thehat

Don't watch 10,000 B.C.!!! It's really really terrible - I haven't heard one positive review for it so far. Seriously. Personally, I find some movies to be quite beneficial in the sense they help me understand/learn things which I've been learning and trying to understand. Basically concepts I've been reading about in the gita or bhagavatam, the concepts fellow devotees speak of etc etc. I saw a really nice movie called The Namesake; after I'd seen it I had cried for about 30 minutes. It was beautiful, helped me understand the fact of how all things must pass etc etc. And there's a cartoon series I've been following too. It's called "The Avatar: The Last Airbender". It's very cool, draws alot of concepts from the sastras and vedas. In short, when I allow myself to get caught in such distractions (audial/visual) I at least try to ensure that the end result of the experience will be somewhat meaningful - but that's not to say this is the case all the time. Hope this helps Haribol

Good question. I'd say when you get home make a plan to get to sleep early. After you've eaten do a little bit of reading, maybe 1 - 2 hours then sleep. Try and rise early as possible. Chant some rounds and then go to work remembering that the result of work is for God. Being a student, my schedule is a lot more relaxed and I don't have as much pressure as you would. But I still manage to waste a lot of time in unecessary engagements.

haha, I liked the telemarketer scene.

These are fantastic words dattaswamiji

Are you sure? I'm sure I read that actions have reactions as soon as one comes into contact with material nature. Or in another words, karma is there from birth in material world.

Indulekhadasi that's an intense story...

*There are many lusty men there who are especially attracted to “angresa”. What is angresa?

Thank you all very much for your insight. Thank you very much sopatel and indulekhadasi for your last posts - I found great insight in your responses and I will work on bringing them into chanting activities. Theist, what you're saying is good too, I understand humility is an aspect that I need to strengthen within myself. I think I will leave it to the practical proccess to evoke such realizations rather than propound ideal on them from now on. I'm sure from time to time I may slip up and start propounding such ideals towards them, but I'm going to work on making a greater conscious effort to avoid it. Thank you all, Hare Krishna!

Thanks indulekhadasi for your insight, it's very much appreciated. I will talk to them about it and hopefully we can carry out the chanting this week! But I'd like to just re-confirm something with you... So it's ok if they've eaten meat during the day or for dinner, they can still chant with me? Baobatree, your question is fine, I am happy to answer, this is a discussion board... I guess my reasoning would be that because I am quite partial to them I'd want them to have a similar kind of high goal to me. I'd love for them to try and break free from the cycles of birth and death. My mother has expressed to me that the notion of breaking free from that cycle is good - I was just trying to show them a great path. You see, they've never read any books relating to these matters, they only understand what's been passed down from family to family through tradition. I guess I felt I could possibly guide in them in someway with this great knowledge. Much like how a parent would try and advise his/her child of a better path to take socialy, academicaly etc etc. But if I can't, then I can't. I wanted to try at least.

Yogesh, I've been thinking over what you've said and I think I may have a good idea. Do you think if I tried engaging them in chanting a round or two with me on a particular day of the week progress could be made? If so, does it matter if they've eaten meat prior to the chanting? Ancient Mariner, that is a very humble position to take up in my opinnion. In fact, I take that stance with everyone outside of my family. I don't know the exact reason as to why these discussions only seem to take place within my family. Maybe it has something to do with so many relatives coming up to me and saying "I heard you don't eat meat, what will you do for energy?" Ha. Certainly is mind boggling.

Thanks for the great tips yogesh and suchandra. Suchandra I'd just like to add though; you say it's best not to bash his dietary habbit directly as he'd be likely to protest, and instead it's best to explaining the conditions... I had spoken those words to my father once when he was picking me up from the Hare Krishna/Vasihnava ashram - he had probablly forgotten it. Since then I only really explained the reactions/consequences.

Yesterday my parents came home from a puja. I don't really go to these pujas because it tends to just be worship towards the devas rather than Lord Krsna, plus I can never understand a word the pandit says. Anyhow my mother says to me "the pandit was saying that Hanuman said you shouldn't kill animals and that she was going to try and not eat meat". ...And then my mind was triggered off and I had said "In what book did Hanuman say this, and why is this news to you? You're not meant to eat meat, In the Bhagavad-Gita, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and in the vedas the instruction is that you're not meant to even eat it. So why do you make a deal out of this just because Hanuman said it?" My mother was giving some response along the lines that the pandit was indirectly saying that people shouldn't eat it, but I was so arrogant and hot-headed that I didn't even hear her. I hate when I do this, it's a habit I really need to shake. From there I had spoke "Even in the Bhagavatam they say how Maharaja Prakasit said that you can't advance in spiritual realization if you eat meat, so there's basically no point in doing your pujas, you can't pick out what you don't like from the intructions and only follow what you like, that's condemned". My father who was in the kitchen and who could hear just said "shooo". It's his way of saying be quiet. So yeah I understand I went way over board, I was far too passionate. This is a problem i'm battling right now. I want to be as humble as necessary, however I keep getting carried away. My poor parents, I should've been happy that they were getting some understanding and encouraged these realizations rather than condemning it.. However, today my parents happily indulged in eating lamb - so I don't know what to make of that. Subconsciously and consciously the whole act of performing puja in the morning to the devas and then eating meat for dinner just offends me. Oh and my head begins to really boil when I hear relatives on my fathers side start to talk about God/Demigods or the ashram I attend, speaking of how in a different country they always go to the feast and eat the maha prasad and how they want to attend the ashram I go to, and what kind of practises they carry out. I start to think that they're just going to these holy places and not learning anything, rather just going for the food and then they continue with their dirty habits when it's over. I've got some very cruel emotions, I need to calm down big time. I mean, I myself am certainly not perfect and am very filthy person in deed. I don't understand why I'm like this or how to curb this. Any advice or suggestions... What do you guys think? Thank you, Gauranga!

Yes! Hare Krishna

Hare Krishna! Does anyone know about how this astrological system works and perhaps have a link to a source where I can attain such information in relation to this? I'd like to learn about the importance of the system as well as the difference between the 3 classes and why/how each Nakshatra is ranked etc etc Also, does anyone know how to work out which one they are? Thanks

A very similar thing happened to my family in Pushkar, except there was a boy who offered to take us on a tour first and in the end he took us to some rubbish pundit who performed some kind of procedure. They're scam artists not pundits. Our driver had even told us not to talk to any of the supposed sadhus or pundits there, my father was just really gullible and foolish. After we were cheated and united with our driver, the driver had confirmed that they were indeed scam artists cheating people out of their money in God's name.

I believe I heard from a mundane scholar that it was some kind of mushroom too. The same person who'd said that the holy bread was mushroom.

Cool, thanks.

oh wow, what's it made of, do you know or is that a silly question?

What is this soma juice you read about in the Bhagavad-Gita? Is this similar to the mana/holy bread in the bible which gave the people visions?

beautiful words people! thank you all very much. Hare Krishna!

What is love to you? How do couples in love present themselves? For myself personally, I don't really understand the term so much. When I think of instances where i'd been attracted to women, that was not out of love, but out of infatuation. They say devotion is a sign of love. I am devoted to Krishna but without a good fund of knowledge in relation to Him it would be silly of me to say I love Him. Yet I still say that I love him. My problem is to do with the interpretation of the word itself. What are the true characterisitics of it, how do you know if it is real etc etc. Ideas/opinnions anyone?

Nice

thank you very much for these brilliant words. I'll definately be drawing things from this!

Hare Krishna everyone! My brother is getting married next week and my parents have requested that I give a speech for the occasion. However, I am so stuck for inspirtation! I know I'd like to talk about love in a spiritual sense, or something meaningful at least, but all i feel able to speak about is Krishna and his philosophies. Or how to love Krishna. I was advised by someone to talk about the vedic ideals of marriage but I feel that would offend some of the crowd. Can anyone please help me in my speech writing process and provide some good ideas for me to perhaps discuss in the speech. I'm going to mention how everybody is looking for love, that much is certain. Thank you friends.

excellent response sopatel