Strong Words For Strong Purpose! -AVA Sept. 2, 2005 7:30pm

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(If you are unsure why you are receiving this newsletter please jump to the end

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This Issue’s Feature Article:

Strong Words For A Strong Purpose!

(Hogs, Dogs, Camels & Asses)

Hari Bolo Friends of the Vedas!

Please accept my respects. All glory to the transcendental light of the Bhagavad-Gita as It Is!

The Next Gathering Of:

The American Vedic Association’s Bhagavad Gita Discussion and Fellowship is:

1st Tuesday - September 5, 2005

Strong Words for A Strong Purpose! - Hogs, Dogs, Camels & Asses”

The Vedas warn that we should not waste human consciousness living like

the animals. Instead we should use our God given intelligence to restore our

lost relationship with the Supreme Lord and return Back to Godhead, our proper

residence. Find out how at AVA - 7:30 p.m., 640-0405 Always Free!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Janmastami 2005 Wow! What a party! Thank You to All the Many Volunteers!

This year’s annual Janmastami program was an overwhelming success! The

evening got off to a slow start but by the time the night was over nearly all

our food was distributed. Everyone got all they could eat of the many

delicious vegetarian dishes that were prepared in honor of Krishna’s

Appearance Day! The menu included: 1) orange marinated broccoli carrot

walnut subji, 2) curried potato, squash, tomato, cabbage & curd subji, 3)

toasted peas & potato samosa pastries, 4) nine fruits homemade yogurt salad,

5)genuine Bengali puries, 6)zingy tomato chutney, 7)150 intoxicating

glub-jammas, 8) bay leaf & banana sweet rice 9) traditional halava, 10)

strawberry orange passion Juice, 11) ethereal rice 12) seasoned sweet bread,

(and of course!) 13) Krishna’s exotic banana cream cake garnished with

blackberries, cranberries, walnuts, and strawberries! Anyone interested in

learning how to cook some of these extraordinary foodstuffs are directed to

read the section listed after the feature article called,

“Vegetarian-cooking.”

The AVA program would not have been such a tremendous success without all the

wonderful people who stepped forward to assist in donating their time,

vegetable/fruit produce, and energy required to make it happen. Our heartfelt

appreciation goes out to the numerous volunteers who participated along the

way. The preparations started three days prior to the event with massive

cleaning efforts, gardening, setting up of the lights, chairs, exhibits, the

main altar and flower arrangements etc. We are also particularly thankful to

all of you who came even for short periods of time to help in the cutting of

vegetables, stirring of the pots, rolling the pastries, and helping with the

kitchen clean up when it was all over! Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Lastly we would also like to thank the many members of the Kirtan who started

this auspicious evening off with a robust chanting of Krishna’s names and

various sacred prayers acknowledging his mystical descent into this material

world. Based on the comments I’ve received from many of you, I am sure

I speak for everyone, when I say Thank You to a dear friend of nearly 30 years,

Bhaja Govinda for the wonderful presentation he gave about Krishna’s

advent, His youthful pastimes, and ultimately His whole reason for appearing on

this earth! Thank You BhajaGovinda Dasa Prabhu!

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Strong Words For A Strong Purpose! - Hogs, Dogs, Camels & Asses

Disturbing Drug Dispersions

Persons who have recovered from serious drug addiction will sometimes be

asked to speak to young potential drug users for the purpose of deterring them

from being entrapped by destructive addictions. Those who have survived the

horrors of drug addiction know how seductive drugs can be and that is why they

often choose not to use polite elevator talk when describing the hell they have

endured. Instead they have found that the most effective way to dissuade young

people from using drugs is to use very strong words and graphic descriptions

that are hard for an attentive mind to forget.

In a similar way Sriman Dvipana Veda Vyasa, the literary incarnation of Godhead

who narrated the thousands of volumes of Vedic Literatures, also uses strong

word pictures. He knows how strong the material illusion is, and for the

purpose of helping us pierce that mirage, he too has used very strong words

with the hope that by doing so we will be more likely to see things the way

they really are.

Those not familiar with Vedic thought may consider some of these descriptions

extreme, but for those who think that way, try to remember that from the point

of view of Dvipana Veda Vyasa, we are addicted to mundane material objectives.

For that reason, this extraordinary sage often used the same type of abrupt

urgency that recovered drug users do when attempting to successfully

communicate their important message to naive audiences.

Powerful Analogies

With that in mind, let us consider a powerful but unflattering verse from the

Srimad Bhagavat Purana where our unconsciousness behavior is compared to that

of four different animal types;

“Men who are like hogs, dogs, camels and asses praise those men who never

listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna, the deliverer from

evils.” - Srimad Bhagavat Purana Second Canto, Chapter Three, Text 19

This underlying message conveyed in this verse is that those who have been

blessed with human intelligence should take advantage of this opportunity to

hear about the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Lord. Animals are

simply not capable of understanding God, but man is, and restoring our lost

relationship with God is what the Vedas emphatically declared is the whole

purpose of life!

Those who are addicted to animal life, epitomized by hogs, dogs, camels and

asses have no interest in hearing about the pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna.

Instead of glorifying God for the enormous bounty of this earth, they prefer to

praise contemporary athletes simply because of the way they can toss, hit, kick,

bounce, or run with a ball! Those who are like animals are also generally more

enthusiastic about spending their time praising the achievements in science,

art, music, literature, or politics than they are in acknowledging the one who

magically floats millions of tons of water effortlessly in the sky and arranged

for the Sun planet to burn enough hydrogen to heat and light the entire solar

system for millions of years!

Now let us consider what those animalistic habits are that the literary

incarnation of Godhead warns us not to adopt.

Hogs

They say that hogs make great pets if you have a sizable enough property for

them to wallow about and a lot of kitchen scraps to satisfy their enormous

eating habits. Pigs have apparently earned the reputation for being as loyal

and friendly as dogs, but we all know that they are notorious for not only

eating a lot, but for having the most reprehensible culinary preferences than

any other animal. The excessive nondiscriminatory eating habits of a hog are

so well known, that even in the English language we have developed the saying:

“He eats like a pig.”

It is because the pig has such reckless eating habits that the great sage

Dvipana Veda Vyasa chose to use this animal to remind us that human life is not

meant simply for the purpose of eating like pigs. The pig makes no

discrimination about what, where, or how much to eat. In India they are often

seen lying in open sewers of black filth with their mouth open eating whatever

stool or waste that floats in the stream of horrendous stench. Human beings

are not only expected to eat food that is nourishing but we are also expected

to eat only clean foods such as fruits, nuts, vegetables, grains, beans, and

milk products. According to the Vedas, a human being is also expected to be a

vegetarian and not make his stomach the burial ground for rotting carcasses of

other species.

Dogs

When I was in college, I had a roommate who idolized the life of a dog. He

observed that dogs were always frisky and concluded that was because they lived

a carefree wonderful of wanton life. That appealed to him a lot more then the

burden of having to work out stress loads in his civil engineering class, or

comprehending the effects of tectonic plates on foundation designs! Needless

to say, my hormone-saturated friend also noticed that dogs had absolutely no

inhibitions about publicly sniffing out female dogs in heat and fulfilling

their carnal interests whenever they liked! For these reasons my college

roommate would often mockingly muse over his limited understanding of what

reincarnation was all about and say: “Well… if I’m goanna

come back again… I want to come back as a dog!”

However, the Vedas teach that is a very inappropriate thing to wish for because

human consciousness is rare and should not be wasted on the animalistic

activities of dogs that are both proud and shameless. We may appreciate the

loyalty of man’s “best friend,” their remarkable sense of

smell, and all the wonderful things they can do to help us sniff out drugs or

victims buried under earthquake rubble, but they are still dogs. As such,

their instinct is to have indiscriminate sexual relations whenever it is

possible with any other dog. Because they are so territorial, they also have

the unclean habit of urinating everywhere to mark “their space” so

when others come close to that space they proudly challenge those who tend to

urinate and have the habit of proudly challenge anyone who comes close with

loud barking. Even when bound up with a rope, or constrained behind

prison-like fences, dogs are known for yelping at everyone who passes by as if

to say: “Hey intruder, this is my space, my home! Get away! Leave me

alone! Yelp! Yelp! Go somewhere else! Who do you think you are anyway! This

is my yard, my prison! Don’t bother me! Yelp! Yelp! Go away! ”

The Vedas advise us not to be like these proud dogs! Life is meant for more

than marking your territory with “Private Property” or “No

Trespassing” signs. With the help of our human intelligence we should

soberly recognize how without the help of Vedic guidance, we are bound up by

the laws of material nature and just as restricted as the dog is by his leash.

Chain link fences encage canines and we are entrapped in the prison house of

material cause and effect! Those caught in the dog mentality chase the

opposite sex as if that were the prime goal in life and when they are asked to

consider that there may be more to life than the pursuit of cardinal desires,

they often respond just like a dog: “Get lost! Take your beliefs

elsewhere! Don’t bother me! What do you know anyway?”

“They say that this world is unreal, with no foundation, no God in

control. They say it is produced of sex desire and has no cause other than

lust. Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and

who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to

destroy the world.” - Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 16 “Divine &

Demoniac Nature” Texts8-9

Camels

Camels have the peculiar rude habit of spitting. It is not uncommon to read

about how those who visit the Zoo will sometimes get too close to the head of

the camel, at which time, this unusual animal will spit in their face as if to

say: “What are you looking at?” Less well know by the Western

public is the habit of the uncaged camel for mixing his own blood in with what

he eats when they are not fed nice greens everyday by a zoo keeper! This

happens when they are free to scavenge on their own and discover what they

think is the taste of thorns. Camels will ignorantly eat this sharp

vegetation and don’t realize that the taste they are attracted to is the

blood flowing from their own tongue as it gets lacerated by the very barbs they

masticate!

The Vedas cite the behavior of the camel as a strong way of reminding us not to

become pre-occupied with the chimera of sexual pleasures, which are compared to

the illusionary pleasure the camel thinks he is getting when he chews on thorns!

Biologists estimate that it takes approximately sixty drops of blood to create

one drop of the semen discharged during the sexual congress we find enjoyable.

Neither the camel, or the uninformed man, realize that the very thing they

perceive as pleasurable, is actually wasting their own blood, which is required

for strength and the ability to resist sickness and disease! This provides

some scientific explanation for why those who recklessly indulge in excessive

sexual activities are most prone to serious, complicated, and in some cases,

life threatening maladies!

Ass/Donkey

Everyone is familiar with the cavalier insult; “You stubborn ass.”

When this is said, many envision a Mexican Burro refusing to move, despite how

many people pull his reigns and push his rump! A slight variation of this

derogatory cliché is “You stupid ass,” but less people know where

this slur came from or why the ass has such an ignoble reputation. Why is the

donkey considered to be such a stupid animal?

Once again, the Vedas provide dramatic insight into answering this question.

Those who have traveled to third world countries may have had the opportunity

to observe for themselves why the ass is considered to be so stupid. The

donkey is often used in rural or mountainous situations to do extremely hard

work Sometimes they are laden with incredibly large loads of straw grass that

straddles both sides of their back and extends several feet into the air. The

“dumb ass” is then bribed to carry this ridiculous burden over long

distances that often include going up or down steep slopes. After struggling all

day, the reward for their hard labor is a small bucket of that same straw grass

that they carried on their back and is freely available on the side of the

road!

Similarly, all we really require for survival is a safe place to live and some

simple vegetarian food. Not realizing this, a lot of people take on the

tremendous burden of working very hard all day long to pay for so many things

we simply do not need. Those things show up on the shelves of mega stores

that sell endless varieties of “New and Improved” electronics,

clothing, house-wares, grocery products, sundries, sporting equipment and

appliances. In our attempt to achieve the ultimate country club lifestyle, we

thoughtlessly pursue every insatiable lust, epitomized by a plethora of games,

sporting equipment, entertainment, electronic toys, recreational vehicles and

travel adventures. To relieve the stress created by the need to pay for all

these things, we become further financially burdened with payments on

time-share resorts, 2nd homes, and expensive theme-park vacations based on the

insane idea that we will be able to cram relaxation into a carefully scheduled

one-week annual time slot! When that doesn’t work, many people then fall

into the deadly spiral downward ushered in by drugs, alcohol, or chronic

dependency on a therapist’s office. All of these things reflect our

desperate attempt to find new ways to cope in a society that has virtually

ignored the fact that none of these things could ever really provide the

satisfaction the soul seeks!

“A person who neither rejoices upon achieving something pleasant nor

laments upon obtaining something unpleasant, who is self-intelligent, who is

un-bewildered, and who knows the science of God, is already situated in

transcendence. Such a liberated person is not attracted to material sense

pleasure but is always in trance, enjoying the pleasure within. In this way the

self-realized person enjoys unlimited happiness, for he concentrates on the

Supreme.” - Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 5, “Karma Yoga, Action

in Krishna Consciousness” Texts 20-21

It is our hope that the readers of the AVA newsletter will soberly consider the

prudence of these powerful illustrations and not waste their human life

pursuing the animalistic activities of hogs, dogs, camels or asses. Those who

would like start learning more about how to do that are encouraged to join

others with that same intention at one of the next Bhagavad Gita Fellowship

gatherings scheduled on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month!

For further information on this provocative verse from the Srimad Bhagavat

Purana go to the following link: <http://vedabase.net/sb/2/3/19/en>

How we engage the use of our ears and what we choose to speak about is further

compared to the ears of a snake and the tongue of the frog in the verse that

follows the one we chose to look at in this essay:

<http://vedabase.net/sb/2/3/20/en>

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Vegetarian Cooking!

We are happy to see how nicely the AVA congregational members are

improving their Vegetarian culinary skills! Adopting a diet that allows

other creatures to live their lives peacefully is a tradition that extends way

back in both Vedic as well as Buddhist traditions. One would think that all

serious transcendentalists would understand this simple principal, but

unfortunately that does not appear to be true.

Educating people about the importance of a Vegetarian diet is essential for

anyone who is serious about escaping the serious laws of karma delineated in

the Vedas. Unfortunately there are many teachers who will compromise the

importance of the Vegetarian diet in order to attract more followers and

promote their own watered down ideas about what real spiritual maturity is all

about.

AVA is committed to teaching the science of Self Realization the way it has been

handed down and respected by the great sages for thousands of generations.

That is why part of the service we offer is to teach anyone who is interested

in this process how to eat properly.

Those who are raised in a carnivorous society but then want to convert to a

Vegetarian diet often experience a lot of cognitive dissonance. On one hand,

they are intellectually convinced that they ought to be a vegetarian, but they

simply don’t know how to convert their diet over to that lifestyle.

Instead of postponing that on-going dilemma, why not consider learning how to

cook wonderful Vegetarian foods using herbs and spices that not only taste

good, but also make eating a tremendously fulfilling experience! You can do

that prior to any AVA meeting where we always prepare a nice meal for all the

guests who attend. Those who want to learn this tremendous skill are advised to

contact us 36 hours prior to the AVA event so we can tell you what and when we

will be cooking for that program. You can then join us at that time and start

learning how to adopt the eating habits recommended in the Vedas for Human

life, which is also the most beneficial for rapid spiritual maturity. :-)

Pubic Engagements?

As the AVA newsletter continues to find new audiences, some have asked

about the possibility of bringing the subjects we discuss into other

gatherings. If it is possible to schedule those requests we will be happy to

do so as part of our service to the community. For this purpose AVA has

compiled a list of contemporary subjects for which we have essays, books,

charts, graphs, and in some cases, videos to augment our presentations. For

more information about scheduling an engagement to learn more about the Vedic

Siddhanta (Conclusion) please contact us directly.

Suggest A Subject?

Many of the subjects we cover in the AVA newsletter come from questions

or subjects that are only vaguely commented on by other sources. If you have

a subject you would like us to address, please send that in to us and we will

consider it for a future AVA topic. Simple questions are also addressed at the

Bhagavad-Gita fellowship for the benefit of all those who attend.

Vedic Authority

What makes the AVA program different from all other contemporary sources of

transcendental learning is that we rely on the methodical, thorough and

scientific way the Vedas portray the world we live in. The Vedas are so vast

and unlike any other literature known to man, they are often criticized as

confusing and esoteric. But this is because the secret of the Vedas can only

be unlocked by one who has been properly trained how to “decode”

them and although that sounds like an exhausting study, it is actually quite

easy if the candidate is willing to accept instructions from a good source. In

fact, the path of Bhakti (Loving Devotion to the Supreme Lord in His Personal

Form) is so powerful that the essences of all the Vedas become automatically

realized to that soul who surrenders to the Personality of Godhead and engages

in devotional service to Him.

“A person who accepts the path of devotional service is not bereft of the

results derived from studying the Vedas, performing austere sacrifices, being

charity or perusing philosophical and furtive activities. Simply by performing

devotional service he attains al theses and at the end he reaches the supreme

eternal abode.” - Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Chapter 8 “Attaining

the Supreme” Text 28

To grow transcendentally requires a reliable authority like the Bhagavad-Gita,

(The torchlight of knowledge, Bg. 10.11) One is free to reject Vedic authority,

but the consequences of doing so returns one to the words of speculation,

conjecture, flawed empirical analysis, and a plethora of silly ideas about what

spiritual life is from psychologists, therapists, self declared gurus,

charlatans, and carpetbag religionists, to name just a few.

Back Issues of AVA Newsletter

All of the subjects that we have already covered in 2005 have also been included

on the list that follows the feature article. If you would like a digital copy

of a past AVA newsletter let us know and we will be happy to forward it to you

for your further erudition.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hoping this meets you in good health, happy spirits and enthusiastically engaged

in the service of Lord Krishna.

Your Servant,

Mayesvara dasa (md @ jagannatha.com)

AKA: William Roberts* Director

American Vedic Association

Dispel the Darkness of Ignorance With the Torchlight of Knowledge! - Bg. 10.11

687 Villanova Road

Ojai California, 93023

(805) 640-0405 Ava @ jagannatha.com

* William Roberts is the founding director of The American Vedic Association.

He began studying Vedic philosophy in 1973 and assimilated the works of eminent

Vaishnava saints while living in India for several years. He became an

ordained Brahman priest under the tutelage of the world-class authority on

Bhakti Yoga, HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. The American Vedic Association is

currently sponsoring the Free Bhagavad-Gita Gita Fellowship gatherings held on

the first and third Tuesday of every month. For more information call: (805)

640-0405 Or Contact: william.roberts @ jagannatha.com

Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Discussion Fellowship

Every 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the Month

Sanskrit, Mantra, Kirtan, Prasadam!

• ۩‎ • ۩ ‎• AVA Schedule 2005 •

۩ ‎• ۩ ‎•

Date/Event Meeting Subject

1st Tue: Jan-04-2005 Vows, Resolutions & Austerities

3rd Tue: Jan-18-2005 You Are NOT Your Body!

1st Tue: Feb-01-2005 Defrocking Religious Phobias

3rd Tue: Feb-15-2005 Primordial Valentine

1st Tue: Mar-01-2005 What To Do; What Not To Do & Why!

3rd Tue: Mar-15-2005 Who Is Lord Caitanya?

1st Tue: Apr-05-2005 Are You an April fool Being Cheated?

3rd Tue: Apr-19-2005 Carnivorous Environmentalist = Kleptomaniac Security

Guards ßHOT!

1st Tue: May-03-2005 Is Knowledge Necessary, Useful or Just Plain Irrelevant?

3rd Tue: May-17-2005 What Is Om & Why Vibrate That? ßHOT!

1st Tue: Jun-07-2005 Distinguishing Good From Evil

3rd Tue: Jun-21-2005 Derailed by Silent Meditation ßHOT!

1st Tue: Jul-05-2005 No-One Is Independent!

3rd Tue: Jul-19-2005 Nine Paths to Perfection

1st Tue: Aug-02-2005 Huge Ancient Rolling Temples!

Festival of Chariots, All Day Venice Beach Sun: Aug-7-2005

3rd Tue: Aug-05-2005 Liberation Is The BOOBY Prize!

Appearance Day of Lord Sri Krishna! - Sat: Aug-20-2005

1st Tue: Sep-06-2005 Hogs, Dogs, Camels & Asses

3rd Tue: Sep-20-2005 "Material" Fanatic

American Vedic Association Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Fellowship:

"Materialistic Fanatics" - One of the things we all share in greater or lesser

degree, is an addiction to our material condition. Some are fanatically

attached to the mundane, while others know it is an illusion but can't seem to

sidestep its influence. Find out how to get untangled at AVA! 7:30pm 640-0405

Always Free!

October

1st Tue: Oct-04-2005 Prodigal Sons Know Everything, Adults Surrender

American Vedic Association Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Fellowship:

"Prodigal Sons Know Everything, Adults Surrender" - We have all observed how

proud an adolescent can be. Some mature into sober adulthood and get a good

education, while others retain their childish pride and insist they:

"Don’t need-nuthin'-from-nobody." Find out if you are you a spiritual

adolescent at AVA! 7:30pm 640-0405 Always Free!

3rd Tue: Oct-18-2005 Party-Yoga or Hedonism?

American Vedic Association Bhagavad-Gita As It Is Fellowship: "Party

Yoga or Hedonism?" - Bhakti yoga doesn't require entangling your limbs or

staring at your nose. It's more equivalent to a galactic party where life is

celebrated with intimate friends from all over the universe. Get with the

program and take up Party-Yoga at AVA! 7:30pm 640-0405 Always Free!

November

1st Tue: Nov-01-2005 Vedic Understanding of Universal Time & Creation

American Vedic Association Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Fellowship:

"Vedic Understanding of Universal Time & Creation" - The Vedas provide a

detailed descriptions of universal time and a scientific explanation of how the

entire creation began with a sound vibration. Discover how the archaeological

record seems to confirm the Vedic version of Genesis at AVA. 7:30pm 640-0405

Always Free!

3rd Tue: Nov-15-2005 The Non-Judgment Myth

American Vedic Association Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Fellowship: "The

Non-Judgment Myth" - A lot of people plea - "Don't be judgmental!” But

what does that really mean? At AVA you will learn how to make wise,

non-prejudicial decisions, and avoid the trap of claiming aloofness, while your

senses rage out of control and make all your decisions for you! 7:30pm 640-0405

Always Free!

December

1st Tue: Dec-06-2005 All Faiths Equal Sophistry

American Vedic Association Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Fellowship: "All

Faiths Equal Sophistry" - It is poor discretion that leads one to claim that

"All religions are the same." They may share some characteristics like all

schools do, but a junior college is not the same as Harvard University! Learn

spiritual discrimination at AVA! 7:30pm 640-0405 Always Free!

3rd Tue: Dec-20-2005 Gods "Prayer-Order" Warehouse?

American Vedic Association Bhagavad-Gita Gita As It Is Fellowship: "Gods

Prayer Order Warehouse?"- There is only one legitimate thing that a devotee of

God would ever request. Everything else springs from selfish ignorance and

spiritual immaturity. If you don't know what that simple request is then find

out at the next AVA meeting. 7:30 pm 640-0405 Always Free!

C/o William Roberts / mayesvara dasa: AVA Director (805) 640-0405

-----

Why This Newsletter Was Sent To You & the AVA Purpose

This newsletter is being sent to you because someone felt you might have an

interest in the “Science of Self Realization” as it is explained in

the Vedic literature of ancient India. It is posted only twice a month and its

primary purpose is to remind the American Vedic Association congregation to

attend the bi-monthly Bhagavad-Gita Gita Appreciation Gathering that is held on

the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month.

The material presented in these newsletters is based on the conclusions of the

Vedic Literature as understood by India’s foremost authorities on that

subject namely: Lord Brahma, Maharaja Pariksit, Narada Muni, Madhavacarya,

Ramanujacarya, Krishna Dasa Kaviraja, Narotama Das Thakur, the Six

Goswamie’s of Vrindaban, Bhaktivenode Thakur and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

to name just a few. The purpose of this correspondence is to help readers

properly explain Sanskrit terms, clarify misunderstandings about Indian

Theology, and make the Vedic conclusion more accessible to the common Western

mind.

Questions are always welcome and may be integrated into future newsletters. It

is our hope that you will find the content to be informative and meaningful.

It is also an invitation for you to consider joining us at one of our

bi-monthly Bhagavad-Gita Gita as It Is meetings if you happen to be within a

reasonable driving distance from Ojai, California, USA.

Must Say No?

Most people are familiar with the Biblical advice given in the Sermon on the Mount:

“Give not what is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls

before swine. Lest they trample them under their feet, and turn against and

rend* you.” - Bible, Matthew Chapter7, Text 6. (*rend = tear you apart

violently.)

This is not only a common theme found in all great Scriptures, but even secular

teachers have no interest in trying to explain something to a defiant student.

Therefore, if you prefer not to receive any further information about the

Vedas, AVA events, or the process of spiritual growth honored by the great

sages of ancient India, then simply request us to remove you from our mailing

list and we will lament seeing you go when we do, but will gladly comply with

your wishes.

“Bewildered by the modes of material nature, the ignorant fully

engage themselves in material activities and become attached. But the wise

should not unsettle them, although these duties are inferior due to the

performer’s lack of knowledge. “- BG 3.29

Thank you for your patience and interest!