Bhagavad-gita doesn't teach giving relief to the poor

April 26, 2005

Point of information: the Food for Life program was not started by Srila

Prabhupada.

Its name, concept, and activities were created by certain ISKCON members

after Srila Prabhupada's disappearance.

April 26, 2005

Coincidentally (or so to speak), I was listening to Srila Prabhupada

mp3's (CD 6), and in one of them the topic of giving to the poor,

helping the poor, etc., came up. Srila Prabhupada's predominant point

in the conversation was that he does not distinguish between rich and

poor in the matter of who needs help. His prasadam distribution is

meant for everyone. I believe it was this one:

[Conversation Laguna Beach 1975-07-26 We Cannot Possess and

Renounce]

I was listening to, but I can't say for sure without listening to it

again, and I can't do that right now...:

It would seem to me that distributing prasad to the poor is good because

they will readily accept it due to hunger and uncertainty about the

future. However, the relief from hunger is of secondary importance when

distributing Prasad. Primary is that it gives a taste of spiritual

life, which the rich need as much as the poor. A second benefit of

distributing prasad to the poor is that the public appreciates

humanitarian work. However, public appreciation is also secondary.

Somehow we have to get everyone (including me!) to appreciate actual

Krishna consciousness, not just a show we put on to attract followers.

Hare Krishna

Begging your mercy,

Pandu das

April 26, 2005

achintya, "Bhakti Vikasa Swami"

<Bhakti.Vikasa.Swami@p...> wrote:

> Point of information: the Food for Life program was not started by

Srila

> Prabhupada.

>

> Its name, concept, and activities were created by certain ISKCON

members

> after Srila Prabhupada's disappearance.

Really? I was unaware of this. Thanks for the info.

I often see it being quoted in Food for Life brochures how Srila

Prabhupada had supposedly wanted that no one should go hungry within

10 miles of ISKCON temples. In retrospect, I am wondering if this

quote is accurate. I don't have the exact quote, but if you know what

I am talking about, do you have any information on it?

thanks,

HKS

April 26, 2005

Hari Bolo Prabhus,

The term "Food for Life" was conceived in 1981 in Los Angeles by Mukunda

Goswami who was in charge of the ISKCON Public Relations at the time. I was

part of that staff when we were brainstorming to come up with a slogan to

capitalize on the fact that ISKCON was doing a lot of food distribution

throughout various cities in the USA. I also drew the first poster using that

expression with a nice illustration that was similar to the picture of Krishna

passing out sweetmeats found on some of the older Krishna Consciousness

cookbooks. However the PR department never used my poster and chose a much

simpler logo with the horizontal lines and orange moon etc.

I have been particularly enjoying the erudition of the conversation regarding

advaitists, and Tatavavadies. I am dealing with a wave of neo-impersonalists

where I live in Ojai California. Unfortunately most of the followers of

mayavad philosophy that I have incountered in the USA are so shallow the don't

even know what sampradaya means and resent any possible discussion that suggests

what they believe to be is the highest truth, has little or no philosophical

consistency. For the most part the disciples of the neo-advaita are attracted

to these new-age teachers because they have watered it down so much it relieves

the individual from all responsibility for everything. i.e.: IF we are all

one, and there is nothing really going on except illusion, then there is nothing

to be done an no principals that are worth following.

For the most part the pseudo disciples of mayavadi philosophy in the West

are pure hedonists looking for an excuse to do whatever they want and reject all

religious teachings as mundane propaganda that originated buy mans fertile

creative brain.

Hoping this finds you all well.

mayesvara dasa

American Vedic Association

achintya [achintya]On Behalf Of

krishna_susarla

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 9:53

achintya

Re: Bhagavad-gita doesn't teach giving relief to the poor

achintya, "Bhakti Vikasa Swami"

<Bhakti.Vikasa.Swami@p...> wrote:

> Point of information: the Food for Life program was not started by

Srila

> Prabhupada.

>

> Its name, concept, and activities were created by certain ISKCON

members

> after Srila Prabhupada's disappearance.

Really? I was unaware of this. Thanks for the info.

I often see it being quoted in Food for Life brochures how Srila

Prabhupada had supposedly wanted that no one should go hungry within

10 miles of ISKCON temples. In retrospect, I am wondering if this

quote is accurate. I don't have the exact quote, but if you know what

I am talking about, do you have any information on it?

thanks,

HKS

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April 27, 2005

Dear Friend,

" Unfortunately most of the followers of mayavad

philosophy that I have incountered in the USA are so

shallow the don't even know what sampradaya means"

"For the most part the pseudo disciples of mayavadi

philosophy in the West are pure hedonists looking for

an excuse to do whatever they want and reject all

religious teachings as mundane propaganda that

originated buy mans fertile creative brain."

: The classical Advaita Sampradayam is considerably

theistic and allows only the Gods described in Vedas

to be accepted as IShwara though all are held to be

equal.

Here is an exhaustive description of Advaita

Sampradayam in its undiluted form.

http://www.advaita-vedanta.org/series/shankara_sampradaya/sankara_sampradayam_to\

p.htm

Three very important quotes from Sri

Chandrashekarendra Saraswati extracted from the link:

1. ", there are some who hold that Sankara worshipped

only MahA vishnu. They quote this NArayana smaranam

and Vishnu sahasranAma bhAshyam etc as the supportive

evidence for their claim. In addition to that, they

also point to the fact of establishing the Ishvara or

the saguna Bhraman, which does all these

lOka-vyavahAra, to be none other than NArAyanA

Himself, by AchAryAl, while elaborating about Him

[*Ishvara*] in His BhAshyAs."

: This shows that Shankara always gave the position of

Ishwara to Narayana in his bhashyas as we knew

previously. This admission comes from the foremost

Guru of Advaita in modern times.

2. "Purusha sUktham may see every thing as Vishnu

svarUpam. "

:Again the fact the Purusha suktham refers to Vishnu

is admitted by the highest authority on Advaita. Some

self-proclaimed authorities have been known to

question this claim in very recent times.

3. "As a prelude to the dawn of the knowledge, the

mind has to remain focussed. Bhakthi upAsanA is

essential for achieving that one pointedness of the

mind. As the mind will remain absorbed only in

BhagavAn, [*AchAryAl*] has incorporated bhakthi as a

pre-requisite. KarmAnushtAnam is a very essential step

prior to [*this stage of*] bhakthi. Thus, AchAryAl has

given us a very well ordered step-by-step path [*for

spiritual evolution*]."

: Thus in traditional Advaita , bhakthi is a

prerequisite for gyana and there is no shortcut. Not

only bhakthi, karmas prescribed in vedas are a

prerequisite. The neo-advaitins who want to take the

shortcut are doomed to failure. And one important

catch here, once the mind goes towards Bhakthi, we all

know that it is outright impossible to get out of it.

Thus Shankara wanted people to get into Bhakthi,

though he implemented his desire in an indirect manner

as described in Padma Purana.

Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya.

______________________

India Matrimony: Find your life partner online

Go to: http://.shaadi.com/india-matrimony

April 28, 2005

Feeding the Hungry - the perfect way

>From ISKCON Chennai web page:

dravya-yajnas tapo-yajna

yoga-yajnas tathapare

svadhyaya-jnana-yajnas ca

yatayah samsita-vratah [bg. 4.28]

Charity,or sacrificing your possession for the benefit of others, this is

also yajna.But they are called karma-kanda yajna, fruitive activities. By

such performance of yajna, one can elevate his material position.

Just like feeding the poor.It is also yajna. But the same thing, if it is

dovetailed in (Krishna) consciousness, that becomes perfect. People are

very much inclined to feed the poor with sumptuous food, but it can be

done in a little different way, that the foodstuff (is) offered to Vishnu,

prasada, that distribution of foodstuff is better than ordinary

distribution of foodstuff... So, our Krishna consciousness movement, we

are also distributing food.

Lecture in Bombay April 17, 1974.

- THK

April 28, 2005

Please read Srila Prabhupada's translation for bg 4.28

"Having accepted strict vows, some become enlightened by sacrificing their

possessions, and others by performing severe austerities, by practicing the

yoga of eightfold mysticism, or by studying the Vedas to advance in

transcendental knowledge."

This verse is talking about some of the things (by definition, not

exhaustive) you can do to advance in "transcendental knowledge" ala Krishna

Consciousness.also, remember that the chapter is titled "Transcendental

Knowledge". Lord Krishna does not mince words and he doesn't talk about

Karma kanda in a chapter discussing Gyana Yoga (defined in English as

"transcendental knowledge").

Prabhupada is explaining in the purport that this is often mistaken and

Karma Kanda is taken instead (where instead of the purpose being Krishna

Consciousness, people do the same things for material opulence).

Jai Sri Krishna.

Krishna

_____

achintya [achintya] On Behalf

Of T.Harikrishnan

Thursday, April 28, 2005 2:33 AM

achintya

RE: Bhagavad-gita doesn't teach giving relief to the

poor