Raguraman

Hare Krishna, Here is the link. Sri Rahavendra Swamy lived in 16th century A.D. This great swamy was a devotee of Lord Krishna who is the reincarnation of Prahlad(associated with Narasimha(man-lion) avatar of Lord Krishna) and Rahavendra Swamy himself claims this. He also performed miracles like bringing dead people back to life, making a seed sprout into a tree in few seconds to show that Lord Krishna is the TRUE GOD and Vedas are the TRUE SCRIPTURE. He also came back after ~tely 200 years of his supposed death and met a British officer in order to save his Math(Samadhi - His resting place). These were all recorded by eyewitnesses living during his time which is very recent and the evidence at hand is much more solid than new testament. Sri Raghavendra Swamy

Hare Krishna, Lord Krishna does not need anything from anyone. He acts as HIS devotees want. His devotees act as per Vedic Dharma(righteous way). All those acts or leelas have a transendental motive. There is no material lust behind stealing. This way HE stole the hearts of Gopis and thereby Gopis attained salvation. Marrying those females is not for sexual lust, but they were heavenly(I think Gandharva, not sure which category) maidens who were very devoted to Lord Krishna(GOD). They wanted to marry only HIM(not for sex) and that is what they wished. Lord Krishna granted their wish in his avatar. In all these acts Lord Krishna sees only the motive of Devotees. If it is purely out of Love for HIM with no metrial lust or sexual lust or any kind of lust, HE does everything for these devotees, even being a husband to them, being their son as the devotee wishes. Another teaching is in this world husband and wife relationship is the most close and intimate one. So the relationship between Radha and Krishna is epitome of love between Lord Krishna and devotee(Something like bridal mysticism in some christian sect). You may still think that this is all made up stories to forcibly explain away certain acts of Lord Krishna. But Lord Krishna was recognized as GOD Supreme by many sages who were practising celibacy in action and thought all their years of life. This is all given in Mahabharath and it is not my explanation. The final conclusion is LOVE for Lord Krishna(GOD) is constant and uninterrupted meditation on GOD and only this will lead to salvation. I can only urge you to get rid of your fanaticism and understand Lord Krishna(GOD) sincerely. Lord Krishna has taken avatars and performed actions for HIS devotees and this world so many times. This way Vedas and its teachings and remembrance of Lord Krishna(GOD) has survived in this world through which salvation is betowed on HIS devotees. Infact the whole Bhagavad Gita(teachings of Lord Krishna) teaches selfless action. Here Lord Krishna says that if HE does not act, eventhough HE has nothing to do and gain from anyone or anything, then the whole world will head towards total destruction and hence even a yogi should perform actions in order to guide people. If litearture can be created(meaning it's a lie), then what is the basis of bible. Bible is also a lie. Show me proof from any other place where it says that jesus came back to life. Now tell me how true is your god(jesus) ? Your logic is full of flaws. Please read the four gospels first. Jesus himself clearly denies being God. Fanatacism cannot help you in any way and even Jesus cannot help you in your death bed if you continue abusing Lord Krishna.

Hare Krishna, Forwarded mail............ How US Schools Misrepresent Hinduism! It's 8:00 a.m., and students slowly trickle into Mr. West's 6th grade history class. The majority of the people, including the teacher, are white. One African-American, two Orientals, and myself, a second generation Indian girl, make up the rest of the class. On the blackboard is written "World Religions." As the rest of the class prepares for a boring two hours, I can already feel my stomach sink - what did I do to deserve this? We are handed a fill-in-the-blank chart of major world religions and are instructed to look in our books for the answers. Finishing quickly, I hand in my chart to Mr. West at his desk, and turn to leave. "Now wait a minute, you put 'monotheistic' down for Hindooism," he remarks. "I know," I reply, feeling my face burn as the class looks up. "Hindoos are polytheistic." "No, they're not," "Are you a Hindoo?" "Yeah." "Oh." Scattered murmurs break out among my peers, whispering about how freaky Hindus worship elephants and monkeys. Great. "Well," Mr. West says standing up and going to the chalkboard, "from what I understand, Hindoos are all about their caste system." And he begins a long, irrelevant, and incorrect explanation, which he memorized from our textbook. What does that have to do with being monotheistic? I don't even bother correcting him, to save myself any more embarrassment. I wanted to get out of there. Fast. 7th grade starts, and it's culture day in history. "Both of my parents are Indian--" I begin when it's my turn. "Do you mean Native American Indian, or Middle Eastern Indian?" my teacher asks. Sounds like it's going to be another fun year in social studies. When 8th grade starts, India and Hinduism are summed up in a few short sentences by the teacher. India is described as filled with pollution, cows, and poverty-stricken people. Hindus love to bathe in rivers where they throw the ashes of their parents and yes, they do worship elephants and monkeys. "Do you speak Indian?" I'm asked at least two times a week. "I heard there were two thousand gods and every full moon you had to give a sacrifice to them. Do you do that?" No.I try to explain that all the gods are really aspects of one almighty being. I've never sacrificed anything except my dignity, which slowly dwindles with each question. The release of popular award-winning books such as Homeless Bird, which portrays the typical Indian girl who is forced to get married at thirteen, didn't help Indians anywhere. And, who could have guessed, the author hadn't even been to India! No kidding. Six entire chapters in the textbook were devoted to Christianity, whereas one page is given to the history of India and the teachings of Hinduism. A second page is entirely about Lord Shiva, accompanied by a rather unbecoming picture of an ancient dancing Shiva statue. Buddhism gets one paragraph. This doesn't make sense, as most of the school already knows so much about Christianity, but hardly any even knew Buddhism or Hinduism existed. Now that they did, we would be ridiculed publicly. Thank you, Board of Education. At last, high school starts. I almost die of shock when I see the 9th grade textbook has devoted an entire 3 sentences to Sikhism and Jainism. It claims Sikhism "combines the Muslim belief of one god with the Hindu belief of reincarnation." Christianity in India and the ever-popular "western influence" get pages and pages of text. One of the main pictures which help represent "typical life in India" is one my fellow students describe as some sort of drag-queen in make-up doing an obscure peacock dance. Out of all the dazzling pictures of Indian culture, that is the one they have to stick in? They chose that one over a picture of, say, the classic Taj Mahal? But the fun just gets funnier -- the next picture of a sari earns a whole two sentences. Oh, but it's not an exquisite silk or glittering embroidered sari. Nope, it's a dirty yellow (perhaps once white) cotton sari worn by an old woman bathing in the Ganges River. In spite of its pollution, "Hindus readily drink and bathe in the Ganges' waters.people even come to die in the river." To further prove their point, they stick in a picture of a filth and trash laden section of Ganges, not a clean part, which much of it is. I kid you not, upon reading this and looking at the picture, a boy in my class had to be excused to the nurse's office because his stomach had become queasy. Now we come to the sacred cow. They say entire streets are blocked because Hindus don't want to run over our beloved cow. C'mon, even in America, people aren't going to just run over a local cow; they'll find a way to move it or get around it. On an ending note, Indians are technologically behind. They fail to mention that we have a space program, nuclear capabilities, and many Indians, believe it or not, have heard of a computer. Every day, young desi children and teenagers are unreasonably tormented because of our perceived background. The school textbooks are half the cause. The average American doesn't know squat about India, and with the help of poorly researched textbooks, they learn nonsense. The sheer embarrassment of the situation is enough to make desi students everywhere wish we could have been "normal" by American standards. Explaining to your peers that you don't worship a thousand gods like the Greeks; your grandmother doesn't force you to bathe in dead people's ashes every full moon; and even though you know how to bhangra, kuchipudi, or whatever it may be, you've never danced with a drag-queen, is not fun for any young desi. But why do we put up with it? Jewish, African-American, and Orientals all have organizations against defamation and they are represented correctly in the textbooks. Why aren't we? If Christians can effectively lobby to remove the theory of evolution from school science textbooks, then certainly we should be able to at least correct the blatant misinterpretation of our culture. Reading what you or your child's Social Studies textbooks says on India and Hinduism and writing a simple letter or e-mail to the editor can make a world of difference for not only you but for thousands of others. A letter to the Board of Education for your district can't hurt either, since they decide which textbooks will be used. It only takes five minutes of your time, but it can change how you, an Indian, are viewed in society. Desis are being ridiculed everywhere in America because of what today's modern student is learning. It's not going to change unless we become part of the solution. --- Trisha Pasricha of Houston, TX, is 14. She has recently co-authored a children's novel with her mother and is now actively seeking a publisher. She currently writes a teenage advice column in her local newspaper.

Hare Krishna, Lord Narayana = All Avatars(Lord Krishna, Lord Narasimha, Lord Vamana etc.). Avatars are IDENTICAL with Lord Narayana. Lord Shiva, Lord Bramha etc. are JIVA tattvas like us. They are superior to humans but can never be compared to Lord Narayana and HIS avatars. This is what Vedas declare. Search for quotes provided in this section. Vayu Sukta, Devi Sukta, Visvakarma Sukta of Rig veda shows this clearly.

Hare Krishna, Lord Narayana = All Avatars(Lord Krishna, Lord Narasimha, Lord Vamana etc.). Avatars are IDENTICAL with Lord Narayana. Lord Shiva, Lord Bramha etc. are JIVA tattvas like us. They are superior to humans but can never be compared to Lord Narayana and HIS avatars. This is what Vedas declare. Search for quotes provided in this section. Vayu Sukta, Devi Sukta, Visvakarma Sukta of Rig veda shows this clearly.

Hae Krishna, Lord Krishna, Vishnu, Narayana, Hari etc. all are IDENTICAL. Vedas proclaim Visnu as SUPREME. Previous posts have clearly showed this. Vedas also proclaim existence of multiple JIVAS and Prakriti that is different from LORD KRISHNA and each other. There is no separate existence of individual Krishna and Lord Krishna(divine Krishna) as claimed by advaita.

Hae Krishna, Lord Krishna, Vishnu, Narayana, Hari etc. all are IDENTICAL. Vedas proclaim Visnu as SUPREME. Previous posts have clearly showed this. Vedas also proclaim existence of multiple JIVAS and Prakriti that is different from LORD KRISHNA and each other. There is no separate existence of individual Krishna and Lord Krishna(divine Krishna) as claimed by advaita.

Hare Krishna, Great posting. I would like to enjoy Lord Krishna through the eyes of different people. I always enjoyed OSHO's teachings. People like to say that he was an intellectual person, but if one reads his teachings we can find thet he is a man of HEART. If you open your heart to his teachings you will find what a wonderful man he is. Athough I do not agree with certain aspects of his teachings(because of my personal experiences) viz. with regard to GOD's existence and Lord Krishna, I am sure he is a great man.

Hare Krishna, Great posting. I would like to enjoy Lord Krishna through the eyes of different people. I always enjoyed OSHO's teachings. People like to say that he was an intellectual person, but if one reads his teachings we can find thet he is a man of HEART. If you open your heart to his teachings you will find what a wonderful man he is. Athough I do not agree with certain aspects of his teachings(because of my personal experiences) viz. with regard to GOD's existence and Lord Krishna, I am sure he is a great man.

Hare Krishna, Some avataras did not come to this planet Earth. Lord Krishna comes where his devotees reside and it happned to be mother India. What a blessing for her.

Hare Krishna, Just wondering, if anybody knows the geographical location where the Lord came out of pillar. I heard from some Pakistani Hindus that this happened at present day Multan district in Pakistan. Anything about this in our scriptures ?

Hare Krishna, Just wondering, if anybody knows the geographical location where the Lord came out of pillar. I heard from some Pakistani Hindus that this happened at present day Multan district in Pakistan. Anything about this in our scriptures ?

Hare Krishna, Beautiful explanation to those demonic visitors of this forum. Only demons and those that pray to demons will find the RUPA of LORD terrifying. http://www.yatharthawadi.org/

Hare Krishna, Beautiful explanation to those demonic visitors of this forum. Only demons and those that pray to demons will find the RUPA of LORD terrifying. http://www.yatharthawadi.org/

Hare Krishna, So what is so great about this. All this nonsense is going to cause big problems. Embracing good things is one thing but conversion is accompanied by hatred for another religion which is what these missionaries want to spread. Let God bring sense into these people.

Hare Krishna, I found a good article on our way of worship. It is very interesting. http://www.cskishore.com/pooja.pdf

Hare Krishna, The following two links give the whole marriage ceremonies. Exchanging garlands is how we Indians greet each other. Similarly in marriage the bride greets the groom. http://www.vivaaha.org/the.htm http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/rituals/sacraments/marriage_mantras.html As for lighting DEEPAM in front of a DEITY, I think practising priests will be able to answer better. I think somebody here should have knowledge of Agama texts like Pancaratra etc.

Hare Krishna, I have to say I am very very impressed by your comments. Free will(to wish for anything) is there for human beings, but we do not get whatever we wish. The Giver of results of the works is GOD, as said in Bhagavad Gita. Free Will, ie the freedom to to wish for anything, and what we actually gain should not be confused.

http://home.comcast.net/~chinnamma/ 361. havir-harih Hari who is the recipient of the havis offered in the yaj~na. om havir-haraye namah This nAma has been considered as two separate nAma-s by some vyAkhAna-kartA-s. So we will look at the interpretation for havir-harih, havih, and harih. havis is the name given to the offering in a yAga. So one interpretation for this nAma is Hari or vishNu who is the ultimate acceptor of the offerings - yaj~neshu havir-bhAgam harati iti havir-harih. SrI Sankara gives reference to the gItA - aham hi sarva yaj~nAnAm bhoktA ca prabhureva ca (9.24). The word havis is derived from the root hu, which means both "to accept" and "to offer". He both enjoys His devotees, and is the subject of enjoyment by His devotees, and thus again He is havir-harih. The word "harih" is derived from the root hR - to obtain. One who is obtained by offering of havis is havir-harih. Also we have in mahA bhArata - hrAmyagham ca smartR*NAm havirbhAgam kratushvaham | varNaSca me haridveti tasmAd harir_aham smRtah || (SAnti parva 330.3) "I destroy the sins of those who remember Me, and also receive the oblations in sacrifices; My complexion also is blue; hence I am named Hari". harih also means one who removes the obstacles - harir harati pApAni. 656. harih - a) The Green-hued. b) He Who removes the distress of His devotees c) He Who wards off samsAra with its cause from His devotees. d) The Destroyer of the Universe at the time of pralaya. Om haraye namah. a) The term hara refers to green color. BhagavAn's words from mahA bhArata are given in support by SrI BhaTTar: iDopahUtam …….varNaSca me harih SreshThah tasmAd harir-iti smRtah || (mahA. SAnti. 343.39) "My superior complexion is green, and therefore I am called Hari". One is reminded of the familiar pASuram "paccai mA-malai pOl mEni…) (tirumAlai 2). b) SrI aNNa'ngarAcArya gives the interpretation "ArtigaLai harippavar" - He who removes the distress of His devotees. c) (samsAram) harati iti harih - He who wards off samsAra with its cause from His devotees is harih (SrI Samkara). Alternatively, pApAnAm harati iti harih - He who wards off the sins of His devotees. d) SrI satyadevo vAsishTha extends the anubhavam to include bhagavAn's destruction of the world at the time of pralaya, and His destruction of the darkness in our minds always. The dharma cakram writer observes that the sight of green gives a feeling of peace to the mind; the thought of Hari, the green-hued One, similarly gives peace to the mind. The "hari nAma" is chanted whenever one starts anything auspicious, and this is to remove all obstacles and sins that may be committed in the process. SrI rAdhAkRshNa SAstri notes that in kali santaraNa Upanishad, the repetition of the 16 nAma-s in the following familiar chant is prescribed for the removal of all sins caused by kali: hare rAma hare rAma rAma rAma hare hare | hare kRshNa hare kRshNa kRshNa kRshNa hare hare || (kali santaraNa upa. 6.2) ----------- http://www.dvaita.org/list/list_50/msg00065.html in the shruti 'hariM harantamanuyanti devAH | vishvasyeshAnaM vR^iShabhaM matInAM', Rudra (conveyed by the word 'IshAna') is said to be killed by Hari. The shruti's interpretation is thus: The shaShThi-vibhakti in vishasya should be taken in the prathamA-vibhakti. The Devas (vishvedevAH) follow that Hari, who destroys (harantaM) Rudra. It should not be said that the Devas follow that Rudra who destroys Hari. For, the Smriti: brahmaNamindraM rudraM cha yamaM varuNameva cha | nihatya harate yasmAttasmAddharirihochyate || (On the account of being the destroyer (nihatya harate yasmAt) of Brahma, Indra, Rudra, Yama and Varuna, he is called 'Hari') clarifies that the very word, Hari, indicates His being the destroyer and not the destroyed. A passage in the Taittariya Aranyaka starts with 'tasyendro vahmirUpeNa dhanurjyAmachChinatsvayam.h' (Indra in the form of Agni himself breaks the 'heart of his bow' into pieces) and concludes 'etadrudrasya dhanuH | rudrasyatveva dhanurArtniH shira utpipeSha | sa pravargyo.abhavat.h' (That bow belonged to Rudra. Since that belonged to Rudra, his 3 heads broke into pieces) and thus conveys an incident where Indra, powered by his antaryAmi Vishnu, severes the head of Rudra (thus establishing Vishnu's supremacy over Rudra). It should not be said that this anecdote does not refer to the well-known Rudra because the singers of Samaveda consider the Rudra with 3 heads and a bow as some other Yaksha and not the well known Rudra. As the above shruti (hariM harantaM) says, it is indeed the destruction of well known Rudra that is referred here. Though Indra is not capable of severing Rudra's head on his own powers, he was able to do that with help from Vishnu's discus and Vishnu Himself. There are pramANas to that effect. The latter portion of Kurma purana says raxitaM naiva shaknoShi svAtmAnamapi shaN^kara | yuddhe kiM jeShyasi tvaM mAM pUrvavR^ittaM mayochyate || yadA madbhaktashakrasya yaj~nadhvamsaH kR^itastvayA | tadA.ahaM te shirashChitvA tatkratU raxito mayA | tato mAM prArthayAmAsa manobhIShTAya pArvatI | tadA vai matprasAdena prANAn.h lebhe bhavAn.h shiva || (Vishnu says:) Hey Shankara, you are not capable of protecting even yourself. How can you win over me in a war? I shall recount an old account (pUrvavR^ittaM). You came to ruin the yajna performed by Indra. Then, I protected that Yajna, having got your head severed. Then, to obtain you back, Parvati prayed to me; after which, you got your life due to my grace. These words are told by Shiva to Parvati praising Vishnu. There is a upAkhyAna to this effect also (atredaM kilopAkhyAnam.h) In some kalpa, Indra without telling other gods, meditating upon Lord Narayana, started a sacrifice. Then the Gods sent Rudra to spoil that yajna. When Rudra created havoc there, Indra meditated upon the Lord. Then Vishnu's chakra beheaded Rudra. Later he was brought to life due to Parvati praying the Lord.

Hare Krishna, Dear Sir, We do not see many mature people like you from other religions post here. Please often come to this site here. I am really very interested to hear Islamic concepts of God also. As for the words and getting attached to it, there is always fixation of some kind. Sometimes we do not even recognize it. I know only words and not the BEING(GOD). I am not even qualified to speak on this arena. That is why we have something called YOGA, a technique or procedure to know GOD just as you know your father or mother etc. If you are interested you should contact qualified people immersed in such things. This is what Isavasya Upanishad tells exactly. May GOD bring people like you here instead of hit and run religious missionaries. The Isavasya Upanisad http://www.dvaita.org/sources/shruti/translation.html tadejati tannaijati taddure tadvantike | tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasya bahyatah 5 tad = tasmat = from him; ejati = bibheti = tremble (in awe or stupefaction); tat = He, Himself; na = (does) not; dure = far off; tadu = tadeva = He alone; antike = near, close by; antah = within, inside of; asya = of this; sarvasya = of all; bahyatah = outside of. He causes all to tremble or quake in fear of Him, but He Himself fears none (for being independent); He is very far off (He exists even at infinite distances), and He is also very close by (because He is omnipresent); He is within everyone and everything, and also outside everyone and everything (His presence is all-pervasive). It has been said that Hari is all-pervasive, the controller of all, and all-powerful. Now, the use of knowing this is clarified -- yastu sarvani bhutanyatmanyevanupasyati | sarvabhutesu catmanam tato na vijugupsate 6 yah = (he) who; tu = but, indeed; sarvani = all; bhutani = beings, creatures, objects, atmani = in the Supreme Being; eva = only; anupasyati = excellently beholds, clearly understands; sarva bhutesu = in all beings; ca = and; atmanam = the Lord, the Ruler of the innermost self; tatah = thus, therefore, by reason of; na = (does) not; vijugupsate = wish to hide or seek concealment. One who sees all animate and inanimate nature in the Supreme (for He exists outside them and is their support), and also sees the Supreme in all of them (for He exists in them, and is their controller from within), by this reason, he becomes free of fear and does not ever need to seek concealment. One who perceives Sri Hari as being the sole independent entity and the motivator of all, has no fear of anyone, since he knows that all power belongs to the Lord only, not to any other. Verse 5 has already expressed the idea that the Supreme is omnipresent; the repetition of the same notion here is for the purpose of explaining the significance of such omnipresence (why it is important to understand it). The same notion is further clarified -- yasminsarvani bhutanyatmaivabhudvijanatah | tatra ko mohah kah soka ekatvamanupasyatah 7 yasmin = in whom; sarvani = all; bhutani = beings [exist], the word tisthanti being implied here; atma = the Supreme Being; eva = only; abhut = present, exists within; vijanatah = who understands this very well (the prefix vi signifying visesena, ``specially'' is added to janatah, ``who knows,'' the purport being that the Lord is understood as special as compared with the individual, or that He is very well understood); tatra = in that person; kah = what; mohah = delusion; sokah = sorrow; ekatvam = identity (of the Lord existing in any one being and Him existing in all others); anupasyatah = perceives well. For one who clearly understands that all beings exist in the Supreme, and that He exists within all of them (as their controller), and who thus sees the unity of the Lord as existing (without change) everywhere, what could possibly cause delusion, or sorrow?

Hare Krishna, http://www.vedamu.org/home.asp

Hare Krishna, http://www.celextel.org/main/home.htm

Hare Krishna, Lord Nrsimha is the favourite Deity Madhvacharya prays to. Even for me this rupa and leela of Lord is most favourite as it gives me an unbreakable faith in HIM. Enjoy reading. http://narasimha.avatara.org/ There was once a great demon who was overwhelmed with rage: his brother Hiranyaksa had just been killed by the incarnation of Vishnu known as Lord Varaha. Thus he became very determined to become the emperor of the entire universe. In order to increase his power, he performed very powerful austerities. This penance was so severe that it disturbed the demigods. In fact, the demigods requested Lord Brahma to stop him. The chief of the demigods, Lord Brahma, therefore descended to pacify him by granting him a wish. "Please grant that I not be killed by any crated living being," commanded Hiranyakasipu, "that I not die inside or outside any residence, during the daytime or night, nor on the ground or in the sky; that I not be killed by any being created by you, nor by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal indeed that I not meet death from any entity, either living or non-living; that I have no competitor; that I have sole lordship over all living entities and presiding deities, and that I acquire all mystic powers." After Brahma had granted him all these requests, Hiranyakasipu very swiftly conquered all the planets in the universe, took up residence in the lavish palace of King Indra, and forced the demigods to bow down to his feet. He even stole the sacrificial oblations meant for the demigods. Intoxicated physically by wine and mentally by power, Hiranyakasipu ruled the universe very severely. During this time his queen, Kayadhu, returned to the palace of her husband and bore him a son, Prahlada. He was a reservoir of all transcendental qualities because he was an pure devotee of Lord Visnu. Determined to understand the Absolute Truth, he had full control over his senses and mind He was kind to all living creatures and the best friend of everyone. Toward respectable persons he behaved just like a menial servant, to the poor he was like a father, and to his equals he was always like a sympathetic brother. Always very humble, he considered his teachers and spiritual masters to be as good as the Lord Himself. Indeed, he was completely free of and pride that might have arisen from his good education, riches, beauty, and aristocratic birth. Hiranyakasipu wanted to raise his son to be a powerful demon, but Prahlada only wanted to learn about devotional service to Lord Visnu. After Prahlada attended school for some time, Hiranyakasipu took him on his lap and affectionately inquired, "My dear son, please tell me about your favorite subject in school." Fearlessly, Prahlada said, "Hearing (sravanam) and chanting (kirtanam) about the holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia, and pastimes of the Supreme Lord; remembering (smaranam) them; serving the lotus feet of the Lord (.-sevanam); offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia (arcanam); offering prayers to the Lord (vandanam); becoming His servant (dasyam); considering the Lord one’s best friend (sakhyam); and surrendering to Him (atma-nivedanam, in other words, serving Him with body, mind and words); these nine processes are known as pure devotional service, and I consider anyone who has dedicated his life to service of Lord Visnu through these nine methods to be the most learned person to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge." Blinded by anger, Hiranyakasipu threw Prahlada from his lap onto the ground. "Servants! Take him away and kill him at once!" he screamed. However, Prahlada just sat silently and meditated on the Personality of Godhead, and the demons’ weapons had no effect on him. Seeing this Hiranyakasipu became fearful and contrived various ways to kill his son. His servants threw Prahlada beneath an elephant’s feet; they cast him into the midst of huge, fearful snakes; they cursed him with destructive spells; they hurled him from a hilltop; they gave him poison; they starved him; they exposed him to severe cold, winds, fire and water; they threw heavy stones to crush him. Hiranyakasipu even sent his sister Holika to burn him but instead she herself was burned. But throughout these trials Prahlada was simply absorbed in thoughts of Lord Visnu, and thus he remained unharmed. Hiranyakasipu became very anxious about what to do next. "You say there is a being superior to me," said Hiranyakasipu, "but where is He? If He is present everywhere, then why is He not present in this pillaryou see before you? Do you think He is in this pillar?" "Yes," Prahlada answered, "He is there." Hiranyakasipu's rage flared more and more. "Because you are speaking so much nonsense, I shall now sever your head from your body. Now let me see your most worshipable God come to protect you. I want to see it." Cursing him again and again, Hiranyakasipu took up his sword, got up from his royal throne, and with great anger struck his fist against the column. Then from within the very pillar that he had singled out came a wonderful half-man, half-lion form never before seen. The Lord’s form was extremely fearsome because of His angry eyes, which resembled molten gold; His shining mane, which expanded the dimensions of His fearful face; His deadly teeth; and His razor-sharp tongue. Lord Nrsimha then proceeded to battle with the wasp-like Hiranyakasipu. Finally at twilight, Lord Nrsimha captured Hiranyakasipu and placed him in His lap on the doorway of the assembly hall. As He began ripping the demon to pieces with His many, many hands, Lord Nrsimha’s mouth and mane became sprinkled with drops of blood, and His fierce eyes, full of anger, were impossible to look at. Licking the edge of His mouth with His tongue, the Supreme Lord decorated Himself with a garland of intestines taken from Hiranyakasipu's abdomen. Lord Nrsimha uprooted Hiranyakasipu’s heart and finally threw him aside and destroyed an army of Hiranyakasipu’s faithful followers. By His transcendental cleverness, Lord Nrsimhadeva was able to kill Hiranyakasipu without contradicting any of Lord Brahma’s benedictions. The execution took place neither inside nor outside, but in the doorway; neither on land nor in sky, but on the Lord’s lap; neither during the day nor during the night, but at twilight; neither by man, beast, or demigod nor by any created being, but by the Personality of Godhead; and not by any weapon, but by the Lord's own lotus hand, relieving the whole universe of Hiranyakasipu’s demonic activities. Having been protected by the Lord, Prahlada Maharaja offered many prayers in a voice that faltered with love: "My dear Lord Nrsimhadeva, please, therefore, allow Your angry feature to diminish, now that my evil father Hiranyakasipu has been killed . . . [The saintly persons] will always remember Your auspicious is fearsome incarnation, for it frees them from fear. In this way, my Lord, You appear in various incarnations as a human being, an animal, a great saint, a demigod, a fish or a tortoise, thus maintaining the entire creation in different planetary systems and killing the demoniac principles." Adapted from Srimad Bhagavatam (7) translated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/local/articles/0729ne-porter29.html Protesters fail to mar Hindu fest advertisement Lisa Schencker The Arizona Republic Jul. 29, 2003 12:00 AM SCOTTSDALE - Several people stood Sunday morning near a Lutheran church in Scottsdale holding signs directed at a Hindu celebration across the street. The Hindu Temple of Arizona was celebrating the last day of its Ratha-Yatra festival by pulling a chariot down Hayden Road when several people appeared with signs bearing messages about Jesus being the only deity. The celebration was in honor of the Hindu god Krishna. The Rev. Brian Murphy, pastor of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, said he does not know who the people holding signs were. He said they were not members of the church. "One man came in and told me what they were going to do, but I didn't give him permission," Murphy said. Dinesh Updhyaya, the Hindu priest at the temple, said no one at the temple seemed angered by the protesters. "It was quite peaceful," Updhyaya said. "Everyone is allowed their religion."

Hare Krishna, Manu Smrithi and Vedas clearly mention Vedic sacrifices where animals were offered. It is not sin to kill animals in Vedic sacrifices as the animal assumes a higher life form and is born again in higher planets(Svarga loka). This way both the performer of sacrifice and the animal get bliss. In those days such sacrifices were performed for a higher good by qualified Brahmanas and not for eating meat. In kali-yuga such sacrifices are completely forbidden(no qualified Brahmanas are found). Finally Manu Smrithi tells that by abstaining from eating meat, one obtains higher bliss than that obtained by doing several Vedic sacrifices. I think you get the import of what I was trying to say.