HerServant

December 10, 2007

Hariobol, inedible. You ask a good question, but I think the answers are not good. Not because bhaktajana didnt act with proper rewspect, but you asked for the minimum, and his answer was way too complex.

My answer is this. The only thing that you really need is to understand that the material body, which includes the mental processes, is not the self. We are spirit, not matter. This is absolutely the minimum criteria for studying the Bhagavad Gita. With this goes the idea that there is a Supreme Being, one who is there for us at all times, to guide us on our spiritual path. The process of mantra meditation, the chanting of hare krsna, hare krsna, krsna krsna, hare hare. Hare rama, hare rama, rama rama, hare hare is the method of preparing ourselves for the study of Bhagavad Gita. We accept krsna as supreme, and we understand that we have no supremacy whatsoever.

By chanting hare krsna, and simply reading bhagavad gita (As It Is, the complete vaisnava study by ILA AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada), in conjunction of understanding that we are spirit, not matter, this gives us the complete prerequisite for delving into this science in the company of our peers, which means those less advanced, those more advanced, and those who are on our own level. Hare Krsna, sincerely, mahaksadasa

Mahak maharaja's vibration is so powerful, I recommended w/ BG "As It Is" concurrent with his writing!

Hare Krsna! Jesu Ki Jaya!

December 10, 2007

Hi. I am new to studying Hinduism, even after having picked up a few yoga books and books on meditation over the years. Most of the Sanskrit terms seemed to go over my head, because I wasn't really sure where to begin. This forum seems like a nice place to come to learn more, but a lot of the discussions seem to be very technical to me and it is hard to know where to begin. Could you please help me to sort out what I need to know as a minimum to be able to fully appreciate what I am reading?

Why are you studying Hinduism? To learn more about God? or To learn more about religion/culture? or both?

If you are studying to learn more about God, then read Bhagavad Gita "As It Is" by His Holiness A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami (Srila Prabhupada).

This is the place he recommended anyone to start.

If you have a christian background, you should re-read the gospels concurrent with your study. This will provide you new insight into New Testament and should awaken your devotion further.

HerServant and yours.

December 7, 2007

Well, I asked for an Alesis io26 audio interface as a birthday present, and I got it a few days early.

Last night, I sat down for my first real test. There wasn't much time (the kids were watching Scooby Doo before bed), so I quickly recorded a kirtan to a chord progression from a song I wrote a few years back. The microphone used was the AKG C3000B (one of my most prized possessions), and the track consists of classical guitar, shaker, guiro (fish), lead classical guitar, and a few vocal tracks.

Since it was rushed, it's a bit sloppy, and there are some rough notes in there, but, overall, I'm pleased with how it turned out (technically, at least; now I just need to find some genuine devotion).

Hari Bol!!

Solo kirtan from last night:

Embedded:

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Link:

http://www.esnips.com/doc/d14e40e1-38be-439d-b251-e5ff536c8589/Mahamantra-608

Jammin' on it now. Glat to hear a bit about your set up. I also have an AKG (C1000) .. . its the best . I bought it about 10 years ago at the Guitar Center in Sunnyvale. I had a battery in it for 5 years and it never leaked lost battery life! I opened my mic to record Narada literally 8 years after storage, turned it on and it worked!

I think I am going to start working on something right now to contribute to our Hare Krsna Hare Nam thread

Thanks brother

December 7, 2007

Amen!

"Your Name spoken is a spreading perfume; that is why the maidens love You" - Song of Songs 1:3

December 7, 2007

To be fair, HerServant, I've heard a few different takes on the film/books, though I've seen/read neither.

Some say the author is an agnostic more than he is an atheist, and that he is attacking dogmatic religion more than he is attacking God.

Some say the "God" that is killed is actually a "demiurge" and not God at all.

I'm trying to keep an open mind, though it's not likely I'll see the film (at least not in the theaters).

I know it is important to be open and fair. I suggest reading this with an open mind (i.e., don't reject it only because it's written by a Christian)

http://www.albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1065

I know you've mentioned that you have children (as do I). You have given your kids a foundation of spirituality by loving example and philosophy.

But there are many kids that don't have that blessing.

One of scariest warnings Jesus gave was:

"but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." - Matt. 18:6

I recommend you don't mess wit it bro ..

December 7, 2007

You have your guru, and you don't absolutely need to run around and seek guru. Your guru is Divine Mother herself. She will guide you.

But, having a guru will help as a discipline (from the word disciple).

For example, you say you have a Christian upbringing. If you are Catholic, by way of your initiation in the church, you can take the shelter of the nuns and monks as guru.

That said, you must their discipline, even if in your own way. It is a must to recite mantra while meditating on lila, particularly for you since you are not actually talking about "kundalini".

Kundalini is an artifact of Devotion to God. Your vision is of the Personal Mother and She is higher than the kundalini experience.

I cannot advise or comment on your vision, since for me, Divine Mother is Blessed Mother Mary, and her blissful and transcendental mellows, and her rapt ecstatic Love of God are revealed only through meditation on Jesus Lila.

Seek her and continue your devotion to your mom, and your Divine Mother.

December 6, 2007

Have you watched the movie the Golden Compass starred by Nicole Kidman and this wonderful girl named Lyra? It`s about a parallel world out there similar to ours. The only difference is that they have companions throughout their lives called demons whom they could talk with. These demons are in the form of tigers, rats, racoons, canine, etc. In our world, these demons are within us not without.

You'd best study this movie and author further before you promote it. I don't know you but if you are advocating preaching of this mayavadi book and its author who is a professed and militant atheist, I respectfully ask that you take "your" demonic message elsewhere. The Golden Compass is part of a trilogy book called:

His Dark Materials

The premise of the book is that God is not the Authority, and this "wonderful girl" you talk of above "kills God" in the last part of the trilogy.

See:

http://www.amywelborn.com/reviews/pullman.html

For this month’s look at books, let’s begin by playing a game.

Try, if you can, to guess from which genre of literature the following quotations were taken:

The Authority, god, the Creator, the Lord, Yahweh, El, Adonai, the King, the Father the Almighty – those were all names he gave himself. He was never the creator. He was an angel like ourselves – the first angel, true, the most powerful, but he was formed of Dust as we are, and Dust is only a name for what happens when matter begins to understand itself….The first angels condensed out of Dust, and the Authority was the first of all. He told those who came after him that he had created them, but it was a lie.

…I met an angel: a female angel….She said that all the history of human life has been a struggle between wisdom and stupidity. She and the rebel angels, the followers of wisdom, have always tried to open minds; the Authority and his churches have always tried to keep them closed.

The Authority considers that conscious beings of every kind have become dangerously independent….

There are two great powers….and they’ve been fighting since time began….Every little increase in human freedom has been fought over ferociously between those who want us to know more and be wiser and stronger, and those who want us to obey and be humble and submit.

Let’s hear your guesses on the source of these snippets of wisdom. The latest manifesto from a fortress in the Montana backwoods? One of any volumes plucked at random from the “New Age” shelf in your local bookstore?

Final answer?

Wrong. Those rather tendentious flailings at someone’s image of traditional Judeo-Christianity are taken from one the more popular fiction series for older children and teens: His Dark Materials by British writer and former schoolteacher Philip Pullman, books which have received almost universal accolades from education and librarian’s organizations, including awards from the American Library Association, Horn Books, and Publishers Weekly. The last book of the trilogy, The Amber Spyglass, was published in October of 2000, and at this writing (late January) stands at #49 on the Amazon.com bestseller list, with hundreds of mostly glowing reader reviews.

Forget Harry Potter. Although some readers continue to disagree, it’s clear to an objective observer that J.K. Rowling doesn’t have any agenda on her mind but that of penning entertaining fantasy that’s about as dangerous as an episode of Bewitched.

Philip Pullman is different. He’s a gifted, imaginative writer, but with a twist. He does indeed have an agenda, he doesn’t hide it, and it’s all about religion.

The complex plot of the His Dark Materials trilogy resists simple summary. The books, resting somewhere between the fantasy and science fiction genres, revolve around a pair of pre-adolescents, Lyra and Will, children from different worlds (literally) who share two common bonds: the loss of parents and the possession of objects which give them unique access to knowledge. Lyra holds the Golden Compass of the first book, an object which communicates truth about any situation to any person wise enough to be able to read it, which Lyra is. Will’s gift is the Subtle Knife (the title of the second volume), an instrument which can cut open windows to other worlds.

Through their adventures in various worlds, it becomes clear that Lyra and Will are objects of interest to both sides in another heavenly war, this one, like the first, between God (the Authority) and Satan (called Lord Asriel here). Why? Because, it seems, these two children will be essential actors in a re-enacting of the Fall and Temptation of humanity, a second chance to claim the true fruit of the Fall, which was never really sin, it seems, but knowledge and wisdom, replacing the old, authoritarian “Kingdom of Heaven” with the “Republic of Heaven.”

From the quotations above, it’s clear where Pullman’s wartime sympathies lie. In Lyra’s world, one which is similar to but not exactly like ours (which is Will’s), the “Church,” a combination of the worst of Inquisitorial Catholicism and Calvinism, (the central “Magisterium” is located in Geneva) attempts to controls thought and stamps out heresy with glee and even murderous intent – one character, a “Father Gomez,” is given absolution in advance before he’s sent out by the Magisterium to kill Dr. Mary Malone, an ex-nun, now physicist, who’s posed to play the part of Lyra’s tempting serpent.

Philip Pullman is, indeed, a gifted writer. It’s clear that young readers have been captivated by these books, not because of his agenda, but because of interesting characters, skillfully built suspense and an array of fantastical creations, ranging from the basic premise of other worlds co-existing almost within each other, to specific features like huge, sentient, warrior polar bears, tiny spur-bearing spies called Gallevespians, and, most brilliantly of all, what those in Lyra’s world call daemons – material manifestations of one’s soul that are in the form of animals, creatures that accompany a person for the whole of one’s life, but don’t settle down into a permanent shape until adolescence. Pullman’s use of this last element is really a fascinating way to provoke thought about character and personality.

But, as one reviewer has observed, the best word to describe the cumulative effect of these novels is “a tragedy,” and not because of the events within them, but because of Pullman’s anti-religious agenda. The agenda is clear in interviews, as Pullman calls the God of the Old Testament a “hideous old brute” – but sneaks only into the last few pages of the first book. By the last, however, the agenda is the central focus, even involving a death-of-God scene in which Lyra kills the Authority, revealed to be a decrepit, runny-eyed old creature, whose dissipation into the atoms is accompanied by his own sigh of relief.

December 6, 2007

I think a correction is required to Mssr. parker's comments:

"Blavatsky was one wicked woman. She literally 'bought' a hindu

child from its impoverished parents, convincing them he was the

reincarnation of Krsna (Krishna), and toured the little boy around

for many years tauting him as "the great world teacher"

H.P. Blavatsky died in 1891. This was years before the incidents referred to above. I must therefore question the accuracy of any and all work, writings, and or other information provided by Mssr. Parker. All readers please take note of this.

It seems you are confusing the dates of reported history with the actual dates of the even. Things that happened "years before" are often only first reported by eye witnesses "years later". What you read above are testimonials of those living in the same time period regarding H.P.B.

Therefore, your logic is not correct at all. If you really want to dismiss V. Parker's post, then you should find factual (with references) material to rebut all of his well documented and referenced account.

December 6, 2007

Thank you Mr. Parker for sharing the article. Although my meditation steps are somewhat different, I find that surya meditation is highly effective.

Are there others to share there experiences?

regards

Yes. This is known in western mysticism as the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus met his spiritual forerunner John the Baptist in the river Jordan and "received" this baptism.

Jesus enters the river Jordan to enact that the flesh (senses) must be first be purified. The embodiment of mortal purification is represented by St. John the Baptist, as St. John is "of the wilderness (desert)" and performing and preaching pennance and renunciation.

Upon entering this river of purification, Jesus then submerses himself into the water.

The water submersion symbolizes purification of the consciousness. Jesus meeting John the Baptist is the pure waking state, Jesus in under the water is the pure deep sleep state, and Jesus coming up out of the water is the purified dream state. Together Jesus worships the Father in the purified state of consciousness of all 3.

Upon which the Spiritual Sky is opened (can be witnessed) and there resides the Spiritual Sun having radiance millions of times brighter and more penetrating that the material Sun. Meditation on this Sun is not explicable in words.

Part of the Spiritual Sky is covered with an effulgent cloud and from that cloud comes forth the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove. The Dove too, is effulgent and descends into the heart of the devotee.

December 6, 2007

That His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad was the Christ who came to redeem us for the 2nd time. That all who believe in him will be saved!

No. Not Jesus Christ, the Angel mentioned in revelations that rises from the east and comes to annoint with the "Name of God".

see:

http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vedic-culture/187626-important-info-added-angels-messengers-hari-vasu-eli-yahu.html

December 5, 2007

Mel's been here for over seven years, on and off, working on his English, playing with his computer, and reading and pasting Gaudiya writings. One day he may encounter that change of heart that is described in the first chapter of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. And why not?

"Now, I`m here because I wanted to promote

to you, the Santo Nino, because I`m 100%

sure He is no other than Krishna`s twin

Brother, Lord Balarama."

Melvin .. if you are reading, I too find many of your posts strange and I confess, I don't understand your writings. But regarding the above quote, posted by Bro gHari maharaja, I think the following reading will help your spiritual journey. The following reading has certainly helped my sadhana. I think you will find this very interesting considering that you likely have a catholic upbringing.

Text 4

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the fountainhead of all incarnations. Lord Baladeva is His second body"

Purport

"Lord Sri Krishna, the absolute Personality of Godhead, is the primeval Lord, the original form of Godhead, and His first expansion is Sri Balarama."

THIS IS THE CATHOLIC CREED DOCTRINE OF THE MONO-GENOUS (ONLY, SOLE, ALONE GENERATED 'ONLY BEGOTTEN') AND HOMO-OUSIOS (SAME ONE-IN-BEING) SECOND PERSON OF THE GODHEAD.

Text 5

"They are both one and the same identity. They differ only in form. He is the first bodily expansion of Krishna, and He assists in Lord Krishna’s transcendental pastimes."

IN EGYPT THE DIFFERENT 'BODIES' OR FORMS OF THE LORD HERI (HERU) OR ASAR (OSIRIS, HEBREW YAHU) WERE CALLED KAS. IN PURE LAND BUDDHISM THESE ARE CALLED KAYAS. THE PURE LAND BUDDHIST TRINITY IS CALLED THE TRI KAYA, OR THREE BODIES OF THE BUDDHA. THIS IS THE NORTHERN BUDDHIST USE OF THE SANSKRIT TERM KAYA.

Purport

"Balarama is a svamsa expansion of the Lord, and therefore there is no difference in potency between Krishna and Balarama."

IN THE CATHOLIC CREED THE SECOND PERSON (PURUSHA) IS GOD FROM GOD, ONLY BEGOTTEN, ONE IN BEING WITH THE FIRST, AND THROUGH HIM ALL THINGS BOTH SPIRITUAL AND MATERIAL ARE MADE.

Text 10 Purport

"Sri Balarama is the servitor Godhead who serves Lord Krishna in all affairs of existence and knowledge."

CHRIST IS THE SERVITOR LORD. THE FIRST PERSON / FATHER IS GOD WHO IS WORSHIPED BY THE SECOND AND THIRD PERSONS.

You can read about the Balarama and Jesus connections in more detail here:

http://www.saragrahi.org/Header%20Links/Articles%20By%20Author/Bhakti%20Anand%20Goswami/951%20Nityananda%20Trayodasi%20Offering%20Part%201.htm

and

http://www.saragrahi.org/Header%20Links/Articles%20By%20Author/Bhakti%20Anand%20Goswami/952%20Nityananda%20Trayodasi%20Offering%20Part%202.htm

and in general, most writings here:

http://www.saragrahi.org/Header%20Links/Articles%20By%20Author/Bhakti%20Anand%20Goswami/Bhakti%20Anand%20Goswami%20Alphabetical.htm

Hare Krsna! Jesu Ki Jaya!

December 4, 2007

I gotta a bit of floydness hidden away in my dusty casettes. HS is quite gilmore.

yah .. thanks bro .. but I bet you are a better guitarist than I (some those guitar tracks are actually keyboards

I will be in touch soon.

December 4, 2007

But he gives me the creeps. Ill go somewhere else until hes gone. Im sick of his mememe crap

or even sane

December 4, 2007

Here's another kirtana.

This one has Hari playing mridanga and harmonica, me on harmonium and electronics and me, Hari, and Malini devi dasi on vocals. We recorded 3 or 4 tracks of all three of us singing to get that big sound.

Great sounds! I love it! ALL praises and glories be to Lord Hari! Hare Krsna! Hare Bol!

-- Well .. seems we've got a few musicians on the board ... here goes folks. You can check out my (one person at the moment) band "Her Servant" on myspace.

I am working on a compilation of musical stories called "Hymns of Sages".

The first track "Narada" is not exactly a Kirtan, but rather a devotion to God through His servant Narada.

The track "Narada" will be one of the heavier tracks on the forthcoming album. I recorded this on Garage Band. I play all tracks (though the guitar and vocals took me quite a few takes).

A lot more "mellow" stuff will follow but I wanted to create something that tried to musically depict Narada's trials traversing the forest, ... check it out.

(ps - you may notice that I used to be in a "Yes" cover band .. that was a long time ago)

http://www.myspace.com/herservantmusic

December 4, 2007

Mandukya Upanishad

verse 1)

Hari Om. Om-ity-etad-aksharam-idam sarvam, tasyopavyakhyanam bhutam bhavad bhavishyaditi sarvam-omkara eva. Yaccanyat trikalatitam tadapy omkara eva.

All is Hari Om. The whole universe is the Om. Following is the exposition of Om. Everything that was, is, or will be is, in truth Om. All else which transcends time, space, and causation is also Om.

verse 8)

So'yam-atma adhyaksharam-omkaro dhimatram pada matra matrasca pada akara ukaro makara iti.

Those Four are the Same with "A-U-M" and Silence: That Om, though described as having four states, is indivisible; it is pure Consciousness itself. That Consciousness is Om. The three sounds A-U-M (ah, ou, mm) and the three letters A, U, M are identical with the three states of waking, dreaming, and sleeping, and these three states are identical with the three sounds and letters. The fourth state, Turiya is to be realized only in the silence behind or beyond the other three.

Before you can comment on the above, you must be able to worship Lord Hari simultaneously in the waking, dreaming, and subconscious (deep sleep) state.

Peace and love.

HerServant and yours.

December 3, 2007

Fifth Offense: artha-vadah To give some interpretation on the holy name of the Lord.

Padma Purana

Brahma Khanda 25.15–18

Ten offenses to the Holy Name

"“Oh my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. Oh my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach You by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.”"

An intepretation is a purport on the Holy Name. Not describing the linquistic variants of the same Name. For example, when Srila Prabhupada told us that Krsna is Krsta he is speaking of Linquistic (dialects) .. this is not an interpretation

December 3, 2007

If he comes then maybe he can visit a Hare Krishna temple and learn how to chant Hare Krishna and go back home back to Godhead and forget about the father in heaven who forsake him on the cross.

Just like you Guruvani? You visited the Hare Krishna temple and what have received for it?

Yes we can forget the father in heaven who forsakes (us) our material body on cross of humanity and material exisitence.

Or we can study that this saying of Jesus further "My God My God why hast thou forsaken me?" is the ONLY reference in the bible that Jesus does NOT call God His "father in heaven".

Every other reference Jesus makes to God is as "Father" "Abba" .. but only once and only once does Jesus call God Eli or Eloi.

Also if you study then the Hebrew diety name Eloi and Eli .. you can only find that these names are cognate with Hare and Hari, and the greek Helios

The saying "Eli Eli, lama sabachtani" is so enigmatic that the bible's translators, did not attempt to translate this saying into Greek or Hebrew. Instead, they left this saying in its original form and added the translation "My God My God why hast thou forsaken me"

Therefore, Jesus' words, even must have baffled the evangelists who recorded the Gospels. That is, they saw no issue with translating all of His other sayings, but this one, they leave in "original form". Therefore, it is conceivable that Jesus is speaking an ancient form of Sanskrit:

Eloi Eloi L®ama = Hare Hare Rama

sa - patience

b(v)a - Bearing/Carrying

Tha - disease, danger

ni - subdues, conquers

So " Eli Eli lama sabahthani" becomes Hare Rama by His Mercy (patience) bears all disease (sin consumed by Shiva) and conquers it."

Tha is also a name for Shiva, who "became poison" as He drank the "hala hala" and as St. Paul says of Jesus, "he became sin" to destroy death. :smash:

November 29, 2007

HerServant--the Lord's *manifest* Forms may certainly be temporary from our linear-time perspective. Sri Krishna was born, lived, and "died" on this Earth, and yet He is certainly eternal.

Yes. I think it is a fine point. But the same manifestation is eternally remembered. From this view it remains eternal.

November 29, 2007

Bhagavad-g?t? As It Is 7.4 purport,

The Param?tm? manifestation is also a temporary all-pervasive aspect of the Ks??rodaka??y? Vis?n?u. The Param?tm? manifestation is not eternal in the spiritual world.

Paramatma is eternal. How can God be non eternal in any circumstance?

Paramatma realization is also experienced here and not just in the spiritual sky. There are three aspect of Paramatma realization. The first is a "chit anandaHoly Spirit" realization of God's presence. You "feel" the Holy Spirit. You are conscious of God's love, you are joyful.

On this level, He is experienced without realization His personal form, but the experience is personal to you.

Another Paramatma (realization) is His manifestation in the Spiritual sky.

Here He emerges from a cloud, covering a portion of the Spiritual sky and descends into the heart of the devotee. When He enters the heart of the devotee, the devotees is conscious of being absorbed in His Love. In the one effulgence of His Love, we may lose consciousness of being separate.

But for a devotee, this baptism is personal because His purpose is to purify the devotee's heart and impress into the mind of the devotee, that his ultimate destination is not the spiritual sky, but rather the cloud covered place from where Paramatma descends.

Paramatma is the very love exchanged between Father and Son, Krsna and Baladeva. This Love takes the form of the "Gift of Himself" Person of God.

He is eternal. Beyond the Spiritual Sky, I cannot comment but certainly the memory of His manifestation will be eternally held in the hearts of His devotees.

May His Perpertual Light shine upon us all, and guide guide us home.

HerServant and yours.

November 29, 2007