Murali_Mohan_das

Fair enough. And which servant of the servant of the servant, do you serve?

For once, Prabhu, I will not criticize you for your mood. I share many of your impressions (especially the "talent show" comment). Sincerity is one thing which just cannot be faked.

True. It gets boring when the discussion is between a bunch of know-it-alls quibbling about semantics. It's good for any and *all* of us to "get back to basics".

Why do you assume I haven't (I'm not saying that I *have*, merely questioning your grounds for making such assumptions)?

Thanks for the answers, Lokeshav. Actually, Sri Guru has appeared to me already in a most pleasing and captivating form. I'm doing my best to serve him and not my own mind. Good luck in finding your brothers. I hope your voice doesn't get hoarse from all the shouting.

Sripad Srutasrava Prabhu presents the Krishna Conception as he has heard it from his Divine Masters in his own inimitable impassioned and humorous fashion. Embedded: <embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-7538203868479560609&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed> Link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7538203868479560609&hl=en

I was wondering whether you'd had any contact with Srila Gurudeva's sanga, but I didn't wish to pry. Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm ashamed to say I never made it up for darshan during this visit, though I got to see Gurudev in the Temple on a couple of festival days and my own Gayatri initiation. I know what you mean about the "transcendental" competition to get a good spot in the small "veranda" in Gurudeva's quarters!! I don't know if I got a recording of it, but Avadhut Maharaj had us all rolling on the floor on the visit of Srila Gurudev prior to this one. He mentioned that, when he first met Sripad Janardan Maharaja, he didn't like him at all. In time, though, he saw how much affection Srila Gurudev had for Janardan Maharaja, and he came to develop a friendship with him. I felt the same way at first. For those of us accustomed to Sripad Goswami Maharaja's almost imperious manner, Sripad Janardan Maharaja might come across as too reticent. However, over time, I've come to appreciate Janardan Maharaja's humility, sincerity, and learning. Sripad Bhakti Pavan Janardan Maharaja ki jai!!!!

The week after the departure of Srila Govinda Maharaja, the mood at the Seva Ashram is a bit subdued (somber even). Sripad Janardan Maharaja speaks heartfelt, gentle words of comfort for the devotees and guests. Embedded: <embed style="width:400px; height:326px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=-8949838591698664026&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed> Link: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8949838591698664026

http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/11/28/

Ask a lot of questions. Have no fear of looking stupid. One of the reasons I became so disillusioned and bitter in college was that almost all of my classmates (in the engineering school, at least) seemed deathly afraid of looking stupid. Rather than asking questions to help them understand the topics under discussion, they seemed preoccupied with how to solve the exercises, know what was going to be on the test, and get good grades. It seemed clear that, while they could recite facts from memory, they had little understanding of the underlying priciples. Playing the fool can be the best way to learn.

This is why they call it "ignorance", isn't it? We conveniently "ignore" those truths which are right before our eyes, but which we find unpalatable or incomprehensible.

Very interesting, indeed!!

Sri Krishna is so loving that He spanks our bottoms when they need spanking.

Doesn't Sri Krishna say Himself that one who calls himself His devotee (lover) is not actually His devotee? So, your qualifications for lecturing here are that you are a motivational speaker? What are your qualifications for being a motivational speaker? Do you consider yourself to be presenting something in an original manner?

So, I should approach Guru in the mood of taking something from him?

Sounds like you're hoping for a legacy. Is seeking a legacy not a materialistic endeavor?

If you are Arjuna, you can lift and string the bow that none of the other great kings can even move and fire an arrow into the eye of the fish while only looking at its reflection in the fountain. Right?

What's a "karam bandhana"? So, does that mean that you are an "uncommon man"? Also, must you shout?

Prahlad Maharaja certainly had a choice. His dad was terrorist number 1--he was so scary, he had the demigods shivering in their swan airplanes! I don't believe "that korean kid" was born with an abnormal mind. I believe he was just like you and me. Perhaps that thought frightens you? Under some slightly different circumstances, it could have been you or I shooting up the place. Krishna may be all-attractive, but there are certainly a great number of souls who are managing to *ignore* Him almost completely. From one perspective, it is because of our past pious activities that we have gotten some taste for Krishna.

Are you asking how we can develop our own love for Krishna, or how we can win Krishna's love? In any case, doesn't the Lord make it abundantly clear that He is most pleased and charmed when we please His dear servant? After all, the Lord needs nothing from us since he has everything.

Wow!! Well said, Mahaksa-ji. To add to what you say. "Choosing" a guru is not like chosing a medical school. It doesn't have to be about logic and reason. In fact, it's better if it's not. It's about being *captivated* by someone (so, the boy loves girl analogy is a good one). It's about having no other choice in one's heart but to surrender and serve. It's not about choosing what to eat at the buffet at Govinda's.

Relying on the mercy of the Lord is no crap-shoot. He assures us of that.

Sometimes going away is the best option to avoid making further offenses. It's a real shame you can't see that. I want to be a "fool" just like Sriman Mahaprabhu. http://vedabase.net/tlc/18/en

Sure does sound that way, doesn't it? That was Srila Prabhupada's desire. What was Srila Sridhar Maharaja's expressed desire in this regard? What example did he show?

This is *very* instructive, isn't it?