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Ananga

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Everything posted by Ananga

  1. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's religion succeeded largely as a re-interpretation of Hinduism and its rigid caste system. That branch of the study of History of Religions is called hermeneutics. The oft used phrase is according to time and circumstance. Mahaprabhu made bhakti accessible to the masses and took off the previously imposed strictures of caste and creed to make it universally appealing, non-exclusive and non-sectarian. Sectarian cults can be successful, but they do not have this feature, rather one of exclusivity and isolationism. In examining any branch on the Caitanya tree, one must assess it according to such criteria to see how it measures up to Mahaprabhu's original vision of a faith for the masses. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 03-10-2002).] [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 03-10-2002).]
  2. There was an article in Discover magazine recently about the saints called 'incorruptibles' because their bodies lacked signs of decomposition. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the low temperature in the crypts in which they were entombed were the actual cause of this phenomenon - sort of a type of refrigeration. A heart still beating and bursting its container with heat is something else altogether!
  3. There was an article in Discover magazine recently about the saints called 'incorruptibles' because their bodies lacked signs of decomposition. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the low temperature in the crypts in which they were entombed were the actual cause of this phenomenon - sort of a type of refrigeration. A heart still beating and bursting its container with heat is something else altogether!
  4. I challenge anyone to show how Manu Samhita fits in with the movement of Sri Caitanya. It seems to be counter to the whole spirit of bhakti. The idea of prohibitions against cruel and unusal punishment is so much more civilized. The appalling conditions in U.S. prisons is bad enough, without resorting to hacking off people's limbs on top of everything else. After all, everyone knows that the prison system in America is overcrowded mainly with drug addicts (who need medical treatment more than hard time) and not violent criminals. An effective system of justice is indispensible for keeping law and order in the land, but it must be truly just and not unduly harsh and barbaric. As far as the repression of women in Eastern and Western culture, that speaks for itself (definitely not in line with Mahaprabhu's teachings). It would be best to not mention texts like Manu Samhita at all.
  5. I challenge anyone to show how Manu Samhita fits in with the movement of Sri Caitanya. It seems to be counter to the whole spirit of bhakti. The idea of prohibitions against cruel and unusal punishment is so much more civilized. The appalling conditions in U.S. prisons is bad enough, without resorting to hacking off people's limbs on top of everything else. After all, everyone knows that the prison system in America is overcrowded mainly with drug addicts (who need medical treatment more than hard time) and not violent criminals. An effective system of justice is indispensible for keeping law and order in the land, but it must be truly just and not unduly harsh and barbaric. As far as the repression of women in Eastern and Western culture, that speaks for itself (definitely not in line with Mahaprabhu's teachings). It would be best to not mention texts like Manu Samhita at all.
  6. There is plenty of archaeological and other evidence that supports the Aryan invasion theory (that they came on horses from central Asia and conquered the locals), whereas there has yet to be any hard evidence uncovered to refute it. That is a plain simple fact. The current movement in India and worldwide to promote the origins of the Aryan civilization within India is just extreme fanatacism and should be ignored by all reasonable and sensible people. Vaishnavas should not concern themselves with these types of controversies, and should focus on their personal bhajan instead.
  7. The Baha'i temple in Wilmette, IL is pretty impressive, although the bad photograpbhy of this webcam site does not really do it justice:
  8. FYI: The tol system has all but vanished in India. That is unfortunate. If it can be revived, if even only online, then that would be a great preservation effort and a continuation of the traditional system of education based on shastra. Heaven knows the public school system in the West has been pretty much a failure academically and is now entering an even worse phase of degeneration with school shootings on top of drugs and gangs. The idea of the website is to take the best of both worlds: What the old tol system has to offer and what the modern system can bring to the table. If anyone is interested in the frontiers of science and its interface w/religion, then pick up a copy of Evan Harris Walker's "The Physics of Consciousness". Some of the mathematical equations might be tough to follow for most, but it is worth the effort.
  9. Is there really a whole group that believe that SP is a reincarnation of Sri Caitanya, or just one eccentric fellow with his own website? Where does such madness originate from? Is it due to indulgence in mind altering drugs or alcohol? Is it some form of schizophrenia? That was always something that set SP apart from so many other India gurus: That he set out to make the Deity famous rather than himself personally. Those that would elevate him to Visnu-tattva only end up undermining everything he stood for. No doubt he would not find that at all acceptable.
  10. Although it appears that George was more absorbed in bhakti than John was, and from a strictly musical standpoint he has been acclaimed as the superior talent as a performer, however, two hundred years from now there is a good chance John Lennon will be remembered as a great composer. That is not likely in the case of George. No disrespect intended. It is just a matter of two different skill sets that do not necessarily overlap, the skill of writing music and that of performing it. We also have to take into consideration comparisons with great and brilliant geniuses like Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, when forecasting who from the 20th century will make a mark on history. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 12-21-2001).] [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 12-21-2001).] [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 12-21-2001).]
  11. It was Entertainment magazine, actually. The covers of both were so similar that I confused the two.
  12. Part of an interview with George was just published in People magazine, wherein he states that he never really 'joined them', just in spirit. He also said that if SP knew that his disciples were ripping people off in airports, they would have had their 'behinds kicked'. The overall tone of his statements was that he respected SP, but did care much for his followers. I guess a couple that he stayed in contact with (like Mukunda) were the exception.
  13. There is no reason to believe that the current war is any more significant than any preceding wars from an apocalyptic standpoint. Granted it has been rightly characterized as being different in nature from previous wars that the U.S. has fought. However, that does not make it automatically the fulfullment of various prophecies, all of which are highly suspect in credibility to begin with. People that get caught up in this doomsday hysteria need to get a grip. Nonetheless, we should not minimize in our minds the negative impact of human population explosions, for if those do not get curbed (and I mean yesterday!), then we have a problem of gargantuan proportions. That is just a mathematical reality, based on the amount of natural resources our planet provides. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 12-09-2001).]
  14. Someone once told me what George's Sanskrit name was many years ago, but I forgot what exactly it was. Does anyone have any info. on this?
  15. Hey jijaji. Nothing to add to this discussion. Just wanted to let you know that I am refraining from eamiling anyone for the time being. My computer appears to have been infected with that stupid NIMDA virus. I am in the process of cleaning it off my system. Did not want to in advertantly emai it out to anyone.
  16. As much as some people here want to put the war on terrorism in some context of religious principles, it is nonetheless simply a battle against ignorance and barbarism. The Taliban regime (and those like it) wants to plunge the world back into the dark ages. Their brand of religion and politics harkens back to historical despots like Ourang Zeb, who ordered the demolition of the Govindaji temple in Vrindavan. The U.S. (and especially the Chinese) government should have invaded and put a stop to the blasting of the statues of Buddha by those pond scum. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 09-30-2001).]
  17. And what would Mahaprabhu's response have been? We have the account of his interaction w/the Kazi in Caitanya Caritamrta. I recommend getting a copy of Ed Dimock's new translation (it is a far more scholarly work than the ISKCON publication - no offense to Pradyumna and crew intended). I know the fanatics are going to hit the ceiling over this one, but get real people! There is scholarship, and then there is scholarship. I personally feel indebted to HDG for his own translation, but I feel I have to look at various publications from a critical standpoint. If you only have the BBT translation, then that will suffice. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 09-12-2001).]
  18. Exactly, Jijaji! Any righteous Vaishnava must condemn these vile and cowardly acts as PURE UNADULTERATED EVIL. Quoting Hitler, Tarun? Please take your medication! [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 09-12-2001).]
  19. There are plenty of other authors that make a very good presentation of the tradition, and a sincere seeker will find the path by reading their works. So, please stop being fanatical about one author's books. So you have this sentiment (and a noble one). And that is fine and is no doubt going to be an asset to you spiritually. But, when you take it to extremes, then it is going to be detrimental in many ways. There is a clear cut etiquette in the Gaudiya community about speaking of one's guru in public. One is not supposed to go around making this big deal about their guru's accomplishments, out of respect for the feelings of those who have a different guru. This etiquette is there for a reason. Please observe it, or perhaps you should go find some other tradition to follow. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 09-10-2001).]
  20. OK. I deliberately made this topic incendiary, because sometimes that is what I do: To provoke an emotional reaction. Now, let me make the point a bit clearer for everyone. Mahaprabhu's tradition is not, and never was, a guru cult. Yes, there is a unique role that a Vaishnava guru fulfills. No argument there. However, when individuals distort the tradition and put all of the focus on a guru (i.e. theirs), then there are a number of negative things that happen. First of all, to outsiders it clearly is just another fanatical and potentially dangerous cult. Secondly, the situation merely sets the stage for unqualified people to step into the role of guru and then (because of the overinflated political status that has been accorded that role on account of the above distortion) abuse the power they have. Whether or not I am personally a follower of Prabhupada does not really matter with regard to this issue. I would have to say that I am a better follower than those that think they are followers, but that have done a great disservice to Mahaprabhu's tradition by this propagation of the guru cult. I apologize for offending some people here, but I felt that I needed to get their attention somehow.
  21. Years ago, Prabhupada's books were pretty much all that were available (although Dr. Kapoor's book was also around). Nowadays there are many things coming out, so it is really not necesary to refer to HDG's anymore. I know this is going to sound shocking and blasphemous to many here (although it is not intended to be a derogatory statement at all), especially the fanatics who think that HDG was the ONE and ONLY ambassador of the Gaudiya tradition outside of India (whatever). I would recommend for any seekers of knowledge to shop around and to try at all costs to avoid texts that contain slander of Vaishnavas in them.
  22. This is an entertaining thread, although some people are stooping to nastiness (I guess the more things change the more they stay the same). It is not the Gaudiya tradition as it has come down to us for the past five centuries that attacks other faiths (at least as far as I can tell). Although there have been debates internal to the Hindu tradition, I do not recall the Goswamins or Visvanatha or Baladeva mounting hate campaigns against Christianity (or religions similar to it). So some twentieth century sects have engaged in this type of religious elitism. So what? Does that mean we have to do the same? How are we to have some positive influence in a Judeo-Christian culture, if we are unable to peacefully coexist with non-Hindus? I personally have seen that Christians of various denominations (Catholic, Serbian Otrhodox, Greek Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian, etc.) are basically decent law abiding folk with high moral standards. Although a small percentage are fanatical in disdain for non-Christian faiths, I do not think that is the norm. The matter of idolatry is a sticky point, no doubt. We need to be very clever in addressing that one. We can also point out that the only truly polytheistic religions are found in some African tribes, but outside of those it has been a misnomer over the years. Certainly there are fanatical Christians that are overzealous in their quest to convert the rest of the world (those incidents in South India where they have smashed family deities are particularly atrocious). Those people need to be dealt with harshly, because if they had their way, we would see the Spanish Inquisition all over again. Om santi, santi, santih, harih om. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 09-09-2001).] [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 09-09-2001).]
  23. jij: I do not think this Satyaraj here is the same one from VNN, based upon this one's much better command of English.
  24. Satyaraja das: Which Satyaraj are you? The one from Brazil? The one from New York City? Some other one? Just curious.
  25. I think we should also take into consideration that in the early days of ISKCON everyone was pretty much given the high pressure hard sell tactics on who they should accept as their guru, rather than letting them decide for themselves as to who was the most qualified to be their spiritual master. This even extended to many potential gurus in the Sarasvata parampara itself, not just those from the 'babaji camp'. That is a tragic fact, considering how liberal the spirit of Mahaprabhu's movement is, that such dirty politics end up polluting various branches of it. Om Tat Sat. Amam brahmasmi. Tattvamasi. Santi, santi, santih, harih om.
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