Manni

i was under the impression that labels such as religion etc are part of the material world and therefore do not migrate into the spiritual world. To say that the spiritual world is "mostly" Hindus is therefore a little incongruent. Anyhow, if they are "mostly" Hindus, what are the minority?

According to SB, right after this Kali Yuga there is a mini-dissolution and Satya Yuga starts again - a veritable Golden Age of humanity. So the answer is yes, things will be much better!

According to SB, right after this Kali Yuga there is a mini-dissolution and Satya Yuga starts again - a veritable Golden Age of humanity. So the answer is yes, things will be much better!

"There are religions that teach oppression and violence as being the duty of the followers. There are religions that teach not going to the doctor if you get sick is right, and going to the doctor is evil. there are relgions that teach all sorts of self destructive, anti social things." what religions? "sure everything is coming from god, so is animal killing, child abuse, etc." Is that a question or a statement?

I'd love to see an animated version of the Srimad Bhagvatam... much more flexibilty and probably cheaper than making a movie! plus good for kids...

thanks for your insights...

"how can one find out which where the truth is?" The Ultimate Truth is not individualised, but in the end of the day we are all individuals! This means that we must follow the path that we are most comfortable and happy with - usually this is the belief system you are born into. All religions believe in a higher being - so start off with faith. Search. Find your goal. Then strive for it. Whether you call him Jahova, Allah or Krsna, He cannot ask more of you than to follow your God-given conscience when it comes to choosing a belief system. "do these scriptures stand the Test of Time?" You'll never know until the end of time! are you asking whether the scriptures remain untainted? The scriptures of Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist and Jewish religions actually do - only interpretations change vastly, hence sects e.g. Shaivism/Vaishnavism, Sufism etc. If you're asking which is the oldest religion - without question this is Sanatan Dharma (origin of modern-day Hinduism). But the age of this religion takes nothing away from the essence of other religions! For thought - every single religion (that i know of) teaches Love (bhakti) for God. This is a nice place to start /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Yes, I know Rama appeared before Krsna in terms of time on Earth but let's consider the philosophy - if Krsna is the Personality of Godhead (i.e. unchanging through time!) should not the sages of the time (i.e. Valmiki) know this?? Or were they Advaitins? Krsna was FIRST - HE told the Gita etc. to Surya Narayana and so on... should not the Sages know this? Should nbot they mention this? Especially in Treta Yuga, when the peoples were so much more Dharmic.

Why is Krsna not named in the Ramayana? Was not Valmiki or Tulsidas Krsna Conscious? Surely they had to be so to be able to write the epic, since Krsna Himself would have had to choose them to do so!

if only more people in the world thought along your lines! We would be back in Sathya Yuga /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

it is said that the spiritual path begins with a yearning. The aspirant is compelled to look for philosophies/ideas that fill the void in his/her life. So the answer is YES, you do earn merit! Why? Because what you do NOW, will never be lost. In other arenas climbing up the ladder may be accompanied by occasional falls, but on the spiritual ladder the only way is up, never down. So by researching this philosophy you have already progressed up the ladder - that is the merit. But don't stop there - once you have found your philosophy, the one you are most comfortable with, practice it! Because without practicing you cannot progress up the ladder but stay exactly where you are. Good Luck!

I remember reading somewhere that though God knows all, He still likes to hear the request from His devotee because the devotee is dear to him - just like a mother knows her child wants a sweet but delights in hearing the child ask for it. This is especially so for Shiva - He is easily pleased by devotion and always asks, even though He knows all.

"Sastras declare that energy itself comes from the soul (brahman). It seems appropriate that there is a spectrum of energy at the boundary of material nature as energy emanates from the soul. Now if we are able to cut through that band of energy, we should be able to get through to the soul. " A BIG BIG if! the soul cannot be touched by the material energy - as it is said, water cannot wet it, air cannot dry it, fire cannot burn and earth cannot soil it. I see where your ideas are coming from, and they are interesting ideas, but since the material energy cannot mix with jivatma that potentiality within the soul is locked away in the spiritual realm.

The first few quotes there from the Upanishads and Yajur Veda seem to be portraying an Advaitic idea of a formless God. Would anyone like to elaborate on this, please? By the way, did Srila Prabhupada ever do translations of the Vedas, e.g. Yajur Veda, or of other Puranas, e.g. Visnu/Shiva Purana?

thanks for that... i would read SP's version but it's too complex for me!

shiva is apparently on the verge of Visnu-Tattva but not quite, so is not eternal

yeh, i actually didn't read Prabhupada's version of the SB - perhaps it was a different transalation/interpretation... thanks for info anyway, Bhaktavasya! Hari Bol.

it's my understanding that the actions we perform are a direct consequence of the purity of our minds. Mind must be pure. A pure mind and heart can only give rise to pure actions. Food, of course, is a major contributor to purity of mind. Eating unoffered food is highly dangerous, even if it vegetarian, because it is infused with the feelings and theoughts of the people that have handled it. An example is set by Bhisma Pita who forgot to pray before eating and in doing so his mind became clouded later that day when Draupadi was humiliated in the Hastinapura courtroom. Only Vidur, the Mahamantri, had a clear mind and spoke out on that occasion.

thanks, you have all come out with good answers!

error in words, nothing more...

thanks i understand slightly better now... but i thought they were kept in a bag to refrain you from seeing how many beads you have left in the round - i kind of accessory to help you meditate on God rather than how long it will take?

I do japa quite regularly and once gave it to a friend to borrow. I then heard that you shouldn't share it with anyone because of some esoteric reason, which i did not really have the sense to listen to. Is it true that you shouldn't share your japamala with someone?

I understand what you are saying, guest, thanks.

Thats a wonderful interpretation, Guest, thanks. But then coming back to the SB, are we to assume that that episode is just a story with a meaning, rather than history? By the way i really appreciate ALL replies so far, so don't take this next statement to heart, people - I still don't have the answer to my original question: If the Gods are made immortal, then they cannot reach Krsna. In fact the notion of Immortality cannot be correct in the fullest sense because when Krsna decides to destroy everything at the Final Deluge, even Brahma and Siva exit from existance because they are not Visnu-tattva. And if they are not Visnu-tattva, then how can the 'lesser' demigods be?

Yes i meant Mohini, thanks Bhaktavasya! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif