Murali_Mohan_das

Well, to use iTunes Music Store (iTMS), you need to install iTunes from Apple. It's a free download available at: w w w . apple.com/itunes/ (I still haven't gotten to 15 posts on this group, so I can't give you an actual link) Once you have iTunes installed, it should be pretty obvious once you're running it how to get to the music store. Dayal Nitai!!!

Mark the words of Nrsinghadev well, dear "Guest". Right now, He is being rather polite. You really don't want to be around Nrsinghadev when He's upset with someone for abusing His devotee. Of course, by now it seems (note the use of the word "seems" which indicates that I am not certain of exactly what your motives are) clear that your intent is to insult and disrupt, and I'm wasting my breath trying to defend myself, but: I associate the net culture of abbreviations and slang to which you refer as being part of the teenie-bopper sub-culture when discussing the latest gossip about Britney Spears. In the discussion groups I tend to read (slashdot.org for instance), people tend to use proper spelling and complete sentences (and a little fore-thought). As for being a "newbie", no doubt I am. Still, I have experience of the Internet from before there was such thing as the World Wide Web, when everything was plain text. Perhaps you were still in diapers then? (note the smiley face "emoticon" which indicates my attempt to be humorous). Of course, now I'm way off topic. The real message is: Chant and Be Happy!

No doubt, this is a cheap shot, but it appears grammar and spelling weren't among the topics you studied. Out of curiosity, how do you guage what your position in relation to others is? How do you know what their position is? If you take the time to comprehend the "acintya bedha-bed" (simultaneous and inconceivable unity with and distinction between Jiva-Soul and Bhagavan-Absolute) philosophy, you'll realize that quibling over the position of this aspect of Divinity and that aspect of Divinity is a waste of precious time and energy. I (and I suspect, you) have little conception about the true nature of the various aspects of Divinity. Still, it is said that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was Krishna coming to taste the mood of Radha. So, if Radha has something which Krishna does not have, but which he desires, then who is really the Master? Evaluating these things is not as simple as looking at the cricket standings in the newspaper. When you say "...degrading a great god", you're asuming there is more than one God. The Muslims got it right with "La Ilaha Il Allah" (There is no God but God). Why quibble about whether the right hand is better than the left? People follow Lord Krishna because he is the "All-Attractive", not because of how great He is or is not. The devotee has no other choice--nothing else matters to him or her once he or she has tasted a drop of prem. Srila Prabhupada never proclaimed himself to be "one and only Guru". He followed the orders of his Gurudev to preach in the West. Gaura Hari!!!

Oooh! Flame-bait if I ever saw it, "Guest". But, let's speak reasonably. Even if, contrary to the teachings of so many Vaishnavas, one *could* achieve God-consciousness alone, let us compare it with crossing the Amazon rainforest. Perhaps one *could* cross the Amazon rainforest alone, but why would one want to? Wouldn't you want a qualified guide? I suppose you tought yourself Calculus and Astrophysics as well? Another example used is: one cannot see the president of the USA without first meeting with one of his representatives. Why should we assume the Supreme Lord is any easier to approach (the Lord's Infinite Mercy is to send Guru to us)? That said, Srila Prabhupada is revered by all Gaudiya-Vaishnavas as one of the foremost distributors of Krishna Prem (Divine Love) in history. He was not the first Guru, and he was not the last. We all need direct association with the Vaishnava. For a better thought-out treatise (by me) on this topic, see: chakra.org/discussions/succJun27_06.html (I'm too new to this forum to post a full link) Srila Prabhupada called Lord Shiva the greatest devotee of Lord Krishna. To the Vaishnava that is the highest praise, and is in no way a dimunition.

Thank you for this illuminating post, Maharaj. Underlying all of this, isn't the point that we are singing for the pleasure of the Deities? I've heard it said that it is our sincerity and not the pretty melody that the Deities are pleased by. Also, from a practical standpoint, unless one is very proficient at playing the harmonium, trying to do so will certainly distract from what is hoped to be a devotional mood.

I don't see it so much in terms of which religion is better than the others. Ultimately, if someone is sincere in their hankering for God, they will attain their goal--whichever religion they practice (as has been aluded to by previous respondents). In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna actually says to abandon all religion and simply surrender unto him "Sarva dharman parityaja...". Really, it comes down mood. Which mood is more sweet to us? To me, while tragically-beautiful in its own way, Christianity is a religion of the desert--very spare, sometimes arid, sometimes harsh. Gaudiya Vaishnavism, while having it's own tragedy and "Passion" (think Mahaprabhu in his later years of manifest pastime "suffering" the agony of separation from His Lord), has a rich, full, lush mood. In no way do I wish to minimize Christianity. I *do* find the mood of the Vaishnava to be so much sweeter, though.

Ah! But, if you go to the iTunes Music Store and search for "asato ma", there should be three results. If you preview the 49 second version by Gopa Bose, you can hear almost the whole mantra. Govinda!!!

This one's on Ravi Shankar's "Chants of India" (produced by George Harison). Amazon has it (but I can't post URL's yet, 'cause I'm too new to the forum). Just Google "Ravi Shankar Chants of India". But the sound clip doesn't include the actual chanting. I couldn't find the album on iTunes Music Store, unfortunately. Gaura Hari!!