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raga

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  1. No, I do not discourage discussions with them. However, should someone ask for my opinion, I would advice those discussing with them to heed attentively and with due caution, since it is only so much theory for them, and while working on theories erring is more common than for those who speak of practical experience. And no, I wouldn't recommend that someone following another path would go and debate with them on siddha-pranali. /images/graemlins/smile.gif
  2. Shortly on the concept of guru-tattva. And certainly one ought to be reserved. In search of a guru, you won't just look for someone who sits on a lofty seat or who has given mantras to so many. Similarly, you don't search someone whom you hear has given siddha-pranali. Rather you search for someone who is as described in the shastras, fixed in the service of God and free from vices such as lust, greed and so forth. A person who has crossed beyond the material world and has developed a deep attachment for the lotus feet of Radha and Krishna is a befitting guru, and such a guru can certainly act as a medium of revelation. As for the question on why we don't go out of our way to challenge every other person to whom we personally might not send people for initiation and the such: Such people are already established in the position of a guru, and the advice of shastra is to not reject a Vaishnava-guru who may not be fully realized. Therefore it is not befitting to incite people's disloyalty to such gurus and question what the gurus have given them. Each has received in accordance with their eligibility and by the arrangement of Bhagavan, and Bhagavan as the original guru of all will come to see that in the end everyone will come to attain their spiritual necessities.
  3. A clarification on the word "conceived". First of all, the word "conceive" isn't used in the context of what the guru gives. What's said is: "by dint of the empowerment received from Him, has the insight to reveal..." "Conceived" is used as a translation of "antaz-cintita" and "manaz-cintita", "internally conceived" or "mentally conceived". Here "conceived" is used synonymously with "contemplated", "thought" and other such words. As in: 2 a : to take into one's mind ²conceive a prejudice³ b : to form a conception of : imagine (M-W) This is a description of the way the sAdhaka relates to the siddha-rUpa during sAdhana. It is no different from the sAdhaka's remembrance of Krishna -- initially the form of Krishna isn't fully realized, but is rather a mental image of what Krishna might be like, a conception that becomes clarified and closer and closer to the original as the fog of ignorance within the heart dissipates through the power of devotional practices.
  4. The masculine form would be saGgin. The feminine is saGginI. That's why you see it used in reference to ladies and feminine objects or things. Probably they are all taken off the one and same manuscript. However as I pointed out, Visvanatha Chakravarti verifies the reading "rUpAlaGkAra" in his commentary. I wonder if you are familiar with Visvanatha's commentary. sakhInAM zrI lalitA-zrI rUpa maJjaryAdInAM saGginI rUpAm AtmAnaM dhyAyed iti zeSaH | kimbhUtAm? AjJA sevAparAm AjJayA tAsAm anumatyA sevA parAM zrI rAdhA mAdhavayor iti zeSaH | punaH kimbhUtAm? tat tad rUpAlaGkAra bhUSitAM suprasiddha zrI kRSNa manohara rUpeNa zrI rAdhikA nirmAlyAlaGkAreNa bhUSitAM nirmAlya mAlya vasanAbharaNAs tu dAsya ityukteH | punaH kimbhUtAm? vAsanAmayIM cintAmayIm IkSate cintAmayam etam Izvaram ityAdivat || He explains rUpAlaGkAra as two separate modifiers of bhUSana, as follows: (rUpa-bhUSana) -- (Ornamented by) A most celebrated form that enchants the mind of Sri Krishna. (alaGkAra-bhUSana) - (Ornamented by) Sri Radhika's left-over ornaments, flower-garlands, clothes and jewellery. Would be mighty strange if it were a male form that enchanted the mind of Krishna, dressed up in Radharani's left-over attire, don't you think?
  5. Yes, you shouldn't be reading Gaudiya Discussions. I believe we even have a disclaimer somewhere for the followers of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. They shouldn't be reading Gaudiya Discussions, but should rather follow their own respective gurus and be happy, instead of dragging their minds all over the cyberspace.
  6. I just wrote another, lengthy reply to clarify some of the points that our pUrva-pakSins have misunderstood, or are are misrepresenting for whatever other reason. However the browser ate my reply. I take that as meaning I'll just leave it at that.
  7. I was not really looking forward to having a debate over this, especially not in a free for all environment. There are people who think of themselves as qualified advocates of true rupanuga-siddhanta without having a guru who is engaged in rupanuga-bhajana-sadhana. I find such debates distasteful, you'll pardon me for that. Those who want to discuss the practice and history of siddha-pranali in further detail know where to find me if they're interested. * * * * * However regarding those translations, a couple of notes. The reading "rUpAlaGkAra-bhUSitam" is repeated in the commentary of Srila Visvanath Chakravarti. We therefore take that as the correct reading. The word alaGkAra means "ornament". saGginI-rUpam means "in the form of a female companion". There may be other kinds of siddha-pranalis, I haven't seen any. In the paddhati of Dhyanachandra it specifically says to meditate on the manjari-svarupas of one's guru-varga. That's where what I say comes from. The passage doesn't define siddha-rUpa. It defines what "in siddha-rUpa" (siddha-rUpena) means during rAgAnugA-sAdhana. Since bhAva-siddhi is attained only at the conclusion of sAdhana, and svarUpa-siddhi is the equivalent of the attainment of bhAva-bhakti (vide Visvanatha's Madhurya-kadambini ch.7), the meaning of "meditating on siddha-rUpa" has been explained for those in the stage of practice. It does not indeed say anything about the qualification of one who can meditate on siddha-rUpa. However, since these are instructions for rAgAnugA-sAdhana, it is understood that if one is qualified for rAgAnugA-bhakti, one is also qualified for siddha-rUpa-sAdhana.
  8. I have personally seen siddha-pranalikas traced through Siddha Jagannath Das Babaji. There is certainly siddha-pranali given among his disciples and in the subsequent paramparas. There is a nuance you're forgetting in the story of Siddha Madhusudan Das Babaji. Radha also told him to not initiate anyone or reveal his mantra to anyone on account of the extraordinary circumstances surrounding him. Interpret that as you will, I take it as her endorsement of the existing methods of bhajan that shouldn't be intervened with. By the way, I think you're dating Jayakrishna Das Babaji a bit on the early side. Early 1800's is closer to the truth as far as his period of influence goes, though he may have been born in late 1700's. Certainly not in the 17th century (which means 1600-1699).
  9. You may find this document (PDF) informative.
  10. Anuraga in this context does not mean raga following the footsteps of the Vrajavasis as such. All raga in Vraja consists of the moods of the Vrajavasis. The advanced stages of prema are described in a number of gradations. They are enlisted as prema, sneha, mana, pranaya, raga, anuraga and mahabhava. They have subdivisions as well, but those are the general headings. Anuraga is described as that love which is always experienced as ever-new and ever-fresh. All of these divisions are explained in Sri Rupa's Ujjvala-nilamani.
  11. Welcome to Vraja Journal. Here you'll find news and thoughts, along with varieties of media, from Vraja-dhama. The website is maintained by Madhavananda Das and Malatilata Dasi. It will be most active during our stay in Vraja (1st December - 30th March), but will be updated at other times, too. Check in often for inspirational texts and media! /images/graemlins/laugh.gif http://www.vrajajournal.com/
  12. MOZILLA FOUNDATION RELEASES THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED MOZILLA FIREFOX 1.0 WEB BROWSER MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - November 9, 2004 - The Mozilla Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving choice and promoting innovation on the Internet, today announced the worldwide availability of the Mozilla Firefox 1.0 web browser. Development of Firefox has been driven by a desire for a more robust, user-friendly and trustworthy web experience. Mozilla Firefox 1.0 arrives on the heels of last month's highly successful Preview Release that over eight million people downloaded, contributing significantly to the final phase of its open source development. Today's announcement marks the worldwide launch of Mozilla Firefox-with immediate availability for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux-as a free download from mozilla.org and by CD from the Mozilla Store. Firefox is now available in over a dozen languages, with many more on the way. "We are delighted to be announcing this major milestone for the Mozilla Foundation and for the Firefox browser, which has been made possible thanks to the tireless effort of hundreds of community volunteers and developers around the world," commented Mitchell Baker, president of the Mozilla Foundation. "Now millions more will be able to enjoy a better web experience." Award-winning Web Experience The Mozilla Firefox browser has already garnered rave reviews and awards for its stability, trustworthiness and innovative features. * Pop-up Blocking - Firefox includes an integrated pop-up blocker that lets users-not websites-decide when they will view pop-ups. Mozilla continues to set the standard in assisting users avoid annoying pop-ups. * Online Fraud Protection - Firefox helps users protect themselves against online fraud such as "phishing" (attempts to trick users into giving away their passwords) and "spoofing" (fraudulent sites masquerading as popular, trusted sites) by clearly displaying the true identity of secure sites. * Faster, Easier, More Accessible Search - Firefox tightly integrates support for leading search services into the toolbar, including Google search, , eBay, Amazon, Dictionary.com, Creative Commons, and more. The new Firefox Start Page also provides access to Firefox information, resources and application tips, coupled with an integrated Google search box. * More Efficient Browsing - Firefox's innovative Tabbed Browsing allows many web pages to load within the same window, improving the speed and utility of web browsing. Firefox also introduces Live Bookmarks, which allows users to easily glance through the latest news and blog headlines. * Extensible with Hundreds of Add-ons - More than 100 extensions are available for Firefox today, including the A9.com, Google, and toolbars, which make Firefox even more customizable and convenient to use. * Easy Migration - With Firefox it's easy to switch from Internet Explorer and other browsers. Firefox imports your existing bookmarks, passwords, cookies, and other data. Firefox has received numerous endorsements and industry awards including Laptop Magazine's Editor's Choice Award, Best in Show at Linux World Fall 2004, Best Open Source Solution at Linux World Fall 2004, and first place in Maximum PC's Softy Awards for 2004. Extensive Support Network With thousands of technology contributors and advocates engaged in the development, documentation, testing and marketing of Mozilla Firefox, a rich ecosystem of support resources and tools is available. Online documentation, tutorials, FAQs and links to commercial support partners are available online at http://www.mozilla.org/. Independent news, commentary and community support is available from mozillaZine at http://www.mozillazine.org/. Getting Firefox Mozilla Firefox 1.0 can be downloaded for free or purchased in a CD-ROM Edition with Firefox Guidebook from the Mozilla Foundation at http://www.mozilla.org. About the Mozilla Foundation Established in July 2003, the Mozilla Foundation is a non-profit organization hosting a collection of leading innovators whose mission is to preserve choice and innovation on the Internet. The Foundation provides organizational, legal, and financial support for the Mozilla open source software project. The Foundation is based in Mountain View, California and is the heir to the legacy & tradition of the Internet's first widely used browser, Netscape. Learn more about the Mozilla Foundation at http://www.mozilla.org.
  13. The word rita (Rta) has many meanings in Sanskrit. Among them, you'll find the following: brave, honest, worshiped, respected, enlightened, luminous, truth and righteousness. The name Sucarita is not related with Rita. The words are su-carita, referring to one who acts in a delicate way.
  14. It's "triratna". Convert it with the ITRANS online interface. http://www.aczone.com/itrans/online/
  15. GGM Encoding Convertor 1.1 JavaScript Here's a stand-alone convertor coded in JavaScript. The convertor currently handles the following conversions: Balaram > Harvard-Kyoto > Balaram Balaram > ITRANS > Balaram Balaram > Velthuis > Balaram Balaram removal Suggestions for alternative conversions are welcome. It's been tested on Internet Explorer 6.0.28, Netscape 7.2, Mozilla Firebird 0.7 and Opera 7.23 on Windows XP, as well as Camino 0.7 and Safari 1.1.1 on Mac. I'd appreciate reports from Linux and FreeBSD users. Now, why JavaScript instead of PHP or Perl? Agreed, it is certainly not as robust as the two are. However, most people wouldn't bother installing PHP or Perl just to run a simple conversion. Larger conversions should anyway not be done in a browser-based application. ./convert/ Save the page to use the application offline. Related discussions: http://sabha.granthamandira.org/index.php?showtopic=61
  16. This bit of gibberish I found particularly delightful, though there are others, too. Anadi - I'm glad to be welcome. Thank you.
  17. Howdy ho. An impressive document you have there.
  18. As far as I know, the project has been on ice ever since Satya Narayan left the ranks. Where did you hear this from?
  19. Since when do Bhaktivinod's books need to be iskcon-approved? Is he disapproved by iskcon? Are the six Gosvamis disapproved by iskcon? Prabhupad's books are the best, but are they better than the books of the earlier acaryas? Did the writings of the earlier acaryas become irrelevant the moment Prabhupad wrote his books? Can we neglect the heritage from which Prabhupad drew the ideas in his books? Or can we perhaps gain a deeper appreciation for what he wrote by learning of the heritage he learned? And yes, everything is in Prabhupad's books and there is nothing else, right? I could list a few dozen topics not covered in his books without even thinking much about it. Are all those teachings of the earlier acaryas not contained in Prabhupad's books irrelevant and not worth a study? Is this what Prabhupad taught you? Where does he draw his legitimacy as a guru from? From the tradition, the previous acaryas?
  20. I believe the core issue on this debate is not all that much the jivAtma's possessing what would be thought of as the traditional cit or ananda, precisely as in "cetanaz cetanAnam" and "AnandaM brahma". I'm sure you know that in the Gaudiya theology (viz. CC 1.4), sat, cit and ananda are equated with the saktis sandhini, samvit and hladini, which are the three main constituents of Bhagavan's antaranga-sakti. My argument boils down to the jivAtma's not inherently possessing these three aspects of antaranga-sakti. Now, discussing the relationship between sat-cit-ananda and sandhini-samvit-hladini should prove to be interesting.
  21. I recall another fellow saying something along those lines, that the soul is beginningless. It must have been one of those two guys in the Bhagavad gita.
  22. If you ask me, this division of inherent/assigned siddha-deha is a clueless division missing a good number of points.
  23. That's my translation, and I maintain the website. Gaurasundara just likes to copy and paste from there. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Welcome to the world of paranoia!
  24. Literally it means "the abode of Sri", referring to the presence of Laksmi-devi in the form of srivatsa on Vishnu's chest.
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