Ananga

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's religion succeeded largely as a re-interpretation of Hinduism and its rigid caste system. That branch of the study of History of Religions is called hermeneutics. The oft used phrase is according to time and circumstance. Mahaprabhu made bhakti accessible to the masses and took off the previously imposed strictures of caste and creed to make it universally appealing, non-exclusive and non-sectarian. Sectarian cults can be successful, but they do not have this feature, rather one of exclusivity and isolationism. In examining any branch on the Caitanya tree, one must assess it according to such criteria to see how it measures up to Mahaprabhu's original vision of a faith for the masses. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 03-10-2002).] [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 03-10-2002).]

There was an article in Discover magazine recently about the saints called 'incorruptibles' because their bodies lacked signs of decomposition. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the low temperature in the crypts in which they were entombed were the actual cause of this phenomenon - sort of a type of refrigeration. A heart still beating and bursting its container with heat is something else altogether!

There was an article in Discover magazine recently about the saints called 'incorruptibles' because their bodies lacked signs of decomposition. Upon further investigation it was discovered that the low temperature in the crypts in which they were entombed were the actual cause of this phenomenon - sort of a type of refrigeration. A heart still beating and bursting its container with heat is something else altogether!

I challenge anyone to show how Manu Samhita fits in with the movement of Sri Caitanya. It seems to be counter to the whole spirit of bhakti. The idea of prohibitions against cruel and unusal punishment is so much more civilized. The appalling conditions in U.S. prisons is bad enough, without resorting to hacking off people's limbs on top of everything else. After all, everyone knows that the prison system in America is overcrowded mainly with drug addicts (who need medical treatment more than hard time) and not violent criminals. An effective system of justice is indispensible for keeping law and order in the land, but it must be truly just and not unduly harsh and barbaric. As far as the repression of women in Eastern and Western culture, that speaks for itself (definitely not in line with Mahaprabhu's teachings). It would be best to not mention texts like Manu Samhita at all.

I challenge anyone to show how Manu Samhita fits in with the movement of Sri Caitanya. It seems to be counter to the whole spirit of bhakti. The idea of prohibitions against cruel and unusal punishment is so much more civilized. The appalling conditions in U.S. prisons is bad enough, without resorting to hacking off people's limbs on top of everything else. After all, everyone knows that the prison system in America is overcrowded mainly with drug addicts (who need medical treatment more than hard time) and not violent criminals. An effective system of justice is indispensible for keeping law and order in the land, but it must be truly just and not unduly harsh and barbaric. As far as the repression of women in Eastern and Western culture, that speaks for itself (definitely not in line with Mahaprabhu's teachings). It would be best to not mention texts like Manu Samhita at all.

There is plenty of archaeological and other evidence that supports the Aryan invasion theory (that they came on horses from central Asia and conquered the locals), whereas there has yet to be any hard evidence uncovered to refute it. That is a plain simple fact. The current movement in India and worldwide to promote the origins of the Aryan civilization within India is just extreme fanatacism and should be ignored by all reasonable and sensible people. Vaishnavas should not concern themselves with these types of controversies, and should focus on their personal bhajan instead.

The Baha'i temple in Wilmette, IL is pretty impressive, although the bad photograpbhy of this webcam site does not really do it justice:

FYI: The tol system has all but vanished in India. That is unfortunate. If it can be revived, if even only online, then that would be a great preservation effort and a continuation of the traditional system of education based on shastra. Heaven knows the public school system in the West has been pretty much a failure academically and is now entering an even worse phase of degeneration with school shootings on top of drugs and gangs. The idea of the website is to take the best of both worlds: What the old tol system has to offer and what the modern system can bring to the table. If anyone is interested in the frontiers of science and its interface w/religion, then pick up a copy of Evan Harris Walker's "The Physics of Consciousness". Some of the mathematical equations might be tough to follow for most, but it is worth the effort.

Is there really a whole group that believe that SP is a reincarnation of Sri Caitanya, or just one eccentric fellow with his own website? Where does such madness originate from? Is it due to indulgence in mind altering drugs or alcohol? Is it some form of schizophrenia? That was always something that set SP apart from so many other India gurus: That he set out to make the Deity famous rather than himself personally. Those that would elevate him to Visnu-tattva only end up undermining everything he stood for. No doubt he would not find that at all acceptable.

Although it appears that George was more absorbed in bhakti than John was, and from a strictly musical standpoint he has been acclaimed as the superior talent as a performer, however, two hundred years from now there is a good chance John Lennon will be remembered as a great composer. That is not likely in the case of George. No disrespect intended. It is just a matter of two different skill sets that do not necessarily overlap, the skill of writing music and that of performing it. We also have to take into consideration comparisons with great and brilliant geniuses like Bach, Beethoven and Mozart, when forecasting who from the 20th century will make a mark on history. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 12-21-2001).] [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 12-21-2001).] [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 12-21-2001).]

It was Entertainment magazine, actually. The covers of both were so similar that I confused the two.

Part of an interview with George was just published in People magazine, wherein he states that he never really 'joined them', just in spirit. He also said that if SP knew that his disciples were ripping people off in airports, they would have had their 'behinds kicked'. The overall tone of his statements was that he respected SP, but did care much for his followers. I guess a couple that he stayed in contact with (like Mukunda) were the exception.

There is no reason to believe that the current war is any more significant than any preceding wars from an apocalyptic standpoint. Granted it has been rightly characterized as being different in nature from previous wars that the U.S. has fought. However, that does not make it automatically the fulfullment of various prophecies, all of which are highly suspect in credibility to begin with. People that get caught up in this doomsday hysteria need to get a grip. Nonetheless, we should not minimize in our minds the negative impact of human population explosions, for if those do not get curbed (and I mean yesterday!), then we have a problem of gargantuan proportions. That is just a mathematical reality, based on the amount of natural resources our planet provides. [This message has been edited by Ananga (edited 12-09-2001).]

Someone once told me what George's Sanskrit name was many years ago, but I forgot what exactly it was. Does anyone have any info. on this?

Hey jijaji. Nothing to add to this discussion. Just wanted to let you know that I am refraining from eamiling anyone for the time being. My computer appears to have been infected with that stupid NIMDA virus. I am in the process of cleaning it off my system. Did not want to in advertantly emai it out to anyone.