bhakti boy

u can chant simply the prayers to the spiritual masters the panca tattva and hare krsna maha mantras, dress them nicely and then offer them nice bhoga which you can later distribute as prasadam. there is a more complicated process that we use for installing deities in the temple or preaching centers or if u can be very strict in ur arcana-but this is usually not the case in most homes. they shall be installed by harinama

and with all due respect allen, u cannot lump ALL devotees in the same bag. we are all individuals. and i kno that i personally treated u with respect in my previous responses to ur meat-eating, so u cannot say that we all attack the messenger. i also have to disagree that iskcon is not doing well in north america. it is doing quite well and there are many examples of progressive activities going on, however, i digress. altho i agree that some devotees have a terrible attitude and are far too arrogant (i have also been a victim of this growing up) but we cannot throw the baby out with the bath water so to speak. hare krsna good luck to you. be well manu dasa

and guest u say formless love is supreme this is ridiculous. u say within its womb- if it is formless how can it have a womb? non-sensical. its like saying u have a loving relationship with a lightbulb, impossible. u can say u love that light (the impersonal brahmajyoti) but there can be no reciprocation. u can only conceive of bhakti in regards to bhagavan. bhakti is FOR bhagavan. not for nirguna. even in rg veda, we chant b4 we go on the altar -om tat visnu paramam padam (FEET indicating form obviously). to say nirguna is higher is to limit bhagavan- only if he is saguna is to not limit him. he is independant in his desire and does not answer to u but can take form as he pleases. manu dasa

in our temple in the 70's they also used to offer chocolate (on the altar) but i was just a baby, this is what was told to me.

used as medicine it is fine. but for vaisnavas who should only eat prasadam, it is not recommended. although vegetarian items garlic and onion are considered unofferable foodstuffs to krsna. i posted an asnwer to this in the hinduism thread. about y we dont eat them. and plus they stink and give ppl really bad breath. something we never have hehe it agitates our bhakti yoga.

scholar's remark about the priests making their wives wear a bindi to make them look ugly is ridiculous at best. not very scholarly are we? lol.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> someone also called it a kum kum. that is an incorrect use of that word. KUNKUMA (kum kum) is the sustance that is applied to make the bindu (dot) also known as sindhur which signifies, for a lady, shaubhagya or wedded bliss. after marriage our ladies wear this symbol of shaubhagya. along with the lac n conch shell bangles and payal (anklets).<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> the tilaka or urdhva pundra is different than the bindu mark. for vaisnavas for example, we all mark our forheads with the vertical tilaka lines-gaudiya style tilaka is of gopi chandana, and very beautiful.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> the shavaites (horizontal and often made of vibhuti) n shaktas have their version.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> but the red dot is usually a symbol of the presence of the divine (laksmi). <o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> and G hari this is not only for married women but also for men who have partaken in a religious ceremony and are offered kunkuma on the forehead as the deities prasada.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> for scholar, he might want to go thru natya shastra where many of the accoutrements and symbols we use are explained.<o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p> hare krsna<o:p></o:p> manu dasa adhikari <o:p></o:p>

well for me the fact that its unofferable to krsna is enough for me to not eat it and it does smell. and hing makes food delicious!

in the book of prabhupadas compiled letters.

u fail to realize that prabhupada brought and implemented these rules n regs in a most loving way. not the way u are doing (to the last comment). are u even an initiated devotee? devotees are tolerant and humble. at least this is how i was brought up. we teach by example. NOT by saying ur wrong, ur bad etc. who taught u to preach like this? allen, i hope that u can eventually give up meat, and i am sure u will. kno that there are devotees (practicing) like myself, who dont judge so superficially, and would offer u encouragement rather than fear based belief. hare krsna manu dasa adhikari

even though ppl tell me; "but ayurveda says onion n garlic are good for the body" i respond to them, yes, good for the body not for the mind they are considered unofferable to krsna. they increase rajas n tamas. and are too fiery. they agitate bhakti. plus they smell. anyway hing is a very acceptable substitute. when ravana was killed 4 drops of blood fell to the earth and created 4 plants, onion, garlic, leeks and mushrooms. so thats y also we cant have them. and im sorry sporkubus, even if u brush ur teeth i could smell it on u. it comes thru the pores of the body and ur sweat. i can smell someone who eats garlic n onion a mile away. yuck.

u can worship the pictures, as they are non-different from the 3-dimensional murti (form of the lord) and no u shouldnt sing jaye jagadisha hare arati to them. this is a song for material gain, u can chant vaisnava songs like gaura arati- guruvastakam etc. generally u dont offer tulasi in the home. u can worship her everyday and sing her kirtan. yes eka-dipa (1 lamp) is fine. but i am of the opinion that if u truly desire to have deities and worship them, then u should. it is one of the nine processes of devotional service. i myself have radha kunjabihari (marble) and nitai-gaurasundara (neem wood) deities in my home and worship them everyday. however, i have been trained to do this as i am a pujari. but start by sincerely worshipping the pictures and krsna will manifest to u one day. ur servant, manu dasa

silly me, i forgot to tell u how to help in ur transition, go to the temple and lots of nice prasadam. this will help make the transition easier. sabjis with chunks of paneer, rice, chole (chickpeas), dahi badas, parathas, chapatis, samosas, we have a whole culture dedicated to the art of veg cooking that will make ur mouth water. good luck haribol

allen, u are absolutely right. often new devotees use guilt or manipulation to "make" someone change a habit like meat-eating, illicit sex, etc. this is avaisnava. i have been vegetarian almost my whole life, and although my personal feelings to meat are in disgust, i never let ppl feel that. prabhupada while staying at the agarwals when he 1st came to america wasnt even affected by the fact that they ate meat. he taught by example. acharya. this is the way. using guilt and manipulation is a very judeo-christian way to operate, and, i dare say, sectarian. we must show by example and love. i apologize for some devotees who will try and make u feel bad. think nothing of it. know that there are many of us who are well balanced and tolerant individuals who try and be kind to ppl. even meat eaters your servant, manu dasa hare krsna

sounds delish that last recipe. of course we can have white chocolate! omg i almost died when i read the above post about a "fall down". u can eat sweet things cooked by karmis (like candies, chocolates etc) it is salty things and grains u should worry about. there are pujaris here (ill keep them nameless for their privacy) who have always eaten chocolates. and they have been steady in their service for 20 years without wavering. we must be so careful to make sweeping generalizations. devotees should worry about their own salvation instead of tying to control others. haribol