, Regional Secretary (where there is one), and Temple President, with a plaque stating the name of the GBC and temple president, and the name of the city the temple is in. Alongside the photos a one-page framed document on ISKCON letterhead briefly describing Srila Prabhupada as the Founder-Acarya, the GBC as the ultimate ecclesiastical authority, and the local GBC and temple president (or local temple management team or board) as the local authorities. The wording of this document is up to the local temple. Sample: His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Srila Prabhupada formed a Governing Body Commission (GBC) to oversee ISKCON's worldwide spiritual and missionary activities. The GBC meets annually in Mayapur, West Bengal, India, to set ecclesiastical policies for the society. Each ISKCON center is managed by a temple president, or other officers, or both, whose primary responsibility is to maintain the spiritual standards of the center. A GBC representative sees to it that these international policies are implemented. Srila Prabhupada's religious and philosophical teachings and personal character remain perpetually the inspiration for all the members of ISKCON. 408. Presentation On Book Distribution WHEREAS: Srila Prabhupada always stressed the importance of book distribution as one of the principal means of propagating the spiritual, ethical, moral, cultural and religious teachings of the Krishna consciousness movement, The GBC Body thus has a responsibility to develop book distribution worldwide, The GBC Body hereby reaffirms its topmost priority of hearing about recent accomplishments by the BBT, learning of challenges faced by the various BBT licensees, and reviewing comparative book distribution results in various parts of the world, An increased awareness and exchange of ideas at the top level will help the global coordination of book distribution efforts, RESOLVED: [Rule of Order] The GBC Executive Committee shall allocate four hours during the first or second day of the Annual General Meeting in Mayapur to the topic of book distribution. The BBT Trustees and BBTI Directors and the Book Distribution Ministry will make presentations, and there will be a review of GBC book distribution reports. 409. Continuing the Disciplic Succession [statement] WHEREAS: The paper "On My Order-Understood" contains assumptions and assertions that, in numerous places, do not match the available evidence from the statements of Srila Prabhupada, And the GBC desires to make a more concise statement, RESOLVED: "On My Order-Understood" is replaced as official GBC policy by the following statement. The GBC officially accepts the following conclusions about continuing the disciplic succession: Srila Prabhupada consistently said that his disciples would themselves become spiritual masters. Guru, sadhu, and sastra all support this standard way of continuing the disciplic succession. Srila Prabhupada said that his disciples would become "regular gurus" and that each of their disciples would thus be a "disciple of my disciple." On the strength of our Vaisnava tradition and the statements of Srila Prabhupada, the GBC concludes that Srila Prabhupada intended his disciples to become "regular gurus" after he physically departed. As a matter of utmost ecclesiastical responsibility, ISKCON's ultimate managing authority, the GBC, regulates who within ISKCON may perform the service of initiating disciples. When the GBC allows a devotee to take up the service of initiating, it does not thereby endorse him as an uttama adhikäri or "pure devotee" or certify his having achieved any specific state of realization. Rather, the GBC indicates that it has no objection to his initiating disciples within ISKCON. Each prospective disciple, before initiation, should become familiar with the qualifications mentioned in Srila Prabhupada's books as those that a spiritual master ought to have and decide for himself which senior devotee, if any, to approach for initiation. Within this context, the choice of whom to select as one's spiritual master is ultimately the prospective disciple's own responsibility. 410. GBC restructure of ISKCON Europe [Action Order] WHEREAS: There is a need for improved efficiency and accountability in ISKCON's evangelical operations in Europe, The GBC body has encouraged the establishment of continental committees (GBC Resolution 404/2002. Regional and Continental Governing Bodies), The Euro RGB has been working for the past 18 months on developing a proposal to suit the specific needs of Europe. Work which included the following: continuous e-mail communication among European ISKCON leaders discussion among European National Councils five Euro RGB Executive Committee meetings (a total of fifteen days) assimilating all the feedback of National Councils and individual devotees meeting with key GBC members with responsibility in Europe three-day meeting with over 60 European leaders reviewing and fine tuning the proposal and determining their level of support RESOLVED: The GBC Body hereby designates "Europe" as a "Region" as defined under ISKCON Law 3.4.1.1. The region may consist of any or all of the following countries, as may be decided by the local leaders of each country, with notification to the GBC Secretary: Albania Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Norway Poland Portugal Romania Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland The Netherlands UK The following GBC members are responsible to submit proposed Rules and Regulations for a Regional Governing Body for the Europe region, as per Section 3.4.1.4: Sivarama Swami, Bhakti Vaibhava Swami, Param Gati Swami, Madhu Sevita Dasa, and Praghosa Dasa. These five GBC members are also empowered to nominate an interim Regional Governing Body for Europe, to be called "The Euro GBC Body." It may be delegated functions under Section 3.4.1.2 on an ad hoc basis by the GBC Executive Committee until such time as Rules and Regulations are submitted as above. The GBC Body will review this at its Annual General Meeting of 2006. The Euro GBC Body, when constituted, shall propose to the global GBC Body the division of the Region of Europe into contiguous zones, up to five, each supervised by a Global GBC Member, called a "Global GBC." The Euro GBC Body will introduce this structure by suggesting a pilot scheme. This pilot scheme will initially involve one of the proposed five zones of Europe. The Euro GBC, at its annual meeting, will review reports on the progress of this pilot scheme. For the sake of effective ecclesiatical and spiritual management, the Euro GBC Body will further propose the division of each of these contiguous zones into appropriate sub-regions. A Zonal Secretary called a "Euro GBC" will manage each sub-region. Each Euro GBC will be a member of the Euro GBC Body and will work in cooperation with and report to his or her respective Global GBC. In sub-regions where there is no Euro GBC appointed, the Global GBC will assume all the responsibilities of the Zonal Secretary. 411. Distribution of Non-BBT Books [Action Order] WHEREAS: There is a need for the GBC to ensure that ISKCON centers predominantly distribute the books of the BBT, rather than those of other publishers, RESOLVED: No ISKCON temple or zone should do mass book distribution of non-BBT books in a proportion greater than, in total, 5% of the value of the BBT books distributed. 412. Srila Prabhupada's 108th Anniversary [Action Order] WHEREAS: The 108th Anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's appearance can bring special inspiration to the devotee community by glorifying Srila Prabhupada, H.H. Lokanath Swami was successful in performing the service of Srila Prabhupada Centennial Global Minister, RESOLVED: ISKCON will make the celebration of Srila Prabhupada's 108th Appearance Anniversary year a highlight of its activities until Vyasa Puja 2005. H.H. Lokanath Swami will take up the service of global coordinator for this project. 413. Amendment of Guru Nomination Voting Requirement [Amendment to ISKCON Law] WHEREAS: The current ISKCON Law provides that a ten-person committee, by a simple majority, may nominate a candidate for serving as a guru, A simple majority allows a thin margin of support, When the GBC Secretary sends the GBC members the name of a candidate, he does not send the full report of how the members of the nominating committee voted and their reasons, RESOLVED: Section 6.4.1.1 shall be amended to read as follows: A candidate for guru in ISKCON must first receive a three-fourths majority vote of approval in a council composed of all the GBC zonal secretaries of his current preaching area and at least ten other senior devotees residing in his area of activity. The council will be organized and convened by the GBC zonal secretary(s). Section 6.4.1.1.2 shall be amended to read as follows: The council shall evaluate the candidate according to the qualifications for guru given by Srila Prabhupada in his oral and written teachings and by the GBC Body in its standards and guidelines. Each member of the Area Council shall fill out the Guru Qualifications Checklist and return it to be compiled by the Area Council chairman. Section 6.4.1.3.2 shall be amended to read as follows: After verifying that the candidate has been properly endorsed, the GBC Corresponding Secretary shall send the candidate's name with the full letter of endorsement and the compilation of responses by the local nominating committee to all members of the GBC. 414. Annual General Meeting 2005 [Action Order] RESOLVED: The Annual General Meeting for 2005 will start on the 27th of February 2005 and end on the 8th of March. The GBC Executive Committee can change the date by a maximum two days and can extend the duration of the meeting to include time for GBC-BBT Meetings.

They must have some value, or Srila Prabhupada wouldn't have quoted him so much. We should remember that most of us are aware of Chanakya and his quotes because we found them in Srila Prabhupada's books. Also it is relevant to note that the majority of Chanakya's statements are easily traceable to dharma shastras such as the teachings of Manu. Thus it is not just a case of one crazy person, but rather the entire foundation of Vedic culture is repleat with these trypes of references. How to deal with such Vedic statements and apply them in the modern times may be a difficult question, something only a great acharya like Srila Prabhupada can answer.

In the past bulls were used for plowing fields. Today those who have large tracts of land use tractors. Bulls are still used by small farmers who have only a couple acres of land. But when running a cow sanctuary, you will find that within several years you may end up with hundreds of cows and bulls. It would be almost impossible to have enough cultivation land to engage all of the bulls, and even if you did, they would still be a financial burden to you. The only solution is if the milk from the cows was used to pay for the food of the bulls, resulting in no profit for the cow sanctuary.

In case anyone still cannot figure out what is the defect of this program I would bring this to your attention: There are no bulls in the herd! That means the bulls have been sold, and will eventually end up in slaughterhouses (even in India). This is not cow protection, but dairy farming for profit. The cows which can produce milk are "protected", where as the bulls which only eat are sold off. At first it is likely the bulls will be used by the buyers for labor, but eventually they will all be sold to slaughterhouses. This is the unfortunate situation in India. A true cow protection program cannot be profitable in the modern times, as 50% of the calves will be male and will only eat - providing no material gain for the farmer. One would need hundreds of acres of farm land to engage all the bulls, and still it would be cheaper and quicker to use a tractor. Thus the general and unfortunate solution people resort to is to sell the bulls and thereby get even more profit. This is not cow protection.

And let us not forget Krishna's conclusion to 14th chapter: mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate "One who engages in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman."

Without going into great detail I will offer this comment. The above verse simply states those influenced by the guna of sattva go to the svarga loka, those by rajas go to bhu loka and those influenced by tamas to lower realms. The fact that someone can fall from the bhu loka (which is attained due to rajasik tendencies) to the tamasik realms indicates these modes are not fixed, and this is confirmed by Lord Krishna Himself in the the Gita: rajas tamas cabhibhuya sattvam bhavati bharata rajah sattvam tamas caiva tamah sattvam rajas tatha "Sometimes the mode of goodness becomes prominent, defeating the modes of passion and ignorance, O son of Bharata. Sometimes the mode of passion defeats goodness and ignorance, and at other times ignorance defeats goodness and passion. In this way there is always competition for supremacy." It is not that the soul is eternally sattvik, or rajasik, or tamasik. According to the atma's connection with prakriti, through association one's nature develops. See texts 14.6-8, the word used is sangena, "by association". By association with the modes (gunas), i.e. the gunas are distinct from the atma, one conditions oneself to a future situation. It does not say the atma who is sattvika, but rather the atma who "associates with" the sattva guna. Later Krishna explains the three gunas to be products of prakriti, not the atma, which is pure spirit. Further in the 14th chapter of the Gita Lord Krishna states: idam jnanam upasritya mama sadharmyam agatah sarge ’pi nopajayante pralaye na vyathanti ca "By becoming fixed in this knowledge, one can attain to the transcendental nature (beyond the gunas) like My own. Thus established, one is not born at the time of creation or disturbed at the time of dissolution." Attainment of divine knowledge of Lord Krishna frees one from the influence of the modes of nature and causes one to attain the transcendental nature of the Lord Himself. Anyone who will attain the divine knowledge of Lord Krishna will become free from these three gunas and material bondage. The three modes are products of the prakriti, not the atma. When the atma comes in contact with the prakriti he is influenced by these three gunas: sattvam rajas tama iti gunah prakriti-sambhavah nibadhnanti maha-baho dehe dehinam avyayam "Material nature consists of three modes—goodness, passion and ignorance. When the eternal living entity comes in contact with nature, O mighty-armed Arjuna, he becomes conditioned by these modes."

The number of pure devotees in the universe is unlimited, thus if one wants to fast for each one will not be able to eat at all. Our tradition is to fast on the appearance days of Vishnu's avatars, as well as on the appearance day of our four purva-acharyas (four immediate gurus).

The Tirumala temple city is one of the only clean cities in India due solely to the TTD management. All accomodations and food offered by the TTD are subsidized so that pilgrims can receive these benefits at a discount to their real price. The Tirupati temple is one of the few temples in India where the priests will not harass you for money, and will even be reluctant to take your money unless you give it in a discreet manner. The TTD is also using the hundi collections to build thousands of Balaji temples in villages throughout Andhra Pradesh. The TTD has built a very large japa meditation hall next to the temple and pilgrims are encouraged to sit and chant "om venkateshaya namah". Throughout the day, outside the temple, loud speakers can be heard requesting pilgrims to visit the meditation hall to chant the names of Venkateshwara. These writers don't know what despiritualization is. They think development is despiritualization. This is because they don't understand that everything can be used in the service of Bhagavan. One of the stupidest arguments against the TTD is that a lot of their hundi collection comes from people who run liquor shops or who have illegal money. What can a temple do if some unknown person wants to put money in the temple hundi? The foolish author considers receiving voluntary donations for free food distribution to pilgrims as "despiritualization". The TTD doesn't request anyone to donate towards their food distribution programs. Thousands of donors voluntarily approach the temple and request to partake in that seva. One one side the author complains when the temple makes a service free, and on the other side the author complains when the TTD charges for other services. Every temple should accomodate the pilgrims visiting it (this is the purpose the Lord takes avatara as a deity). In the times of Ramanuja when there was no road to the temple and when the temple was surrounded by dense forest only a few people would visit each month. Today the situation is different, where hundreds can die in a stampede if the queue is halted for a long period of time. There is a constant fight between Kanchi Shankaracharya and Vaishnava Swamis (such as Chinna Jeeyar Swami) over which Agamas the temple should follow and whether or not the seva is being performed properly. It is just politics between Vaishnava and Smarta religious parties. Because the temple is rich they want their religious party to control the seva. There are thousands of ancient Vishnu temples that are poor where the Agamas are not being followed, but these Acharyas don't care for those temples. Tirupati is not in Kerala. In Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh there is no ban on wearing shirts in temples. This argument is just stupid. Its like saying, "In Churches in America they allow shoes in the church, so why doesn't the Tirupati temple allow shoes in the temple?" Why compare Tirupati temple to temples in Kerala? The Kerala temples are not worshipped according to the same Agama-shastra as the Tirupati temple. Temples such as Guruvayur are not Vaidika temples, they follow Tantra Agama with no connection to a Vaishnava lineage. Why compare the two? The Vaishnava temples in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh which follow the same Agama shastra as Tirupati all allow people to enter the temple wearing shirts. Thus we should conclude it is simply a cultural matter, where Kerala differs from other states regarding temple visits. The procedure for offering in temples is one item can be offered and the entire prepared quantity is considered prasadam. This is followed in nearly all temples in India. You can not expect the TTD to bring in 100,000 laddus into the temple Garbha Griha for offering each one. A diamond crown for the deity who holds the entire universe on his head (as Ananta Sesha) is not a burden. Foolish people are more concerned with timing rituals than with serving the bhaktas and pilgrims visiting the Lord. The Lord says in countless places in Shastra that He prefers the service of His bhaktas to His own service. Remember this is all done in a country where corruption is the largest domestic product. The fact that the TTD has remained without signs of major corruption, and that they have maintained the environment in Tirumala better than any city in India should also be taken into consideration.

It appears the complaint from this article is that the TTD is keeping the darshan open all day and not providing the tradition 2 or 3 hours of "sleeping" time for the deity between 1pm and 4pm in the afternoon. When hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are coming each day and already waiting three hours in the queue for darshan, stoping the queue for three hours each afternoon will only increase the difficulties on the pilgrims (and perhaps lead to stampedes and other calamities due to over crowding). I have seen many Krishna temples throughout India keep the temple open the entire day on festivals such as Janmashtami to accomodate the hundreds of thousands of devotees visiting for darshan on those days. The principal is the same, except the Tirupati temple faces this each and every day. Their decision is to allow the bhaktas to see their Lord with less inconvenience, something which the Lord likely holds more dear than the ritual of "sleeping" in the afternoon each day. I have seen there is always a fight between the hereditary temple priests and the TTD administration. The priests are mostly interested in profiting more from their services (through opening illegal shops around the temple, collecting personal money from pilgrims for longer darshan, etc.), whereas the TTD wants to accomodate the pilgrims and the seva of the deity (by breaking all surrounding shops, by banning the priests from collecting donations, etc.). The priests are already getting paid a tremendous salary, higher than what software engineers make in India. But they feel they deserve to earn more from the Tirupati temple.

Just to clarify, even the Gaudiyas accept a class of jivas known as nitya-mukta (eternally liberated) and nitya-baddha (eternally bound in samsara), but this eternally bound is used in the context of it being untraceable - not literally eternal. Logically, something that has no beginning can have an end, and this has been proven by Madhva with the following example. In front of you there is a table with no deepam (lamp) on it. How long has this deepam not been on the table? The answer is eternally, as there has never been a deepam on the table. Now if you bring a deepam onto the table the beginningless non-presence of the deepam on the table is ended. Thus that which has no beginning can have an end - i.e. the beginningless (nitya) bondage in samsara of the jiva can be ended by bhakti.

A couple points about this topic. The first is that in Mantralaya there are seperate eating halls for Brahmins and non-brahmins where free food is distributed. There are sign boards stating only Brahmins are allowed to eat in one hall and all non-brahmins should eat in the other hall. This practice is pretty universal in all Madhva mathas and temples. The Madhva tradition is highly influenced by brahmanism which is very unfortunate. The present day Madhvas even believe that there are souls who are sattvik, rajasik and tamasik eternally. The sattvik souls (who happen to be themselves, i.e. Madhva brahmins) are elligible for liberation, whereas the tamasik souls will eternally reside in the material world with no chance for liberation. This odd belief is not accepted by any other school of Vaishnavism or Hinduism. The universal opinion of Vedanta is that the soul is eternally pure, free from the influence of the three gunas. Only the soul's consciousness is polluted by the modes of nature and therefore there is bondage within the material world. By purification of the soul's consciousness through sadhana the soul can be resituated in his constitutional spiritual position and free from material bondage. The second point is in regards to Tirupati temple. It is the best administered temple in India and Srila Prabhupada wanted our ISKCON society to learn proper management and administration from them. The complaints about commercialism is unfounded. The Tirupati temple sells gigantic ladhus (about 5 inches in diameter) made with pure ghee for 10 rupees each! Show me one shop in India that will sell you such a laddu for this price. What is the alternative? To distribute hundreds of thousands of gigantic laddus every day to the visitors for free? Already they are taking a loss on the sale of laddus by selling it for 10 rupees, but it is made up through hundi collection and darshan tickets, etc. Secondly, the TTD runs first class guest rooms (with thousands of rooms available) and charges only 100 rupees for a very large room accomodating 5 or 6 people. Again this is below the actually reasonable price for such a room. Third, the TTD has recently broken all the encroached shops on the road surrounding the temple so that the deity processions can be held for the public without inconvenience. These shops were owned by the priests who do the seva in the temple. Their interest was in making money off the pilgrims even if it disturbed the temple seva (brahmotsava festival), the TTD's interest was ensuring the procession route could accomodate thousands of pilgrims. The issue went to court and the TTD got clearance to demolish all of the shops. Fourth, the priests are not allowed to request donations, and if they are caught taking donations can be replaced from their hereditary service by the TTD administration. There are live video cameras in the garbha griha with monitors in the executive officers house so that he can watch the priests and make sure they do not steal money from the pilgrims. I have gone to his house several times and have seen the video system they use to keep out corruption. Compare this to other temples such as Jagannatha Puri where the Pandas will harass you and beat you till you give them money. Which do you prefer? It is true that there is a 50 Rs. charge for "quick darshan" (which is sometimes actually longer than the free darshan), but anyone can get the early morning Suprabhatam VIP darshan for free if they will come wearing a wet gampsha and do anga-pradakshina (rolling) around the garba-griha. Those who do the anga-pradakshina actually get darshan before those who hold the Suprabhatam pass (because they are doing seva to the deity through their anga-pradakshina). Thus in conclusion, if you don't want to give 50 Rs. to the temple for a quicker darshan, then either take the free darshan or do some service by performing anga-pradakshina at 3 AM. But the problem is this requires a little sacrifice - wake up early, take a cold bath in the temple tank, wear a wet cloth to the temple, and then spend an hour roling around the temple garbha-griha. This exemption is there, anyone who comes early morning with a wet cloth (to do anga-pradakshina) will be allowed past the que without any special pass.

If you mean disciple in the general sense of taking instruction, then certainly it is a good thing to receive instructions from all devotees. But if you mean you want to receive initiation (diksha) from the person, then I would suggest you first find out who the person is and listen to them to see whether you are actually inspired by the person. It would be a mistake to take initiation from an unknown person simply because they are in a female body. That is just more body consciousness, which Krishna consciousness is meant to remove. I personally believe Tamal Krishna Maharaja is in the spiritual world, but I would not put much solid faith in stories that say Prabhupada said XYZ is ABC in the spiritual world. In ISKCON there are similar rumors about dozens of people, but none of the stories can be confirmed in recordings or writings. Prabhupada said don't believe what "Prabhupada said" unless you see it in writing or hear it in one of his recordings. The problem with such rumors and stories is that it replaces the disciple's diligent study and observation of the guru with blind allegience based on unverifiable qualifications. Factually no aspiring disciple can verify whether or not someone is XYZ in the spiritual world, but he can study the teachings and character of the guru to see if they conform to Srila Prabhupada's standard. Thus it is detrimental to stress these rumors as they discourage disciples from studying the verifiable qualifications of the guru.

It may be popular to accept a stance where all paths are judged as the same, but such a view cannot be rationally defended. Simply because someone believes something to be his dharma does not in fact make his actions dharma anymore than thinking you are the Prime Minister of India makes you Atal Bihari Vajpayee. We must remember that some people believe flying planes into buildings is their dharma. It is insanity to think that all paths are the same without first judging the actions and results involved. It is a fact that most sane people in the world will not accept the act of flying planes into buildings to be dharma, nor Hitler's killing of millions of Jews as dharma. Thus the view that all paths are ultimately one and everyone's personal dharma is ultimately equal is nothing but a sound bite meant to replace rational thinking. A good action is judged by good results. To know whether something is actually good or bad requires us to know the results it brings in full, not superficially. For example, I may eat some food that tastes good and then say I feel this action was good because I enjoyed the taste. But if the food was poisoned, I would later die. So to judge whether something is good requires complete knowledge of the results, not partial knowledge; and those results should be universally beneficial for the action to be good. The second aspect of judgement is to know objectively what is good. Someone may judge the taste of food as being good, but if it is poisoned we can see it is not actually good to eat (the ultimate result is bad). Thus the Gita warns us that what appears sweet at first may not always be good: vishayendriya-samyogad yat tad agre ’mritopamam pariname visham iva tat sukham rajasam smritam "That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first but poison at the end is said to be of the nature of passion (rajo-guna)." The seventeenth chapter of the Gita further explains that faith or religion is also influenced by and categorized according to the three modes of nature (i.e. the three gunas: sattva guna, rajo guna, and tamo guna), and that based on the qualities (gunas) one is influenced by, his destination is determined. If one goes through the fourteenth chapter of Gita (dealing with the three modes of material nature) and the seventeenth chapter of the Gita (dealing with the division of faiths according to the three modes), one will clearly see that it is a great misconception to think that Hinduism teaches all paths are ultimately one and that their destinations are the same. The Gita describes actions within the modes of nature and their results as follows: karmanah sukritasyahuh sattvikam nirmalam phalam rajasas tu phalam duhkham ajnanam tamasah phalam "The result of pious action is pure and is said to be in the mode of goodness. But action done in the mode of passion results in misery, and action performed in the mode of ignorance results in darkness." The first thing we should note is that each action influenced by each mode of nature brings a distinctly different result. Actions in the mode of passion (rajo-guna) and ignorance (tamo-guna) lead to misery and darkness for the performer of the action. The popular sound bite that all paths lead to the same goal is not supported by the Gita, which clearly says those who act in passion or ignorance attain only misery and darkness. According to the Gita these modes of nature help develop our inner qualities, which ultimately leads to our future destination sattvat sanjayate jnanam rajaso lobha eva ca pramada-mohau tamaso bhavato ’jnanam eva ca "From the mode of goodness, real knowledge develops; from the mode of passion, greed develops; and from the mode of ignorance develop foolishness, madness and illusion." Only by acting within the mode of goodness does one attain to jnanam, or spiritual knowledge. Krishna defines jnanam in the Gita as follows: kshetra-kshetrajnayor jnanam yat taj jnanam matam mama. "Knoweldge (jnanam) is to know both the body and the knower of the body (the Atma and Paramatma)." Thus action in goodness leads to knowledge of the material world, the eternal soul, and the Paramatma (Super Soul). Actions in ignorance on the other hand lead to the exact opposite, "ajnanam", which is improper knowledge of the world, ignorance of the eternal self, and forgetfullness of the Paramatma (i.e. God). The ultimate destination for such people is described in the Gita as follows: yada sattve pravriddhe tu pralayam yati deha-bhrit tadottama-vidam lokan amalan pratipadyate rajasi pralayam gatva karma-sangishu jayate tatha pralinas tamasi mudha-yonishu jayate "When one dies in the mode of goodness, he attains to the pure higher planets of the great sages. When one dies in the mode of passion, he takes birth among those engaged in fruitive activities; and when one dies in the mode of ignorance, he takes birth in the animal kingdom." And elsewhere in the Gita: urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha madhye tishthanti rajasah jaghanya-guna-vritti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah "Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets; those in the mode of passion live on the earthly planets; and those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds." Thus the results of those situated within the three modes of nature are delineated. Very clearly and logically the Gita states that those who act in ignorance attain only ignorance. Only by acting within the mode of sattva (i.e. goodness), does one develop spiritual knowledge and elevate oneself to higher realms of existence. The ultimate goal of life is to gradually transcend these three modes of material nature and attain to our eternal spiritual existence, beyond birth and death (mukti): gunan etan atitya trin dehi deha-samudbhavan janma-mrityu-jara-duhkhair vimukto ’mritam asnute "When the embodied being is able to transcend these three modes associated with the material body, he can become free from birth, death, old age and their distresses and can enjoy nectar even in this life." Mukti is only attainable by transcending the modes of nature through illuminating spiritual knowledge. According to the Gita, one will not attain mukti while engaging in ignorant destructive actions, regardless of whether one thinks it is his dharma or not. The path of sattva (goodness) leads to vidya (spiritual knowledge) and is therefore an illuminating staircase to transcendence. The paths of rajo-guna (passion) and tamo-guna (ignorance) on the other hand are directly opposed to this elevation and lead one to material suffering and darkness (ajnanam) which pushes one further down to lower species of life and a hellish existence. Now that we have analyzed the three modes of nature (the gunas) and we have seen how each guna brings a different result, we should refer to the seventeenth chapter of the Gita where Lord Krishna describes the three varieties of faith or religion. Lord Krishna chooses to analyze faith from multiple angles of action, not just belief, such as sacrifice within the three modes of nature, austerity within the three modes of nature, charity within the three modes of nature and food with the three modes of nature. It is not enough to sentimentally look at one's "spiritual beliefs", but on the day to day actions a belief brings about. Are the resultant actions situated within sattva-guna (which leads to knowledge and enlightenment) or are they situated within tamo-guna (ignorance which leads to darkness and suffering)? If one's faith or religion leads one to engage in actions within the modes of passion (rajo-guna) and ignorance (tamo-guna), then that religion leads one to darkness, not liberation: jaghanya-guna-vritti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah "Those in the abominable mode of ignorance go down to the hellish worlds." tatha pralinas tamasi mudha-yonishu jayate "When one dies in the mode of ignorance, he takes birth in the animal kingdom." Thus it becomes clear from a rational and logical perspective that all paths are not the same, nor are their destinations the same; each path must be judged according to its actions and effects. A good action must be determined by a good result, and that good result must be with full knowledge of the ultimate effect of the result. As stated in the example given earlier, if food tastes good but has poison in it, the act of eating it can't be judged good simply because the taste was good. Thus it is required to know the ultimate effect an action has, and that ultimate effect must be judged impartially. To understand the ultimate effect an action has on us, we must first know whom we ultimately are. Only then can we judge the ultimate effect on our self and others, and subsequently whether those effects are universally good. Proper judgement requires wisdom, which entails knowledge of the true self and the ultimate reactions an action brings about on to the true self. This again comes back to the fourteenth and seventeenth chapters of the Bhagavad Gita and understanding how actions within the three modes of nature bring good and bad reactions to the soul. Without understanding this science clearly any judgement is external and shallow, not taking into account the ultimate reaction nor the ultimate recipient of the reaction. It is like saying eating poisoned food was good because it tasted good. Thus true dharma is not just the undefined whim of each and every person, nor are all paths equal and leading to the same goal as the popular sound bite suggests. We must judge every path on its own merits in terms of the actions it creates. For such an impartial judgement we must use wisdom based on the scriptures to determine what actions bring about universal benefit, and whether the benefit is actually for the true self, i.e. the soul. Such an illumined judgement is only possible when we see through the "eyes of knowledge", the Vedic scriptures: kshetra-kshetrajnayor evam antaram jnana-cakshusha bhuta-prakriti-moksham ca ye vidur yanti te param "Those who see with eyes of knowledge the difference between the body and the soul, and can also understand the process of liberation from bondage in material nature, attain to the supreme goal." Yours in service, Jahnava Nitai Das, Bhaktivedanta Ashram & Bhaktivedanta International Charities http://www.foodrelief.org

Hare Krishna. The drink is known as Panakam and is prepared by mixing jaggery (gur), water, ginger, elachi powder, and lemon. I don't know the exact proportions off hand, but you can experiment and figure it out pretty easily.

Do not forget that just 200 years ago western countries were practicing slavery. Mistreatment of others exists everywhere and in every religion. This is the symptom of the age of Kali.

Bangalore NGOs Receive Lion's Share Of Foreign Funds http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb012004/i3.asp BANGALORE, INDIA, February 1, 2004: As many as 618 Bangalore-based Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) received over US$80 million in funds from foreign agencies during 2001-02, according to the Union Home Ministry's latest annual Foreign Inward Remittance Report. Among the cities in India, Bangalore tops the list of recipients, followed by Chennai with over US$ 69 million and Mumbai with over US$ 66 million. Christian organizations are the largest beneficiaries of this foreign funding, states this article. As many as 1,192 NGOs in Karnataka, registered under the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act-1976 (FCRA), received approximately US$118 million from foreign funding agencies during 2001-02 while the total for the previous year was around US$107 million. Of this amount, Christian NGO's alone received US$104 million. Hindus, Muslims and others together got only around US$14 million. According to the Home Ministry sources in New Delhi, the following NGOs are some of the major beneficiaries of foreign funding in Bangalore during 2001-02: Church's Concern for Child and Youth Care, Campus Crusade for Christ, Mysore Resettlement and Development Agency, Indian Society of Church of Christ, Habitat for Humanity in India, Christian Church in India, Bridge Foundation, Karnataka Jesuit Education and Veda Vigyan Vidya Pita.

One of the guests has provided ample evidence from the shruti declaring Vishnu to be supreme. Since Chitta is not addressing anything that is actually posted, but just screaming "you are defeated, you are defeated", I see no point in having this discussion continue. If Chitta has anything authoritative to offer in regards to evidence within the Vedas stating Vishnu is not Supreme, he may offer it. Otherwise follow up posts and attacks will be removed as they are quite irrelevant.

If a senior ISKCON guru has actually stated this, then the evidence should be presented (i.e. an article by the ISKCON guru, an email from the ISKCON guru, a post to some forum by the ISKCON guru, etc.). Otherwise this thread is really meaningless and will probably be closed. Did the ISKCON guru actually say something, as has been accused before, or did the ISKCON guru "say absolutely nothing" while someone else said this. There is quite a big difference between the two. For example, this is a public forum. Someone may say Sai Baba is god. If I don't reply and refute this does it mean that I have said Sai Baba is God? One may say that silence is acceptance, but the reality is someone may not have time to comment on (or even read) everything said by everyone.

The present Sri Lanka is not the Lanka of ancient times. The story about the astrologer was stated simply as information, and it is his belief that the present Sri Lanka was the same as the ancient Sri Lanka. It is also his belief that the Lord's blessings get affected by material constructions made from bricks and cement. I don't agree with such theories. The Lord's blessings cannot be blocked from his devotees by bricks nor buildings (i.e. the changing of the gopuram in Sri Rangam). Regarding the age of the deity, it was previously worshipped by Brahma in ancient times, making it much older than 2 million years. But two million years ago it was handed over to Vibhishana for worship.