Prodigal Son Knows Everything! @ Ava Tue. Oct 4th, Ojai Ca.

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Hari Bolo Friends of the Vedas!

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

This Issue’s Feature Article: "Prodigal Son Knows Everything…"

The Next Gathering of the American Vedic Association’s Bhagavad Gita

Discussion and Fellowship is

1st Tuesday, Oct-04-2005 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 or an adult. 7:30 p.m. 640-0405 Always

Free!

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

AVA at Ojai Valley Days Oct. 15

The American Vedic Association is happy to announce that we will have an

informational book and display booth at the annual October 15th Ojai Valley Days

event. This is a great time for our readers who have not attended one of our

prior programs to come out and meet us. It is also an excellent time to

purchase any one of the numerous books we provide as the local representative

of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the largest publisher of Vedic literatures in

the English Language. Some examples of book titles we will have available

are: Bhagavad Gita As It Is (The largest selling Gita in the world.), The

Nectar Of Instruction, “A Second Chance, Back To Godhead Magazine,”

The Sri Isopanishad, Krishna Book (The Pastimes Of Lord Krishna with an

introduction from the late George Harrison.) and numerous other small paperback

books about reincarnation, vegetarian cooking, yoga and devotion etc.

AVA Television Debut On: Adelphia Channel 10 @ Tuesdays 5PM!

If you get benefit from the “AVA Newsletter,” you will

really enjoy the six one-hour television broadcasts that are scheduled for

transmission from Adelphia (Ojai, Ca.) Channel 10, on Tuesday evenings at 5

p.m. If you cannot be present at the time of the broadcast, we strongly

recommend that you tape the series on your VCR so you can review the content

and share the show with friends. On the evenings when we hold our

Bhagavad-Gita Fellowship guests are welcome to come early to see the scheduled

programs before we hold the bi-monthly meetings.

#1 Tuesday: October 4th - 5pm Channel 10

Spark of Life:

Academic inquiry exploring the relationship between body & soul as

delineated in the Vedas.

Nightmare Africa:

Entertaining comedy with a powerful, convincing, & dramatic Vegetarian

conclusion!

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami discusses:

Vedic definition of karma, human intelligence and social insanity!

#2 Tuesday: October 11th - 5pm Channel 10.

Healthy, Wealthy, & Wise:

Pensive review of medical, ethical, & moral reasons behind burgeoning

Vegetarianism.

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami discusses:

“Who is God? Here is God!" with prominent theologians. · Gita Verse:

10.8

Vegetarian Cooking:

Tennis professional Peter Burwash teaches how to prepare a very tasty

egg-less omelet from home-made curd!

#3 Tuesday: October 18th - 5pm Channel 10

Nandulal:

Endearing performance illustrating the deep loving affection between

Krishna and his humble devotee. · Gita Verse: 8:6

Vegetarian Cooking:

Extraordinary vegetable lasagna with medicinal herbs and spices. Fresh

seasoned green beans & minestrone soup.

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami discusses:

The definition of religion and the rare opportunity of human life. (Network

television interview.)

#4 Tuesday: October 25 - 5pm Channel 10

The Ramayana:

Indian classic epic tale about the saintly King Rama, the beautiful Sita,

the heroic Laxman, & the monkey King Hanuman.

#5 Tuesday: November 1st - 5pm Channel 10

Fate Museum:

A powerful film of computer controlled dioramas that teach the lessons of

India's most revered scripture, the Bhagavad Gita.

Marshal Arts Sword Dance:

World class Manipur marshal artists dangerously choreographed to thrust

real swords at each other!

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami discusses:

Enjoyment, suffering, Godliness & the absolute nature of the Supreme

Personailty of Godhead.

The Dance of Krishna:

Traditional Manipur dancer beautifully dressed to portray Krishna's

pastimes with gopis. · Gita Verse: 18.61

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami discusses:

The entire cosmic creation and how the human form of life is specifically

meant to understand God.

TK Band Performs:

“Do the Chant” More proof that there are no fixed or firm rules

about where, when or how to chant God's Holy name!

#6 Tuesday: November 7th - 5pm Channel 10

Sacred Cow:

A documentary that rationally explains why a cow is more valuable alive

than as a burger!

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami discusses:

Cruelty of killing mother cow with French Cardinal Danielou 1975.

Attam Dasi:

Tulsi Joseph gracefully performs traditional Bharatnatyam dance of

"Krishna's Flute".

TK Band Performs:

“Supreme Abode” thousands attend this live, festive, electric,

concert in Bombay.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Start This Issue Feature Article *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

The Prodigal Son Knows Everything,.. Adults Surrender

Two Versions of the Parable

An old proverb of unknown origin declares that the two most difficult times in a

person’s life are when they become an adolescent and when they raise an

adolescent. Those who have reared children would be inclined to suggest that

of the two, raising an adolescent is more difficult. A good parent has the

wisdom of maturity, but the responsibility of having to try and communicate

that effectively with what is often a belligerent teen which can be both

frustrating and nerve racking. Sociologists confirm that the youth of every

generation thinks they are beyond reproach, invulnerable, and the smartest

creatures on the face of the earth.

The angst caused by defiant adolescents is so common that we find instructive

stories about incorrigible young men causing grief to their parents in both the

“Biblical Gospel according to Luke” and the Buddhist

Saddharmapundarika Sutra 4. In both cases promising young men are driven by

pride and ignorance to leave their fathers’ comfort where they then

voyage out into the world on their own. In the Buddhist version the son simply

runs away, but Luke compounds the umbrage by having the son demand his portion

of inheritance from his vigorous father prior to his ungrateful departure.

The runaway, Asian son slips into a life of severe menial labor. Even when

providence reunites him with his wealthy father, his self esteem has degraded

so much, he can’t even grasp the possibility of being an heir to such

good fortune. In fact, he is so destitute that he is filled with trepidation

for his own aristocratic father; he again flees his association out of fear of

being arrested for cavorting among the rich.

In the Bible, the doting father was unable to assuage the passions of his proud

son and reluctantly agrees to give him his inheritance. He does so knowing

full well that when he does, he will leave and squander it in the process of

discovering the harsh realities of thieves on the road, and cheaters in the

marketplace.

The Coming of Age: Adulthood

Many confess that they feel it was only by God’s grace that they survived

their reckless youth and completed the rite of passage into adulthood safely.

The great American author, Mark Twain, humorously captured that epiphany in his

profound terse comment:

“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly

stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one I was

astonished at how much he had learned in seven years!” - Mark Twain.

Our story would end here if the symptoms of adulthood were merely a matter of

reasoning in an unbiased, consistent, and sober way. However, any insurance

adjuster who investigates accidents for insurance companies has a great deal of

evidence to confirm that the truth is not always that easy to conclude. The

only thing adulthood seems to confer in our society, other than the attainment

of an arbitrary age, is financial independence. When a child is financially

weaned from his parents and he has learned a socially acceptable way to pay his

own bills, do we then consider the child to be an adult.

More to Life than Sports & Vacations

The Prodigal Son parable is effective because despite the social status,

political influence, or degree of wealth one may rise to, many

“adults” remain as spiritually obstinate, foolish or confused as

the original prodigal son. Every significant religion petitions us to get

serious about using the life we have to understand who we are and what our

relationship is with God. However, despite all the good advice that is given,

most people spend very little time doing that very thing.

“One who knows that material happiness, whether good or bad, in this life

or in the next, on this planet or on the heavenly planets, is temporary and

useless, and that an intelligent person should not try to enjoy or even think

of such things, is the knower of the self. Such a self-realized person knows

quite well that material happiness is the very cause of continued material

existence and forgetfulness of one's own constitutional position.” -

Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 9, “Liberation”, Chapter 19

“King Yeti Achieves Liberation.” Text 20.

All faiths advise that there is more to human life than Super Bowl games, Emmy

Awards, dream vacations, amusement parks, PGA Golf Tournaments, and the latest

Rolling Stone’s concert. Yet these mega events attract the consciousness

of literally millions of people. Even if every atheistic or nihilistic person

were to attend these attractions, it still wouldn’t account for the

millions of people who patronize them. It is therefore safe to conclude, that

the majority of people who bankroll these elaborated commercial endeavors claim

to adhere to some type of religious teaching that would not condone such highly

structured diversions of our time and assets. This is not surprising and is in

fact, exactly what is to be expected in this millennium, called Kali Yuga. (The

Age of Quarrel)

The Religious Confusion of Kali Yuga

One of the symptoms of Kail Yuga is that mankind suffers from all sorts of

theological confusion. It abounds everywhere and in every tradition and

denomination. That is exactly what we can observe. For example, the most sacred

of Lord Buddha’s teachings were ahimsa & kripaya (non-violence &

compassion.) These are the reasons why all Buddhists were originally strict

vegetarians. However, that is no longer the case. There are even whole sects

in Buddhism that claim to present the purest form of Buddhism today, but nowhere

in their teachings is there any information about the importance of becoming a

vegetarian.

Similarly, churches also preach about the so-called virgin birth of Lord Christ,

despite the fact that there are very few serious biblical scholars who agree

with that, or many of the other so-called miracles that the Bible asks people

to believe ever happened.

In the same way, anyone who keeps up with the news knows that Islam is also in a

major crisis. The most obvious example of that is evident by the confusion

regarding what the Prophet Mohammed meant when he spoke about the controversial

subject of Jihad. (Holy war)

So it is not surprising that millions of well-intended pious people will spend

small fortunes to get box seat, season tickets to huge sporting arenas.

Virtuous people are also quickly convinced to take on huge debts in order to

purchase a time-share property, even though they may not own their own home,

cannot afford a time share, and don’t even have adequate time to utilize

it! The details of all these examples may vary, but the essence of the

question remains the same. What does riding a roller coaster at break neck

speed have to do with restoring one’s lost relationship with God?

Pinocchio & “Pleasure Island”

Despite how concurrent all religious scriptures are about advising us not to

pursue temporary worldly agendas, few people seem to honestly follow that

advice. Instead, the Western world is the biggest consumer society the world

has ever known. We clamor for every type of new convenience and entertainment

enticement, just like Pinocchio’s young friends who couldn’t wait

to get to Pleasure Island!

“Taking shelter of insatiable lust and absorbed in the conceit of pride

and false prestige, the impious, thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean

work, attracted by the impermanent. They believe that to gratify the senses is

the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus until the end of life their

anxiety is immeasurable. Bound by a network of hundreds of thousands of desires

and absorbed in lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense

gratification”- Bhagavad Gita As It Is, Chapter 16 “The Divine and

Demoniac Nature”, Text 10-12.

When saintly people try to remind us that chasing after the

“…impermanent” might not be such a good idea, the average

conditioned soul tends to respond with the same type of childish impudence

exhibited by the Prodigal Son.

“The conditioned souls become completely bound in affection to their own

corpselike material bodies and their relatives and paraphernalia. In such a

proud and foolish condition, the conditioned souls envy other living entities

as well as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, who resides in the heart

of all beings. Thus enviously offending others, the conditioned souls gradually

fall down into hell.” - Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 11 General History,

Chapter 5 “Narada Concludes His Teachings to Vasudeva”, Text 15.

Donkey Mentality

The delights available on Pinocchio’s Pleasure Island were so intoxicating

that those who indulged in them didn’t even notice that they were slowly

transformed into foolish donkeys. Children are by nature prone to wanderlust.

In the Pinocchio story, we can reasonably assume that many were allured to

Pleasure Island because they didn’t have anything better to do, were

following the lead of their friends and just didn’t know any better.

However, responsible adults are considered to be more mature and are not

expected to run off and chase their every desire whenever there is an

opportunity to do so. Although they may find that doing so will not result in

a new set of donkey ears, the Vedas would characterize their foolishness to be

equivalent to that of an ass.

Even in secular life, we see that those who are sober, practice self-discipline

and temperance are the ones who rise to prominent positions of leadership and

responsibility. The same principle applies in the spiritual paradigm.

“Sober and expert persons should search for the spirit soul with minds

purified through analytical study in terms of the soul's connection with and

distinction from all things that undergo creation, maintenance and

destruction.” - Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 7 “The Science of

God,” Chapter 7,”What Pralada Learned in the Womb,” Text 24.

The neophyte spiritualist just doesn’t recognize how indulging in

frivolous activities impacts their consciousness and therefore makes no attempt

to check them. They may even be powerful, influential, virtuous, and generous

leaders in society, but if they do not have a clear understanding of who they

are, what they are doing, and why, then they too, will also be victims of the

harsh laws of nature:

“There were many great saintly kings who were very expert in performing

sacrificial rituals and very competent in conquering other kingdoms, yet

despite their power they could not attain the loving service of the Supreme

Personality of Godhead. This is because those great kings could not even

conquer the false consciousness of "I am this body, and this is my property."

Thus they simply created enmity with rival kings, fought with them and died

without having discharged life's real mission. - Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto

5, “The Creative Impetus,” Chapter 14 “The Material World as

the Great Forest of Enjoyment”, Text 40.

Real spiritual maturity is not just a matter of attending church once a week,

meditating every day, chanting mantras, building hospitals or feeding the

homeless. Those things may be legitimate religiously inspiring activities, but

unless those disciplines lead to a genuine love for God, they are all considered

to be useless.

“Transcendental practices that do not ultimately help one realize the

Supreme Personality of Godhead are useless, be they mystic yoga practices, the

analytical study of matter, severe austerity, the acceptance of sannyasa, or

the study of Vedic literature. All these may be very important aspects of

spiritual advancement, but unless one understands the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, Hari, all these processes are useless.” - Srimad Bhagavat Purana

Canto 4, “The Creation of the Fourth Order,” Chapter 31

“Narada Instructs the Pracetas”, Text 12.

Change Of Heart

That genuine change of heart is similar to the one experienced by the Prodigal

son. The living entity is actually a part and partial of the Supreme Lord,

and as such, is endowed with God’s qualities, but only in very minute

quantities. One of God’s qualities is that He is completely independent,

and can do whatever he wishes. As unique individual spiritual sparks, we too

are given that same freedom. However the caveat of independence is that it is

also the origin of pride. The Prodigal Son was an adolescent, which demarks

the age when children begin to demand their right to think independently. It

was only because of the Prodigal Son’s persistence, that his kind farther

acquiesced to his demand to receive his inheritance prematurely. It was not

until he was humbled by the material nature that he finally returned to the

shelter of his patient, forgiving and prosperous father.

That is also our position. When one finally gets tired of being kicked by the

harsh laws of nature the option of returning home to the shelter, affection and

prudent guidance of our Supreme Father, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna

Himself, becomes significantly more attractive. That return home, back to

Godhead, cannot happen until there is a genuine change of heart When that

occurs, we not only do the smartest thing to improve our own condition, but

that also happens to be the best thing we can do for everyone else as well.

“O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest

perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one's own

occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the

Personality of Godhead.” - - Srimad Bhagavat Purana Canto 1

“Creation,” Chapter 2, “Divinity and Divine Service,”

Text 13.

For further information on this verse go to the following link:

http://vedabase.net/sb/1/2/13/en

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* End This Issue Feature Article *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

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. :-)

Public 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 topics that are only vaguely commented on by other sources.

If you have a subject you would like us to address, please send the question in

to us and we will consider it for a future AVA topic. Simple questions are

also addressed during the “Bhagavad-Gita Fellowship” meetings for

the benefit of all those who attend.

Vedic Authority

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

transcendental learning? 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. Although

that sounds like an exhausting study, it is actually quite easy if the

candidate is willing to accept instruction 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, giving

charity or perusing philosophical and furtive activities. Simply by performing

devotional service he attains all these 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 psycho-therapists, self declared gurus, charlatans, and

carpetbag religionists, to name just a few.

Back Issues of AVA Newsletter

The subjects that we have already covered in 2005 are also included at the end

of this newsletter. 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 EACH 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

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

October

3rd Tuesday, Oct-18-2005 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! 7:30 p.m., 640-0405 - Always Free!

November

1st Tuesday, Nov-01-2005 Vedic Understanding of Universal Time &

Creation

The Vedas provide 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. 7:30 p.m. 640-0405 - Always Free!

3rd Tuesday, Nov-15-2005 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! 7:30 p.m., 640-0405 - Always Free!

December

1st Tuesday, Dec-06-2005 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! 7:30 p.m., 640-0405 - Always Free!

3rd Tuesday, Dec-20-2005 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 p.m., 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 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

Goswami’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 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 Aas 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, yet 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 to be removed from our

mailing list. We will lament seeing you go when we do, but will gladly comply

with your request.

“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!