bhaktajoy

>>My question: The term 'all living entities' encompasses too many living creatures that include micro-organisms, viruses, tapeworms, nematodes, cyclops, corals etc. Are they all parts and parces of God? I find it difficult to accept this fact because some of the living entities do not seem to serve any purpose but merely harm humans, e.g. the e-coli bacterium. I would say you get hard copy of Prabhupada's Gita and read it prayfully then all knowledge will be revealed to you.You won't understand in depth in a day or two.These kind of things take time.Anyway here is a simple article of how sparks of conciousness deviated from the supreme being. The beginning of consciousness Science might categorize the secret teachings as metaphysical, meaning "beyond the known laws and observations of physics." Religion might refer to them as mystical, meaning that they belong to a collection of thought considered too mysterious to consider or of dubious origin. It’s interesting to note that the great religions have sects that know of and ascribe to some or all of the secret teachings. In Islam it would be the Sufis; in Judaism, the Kabbalists; in early Christianity, the Gnostics and later, from the Middle Ages through the Reformation to even modern times, the many Christian mystics. Science, too, has had its adherents to concepts held by the secret teachings. Many quantum physicists have written about theories of life beyond the physically observable. Medicine has found that patients, who have been declared dead and later revived, have near-death experiences that confirm many of the concepts found in the secret teachings. According to the secret teachings, the universe was not first created in matter, but existed prior to material creation in spirit. Imagine a consciousness similar to our own, except that this first consciousness was boundless, a Universal Consciousness. This is God. At some point, the Universal Consciousness desired to express itself. It began to conceive, to imagine, and express Its inner prompting. And so the creation began – light, sound ... eventually stars, galaxies, trees, and rivers. This point in creation is still prior to the physical creation of the universe that science records. This is a realm of thought; no physical forms exist, only thoughts in the consciousness of the Universe. The physical universe had not yet been created. According to the secret teachings, there came a point in this creation where the Creator’s Consciousness desired to bring forth companions, creatures like unto Itself that would share in this expression of life. In order for the creatures to be more than creations, they had to possess individual consciousness and freedom, so that they could choose to be companions. Otherwise, they would only have been servants of the Original Consciousness. So within the One Universal Consciousness many individual points of consciousness were awakened and given freedom. It’s important for us to realize that at this point in our existence we did not have physical bodies. All of what has just been described occurred within the Mind of God. Consequently, its "form" resembled that of thought rather than physical objects. In the very beginning we were individual points of consciousness within the one great Universal Consciousness. At first we were quiet, our wills content to observe the wonders of the spiritual creation as they flowed from the Mind of God. In these early periods we were so much a part of the Creator’s Consciousness that we were one with It, virtually indistinguishable from It. However, it wasn’t long before some of us began to use our wills and express ourselves. At first, we simply imitated the Creator, but eventually we gained experience, and with experience came knowledge and confidence. Then, we truly began to create on our own, adding new dimensions to the spiritual creation, much like a second voice adds to a song by singing harmony with the main melody. This was exactly why we had been created – to share in and contribute to the great expression of Life and to be Its companions. To fulfill this purpose we were created in the image of the Creator: consciousness with freedom, capable of conceiving, perceiving, and remembering; capable of communicating directly with the Creator and the other companions. Consciousness and free will were the greatest qualities given any creation, but they came with equally great responsibility for their use or misuse. Of course, the all-knowing Universal One knew the potential dangers in giving beings complete freedom to do as they desired. However, the potential joy of sharing life with true companions, not servants, was deemed worth the risk. Therefore, each of these new free-willed beings would simply have to learn to take charge of themselves and to subdue harmful desires in order to live in harmony with the other companions and the Creator. To do otherwise would only bring chaos, suffering, and separation. Unfortunately, chaos came. As we continued to use our godly powers, we became more fascinated with them. We began to focus more and more on our own creations and became less concerned with and attentive to their harmony with the Creator, with the Whole. The more we thought of just ourselves and our own desires with less regard for the Whole, the more self-centered we became, eventually perceiving ourselves as separate from the Whole. Of course, this sense of separation was all in our minds, so to speak, because there really was no way we could exist outside of the Whole because everything was of spirit. It was more a result of our sustained focus of attention on ourselves and our self-interests that resulted in a heightened sense of a distinct and separate self. This was the beginning of trouble. It led to a very long fall for us. A fall that eventually left us feeling alone and separated from the rest of life, even to the point that we, who were actually companions and co-creators with the Universal Creator, today come to think of ourselves as little more than dustlike creatures, descendants of apes and inhabitants of a planet on the outskirts of a typical galaxy in the endless and diverse universe. This chaos occurred in spirit when no physical universe existed. To know ourselves and yet be one with the Whole was the ideal condition, but the centering of awareness on self alone resulted in a sense of separation from the Whole. The more we exercised our individual consciousness and free will for self-interest, self-gratification, self-glorification, and self-consciousness, the more we heightened our sense of self apart from the Whole. The resulting loss of contact with the Source of our life and the purpose for our existence was the beginning of darkness and evil, which is ignorance. Without a clear sense of our relationship to the rest of life, many of us began to use free will in ways that were never meant to be. Others simply let themselves be carried along with the current of life, abdicating their free will to the will of others. In both cases, these were things that would make it very difficult for us to be companions to the Creator. However, the Creator foresaw this potential and, prior to creating companions, It created a Universal Law: Whatever one did with its free will, it must experience. The law was not intended as punishment or retribution for offenses, but as a tool for education and enlightenment. Thus, as we used our freedom, we experienced the effects. In this we came to understand and learn. Interestingly, science and religion recognize this law. In science it is often stated, "For every action there is a equal and opposing reaction." Its religious counterpart is, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth"; "As you sow, so shall you reap"; and "As you do unto others, it will be done unto you." Even common knowledge expresses this principle in saying, "What goes around, comes around." This is the law of karma, of cause and effect. It is the great teacher of the companions-to-be and it is an integral part of the secret teachings. Once this law was established, the Creator conceived and freed countless independent points of consciousness within Its own infinite consciousness and the companions came into being, each conscious and free. What a trembling wonder it must have been in those first moments! Again, it’s important to realize that the companions were not physical bodies. They were like "ideas" in the mind of the Creator that were given freedom to be independently conscious. As they used their freedom, they developed into unique points of thought, feeling, desire, expression, and memory. Each was slightly different from the other by virtue of its different vantage point within the Universal Consciousness. Each companion had a spirit, mind, and a soul. Spirit is the essence of life. Remember the condition of the Creator before the creation; alive yet still. This is Spirit. It is the living stillness in the midst of activity. So often we identify life with motion, but the essence of life was there before the motion. Spirit is the essence of life. Life in motion, or the power to move and shape ideas and even physical forms out of spirit, is mind. Mind is the sculptor, the builder who conceives, imagines, and shapes ideas out of the essence of life. Spirit is life; Mind is the power to use it. Each of the companions had spirit and mind. As they used their life forces, they developed experiences, memories, desires, fears, etc. This caused them to become unique from one another – each having its own collection of experiences and aspirations; each its own story. This individual aspect of the companion is its soul. Soul is the sum total of all that the companion had done with its free-will consciousness. It’s the companion’s story, its complex of memories. All of the companions have spirit and mind, but each developed a unique soul, because each built a different collection of memories and experiences, resulting in different desires, hopes, and attitudes about life. Thus, spirit is the life force, mind is the power to use it, and soul is the being that develops. All are one in consciousness. The division of consciousness The creation then progressed from essence to thought, thought into thought-form, and from thought-form into particle-form or atomic-form; in other words, matter. There are many dimensions to life. One of these dimensions is the third dimension – physical form, as we know it today. The companions, filled with their newfound consciousness and freedom, went out into the vast universe to experience life and to learn about themselves, the Creator, and their relationship to it. In their travels through the cosmos, some of the companions entered the three-dimensional influences of the planet Earth where they entered into physical form for the first time. Here they became so encapsulated in the physical that they began to identify themselves more with their form than with their consciousness. They began to think of themselves as physical entities rather than free, living consciousness. Incredibly, we began to think we were only terrestrial beings and our celestial origins began to be forgotten. Form was so substantial, so captivating that it was difficult to hold on to the more delicate reality of spirit-thoughts, pure point of consciousness in a Universal Consciousness. To have an individual body was also the ultimate in self-identity, self-expression. It had the power of separating one from the Whole and the formless spirit-thoughts of higher dimensions. Strong identification with the physical made the companions subject to the laws of Nature, and, of course, a part of Nature’s cycle was death. The body would come to life according to the laws of Nature, live for a time, and then die. In their original state, the companions were continually alive, but those that began to strongly identify with their physical bodies were now affected by death. Since they thought they were their bodies, they considered themselves dead when their bodies died. This was a serious confusion, and when the companions who had not become involved in the material universe saw what had happened to the others, they decided to help those in the flesh regain their former state. However, it was not going to be easy. In addition to the influences of the physical dimension, the souls were building reaction patterns (karmic patterns) with their willful activities in the physical universe. According to the universal law, these actions had to be met – properly met in the physical universe where they had been initiated. The more one acted in the physical dimension, the more one built debts that had to be met in the physical. Death changed nothing except those with karmic debts yet to pay had to pay them by incarnating into another physical body. The result of this was reincarnation. Another effect of entering the physical dimension was the division of consciousness. According to the secret teachings, as an individual entered deeper into the physical, its consciousness separated into three divisions of awareness. Two of these divisions we acknowledge today: the conscious and subconscious. The first entails the physical realm where the human body required a three-dimensional consciousness to function. It has become the part of our consciousness we are most familiar with, what we have come to call the conscious mind. Many of us would consider it to actually be the "I" or "me" of ourselves. It is within this part of consciousness that we experience physical life, and our personalities are developed. The second part of consciousness is shadowlike while one is incarnate in the physical dimension. It lives life as a shadow, always there, listening, watching, remembering, and only occasionally making its profound and sometimes frightening presence known. We have come to call this part of our consciousness the subconscious mind. From out of this area come dreams, intuitions, unseen motivations, and deepest memories. According to many teachings, the subconscious is the realm of the soul that uses the conscious mind as a mechanism for manifesting in the physical plane through the five senses. Often the thoughts and interests of the conscious mind, combined with the desires of the body, become so strong and dominant that only its activities seem important and real; the subconscious seems illusionary and unrelated to outer life. But in truth, the real life is occurring in the subconscious. The third area of the now divided consciousness is the most universal. It is the part we can perceive and commune with the Universal Consciousness. We have different names for it: the Collective Mind, the Universal Mind, the Collective Unconsciousness, and the Superconsciousness. The more one’s attention moves into the conscious mind, the more narrow and limited the focus and awareness becomes. The more one moves toward the superconsciousness, the more one becomes aware of the Whole, the Universal Forces, the Creator. It may be more difficult to perceive the infinite when one is grossly involved in the finite, but the Universal Consciousness and the potential for attuning oneself to It remains. Curiously, the access is through the inner consciousness of the incarnate individual and not outside of it, making it a very mysterious passage for a physical being. In time, however, the companions trapped in the physical dimension could again become aware of the difference between terrestrial and celestial life. They could again come to know their original state and purpose, and regain their celestial birthright of companionship with the Creator. In time they could again come to realize that the conditions in their present physical life were the result of their free-will actions and choices before the present life. If the companions trapped in the physical dimension could genuinely begin to believe that the physical cannot possibly be all there is to life, they could begin the long journey back from form to spirit, a very difficult journey. In many ways we, as human beings, are no longer spirit. Flesh has become very much a part of us, not just physically but mentally as well. Even when we are out of the body (through death, deep sleep, or some altered state such as meditation), bodily manifestation is still very much a part of us. Otherwise, there would certainly be no reincarnation. We would simply leave the physical dimension and never return. The great paradox of humankind is that we are now both spirit and flesh. That’s like saying we are a combination of oil and water, two substances which do not combine. The mystical analogy would more properly be fire and water; these, too, don’t combine. How can anything be made up of two substances that are impossible to combine? Yet, such is the nature of humanity. We are constantly forced to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable: mercy with justice, cooperation with independence, unity with diversity, tradition with change, feeling with thought, love with truth, and on and on. The consequences of the division In order to fully appreciate the secret teachings, we need to understand how the Universal law of cause and effect works. It’s easy to say that the experiences in one’s life are the result of past activities, but the forces of this law are greater than we may first imagine. Every action, every thought, every idle word sets up reactions, according to the Universal law. When one thinks a thought, that thought makes an impression on the Universal Consciousness. Nothing is lost or done in secret. Everything is done within the Universal Consciousness, and the Whole is affected by it (as well as all others within the Whole). This isn’t easy for us to believe, living in our own little worlds. Secret, private, alone, and separate are active words in our vocabulary. This is due to our current separation in consciousness from the Whole. In the higher realms of consciousness, there is no space. Things and people are not separate, but part of a Whole. All is actually One. All is within the Whole. By increasing the focus on self, we have created the illusion of a self separated from the rest of life, but it just isn’t so. Our individual actions and thoughts make an impact on the Mind of the Universal One (the Whole). Thoughts are things. Thoughts are real. Reactions to past thoughts and actions become our fate, destiny, and karma. An individual’s fate is simply the rebounding effects of previous choices remembered by its soul. The reason the effects of these previous choices often seem unfair to the conscious mind is because the personality doesn’t see beyond its own life for sources of current conditions. As companions of God, we are free to live and choose and grow almost as we desire, but not without being subject to the Universal, Spiritual law. Through meeting our thoughts, actions, and words we learn to discern wisdom from folly, lasting strength from weakness, and true life from illusion. In turn we become more able to fulfill our ultimate purpose for existing: to be a companion to the Universal Creator. The law is actually a magnificent tool for perfect learning. It is completely impersonal – everyone experiences it equally and for the purpose of enlightenment. The law of karma is not some fierce god in the sky keeping track of everything so that it can zap people when they least expect it. Most karmic reactions in fact come from the individual’s own deep memory of what it has done. Karma has been described as memory. Karma is memory coming to consciousness again. What has occurred in the past is recalled and has an effect on the present. Now, the recollection may not surface to the conscious level; the personality may have no awareness of the memory, in fact. Yet, it exists at the deeper, soul level. Nevertheless, the soul sees through the same eyes as the personality and is reminded of its past use of free will and consciousness. Naturally, some of these memories will be compatible with the Universal and some will not. Memory is an important concept in understanding how the law of karma works. As a soul draws closer to the Universal Mind, it becomes aware that some of its memories are not compatible with the Creator, and since its ultimate purpose for being is companionship with the Creator, it seeks out opportunities to resolve these incompatible memories. Suppose a soul criticizes another soul among its peers and behind its back. As it becomes more aware of its true nature, it will recall this wrong and, because of its incompatibility with the Creator, will seek to correct it. Now, the resolution could take many forms. The soul might seek out an opportunity to work closely with the injured soul as a supporter, assistant, publicist, agent, or the like. Or perhaps it would seek to re-create the original scene – putting itself in a position to criticize the other soul again in front of the same peers. The test would be to see if the soul would choose not to criticize this time, even if it meant a certain loss of position for itself. Throughout all this the soul grows wiser and more compatible with the Creator. If, however, a soul has gotten so far away from its true nature that it has no conscience, then the law of karma can become a formidable obstacle to any further free-will action. Such a soul becomes surrounded by its karma; everywhere it turns, it meets the terrible effects of its previous action and thoughts. Yet, even a soul who has gotten in this pathetic situation can return to perfection because there is no total condemnation from the Creator or the law. If the soul turns away from its self-centeredness and begins acting, reacting, thinking, and speaking like a companion to the Universe, then the law is just as perfect as it is with error; and the reactions begin to build and establish a new destiny for that soul. Karma is memory. As one recalls or relives situations, one meets self again, and a new decision point or crossroads is presented to the soul. In life, "good" would be equated with compatible, harmonious actions and thoughts which consider the needs and desires of others along with self’s needs and desires. "Evil" would be equated with actions and thoughts that are motivated by a self-orientation that pays little or no attention to the needs and desires of others and the Whole. Metaphysically speaking, good results in oneness, and evil results in a sense of separation. Decisions in one’s life could be approached by evaluating which choices promote greater oneness and which promote separation. One must meet every bit of one’s karma. However, there is a way that it can be modified, softened, even ameliorated. If a soul, knowing another soul has wronged it, forgives that soul and holds no lingering resentment – perhaps has even forgotten the wrong in the depths of its forgiveness and understanding – then it begins to take hold of the power of forgiveness. The more it forgives, the more it perceives and understands forgiveness. Then, when it approaches the Universal Consciousness and realizes it possesses memories that are incompatible with It, forgiveness is much more viable, removing the barrier of separation. The law is so precise (what one gives one receives; no exceptions) that if one begins having mercy on and forgiveness of others, one begins to receive mercy and forgiveness upon oneself. Unless, of course, one refuses to forgive oneself. All has to be met. And yet, no soul is given more than it can bear to carry – this is the paradoxical blessing hidden in the limitations of time and space. A soul is given the time it needs to turn away from its selfish ways and, like the prodigal son, return home to a feast of joy and welcome from our Creator. Reincarnation is not a way to avoid judgment and responsibility; it is a way to allow the soul enough time to correct its mistakes and develop itself.

>>My questions: Why does the Supreme Personality of Godhead need to be served when He is omnipotent and therefore capable of fulfilling all needs? Normally, one serves others who are in need and helpless. But in this world, it is absurd to think one can love all living beings. If you try to love a ferocious tiger, for example, he will attack you. A poisonous snake may attack and bite you if you try to show it love. However, if you can love the Supreme Lord, that love will be distributed to all beings, and all can be happy. This is the true "love and affection theory." In that realm of love, if you have some love for tigers and bears, they will become calm and quiet. Our Rsis, great sages of the past, used to go to very dense forests and live there, and they were never attacked by tigers or other wild beasts. We have heard from our scriptures about examples of this, such as Agasta Rsi, Narada Rsi, Dhruva Maharaja, Prahlada Maharaja, and many others. How will we get that love and affection for the Supreme Lord by which we can love all others? In Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel, the only process is to chant the holy name of the Lord and this can be done very easily. It may be chanted by anyone of any language; it can be chanted by those who speak English, Malaysian, Hindi, Sanskrit, Spanish, Chinese, and so on. Don't think that there are many gods or that God is divided into many fractions. There is one God. The Chinese may call out to that same Supreme Lord, the Christians may also, the Hindus also, and the Vaisnavas also. He is very beautiful, charming, powerful, and merciful, and He can come and play with you in any relationship. He is not formless, or without a shape. This idea is wrong. Lord Jesus Christ said love God and love thy neighbour.We keep God in center then we will know what is true unconditional love.When you water roots of a plant all leaves are automatically satisfied and become happy.God is seated in everyone's heart.He is the cause of all causes.We are related to him with the ties of love.Although we have forgotten this truth about him he loves us more than we will ever know.

Very few follow Lord Jesus Christ today.He was love personified.After Xavier left his body God must have shown him all that he said and done against people of other faiths.Of course nobody is perfect not even the demigods.In the life review process he saw all his sinful activities.Does that mean he will take birth again in order to understand the pain he inflicted upon others?Maybe.

http://www.clubgreetings.com/getpage.asp?page=thumbnail&catpath=444

Jn Das Prabhuji thank you so much for your kind reply!I salute your dedication to Krsna conciousness.God bless u.

Jn Das Prabhuji thank you so much for your kind reply!I salute your dedication to Krsna conciousness.God bless u.

The group is at www.nde

The group is at www.nde

I posted this stuff on some . "When someone dies in a war, it is due to his fructified karmas, both from the past and from the present life. But the person who is killing, he is utilizing his free will and creating a fresh karmic reaction, which he will suffer in his next life. Krishna's role as supersoul is as a witness and a sanctioner. He witnesses our actions so that we will be held accountable through karmic reactions." I got following reply:- "Dear Joy, Please help me out here if you can. There is something about the above quote that doesnot quite gel with my spirit. How is it that the person who is killing, isn't also reacting to his fructified karmas from the past? I am not clear on why his karmic reaction would be fresh. I mean why would he be killing someone, if he also had not been killed in a past life? The other thing that baffles me a little, is that if Krishna witnesses our actions so that we will be held accountable through karmic reaction, does not such karmic reaction thus generate more of the same, and therefore less of the accountability that Krishna would wish for us? how does being murdered by someone in this present life because of my past action of killing someone in a previous life make one a more accountable person? It is more likely that such an individual would continue the unaccountable behaviour of murdering and being murdered until some form of Forgiveness of self and others, and by self and others enters the picture. Some form of Grace has to enter the arena for that person, for their Awareness to be raised to a place where they can then be accountable. And therefore is Krishna not the source of grace, forgiveness and accountability, or is he just a witness to it as quoted? Is there something I am missing here, and if so can anyone help to clarify what that may be, or do you see the point I am making?" What should I say now?Please help.

I posted this stuff on some . "When someone dies in a war, it is due to his fructified karmas, both from the past and from the present life. But the person who is killing, he is utilizing his free will and creating a fresh karmic reaction, which he will suffer in his next life. Krishna's role as supersoul is as a witness and a sanctioner. He witnesses our actions so that we will be held accountable through karmic reactions." I got following reply:- "Dear Joy, Please help me out here if you can. There is something about the above quote that doesnot quite gel with my spirit. How is it that the person who is killing, isn't also reacting to his fructified karmas from the past? I am not clear on why his karmic reaction would be fresh. I mean why would he be killing someone, if he also had not been killed in a past life? The other thing that baffles me a little, is that if Krishna witnesses our actions so that we will be held accountable through karmic reaction, does not such karmic reaction thus generate more of the same, and therefore less of the accountability that Krishna would wish for us? how does being murdered by someone in this present life because of my past action of killing someone in a previous life make one a more accountable person? It is more likely that such an individual would continue the unaccountable behaviour of murdering and being murdered until some form of Forgiveness of self and others, and by self and others enters the picture. Some form of Grace has to enter the arena for that person, for their Awareness to be raised to a place where they can then be accountable. And therefore is Krishna not the source of grace, forgiveness and accountability, or is he just a witness to it as quoted? Is there something I am missing here, and if so can anyone help to clarify what that may be, or do you see the point I am making?" What should I say now?Please help.

Just weeks after NASA astronauts repaired the Hubble Space Telescope in December 1999, the Hubble Heritage Project snapped this picture of NGC 1999, a nebula in the constellation Orion. The Heritage astronomers, in collaboration with scientists in Texas and Ireland, used Hubble's Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2) to obtain the color image. NGC 1999 is an example of a reflection nebula. Like fog around a street lamp, a reflection nebula shines only because the light from an embedded source illuminates its dust; the nebula does not emit any visible light of its own. NGC 1999 lies close to the famous Orion Nebula, about 1,500 light-years from Earth, in a region of our Milky Way galaxy where new stars are being formed actively. The nebula is famous in astronomical history because the first Herbig-Haro object was discovered immediately adjacent to it (it lies just outside the new Hubble image). Herbig-Haro objects are now known to be jets of gas ejected from very young stars. The NGC 1999 nebula is illuminated by a bright, recently formed star, visible in the Hubble photo just to the left of center. This star is cataloged as V380 Orionis, and its white color is due to its high surface temperature of about 10,000 degrees Celsius (nearly twice that of our own Sun). Its mass is estimated to be 3.5 times that of the Sun. The star is so young that it is still surrounded by a cloud of material left over from its formation, here seen as the NGC 1999 reflection nebula. The WFPC2 image of NGC 1999 shows a remarkable jet-black cloud near its center, resembling a letter T tilted on its side, located just to the right and lower right of the bright star. This dark cloud is an example of a "Bok globule," named after the late University of Arizona astronomer Bart Bok. The globule is a cold cloud of gas, molecules, and cosmic dust, which is so dense it blocks all of the light behind it. In the Hubble image, the globule is seen silhouetted against the reflection nebula illuminated by V380 Orionis. Astronomers believe that new stars may be forming inside Bok globules, through the contraction of the dust and molecular gas under their own gravity. NGC 1999 was discovered some two centuries ago by Sir William Herschel and his sister Caroline, and was cataloged later in the 19th century as object 1999 in the New General Catalogue. These data were collected in January 2000 by the Hubble Heritage Team with the collaboration of star-formation experts C. Robert O'Dell (Rice University), Thomas P. Ray (Dublin Institute for Advanced Study), and David Corcoran (University of Limerick).

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has snapped a view of a stellar demolition zone in our Milky Way Galaxy: a massive star, nearing the end of its life, tearing apart the shell of surrounding material it blew off 250,000 years ago with its strong stellar wind. The shell of material, dubbed the Crescent Nebula (NGC 6888), surrounds the "hefty," aging star WR 136, an extremely rare and short-lived class of super-hot star called a Wolf-Rayet. Hubble's multicolored picture reveals with unprecedented clarity that the shell of matter is a network of filaments and dense knots, all enshrouded in a thin "skin" of gas [seen in blue]. The whole structure looks like oatmeal trapped inside a balloon. The skin is glowing because it is being blasted by ultraviolet light from WR 136. Hubble's view covers a small region at the northeast tip of the structure, which is roughly three light-years across. A picture taken by a ground-based telescope [lower right] shows almost the entire nebula. The whole structure is about 16 light-years wide and 25 light-years long. The bright dot near the center of NGC 6888 is WR 136. The white outline in the upper left-hand corner represents Hubble's view. Hubble's sharp vision is allowing scientists to probe the intricate details of this complex system, which is crucial to understanding the life cycle of stars and their impact on the evolution of our galaxy. The results of this study appear in the June issue of the Astronomical Journal. WR 136 created this web of luminous material during the late stages of its life. As a bloated, red super-giant, WR 136 gently puffed away some of its bulk, which settled around it. When the star passed from a super-giant to a Wolf-Rayet, it developed a fierce stellar wind - a stream of charged particles released from its surface - and began expelling mass at a furious rate. The star began ejecting material at a speed of 3.8 million mph (6.1 million kilometers per hour), losing matter equal to that of our Sun's every 10,000 years. Then the stellar wind collided with the material around the star and swept it up into a thin shell. That shell broke apart into the network of bright clumps seen in the image. The present-day strong wind of the Wolf-Rayet star has only now caught up with the outer edge of the shell, and is stripping away matter as it flows past [the tongue-shaped material in the upper right of the Hubble image]. The stellar wind continues moving outside the shell, slamming into more material and creating a shock wave. This powerful force produces an extremely hot, glowing skin [seen in blue], which envelops the bright nebula. A shock wave is analogous to the sonic boom produced by a jet plane that exceeds the speed of sound; in a cosmic setting, this boom is seen rather than heard. The outer material is too thin to see in the image until the shock wave hits it. The cosmic collision and subsequent shock wave implies that a large amount of matter resides outside the visible shell. The discovery of this material may explain the discrepancy between the mass of the entire shell (four solar masses) and the amount of matter the star lost when it was a red super-giant (15 solar masses). The nebula's short-term fate is less spectacular. As the stellar wind muscles past the clumps of material, the pressure around them drops. A decrease in pressure means that the clumps expand, leading to a steady decline in brightness and fading perhaps to invisibility. Later, the shell may be compressed and begin glowing again, this time as the powerful blast wave of the Wolf-Rayet star completely destroys itself in a powerful supernova explosion. The nebula resides in the constellation Cygnus, 4,700 light-years from Earth. If the nebula were visible to the naked eye, it would appear in the sky as an ellipse one-quarter the size of the full moon. The observations were taken in June 1995 with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. Scientists selected the colors in this composite image to correspond with the ionization (the process of stripping electrons from atoms) state of the gases, with blue representing the highest and red the lowest observed ionization.

http://krishna.org/sudarsana/archive/msg00266.html It is so nice to be trying to get the mercy of Radharani. That is the mood of the devotees in Vrndavana. Thay are always chanting, "Jaya Radhe". Everywhere you go... It's amazing. Because Radharani is very dear to Krishna. If we can please Radharani then Krishna is automatically pleased. But the relationship between Srimati Radharani and Krishna is a very confidential one. We shouldn't immediately want to jump up and understand Krishna's dealings with the gopis and the principal gopi, Srimati Radharani, without first preparing ourselves. The Srimad Bhagavatam is a very scientific presentation of spiritual knowledge. As you know when we worship Krishna in the temple we start from His lotus feet and gradually move up to His lotus face. So the Bhagavatam is similarly described. The first and second cantos are His two lotus feet... and finally the tenth canto [where His pastimes, of which His pastimes with Srimati Radharani are the topmost, are described.] The tenth canto is likened to the beautiful smiling face of Krishna. So we should read all the Bhagavatam. It starts where the Bhagavad-gita finishes, after the battle of Kuruksettra, then it describes the creation, then the activities of many of Krishna's incarnations and devotees... So all these pastimes are just as important as Krishna's dancing with Radharani in the rasa dance. If we don't understand the material presented in cantos 1-9 we will certainly not be able to understand Krishna's pastimes with Radharani. It is a very sublime subject matter. So many fools have presented Krishna's pastimes in a mundane way. People think Krishna was a great woman-hunter and they paint horrible lusty pictures... This is very bad. Krishna's relationship with Radharani and the gopis is completely spiritual. It has absolutely nothing to do with the mundane sexual relationships in this world.. >Unfortunately, it is very hard >to find a great deal of information about Her. i know of several books Why don't you read Srila Prabhupada's books? Everything is there. You have not read them I can tell. Particularly Krishna Book and Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. You will not find any other books [at least in English] that describe the pastimes of Srimati Radharani so nicely... The Goswamis of Vrndavana have written many very elevated books about Radha and Krishna, but they are very elevated and we would misunderstand them... But everything is in Srila Prabhupada's books. We don't need to read anything else. We make advancement in spiritual life by serving our spiritual master, by pleasing him... It's not like mundane education. So we read the books but the realization comes from the service. It's not just an academic thing. We have to engage our senses in the service of Krishna under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master... In the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta different relationships with Krishna are discussed and different types of service... Of all the devotees of Krishna Radha stands supreme and the highest ecstasy Srimati Radharani feels is when She is separated from Krishna. This is very bewildering to Krishna... Because He can't understand what this feeling of separation from Himself is! Because how could He be separated from Himself? So thinking like this and desiring to taste the same ecstasy that Radha feels in separation from Him He decides to incarnate in the mood of Radharani. So He appears Himself as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is Krishna Himself, but his mood is as a devotee of Krishna... The Gaudiya Viasnavas [us] worship Krishna in this same vipralamba seva [mood of separation]. It is simultaneously painful and ecstatic. It has been described like drinking hot sugercane juce. In India they boil down the sugercane juce to make sugar so while this is going on there are big pots of boiling hot sugar water... It is very sweet to taste, but it is very hot and it burns your mouth.... Here is a little bit from the first volume of the Adi-Lila: "Krishna appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to distribute the chanting of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare. He appeared in the mood and complexion of Sri Radha. But this [spreading the chanting of Hare Krishna] was an external purpose. There is a principal cause for Sri Krishna's appearance. It grows from His own engagements as the foremost enjoyer of loving exchanges. "The heart of Lord Caitanya is the image of Sri Radhika's emotions. Thus feelings of pleasure and pain arise constantly therein. "In the final portion of His pastimes, Lord Caitanya was obsessed with the madness of separation from Lord Krishna. He acted in erroneous ways and talked deliriously. "Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu exhibited the highest stage of feelings of a devotee in separation from the Lord. This exhibition was sublime because He was completely perfect in the feelings of separation. Materialists, however, cannot understand this. Sometimes materialistic scholars think He was diseased or crazy. Their problem is they always engage in material sense gratification and can never understand the feelings of the devotees of the Lord. Materialists are most abominable in their ideas. They think they can enjoy directly perceivable gross objects by their senses and that they can similarly deal with the transcendental features of Lord Caitanya. But the Lord is understood only in pursuance of the principles laid down by the Gosvamis, headed by Svarupa Damodara . "Just as Radhika went mad at the site of Uddhava, so Lord Caitanya was obsessed day and night with the madness of separation. At night He talked incoherently in grief with His arms around Svarupa Damodara's neck. He spoke out His heart in ecstatic inspiration. When a particular sentiment arose in His heart, Svarupa Damodara satisfied Him by singing songs or reciting verses of a similar nature... "[Krshna says]Whatever pleasure I get from tasting My love for Srimati Radharani , She tastes ten million times more than Me by Her love. Just as I am the abode of all mutually contradictory characteristics, so Radha's love is always full of similar contradictions. Radha's love is all-pervading, leaving no room for expansion. But still it is expanding constantly. There is certainly nothing greater than Her love. But Her love is devoid of pride. That is the sign of its greatness. Nobody is purer then Her love. But its behavior is always perverse and crooked. "All glories to Radha's love for Krishna, the enemy of the demon Mura. Although it is all-pervading, it tends to increase at every moment. Although it is important, it is devoid of pride. Although it is pure it is always beset with duplicity. "Sri Radha is the highest abode of that love, and I am its only object. I taste the bliss to which the object of love is entitled. But the pleasure of Radha, the abode of that love, is ten million times greater. If sometime I can be the abode of that love, only then may I taste its joy. "Thinking in this way Lord Krishna was curious to taste that love. His eager desire for that love increasingly blazed in His heart. This is one desire. Now hear another. Seeing His own beauty Lord Krishna began to consider. "My sweetness is wonderful, infinite and full. No one in the three worlds can find its limit. Only Radhika, by the strength of Her love, tastes all the nectar of My sweetness. Although Radha's love is pure like a mirror, its purity increases at every moment. My sweetness also has no room for expansion, yet it shines before that mirror in newer and newer beauty. There is a constant competition between My sweetness and the mirror of Radha's love. They both go on increasing, but neither knows defeat. "My sweetness is always newer and newer. Devotees taste it according to their own respective love. If I see My sweetness in a mirror I am tempted to taste it but nevertheless I cannot. If I deliberate on a way to taste it, I find that I hanker for the position of Radhika. "The beauty of Krishna has one natural strength: it thrills the hearts of all men and women beginning with Lord Krishna Himself. All minds are attracted to hearing His sweet voice and flute, or by seeing His beauty. Even Lord Krishna Himself makes efforts to taste that sweetness. "The thirst of one who always drinks that sweetness is never satisfied. Rather, that thirst increases constantly. Such a person, being unsatisfied, begins to blaspheme Lord Brahma, saying that he doesn't know the art of creating well and is simply inexperienced. He has not given millions of eyes to see the beauty of Krishna. He has given only two eyes, and even those eyes blink. How then shall I see the lovely face of Krishna? "[the gopis say]O Krishna, when You go to the forest during the day and we do not see Your sweet face, which is surrounded by beautiful curling hairs, half a second becomes as long as an entire age for us. And we consider the creator, who has put eyelids on the eyes we use for seeing You, to be simply a fool. "The gopis saw their beloved Krishna at Kuruksetra after a long separation. They secured and embraced Him in their hearts through their eyes, and they attained a joy so intense that not even perfect yogis can attain it. The gopis cursed the creator for creating eyelids that interfered with their vision. "O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Nanda Maharaja [Krishna and Balarama] are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vrndavana. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision.

The Supreme Lord is always accompanied by His ecstatic potency in the form of Srimati Radharani, who is the internal energy of Godhead. Sri Radha is the original female form, the embodiment of ecstatic love of Godhead and an ocean of mercy. Sri Krishna and Srimati Radharani are the perfect couple, free of all material inebrieties and full of knowledge, bliss and eternity. All male / female forms and relationships in this material world are a perverted reflection of the transcendental union of Godhead in the form of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. In the Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja reveals how the Lord feels about Srimati Radharani. Krsna says, "Everyone says that I am complete bliss, full of all rasas. All the world derives pleasure from Me. Is there anyone who can give Me pleasure? One who has a hundred times more qualities than Me could give pleasure to My mind. One more qualified than Me is impossible to find in the material world. But in Radha alone I feel the presence of one who can give Me pleasure. Although My beauty defeats the beauty of ten million Cupids, although it is unequaled and unsurpassed, and although it gives pleasure to the three worlds, seeing Radharani gives pleasure to My eyes. The vibration of My transcendental flute attracts the three worlds, but My ears are enchanted by the sweet words of Srimati Radharani. And although My touch is cooler than ten million moons, I am refreshed by the touch of Srimati Radhika. Thus although I am the source of happiness for the entire world, the beauty and attributes of Srimati Radhika are My life and soul."

Radharani She is also known as Radha, Radhe and Radhika. Her complexion is like molten gold. She wears blue garments, and wears pearls and flowers. She is the most important of the gopis of Vrindavana. She is the main consort of Krishna and is often seen standing with Lord Krishna on the altar in temples. The word Radha means "the greatest worshiper of Krishna." Since Radha's love is the greatest, She gives the greatest pleasure to Sri Krishna. "Jagat mohana krsna tanhara mohini, ataeva samastera para thakurani. "Krishna enchants the whole world, but Radhika enchants even Him. Therefore, Radha is the Supreme Goddess." (Caitanya Caritamrita Adi 4.95) The beauty of Radharani is described as: "Her eyes defeat the attractive features of the eyes of the cakrai bird. When one sees the face of Radharani, he immediately hates the beauty of the moon. Her bodily complexion defeats the beauty of gold. Thus, let us all look upon the transcendental beauty of Radharani." (Nectar of Devotion) " Radharani is the center of all Vrindavana activities. In Vrindavana, Krishna is the instrument of Radharani; therefore all the inhabitants of Vrindavana still chant 'Jaya Radhe.' From Krishna's own statement given herein, it appears that Radharani is the Queen of Vrindavana and that Krishna is simply Her decoration." (Caitanya Caritamrita Madhya 11.150 purport) "In Vrindavana people are accustomed to chant Radharani's name more than Krishna's name. 'Jaya Radhe.' If you want Krishna's favor, then just try to please Radharani. This is the way." (SPT 75/82)

http://www.stephen-knapp.com/prayers_to_srimati_radharani.htm Prayers to the Queen of Goddesses, Shrimati Radharani Radha-Stuti radha raseshvari ramya rama cha paramatmanah rasodbhava krishna-kanta krishna-vaksha-sthala-sthita "Beautiful Shrimate Radharani is the queen and the origin of the rasa dance. She is the giver of pleasure to Krishna, who is the Supersoul in the hearts of all. She is the lover of Krishna and is always situated upon the chest of the Lord." krishna-pranadhidevi cha maha-vishnoh prasur api sarvadya vishnu-maya cha satya nitya sanatani "She is the presiding Deity of Krishna's very life, and She is the first of all persons, the energy of Lord Vishnu, the embodiment of truthfulness--eternal and ever-youthful." brahma-svarupa parama nirlipta nirguna para vrinda vrindavane tvam cha viraja-tata-vasini "Her form is spiritual, therefore She is transcendental and beyond mundane qualities. She is divine energy and is unattached. O Radha, in Vrindavana You are the leader of the gopis, and You reside on the banks of the Viraja River." goloka-vasini gopi gopisha gopa-matrika sananda paramananda nanda-nandana-kamini "She is a resident of Goloka Vrindavana and is a cowherd damsel. She is the queen of the gopis and the divine mother of the cowherd boys. She is joyful and always experiencing the highest bliss, and She incites lusty desires in the heart of the son of Nanda (Lord Krishna)." vrishabhanu-suta shanta kanta purnatama tatha kamya kalavati-kanya tirtha-putra sati shubha "Radha is the daughter of Maharaja Vrishabhanu. She is very peaceful and lovely. She is completely contented and fulfilled, very pleasing and is the daughter of Kalavati. She is the purifier of the tirthas (holy places) and She is most auspicious and chaste to Lord Krishna." samsara-sagare ghore bhitam mam sharanagatam sarvebhyo 'pi vinirmuktam kuru radhe surshvari "O Radha, I have fallen into the horrible ocean of birth and death and am frightened, but I am seeking Your shelter. O queen of the demigods, please free me from all fears." tvat-pada-padma-yugale pada-padmalayarcite dehi mahyam param bhaktim krishnena parisevite "O Radhika, please give me transcendental devotional service to Your lotus feet, which are worshiped by Lord Brahma and Lakshmi, and which are served even by Lord Krishna." tapta-kanchana-gaurangi radhe vrindavaneshvari vrishabhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye "O Shrimati Radharani, I offer my respects to You whose bodily complexion is like molten gold. O Goddess, You are the queen of Vrindavana. You are the daughter of King Vrishabhanu, and are very dear to Lord Krishna." mahabhava-svarupa tvam krishna-priya-variyasi prema-bhakti-prade devi radhike tvam namamy aham "O Shrimate Radharani, You are the exalted form of mahabhava, therefore You are the most dear to Krishna. O Goddess, You alone are able to bestow pure love for the Supreme Lord; therefore I offer my humble obeisances unto You."

Srimati Radharani The Attractor of Krsna To get Krsna to accept you, pray for the favor of His greatest devotee A lecture given on Radharani's Appearance Day, in London, September 18, 1969 By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder-Acarya of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness -- TODAY IS RADHASTAMI, the appearance day of Srimati Radharani. Fifteen days after Krsna's birth Radharani appeared. Radharani is Krsna's pleasure potency. Radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktih. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has varieties of energy, as confirmed in the Vedic literature:parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. The Supreme Lord has nothing to do personally. Na tasya karyam. Here in the material world we find that a very big man-political head or business head - has nothing to do personally, because he has many assistants. Similarly, does the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full with six opulences, have to do anything personally? No. He has many assistants. In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, sarvatah panipadam tat: "The Lord has His hands and legs everywhere." You'll find that Krsna has nothing to do. He's simply enjoying with the gopis (cowherd girls) and Radharani. He's not killing the demons. The Krsna who kills the demons is Vasudeva Krsna; He's not the original Krsna. Krsna expands Himself. The first expansion is Baladeva. From Baladeva come Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, and Vasudeva. So in His Vasudeva feature Krsna acts in Mathura and Dvaraka. But Krsna in His original feature remains in Vrndavana. One of the greatest fiction writers in Bengal, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, mistakenly thought that Krsna of Vrndavana, Krsna of Dvaraka, and Krsna of Mathura are different persons. Krsna is the same, but He can expand Himself in millions and trillions of forms. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam. Although He has unlimited forms - ananta rupam - He's advaita: There is no distinciton between Krsna and His other forms. When Krsna wants to enjoy, what kind of enjoyment will He have? That has been discussed by Srila Jiva Gosvami. Krsna is Param Brahman, the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth has three features: Brahman, Pramatma, and Bhagavan. Jnanis, those who try to understand the Absolute Truth by mental speculation, by dint of their own knowledge, realize the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman. And yogis, those who try to understand the Absolute Truth by meditation, realize the Absolute Truth as Paramatma. Paramatma is the feature of the Supreme that is situated in everyone's heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati. And that Paramatma feature is an expansion of Bhagavan, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita (10.42), atha va bahunaitena kim jnatena tavarjuna vistabyaham idam krtsnam ekamsena sthito jagat Arjuna was trying to understand Krsna's potencies, so Krsna explained in the tenth chapter, "Among seasons I am spring, among rivers I am the Ganges, among beasts I am the lion, among men I am the king...." And Krsna concluded, "How far shall I go on? Just try to understand that because of My entering the universe by only one plenary portion, the whole cosmic manifestation exists." The material world exists on one plenary portion of Krsna. And Krsna Himself enters within the universe: andantara-stha-paramana-cayantarastham. Without His entering, the universe cannot exist, just as without the soul's entering within the body, the body cannot exist. As soon as the spirit soul leaves the body, the body is useless. The body may be that of a prime minister, but as soon as the soul leaves the body, the body is not worth even a farthing. Similarly, because Krsna enters within the universe, the universe has value. Otherwise it is simply a lump of matter. So when Krsna wants to enjoy, what kind of enjoyment will He have? That has been discussed by Srila Jiva Gosvami. Krsna is the Supreme Great. God is great, everyone knows. So when the Great wants to enjoy, what quality of enjoyment will He have? That is to be understood. Therefore Svarupa Damodara Gosvami has written, radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtih. The loving affairs of Radha and Krsna are not ordinary, material loving affairs, although they appear like that. Avajananti mam mudha: rascals and fools misunderstand Krsna to be an ordinary man. They do not know Krsna's transcendental nature. They try to imitate Krsna's rasa-lila, His dancing with the gopis. There are many such rascals. To understand Krsna is very difficult: manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti tattvatah Out of millions of persons, one may try ot make his life perfect. Nearly everyone is working like an animal, and for an animal there's no question of perfection. The animal propensities are eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. And unfortunately most human beings are engaged like animals. They have no other business. They are like hogs, who spend the whole day and night working - "Where is stool? Where is stool?" And as soon as the hogs get some stool to eat, they get fat. Then, "Where is sex? Where is sex?" The hog does not consider whether the mate is even his mother or sister. That is the hog's life. Human life is not meant for hog civilization. But modern civilization is a hog civilization, although it seems polished because the hogs wear shirts and coats. The Krsna consciousness movement, in contrast, is for understanding Krsna. That requires a little labor, austerity, penance. Tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca. One has to undergo tapasya and brahmacarya - austerity and celibacy. Brahmacarya means stopping sex life or controlling sex life. Without becoming brahmacari, without controlling the impulse for sex, one cannot understand spiritual life. Formerly in Vedic civilization boys were trained from the very beginning to become brahmacari. It was not like the modern day, when boys and girls ten or twelve years old are enjoying together. Such enjoyment spoils the brain; the finer brain tissues are lost, so that one cannot understand higher things. These are the processes of self-realization: samena (by control of the mind), damena (by control of the senses), tyagena (by giving in charity), saucena (by cleanliness). But in this age these processes are very difficult to undergo. Practically it is impossible. Therefore Lord Caitanya, Krsna Himself, has made Himself easily available by one process: harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha This age, Kali-yuga, is considered the most fallen age. We think we are making much advancement, but it is the most fallen age, because people are becoming like animals. As animals have no other interest than four bodily necessities - eating, sleeping, mating, nad defending - so in this age people are interested in four principles of bodily want. They have no information of the soul, nor are they prepared to realize what the soul is. That is the defect of this age. But the human form of life is especially meant for realizing oneself: "What am I?" That is the mission of human life. Athato brahma-jijnasa: This life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. Jijnasu means inquiry. We inquire every morning, "What is the news today?" Immediately we pick up a newspaper - inquisitiveness is there - but we are inquiring about very base things only. We have no desire to inquire about the highest possibility, brahma-jnana, knowledge of the spirit. That is the lack in modern civilization. Today people are mainly inquiring about how to earn money. That propensity is there in every age, but in this age it has become the principal factor. Everyone is engaged simply for the bodily necessities. Nidraya hriyate naktam: at night people sleep very soundly, snoring. Vyavayena ca va vayah: or they engage in sex. In this way they're wasting time. And during the daytime - diva carthehaya rajan: "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?" And kutumba-bharanena va - as soon as one gets money, one thinks how to purchase things for the family, that's all. Shopping, snoring - that is the engagement in materialistic life. Out of many such foolish persons engaged in sleeping, mating, earning money, and providing the family with a nice apartment and food, one is inquisitive how to perfect the human form. This life is meant for perfection. What is perfection? Perfection means to get out of misery. Everyone is trying to get out of misery, but no one knows the ultimate goal by which to get out of it. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum. One can be out of misery when one approaches Visnu. Here is the material world people are trying to go to the moon, but these foolish people do not know what they'll gain even if they go there. The moon is one of the material planets. Krsna has already said in the Bhagavad-gita, a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah.... All the material planets are places of misery. The moon is very near, but even if you go to the topmost planet, which is known as Brahmaloka, you'll find mesery. You can see every night what a vast number of planets there are. But you cannot go to them. You are simply trying to go to the nearest planet, and you are failing. So what is your scientific improvement? But you can go. Material scientists calculate that if one were to travel forty thousand years at the speed of light, then one might approach the topmost planet in the material world. So at least in the modern scientific calculations it is impossible to go there. But one can go; there is a process. That we have tried ot explain in our small booklet Easy Journey to Other Planets. By the yogic process one can go to any planet one likes. That is a yogic perfection. The living entity is called sarva-gah, "one who can go anywhere he likes." For example, Narada Muni can travel anywhere he likes, either in the spiritual world or in the material world. So you can also do that. That is possible. Within one year the yogi Durvasa Muni traveled all over the universe and went ot Visnuloka, the spiritual world, and came back. That is recorded in history. So this is one of the perfections. And how can it be attained? By understanding Krsna. Yasmin vijnate sarvam evam vijnatam bhavanti. The Mundaka Upanisad says that if you simply understand Krsna, then everything else can be understood very easily. Krsna consciousness is such a nice thing. This evening we are talking about Radhastami. We are trying to understand Radharani, the chief potency of Krsna, Krsna's pleasure potency. As we learn from Vedic literature, Krsna has many varieties of potency: parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. Just as a big man with many assistants and secretaries hasn't got to do anything personally - simply by his will everything is done - so the Supreme Personality of Godhead has varieties of energy, and everything is being done so nicely. The material world, where we are now living, is called bahir-anga-sakti, the external energy of Krsna. And just see how nicely everything is being done by the material energy. Krsna explains in the Bhagavad-gita, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram: "Under My superintendence the material energy is working." The material energy is not blind. Krsna is in the background. And apart from the material, external energy, there is another energy - the internal energy. By the internal energy the spiritual world is being manifested. Paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyah. As the material world is manipulated under the external energy, the spiritual world is conducted by the internal potency. That internal potency is Radharani. We should try to understand Radharani. Radharani is Krsna's pleasure potency, hladini-sakti. In the Vedanta-sutra the Absolute Truth is described as anandamaya, always in the pleasure potency. When you want ananda, pleasure, you cannot have it alone. Alone you cannot enjoy. When you are in a circle of friends or family or other associates, you feel pleasure. My speaking is very pleasing when there are many persons here. I cannot be happy speaking alone; that is not ananda. Although I could speak here in the dead of night when there is no one here, that is not ananda. Ananda means there must be others. Because Krsna, the Absolute Truth, is anandamaya, He has become many: eko bahu syama. We are also Krsna's parts and parcels, meant to give pleasure to Krsna. And the chief pleasure potency is Radharani. radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini-saktir asmad ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam radha-bhava-dyuti suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam Krsna is Param Brahman, the Supreme Absolute, as you know from the Bhagavad-gita. When Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, he affirmed to Krsna: param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan: "You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth." So Krsna is Param Brahman, the Supreme Absolute. In the material world we see that a great saintly person gives up everything of material enjoyment simply to enjoy brahmananda, the happiness of Brahman, the Absolute. He becomes a sannyasi just to understand that he is in Brahman. So if one has to give up everything material for Brahman realization, do you think that Param Brahman, the Supreme Brahman, can enjoy anything material? No. Krsna's enjoyment is nothing material. This point should be understood. In the material world we have a little information of Brahman and Paramatma, but no one knows Param Brahman, or Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore it is said, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. Siddhaye refers to understanding Brahman or Paramatma. But out of many persons who have realized Brahman and Paramatma, hardly one can know Krsna. Without knowing Krsna, what can we understand about Krsna's pleasure potency? Without knowing a big man, how can I understand his internal affairs? Similarly, if we do not understnad Krsna, how we can understand how Krsna is enjoying? That is not possible. The Gosvamis are giving us information of the pleasure potency of Krsna, Srimati Radharani. We have described the loving affairs of Radha-Krsna in our Teachings of Lord Caitanya. If you have this book, you can read about the transcendental loving affairs of Radha Krsna. So today we pray to Radharani because She is the pleasure potency of Krsna. Krsna means "all-attractive," but Radharani is so great that She attracts Krsna. So what is the position of Srimati Radharani? We should try to understand this today and offer our obeisances to Radharani. tapta-kanchana-gaurangi radhe vrndavanesvari vrsbhanu-sute devi pranamami hari-priye "Radharani, You are so dear to Krsna. So we offer our respectful obeisances unto You." Radharani is hari-priya, "very dear to Krsna." Through the mercy of Radharani we can easily approach Krsna. If Radharani recommends, "This devotee is very nice," then Krsna immediately accepts me, however great a fool I may be. Because I am recommended by Radharani, Krsna accepts me. Therefore in Vrndavana you'll find all the devotees chanting Radharani's name more than Krsna's. Wherever you'll go, you'll find the devotees greeting one another, "Jaya Radhe!" You'll find this still in Vrndavana. The devotees are glorifying Radharani. If you go by the speculative process to understand Krsna, it will take many, many lives. But if you take to devotional service and just try to please Radharani, Krsna will be gotten very easily. Radharani can deliver Krsna. She is so great a devotee, the emblem of maha-bhagavata. Even Krsna cannot understand the quality of Radharani's devotion. Although Krsna says vedaham samatitani - "I know everything" - He fails to understand Radharani. Radharani is so great. Krsna knows everything, but to understand Radharani, Krsna accepted the position of Radharani. Krsna thought, "I am full. I am complete in every respect, but still I want to understand Radharani. Why?" This question obliged Krsna to accept the propensities of Radharani to understand Himself. Such topics, of course, are part of a great transcendental science. One advanced in Krsna consciousness and well conversant with sastras, scriptures, can understand. When Krsna wanted to understand Himself, He took the tendency of Srimati Radharani. That is His appearance as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krsna, but He has accepted the propensities of Radharani. As Radharani is always in feelings of separation from Krsna, so Lord Caitanya, in the position of Radharani, was feeling separation of Krsna. That is the teaching of Lord Caitanya - to feel separation, not meeting. The process of devotional service taught by Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His disciplic succession is how to feel separation from Krsna. That is Radharani's position - always feeling the separation. The Gosvamis, also, when they were in Vrndavana, never said, "I have seen Krsna." Although they were the most perfect devotees, they never said, I have seen Krsna." Their prayers were like this: he radhe vrja-devike.... he nanda-suno kutah! Radharani does not remain alone. She stays always with Her friends (vraja-devi) Lalita or Visakha and other damsels of Vrndavana. So the Gosvamis, in their mature stage when they were living at Vrndavana, were praying in this way: he radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah: "Radharani, where are You? Where are Your associates? Where are You, Krsna, Nanda-suno, son of Nanda Maharaja? Where are you all?" They were searching. They never said, "I have seen Krsna dancing with the gopis. Last night I saw." [Laughter.] Those who speak like that are called sahajiyas. Mature devotees do not speak like that. The sahajiyas take everything very cheap - Krsna very cheap, Radharani very cheap - as if they can see Radha and Krsna every night. No. The Gosvamis do not teach us like that. They were searching after Radha-Krsna. He radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah/ sri-govardhana-kalpa-padapa-tale kalindi-vane kutah: "Are you there at Govardhana Hill, or on the banks of the Yamuna?" Ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahavihvalau. Their business was to cry like this? "Where are You? Where are You, Radharani? Where are you, Lalita, Visakha, the associates of Radharani? Where are You, Krsna? Are You near Govardhana Hill, or on the bank of the Yamuna?" Ghosantav iti sarvato vraja-pure. Throughout the whole tract of Vrndavana they were crying and searching after Radha-Krsna - khedair mahavihvalau - as if madmen. Vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau. We have to follow the footprints of the Gosvamis and learn how to search out Krsna and Radharani, in Vrndavana or within our hearts. That is the process of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's bhajana, or worship: feelings of separation (vipralambha-seva). Feeling separation from Krsna, Mahaprabhu would fall into the sea. He would go out of His bedroom in the dead of night. Nobody knew where He had gone. He was searching for Krsna. That process of devotional service is taught by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is not that we can say very easily, "I have seen Krsna and Radharani in the rasa-lila." No, not like that. Feel the separation. The more you feel separation from Krsna, the more you should understand that you are advancing. Don't try to see Krsna artificially. Be advanced in feeling separation, and then your devotion will be perfect. That is the teaching of Lord Caitanya. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih. With our material senses we cannot see Krsna or hear Krsna's name. We must engage ourselves in the service of the Lord. Where does the service begin? Jihvadau: from the tongue. Not from the legs, eyes, or ears. It begins from the tongue. How? Chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And take Krsna-prasadam. The tongue has two businesses: to articulate sound, Hare Krsna, and take prasadam. By these processes you'll realize Krsna. Don't try to see Krsna. You cannot see Krsna with your material eyes, nor can you hear about Him with your material ears, nor can you touch Him. But if you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then He'll reveal Himself to you: "Here I am." That is wanted. So feel separation from Krsna just as Radharani does, as Lord Caitanya teaches us, and engage your tongue in the service of the Lord. Then one day, when you are mature, you'll see Krsna face to face. Thanks you very much.

www.ayurveda-herbs.com The herbalist is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada.

Yes garlic is effective.Ear candling should also work.Toxin remmoval is the key. In the Book Damar Tantra Lord Shiva tells Parvati the benefits of urine therapy in great details.

well urine is used in charna mitra.Urine therapy is kind of naturopathy...they are good books out there even some western doctors believe in it.Somehow it works...I have tried it...for me it's not a problem(taste,odor,etc),works like a charm for viral fevers and coughs.

boil handful of garlic cloves in olive oil.When the cloves turn black,stop heating and cool it down.Put 1 drop in both ears.It works.

God's plan?

Hi Katwoman, It's nice to see someone here who is trying to understand higher knowledge.You know Sanatan Dharma(Eternal religion) is now known as Hinduism.The sages tell us that no conversion is required if you want to love God.We say simply take knowledge from us.Lord Krsna is highest form of expression of Godhead.The best religion is which brings you closer to God. You will like this site: www.near-death.com You know during aarti when we wave our hands over the flame it helps clean our aura like Reiki energy.Anyway so nice to meet you.Take care and God bless. love and blessings, joy

Theist Prabhuji, It takes some time to load on 56K connections.I have broadband so it's easy.Also I didn't watch the whole thing...it's quite long.Anyway Krishna leela shown is just great! Please accept my dandvats. Joy