stonehearted

Here's what Kurma has to say about onions and garlic: Why No Onions and Garlic | Harmonist

Why not? Srila Prabhupada cited many such works, as does Sripad Naryana Maharaja every day. Moreover, Srila Prabhupada wanted his disciples to present those works to the world., and many of his disciples are doing so, as is Narayana Maharaja.

Sparky, you scamp! You just can't keep your hands in your pockets, can you?

That's the best way to understand any verse.

Whatever is essential, that is, whatever doesn't contradict the spirit of the Bhagavatam, may be accepted. Your question raises another issue: what constitutes shastra? You may have some burden, especially among followers of the Bhagavatam as taught by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, to establish whatever is written by Osho or any vamamarga tantrikas must be accepted as shastra. But if there is something in there that supports the essence of the Bagavatam--that all materially motivated religion is completely rejected, as we see in the second verse, which essentially states it thesis--then someone may accept that. But that doesn't mean they eat the whole flower. If you read that verse in context, you'll see it's not about indiscriminately accepting whatever someone who poses as a sadhu says, but about how saintly persons only accept what's necessary for their spiritual progress.

Nicely said.

WTF???

theist, you missed this paragraph, which changed my life when I read it 40 years ago: In the Vedas, the above-mentioned four activities are prescribed in the regulative way so that there will not be any undue competition for sense gratification. But Srimad-Bhagavatam is transcendental to all these sense gratificatory activities. It is purely transcendental literature which can be understood only by the pure devotees of the Lord who are transcendental to competitive sense gratification. In the material world there is keen competition between animal and animal, man and man, community and community, nation and nation. But the devotees of the Lord rise above such competitions. They do not compete with the materialist because they are on the path back to Godhead where life is eternal and blissful. Such transcendentalists are nonenvious and pure in heart. In the material world, everyone is envious of everyone else, and therefore there is competition. But the transcendental devotees of the Lord are not only free from material envy, but are well-wishers to everyone, and they strive to establish a competitionless society with God in the center.

Things change. Sri Govinda's sannyasa name is Bhakti Vigraha Nyasi Maharaja. You should be able to reach him through SCS Math. He may also have MySpace and/or Facebook pages.

Srila Sridhara Maharaja often spoke of the danger of trying to control the free flow of faith. Many devotees have taken shelter of Sripad Govinda Maharaja's guidance. Forcing everyone to do so would be contrary to everything we've been taught by our acharyas. (The same goes for those who insist we must all take shelter of Sripad Narayana Maharaja's guidance.)

Well said, theist. This is a good example of the dangers you risk when you rely uncritically on Wikipedia as a source. Hell, I could make an entry that says that Srila Prabhupada secretly instructed me that I'm the next acharya of ISKCON. That would really trip some folks up.

My spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, cited this verse as the standard for measuring spiritual progress: bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra caisa trika eka-kalah prapadyamanasya yathasnatah syus tustih pustih ksud-apayo 'nu-ghasam Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things -- these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating. (SB 11.2.42)

So, AM, why not get in on the fun? Make comments; submit articles. Let's not just talk about change, but work to effect change.

A New Gaudiya Vaisnava Web Site for Ideas and Discussion by Babhru das We live in times best characterized by the need to define the spiritual, times ripe for the resurgence of metaphysics. Not only has science failed to retire the “why” questions that arise spontaneously in human consciousness, but philosophy has also thought-drained its well dry. Bridging the metaphysics of the East and the philosophical traditions of the West, we propose a return to active discourse between humanity and divinity, which is the essence of revelation. This holds far more potential for fulfilling humanity’s essential needs than unbridled intellectual exercise and the licensing of technology to change the nature of nature. In such dialogue, reason shines as an aspect of faith, and faith itself is the illuminating embrace of truth, rather than mere belief. Science, technology, and philosophy should all be harnessed—tied to revelation—in pursuit of improving the quality of life and knowing well the truth of material impermanence, which facilitate not only the betterment of our material conditions as long as they last, but our quest for enduring happiness as well. Therefore, I am pleased to announce the launch of The Harmonist, a Web site dedicated to bridging the gap between East and West, between mind and spirit, between philosophy and revelation. The Harmonist publishes articles illuminating the philosophical conclusions of Gaudiya Vedanta, often by way of interfacing with other spiritual and philosophical traditions in a way that honors these traditions in their own right. It also publishes articles commenting on issues of the day, both within the Gaudiya Vaisnava community and the world at large. It focuses as well on news articles relevant to the greater spiritual community and the importance of sustainable living, which it views as the best way of living in this world while pursuing transcendence. The Harmonist seeks to both facilitate and take part in this discussion—the conversation that is the human response to revelation grounded in Vedanta. Our focus is also devotional Vedanta and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">school</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Sri Caitanya</st1:placename></st1:place>—Gaudiya Vedanta—in particular. We publish articles illuminating the philosophical conclusions of Gaudiya Vedanta, often by way of interfacing with other spiritual and philosophical traditions in a way that honors these traditions in their own right. We also publish articles commenting on issues of the day, both within the Gaudiya Vaisnava community and in the world at large. We focus as well on news articles relevant to the greater spiritual community and the importance of sustainable living, which we view as the best way of living in this world while pursuing transcendence. In addition to articles, a classroom, videos, and comics, the Harmonist encourages lively discussion among members and visitors with a robust comments feature. Check out www.harmonist.us and join the discussion!

Devotees who think that Sadasiva is a demigod may be well served by reading Cc. Adi lila, Ch. 6, and perhaps SB 8.7.