anand

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him! I have read many posts in this forum and others and have read and heard general comments on ISKCON and thier philosophy. It is sad to see most of the debates and arguments lean towards the NEGATIVE SIDE always. People always are READY to criticize but none i have seen elucidate the GOOD and IMPACT Krishna Consciousness had on people and is having on people. I am not a historian or record keeper, but iam sure Krishna Consciousness and ISKCON has created a lot of good and changed many lives and brought real meaning into one's existance on this planet. I think we should acknowledge that and appreciate that ISKCON inspite of its troubles have done a great job in trying to propogate Srila Prabhupada's teachings and the pure Sanatan Dharma that is the ORIGINAL TRUTH. I find peace and happiness when i see devotees congregate and chant and dance for the Lord's happiness and it is all TRANSCENDENTAL and that enlivens me and motivates me to serve Guru and Gauranga more. It is essential in this day and age where it is very easy to fall down and lose track of the bigger picture, to keep fresh and motivated to serve KRISHNA with ENTHUSIASM as Srila Prabhupada would want us. I hope every visitor to this forum see and understand that ISKCON has done so many good things and we should not take that for granted. Though ISKCON, just like any organizational body, has issues with day to day affairs, we have to understand and remember it is not an ordinary instituion trying to make money but it is a transcendental organization GLORIFYING KRISHNA. We can and should be a part of it by appreciating its very existance in our neighborhoods and use it to change our mundane existance. I say ISKCON because Srila Prabhupada has said ISKCON is non-different from Krishna. Although there are problems and difference, it still is THE PLATFORM to spread Krishna Consciousness to all living beings as per the wish of Srila Prabhupada. Haribol! anand

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him! I am wondering, many devotees write PAMHO and AGTSP! When and where possible, why cant we spell it out entirely and properly. WHy do we have to abbreviate it to 5 letters. Is it offensive to shorten the Pranams to Srila Prabhupada like that! I think when we have the time and opportunity we should write it in full and not write just the shortened version. How difficult is to write fully? will probably take 30secs to write the glorification fully! Haribol! anand

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him! my email is arkanand2002@.co.in Haribol! anand

If you need a project title, you have to show the link between Krishna Consciousness and Digital Media. However, the problem is digial media in itself is just a medium to express art and is not art per se....am i correct? which means you have to breakdown media(digital) and Krishna and find the commonality. Your project title can be automatically deduced once you find the link between Krishna and the medium to express art. Because, digital media is not art it is only a medium via which art can be expressed. So, if you need further help, you need to decide how you are going to express Krishna and how you are going to define a medium which is digital. Dont worry on the title, it will follow automatically!! Try to link MEDIA and KRISHNA! Personally, i dont know, what is the aim of the project, is it to showcase your technical ability to handle media or is it to exhibit your talent in art through the media (digital). Based on that, your link between Krishna and Media or Krishna and Art depends and so ultimately your TITLE will be impacted. Haribol! anand

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him! This is an excerpt written by Srila Saccidananda Bhaktivinode Thakura If the reader carefully considers, it will be found that the spiritual science gradually evolved from ancient times and became more simple, more clear and more condensed. The more impurities arising from time and place are removed, the more the beauties of the spiritual science brightly shine before us. This spiritual science took birth in the land of kusha grass on the banks of the Sarasvati river in Brahmavarta. As it gradually gained strength, this spiritual science spent its childhood in the abode of Badarikashram, which is covered with snow. It spent its boyhood in Naimisharanya on the banks of the Gomati river and its youth on the beautiful banks of the Kaveri river in the province of Dravida. The spiritual science ayyained maturity in Navadvip, on the banks of the Ganges, which purifies the universe. By studying the history of the world, it is found that the spiritual science reached its peak in Navadvip. The Supreme Absolute Truth is the only object of love for the living entities. Unless one worhips Him with attachment, however, the living entity can never attain Him. Even if a person gives up all affection for this world and thinks of the Supreme Lord, He is still not easily achieved. He is controlled and attained by transcendental mellows alone. These mellows are of five types - shanta, dasya, sakya, vatsalya and madhurya. The first mellow, shanta, is the stage in which the living entity surpasses the pains of material existence and situates himself in transcendence. In that state there is a little happiness, but no feeling of independence. At that time the relationship between the practitioner and the Lord is not yet established. Dasya rasa is the second mellow. It contains all the ingradients of shanta rasa as well as affection. "The Lord is my master, and I am His eternal servant". This type of relationship is found in dasya rasa. No one cares much for any of the best things of this world unless they are connected with affection. Therefore dasya rasa is superior to shanta rasa in many ways. Sakya is superior to dasya. In dasya rasa there is a thorn in the form of awe and reverence, but the main ornament in sakya rasa is the feeling of friendship in equality. Among the servants, one who is a friend is superior. There is no doubt about it. In sakya rasa all the wealth of shanta and dasya is included. It is easy to understand that vatsalya is superior to sakya. A son gives more affection and happiness than any friend. Therefore in vatsalya rasa we find the wealth of four rasas. Although vatsalya rasa is superior to these other rasas, it appears insgnificant before madhurya rasa. There may be many secrets unknown between father and son, but this not the case between husband and wife. Therefore, if we deeply consider, it will be seen that all the above-mentioned rasas attain perfection within madhurya rasa. If we go through the histories of these five rasas, it is clearly understood that shanta rasa was seen in the beginning days of India. When the soul was not satisfied after performing sacrifices with material ingredients, then transcendentalists like Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanat-kumara, Sananda, Narada and Lord Shiva all became detached from the material world, situated in transcendence and realized shanta rasa. Much later, dasya rasa manifested in Hanuman, the servant of Sri Ramachandra. That same dasya rasa gradually expanded in the northwest and manifested in a great personality named Moses. In the age of Dvapara, Uddhava and Arjuna became the qualified authorities of sakhya rasa. They preached this rasa throughout the world. Gradually tha rasa expanded up to the Arabian countries and touched the heart of Mohammed, the knower of religious principles. Vatsalya rasa manifested throughout India in different forms at different times. Among the different forms, vatsalya mixed with opulence crossed India and appeared in a great personality named Jesus Christ, who was a preacher of Jewish religious principles. Madhurya rasa first shone brightly in Braj. It is extremely rare for this rasa to enter the hearts of conditioned souls, because this rasa tends to remain with qualified, pure living entities. This confidential rasa was preached by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the moon of Navadvipa, along with His followers. Till now, this rasa has not crossed beyond India. Recently a scholar from England named Newman realized something about this rasa and wrote a book about it. The people of Europe and America have not been satisfied with vatsalya rasa mixed with opulence as preached by Jesus Christ. I hope, by the grace of the Lord, in a very short time they will become attached to drinking the intoxicating nectar of madhurya rasa. It has been seen tha any rasa that appears in India eventually spreads to the western countries, therefore madhurya rasa will soon be preached throughout the world. Just as the sun rises first in India and gradually spreads its lights to the West, the matchless splendor of spiritual truth appears first in India and gradually spreads to the Western countries.

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him! I have a question? How did Lord Chaitanya leave the planet when He came 500 years before? Thanks. Haribol!

Yes...good points Shastras comes from whom?...the Sruti comes from Krishna Himself. Let me refer your sentences...you say meat-meating is sinful-why?- because not in the shastras- TRUE...also...Krishna does not eat meat...for that matter...eating food without offering food for Krishna is also sin....so...in both cases.......eating food activity is a sin because either Krishna does not like it or krishna is not first offered the food. Both relate to Krishna! Arjuna killing Kauravas...was asked by Krishna to do that act and so Arjuna did and so it is transcendental. Here, again was done for Krishna!- shows Arjuna's surrender to Krishna! Again....direct connection to Krishna! Now....lets site another example...stealing is wrong...and being a thief is wrong according to shastras....however...if my history is correct...there was a ALWAR ( a saint in southindia who was a devotee of Krishna) was a highway thief who stole from travelers to finish his temple project for Krishna. He solely stole only for Krishna. So..his activity was transcendental just like Arjuna killing. All these mentioned activities directly relate to service to Krishna and although some are above the norm...still not sinful because it is related to Krishna However...you give an interesting twist by saying...which i was aware too..but now..refreshes my thought...that...activities for Krishna are TRANSCENDENTAL and activities for sense enjoyment but outside the shastras...are considered sin. Doing as per shastras is different from doing for KRISHNA! While one is in mode of goodness..the other is transcendental. So...sin will be attributed to the modes. I guess following shastras and doing activities for Krishna are different and yet same at some level because shastras are inclusive of Krishna conscious activities. Subtle but profound! Haribol!

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him! I have a question to you guys! Why are certain activities called sinful or stated differently why is sin called sin? Is it because- 1. A particular activity is not related to Krishna at all in any form or way- so sinful 2. A particular activity is sinful by nature - so sinful or 3. A particular activity is grossly materialistic oriented- so sinful what do you think? Haribol

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him! There are many stories on Indraduymna Maharaj who is the author of this story. I took this from his website. You can access his different stories around the world from the following link. www.traveling-preacher.com There are many amazing stories such as this and iam sure you will like it.Enjoy reading! Haribol!

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto Him! Diary of a Traveling Preacher Volume 6 - Chapter 16 "Dreams Coming True" Poland 29/07/05 - 10/08/05 After the difficulties we went through on July 7, I started having nightmares every night. One evening, after a week, I talked about it with Sri Prahlada das. "It's been a long time since I had a Krsna conscious dream," I said. "Since the tour started in May, I've only been dreaming of war or being chased or having to hide. I know it's the result of preaching in a society often opposed to what we do, but I wish there were some relief, at least in sleep." "I know how you feel," said Sri Prahlada. "I've been having some bad dreams lately as well, but things will change when we go to the Woodstock festival in a couple of weeks." "That's true," I said. "There's no opposition at Woodstock. Jurek Owsiak, is always keen to have us there." "Sure," said Sri Prahlada. "Your mind will relax once we get there. It'll make you feel good to be somewhere where the organizer is not only our friend but also gives us carte blanche to preach any way we want." That night I was still a bit apprehensive about going to bed. As I lay down I remembered Sri Prahlada's words: "Things will change when we go to Woodstock ..." I soon fell fast asleep. In the middle of the night I awoke with a start. "Prahlada!" I called out. "Prahlada!" Sri Prahlada, who was sleeping just a few meters away, woke up. "What is it Gurudeva? Did you have another nightmare?" "No," I said, "I just had the most wonderful dream!" "What was it?" Sri Prahlada said excitedly, rolling over in his sleeping bag to look at me. "I dreamed we were in a tour committee meeting," I said, "when suddenly there was a knock on the door. I said, 'come in', and a celestial boy walked in. He had a soft glow about him. He knelt down in front of me without saying anything and handed me a large piece of rolled up paper. The paper was also glowing. I opened it, and it read, 'See you at Woodstock. Signed, Lord Nrsimhadeva.' Then I woke up." "Wow!" said Sri Prahlada. "What a dream!" "Yeah," I said. "Finally I dreamt something spiritual, but we can't take it too seriously. I remember reading where Srila Prabhupada said that dreams are generally nonsense, although when you dream of the spiritual master or Krsna, it's nice." I lay back down and had the soundest sleep I'd had in months. The next week and half of our summer tour went well. We sent a separate group of devotees to Kostrzyn , the site of the upcoming Woodstock festival, to begin setting up our village, Krsna's Village of Peace. A tent company arrived in Kostrzyn around the same time to erect a 100-meter-long tent for our main programs. Our men would work 12 days to set up most of the 20 smaller tents that would display different aspects of Vedic culture including yoga, meditation, and reincarnation. There was lots of other work to be done as well: installing electrical poles and lines, digging ditches for water pipes, pouring gravel on the dirt roads to offset any mud in case of rain, putting up fencing around our three-hectare plot. Jurek expected close to 500,000 people, and we knew many of them would come through Krsna's Village of Peace to have a look. A few days later Sri Prahlada asked me if I had had any more Krsna-conscious dreams. "No," I said, "and I don't expect to either. That last dream was one in a million. I'm still in anxiety." "Now what?" Sri Prahlada asked. "Krsna's Village of Peace is a huge responsibility," I said. "Tens of thousands of people will visit us. We have to make sure they all get the best possible impression of Krsna consciousness. That's my real dream: that our village will be a big success. Anything could go wrong - the weather, the transport of the 22 tons of food we'll be cooking, the health department's final permission to cook, the journey of the 500 extra devotees coming in from all over the world to assist us ..." Sri Prahlada smiled. "Don't worry, Gurudeva," he said. "Lord Nrsimhadeva said He'll meet you at Woodstock." We both laughed. "It was just a funny dream," I said. "But nice," Sri Prahlada said with a wink. During the last festival on the Baltic Coast, I had just finished my lecture on stage and was walking to the book tent when my cell phone rang. "Hello?" said the voice on the phone. "Guru Maharaja, can you hear me?" The sound was distorted, but I could understand. "Yes," I said. "I can hear you. Can you hear me?" "This is Narottam das Thakur das in Mumbai," came the reply. "I have some wonderful news for you. I just found an old Nrsimha Deity in an antique shop. I couldn't resist and bought Him for you." "For me?" I said. "Yes," he said, "to protect you and all the devotees on your festival program. I'll try and send Him to you somehow." Then the line broke. Suddenly I remembered my dream, and I began to laugh. "If He shows up for Woodstock," I thought, "that will be a dream come true." Three days later, after a drive of several hours, Jayatam das and I were nearing the site of the Woodstock festival. "Hey," said Jayatam, "look how many kids are here already, and the festival is still two days away." As we drove through a forested area, we passed four armored police vans, parked just off the road. "What's going on?" I asked Jayatam. "There will be heavy security at Woodstock this year," he said, "because of the bombings in London on July 7th." Finally we came to the Woodstock field. "Look up in the sky," said Jayatam. I looked out the window and saw a big balloon, stationary and motionless in the sky above. "It has a very sophisticated camera that will scan the entire Woodstock field," Jayatam said. "That camera can read a newspaper in someone's hand. They plan to use it to watch for drug dealers ... and terrorists." I laughed. "Looks like I'm not the only one in anxiety," I said. As we drove into the main entrance, I could only smile. The first thing we saw was our huge tent up on the hill, just off center on the festival grounds. A big sign was strung across it: "Krsna Village of Peace." It could be seen from most of the festival grounds. "We couldn't ask for a better location," I said. "The whole country will see us," Jayatam said. "We're directly across from the main stage, so all the television cameras will be panning our village." I smiled again. "How many people will see those news broadcasts?" I said. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it again. Jayatam laughed. "Millions and millions!" he said. "Param vijayate Sri Krsna sankirtan!" I shouted. "All glories to the sankirtan movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu!" We drove up the hill, and within minutes we were at Krsna's Village of Peace. The devotee men were still busy with last-minute preparations. The village looked like the spiritual world - big, colorful, and magnificent. As I walked into the big tent to see the new decorations on our main stage, I noticed a lone figure, sitting on a chair, right in the middle of the gigantic tent. It was an old man. I was curious, so I went up to him. I smiled. "You're early," I said. "The festival doesn't begin for two more days." He looked up with a sad, weathered face. "I've waited all year for you people to come back," he said. "Not a single day passed that I didn't think of your village. Last year I was here every day." He looked towards the devotees decorating the stage. "It's the only light in my dark existence," he said. My smile faded. "I'm sorry to hear your life is so hard," I said. "Life is always hard," he said, "but recently even more so. My poor wife of 40 years just went insane. I would have gone insane too, but I knew you people were coming back. I find so much shelter here. It's the atmosphere you bring, the spiritual atmosphere. You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" I put my hand on his shoulder. "Not at all, Sir," I said. "Stay as long as you want." Most of our VIP guests arrived that day from overseas. When I learned that Deena Bandhu prabhu, my Godbrother from Vrindavan had come, I went straight from the festival site to his room in the school where we were staying. I entered the room and paid obeisances, and then we hugged. He's a veteran of our program at Woodstock, and I was delighted to have him back. We exchanged pleasantries, and just as I was about to leave he handed me a small box. "Oh Maharaja," he said, "one of your disciples sent this for you." It was heavy, and there was some tissue hanging out the side, so I assumed it was some maha burfi sweets, and I started to put it into my pocket. Deena Bandhu smiled. "I think you should look inside," he said. I pulled the box back out of my pocket, slowly opened the lid, and pulled back the tissue. Suddenly I saw the most beautiful, intricately carved bronze Deity of Lord Nrimsha that I had ever seen. I stood there dumfounded, my mouth open. "They say He's over 300 years old," said Deena Bandhu. "You weren't expecting Him?" "Well," I said, "yes and no. I mean ... you see ..." I didn't have the courage to tell him about the dream. I quickly excused myself and left the room. I got back in my car and pulled out my cell phone. "Sri Prahlada!" I screamed. "The most amazing thing happened! One of my disciples in India sent me a beautiful, ancient Nrsimha Deity. He's small and very ferocious." "So your dream has come true," Sri Prahlada said. "Well ..." I said, "yes, I guess it did. But you know what Srila Prabhupada said about dreams." I could almost see Sri Prahlada smile over the phone. "Yes," he replied. "Srila Prabhupada said that dreams of the spiritual master or Krsna are nice." That afternoon Jurek Owsiak, the main organizer of the Woodstock festival, visited our village and addressed 400 devotees assembled at the back of our big tent. "We've been cooperating together for eight years at the Woodstock festival," he began, "and through those years I've come to appreciate you and your ideals more and more. Consider the whole festival grounds yours. Go everywhere and spread your message to the kids. Our work together has been recorded in heaven." We opened Krsna's Village of Peace the next day, one day before the main event. As we removed the barriers at the road leading into our village, thousands of kids streamed into our festival site. I knew some had come simply to be with us and wouldn't leave the village over the next few days except to sleep in their tents. It happens every year. For those who couldn't make the climb up the hill to participate in our 16-hour stage show, prasadam distribution, and activities in our many tents, we took the festival to them. Each day we held Ratha Yatra, pulling our huge cart through the sea of tents and people below our hill. From every vantage point at the festival you could see the cart towering 10 meters high, with it's huge red, blue, and yellow canopy blowing in the breeze. The kids were spellbound. When Ratha Yatra wasn't going on, we took huge Harinam parties to every nook and cranny of the festival grounds. Often the kids would dance and chant Hare Krsna with us. I knew such opportunities don't come often in life, so I took full advantage of them. Every day I made my rounds to all of our tents to make sure everything was going all right. One day, I arrived at the temple tent while Bhakti Charu Maharaja was leading a blissful kirtan. I had invited him as a special guest, and later that day I asked him how he liked the festival. "It's wonderful," he said. "It can't be understood just from photos or videos. You have to see it in person." I respect Maharaja as a dear servant of Srila Prabhupada, so I asked him another question. "Do you think Srila Prabhupada is pleased?" I said. He looked surprised. "Of course he is," he replied. By the afternoon of the third and final day, we had distributed over 100,000 plates of prasadam. Long lines of kids continued queuing at the prasadam tent well into the night. It was so ecstatic that at one point I couldn't resist joining the team of 25 devotees distributing the prasadam. As the wee hours of the morning came, we held our final kirtan on the stage in our big tent. There were a couple of thousand kids in the audience. These were the cream of the crop, the ones that had a developed an attraction for Krsna consciousness. After the kirtan I gave a farewell talk, and when I finished I noticed many kids had tears in their eyes. Suddenly the whole event was over, just as quickly as it had begun. Later in the morning tens of thousands of kids were streaming out of the festival grounds. I saw a few carrying Srila Prabhupada's books. Others had plates of prasadam wrapped in plastic, saved for the journey home. As we drove by on our way to break down our festival site, some of the kids called out to us: "Hare Krsna! Hari Bol! Thank you!" "It was the best Woodstock ever," said Sri Prahlada. "We were everywhere, on the hill and on the field. And everyone liked us. And you must be satisfied, Srila Gurudeva. All your dreams came true." "Yes, indeed they did," I replied, with a slight touch of reservation. "What is it?" said Sri Prahlada, who knows my mind better than anyone else. "Well," I said, "what really matters is whether Srila Prabhupada is satisfied." "He must be," said Sri Prahlada. "Just consider how many people heard the holy names and took prasadam." "I understand that," I said. "But wouldn't it be nice if every so often there was a sign from him. Do you understand what I'm saying? Maybe I'm just being sentimental." Sri Prahlada's face took on a serious look. "Why don't you pray for that?" he said. "It was just a thought," I said, "but maybe I'll take your advice." The next day I flew to Ukraine to spend a few days with a small group of devotees doing a festival program in Cremia, on the Black Sea. They had invited me to come and give them some advice. They put me up in a nice hotel next to the beach, and as I lay down to rest, my thoughts drifted back to Poland and the great yajna we had just performed. My mind was racing, remembering all the preaching we had done. Finally I dozed off .... and was blessed with the most wonderful dream of my life. I dreamt I was walking through a garden, chanting japa. Suddenly I saw Srila Prabhupada sitting in a small clearing some distance away, speaking to a few senior disciples. When he saw me he got up and to my astonishment, began walking towards me. I started to offer him my obeisances, falling to my knees, but before I could go any further he reached me and lovingly hugged me. Still on my knees, my head was pressed close to his chest. His saffron cloth blew lightly in the breeze around me. He hugged me for a long time. In retrospect, it didn't seem like a dream. It was more like a real-life experience. I looked up and saw him gazing at me, his eyes full of love. "Srila Prabhupada," I said, "I'm just your servant. I'm prepared to do anything to please you." Then he smiled and hugged me even tighter. I woke up and sat up in my bed. I was stunned. I reached for my phone and called Sri Prahlada, but he didn't answer. Suddenly I realized it was 11 PM. I stayed awake most of the night. The next morning I called him. "Do you remember how you advised me to pray the other day?" I said. "Well I had this dream last night ..." At the end Sri Prahlada laughed. "Put it in the diary," he said. "Put it in the diary?" I said. "What will the devotees think?" "Probably they'll think like Srila Prabhupada," he replied, "that dreams of the spiritual master are very nice." Later that day, I found the quotation from Srila Prabhupada about dreams: "So far dreaming is concerned, we regard dreaming condition as another form of illusion or maya, only more subtle, that's all. But just like we may be serving Krsna in our waking state and thinking about Him then, so also it is possible to dream about Krsna and the spiritual master ... if we occasionally dream of Krsna, that is nice, that means you are making advancement in Krsna Consciousness." [letter to Mahati dasi, 1977] you can also read this in this link- http://www.traveling-preacher.com/tp6-16.htm Haribol!

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisance unto him! Diary of a Traveling Preacher Volume 6, Chapter 14 By Indradyumna Swami June 21 - July 4, 2005 "The Frowning Girl" One day, when Monika was seven years old, she surprised her mother. "Mommy,"she said, "I believe in reincarnation.Really?" said her mother, a devout Catholic. "Where did you ever get such an idea? Certainly you haven't learned this in church.""I don't know, Mommy," Monika said. "But I know it's true. After we die, we are born again.Well keep it to yourself," her mother said. "Out here in the countryside, people just won't understand." "I want to learn more about it," Monika said. "Can I read books about other religions? I have so many questions.Well... all right," said her mother. "Go ahead. But don't give up your Bible studies. There's a lot to learn there as well.Of course, I won't, Mommy," said Monika. She hugged her mother. "Can we get some books today?" For the next few years, Monika read the many books her mother took out from the library or bought at local stores, and she gradually became familiar with the different religions of the world. Her friends sometimes thought it odd that she preferred to stay home and read rather than play outside in the beautiful forests that surrounded Ketrzyn, the town where she lived. One day, just after Monika turned 11, her mother asked about her spiritual search. "Monika," she said, "after all your reading, are you finding the answers you were looking for?"Monika looked up from the book she was reading. "Not all of them, Mom," she said, "but I find something valuable in most of the books you get me." "And the Bible?" her mother said. "Yes, Mom. I love the story about how Jesus cured the leper. But you know, there's one religion I have a doubt about." Her mother smiled. "Which one is that?" she asked.Monica frowned. "The Hare Krsna religion," she said."Where did you ever hear about them?" her mother asked."Some of the kids at school were talking about them," Monika said. "They say they're a cult and they're really weird and scary." "Well, don't worry," her mother said. "You'll probably never meet them. Not in this country town anyway. I heard they live in America."Two days later Monika was sitting on the porch of her house, just off the main street of the town. It was a quiet, warm spring afternoon, and people were walking by, busy with their shopping. She picked up a book her mother had just given her about the religious rites of the ancient Incas of Peru. She was about to open it when she heard the sound of drums and cymbals. She looked up and saw a large group of men, women, and children dressed in exotic, colorful clothes, singing and dancing down the street, 100 yards away."Oh my!" she said. "What in the world is this?"She saw other children of the neighborhood running down the street to have a look, and she got up from her chair to join them.Then she heard the group singing, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare..." She stopped. "Oh my God!" she gasped. "It's that cult!"She stared in shock as the singing party approached. "There are so many of them!" she thought as she watched the chanting party coming closer. The drums pounded, the cymbals rang, and the voices drowned out the sound of the passing cars. "Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare ... "Monika closed her eyes and covered her ears as the kirtan party passed her house. **************************** Two weeks earlier I had held a meeting with our festival committee. Our first festival of the year, in Mragowo, had ended a few days earlier, and the committee members were buzzing with excitement. "The first festival started off rough," said Jayatam dasa, "especially for Bhakta Dominique. The skinheads broke his nose. But everything finished so wonderfully. You know the woman who came the next day with the crew from national television. Well she said she's been covering big events for nine years but she had never seen a festival where everyone was so happy. Then she laughed and said she'd never seen an event where the organizers themselves were so happy." Jayatam smiled. "The station liked her coverage so much they aired it three times on Panorama," he said. "It's one of the most popular shows in Poland.Twenty million people watch it every night."Nandini dasi spoke up. "I'm getting calls from town councils all over the region," she said. "They want to know whether we'll do the festival in their towns." "We still had one date open," Nandini continued. "I didn't know which town to choose. Then the mayor of Ketrzyn called me. He said he'd give us a letter of appreciation for the festival even before the festival took place.So we've decided to have our last spring festival in Ketrzyn. It's deep inside the countryside. The people there are simple but pious."I went over to the table and looked at a map. "I can't even find it," I said."There it is," said Jayatam, "that little point there."The day before we arrived in Ketrzyn, I had a short meeting with all the devotees. "It's not a big town," I said, "so I think one or two Harinams will be enough." The next day we arrived in Ketrzyn and parked our buses near the center of town. Then 70 of us began a colorful procession down the street. The festivals in the three previous towns had been big successes, and the devotees' spirits were high. The brass kartalas, the mirrored mrdanga covers, and the women's jewelry all glittered in the sun. A gentle breeze brought relief from the summer heat and gave the devotees energy as they danced with abandon through the town.The women in their colorful saris danced in rhythmic synchronized steps, attracting the attention of everyone. The men didn't dance as artistically, but their enthusiastic chanting of the holy names brought smiles to the faces of the townspeople. And there were more smiles as people accepted invitations to the festival Storeowners came out on the sidewalk to watch as we passed by, and people waved from windows. I tried to speak to Sri Prahlada dasa over the roar of kirtan. "This reminds me a lot of the old days on the tour," I said, "when we'd visit a town for the first time." We came to a row of old houses nestled in between the shops, and I noticed a girl, about eleven, sitting motionless in a chair on the porch, glaring at us with a frown, in marked contrast to the mood of the other people. As we came closer she closed her eyes and covered her ears with her hands. I motioned to Sri Prahlad. "Look at her," I said."Not everyone's happy we're here." **************************** One of the men in the group offered Monika an invitation, but she refused it, so he left it on the porch railing, just in front of her. As the kirtan went on its way, Monika opened her eyes and uncovered her ears. She stood up and watched as the chanting party disappeared down the street. Monika gingerly picked up the colorful invitation. She looked around to see if anyone was watching. Then she looked over the invitation and started to read aloud: "Invitation to the Festival of India." She turned the invitation over and read a statement from Anil Wadhwa, the Indian Ambassador to Poland:"This wonderful festival is just like a trip to India, but it's easier, because the festival comes straight to you. You don't need a visa, and the festival is free. Go and see the artistic singing, dancing, and theatrical performances. Taste delicious vegetarian food and smell aromatic incense.While I was at the festival I felt right at home.Don't miss it!" She read the rest of the invitation, about the activities of the festival, and then put it down."It doesn't sound so scary," she muttered to herself. She looked up as the chanting party turned down a side street. A man carrying a bunch of balloons was the last to disappear around the corner."And they sure don't look weird either," she thought.She sat down on her chair. "I wonder... " she thought. "Maybe the kids at school don't really know what Hare Krishna is." She reached for her new book, but the invitation on the table caught her eye again. She picked it up and read it and re-read it many times. Then she just sat looking ahead, thinking.Thirty minutes later she heard the sound of the drums, the cymbals, and the loud chorus of the people again, coming back up the street. "They're coming this way again," she thought. "I'll watch them more closely this time." **************************** When our kirtan party reached the end of the shopping street we turned into another small street and then came back around up the main street in the direction we had come from. People continued to smile and wave, and the invitations were flying out of the distributors' hands. As we neared the small house where the girl with the frown had been sitting, I strained my eyes to see if she was still there. I felt sorry that she hadn't appreciated the devotees and the sweet sound of the holy names. Then I saw her again. She was sitting in the same place, but this time her eyes were open and she was looking at us intently.Within moments, her intense look relaxed into curiosity, and as we passed, it melted into a charming smile. The transformation was so quick that it caught me by surprise. "Now that's unusual," I thought. "From a glaring frown to a sweet smile in minutes." **************************** Monika stood up. "But how... " she thought, "how could this be a cult if the Ambassador of India endorses their festival? It must be the real thing. And just see how happy they are! I want to know more." She started running after the chanting party and caught up with it just as it entered the main square. "Oh look!" she thought. "Mr. Tomczak took one of their invitations, and Mrs.Jankowski is buying a book from one of their people."She came closer and peeked from behind Mrs.Jankowski, who was holding the book in her hand. "The Science of Self Realization," she said softly. "I'd like to have that book," she said out loud. Mrs. Jankowski whirled around. "Is that so?" she said with a smile. "Well then, when I'm finished with it, I'll send it over to your mother. How's that?" "That would be wonderful, Mrs. Jankowski," said Monika. "Thank you very much." Monika turned around and ran up to get a closer look at the singing party."I just love the way the girls are dressed," she thought. "Yes, yes, that's it! If I dress myself like them, I can join the singing party. All right! That's what I'll do." She twirled around and sped off in the direction of her house. *************************** As the kirtan party reached the town square and stood in one place, the book distributors began approaching people who stopped to see the exotic demonstration. I smiled as I saw a woman eagerly accept a book from a devotee and ask the price. Suddenly the woman turned around, and I saw the girl from the porch standing right behind her. This time she had a big smile on her face.I turned to Sri Prahlada. "Look!" I said. "Remember that girl with the frown? She's over there smiling." Sri Prahlada was in the middle of singing the Hare Krishna mantra, so he just replied to me with a wink.I turned my head to look at the girl again, and I saw her standing in front of the women in the kirtan, a wistful look on her face. Suddenly she whirled around and ran back down the street."Oh well," I thought. "Looks like her attraction didn't last long." After 30 minutes I called out to the devotees, "All right" I shouted. "Let's head in that direction." I pointed to a part of town we hadn't touched yet. The massive party of devotees turned and like a large colorful snake, wound it's way through the old cobblestone streets. **************************** "Mom! Mom!" Monika yelled as she burst into the house. "You know those scary people we talked about? And what the kids said? And you said they wouldn't come?""Calm down, darling," her mother said. "You're speaking so fast, I can't understand anything. What in the world are you talking about?" Monika caught her breath and tried again. "Mom," she said, "it's not true what the kids said. They're not a cult. The Indian Ambassador likes them.Mr. Tomczak took their invitation. And Mrs. Jankowski bought one of their books."Who are you talking about, darling?""The Hare Krishnas!" Monika said, almost shouting."And they're so happy!" "I know," her mother said. "I saw them singing in town. But you should be a little careful...""They're all right, Mom. I can see it.""And so?" her mother replied. "So where's that big scarf Dad gave you on your birthday? And where are the beads you bought at Easter and the sandals I didn't like? Quick, Mom! " *************************** As our kirtan party left the main square, I moved to the front in order to direct the chanting party through the streets. We continued for another half hour. Then suddenly I saw the girl running down the street in front of us.As she came closer I gasped in surprise. She had changed her clothes and was wearing something resembling a sari. "It's a pretty small sari," I thought, closing my eyes after noticing how it barely covered her and was pinned closed.Within a moment she was dancing in the kirtan party, big blue wooden beads around her neck, looking something like the neck beads on the devotees. I noticed she had painted a dot on her forehead like an Indian bindi, probably with lipstick, and that she had changed her shoes for sandals. It didn't take her long to learn the Hare Krishna mantra and soon she was wearing the same beautiful smile as the devotees. After 45 minutes she grabbed some invitations from one of the distributors and started running here and there, distributing them to the townspeople.At one point what must have been some of her friends walked by and stopped.They stared and raised their eyebrows to see her dressed as she was, distributing invitations, but she just smiled at them and continued on with her newfound enthusiasm. An hour later we returned to the bus, Monika distributing invitations all the way. As we boarded the bus to leave, I saw yet another expression on her constantly changing face: sadness."Tell her we'll be back tomorrow at 1:00 pm for more singing and dancing," I said to Mathuranath dasa. "And the festival is tomorrow, as well." *************************** "Oh Mom, it was so much fun," Monika said when she went home. "You want to hear the song they sing? Once you start, you can't stop singing it.""No, that's okay," her mother replied. "I heard plenty of it. The whole town did." Monika could hardly contain herself. "The festival is tomorrow, Mom," she said. "Will you come?I'm not sure," her mother replied. "It might not look so good. I mean, what if the priest saw me?""Oh come on, Mom!" Monika replied. *************************** The next day we arrived in Ketrzyn at exactly 1:00 pm. We only had a few hours to finish advertising the festival, so we quickly chanted into town. I marveled at the beauty of the old buildings, many of which were built when the area was part of Germany 100 years ago. But what I was really looking forward to was seeing Monika again. I didn't have to wait long. As soon as we entered the main street I could see her off in the distance, sitting on her porch waiting for us to pass by. As soon as we did, she ran and leaped into the kirtan party, in full devotional attire (as she imagined it) and spent the next few hours chanting with us.The festival site was not far from the center of town, just beside a lake.I'll never forget the look on her face when we finished the chanting, rounded a corner, and came upon the beautiful site, with its large stage and multi-colored tents. I imagined that her _expression was something like what mine will be when I finally come face to face with the spiritual world. After I briefly inspected the site, I turned to one of the woman devotees."Please find that girl who was distributing invitations," I said. "I'd like to speak with her."In a few minutes she came back with Monika. I asked Monika to sit down on one of the benches with a translator and me."I remember the frown on your face when you first saw us," I said with a little laugh. "Oh, please don't mind that," she said. "That was before I knew you." "Let me tell you how it all happened," she continued. "You see, when I was seven years old, I told my mother I believed in reincarnation ... " I sat and listened to her story with fascination. She spoke quickly, and asshe talked, her eyes darted around the festival site and the treasures it held for a girl who had only read about the wonders of India. Suddenly she jumped up and began running toward the tents. I sat there spellbound, watching her as she walked past the gift shop, the restaurant, and the displays on vegetarianism and yoga. Finally she came upon a tent with a display on reincarnation. She paused for a moment and then went in. I don't know exactly how long she stayed inside, but it must have been well over half an hour. My translator and I sat watching."What's up?" said a devotee passing by."Inside that tent is a young lady who's reached a crossroads in her life," I said. "It's a very special moment." By the time the festival started she had made her way around the entire site. I smiled when I saw her just before the stage show began, sitting in a front row seat in a real sari the devotee women had dressed her in, Vaisnava tilaka and gopi dots adorning her face and tulasi beads around her neck. I continued on my way around the grounds, checking the stalls and tents to make sure everything was all right. Here and there I'd pick up a piece of paper or an aluminum can, wanting to protect our image and give the best possible reputation to our festival. Suddenly, as I came near the book tent, I heard a loud cry: "Mom!"I turned just in time to see Monika jump into her mother's arms. Within moments they were in the book tent. And why not?That was their pastime. But now they had their choice of the cream of the crop. Later in the evening, another devotee and I met Monika walking blissfully around the festival, a bead bag around her neck. "My mother just left," said Monika. "She had her reasons why she had to leave, but she said I could stay." "Oh really?" said the devotee accompanying me. "How is that?"Monika smiled. "I told her that here I found the answers to all the questions I ever had," she said. "And most importantI most important of allI I found God." She said it with such conviction that her words seemed to dwarf my own realizations about the Lord.I thought about the frowning girl on the porch, and I marveled at the transformation that had taken place in her life in just two days.As she walked away, another devotee approached me."Maharaja," he said,"isn't that the girl who followed us on Harinam? She's so different now." I couldn't help smiling. "She certainly is," I said."If only I could be so fortunate." nrtyan vayu-vighurnitaih sva-vitapair gayann alinam rutair muncann asru maranda-bindubhir alam romanca-vanankuraih makando 'pi mukunda murcchati tava smrtya nu vrndavane bruhi prana-samana cetasi katham namapi nayati te "This mango tree in Vrindavana is now overwhelmed by remembering You. It dances, moving it's branches in the breeze. It sings in the form of these humming bees. It sheds tears in the form of these many drops of honey. It's hairs stand erect in ecstasy in the form of these new sprouts. O Mukunda, as dear to me as my own life, why is this tree so filled with love for You? Who am I, so hard-hearted that even Your name will not enter my heart?" [sri Isvara Puri, quoted by Srila Rupa Goswami, Padyavali, Text 62]

I am sorry- i meant to say MARK and not MAX! Haribol! anand

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisances unto him! I totally relate to your problem- I have made that kind of mistake many times. You know the worst one was- this was on a Ekadashi day and I decided not to fast on that day. We had a class meeting and they were serving pizza. Pizza is one my favorite foods and in my fondness or shall i say in my greed to grab a slice before others, I just picked a slice without thinking and took a bite but I just bit the corner portion. My friend who was sitting beside me said it is a pepperoni topping slice you have in your hand. I was horrified. Eventhough I did not actually eat the pepperoni piece, I bit a portion of the pizza. I felt soooo guilty that on Ekadasi, I ate meat and that too a cow. I guess i will never be forgived by Krishna. But, I took it in my stride and just decided to be a better person in KC. I know I will commit many mistakes in the process of being a devotee but we just have to seek Krishna's mercy to protect us and slowly relinquish these eating habits and other habits for good so at the end we never eat food from outside. In all this, we have to seek KRISHNA's mercy and we should also sincerely ask HIM to help us quit eating NON-PRASADAM. So, dont worry, you have a company in me- if that is of any help!! Haribol! anand

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisances unto him! Good presentation on the essence of Vedic Scriptures and the overall piture of life. Haribol! anand

Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! I offer my humble obeisances unto him! After reading your post I was intrigued by what is written in the Bible about meat eating and I did a google search on it. I have copied below 2 contradictory views about meat-eating based on the bible. Both by research scholars. 1st one- supporting meat eating Does God’s care, and the care that humans are supposed to have, mean that we must refrain from killing animals deliberately? Apparently not. Jesus certainly condoned fishing (John 21:6, Matthew 17:27, Luke 5:4). He certainly ate (Luke 24:42-43), and probably fished (John 21:9) even after His resurrection. Eating meat is used figuratively to stand for a very positive thing in the New Testament. Peter's vision, after the resurrection, and after Pentecost, used eating meat as a sign for that God does not show favoritism (Acts 11:1-18). Paul referred disparagingly to people who forbid eating meat (I Timothy 4:3). There are no explicit commands forbidding the consumption of all meat in the Bible. This is not to say that the Bible condones killing of animals wantonly. That would be contradictory to benign dominion. Nor does the Bible condone consumption of animal flesh (or any other kind of food) selfishly, or to excess. But we are allowed to kill non-human organisms for cause, at least. Such causes include killing an animal because it threatens a human (Exodus 21:29), killing for meat (Genesis 9:2-3, Leviticus 11:1-22) and killing an animal for its skin (Genesis 3:21). Exodus 12:21-23 and 12:46, and Mark 14:12, indicate clearly that the Passover, one of the most important ceremonies of the Jews, and the last ceremony Jesus performed with His disciples, involved eating meat. The Bible is very clear that humans and animals are not equals. Christ came in human form, principally to redeem humans, although the effects of redemption will be felt through all of creation. We have dominion over animals, not the reverse. That dominion implies responsible use, including research and killing for good cause. (Nothing in this paragraph rules out the practice of vegetarianism. Some Christians may decide, or God may even reveal to them, that they shouldn't eat meat. But they cannot prove that Scripture demands that Christians don't eat meat.) 2nd one- against meat eating Genesis 1:25; And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Each stage of Genesis through 1:25 describes creation and ends with God's judgment that what he made was good. This is the core of thinking that what God makes is good, and what is good we should protect. By virtue of the creator, we are responsible to be caretakers of everything that is good, so to harm or destroy the land, the water, the air, or "the beasts of the Earth" is to harm or destroy what is good. Without specific instruction otherwise, the default position for any Jew or Christian should be to protect nature. Genesis 1:29; And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. This is the most important passage about how humans are to eat. We already have instruction to protect nature, but God gives the exemption that we are given plants to eat. We may harm plants to survive. This is important not only as instruction from God, but it indicates what all of science knows: that humans are anatomically similar to plant-eaters. Every segment of our digestive tract, how our whole anatomy corresponds with eating plants, and how we maintain better health as exclusive plant-eaters, are all powerful reminders that in Genesis, God made us to eat plants. Moses Cassuto (1883-1951), for example, in his commentary "From Adam to Noah" (p. 58) states: You are permitted to use the animals and employ them for work, have dominion over them in order to utilize their services for your subsistence, but must not hold their life cheap nor slaughter them for food. Your natural diet is vegetarian... This opinion is consistent with the Talmud, which states that people were initially vegetarians: "Adam was not permitted meat for purposes of eating." Interesting enough, Bible texts have similarity to Vedic principles, however, the Bible has been interpreted differently according to ones mode of nature. Haribol! anand