Things to Ponder!

[Guest guest]

Q. Do you have to pay the price for sins

committed by the mind but not<br>committed in

reality?<br><br>A. Sins committed in the mind generally lead to sins

of the flesh.<br>Therefore we are advised to control

our minds. While contemplating <br>sinful<br>thoughts

one cannot be happy. Thus one does suffer for this

kind of<br>contemplation. As for any future

ramifications of inappropriate<br>contemplation, Krsna

instructs us that our mental preoccupation

<br>determines<br>our next birth. So called idle thoughts are not

independent of karma. <br>They<br>are active in the psychic

dimensions and lead to karmic reactions. <br>Strive<br>to

control your mind. This is central to yoga

practice.<br><br>Q. I have a Bala Krsna deity. Do you know any

mantras for worshipping <br>it?<br>I also live in a bad

neighborhood. The situation is intolerable. I need

<br>a<br>miracle. Can you advise me?<br><br>A. In order to properly

worship the Deity of Krsna one needs to

<br>receive<br>the appropriate mantras for such worship from a guru.

The process of <br>Deity<br>worship (arcana) is

generally reserved for initiated devotees. Given

<br>your<br>situation, the best thing you can do for your Deity,

yourself and your<br>neighbors is to hold Krsna kirtan in

your home. Just sit or stand and <br>sing<br>aloud the

Hare Krsna maha mantra. Don't be concerned about the

initial<br>reaction of others. Just go on chanting at a regular times

throughout <br>the<br>day and expect a miracle.<br><br>Q.

Why is there such an uneven distribution of spiritual

fortune in <br>the<br>world? Why was only India chosen to

be the fountainhead of <br>spiritualism<br>where all

the great incarnations appeared?<br><br>A. Wherever

God manifests, that place becomes sanctified and the

<br>entire<br>Earth is blessed. It is also said that Bharata (India)

was much larger <br>in<br>the past, and many of the

Puranic tales describe lands outside of India<br>proper.

Thus the Puranas speak more of a world culture. Try to

<br>appreciate<br>God's descent in Bharata from a planetary viewpoint.

The word 'India' <br>is<br>not mentioned anywhere in

the scripture.<br><br>Furthermore, it is quite

possible that at the present time God is more<br>present

in other parts of the world, as India either turns

her back on <br>her<br>spiritual heritage altogether,

or misidentifies spirituality with<br>misunderstood

Hindu culture, superstition, and religious dogma.

Srila<br>Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada expressed this at one point in

his <br>campaign.<br>Indeed it is the Western

interest in Bharata's spirituality that is<br>spreading it

all over the world. Wherever the interest in God is

<br>greater,<br>that is where he is most present.<br><br>As many of

Caitanyadeva's eternal associates did not take birth

in<br>Navadwipa Dhama, but rather outside of the Dhama for the

sake of<br>distributing love of God all over the

world, devotees of Sri Caitanya <br>are<br>taking birth

all over the world to continue this effort. In doing

so <br>they<br>can appreciate the spirituality of

other traditions in the spirit of<br>essence seeking

(saragrahi) Vaisnavas.<br><br>from daily sanga newsletter

[Guest guest]

Tulsi, thank you for the post.<br>You wrote :

<br>>>The word 'India' is not mentioned anywhere in the

scripture.<br><br>I would like to mention the river Sindhu. The

mention of this name can be found in the scriptures. And

it from this that the name India has been derived.

Because the alphabet S is said to be interchangable with

the alphabet H in Persian, Sindhu became Hindhu

(hindu) and thus the Arabs referred to India as 'Al

Hind'.<br>The Greeks and Romans referred to India as 'Indos'

,'Indikos'or 'Indica'. The Turks, Afgans and others called it

'Hindustan'. <br>The Westerners named it 'India'.<br>The

origin of the term Hindu also has historical

connotations. The Persians pronounced the word Sindhu as Hindu,

and named the people staying near the Indus river

Hindus. Thus Hindu is only a corrupt form of Sindhu.

<br>Today many cities are being renamed. Madras is being

referred to as Chennai, Bomaby is being referred to as

Mumbai and Calcutta is being referred to as Kolkata. But

India has changed its name to Hindustan. The reason for

that is, even though originally India was a Hindu

kingdom, today it is a secular country and renaming India

may cause political chaos.<br>India has also been

referred to as Bharatvarsha, after Bharat. Shakuntala's

story appears in the Mahabharata. It was Shakuntala's

son after whom, it said, that the land he ruled was

called Bharatvarsha.

[Guest guest]

I wrote :<br>>>Today many cities are being

renamed. Madras is being referred to as Chennai, Bomaby is

being referred to as Mumbai and Calcutta is being

referred to as Kolkata. But India has changed its name to

Hindustan. The reason for that is, even though originally

India was a Hindu kingdom, today it is a secular

country and renaming India may cause political

chaos.<br><br><br>I am sorry I meant ......India 'has not' changed

its name.....<br><br>Sorry about the typo.