Ayodhya

It would seem that this would be an offense to those who do not consider Krishna to be the highest. But what difference does it make? You reconcile this by saying that Shiva is a devotee of Krishna? I am guessing that you would say the same about the other Gods (I refuse to use the word Demi-) to reconcile it with your beliefs. Wouldn't a believer in Shakti say the same? That Krishna and all the other Gods bow to Her? Have you read the Puranas? In the Vishnu Purana, all the other Gods bow to him. In the Shiva Purana, all the other Gods bow to Shiva. In the Shakti Purana, all the other Gods bow to Shakti. Hopefully, you get the picture.

How come no one's talking about Bell's Theorem? Thanks to Eternal Law for posting it. It seems science is finally catching up. I believe Bishadi has a similar view about life that he is trying to get published... Also, in the Gita, Krishna says that Vaishya's, Shudras, and even women are of inferior birth, but it is only symbolic, not literal. In the same way, Jesus' teachings may have become misinterpreted from their original meaning. Jesus never said that those who did not believe in him go to Hell, other Apostles said that.

Perfect. Nicely worded. Please do not take the following question harshly: If Rama is an avatar of Vishnu, and Krishna also is an avatar of Vishnu, why is it wrong according to ISKON to worship Rama? Also, what happens to me, if I worship other Gods and Godesses in addition to Krishna?

Not being a Vaishnava myself, I think I can identify better with this idea. The Bhagavad Gita never says the Vedas are wrong, but Krishna says that those who transcended have no need for the Vedas. Those who do not understand them use them for materialistic purposes while non-materialistic people look at them differently, it's all in the point of view. Also, Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that worshipping other Gods does not make one automatically materialistic. Whatever you hold to be the highest, you consider that the ONE, strive for it, and you will eventually reach Enlightenment. Krishna says take refuge in Me not me (note the capitalization), which doesn't mean Krishna the body, but Brahman. If you have an Indra diety (which I'm guessing no in the world uses), worshipping him is not bad as long as you keep in mind non-materialism. Also, re-reading the Sri Bhagavatam Purana, Krishna never commands the people to stop worshipping Indra, but instead persuades them everything is One. Besides, Indra is the only God to be so angry and arrogant. Consider that one day, God came into your body and began to speak the Gita. You, knowing you were God would say take refuge in Me, but in actuality, you are not saying to refuge in your materialistic form, but the form that you represent. Also, what do you consider a demi-God? Ganesh? Shiva? Saraswati? Lakshmi? Durga? Other saints and sages (Sai Baba)? Our gathering has a Kubera pooja during one of the festivals... not sure which, though.

Krishna seems rather conceited in this episode. I don't understand why he wouldn't allow them to worship Indra. This sounds very similar to pieces in the Quran and Bible where worship of other Gods is forbidden and seems extremely contradictory. How should/do members of other sects view this? Also, technically, shouldn't one, at a certain stage, abandon all names and figures? At a certain stage, certainly, Krishna is no better than Indra?

So, can we come to the conclusion that guys cannot pray to gain a beautiful spouse? I guess us guys have to hope some pretty girls are thinking of us...

What is the definition of Prajapati as it applies to the Christian God?

What is this book about?

So was the Earth you visited on the same plane of time as the others? You stated that you visited the other planets in a time much later than our own and then came back to Earth. Was this Earth the same as ours today (because you also stated that the same type of plant was there), or was it Earth in the future (in which we supposedly haven't killed each other already)? Also, I think Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus...

There's life on Neptune? How come scientists haven't picked up on this yet? Or is it on a parallel universe?

I totally agree. Manmohan Singh recently increased the affirmative action plans for several universities, and although the Brahmins are protesting, he won't budge. He needs to pull the lower castes up and squash them together with the Brahmins and make them feel uncomfortable. Only then will they realize that we must unite to protect our religion. Another strategy is to build more castless temples like the one Jagannath temple that just opened.

Wars also boost the economy, albeit for a short time.

The smell may have simply been the residue from the crematorium, but there is another reason. The ashes, being the only remnant of your father, caused your brain to re-create the smell as it was the only part of your father you could ever reason to sense again. There is a reason we Hindus cremate and that is to let go of their spirit, not convene with them in the Afterlife. I am sorry, indeed, my grandmother passed away last year.

Love that picture of Radha and Krishna, guruji!

What is the problem, Lewix?

This reminds me of the yearning present in Mirabhai's work... Beautiful. You really should read her work.

Are there really mantras for acquiring a beautiful spouse? Who do we pray to, Kama and Rati?

We have all presented our case on the worst case scenario of his boisterous religion over your children. We obviously do not know who he is or what he is capable of doing. May the Gods be with you.

Karma is a way of explaining why bad things happen to good people. It is not important to remember what we did wrong because it would place emphasis on the past and not the present. "Be here now," as Ram Dass put it. Place emphasis on the present moment and you will properly deal with the problem at hand instead of trying to avoid whatever it was (assuming you knew your evil deeds) in the future. This way, you would never be able to cope with other problems that do not deal with the problems you (somehow) knew you committed. About free will: I don't understand what your idea of free will is, but don't you have it? You state that karma somehow dictates our lives, but the number of possible good and bad deeds in previous lives does not amount to the 80% of your life that you still lead. To think that karma is somehow a determinant (like some Christians will say about how Hinduism is essentially a cycle of violence), you can always embetter your life by coping with problems properly instead of doing more bad deeds to rectify it. Also, karma need not be simply about good and bad deeds. Karma accumulates from desire prompted activities. Think of it this way. Constantly through life, your soul is a bathtub with the water constantly on. Water (desire) is constantly flowing into your bathtub as it is draining out (by all the selfless activities). When you do not act simply by desire (desire is not simply a want, but a strong attachment to the want. If you need clarification, please ask), the water is turned off, and the drain keeps pulling out. Ultimately, you want to arrive at a dry bathtub.

Yes, he is opposed to diety worship, but he won't let you do it? That sounds like a pretty shady relationship. I would think before marrying this guy. If he won't let you worship your Gods, what else won't he let you do? Does he make you go to Church? You could also explain to him why we do it and the significance behind it? That God is brought into the diety, that God is in everything? Sai Baba once said, "Idol worship is scientifically atomic worship." Also, even if he is against displaying pictures of Christ in his home, it is not essential to do so for Christians. For Hindus, it is a vital part of the religion. Dieties have much higher importance than the symbol of a cross or Jesus. His loss would not be as great as yours.

Could you please translate "ASHWIN" and "DEVDAS" into Hindi?

Could you translate "ASHWIN" and "DEVDAS" into Sanskrit?

As far as I know, only the Hindus and Buddhists recognize the divinity in other people's religions. In no other religion in the world will you find sages who exhalt the Devas. I think this is why in Judaism, you are not supposed to marry anybody but a Jew and in Islam, men are expected to convert their wives if they don't convert at marriage, and men are expected to convert if their wife is muslim and they aren't.

We are talking about the historicity of a man-made book, not the Absolute Reality. You are a fool to think that that many people actually fought on one single battlefield. You need to start thinking for yourself.

It's all about her and her children.