Re : Sri Krishna and Christianity

March 11, 2005

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble Pranams, Maharaja. My obeisances to Srila Prabhupada and all Vaishnavas.

I greatly respect Maharaja’s enlightenment and contribution to Vaishnavism. It will be immature on my part to tell such an enlightened person about Vedas or Gita . I am a mere servant of Sri Krishna and the facts given below are from my own experience :

My native place is Kerala. This state is known as God’s own country because sage Parasurama had created it from sea. He had donated the place to Brahmanas and put in place 'Consecrated temples' to ensure vedic faith.

Later, Christian messengers like St. Thomas reached Kerala, and carried out mass conversions ( by using gimmicks like ‘magic ‘ ). Numerous Brahmanas and vedic followers were converted into Christianity. Several temples were changed in to Churches. British rulers continued these mass conversions and as a result number of Vedic followers were drastically reduced . However, as usual , divine intervention took place to curtail this practice. This phenomenon can be seen geographically wherever Christianity threatened vedic dharma. Devatas of temples in those places have displayed mystic power to destroy and beat back the Christian missionaries and rulers. Specific historical evidences are available to confirm these miraculous events.

Now, about Guruvayoor temple. This Deity of Sri Krishna was worshipped by Krishna Himself in Dwaraka. It is a fact that, all religious activities of this temple are done as per Krishna’s wishes. Authorized Tantrics and Priests are receiving mystic instructions from Krishna . Please believe me !. These people being ‘satwic’ , are not at all material minded . Just a glimpse of them fills one’s heart with devotion. Also, many sincere devotees are experiencing the decisive involvement of Sri Krishna in their lives.

Famous singer K.J.Yesudas is a devotee of Sri Krishna. Still, Bhagavan does not want him to enter Guruvayoor temple because he is a Christian. We can see Sasta , Durga, Siva and Ganesha as Parivara devatas ( auxiliary deities) inside Guruvayoor temple. But no one can even dream of bringing a statue of Jesus Christ or ‘Holy cross’ any where near the temple. If any one does that, it will affect Sri Krishna’s ‘deva chaitanya’ on the deity and Bhagavan will just leave it . This is the truth.

In the famous Sabarimala Lord Sasta temple , ( where people belonging to all religions are allowed) an interesting event took place a few years before. The priest of that temple had offered worship in a local church resulting in a big controversy. Subsequently, Lord Sasta's opinion was sought by Tantics and Vedic Astrologers and as desired by Him, that Priest was removed immediately. If this is the case with Lord Sasta, just think about His parent Sri Krishna who is absolutely Satwic.

I don’t dispute the possibility of nirguna-brahman aspect behind true Christianity . But, I don’t believe a vaishnava can go to church and then to a consecrated temple without harming that temple’s sanctity . I firmly believe the following teaching of Krishna Bhagavan (Gita, Chapter 12, Sloka 2 & 5 ) :

sri bhagavan uvacamayy avesya mano ye mam / nitya-yukta upasatesraddaya parayopetas / te me yuktatama matah

(Sri Bhagavan said: Those devotees, who with transcendental faith, fix their mind on My Syamasundara form, and constantly worship Me with ananya bhakti, are the best among those who know yoga. This is My opinion)

kleso' dhikataras tesam / avyaktasakta-cetasamavyakta hi gatir duhkham / dehavadbhir avapyate

(Those whose minds are attached to the nirvisesa-brahma-svarupa experience great difficulty, for it is troublesome for the embodied jivas to attain steadiness in that which is unmanifest.)

Your humble servant,

Jayamma

Date:-Thu, 10 Mar 2005 15:41:59 -0700

To:-

"Arjunananda Gauranga Nitaipada Maharaja" <arjunananda2000 Fri Mar 11, 2005 0:11pm Re: Sri Krishna has nothing to do with Christianity

Nityananda! Gauranga! Hare Krishna! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and all Vaisnavas. Please accept my humble obeisances and blessings. I pray that this meets you well and in the service/mercy of Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga.While I agree to a large degree with Jayamma Prabhu's post concerning Krishna Consciousness having nothing to do with Christianity, one must be wise enough to understand the simularities between the two paths. We also have to realize that what the Christ taught is not what Christianity today protrays.

Christians who walk in the teachings of the Christ are largely shunned by mainstream Christianity, this is because they do not walk in the spirit of His teachings.It is mention in this thread of how Srila Prabhupada compared Christianity to Krishna Consciousness, but we have to also realize that Srila Prabhupada was a realized soul and was teaching individuals according to what they themselves understood of God at the time. A great teacher teaches according to time, place, and circumstance, so that his listeners will come into a complete understanding of Truth. Those of us who were reared in the West come from a Judeo-Christian religious background, and unless we are were met with this understanding, Krishna Consciousness would never have gained momentum.While it is understandable that the teachings of the Christ were not known in India until the invasion of the British, likewise, the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were unknown in the West until Srila Prabhupada brought them to us. But, this does not discredit the fact that both the Christ and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught spiritual truth. Both taught basically the same message, which was unconditional surrender to the Lord. All true religions demand full surrender to God, unconditional surrender. When the Christ was asked by the Pharasees what was the greatest commandment of the Law, He replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, and with all they soul, and with all they might. This is the first and greatest commandment." (Matthew 22:37-38) Love means surrender. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Sri Krishna imparted the same message of surrender in love and devotion. The Lord Jesus Christ says to love God, and Krishna says, "Love Me." What is the difference? The Lord Jesus says to love the Father, and Krishna says, "I am the Father of all living entities. Surrender unto Me." So where is the contradiction?The message of the Christ was to surrender unto the Father and to follow His will. He is called "Messiah" or the anointed one, because He was

especially appointed, or anointed, by God to save people from material existence. The Messiah is one who comes in the Name of God to deliver God's message and save people from sinking into the most hellish condition. In this regard, how does the incarnation of the Christ differ from that of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? He incarnated to re-establish religious principles, to set right what the demonic had ruined. He brought back the spirit of religion, so that one did not live by empty laws and principles, and worse, the traditions of man (mishnah). What Christianity has become is not the fault of the Christ, but the politics of man. The evil desire of man to control the masses via the shroud of religion. This is not the Christ's fault. Anyone who has studied the Bible will notice that a vast majority of Christians pick and choose which part of His message they believe or desire to follow. This is not truth, but irreligion, Godlessness! Or as the apostle Timothy wrote: "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." (2 Tim 3:2-5). It is the history of the Church that has changed the message of the Christ, not Christ Himself. This is the reason for Christianities secretarian views, but their own scripture states to "live peacefully with all men." (2 Thes 5:13)While there may not be any mention of the Christ in the Vedas, there are clear echos of Vedic truth in the teachings of the Christ. We cannot undermine how the Supreme Personality of Godhead works regarding any people. Of this I am speaking of the true teachings of the Christ, not what the Church teaches. Like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Christ taught the people of Israel how to approach God. Like Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Christ appeared as His Father's own devotee. Both taught everyone They came into contact with the complete science of Bhakti-Yoga that cultivates unalloyed love of Godhead. But, like with both doctrines, the Christ and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu cannot be blamed for what has become of Their movements."All main events associated with Sri Krishna till 27th November 1587 have been mentioned in `Narayayeneeyam. We can not find any indication about `Jesus Christ ' or his philosphy in thissacred most recent hymn . This confirms that Sri Krishna

has nothing to do with the anti-vedic Christianity. If a follower of Vaishnavism, goes to church and partakes bread and wine (flesh and blood of Christ), he is no more a Vaishnava)."Of all the statements in this post, this one

concerns me the greatest. Srila Prabhupada taught us that we are not these bodies, but the spirit-souls within. How can the taking of "bread and wine" in a Christian ceremony invalidate one being a Vaisnava or not? Is this to mean that

as Vaisnavas we have adopted a secretarian "This is the only Way" mentality like the Christians and Muslims? "What goes into a man's mouth does not defile him, but what comes out of this mouth, that is what makes him unclean (unworthy)" (Matt 15:11) If a Vaisnava can worship God anywhere, this also means in a Christian Church, where the trappings do not touch nor corrupt his heart. Do not condemn before you understand.I attended the church of a very dear friend a couple of years ago. I went as a Vaisnava. Many (99%) of the members had a problem with this, but after the "service", those that were "true Christians" came up to me. Several of these nice Christian people were very sincere in their walk, knowing truth. Two have become my disciples because of that visit. We do not know where we will find those who truly search after truth. These wonderful people walked in the Truth as they knew it. They were very aware of the hyprocrisy of the Church and the corruption of its leaders. But the fact remains, in the short time that I was allowed to preach to them changed their lives forever. My friend is now a pastor himself, and I have been invited to speak several times in his Church. I do not teach "Bible" I teach "Truth". Jesus said that the "truth will set you free", but unless that Truth is presented in a non-judgmental and loving way, it will never be received by anyone, especially westerners.True Christianity is not "anti-vedic", it is truth seeking. But we have to be willing to see beyond the trappings of centuries of control and the changing of scriptures to fit the desires of a few men. As a Vaisnava, I suggest you go back and re-read the Bible and the words of the Christ. I believe that you will be very suprised at how much His teaching match our own.Your eternal servant;Nitaipada Maharaja

March 11, 2005

Jai Shri Radhe Krishna...

Please accept my humble Pranams, Maharaja. My obeisances to Srila Prabhupada and all Vaishnavas.

I am in 100% agreement to what Sri Sri Jayamma has written ... and I personally feel that there is no second thought in this.

I will quote one of the very recent happenings... I have a friend who by birth is a Christian. He came along with me to Delhi and I was planning to visit Vrindavan - the Holy abode of Lord Krishna. He said he would also come. I did not want to stop him. We stayed there over night, and in the night he had a dream... (This was narrated to me by him). It seems Lord Jesus appeared in his dream and said that he has come to a place which is superior to all religious places in the world. He had also told him that it is very difficult for people to even step in to this great land, and it can happen only if the Lord (Krishna) wishes... and this invitation has come to you from him. So, have darshan and do his bhajans, which will give you whatever you wanted" saying this Lord Jesus disappeared. The next day morning when I woke up, he was in tears

and was thanking me profusely for having taken him there...

Now, this clearly proves the fact that Lord Krishna is The Supreme God Head, and there is no second thinking about this.

I just thought I would share this with all of you.

Jai Shri Krishna

I

Jayamma <jayamma69 wrote: