Sridas

Here is a link to a neat Kumbha Mela video. I recall you saying you are going to this festival.

 

Also there is the link to the "Universal Teacher" video on the life of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaja. Towards the end of the video there is real nectar footage of Srila Sridhara Maharaja that I mentioned.

 

http://www.devavision.org/videos.html

Hare Krsna Bija,

Like i mentioned I'm a little pressed for time right now, but I appreciate every nudge and friendly persuasion I can get. Thanks for the considerate thoughts.

I thought I'd try to get to Kumba mela if it fits into the itinerary but it's more Gaura purnima, Navadwip and guru seva I hope to focus on.

I personally find those mega festivals a bit daunting, just hope to meet some interesting souls in the sea of humanity. There are generally a lot of Gaudiya vaisnavas doing seva there.

If only I had the luxury of you full time bhaktas

Unfortuneately I'm still strugglin' to do a little duty

I booked a cheap ticket to India to kind of push myself into a pilgrimage.

Only now I have to find the cash to spend whilst there and I hear prices of everything are escalating.

Hence not all that much time at present.

Yes there is an absense of formalized ritual, but what i was trying to express is that in the full blown reality of Mahaprabhu's presence everything is spontaneous because the jiva has reached the feet of the Lord in person. It's different from devotion in preparation.

Bhaktivinode Thakur describes how our vaidi or sadhana which can also be seen as ritual becomes raganuga spontaneous devotion, the same activities like fanning, offering flower garlands offering light, cusions for rest etc are just a natural part of a properly adjusted servitor on that plane of real KC.

And the empowerment from the Lord is considerably different from that of the Jivas even tho it may be the same currant it can't be the same voltage

because the Lord in person is like the power station.

As far as straightening you out, I just don't know if I'm up to it.

Besides I'm not even sure where you are crooked. Help me out!

The contraryness is only in relation to the rituallistic statement because I believe that learning how to do things first ritualisticly and regulated eventually prepares one to perfect our service activities, like learning music or chanting formally then we can let our heart go to it's full spontaneous expression, if that makes any sense, if not then straighten me out. Other than that I'm with right you. Waiting for the next installment.

It ain't a challenge, so chill out mate.Then again it may just be madmans talk.

CC Madhya 8.10: As previously, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu converted to Vaiṣṇavism many people He met on the road. After some days, the Lord reached the banks of the river Godāvarī.

So let the river of Gaura consciousness flow

Let it flow forever more

Let it flow

BG 18.68: For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.

 

 

BG 18.69: There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.

 

--

 

We can see the absence of formalized rituals here. Simply preach/explain Krsna conscious which will liberate others and one becomes most dear to Krsna and He will take us person home.

I don't really want to harp on this formality thing but in the instance of Mahaprabhu's living presence, I think our lives may just be a wee bit different from those times, circumstances and personalities of that particular era.

If you were to meet God face to face, feed him with your own hands, give your hospitality, take prasadam with Him, wash his feet and drink that caranamritam and then listen to His fully illuminating instruction, I'd probably agree there would be no need for any formal process, it all comes quite natural to a fully developed personality, it's spontaneous, like if ever you've been invited to a Brijabasis home this is their natural serving ettiquette, call it the perfect arati.

I remember being with Srila Govinda Maharaj once in Krsna Vallabha's home (a Brijabhasi)at seva kunj with about fifty devotees. They provided a garland for every devotee and some gift of cloth chada and a second garland for every devotee to offer to Maharaj then provided unbelievable hospitality and a feast straight from the pages of the Mahabharat. It is just normal hospitality to them. It's their life that is why they are Brijabhasis. To us it may appear ritualistic but actually it is just a very high level of service, respect and affection for guests who are considered sadhus. The royal jelly of all Indian.... nay proper vaisnava culture, and this is the way we should try to give to others in our humble abode according to our means. This is Krsna conscious honor to the extreme.

And I might just add that it was from this Krsna Vallabha Prabhu that Srila Govinda Maharaj was given Krsna Das Kaviraj's Bhajan Kutir where he may well have written these very revelations we are hearing here.

But that wasn't even paramatma dharsan. This is full blown... first person... Swayam Bhagavan in your face, your Lord in the heart, on the outside talking back to you. Pause for a moment and consider what that means. The very source of your soul in all his most concentrated mercy. Sri Sri Radha and Govinda combined, the very ultimate destination of the jiva right in front of you and you have the opportunity to serve Him/them.

If any of us ever reach such a graceful dharsan then please by all means spread your blessings around to us all. This is not just hearing some vague voice from within. It is the infinite coming to the finite through this external environment. The nirguna wave turning inside out to the saguna shore.

So of course it will be a little different from the process that our latter day gurus have shown and exemplified. Even tho we are to consider them to be servant of the servant of the gopis.... simultaneousy one with yet different from the Lord, yet we are led to believe they are still as good as a connection with God Himself. This probably explains why some of us feel such revelation in their presence. Because they are thousands of times more developed in everthing we aspire for.

CC Madhya 7.128: "Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krishna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land."

 

 

CC Madhya 7.129: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu further advised the brahmana Kurma, "If you follow this instruction, your materialistic life at home will not obstruct your spiritual advancement. Indeed, if you follow these regulative principles, we will again meet here, or, rather, you will never lose My company."

 

 

CC Madhya 7.130: At whosever house Sri Caitanya accepted His alms by taking prasadam, He would convert the dwellers to His sankirtana

movement and advise them just as He advised the brahmana

 

named Kurma.

----------

 

This is how Krsna consciousness is spread.

Regarding this famous quote from Mahaprabhu "By My order become guru."

We can obviously take the negative view and criticise everyone outside Srila Prabhupad, who is endeavouring to spread KC to the world at large or we can appreciate the many efforts that have extended to the environment in the last 500 years, and the last 40 of our life.

There are so many wonderful developments of Mahaprabhu's movement pouring forth a continual variagated rain of mercy to the waves of jivas taking birth thru the human form, from generation to generation. Just like the beauty of each single snowflake that falls, each and every soul that takes to this Nam sankirtan movement starts to develop a special unique place in the sweet heart of Sri Gauranga as He gives them the opportunity to become purified thru His transcendental Names and Siksastakam.

Just like dried fruit placed back in water they take their full bloomed form.

Srila Sridhara Maharaj and Krsna das Kaviraj explain that distribution like so:

"What is krsna-lila? It is the real essence of nectar. It is the gist of sweetness, happiness, and ecstasy. The sweetness of the sweetest thing that can ever be conceived is represented in krsna-lila. Then what is caitanya-lila? In caitanya-lila, that sweet nectar of krsna-lila is flowing in all ten directions in hundreds of streams as if from a fountain. That fountain is caitanya-lila." Although caitanya-lila appears later than krsna-lila, caitanya-lila is the source, the foundation. We see that Krsna appeared in Dvapara-yuga, in the previous age, and then Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared later, in Kali-yuga. Still, Their lila is eternal. First there is the giver, then the gift. And the gift of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is that in all the ten directions, He is distributing unlimited streams of sweet krsna-lila to the world.

Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami concludes, "0 devotees, come! Like so many swans, you must swim in the lake of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's pastimes. From that lake krsna-lila is flowing to the world in different streams. Devotees, like clouds, take nectar from that lake, and distribute that nectar freely to the fortunate souls. Come and live in that lake. Ask the swan of your mind to take shelter in that lake. May that swan swim in the nectarine lake of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's life and precepts, from where so many hundreds of streams of nectar are flowing in all directions. O devotees, I offer this humble prayer to you."

And furthermore

The Gaudiya vaisnavas are trying to remove that fundamental difficulty of misconception and mixed conceptions at the root of all this world of disturbance, the general populous does not know what is their goal, that whom they are searching for is ffice:smarttags" />, the Supreme Lord of Love, or how to reach that goal. The only necessity is to connect the fallen souls, to show them that what they really need in their myriad searches for happiness is the actual reservoir of pleasure and He is Krishna, without Him nothing can satisfy fully, neither Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, Narayana or Lord Ramachandra can give the inner fulfillment that all are searching after.

<FONT face=Arial><FONT size=3>Only Akhila-rasamrta-murttih - that person who embodies all different types of rasa, all the inner demands of our heart, of every heart, it is common to all the jivas. Even though all the names of God have different attracting potencies and we have respect for all of them. Still <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comKrishna</st1:place]<font face=" /><st1:place>Krishna</st1:place> is the all-attractive one who is complete in beauty, fame, knowledge, wealth, renunciation, that everyone needs. He is sweetness, beauty, charm, mercy, harmony, affection personified. And consciously or unconsciously your thirst is only for Him. He is not being thrust upon you, like a burden. All honest scientific and theistic searching will culminate in the conclusion that <st1:place>Krishna</st1:place> consciousness is the ultimate satisfying principle to remove all ignorance, doubt and desire for anything else.

This thread has potential to go somewhere other than SOUTH please don't bring the other stuff into it?

GAUra HARI

[

CC Madhya 7.100: Each of these empowered persons would return to his own village, always chanting the holy name of Krishna and sometimes laughing, crying and dancing.

 

 

And that's the way the sankirtan movement spreads.

 

Ethnic cultured village people are so simple and clean hearted they take to the Truth whenever it manifests, ther're not cluttered so much with philosophy and knowledge.

It doesn't matter where.... the Philipines, Indonesia, Thailand, South- West- North- and East India. Even if a common bhakta chants in these places publicly a crowd will immediately gather with interest and much of the time they will join in. It's like when you do Kirtan around Navadwipdham the villagers will come out and spread yoghurt or flowers or spread water on the path, do full dandavats and then get up and dance, this is their life. and they have such respect for those that are glorifying the Holy Names.

They recognize the pulse of divinity because they are closer to it. I sincerely feel we are the losers when we are separated from such a life.

What to speak of Mahaprabhus's kirtan.

 

CC Madhya 7.102: People from different villages who came to see such an empowered individual would become like him simply by seeing him and receiving the mercy of his glance.

 

CC Madhya 7.103: When each of these newly empowered individuals returned to his own village, he also converted the villagers into devotees. And when others came from different villages to see him, they were also converted.

 

CC Madhya 7.104: In this way, as empowered men went from one village to another, all the people of South India became devotees.

 

 

I can understand why Sripad Narasinga Maharaj and others have such success in the south with such a pious fertile field. With no disrespect to the preachers that take the Name there. Obviously it is Gauranga choosing them to spread the benediction rays, the right devotees in the right place.

 

CC Madhya 7.105: Thus many hundreds of people became Vaishnavas when they passed the Lord on the way and were embraced by Him.

 

 

I can't imagine being embraced by Lord Chaitanya! What a sublime feeling something like instant enlightenment.

 

 

CC Madhya 7.107: By the mercy of the Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, everyone became a first-class devotee. Later they became teachers or spiritual masters and liberated the entire world.

 

 

Is this a prophecy of the present or future? Could it be that we have pure devotees in our midst unbeknown to us?

 

CC Madhya 7.108: In this way the Lord went to the extreme southern part of India, and He converted all the provinces to Vaishnavism.

 

 

What happened to such a wave of conversion in the south, these days there is more converting to IT than to KC?

 

CC Madhya 7.109: Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not manifest His spiritual potencies at Navadvipa, but He did manifest them in South India and liberated all the people there.

 

 

And yet Navadwip is a madhouse of Krsna Bhakti in some areas that is.

 

CC Madhya 7.110: Lord Sri Caitanya http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/m/mahaprabhu"]Mahaprabhu's empowering of others can be understood by one who is actually a devotee of the Lord and who has received His mercy.

 

 

Guess that's where the statement, 'It takes one to know one' comes from.

 

CC Madhya 7.111: If one does not believe in the uncommon transcendental pastimes of the Lord, he is vanquished both in this world and in the next.

 

 

Grant me unshakable Sraddha and divine vision to live in such Gaura Consciousness my Sweet Lord.

 

CC Madhya 7.112: Whatever I have stated about the beginning of the Lord's tour should also be understood to hold for as long as the Lord toured South India.

GAURA PREMANANDI HARI HARI BOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hi guest,

I used to know a devotee who would do that when ever he led kirtan everyone started to yawn and then fell asleep, they called him 'the sandman'.

Maybe you have the same octave.

You may be able to market yourself to insomniacs.

Just arrange a class and at the same time you can give the holy names to them for a few hours, if there's any doubters tell them they have stay longer after class for an extended lesson.

Just kidding;)

Perhaps when you are starting to nod you should change instruments to a Mrdanga.

I thought they were all just stoned seeing everyone else as beautiful:)

I don't think they look for beauty anymore.

What Happened?

Another thing, its suprising to see US giving such an importance to India, I cant belive this,,, Krishna plays here trust me Krishna plays here

 

Hari bol

It's easy to understand Krsnadasa,

Every nation who are in close geographic proximity to some of these button pushers feel threatened that some ratbag may just have a bad day and be pushed into using their full power of destruction on their non aligned neighbors.

So Bush and his cronies play on other countries fears and insecurities to panic them into aligning with America. It being the most powerful bully in the world. The lesser armed countries figure if they hop into bed with America that America will always support them if the sh-- hits the fan. Australia and Great Britain are also in this predicament of supporting America in their common fight against evil, or whatever they name it. In return for support if they ever need it. Even tho here in Australia now the majority of the population no longer support being dragged into these dirty little wars along with our allies, as most people feel it is not our problem and we shouldn't be involved. Every time a country aligns with any other country in war they will make enemies where they previously may have had none, and bring more resentment towards their shores.

America knows your difference with Pakistan is based on religion at it's rootand that ultimately they could trust India before Pakistan, but in signing treaties that are supposed to scare your neighbors, will only up the anti further for others to enter the stand off.

Srila Sridhara Maharaj told about 20 years ago that "America is coming to swallow the whole world." And in more ways than one we can see that.

India really has to learn to stand on it's own strengths and not become Americas' sacrificial cow.

It may not be avoidable if every country is forced into siding one way or the other, but before that ever happens we should do our best to keep friendships wherever possible, not that we have to agree with their values.

With the Kumbha Mela coming around again what significance if any does this massive festival have for the Gaudiya Vaisnavas?

http://www.divinerevelation.org/KumbhMela.html

Cool. Then my hands are tied, along with my tongue. Can't duh ...uh..choose to get initiated..duh...

Tell it to a black person who had slave ancestors. There is a qualitative difference between living in a democracy and a despotism. Slavery is not philosophical. It is a painfully concrete state.

You have to understand cbrahma who you are a slave too. Of course the black mans slavery to a despotic white exploitative master is dispicable. But when we are slaves to a compassionate well wishing master that has our very best wellfare at heart, then we can only gain and feel quite at home under the wing of such an affectionate friend and guardian. And you will find they don't ever see themselves as master rather just the opposite.

A real spiritual master doesn't need a thing from you they are self satisfied the only reason they are offering you diksa is so that you can better focus on Gods Name, Form and pastimes and discover your real happiness derived from that. They don't need your energy or your laborious service, but you need to give it, so that you don't become a self egocentric miser, instead of a God-centric servitor and they just help you in that process, you can take it or leave it at any time you choose the choice is always yours. No chains on your feet, just a set of beads on your neck to remind you of your real identity as loving servant of the servant of a very beautiful God.

We don't lose anything by divine slavery, we gain everything.

Every soul has the same potential that comes from God and ultimately goes back to God. If we use our God given intelligence to recognize our highest welfare and prospect then we can start to act on that.

Sometimes we need to just take the bull by the horns and just do it.

We spend so much of our precious time lamenting what we're not, that we fail to be what we are.

Talking about it, thinking about it, writing about it, dreaming about it. Just make a practical step to go and do it, set the ball in motion.

Break out of the limitations of the mind that is working as the enemy of your potential rather than the best friend. When Krsna states He is the ability in you then don't just dissmiss that as a mundane statement. Have faith that He can do wonders through any body... abled or disabled he is the enabling principle in all things animate or inanimate, the very life force of each and every atom. But we must willingly connect to His will as has been mentioned about the process of surrender here.

It's kind of like going to a job application or speaking publicly, it's daunting, especially if we have no confidence in our capacity, but once thru the front door we are on the way. They say 90% of success is just showing up, the rest tends to form it's own momentum.

A lot of devotees are misplaced souls in this world we don't fit, like fish out of water and that can tend to cripple our participation or contribution to a world or ideal we feel is futile, and wasted energy. A devotee just needs to get engagement in that which they truly love and that will automaticly bring satisfaction, in whatever form that may take for our full potential to be realized or actualized. Otherwise it is a constant cause of frustration.

For our fully bloomed service capacity to be shared happily with the rest of the environment we have to sometimes take those practical steps or quantum leaps into the unknown, and trust that we have a friend who is working to see all of us become fully capable.

We are making our Karma at every moment and it's a complex network but if we just find out what our special gift is and do that, that will start the ball rolling.

No matter what everyone else is good at doing it is better to perform ones service imperfectly than to try doing someone elses perfectly.

Some souls may look like they are oozing with talent but may lack a basic ingredient of humility or compassion, and what is that worth?

Well, well, well hasn't this revealed some true colours, dirty as they may be.

What amazes me is everyone here in this forum does nothing to remove or object to all this puke, it seems that everyone takes some sort of macabe pleasure hearing or reading this ongoing dribble as if it is relevant to spiritual advancement, even wanting to know more.

A sad and tragic testiment to anyone who gives ear to all this nonsense . We will leave you to your Guru Vani taking you thousands of lives away from reality.

What happened to the administrators and moderators... fall asleep on the job did we?

I see like so many times on this forum no one stopped the thread when they thought there was offence committed, don't remove it let it all proliferate through a kamakaji maniac that calls himself a devotee.

Do you really think your guru is pleased with you or any of those you claim you are aspiring to serve? Of course you can always delete this post and get on with the entertainment.

To all the honest and honorable vaisnavas I wish them all a very auspicious and Holy Christ mass in the coming days if they observe the appearance day of Jesus then may you share some of your joy with others by his appearance in your consciousness, extending his message in practice of loving the Lord and likewise loving each other, as those who have transcended this worldly plane of existence.

Peace and all the other rasas, good will and affectionate dandavats be with you.

Yours in the joyful service of Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga

and Sri Sri Radha-Govinda.

We used to do a big feast for the homeless on this day they really appreciate it.

In the last few days a number of posters showed where Prabhupada himself appears to contradict the above quote. We need to get beyond semantics and harmonize the apparent contradictions. At least you must admit that once we read the books we will be taking in their content. The only content within the books is not just statements to read the books, although those statements are there within the books to encourage us to continue reading and come back tommorrow and everyday of our lives. Within the books we find the process of hearing from pure devotees glorified. We hear about the glories of the Holy Name of Krsna. We read or hear about Krsna's or Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhus pastimes. We read about the lives of the great devotees and many more topics. We are not impersonalists and everything in Prabhupada's books "is "an open secret" even the most confidential topics. "By reading daily the knowledge will be revealed to you and by this process your spiritual life will develop." Revelation from the Absolute comes down to us in the relativity of the different stages of the process of suddha bhakti. For one devotee, it is revealed that Krsna is God and that these books are non-different from Him.

On another level it is possible that Krsna can show that His Name is non-different from His form. He can reveal His divine form. He can reveal to your eternal form and service within His lila. There is so much variety and it is all contained within the passage from Srila Prabhupada's letter to Brahmarupa Prabhu that you have posted. Srila Sridhar Maharaja translated a phrase from Caitanya Caritamrta, eka bindu jagat dubaya, "one drop can inundate the entire universe, a drop of the infinite is infinite." So if you have so much of an attraction for Prabhupada's books then try to discuss what is in them. And try to give this in a positive way. The fighting and arguing over these issues is getting old and tiring. The real discussions of Krsna Consciousness are always enlivening and ever fresh like Krsna Himself.

Dandavats and good advice, keep it coming,

Regarding your story of the prison guru elsewhere you rang a bell in my own experience Shakti Prabhu, funny but simultaneously tragic. In the earlier days of my devotional life I remember convincing a cousin of mine to take to Krsna consciousness, he was truly a genius in the worldly sense but also had a very strong attachment to intoxication among other habits but he did recognize the Gita as it is and did genuinely appreciate Srila Prabhupad's teachings, and also my pathetic aspirations to become a devotee but he was very gnana oriented.

As it turned out he withdrew more and more from association, and therefore took to a non practicing life, but he just couldn’t give up his philosophical conviction in Prabhupad's Gita. And was determined to preach even though he didn't practice what he preached as the books advised.

So every time we met he told me how he believed he was being used by Krsna to preach in the bars to the drunks and the most fallen. Unfortunately he ended up becoming a chronic alcoholic and addicted to other intoxicants, sadly he never did take higher association and died from liver failure. As Srila Sridara Maharaj would say "we must be careful that we don't fall from down to down."

My thoughts were that in his world he saw himself as somewhat of a guru or savior, on that turf where no devotees ventured, no one could ever challenge or question his knowledge which I know he spoke from Prabhupad’s books as at one time he was very sharp and had a brilliant recollection.

But God knows how it translated after a flagon of vino and cocktails.

So the point being is that it is mind boggling how many bogus misconceptions can come from one statement what to speak of volumes of books, unless we have a mahabhagavat God realized devotee to give confirmation of controversial issues. Your post just made me realize just how wrong we can get 'perfect knowledge' without our guardians vigilant perception, correction and affection.

I do hope Krsna and Prabhupad bless his efforts to extend to others, be they ever so misdirected. We did help give him a Krsna conscious departure ceremony.

I tend to see certain devotees are just like water purifiers filtering the dross of misconception from contaminating the Vaisnava environment as Srila Sridhara Maharaj's glorious ode to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakure expresses.

Whatever one may regard as the disciplic succession we must continually detect where that quintessential Truth is living. Where the dhara is flowing.

aher iva gatih premnah svabhava-kutila bhavet

i.e. the Lord of Gokul doesn't tread the same predictable path every day, His nature is whimsical, and He's been known to make a few costume changes. Yet still we need to have some reference point when so many use the scriptural injunctions to justify there position as representitive of the Truth

jivadyair abhiraksitam suka-siva-brahmadi-sammanitam

sri-radha-pada-sevanamrtam aho tad-datum iso bhavan

What was distributed by Rupa and tasted by Raghunatha was protected by Sri Jiva Goswami, who lent support to its divinity with scriptural evidence.

Here we see the need for all those guardians who are like multiple lenses in a telescopic system that clarifies the substantial and real Truth.

Through those who've gone before us and others who are presently monitoring and protecting that precious conclusion sri-radha-pada-sevanamrtam..... The ambrosia of service at the feet of Srimate Thakurani.

It is this that Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur could give and that Srila Bhaktisiddanta Saraswati Thakur came to extend and establish in the darkness of all this modern hybrid misconception that proliforates further by dint of the confusing climate of defiant controversy where the voice of authority is drowned in the quagmire of misinformed babel.

And that Srila Guru Maharaj spent much of his life guarding and clarifying what wasn't that Radha Dasyam.

Why don't you clarify if Govinda Maharaj also thinks Srila Prabhupada is a liar, cheater and offender.

This could be taken as a rather inflamatory statement, why don't you clarify exactly what you mean in these words.

You are not usually one to mince your words so please explain to your readers your intensions here.

I personally know Srila Govinda Maharaj and have never ever heard anything but praise for Srila Prabhupad far beyond anything I've heard on this forum or for that matter what has been allowed to be propagated through this medium.

So I'm a little perplexed as to the reason for making such a statement as this. These are his personal pranam prayers to his Divine Grace.

"I offer my humble obeisances unto His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, who is Krishna's beloved associate and who came down to this plane from Goloka. Taking the order of his guru on his head, he is the saktyavesa [empowered] avatar of Nityananda Prabhu personified. He distributed the Hare Krishna mantra all over the Eastern and Western world, delivering and uplifting all fallen souls. He is the best of millions of jagat-gurus, because he is the personification of divine mercy. He has distributed the sweet nectar of Srimad-Bhagavatam and the transcendental knowledge of Bhagavad Gita all over the world. He is constantly engaged in exclusive devotional service to Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupad, Srila Rupa Goswami, and Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. I offer my humble obeisances unto Srila Prabhupad, who is like a bumble-bee always tasting the nectar of the lotus feet of Sri Sri Radha and Govinda."

[srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj]

I like it too!

Like Srila Prabhupad said The killing of the cows is the cause for the environment being out of whack.

These are the basics that need to be adjusted so that so many other aspects of the environment will also be corrected.

If there is no Krsna how come all this time you've been so obsessed with Krsna, sounds like He has been overwhelmingly present in your consciousness.

So even tho the question was posed 4 months ago and by now Krsna Prabhu may have dissolved into blissful union with his desired Lord, whom he is just acting on behalf of.

That nectar extractor wishes to draw sweet juice from the hearts of His assembled devotees. Just when they think they are ready to give up and go away He sends another tantilalizing nibble, and another and another, and when the agony becomes so intense with hopelessness, who should appear in His Name? His devotees telling of his pastimes, to give some soothing balm, to cool the burning vipralambha of the tormented soul.

Srila Sidhara Maharaj was once asked, "Why is it that in the beginning we were given a small glimpse of Krsna and that ever since that time we are made to spend our whole life trying to retrieve that glint of divine grace?"

And he answered with." So you are objecting to such great fortune".

Where even the demigods desire such a fate. But for hundreds of thousands of years, time doesn't deliver such a Supreme benediction of transcendental desire to want that thing, that vision, that particular Lord. Rather they are content to bide thousands of years in the company of their Demigodly partners or planets of servitors who have chosen a life of service to a lesser potency of that central reservoir of anandam.

How valuable is just the desire for Him, what to speak of Him, it is the rarest of the rare just to get the seed of attraction, for that is He, extending Himself. That itself is non-different from Sri Govinda how could we ever contemplate leaving such a prospect as this, the inner treasure of divine aspiration as descibed here in the following purport given by Srila Bhakti Raksak Sridhar Maharaj of a song by Srila Bhaktivinod Thakur.

Today I was doing book distribution in the city and I was approached by a Muslim guy who proceeded to tell me "That blue man you worship is not god. The creator of the heavens and earth is not blue. God has no form like any created thing. God is not like any thing in the created world".

 

I said, you say that Allah is the name of God.

 

Allah is a sound, a form existing in the physical world.

 

Your Allah has a form too, but we have a clearer understanding of the real form of God than the hazy idea of "allah".

You tell 'em bro.

Should ask How does he know?

At least he's got the last part right.

Probably not Krsnadasa,

America as a nation based on economic development and sense gratification with so called fundamental Christian values would more than likely just see India at present as a friend in the war against the common enemy of so called terrorism which is really the threat of Islam taking over the world by any means. Americans are afraid their hold on power and control of the world economies is dwindling and their popularity is being diminuished in the world family of Nations. It's suffering an identity crisis that being the best and most powerful in most things doesn't always equate to being the most popular, so in a sense they are searching for friends and allies who they might have some common interest with. As they say it gets lonely at the top.

But so saying there are a great number of the American population who are very good people that have special gifts that the rest of the world can appreciate, like all nations there is a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly.

And there are many in America who genuinely love what India really has to offer, not just what they can exploit from her. But they are struggling like everyone on this planet to find some real identity.

Within this struggle of insecurity to survive the material world dilemna, they are looking for ideoligies that have any relation to their own, that is that make the sort of people they are. In India, they recognize the democratic values of free will and speech to practice ones beliefs or disbeliefs, and that's reassuring in the light of dictatorial regimes elsewhere. And also adding to that is the acceptance by many in America of the various lifestye choices India has exported and vice versa India's attraction to the free economy of America and all it offers, whether it be constructive or destructive at least there is a choice.

That's one aspect, but at the same time it recognizes Indias potential Super power status, and economic potential, and any intelligent country should be seriously considering friendship with this waking Goddess of fortune in more ways than one.

It is a progressive change you've been graced with only if you imbibe the real understanding in Vaisnavism and sincerely try to live that with all ones heart and soul, it will take you to the sweetest conception of divinity. Otherwise one can be deluded no matter what relative changes we make in this world even those of us who think we are practicing this path of Krsna consciousness can still be like monkeys that have found a priceless diamond, and go and exchange it at the local fruit walla for a banana.

Be happy you've made a wonderful and brave decision, as from my understanding there is somewhat of a threat within Islam of going to hell, to those that give up this religion. So you are obviously a sincere soul, for the Lord to give you vision beyond such idle threats.

If you are looking for further inspiration stay tuned here, and check out the interesting websites category, below spiritual disscussions on this site. There are alot of leads to to a wealth of inspiration.

Who knows you may be a wonderful example for your fellow Muslim brethren to find higher ground, and a more accomodating conception of divinity.

The Namacharya of our whole movement Srila Haridas Thakur took the same step as yourself so you are in good company.

all the best with your search

If only souls realized that they will still be in the exact same consciousness they were.... if not worse, before they crossed from this material body to no material body. We as aspiring vaisnavas have to get it thru to the general populous that it is a change of consciousness that is needed, not a change of bodies.

Thanks for that post Beggar, it's a little sad but at the same time encouraging when we consider the up hill battle involved in trying to give the gift of Mahaprabhu that our well wishing guardians have giving to us, we know it is a rare soul who can push thru the mountains of adversity and misconception. Still some inroads are being made since the time of Srila bhaktivinode Thakur i can't imagine the wars he had to fight but i'm sure he would be happy with the progress succeeding generations are making, even tho it is sometimes 3 steps forward and 2 back.

Slowly but surely the holy names have touched down on many foreign shores that they had never previously visited and altho we may still be a long way from home the journey has started. We just have to humbly keep trying to extend to others whatever we have imbibed from our Guruvarga and the rest is in the hands of Sri Sri Nitai-Gaurachandra.

Prabhupads whole life preparation didn't start to fructify untill his last ten years, and the treasures in other vaisnavas hearts take time to be recognized, there is still a lot of work to do but like slow release fertilizer it is seeping into the consciousness of the organic whole by the grace of the supreme designer.