mahak

Haribol. My disregard for adjectives is in this context only. If one is givig me Krsna, I may well ask for formal initiation, and he (she) may well comply or reject such the proposal. In this context, this does not matter, for guru is far beyond formal certification of such a relationship. Haridas Thakur was not formally initiated by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, but is the non-application of the diksa adjective even noteworthy? No it is not. Formal initiation is not disregarded, because it is part of the sadhana bhakti process of Srila Rupa Goswami. But the "happening" is natural and not contrived in any way. hare krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

Haribol. Yes, almost immediately, the destruction began. the book burnings began in 315 AD, and all the writings by female followers were expunged, which is most unfortunate. Men of the day were illeterate, the fishermen, the laborers, the policemen, only the architects and physicians had any erudition. However, women were quite literate as the arts were taught ot them. So when Mary of magdalia or Salome, the midwife, and others, had their diaries and journals destroyed by the male dominated HRE, much was indeed lost. Fragments have been discovered, from nag hamadhi to other more obscure sources, not least of which are records kept by Rome itself, secular records kept by record-keeping fanatics, concerning the phenomena of the essene known as emmanuel ben yusif. haribol, ys, mahaksadasa

Another praise of the Mother, bumped up for the consideration of the devotees, hare krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

THE MAGI -c-1995-mahaksadasa Two thousand years ago, three mystic travelers practicing worship of the Supreme Lord, became enlightened by this service. Through the science of astrological calculations, this Object of their worship led them from Kurdistan, Afghanistan, and India, to Bayt Lahm. Gathering spices, exotic resins, and gold for sacrificial offering, they were led to the birthsite of a simple newborn in very humble surroundings. Although a royal heir to both Davidian and Solomonic branches of the dynasty of Israel, this child was born in bondage to Rome. Yet, because these three travelers were devoted to the Lord, they were led to His most confidential servant, Lord Jesus Christ. Celebrating his birth with sweet honour, they returned to their homes, not at all deviating from the religion which satisfied their desires for redemption. They knew of NO King James, Aquinas, nor of Christian Coalitions, yet they practiced yoga, became unified in purpose and service to the one Supreme Personality of Godhead. Many of today's so-called christians are very uncomfortable with a description of the Maji and their religious practices. They are more uncomfortable with historical data concerning Lord Jesus Christ's appearance, his Essene religious practice of healing arts, his travels between the ages of twelve to thirty, etc. For some strange reason, they say God incarnated as His son and studied carpentry for more than half his years on earth. These same people have elevated a demoniac King James of England to a position of spiritual authority, thus impersonalizing the greatest of philosophers. Lord Jesus Christ never says that he IS his Father, and when his disciples tried to exalt his position, he always defers to his Father. By nullifying the Father, one nullifies the son and the wonderful relationship existing between Father and Son, the relationship Lord Jesus Christ tries to share with the world. The present christianity espoused by the bigoted, unloving, uncaring materialists is not only useless, it is most offensive to those desiring to follow the precepts of Lord Jesus Christ. Using the banner of the cross (the weapon used to kill him), they villify the followers of Muhammed, Sri Chaitanya, and others who are not against their so-called lord. They say that Jesus is the absolute, only salvation, whereas Lord Jesus Christ admonishes his disciples' criticisms of outsiders, saying, "Those not against are with us." Fanatics want to convert by force and coersion. Lord Jesus Christ converts by free choice and love. Those who think christians are better and more loved by God than others who are more oriented to His purpose and devoted to the Lord are offenders to the Holy Names and are rejected. Lord Jesus speaks of loving enemies, what to speak of loving his children who lovingly call Him by other Names. Lord Jesus Christ is the son of David via Joseph, and the son of Solomon via the maternity of Mary, the Axumite Hebrew. Scripture concerning his early travels exist in Bengal, Tibet, Yucatan, Iraq, etc., yet King James hid them from his professional writers contracted to translate. A concoction called "trinity" has been placed in the minds of modern christians, frustrated into calling Him a "mystery". Although trinity is clear, that is, three distinct and separate aspects of divinity, (internal, external, and marginal potencies), singular in purpose, an impersonalist hodgepodge philosophy which keeps all people away from the Lord is in place. If the son IS the Father, then neither can exist. The truth is clear, only the concoctions by the king are "mysterious". Lord Jesus Christ teaches to develop our love with his Father, and the Father, via Paramatma (holy spirit), teaches us internally to love His son as His Own. Simple. Render to the king what is his, taxes, honour, etc., but spiritual authority placed on unworthy persons is eternal suicide.

Haribol. Christmas is the story of Mary, not Lord Jesus Christ, as her conception is immaculate. To honor Mary, I reprint the article......... MOTHER & SON The story of the Pearl by mahaksadasa Israel defines as "wife of God". In the canonized scripture of Lord Jesus Christ Lila, Mary, the Axumite Hebrew Mother of Lord Jesus Christ is also described as without contamination. Her position as nitya-siddha, born without flaw and cognizant of swarupa, is verified, Her eternal activities outside the material strata are also hinted, but more extensively described in various extra-biblical studies. Mary, the embodiment of the concept of "Israel", is none other that Srimati Laxmidevi, the constant companion of Sri Narayana. The transcendental appearance of the saktivesa avatara, Lord Jesus Christ, is through the arrangement of Sri Sri Laxmi Narayana, a presentation of empowered son to the world. The Bible, as well as the Veda, verifies that the Supreme Lord is approached through the via medium of His confidential Son, associate, friend, parent, and consort. Lord Jesus Christ states His relationship with His Father and beacons us to proceed through Him. Through Him, the spiritual world of variegatedness is experianced and the whole story of transcendental relationship is known. Father sends wife (Israel) and Son to reclaim His Own. Though non-Catholic Christians do not actively vilify the esteemed position of Mary, they nevertheless consider Her ordinary. The Catholic may know of Her glory, yet does not emphasize Her relationship with Sri Narayana. Perhaps the canon process begun in the 4th century after the appearance of Lord Jesus Christ started this minimization of Her glory, yet her activities both in this realm and Her described eternal service confirm Her extraordinary Love of God, pure Bhakti yoga. By failing to recognize the intercession of Mary, those who claim to follow Lord Jesus Christ may fall quite short of tasting actual flavor of rasa. Many follow Him but cannot conceive of actually being with Him as He is. Even the beginnings of actual love of God, the peacefulness of spirit upon witnessing His activities (santa rasa), cannot be attained without seeing Him in relationship with His eternal associates. Without proper appreciation of Mother presenting Her Glorious Son to the world, there is no pleasing of the Son, the Father, or any of the associates. Home is never seen. Some folks of other cultural background may neglect the whole subject of Lord Jesus Christ Lila, stating disinterest, but those who can distinguish devotee from one simply in forgetfulness of sanatana dharma will gladly hear of all the activities of the Vaisnava, cultural and other bodily distinctions are never considered. Lord Jesus Christ has returned to the Home of His Father. It is described by valid writings that He sits on His throne at the right hand of the Father. Any ideas that negate this ultimate appreciation of His teachings are not authoritative and obviously a concoction of man. This vision of Two Thrones is, therefore, reality, and denial of the separate individuality of both the Father and the Son must be rejected. The vision and teaching of two thrones is verification of the principles of Vaisnavism, which can also be referred to as understanding of transcendental relationships (rasa). The entirity of Lord Jesus Christ's teachings is based on His demonstration of such rasa, thus Lord Jesus Christ can also be rightfully called acarya. If one accepts the teaching of this wonderful Father-Son relationship, one can also appreciate the variegatedness of such a Kingdom, with noone left out, all able to relate in a very intimate way. The invitation is available for all to take part. Mata Mary is the created vehicle for the Fathers Desire to demonstrate the eternal natural realm to this world of death, confusion, and forgetfulness. In part one of this essay, Mary is referred to as nitya-siddha. Many Christians, when they hear the phrase "immaculate conception", they think this refers to God taking birth from a human being, but this is incorrect. Immaculate conception is the story of the birth of Mary, not Her glorious Son. The phrase is similar to nitya-siddha, meaning one who is born without material contamination, not affected and entrapped by the world of time, not bound by illusion, not forgetful of sanatana-dharma. The actual story of the method in which the Supreme Lord places His Wife, Israel, into the world to facilitate His Son's glorious mission of reclaiming the fallen souls is described in many ways, as the culture of Lord Jesus Christ's teachings spread world wide (not just to Rome, as the Eurocentrist would have us believe.) His young disciple, John, went to the Orient, His older brothers, Didyamous Thomas and James, also traveled Eastward, through Persia to the west coast of India. There is also substantial evidence that the western hemisphere was given the version of Lord Jesus Christ centuries before the arrival of the European, their holocaust invasion which used the weapon of Jesus' assassination (the cross) as their symbol of domination. The Story of the Pearl is from the tradition of Lord Jesus Christ that moved south into Ethiopia, the writings of royal succession from the throne of creation, known as Kebra Nagast. As the Father gave the rebellious Adam his Eve to help him in his rebellion, the Lord also placed Israel into him in the form of a Pearl. This pearl was not bound by biology, She defied logic in the way She passed from generation to generation, bypassing the unqualified and residing only with the righteous. She rested in the heart of Seth, Jacob, Isaac, Joseph, and Abraham, as She sees fitting. She became the psalms of David and the Wisdom of Solomon. King Solomon heard of Her journey as well as Her future resting place from the Angel/servant of the Father, Gabriel, who also tells King Solomon that the servant Michael has been instructed to construct an exact replica of Holy Zion wherever the Pearl resides. The Wife of Solomon, Makeda, the queen of Sheeba, tells her son, Menyelek, that the Pearl will continue Her Journey until She resides with Joachim and Hanna, the parents of Mary. The Pearl has taken birth in this family by the direct arrangement of the Supreme Father, thus the Lord Jesus Christ becomes the shaktivesa avatara in this way. Mother Mary has many names, the morning star, the comforter of the afflicted, the refuge of the unfortunate, and continues to administer the Will of both Father and Son. This essay is written to describe that the concept of "rasa" is not absent from the available writings of Lord Jesus Christ Katha. He does not teach nirvisesavad philosophy of merging with the supreme impersonal god, not does he entirely teach salvationism (although salvation comes automatically upon fulfillment of His desire), rather He describes the spiritual world and the personalities who reside there in order to attract the fallen to the realm of The Father who has sent Him. Haribol, ys, mahaksadasa

haribol, guest. This "feeling" comes from the depths of the heart, but there is a dilemma here. The question is "Is this feeling from GURUDEVA Nityananda Prabhu, the Lord in the Heart leading us to His empowered representative?", or is this the mind influenced by sensual sentimentality? In our state of neophytism (kanistha adhikari), we cannot distinguish devotee from demon, so we must be careful. It is not hopeless, though, because Krsna is working harder on us than we will ever work on Him, so we have to have a little faith in Guru Tattwa (The truth of God's representation). Chant vigorously, this is the key to separating our mental speculation from messages and direction from Lord Nityananda. So, we honor all those who give Krsna to others. If this person is giving you Krsna, how can this happen without him being somewhat empowered by Krsna Himself? One cannot give another Krsna unless such empowerment is there. As stated, there is no need to be influenced by adjectives at this stage. Guru is Guru, no adjectives, do not get bogged down in siksa or diksa, this is something for those who try to be scholars to argue about, Guru is beyond any such adjective. Guru means that the person is so heavily laden with love of the Supreme Person that he naturally distributes this love to all he comes into contact with. Initiation comes later, and is the prerogative of the Guru to take on this service. Outta time today, mo latah, hare krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

Haribol. Despite protests to the contrary, Srila Prabhupada encouraged us all to write and to preach with such writings. So I present a song here, with purports for each verse. Any commentary from the board and council would be most welcome. Kipu'ka -c-1996, mahaksadasa 1.)I walked on the a'a, my feet were so scarred. Pahoehoe is so smooth, but the face is rock hard. Lava is cool now, but nothing will grow. The forest is gone to the ocean shore. purport: This is our present situation, worldwide collapse. We can give up all our aspirations for a better materialistic life, because it just goes from bad to worse. The only pleasure to be had is a temporary cessation of the misery. 2.)You show me Your power, please take me away. I honor and serve You, please show me the way. Fiyeh from di mountain split it into two. The hole in di fiyeh You lead me to. purport: God is the ultimate cause. He is the one to thank for our pleasure, He is the one to curse for the pain. Arjuna understands this as he views the horrors of the Universal Form. He asks Krsna to remove the sight from his eyes, and Krsna gladly grants this wish, because Arjuna is His friend, and the friendship is well established. chorus.)You feed me, You free me, You ask me to play. Sri Govinda, Sri Gopala, Oh what can I say. Hole in di Fiyeh, the refuge You Bring. Your Holy Names our voices must sing. Hole in di fiyeh, Kipu'ka, di rain! The Refuge You give me again and again! purport: Krsna is always the refuge of the devotee. When the devotee witnesses the reverses of the horrors of the world, he becomes somewhat approving, because he knows the ultimate cause of all causes is his object of affection, His Supreme Lord. The devotee, when he receives pleasure, chants the Holy Names of His Lord, and when he is thrown to the dirt in horrible pain, he also sings the Holy Names of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, the devotee is not attached to external manifestation of phenomena, he sees all as impetus to engage in Bhakti (sravanam, kirtanam, visnoh smaranam...) 3.)A place to live for those You have spared. Ground soft as feathers, this Vana (aina) You prepare. For Your Own, Oh Israel, we can live as the freed. The fiyeh may be burning, but You've planted Your seed. purport: As the Hebrews understand, God, though impartial, has seemingly partiality for those who recognize Him as He is. Therefore, for His purposes, He may (or may not) supply comfort for the devotee, even in a very uncomfortable world, sort of a hole in the fire, where the destruction is not evident. Some of us may find ourselves in such a shelter, and we certainly understand that this Providence is not for us to wallow in selfish desire gratification, rather we take such comfort as a vehicle to implement His desire, as explained by His empowered representative. 4.)You grant us Kipu'ka if we live as Your Own. If we honor Your Word, Your Glory has been shown. No worry about the fiyeh burning outside. We can watch Your Volcano, we don't have to ride. Hole in di fiyeh, kipu'ka, di rain! The refuge You Give me again and again. purport: I have always had a saying that pertains to politics, world events, climactic calamity, etc. I am a witness, not necessarily a participant. We actually have a simultaneous reality, we actually have two worlds to live in. We may stuff the face for the body's purpose, but we engage in bhakti yoga process to feed the other being, our real self. Living as God's Own and honoring His word means that we accept the terms of the two worlds we find ourselves in. We have to act according to how our life is presently manifest, but we always ask Krsna to help us never forget our real function as His eternal servant. Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa For other songs (without purports), see http://www.geocities.com/mahaksadasa

Haribol. Addressing Guru depends on confidentiality that is established. Awe and reverence is the initial relationship the disciple has with Guru, however, thois may well change. Just as Krsna blinds on in a particular rasa, He is tied up as a naughty child in another rasa, and even nagged at in another rasa. As Guru is empowered representative of Krsna (either siksa or diksa, rather useless adjectives in a very real context), Guru has the same gradations. Some may no longer regard him as master, but as father, some may regard him as friend, where familiarity may take place naturally. There is a danger here in acting "monkey see, monkey do" imitation. Theist gives good advice, ask your Guru. Never act on how you may see another disciple act toward Guru, because we dont actually have that relationship. Some get quite offended when they read of Srila Prabhupada's godbrothers treating Him as equal, but this is not necessarily offensive, because their relationship is as peers, the guru-disciple relationship does not exist there. The reason theist gives such good advice is that sadhana bhakti is what the guru teaches. Even if one may be intimate, and call him swamiji, he will not do so because Guru teaches that a disciple must always be subserviant, so the awe and reverence is always displayed. This is not a Guru ego trip, nor is the accepting Guru puja from a disciple an ego trip. This must be done, otherwise the Guru cannot impart a process of worship to a disciple. Guru accepts worship on behalf of his guru and Krsna. Only false humility will make a so-called guru stop a disciple from offering guru puja, for such a change in Rupa Goswami's sadhana bhakti constitutes a great apostacy. So, we worship Guru as if He were God, because He fully represents God. Even the rank and file devotees represent God, and if anyone reminds us of our relationship with Krsna, such folks are worshippable. this is why Srila Prabhupada teaches us to offer each other obiesancies, not that we accept each other as guru necessarily, rather, we recognize the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the person of those we give such respects to. I have many gurus, and I address each differently. I would barely glimpse Srila Prabhupada, and keep my eyes on the ground. I could barely speak in His presence. With another I accept as Guru, I called him by a much more familiar name, almost as a personal friend, though I never stopped recognizing his position (other than when I was completely insane and offended him at every step). So, in short terms, it all depends.... hare krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

Haribol, folks, I am so sorry, I am missing mantra eight, but Ill continue anyway. ......... Sri Ishopanisad: Mantra Nine “People who are engaged in the culture of nescient activities shall enter into the darkest region of ignorance. Worse still are those engaged in the culture of so-called knowledge..” Unfortunately, most of humanity spends the majority of its time in the culture of ignorance. We cultivate ignorance by serving our tongue, belly, genitals, and other senses like obedient slaves. The vast majority of our energy goes into this mad pursuit of sense pleasure. Left with frazzled nerves, frustration, anger, jealousy, envy, greed, hate, loneliness, and confusion; we seek an escape in alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and a myriad of other legal and illegal consciousness dimmers. This is the cultivation of ignorance. Animals are in ignorance. They are only really interested in four things: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. If a human being's life is also limited to the above four interests, then he is "human" in appearance only. In reality he's an animal; and after the death of his present body, he will be in a suitable body of ignorance. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita: “The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carries aromas. The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, nose, and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.” -BHAGAVAD-GITA 15:8-9 A society of people who have no higher interest than sensual enjoyment is really a society of animals. There are also those who cultivate their knowledge of the material world so that they can assist the animal-like people in their business of eating, sleeping, having sex, and defending. They spend much of their time cultivating their so-called knowledge so that they can better manipulate matter, and thus increase the sense enjoyment of the people. For example, modem Western society has many universities, colleges, and schools, all of which cultivate knowledge. But why? For the sole purpose of improving the eating, mating, sleeping, and defending-centered lives of the citizens. But has there really been any "improvement?" Can we call supermarkets filled with foods that have more poisonous chemical additives than actual nutritional value an "improvement?" Can we call sex-mad, frustrated, venereal-diseased people an "improvement?" Can we call people who need pills to fall asleep an "improvement?" And can we call bigger and more efficient weapons an "improvement?" But even if we concede that there has been some improvement in the facilities for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, the question remains: Has the real purpose of life been missed? We may lead a long and relatively comfortable life of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending; but we still must die. Then where are we? What was really gained? We are again thrown into the lower species of life and continue to suffer birth, diseases, old age and death. In this human form of life we can be liberated from the wheel of birth and death. We waste an extremely important opportunity if we engage simply in "perfecting" those activities that are common to all species of life (eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.) So according to the Sri Ishopanishad, people who cultivate so-called knowledge simply to "improve" or refine these four activities are worse off than people who spend all their time actually doing such activities. For example, persons who cultivate their knowledge of electronics, film. video, and so forth to produce pornographic movies or sexual stimulators are more condemned than those who watch such movies or use such machines. Similarly, highly educated people who spend all their time researching ways to enable people to eat as much as they like (as opposed to eating as much as they need) without getting fat are more condemned than those who use such products. And scientists who spend their lives finding new and "improved" ways of killing people, such as those who invented the atom bomb and other sophisticated weapons, are at least as condemned as those who use them. However, neither the Sri Ishopanishad nor any other Vedic literature recommends that we neglect bodily needs. The Lord states in the Bhagavad-gita: “There is no possibility of one's becoming a yogi, 0 Arjuna, if one eats too much, or eats too little, sleeps too much or does not sleep enough.” -BHAGAVAD-GIT A 6:16 Nor is sense gratification considered "bad.” Sense gratification comes and goes as a natural occurrence of the senses. For example, one cannot eat without tasting. The point is that a life that is centered around sense enjoyment, that makes sense enjoyment the goal, is a wasted life. Economic development is necessary for the maintenance of the body; so therefore it cannot be neglected. But to seek economic development simply for the sake of endlessly increasing sensual pleasure is foolish. No amount of sensual pleasure will ever really satisfy a person, so no amount of economic development will ever be considered "enough." This is why people in modern Western societies are still not satisfied, even though they are so economically advanced and thus have so much facility for sense enjoyment. They always want more. As the late British economist E. F. Schumacher points out: “Is there enough to go round? Immediately we encounter a serious difficulty: What is "enough?" Who can tell us? Certainly not the economist who pursues "economic growth" as the highest of all values, and therefore has no concept of "enough" There are poor societies which have too little; but where is the rich society that says: "Halt! We have enough?" There is none.2” What's really needed is to recognize the need for spiritual as well as material happiness. A society that has great material prosperity but lacks spiritual purpose is really a poor society. A body without the soul is a dead body-even if it is nicely decorated with fancy ornaments. Life in this world is temporary. No one will be here forever. Human beings can fully appreciate this fact; most animals cannot. So human beings can consider long-range spiritual goals. They can-and should-ask: What am I going to do when I leave this body? Where will I go? -END-

but Im short on time, ill get to it soon,

Haribol, first things first, Srimati Radharani may have a little more respect than the familiar "Radha". Ive been wanting to write an article about Mary, daughter of Joachim and Hanna, Mother of Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the story is half written, so maybe some points can be made here, as Srila Prabhupada states that She is a paretial representation of Srimati Radharani (She is also known as ISRAEL-wife of God). The gaudiya vaisnavas all recognize the intercession of the devotee as our access to Krsna. Through guru one gets god, so in this sense, worship of Srimati Radharani may even surpass the worship of Krsna in the very real spiritual benefit sense. The vaisnava is not so interested in giving flowers to Krsna, the devotee in our line is more interested in making sure Srimati Radharani is provided flowers to give to Krsna. Our business is to facillitate the devotee in her service to the Supreme Person. All the gopis were concerned with the loving exchange between Krsna and Srimati Radharani. Even the subtle competetions (i.e. chandravali) were only there to increase the loving exchange between the two. So, what to do about "radha"? There is no Krsna Consciousness without accepting Her unique unfathomable relationship with Govinda, and this fact is accepted even by those fully unique in other rasas, such as Queen Kunti, Bhisma, Arjuna, Uddhava, etc. Is this what you were asking? ys, mahaksadasa

Haribol, my calculations put the figure at about 800,000 years ago, give or take a few. Ill do the math here if ya like, but no time now, hare krsna, ys mahaksadasas

Haribol, frient. Strife is inherant in this age, but we can mature. When all is said and done, there is still the fact that Srila Prabhupada is always with ALL of his disciples. So, if we see him, we also must recognize those who are his. This is cooperation, not an artificial agreement on all issues like mindless robots. We offer each other the respects as we do Srila Prabhupada, because we cannot separate ourselves from him. Mo latah, brah, hare krsna, ys and fellow hermit, mahaksadasa

Hare Krsna. Before yall get away, I take this opportunity on a glorious day to offer yall my humble obiesancies. You folks are my devotee association, and I cannot appreciate yall enough. This is not a pat on the back for just my friends like stony, gaurachandra and those I get along with. I especially appreciate those who do not patronize me for any sentimental reason, like theist, BB, and those who have not cared for my opinions. This is what makes devotee association so sweet, the variegatedness. Sweet and sour, agreement and dialogue. To say, "Brother, you are severely mistaken" is no different than "Boy, you hit that nail on the head". For devotees, that is. We get just as mad at each other as anybody else, but then the chanting comes through and we bow down. So, I bow down, before the slam, before its too late to tell yall what ya mean to this lonely soul. Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

Haribol, unfortunately, peace also means annihilation as well, so this may be what the fundamentalist on all sides, judaic, christian, and muslim, actually want. They want to help armageddon along so they can experiance some kind of rapture, which is nothing other than cruel death for those stuck in the "I am a Jew, I am an American, I am Jihadi" consciousness. Some will cheer that amerikkka is now mowing down the resistance, but it is just more people being mowed down uselessly. Like in the sixties, the slogan "killing for peace is like ----ing for virginity" is very true. There is no way out. Bush has no exit, so our troops must die trying to get out. But out will be very impossible because Syria and Lebanon will soon explode, so will Saudi, so will Iran and half of Russia. Yes, peace is upon us, but prophect says that it wont be the war, something else will happen to make all forget the battle. Something else will make combatants drop, unable to move. Some say two-thirds will survive according to the prophecy of John the Divine. But the survivors will be as good as dead for the quality of life that is left. I dont blame anyone, because war is a natural event, much like tornadoes and earthquakes. As a disturbance of earth and fire causes magma to flow to a great volcano, as fire and air make the sun expant to envelop the earth, so a disturbance in the ether (sound vibration) causes the great killing arenae of war. Srimad Bhagavatam describes that Bhumi, the predominating deity of Earth, can tolerate all kinds of disturbance, except for one. The thing that She cannot tolerate is lying. Untruthfulness is what has disturbed the ether in this age of Kali. All evils of the world can be traced to an act of dishonesty. There are no honest combatants. There is no honesty in the so-called muslim fundamentalist. They crucify Christ, they curse Solomon, they Hate Krsna, even though their Allah is but an expansion of Krsna's compassion. The christian amerikkan hate all but their own, and even have preferences leaving out mexicans, africans, and asians, even if they are "believers" in the bloodbath of jesus. The Jews only consider that they are the chosen, and thus they have made their god a tribal deity whose main business is killing his own creation that he made a "mistake" with. Alas. Not a bit of truth anywhere, so there is, like the POLICE sand, no political solution. There is a solution, though. Bhagavad Gita takes place on an armageddon plane, the end of the world happened there. 18,000,000 folks died each day for 18 days. Only a dozen or so survived. It was a done deal before it began, as witnessed even before the first shot was fired, witnessed by Arjuna and Sanjaya, who were given a perfect remote viewing of the universal catastrophe by Lord Krsna Himself. The killer is not Bush, is not a jew, is not a jihadi, the killer is Krsna, who gives the devotee the proof that we are not slain when the body is slain. So, I write in disgust at the tragic turn of world events, but I am not sad, mad, or glad. I do not curse the cloud that ends my life with 10 feet of snow, I do not curse the volcano that paves my gardens and forests with magma, so why should I decry such a natural event as war. My concern is that we dont participate and take sides, cause all sides are filled with liars. My planet cannot tolerate lies, she sheds her skin and grows new skin, so well all meet in a million of years or so, and maybe find some jewels of this age embedded in some rock somewhere. I mean, its not like this annihilation has never happened before. Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

Haribol. I am apalled that the administration still call the attacks on US occupying forces acts of terrorism. We went to war on their turf, we occupy without any formal truce or armistice, and despite the absurd lie of Buish, this war is far from over. Those who attack armed occupying foreigners are properly known as RESISTANCE, and are no more terrorists than the french who fought the nazis during their occupation. No, the terrorism is not in Iraq. It is focussed on saudi, and acts of killing without cause, such as muslims attacking their own shrines and killing their own to try to bring about terror to ALL, this is terrorism. All the stuff in Iraq is remarkable free of terrorism, all acts of killing are acts of war, have sound reason, and is far from wanton murder. Even thopse who cross the borders to instigate resistance against amerikkkan aggression are simply allies to the iraq who now know that saddam hussein was not the only dispicable killer of semites. His replacement has also killed tens of thousands, and has also lost thousands of their own in doing so. End this stuff now, but it probably does not matter. The line is drawn, the curse is cast. The irony is that the story of armageddon, islamic as well as biblical, has the combatants thrown on the ground by other events, forgetting what the war is alll about. We will not read about these events here, not with the sun gobbling up the planet. Itll just seem like a storm that gets out of hand. "What to do?" the worried disciple asks. The serene Jagat Guru simply says what he always says, "Chant Hare Krsna". hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa All glories to all the disciples and followers of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He has greater faith in you all than you can ever have in yourselves.

Haribol, well aint I in a bunch of trouble. The last time I went to a "temple" was on 2-23-1990, and then before that, on 5-24-83. So Ive only gone twice in the last 20 years. And, I didnt even stay very long, because a guru was in town in 1983 and sent me away, and no one else was there when I went in 1990. But, my guru told me that I could neither join or quit Krsna, that His temple was already established in the heart of each person, and that a devotee automatically becomes a tirtha (a place of pilgrimage, a temple). Only eccliastic religion must depend on buildings where they think God must be confined, probably they do not like the understanding that he comes out following each of us as we go drinkin' and carousin' after services. Association, ya say? Of course it is important, but Srila Prabhupada also made a commitment to his guru to associate with devotees. How did he do it in Amerika? He made devotees, and gladly associated with them. So, if youre alone and have no association with devotees, try chanting to your dog. He will sit by you and like every minute of your singing, and he will actually be attracted every time he hears such singing. Go make a devotee. Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa ps this is to rectify any perceived offence I made the other day about our barking friends.

Depends on the dog. Their song (barks) arte the worst of animal sounds, Id rather hear pigs. I had a good dog, moses, and he was different, but it was in his bark as well. Dogs are brought in these types of conversation because their sound has no value, not a discrimination against someone with an unfortunate birth.

Haribol. I very much appreciate the mahaksadas moniker given to me by Srila Prabhupada, and also appreciate the meanings, both in reference to Lord SDiva and Krsna Himself. Either great weaponry, or great assistance in battle, and if I can ever be a das to such a person, I would be most fortunate. That said, I aklways considered Parthasarthi as the best of names, because in such a state of devotion to the supreme Lord, He agrees to become the servant of such a servant. No other religious ideology conveys such reciprocal love between God and the created beings. Imagine, a religion that places the servant of God in a more powerful position than God Himself. Imagine a religion where the Lord is not someone worthy of disdain, wanting more and more control over the unfortunate. Krsna in his form of Parthasarthi is the most desired position for this writer, and the Name is the best, IMHO. Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

Haribol, I was talking about capping my outer house, this is my body, left while alive and now that Im dead as well. /images/graemlins/smile.gif I would not allow the thing to be used after it is capped off. As far as the ceremony goes, this is great, the chanting makes it worthwhile. My comments (tongue in cheek) were referring to the worry that may cause someone to send ashes to India for the ganges. The ganges is also the ocean, in fact, due to Haridas Thakur, the ocean is even better than the ganges, and much more available. hare krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

Hey, haribol, theist, I know we have been separate on the issues lately, but I really got a kick out of your answer here. I like what socrates said when his executioners asked him what to do with him after their deed. he replied that they would first have to catch him, as far as his body goes, he had no more use for it after he left. I like composting. Ive lived rurally for years, and use outhouses. I have stated more than once that the perfect way to top off my personal outhouse is to lay my remains there as well, followed by the customary lime and maple leaves. Even the body doesnt die, because the body is comprised of billions of entities, whether we are alive or dead. Cremation kind of kills unnecessarily when ya think of it. As far as the ganges goes, ritual, and not so important. The vaisnava only reveres the tirthas (Holy places) because the Holy people go there, not just the water or the dirt or the location. So Id approve of creamtion and ganges ritual only if it was accompanied by hearing and chanting of Harinam. To have someone scatter remains there is useless ritual without any spiritual value. Hope yer well, ys, mahak

Haribol, and thanks to guest for your kind remarks. And, to theist, who makes a valid point about GALVA and their intent to factionalize, which I have not tried to ignore. My intent is contained in the Lord's Prayer of Lord Jesus Christ, who asks us to pray "Forgive us our tresspasses AS we forgive those who trespass against us". This is a bad prayer for the unforgiving because they ask the Father to reciprocate mercy to the extent that we have. Lord Chaitanya goes quite a bit further in his siksastakam. He states that there are no hard and fast rules for chanting the Holy Names of the Lord, but He also states certain conditions that make it POSSIBLE for this chanting to take place. Among these items is to respect all others without expectation for respect in return. Also, we must become humble, meaning that we UNDERSTAND that there are no greater offenders to the Holy Names than ourselves. We must tolerate the sinful activities of those around us, not the sin but the performers of such. We are dying, not everyone else, not the homos, not the intoxicators, not the abortionists. They have their own bridges to cross, their own anarthas to transcend. So, I clearly said that this topic is not about homosexuality, rather it is about agressive and presumptive arrogance shown by those who should spend their time better in atonement for their (our) own abhorrant behaviors. The guest pointed our something that I am quite proud of, the fact that my hard nosed approach to Krsna can be changed by further understanding. This comes not by my effort, it comes because I remember my Spiritual Master and the continual mercy he has shown to all of his disciples. If I cannot see my peers (all those who have taken to the chanting of Harinama) as the very finest of humanity and well on their way back home, back to Godhead, then I am so far away that I may as well quit once and for all. This inclused all who have been overcome by material nature, because this problem is discussed quite clearly by Srila Prabhupada. This is a temporary condition, a pitfall if you will, and is not really a big item. Some may counter that it is an elephant offense to continue sinful activity after taking to the holy name, and I will not deny this in the slightest degree. However, when one is in the offensive stage of bhakti, these offences are happening, and to all of us, not just our favorite enemies. We dont drop out, though, because there is nothing left for us. Elephants are surely trampling our gardens, crushing our seeds, but we are still in the human form and the Holy Name is still available, and if we come to see ourselves as lower than the straw in the street, even these offences can be gradually overcome. And if they are not, and we die before atonement takes place, what have we lost, anyway. Groups are going to organize, this is what humans do. Italians, latinos, homos, women, men destroyed by women, they all get together to cry in their beer, and they all get artificial strength from their associations. If chanting takes place, not only will these deviance subside, there are many who will become purified. Throughout our line and lines of other bonafide systems of God Lovers, there are stories of reformation by deviants and the lowest of mankind. These stories are inspiration to us all that God Himself is our greatest fan and wishes us all the highest success, and He will do whatever is necessary to help us all. Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa ps the kids are tulasi my 20 yo daughter, cady, my daughter, and mateo, my grandson.

Haribol. Last week, I commented about GALVA, and many may have thought I flip-flopped on the issue, as I have always been opposed to any ideas that one can continue materialistic activities and advance in Krsna Consciousness. This is not the case. My stand was made clear. I was against removing the "V" from the organization's acronym. This is not support of the organization. It is support for the only thing that will clear the smoke for all of our existances, the acceptance of the science of Krsna Consciousness. Ill tell a small story here. One of my very best friends in the movement, a known homosexual, but also one who gave up material activities in the service to Srila Prabhupada, the late Sudama Swami, was GBC for Hawaii. When the temple was located temporarily in Maunalua Valley, I was a garage resident, my decision because I was one of the looked down upon friend of the old guard from McKinley Street. Babhru may remember this tale because he, too, spent time in the garage. One evening, a transexual person came and wanted to join the temple. This man had all properties of a female. He spoke to Sudama about his dilemna, and it became Sudama's delimna as well. Of course, Sudama had no facility for this person, he was unable to facillitate residence because this person was neither male nor female, and could not be housed with either the brahmacaries not the brahmacarinis. But the fact remains that this person was sincerely wanting to be a devotee of Krsna. As (s)he left through the garage, I noticed the expression on the face, extreme separation and disappointment, which hopefully spurred this person on in the continuation of spiritual life. Naturally, the snickering was not worthy of discussion, the other neo-nazi denizens of the garage had lots of demeaning comments, but others, including Sudama, who wanted to talk about his decision, had no joy, no funny comments, just "damn this age of chaos, quarrel and confusion". The point that I am trying to make is that past sinful activities are all destroyed by the acceptance of the Holy Names of God as ones life and number one priority. Even killers of brahmanas are immediately forgiven. Ones sin is no greater than anothers, and Lord Jesus Christ is the main teacher in this regard with His acceptance as disciple, srimati Mary of magdalia. Lord Nityananda's acceptance of Jagai and madhai are also very instructive here. The commentary about the homosexual community is not free from unwarranted bias. I certainly accept and support any discussion as provided by Jahnava Nitai and others who attack from the angle that progress cannot be made if one is not free from material contamination. However, the GRADUAL path of minimizing materialistic activities while replacing with spiritual sadhana practice must be recognized as well, and this is where I am coming from. I received a nice e-mail from a GALVA supporter, and I accepted the message against my previous comments. This is what led to my writing last week. This person was in a mixed relationship, meaning that the partner was not so interested in Krsna. So, as in other relationships of this nature, it is the duty for the person having attraction to begin the process of trying to attract others as well. In a heterosexual relationship, the husband is not required to dump the wife and children just because they may think hes going nuts because of Krsna. In fact, this is a most degraded practice. The husbands duty is to try to spread the science in a subtle way, and it is hard work. A grha-medhi, materialsitic householder, is abominable and leads to rebirth in a lower species of life. One cannot declare that a homosexual will go any lower. This is why I will not criticize GALVA unnecessarily any more. There is no difference between a homo and any other materialist hung up on identification with the body (and mind) as the self. We have seen the passionate cries against anti-semiticism, and I am favorable to those concerns as well. And, as I have stated in the GALVA case, one must move on and not be satisfied in the beginning stage. Like the christians, it is great that one is born again, but they must grow up and become mature in their christianity, not be content with letting Jesus die over and over for their bloody sins. I am opposed to having a homosexual wing in the Vaisnava community, but no more so than my opposition to a Indian wing, a Jewish wing, or any other wing. These wings are all materialistic and must be transcended. That said, I will not rate ones false identity against another's false identity. Some may not see it, but there is a strong opposition against a particular materialistic behavior. This is my protest, the offensive stage of bhakti (kanistha) is just that, offensive. But a greater offense is to deny Vaisnava status to the Kanistha, especially by those who are hypocritically stuck in the offensive stage as well. Ill sign off for now, please do not use this thread to attack the homosexual lifestyle, because it is a non-issue. My protest is fully in regard to the unmerciful behavior of those who think that it is in their purview to grant or deny Krsna Consciousness to the one who is first attracted. I mean, fair is fair. There is praise being shown to Cher's son, who is not agreeable to giving up his sex life at this time. How about a little fairness to our fellow human beings who have similar reluctance. We should encourage them, not hate them and put barbed wire around our imaginary temples. Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

I reply to my friend stony here, because something has to be said. Haribol, it is a relief from the arguing going on about who is following Guru-shastra-sadhu. This is no arguement because it is all a very personal matter. In this light, Ill write about a controversy that some may not understand. I have seen some who do not recognize GALVA who write about the organization using GAL-A. This is very unfortunate, arrogant, and unvaisnava-like. How dare you separate a segment of society from the Vaisnava life that is not ours to give, only ours if we care to receive. A very important fact is, in the beginning of the sadhana bhakti process, one is fully enveloped in the offensive stage. This means that regulations are not carefully observed, but, the kanistha adhikari is very much accepted as Vaisnava. If not, there is no possibility of being rescued from the grips of maya, no potential for a representative of God being able to do anything at all for the sleeping souls, in other words, there is no samkirtana movement. GALVA is not a threat to Krsna Consciousness, any more than the thousands of those who possess conservative (or liberal) political ideas, nationalism preferences, or those who join Bush's "sanctity of marriage" ideology. By pretending that the gay and lesbian lifestyles prohibit one from becoming a devotee is a direct affront to Lord Chaitanya, who made no such discrimination. No lifestyles (certainly my drug infused past) are considered by the Great Gift Giver, Srila Prabhupada. When a devotee who was gay admitted such to Srila Prabhupada, he would NOT fail to accept such a disciple as his own. The reciprocal promise to follow the regs and chant the prescribed rounds was equal between gays and non-gays alike. And the failure to adhere to such things, if humbly admitted, would not disturb Srila Prabhupada to cause rejection, because he is the embodiment of the phrase "gurudeva patita pavana", the friend to the unfortunate. GALVA was established to try to end discrimination against a segmnent of society. It may have gone beyond the charter, and I do not agree with the proposals therein, but I fully support GALVA in that the vaisnava cannot afford to sit in judgement against another kanistha adhikari. I do have a problem with a certain premise, though. The very fact that a person advertizes himself in any way other than "devotee" kind of binds him into remaining content with the offensive stage of sadhana bhakti. But this is not GALVA's unique problem, it is the problem of all of us. I have read where devotees are saying that Prabhupada would support Bush in his war against Iraq. Too many try to assign devotee characteristics to strictly mundane personalities. And far too many actually believe that sex with the other gender is better than sex with one's own. Some get very angry when gay devotees have the floor, but the anger is only proof that the angry person has no convictions of his own. Thus, they are feeling threatened by the gays, just like the rednecks whose hate is only latent desire. Anyway, I write this to show solidarity with anyone and any group that wants to have the Holy Names of the Lord supplant all other priorities in life. So, from now on, when I speak of GALVA (which I dont see the critical need for, ever), I will write their acronym as "---V-". Ya see, the "V" is the only thing that matters, it is the only thing our Guru and our Gauranga care about as well. After all, we have not been taught that we are "empty cups", we are all full. Our fullness, however, is polluted. We are not taught false renunciation, we are not taught to empty our cups. Our process is to infuse pure nectar into the cups we carry. This nectar GRADUALLY purifies and replaces the dirty stuff we may not want to give up. The Holy Names of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare are the vehicle of purification, and even dogs, when they hear the mantra, take part in this wonderful purification process. Exclusivity and rejection of others based on false ideas of qualifications needed to begin are not only pollution, but have a way of replacing nectar with more garbage. Srila Prabhupada always recommends that we RESPECT all vaisnavas, even the prakrti sahajiyas, even the impersonal smarta brahmanas who use the Holy Names to apply to their false identity of divinity. This does not mean we go out and become gay to respect GALVA (nor does it mean we become republicans and vote for the fascista murderer operating in the white house because some right wing devotee wants us to). We respect the fact that they are doing what Lord Chaitanya describes as the ONLY method for developing our love of God in this age. Who we associate with is another story, and no one in a long time has come up with very good recommendations, so lets quit throwing rocks unless we have unbreakable homesteads. ys in cooperation, mahaksadasa

Haribol. Jagat Guru means universal guru. The mantra that george sung was carried on radio waves far beyong the earthly plane, so he was a universal guru in this context. But I certainly do not equate him with who he has said is greater than he, any more than Narada Muni would still worship Lord Brahma after knowing that Lord Brahma worshipped another, greater SUPREME LORD. I do not quibble in calling george GURU, however, because he did what Sri Chaitanya insists is the only thing that can be done in this age for religious purpose, George probably caused more folks to chant than any other person. George was the siksa guru who delivered many a sleeper to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada. I do not hate the fact that SRF got some large grant from the Harrison estate. I do not have a different opinion of Yogananda than I do of a vast number of those who claim to be Krsna Conscious or followers of Srila Prabhupada. Yogananda is accepted, even by srila prabhupada, as a transcendentalist and a yogi. The bhagavad Gita describes all the yoga systems for those who care, but the yogis, in their perfection, also accept the Supreme Yogi, Sri Krsna. The process may be a bit more mecjhanical, but as far as I know, Yogananda didnt rape any boys or create white slavery cells to fund his foundation. Harrison earned every bit of his money, and his disbursement of such funds is only criticized by those who wanted their grubby fingers on it for their not-so-spiritual desires. Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa