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Sirona

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Everything posted by Sirona

  1. I had a really nice and hot lazy sunday afternoon "playing" with my dearly loved goldfish in my pond. I read somewhere that any play is a reflection of divine play, and therefore I'd like to read some nice stories involving fish. Is it true that Krishna's firs avatar was a fish? There also must be a story about a saint who dearly loved the fish and Krishna's "bird" Garuda interfering. Who can tell me about it?
  2. In Prabhupada's Gita commentary there's a quotation about Krishna coming along on his "bird" Garuda to save the faithful. I am looking for the quotation in its original context. Any help?
  3. Where can I find the Varaha-Purana? BTW, could somebody please explain to me what the term Purana means?
  4. "Many there be who come! from fear set free, From anger, from desire; keeping their hearts Fixed upon me -- my Faithful -- purified By sacred flame of Knowledge." I guess I am not that "purified" 'cause I've an exam and I am a bit nervous. I know that it is not really "me" who acts and that the consequence is in God's hands alone, yet I'd appreciate if you thought of me a little bit. May Krishna bless you all, yours, Sirona
  5. Hi, I may give u mine. Krsna I + II and Gita by Prabhupada. Please send me and email to krishnaplaza@.de
  6. At least I hope many people come here for spiritual uplifting and I'd say some of the things post here would be rigorously kicked out in other forums. I can't help asking myself whether certain postings are really made for discussion or whether the poster only seeks pleasure in upsetting other people. As for my humble self, I do not agree with ISKCON's rigid views on sexual morality either, but I think if one comes to a (more or less) ISKCON-related forum it doesn't take a lot of common sense to see that most of it's users are rather conservative and are likely to react negatively. I do not appreciate censorship. I welcome if the moderators of this forum have the courage to allow the discussion of a topic as sensitive as this. I think that discussion is necessary and that censorship always should be the very last means. If one really needs to discuss homosexual issues in every detail I think there are plenty of forums more suitable to that. Or even better, special newsgroups. In a newsgroup, info only gets to those who want to read it and the others are left alone. IMHO this would be the best solution for all. ********************************* But as the topic of homosexuality has been brought up, there's two question's I'd like to bring up. First, is there any scriptural reference banning homosexual attitude? If one seeked to justify homophobia by the Bible, one might use this: 1 Corinthians 5 9I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- 10not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."[2] 1 Corinthians 6 9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 12"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. 13"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."[4] 17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. Is there anything comparable in Hindu scriptures? *********************** Second issue, I'd like to bring up again the topic I once had been flamed for so much. The relation between homophobia and patriarchic attitude. I think nobody would disagree that ISKCON doctrine is rasther patriarchic or "protective towards women", call it as you like. However, I can't get rid of the feeling that ISKCON unconsciously or unintendedly or whatoever plays with the topic. Left aside the topic "spiritual view", which I do not want to enter in here, many of the male figures look feminized to a great extent. I cannot evaluate whether this is the Indian concept of beauty because I just don't know. Therefore I'd only like to assess it without any further comment. As for most images, this is a matter of subjective perception, but there's one in which the border of ambiguity has clearly been transgressed. Would you please look at this: How can you even get a hold of a person LIKE THIS? The gesture is totally ineffective to stop somebody from running but that's not the real problem. In a grip like this chances are fairly high that you stripe somebody the way it shouldn't be. http://www.webcom.com/~ara/col/art/wheel.jpg Compare this: http://ikar.secna.ru/russian/grafx/OLD/Bud&Krsn/illustra/
  7. Over the last years I got rid of meat, and as for alc and coffee, I don't drink them as a principle. However, I have a little problem because I like chocolate really bad and I don't know whether I can "give" it to Krishna. I know that "perfect" Vaishnavas are a little pinchy about psycho active substances but somewhere in the scriptures is stated that Krishna ate betel which, at least to my humble judgement, is a real drug. Krishna recommends to eat things that are not harmful, but from the mere health aspect a little piece of chocolate to me seems less harmful than a piece of sweets of the same size which is composed of nothing but sugar. I know that the Lord can support carbohydrates beyond any measure but there are some people in their material bodies who can't.
  8. Over the last years I got rid of meat, and as for alc and coffee, I don't drink them as a principle. However, I have a little problem because I like chocolate really bad and I don't know whether I can "give" it to Krishna. I know that "perfect" Vaishnavas are a little pinchy about psycho active substances but somewhere in the scriptures is stated that Krishna ate betel which, at least to my humble judgement, is a real drug. Krishna recommends to eat things that are not harmful, but from the mere health aspect a little piece of chocolate to me seems less harmful than a piece of sweets of the same size which is composed of nothing but sugar. I know that the Lord can support carbohydrates beyond any measure but there are some people in their material bodies who can't.
  9. Sirona

    Meerabai

    Meera gave up all her privileges and her family bonds to live for Krishna. A very cute story and IMHO a brilliant example of intense love for God. Still, some of you guys don't seem to like her. I don't understand that and I'll keep my mouth shut on things I don't understand. Still, I'd be curious to learn what makes her so objectionable in some posters' eyes. I barely got that there are some incompatible philosophical ideas or so but I'm not used to all those complicated Sanskrit terms. Anyone, a plain and simple explanation please: Why do you think something is wrong with her?
  10. Meera gave up all her privileges and her family bonds to live for Krishna. A very cute story and IMHO a brilliant example of intense love for God. Still, some of you guys don't seem to like her. I don't understand that and I'll keep my mouth shut on things I don't understand. Still, I'd be curious to learn what makes her so objectionable in some posters' eyes. I barely got that there are some incompatible philosophical ideas or so but I'm not used to all those complicated Sanskrit terms. Anyone, a plain and simple explanation please: Why do you think something is wrong with her?
  11. The situation of the lady is already complicated enough and I don't want to make it even more complicated by warming up well-known things - but sometimes things won't work plain and simple. Catholics believe in trinity, which is misconcepted by many Muslims as a worship of three distinct Godheads. Muslims reject the idea that Jesus is the Son of God, because they say God cannot have children. As an Ex-Catholic I can say that even some other Christian denominations consider Catholics as wrong-doers. I don't want to comment on any of these things. I believe the problem here is not what God thinks of the two lovers but what her parents think about Catholics. Have you ever tried to talk to them about Catholicism? Do they know what it is? I don't know your parents, but maybe you can talk to them. If not, what are your options? Are you adult? Do you have some money? Can you obtain a civil mariage in the country you live in? If you really really love this man, and they don't like him because he's Catholic, it might mean you'll have to break up with your mum and dad. Are you aware of this? Or, do you prefer to stay with your parents? You may have to accept the husband they set in front of your nose, I don't know your customs. Maybe you'll be unhappy for the rest of your life if you must marry another man, but you may also make yourself unhappy if you run off and later regret your step. And, I know this is really disgusting but what does your lover think about making a lip confession to Islam? What does happen to his Catholic affiliation in this case? Baptization for Catholics is not a mere adherence to a faith. It is a sacrament, something like a seal. Catholics believe even if you turn away, your sacrament stays valid in the eyes of God. If you are a priest and give up priesthood, you still remain priest before God at the day of Judgement due to the sacrament. If you take the sacrament of marriage, then divorce and marry to another person, your sacrament still ties you to the first one until you die. If you are baptized you remain baptized. Period. You may leave church but sacrament remains and can't be removed, because it comes from the Grace of God which is bigger than any law. [This may not make much sense to readers of Hindu origin, but that's the way things are.] My ex-stepfather Michele lives in Italy. He "converted" to Islam to marry a Moroccan woman. They live in Italy. He has a muslim name "Muhammed" but he's still Michele an I think he's still Catholic. Furthermore, I don't know what the Church requests but as for my humble self, I haven't been showing up to Mass for a long time but I am still a member of the Roman Catholic church. By writing this I do not want to encourage you to dishonesty but rather to find a practical solution. I can't say what is right but if you examine yourself and feel real, sincere love and then don't follow it, then what is love for? I know that Islam is more pragmatic in love matters than Christianity. To my humble knowledge, there's no equivalent to Romeo and Juliet in Islamic culture. Islam allows divorce but please keep in mind that Catholic faith, at least on the religious level, doesn't /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Maybe your lover is a zealous as I am in Church matters but I think if he's practising, sooner or later he may have problems too. By it's own law Church considers a civil wedding not sufficient This has no effect on practical life, but it's difficult to say what is the attitude of the priests is. Some priests tend to bother again and again until your lover feels guilty, and as Catholicism is a lot about feeling guilty and confession there might be a problem. Well, to sum it up, my spontaneous advice is: Run away with your lover, but if this is actually right for you, I really can't decide. If I don't know how to decide, I follow the advice a friend used to tell me, Close your eyes and the first thing coming to your mind, is the right thing.
  12. Left-handedness, once more: In the BG translation that I cling to, in verse 11.33 Krishna addresses Arjuna as "O, lefthander". In other translations I compared this word does not appear. So, my question is whether there's really such a word or one with a double meaning in the Sanskrit text, if it really means "left-hander" and, if true, why Krishna sticks with a lefty if according to ritualist ideas left-handers are "bad" /images/graemlins/smirk.gif
  13. Why don't they copyright the sound of breathing. Seems the same to me. :-)
  14. Thank you all very much for the time you took in giving me your recommandations. Such kind comments from high-spirited souls brighten up my day.
  15. I am very pleased to read that there's a Krishna follower in Saudi Arabia. Seems that nothing in this world can stop the Lord from going someplace if He wants to "be" with those who are close to him. I wish you good luck and happiness.
  16. Hare Krishna my friends, I've got a little question concerning "religion". Somewhere at the end of the Gita the Lord advises/ offers to give up any "religion" and to take refuge in Him only. I looked a bit around what ISKCON (that's the only available Hindu community in my corner) and the Masters they refer to teach about the Holy Name. If I got it right they say that it removes any kind of sin. And that's the point I am confused about. To my limited understanding of the Gita one should commit offenses by intent but should one should not worry "only" about sins either. [This does not mean I'd consider myself sin-free.] If I follow the pathway specifically traced by ISKCON and its Masters, I get the feeling of getting involved into a "religion" again. I had been Catholic for ten years and I was very unhappy with it because I got the feeling of a "working mentality". If you commit something, first you confess and then you work it off by saying a certain amount of prayers. I love the Lord, and I love the Holy Name, because it is so merciful that it comes onto my tongue "by its own will". However, I definitely do not want to get into a kind of church thing again. Really, I am a bit confused and this is a grave problem to me. Clear me up, please. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif
  17. Yes, sinister does mean left in Latin. As for the physiological reasons, no idea.
  18. Sirona

    shiva gita?

    Words causing no man woe, words ever true, Gentle and pleasing words, and those ye say In murmured reading of a Sacred Writ, -- These make the true religiousness of Speech.
  19. Words causing no man woe, words ever true, Gentle and pleasing words, and those ye say In murmured reading of a Sacred Writ, -- These make the true religiousness of Speech.
  20. Forgive me asking dumb questions but don't the Sikh have an invisible God? Aren't they monotheists? I know very little about the Sikh but I have read a Sikh prayer in which Krishna is rejected. I would like to be informed on this a little more.
  21. I have got the feeling that some doctrines in Hinduism (or sanatana-dharma, you know what I mean) discriminate against left-handed people. [in fact, I do not know any religion that does not.] Why is this so? Just because the majority of mankind is right-handed? How does this go along with the idea of non-discrimination? "...Mankind errs here By folly, darkening knowledge. But, for whom That darkness of the soul is chased by light, Splendid and clear shines manifest the Truth As if a Sun of Wisdom sprang to shed Its beams of dawn. Him meditating still, Him seeking, with Him blended, stayed on Him, The souls illuminated take that road Which hath no turning back -- their sins flung off, By strength of faith. [Who will may have this Light; Who hath it sees.] To him who wisely sees, The Brahman with his scrolls and sanctities, The cow, the elephant, the unclean dog, The Outcast gorging dog's meat, are all one." (From somewhere in the Bhagavad-Gita) If no distinction between brahmans and outcasts should be made, doesn't this imply that also the distinction between the left-handed and the right-handed should be dropped? A left-hander is not left-handed by his conscious will. It's because a left-hander's brain functions differently and because they are "programmed" to use the left hand as "primary" hand without even thinking about it. How should it be considered if a left-hander lights a candle or an incense stick with the left hand? Questions ...
  22. If you want to look around why Jahwe is so violent in the Bible then try and take a look around what currently happens in the world. It's the question of poverty and fundamentalism. Those who have nothing tend to radical world views. The specific Jahwe faith starts with Moses. Moses and his people were slaves in Egypt. The Bible says that the Egyptians disregarded them. After the Exodus Moses needed good soldiers who would blindly follow him. That's why he revealed an invisible God. When the Israelites made a calf to be worshipped, they were in the tradition of worshipping God in the form of a bull, that could be found everywhere in the East and in Europe (e. g. Zeus) and is still alive today in India. If you have your God before your eyes, this gives you a kind of safety. But if your God is invisible, you need a prophet to tell you what God wants from you - and this prophet was Moses, who thereby became the leader of his people. That's why the Bible authors hate image worshipping since Moses. Furthermore, Moses made his tribes walk around through the desert for 40 years, until all the weak had died out and only the strong and fanatized were available. Those were the guys needed for conquering the land of Canaan. Nevertheless, I would be very careful in comparing Krishna to Jahwe or Jahwe to Allah or any kind of this. In a globalizing world Jews, Christians and Muslims often say that they have the same God in order to seperate from Hindus or Buddhists. But if you take a closer look, Allah is not the same as Jahwe. Even in the Bible the God of the Old Testament is not the same as the God of the New Testament. Christians say that Jesus is the son of God, but to Jews and Muslims this would be a blasphemy. The Bible says that when Jesus declared himselm the son of God, the Jews became angry and tried to kill him. To me, the "this God is better than that God" stuff is a more sophisticated version of "my brother is stronger than yours". I think this should not be. Peace to all.
  23. If you want to look around why Jahwe is so violent in the Bible then try and take a look around what currently happens in the world. It's the question of poverty and fundamentalism. Those who have nothing tend to radical world views. The specific Jahwe faith starts with Moses. Moses and his people were slaves in Egypt. The Bible says that the Egyptians disregarded them. After the Exodus Moses needed good soldiers who would blindly follow him. That's why he revealed an invisible God. When the Israelites made a calf to be worshipped, they were in the tradition of worshipping God in the form of a bull, that could be found everywhere in the East and in Europe (e. g. Zeus) and is still alive today in India. If you have your God before your eyes, this gives you a kind of safety. But if your God is invisible, you need a prophet to tell you what God wants from you - and this prophet was Moses, who thereby became the leader of his people. That's why the Bible authors hate image worshipping since Moses. Furthermore, Moses made his tribes walk around through the desert for 40 years, until all the weak had died out and only the strong and fanatized were available. Those were the guys needed for conquering the land of Canaan. Nevertheless, I would be very careful in comparing Krishna to Jahwe or Jahwe to Allah or any kind of this. In a globalizing world Jews, Christians and Muslims often say that they have the same God in order to seperate from Hindus or Buddhists. But if you take a closer look, Allah is not the same as Jahwe. Even in the Bible the God of the Old Testament is not the same as the God of the New Testament. Christians say that Jesus is the son of God, but to Jews and Muslims this would be a blasphemy. The Bible says that when Jesus declared himselm the son of God, the Jews became angry and tried to kill him. To me, the "this God is better than that God" stuff is a more sophisticated version of "my brother is stronger than yours". I think this should not be. Peace to all.
  24. Sirona

    shiva gita?

    I tried hard to find the Shiva Gita but all I could get is the Ashtavakra Gita. It's here: http://www.realization.org/page/doc0/doc0004.htm I hope that it's interesting for you.
  25. I tried hard to find the Shiva Gita but all I could get is the Ashtavakra Gita. It's here: http://www.realization.org/page/doc0/doc0004.htm I hope that it's interesting for you.
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