Sarasvati

Who could imagine Radha without Krishna? No one. Who could imagine Krishna without Radha? No one. They are eternally together. Because of our Judeo-Christian backgrounds, we sometimes forget that we do not only serve Supreme Lord. We serve Supreme Lady, too.

I liked the story, too. I think both the pujaris were right; they both acted with the right intention and according to their own devotion.

Hare Krishna Astron! (And Merry Meet, or whatever) To change the subject just slightly: perhaps you know something about sacred cows in Celtic/Pagan society? I mean Goddesses appearing in the form of cows, patronesses of cows, etc. I'm doing some sort of research on the subject. I've dug out some info (as you can see from another post of mine), but any facts are more than welcome. There are a few names that have cow connections: Aine(?), Boann, Bubona, Damona and Dil. Also, I am interested in stories of "Otherwordly Cows"" (white ones with red ears) - ie. Surabhis, as we call them. It is a mistake to think that cows were sacred only in India. Cows and milk were very important in many old cultures, particularly in the cults of Goddess. Often, cow was symbolic of fertility, abundance and Earth - and not just in India, but in Egypt and many other places, too. Nowadays milk comes in the bottle or the carton all year round, and we have no idea of the work and joy that people experienced when milk was finally available after calving time. Prosperity and perhaps the very survival of a family largely depended on the successful production of butter and cream.

Hey, that's interesting, Avinash. Thanks! Where did you get that story? SB? Can you give me a quick synopsis of it? What do you mean by "proper form of agriculture"?

I'm doing a bit of research here: I'd like to know if there are other Goddesses who appear in the shape of a cow, other than Bhumi and Surabhi. Somewhere I heard Prithivi, but I don't even know who She is. In one list the name Suki was mentioned as "India goddess", but whether that referred to Native Indian or East Indian, I'm not sure. And how is She connected to cows? So, anyone can help me with this?

Why should Radhe's question be in poor taste? She was merely asking about our realizations. Who said anything about any secrets? Are we on that level, anyway? Experiences with Lord Krishna: In Mayapur, a devotee goes from door to door, calling, "Haribol! Mangal-arati!" When I reached the templeroom, I silently thanked that devotee. He woke me up to experience Radharani's and Krishna's mercy. Singing together with the devotees in that early muhurta was a lovely experience, and I don't want to hide it from others. On Nrisimha-caturdasi, I sat down to honor prasadam with my friends. Did I, or did I not experience Krishna through that eating? I think I did. I feel Him when I sit on top of the hill (my favorite japa-spot) and softly chant His name. I feel Him in the breeze when it gently touches my cheeks, and although I cannot fully appreciate His mercy, I keep on going because He has kindly allowed me to have a tiny drop of taste. I have no great secrets to hide, no great revelations waiting to be uncovered. No one is going to announce me as a pure devotee (or perhaps even a devotee). I can only share what I know has happened. Why don't you share something, too? After all, you must have experienced some higher taste. It is nectarean to hear.

Hyssop is liberating? I thought it used to be traditional flavoring in beer. I once treated my son's infection successfully with garlic (the doctor wanted to prescribe antibiotics), and he is definitely not a carnivore.

About garlic and lactating mothers...phew. I wouldn't recommend. Poor baby. If one's breath and even sweat stink of garlic after eating it, what to speak of milk! Lactating mothers are adviced to avoid chilies and strong foods like that. I remember an Indian grandmother's advice to eat fennel if breastfeeding. It increases the milk-supply and helps baby's possible tummy-problems.

Onion and garlic can be used as medicine if necessary. Garlic is a known antibiotic. But would you consider eating a pizza laced with penicillin just for fun?

Yes! This is exactly my point! I have got tremendously good response from these Wiccan teenagers, High Priestesses, Pagans and what-not by presenting Krishna Consciousness to them in the language that they understand.

Oh, and I just HAVE to add that people will never consider you weird (well, people worth hanging around will not) as long as they don't have a reason to think that you are somehow condemning their lifestyle, or threatening them with hellfire and brimstone. If they have no reason to feel defensive, they won't attack you. That doesn't mean you can't share your beliefs with them, or tell them about Krishna, of course. They are supposed to be your friends, after all, and want to know what is important to you in life.

Ayurveda. That's a good point. Ayurveda is definitely "in". It's respected by many Western people. You could just tell your friends that you follow an Ayurvedic diet. They are bound to consider you very cool. I have many North American friends who are interested in the modes (well, "the sattvic energy", "rajasic energy", "tamasic energy"), yoga, Indian traditions and medicine, etc. Don't feel shy of your spiritual heritage. Be proud of it. Most people will actually admire your determination, if you allow them. When I visit one store near the temple, the owner always makes a point of introducing me to others as a "priestess from the Krishna temple". They think it's absolutely neat. And what comes to onions... well, I personally never enjoyed them. In the school cafeteria (when I was a bit younger) the onion-loaded pizza heating up in the micro made me always think of sweaty armpits. Yuck.

"Think for yourself". Yes, we must be careful and think for ourselves who is a worthy person to guide us. Whom can we trust? I thought (and still do) for myself, and chose to follow Srila Prabhupada's path. Yesterday, I met a friend who said, "I am the most intelligent person in the world for myself. You are the most intelligent person in the world for yourself." In other words, he also believed that we must think for ourselves, but his idea was too extreme. He allowed no space for growth, for learning, for admitting that he can be wrong, too. For forgiving himself. Sad will be the day when I think that I am the most intelligent person in the world.

Wiccans call themselves Pagans, ie. they follow the pre-Christian Europian religion which to me appears to be very close to Hinduism/ Vedic religion, except that their pantheon has different names (Diana, Brigit, Pan, etc.) And yes, they pray to Supreme Lord and Lady. They call themselves witches, and cast spells and all that... I've seen: it doesn't look too different from our fire yajnas. Yajnas are also kind of "magical". Wiccans also offer foodstuff to their Deities. Some of them are vegetarians, too. Not all, though :-(

Actually, the books I read are not Hindu, but Wiccan/ Gaianism. Some Wiccans are like modern Hindus: quite hodegepodge. Some are like Mayavadis: "Goddess manifests Herself in many forms, but is actually a Power". And many Wiccans are more like Vaishnavas: they know there is Supreme Lord and Supreme Lady who may appear in many forms, and there are also Devas (yes, they actually use that term!), faeries, etc. who are divine yet not Divine. What I am grateful about is that we have an access to the tradition that has never been lost. We still have disciplic succession. We have our books. we have ancient temples where worship is still conducted. It is very wonderful.

Just read a few books about Goddess worship. I thought about our path of serving Radha and Krishna together. We are so lucky. Often we remind each other that "Lakshmi cannot be worshiped alone", but we must also remember that Vishnu is not worshiped alone. God and Goddess are always together. These books I mentioned offer a re-invented religion. The original is at least partially lost.(Even as such they are in my opinion far superior to Middle Eastern desert religions) But we are so fortunate to be part of a line that has been alive and kicking since time immemorial. Thank Goddess and thank God for that!

Some years back in Mayapur (this is a story I heard from HH Jayapataka Swami), a dog used to come into the main temple room after the evening arati was over and the temple empty (but obviously before the doors were locked). Every evening he (or she) used to cautiously walk right to Srila Prabhupada's vyasasana (Deities' curtains had been already closed), prostrate himself, get up and go. Once, JPS hid himself behind a pillar to check if it was true or just a story, but the dog actually came and offered obeisances to Prabhupada.

I know many devotees who have dogs as pets. Prabhupada mentions in one book (can't remember which; it was in a purpot)something about people and their household animals, such as cows, horses, goats, DOGS, etc. So, apparently, dogs have been used for guarding, etc. in earlier times, too.

Vedas don't prescripe birth based Varnashrama. In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna says, "qualities born of their own natures" (18.41) I couldn't understand the point about the labradors, though.

Bhaktashab, I have understood that homeschooling is just as Vedic as gurukula. At least the girls were home-educated in ancient times, and perhaps many boys, too. Furthermore, I don't think there is any need to try to make people feel guilty if they cannot live nowadays exactly as in the good, old times.

Oh, and how can Gita-Jayanti not be on Ekadasi? Krishna did speak the Gita on Ekadasi, didn't He?

I know about tithis, of course. How do our computers calculate sunrise and sunset? I have understood sunrise to be the moment the edge of the sun appears above the horizon. This can be even 20 minutes earlier than the "scientific" sunrise which means that the entire sun is above the horizon. Are our lap-top calculations so accurate, after all? And what about the unity? And what about the fact that we don't have learned brahmanas (to tell us all the correct times) in every town and village in this age? Perhaps we ought acknowledge the fact that we are living in Kali-yuga. And that our movement is global, yet doesn't have all that many members.

Just a word (or two) about the calendar we follow in Iskcon. Grrr. It is harassment. Why do two temples on the same longitude have different dates for Ekadasi? Why was Gita-Jayanti (which historically took place on Ekadasi) this year NOT on Ekadasi? Why did we (at least once) celebrate Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami's Appearance Day in Mayapur on a DIFFERENT day than the Gaudiya Math devotees (apparently our grand, western computers know everything better)? Why do we have to look at our mechanical clocks to see when to break the fast on Dvadasi, instead of being in tune with the nature and breaking it at sunrise (as instructed by Srila Prabhupada, I believe)? Why do the devotees who live geographically far from any major temple feel unsure when is what? Christians worldwide celebrate Christmas on the same day, and look what a powerful festival it has become! Muslims (who follow lunar calendar)celebrate Ramdan the same time all over the world I think they calculate the time from Mecca. We could also calculate the time from Mayapur, couldn't we? Traveling devotees sometimes have to do two or even three Ekadasis one after the other because different temples observe it at different times, according to the grand instructions of some Swedish Pandits. Seriously. Wasn't this new system started by Harikesh (that-time-Swami)? Isn't it a time to cast it aside and acknowledge the fact that we are a global COMMUNITY, in need of unity?

The sad reason that Iskcon kids don't go to gurukulas (usually) any more is that there was abuse that took place in so many of them. Parents are scared to send their kids away. I know I am. Another obvious reason is that there aren't many gurukulas left. And Tarun, I agree with you that squatting is more healthy; it's quite scientific. But how do we know that devotees don't squat anymore? There aren't any reliable statistics available on this, as far as I know.

There was an article in Chakra some time back about the times when Srila Prabhupada was physically present, versus now. I was just wondering what did you all think about the points? I personally think that the majority of the points were very valid, and it was nice that they were brought up. Some of them were sad though. Pratyatosha Prabhu was wondering why nowadays most of the kids in Iskcon go to regular schools when in Prabhupada's time they all went to gurukulas (not even Iskcon day-schools). Well, there is definitely a sad reason for this change in parents' attitudes. And correct me if I'm wrong (I might be wrong, I know, and I apologize if I am), but didn't Pratyatosh Prabhu help the ex-gurukulis with their law-suit. So this point was a little bit surprising, coming from him (in that case). Furthermore, some points must have been in the list for a joke, such as the one about squatting versus sitting on the toilet pot. Has there been a scientific survey done on this? How many devotees squat and how many sit nowadays? How do we know... But, as I say, overall the points were nice.