PN Prasad

TIRUPATI: The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has held discussions on Wednesday with the Godrej company for installing a bullet-proof glass around the Tirumala temple. TTD's chief security officer E Damodar said he had suggested to the Godrej company to develop a new concept to install bullet-proof booths resembling the Mahagopuram and Ananda Vimanam without affecting the ambience or causing inconvenience to the pilgrims. The temple administration, following the Akshardham incident, has taken several steps to tighten the security at the hill shrine.

That's the most advanced stage of devotion. Isn't it?

I forgot to login while posting above.

At times, when I'm not very angry or when I'm able to overcome the habit of speaking harsh words, I'm immediately proud of myself. I start thinking about how great I should be to reduce my anger. So....when I control anger, I fall for False ego. If I come out of False Ego...I don't know what I'll fall for.

I have found it very difficult to stop teasing others. I do speak lot of harsh words when I feel dissatisfied with a particular result/event. I'm trying to reduce all such demonaic qualities/mentality. I think it will take the whole lifetime....or the chanting of the Holy Names might trigger the process.

Ofcourse, we would require money as long as we are in this world. (Atleast, till the time we realize what a miserable place this world is) Matter does matter, but spirit matters most. We need to have a perfect balance in our life. Personally, I'm not in a position to completely renounce everything. In the initial stages, it will be difficult for us to balance between our material and spiritual pursuits. I would not like to invest in stock markets due to the number of problems that arise out of it. There are many other options that are open to the devotees who would like to earn a living.

You can view the Brahmotsavam Photos of Lord Sri Krishna at: http://www.iskconbangalore.org/contents/events/brahmotsava2003/daily_update/day01.htm Click on the 'day' to view different decorations (alankaras) for 'Radha Krishna' on different days.

Generally, people conclude that investing in stock market is gambling. I have not come across any scriptural references which indicate the same. However, as time moves on, there are chances of getting addicted to gambling (thereby investing again and again in stock markets even after losing money). Maybe, that's the reason it's not recommended for devotees.

I do not have the source of this...I got it in a mail. "Do not speak any harsh word. Let not any harsh word come out of your mouth to anyone, for the Divine dwells in every heart. Do not hurt with your words, for the Divine dwells in every heart."

I found few changes that really change the whole meaning of original text/purport of Srila Prabhupada. Following are few of them: Bg 3.7 Original Version "...On the other hand, he who controls the senses by the mind and engages his active organs in works of devotion, without attachment, is by far superior." Revised & Enlarged Version "...On the other hand, if a sincere person tries to control the active senses by the mind and begins karma-yoga [in Krsna consciousness] without attachment, he is by far superior." ------------------------ Bg 6.35 Original Version "The Blessed Lord said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by constant practice and by detachment." Revised & Enlarged Version " Lord Sri Krsna said: O mighty-armed son of Kunti, it is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment." --------------------------- Bg 4.34 Original Version "...Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge" Revised & Enlarged Version "...Therefore, mental speculation or dry arguments cannot help lead one to the right path. Nor by independent study of books of knowledge can one progress in spiritual life. One has to approach a bona fide spiritual master to receive the knowledge" -------------------------- You can find more at: http://krishna.org/ISKCON/BookChanges/ Personally, I feel that the original books need to be published as it is, so that it will help all the devotees (both beginners and advanced).

Sat February 1, 2003 02:56 PM ET By Jon Herskovitz RICE, Texas (Reuters) - Debris from space shuttle Columbia rained down onto fields and highways in Texas on Saturday, with witnesses coming across smoldering metal wreckage, including what appeared to be a door from the orbiter, local officials and eyewitnesses said. A 100-mile-long debris cloud of ash and metal fragments also spread over the state's wide open rural spaces and into neighboring Louisiana, local weather officials said. One piece of wreckage about three feet by five feet was smoldering in a field near Rice, Texas, just off Interstate 45 about 45 miles south of Dallas. Police were urging vehicles that slowed to look at the site to keep moving away from the toxic debris along the highway that links Houston and Dallas. On one Texan field, wisps of gray smoke rose from a huge patch of blackened grass where debris had scorched the earth. The seven astronauts aboard the shuttle were killed after U.S. space agency NASA lost contact with them about 9 a.m. Residents across eastern Texas heard three loud explosions and saw streams of vapor before watching debris rain from the spacecraft, Larry Mars a police detective in Palestine, Texas, said. Television images showed Columbia, which was completing a 16-day mission, appeared to explode above Texas, immediately leaving several white trails across brilliant blue skies. It was traveling 12,500 miles per hour at 207,000 feet above Earth -- only 16 minutes from its scheduled landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. There were no reports of injuries or damage on the ground from the debris that appeared to be scattered over a vast area of 120 square miles. Local weather officials estimated the lighter material in the debris cloud would take up to 10 hours to finish falling, while all big pieces had likely already hit the ground. DEBRIS COVERS COLLEGE CITY Officials in Nacogdoches, Texas, said residents reported spotting many pieces of the debris dispersed throughout the college city of about 30,000 people, located about 145 miles northeast of Houston. The ruins ranged in size and the city had received one report of a door from the shuttle being found, she added. "We do have a debris field. It is scattered all throughout Nacogdoches," city manager Victoria Lafollett said. "The number of pieces being reported is just impossible to keep up with, she said. "Some are very small, some are larger," she said. NASA scrambled rescue units to search for wreckage and recover the remains of the crew, which included the first Israeli to fly on the shuttle, former combat pilot Col. Ilan Ramon. The rest of the crew consisted of six Americans, four men and two women. Bush administration officials said there was no indication the breakup was due to terrorism. But a White House spokesman said Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge spoke to Texas Gov. Rick Perry and homeland security officials in Louisiana and Oklahoma because wreckage was also believed to have rained down into those states. NASA warned people to stay clear of the smoldering debris. "Any debris that is located in the Dallas-Fort Worth vicinity should be avoided and may be hazardous due to the toxic nature of propellants used on board the shuttle and should be reported to local law enforcement authorities," NASA mission control in Houston said. http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=1ZZ33X3AOZFOUCRBAEOCFEY?type=topNews&storyID=2152878

USA Posted February 01, 2003 Associated Press Space shuttle Columbia apparently broke apart in flames as it streaked over Texas toward its scheduled landing Saturday, killing all seven astronauts, six Americans and an Israeli. NASA didn't immediately declare the crew dead; however, the US flag next to its countdown clock was lowered to half-staff. Officials in Washington said that there was no immediate indication of terrorism, and that President George W. Bush was informed and awaiting more information from NASA. In north Texas, several residents reported hearing "a big bang" at about 9 a.m. (1400 GMT), the same time all radio and data communication with the shuttle and its crew of seven was lost. Officials in Washington said that there was no immediate indication of terrorism, and that President George W. Bush was informed and awaiting more information from NASA. A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was no threat made against the flight and that the shuttle, at an altitude of 207,000 feet (62,100 meters) when it lost contact, was out of range of a surface-to-air missile. Just over an hour after the shuttle had been expected to land, officials at Florida's Kennedy Space Center announced over loud speakers that a statement on the fate of the shuttle would be issued shortly. NASA warned people on the ground in Texas to stay away from any fallen debris. Inside Mission Control, flight controllers hovered in front of their computers, staring at the screens after contact was lost. The wives, husbands and children of the astronauts who had been waiting at the landing strip were gathered together by NASA and taken to a secluded place. "A contingency for the space shuttle has been declared," Mission Control somberly repeated over and over as no word or any data came from Columbia. In 42 years of US human space flight, there had never been an accident during the descent to Earth or landing. On Jan. 28, 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. It was the 113th flight in the shuttle program's 22 years and the 28th flight for Columbia, NASA oldest shuttle. Shortly after Columbia lifted off Jan. 16, a piece of insulating foam on its external fuel tank came off and was believed to have hit the left wing of the shuttle. Leroy Cain, the lead flight director in Mission Control, assured reporters Friday that engineers had concluded that any damage to the wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard. Columbia had been aiming for a landing at 9:16 a.m. (1416 GMT) Saturday. It was at an altitude of 207,000 feet (62,100 meters) over north-central Texas at a 9 a.m. (1400 GMT), traveling at 12,500 mph (20,112 kph), when Mission Control lost all contact and tracking data. Gary Hunziker in Plano, Texas, said he saw the shuttle flying overhead. "I could see two bright objects flying off each side of it," he told The Associated Press. "I just assumed they were chase jets." "The barn started shaking and we ran out and started looking around," said Benjamin Laster of Kemp, Texas. "I saw a puff of vapor and smoke and saw big chunk of material fall." Television footage showed a bright light followed by smoke plumes streaking diagonally through the sky. Debris appeared to break off into separate balls of light as it continued downward. Security had been extraordinarily tight for Columbia's 16-day scientific research mission because of the presence of Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut. Ramon, a colonel in Israel's air force and former fighter pilot, had survived two wars. He became the first man from his country to fly in space, and his presence resulted in an increase in security, not only for Columbia's launch, but also for its planned landing. Space agency officials feared his presence might make the shuttle more of a terrorist target. "The government of Israel and the people of Israel are praying together with the entire world for the safety of the astronauts on the shuttle Columbia," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office said in a statement. Also on board was Indian-born Kalpana Chawla, who became an astronaut in 1994. It was her second trip in space. Residents in the town of her birth, Karnal, about 135 kilometers (80 miles) north of New Delhi, had planned a celebration, but were in shock and mourning on Saturday night. Some 300 children at the Tagore Bal Niketan school that Chawla attended had gathered for an evening of song and dance, said Principal Rajan Lamba. "A happy occasion turned into an atmosphere of disbelief shock and condolence," Lamba said. The only other crew member to have flown in space before was the shuttle's commander, Rick Husband. The other five were rookies: pilot William McCool and Michael Anderson, David Brown, Laurel Clark and Ramon. Columbia's crew had completed 80-plus scientific research experiments during their time in orbit. Just in the past week, NASA observed the anniversary of its only two other space tragedies, the Challenger explosion, which killed all seven astronauts on board, and the Apollo spacecraft fire that killed three on Jan. 27, 1967. http://www.csmonitor.com/earlyed/earlyUS0201a.html

Hello, The ISKCON Bangalore (Hare krishna Hill) Temple completed Sri Sri Krishna Balarama Ratha-Yathra today (1st February). The Ratha-Yathra started at around 5 PM in the evening and the 'Utsava' deities of Sri Krishna and Sri Balarama were taken around the city. The local politicians attended the chariot festival and cleaned the street before the Chariot took off. The traffic police helped a lot by stopping the traffic completely on the roads. The devotees also held a 'Nagara-sankirtana' (Sankirtana on the streets of Bangalore). The 'utsava' deities reached the temple back at 9.30 PM. Tens of thousands of devotees were seen waiting for a chance to pull the chariot of the Lord One more interesting thing to note is that the Bangalore ISKCON temple feeds around 43,000 rural children in 210 schools everyday. This was based on Srila Prabhupada's instructions. This program is called 'Akshaya Patra'. Many of the NRIs have supported a lot for this cause. You may visit the website at: http://www.akshayapatra.org The local government is also planning to allot Rs.160 Crore in the next budget to feed these hungry children in co-ordination with ISKCON. (nice to hear this). Hare Krishna.

I heard from one of my friend that Srimad Bhagavatham contains Narayan Kavacam. However, he could not tell me which Canto contains the Narayana Kavaca stotram. In which Canto can I found the Narayana Kavaca stotram?

From the book "Renunciation through Wisdom" by By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada: "The scriptures have declared that in Kali-yuga everyone is born a sudra, or a menial laborer, a member of the fourth class."

I found a very nice article on Casteism by Stephen Knapp on at the following URL: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/casteism.htm I am sure all of you will really appreciate the thought.

Right now, I don't have the source of this Sloka, but I have read this Sloka: "VAISHNAVANAM YATHA SHAMBHU" It means that Shiva (Shambhu) is the greatest and first among Vaishnavas. Thus, it is understood that we should not commit any offense to Lord Shiva, because if we do so, we will be doing Vaishnava Aparadha (Offenses to Vaishnava). When we see Lord Shiva, it is better to see Him as a devotee of Vishnu (because the sentence above signifies it). By doing so, we will be pleasing Krishna ( because we are pleasing the greatest among Vaishnavas - Lord Shiva). If anyone could give the source of this sloka, I'll be very much grateful. Please do correct me if I am wrong.

[ Note from JNDAS: I accidentally deleted a link provided by Prasad. I think it was http://www.atributetohinduism.com/Vimanas.htm ] [This message has been edited by jndas (edited 05-25-2002).]

The UFOs and Vimanas in Vedic Culture by Stephen Knapp can be found at: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/ufos_and_vimanas.htm A very good article and it really provides food for thought.