This Holy Period

March 30, 2008

Om Namo Narayanaya. Dear Bhaktas, My Pranaams to all. Holi, the most joyous of festivals is just over. This is one of the most wonderful of festivals as it is when everyone remembers one of the greatest Bhaktas--Sri Prahalad Ji. In my country,Guyana, Holi is a public holiday and for this occasion, from The President to all the other Political leaders,they send out appropiate messages and in it they too reminisce about Bhakta Prahalada. At this time, everyone talks about this child's devotion to God and the triumph of Good( Prahalada) over Evil( Holika). There are so many profound messages in the Katha of Bhakta Prahalada Ji. The main message is that Bhagwaan never ever allows His Devotees to be defeated. There are countless Katha about devotees of Lord Hari where He demonstrates that He will never allow them to be

defeated and He punishes those that dare harm those that are close to Him. Prahalada's Katha demonstrates that even if it is a father who is the one committing the sin of harming Bhagwaan's devotee, that father is doomed. Coming from a Dharma where we are taught that Pita, Mata, Pati, Guru are to be respected like God--this is a splendid example demonstrating that even though you are Father(God like), if you act like a demon then you will attain the rewards of what demonic behaviour will reap--destruction!! Many use seniority as a means of abusing those that they are supposed to protect and take care of -- they feel that they are invincible because of age. Bhagwaan has demonstrated here yet again that He does not have any regards for anyone who harms His Devotee, irrespective of who you think you are or how high in esteem you hold yourself to be. In the eyes of Bhagwaan, you behave

like a demon, you will be destroyed likewise. How does this apply to present day? We talk so much about this Katha and laud the feats of Bhagwaan and Prahalada, yet how many truly do apply this to their lives? Are we to believe that Kathas are only for reminiscing when Festivals come around and not for application to real life? This may be the reason why we are living in so much of conflict and misery today. Why many are living lives of artifice and deceit. They believe that these Katha are not applicable to real life hence they believe that they are safe from reaping the result of their demonic behaviour. In their eyes we are to believe that like Hiranyakashyapu--The Lord does not care nor pay attention to every single acrimonious act meted out to innocent souls.That only for extraordinary Devotees like Prahalada, Bhagwaan will rescue and for ordinary humans He will just allow us to suffer? Is this the reason why no one cares? Well if we

truly need help then we should study Prahalada's example. He was totally devoted to Bhagwaan. He loved and adored God and was single pointed in his devotion. Follow his example and we will also be blessed with similar reward. This is the second lesson of this Katha. Be devoted to Bhagwaan and you will be protected at all times. Thousands of years later, we are observing a Devotees victory over his abusers. Is this not remarkable? We recognise the importance of Prahalada Ji, we know and accept that what his father did was wrong. Why then do not apply this lesson to real life? This seem to be the tragedy of Sanatana Dharma. We have all the great lessons set out by Bhagwaan Himself during His various Avataras, The Devi too in her Kathas and Lord Mahadev is His Kathas. We have many, many wonderful examples. The followers of Sanatana Dharma should be at the forefront in setting examples for Women's Rights, Children's

Rights, Basic Human Rights, yet we seem to be the one who are most reluctant to do so. Why this dissonance between what is in our Scriptures and application to real life? Why do we find it so difficult to use examples in our scriptures as role models? Granted, Hiranyakashyapu was destroyed in a spectacular manner, the lesson of what he did and the results of his acts is not beyond human application however. It is my sincere prayer that as followers of Sanatana Dharma, we should use this period not only as a celebration but as a time to do some serious Sewa. Holika was destroyed on March 21st, Nav Ratra will be observed from 6th April--13th April, Nrsimha Chaturdasi 18th May. We have these months to initiate programs, bring awareness of the prevalence of Abuse within our Society. Abuse meted out to children, abuse meted out to women. Let us not waste a moment more and allow our Hindu family to disintegrate further. Let us

not drive away our Hindu women and children into finding comfort into the arms of others because we refuse to protect our own. The time is now to stop whining and complaining that Hindus are leaving. We have to make the effort to keep them. No sane person will ever leave a safe, loving and protected home--we must make the Hindu home such a safe and loving haven that no one will ever have the need to seek shelter elsewhere. With Prem and Pranaams, Nanda Sahadeo TAD VISNOH PARAMAM PADAM (Rg Veda 1.22.20)

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March 30, 2008

Hare Krsna. Dear Nanda and all Bhaktas: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare My advice is to take solace in Lord Krishna. He will deal with those who deserve punishment. Do not harbour poisonous thoughts about harming others for this will only bring on more negativity that will only contaminate noble souls like yourself. Leave it to Bhagavan. I love these Krishna videos. They help me attain a serene and peaceful mind, forgetting all the negative things in the world.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=WWYGEM19cUk http://youtube.com/watch?v=c5mYsTGjP_Y http://youtube.com/watch?v=3x7dzRfQR4c Chant the Maha Mantra. Have faith in Lord Krishna and He will do the rest for us. Hare Krsna Nanda <nandukother wrote: Om Namo Narayanaya. Dear Bhaktas, My Pranaams to all. Holi, the most joyous of festivals is just over. This is one of the most wonderful of festivals as it is when everyone remembers one of the greatest Bhaktas--Sri Prahalad Ji. In my country,Guyana, Holi is a public holiday and for this occasion, from The President to all the other Political leaders,they send out appropiate messages and in it they too reminisce about Bhakta Prahalada. At this time, everyone talks about this child's devotion to God and the triumph of Good( Prahalada) over Evil( Holika). There are so many profound messages in the Katha of Bhakta Prahalada Ji. The main message is that Bhagwaan never ever allows His Devotees to be defeated. There are countless Katha about devotees of

Lord Hari where He demonstrates that He will never allow them to be defeated and He punishes those that dare harm those that are close to Him. Prahalada's Katha demonstrates that even if it is a father who is the one committing the sin of harming Bhagwaan's devotee, that father is doomed. Coming from a Dharma where we are taught that Pita, Mata, Pati, Guru are to be respected like God--this is a splendid example demonstrating that even though you are Father(God like), if you act like a demon then you will attain the rewards of what demonic behaviour will reap--destruction!! Many use seniority as a means of abusing those that they are supposed to protect and take care of -- they feel that they are invincible because of age. Bhagwaan has demonstrated here yet again that He does not have any regards for anyone who harms His Devotee, irrespective of who you think you are or how high

in esteem you hold yourself to be. In the eyes of Bhagwaan, you behave like a demon, you will be destroyed likewise. How does this apply to present day? We talk so much about this Katha and laud the feats of Bhagwaan and Prahalada, yet how many truly do apply this to their lives? Are we to believe that Kathas are only for reminiscing when Festivals come around and not for application to real life? This may be the reason why we are living in so much of conflict and misery today. Why many are living lives of artifice and deceit. They believe that these Katha are not applicable to real life hence they believe that they are safe from reaping the result of their demonic behaviour. In their eyes we are to believe that like Hiranyakashyapu--The Lord does not care nor pay attention to every single acrimonious act meted out to innocent souls.That only for extraordinary Devotees like Prahalada, Bhagwaan will rescue and for ordinary humans He will

just allow us to suffer? Is this the reason why no one cares? Well if we truly need help then we should study Prahalada's example. He was totally devoted to Bhagwaan. He loved and adored God and was single pointed in his devotion. Follow his example and we will also be blessed with similar reward. This is the second lesson of this Katha. Be devoted to Bhagwaan and you will be protected at all times. Thousands of years later, we are observing a Devotees victory over his abusers. Is this not remarkable? We recognise the importance of Prahalada Ji, we know and accept that what his father did was wrong. Why then do not apply this lesson to real life? This seem to be the tragedy of Sanatana Dharma. We have all the great lessons set out by Bhagwaan Himself during His various Avataras, The Devi too in her Kathas and Lord Mahadev is His Kathas. We have many, many wonderful examples. The followers of Sanatana Dharma

should be at the forefront in setting examples for Women's Rights, Children's Rights, Basic Human Rights, yet we seem to be the one who are most reluctant to do so. Why this dissonance between what is in our Scriptures and application to real life? Why do we find it so difficult to use examples in our scriptures as role models? Granted, Hiranyakashyapu was destroyed in a spectacular manner, the lesson of what he did and the results of his acts is not beyond human application however. It is my sincere prayer that as followers of Sanatana Dharma, we should use this period not only as a celebration but as a time to do some serious Sewa. Holika was destroyed on March 21st, Nav Ratra will be observed from 6th April--13th April, Nrsimha Chaturdasi 18th May. We have these months to initiate programs, bring awareness of the prevalence of Abuse within our Society. Abuse meted out to children, abuse meted out to women. Let us not

waste a moment more and allow our Hindu family to disintegrate further. Let us not drive away our Hindu women and children into finding comfort into the arms of others because we refuse to protect our own. The time is now to stop whining and complaining that Hindus are leaving. We have to make the effort to keep them. No sane person will ever leave a safe, loving and protected home--we must make the Hindu home such a safe and loving haven that no one will ever have the need to seek shelter elsewhere. With Prem and Pranaams, Nanda Sahadeo TAD VISNOH PARAMAM PADAM (Rg Veda 1.22.20) Sent from Mail. A Smarter Inbox.

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March 31, 2008

Om Namo Narayanaya. Capil Ji, Pranaams. You seem have entirely missed the message that I have sent--please reread the last paragraph where I asked that we use this sacred period to address issues affecting those that are suffering within our Society/Homes and help those that need help. My message is not --"harbour poisonous thoughts about harming others"--how did you get this impression is beyond my comprehension. "Harbouring poisonous thoughts and harming others" were what demoniac people like Hiranyakasyapu were doing hence he was destroyed by The Lord. It is The Lord who knows who deserved to be punished and who do not and He has also given us example as to whom will/should be punished. For example when it was the time for the destruction of The Kauravas and their supporters(Guru, Grandfather et al), The Lord commanded

Arjuna Ji into performing the act. He did not commend Arjuna for wanting to forgive those who committed sin. Please be assured that I will not be contaminated as long as I am in a home sanctified by years and years of sadhana--as this one done by pious parents and siblings. I am even more lucky as we have one of the most beautiful Sri Krsna Mandir. Just before Holi, the children, myself and another devotee, cleaned the entire Mandir inside out, the entire compound-front to back and then decorated it beautifully with mango, peepal and tulsi leaves and flowers. Our Kandhaiya was beaming. Maybe one day you can come when you are in Guyana and have darshan.You want find peace--go clean a Mandir--pick up a brush and scrub the floors and see how quickly you get immense, immense satisfaction. It is extremely sad that many people born into our Dharma make the sufferings of

devotees as something to be shoved aside lightly and ignored and even frowned upon. We should be making sure that the devotees of The Lord is always protected and taken care of. I'll give you a simple example. A month ago, a member from our Mandir passed away after illness. Her 3 children are my students. The only daughter is only 13, the youngest son 7. This young girl was devastated at her Mother's passing even though she knew it had to happen. We went to the home and sang Kirtanas--she came and sat and sang with us. My Mom and I spoke words of comfort to her, hugged her as she cried. I told her that on the day of the funeral, she must remember Lord Krsna when she feels bad. This is just a simple simple act yet it gave some measure of comfort to a child in distress. I have taught these children at our Mandir to depend on The Lord. To call on Him when they are fearful and they have come back to me with stories about how they got help

when they needed it. I can go on and on about this. With working knowledge about what needs to be done, I know how much can be accomplished if we all stop thinking about OUR OWN SELF AND START DOING SEWA. I have peace, I know how to find peace but that is not what is important to me as I know that it is more important to helping those Devotees of The Lord that need help.It is the least that I can do as thanks for being so lucky to be a servant of His. Jai Sri Krsna. Nanda TAD VISNOH PARAMAM PADAM (Rg Veda 1.22.20)

for Good helps you make a difference

April 1, 2008

Hare Krsna. Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, self-control and calmness, pleasure and pain, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy are created by Me alone. GITA 10-4/5 When counseling young couples, my wife and I ask: What did the other person do wrong? We get a torrent of emotional answers. We then ask: What did you do wrong? Silence with little or no response. Failure to admit mistakes, not apologizing, not rectifying errors, and abdication of personal responsibility are the main reasons for suffering. Suffering is part of human existence but Bhagavan advises us to strive for samata, the state of equanimity. We exhort all to avoid the extremes of joy and sadness, and exultation and suffering. Shrila Prabhupada explains for us: In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated: tat te 'nukampam susamiksamano. Whenever a devotee is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the Lord's mercy upon him. He thinks: "Thanks to my past misdeeds I should suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. So it is by the mercy of the Supreme Lord that I am not getting all the punishment I am due. I am just getting a little, by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Bhagavan is loving and forgiving. We urge everyone to forgive ourselves for only then we can forgive others. Don't be too hard on ourselves. Let us get rid of the anger and bitterness within us and rise above past mistakes and misdeeds, so that we can free our minds from negativity and unpleasantness, and thus be receptive to the Knowledge of Bhagavad

Gita. We caution that if we do not purge our minds of negativity our lives will be miserable and we shall be consumed with unpleasant thoughts and unstable minds that will prevent us from personal liberation we seek. We advise that we must break out of this bondage of anger, bitterness, ill feelings, and unpleasant thoughts or else we shall lead unfulfilled lives. Shrila Prabhupada further explains equanimity for us: A pure devotee is neither happy nor distressed over material gain and loss, nor is he very much anxious to get a son or disciple, nor is he distressed by not getting them. If he loses anything which is very dear to him, he does not lament. Similarly, when a living entity is without attraction or hatred, he also becomes flawless and eligible to enter into the spiritual sky. Such persons are to be considered already

liberated Bhagavad Gita has all the knowledge we need. Teach the GITA to people and you will forever be Blessed. Forget the fuss about rituals. Teach the Gita and all else will follow. See below for more verses from the Gita with the wonderfully illuminating commentary from Shrila Prabhupada. Understand and accept Srila Prabhupada's advice. After you read this, while listening to the Maha Mantra, you will feel a load lifted off your shoulders, you will be free, and you will be contented and comforted. Teach this to the young ones. We cannot prevent suffering but we can teach others how to understand, accept, and deal with suffering, according to Bhagavad Gita. Please share these verses with others who are in distress or going through difficult times. Bhagavan is there for us, all of us. Shrila Prabhupada explains: Samata, equanimity, refers to freedom from attachment and aversion. To be very much attached or to be very much detached is not the best. This material world should be accepted without attachment or aversion. Similarly, that which is favorable for prosecuting Krsna consciousness should be accepted; that which is unfavorable should be rejected. That is called samata, equanimity. A person in Krsna consciousness has nothing to reject and nothing to accept unless it is useful in the prosecution of Krsna consciousness. Of whatever we find, good or bad, the origin is Krsna. Nothing can manifest in this material world which is not in Krsna. That is knowledge; although we know that things are differently situated, we should realize that everything flows from Krsna. One who is not envious

but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me--he is very dear to Me. GITA 12- 13/14 Shrila Prabhupada explains for us: Coming again to the point of pure devotional service, the Lord is describing the transcendental qualifications of a pure devotee in these two verses. A pure devotee is never disturbed in any circumstances. Nor is he envious of anyone. Nor does a devotee become his enemy's enemy; he thinks that one is acting as his enemy due to his own past misdeeds. Thus it is better to suffer than to protest. Therefore he is always calm, quiet and

patient, despite many distressful conditions. A devotee is always kind to everyone, even to his enemy. Nirmama means that a devotee does not attach much importance to the peace and trouble pertaining to the body because he knows perfectly well that he is not the material body. He does not identify with the body; therefore he is freed from the conception of false ego and is equipoised both in happiness and distress. He is tolerant, and he is satisfied with whatever comes by the grace of the Supreme Lord. He does not endeavor much to achieve something with great difficulty; therefore he is always joyful. He is a completely perfect mystic because he is fixed in the instructions received from the spiritual master, and because his senses are controlled, he is determined. He is not swayed by false argument because no one can lead him from the fixed determination of devotional service. He is fully conscious that Krsna is the eternal Lord, so no one

can disturb him. All his qualifications enable him to depend entirely on the Supreme Lord. Such a standard of devotional service is undoubtedly very rare, but a devotee becomes situated in that stage by following the regulative principles of devotional service. Furthermore, the Lord says that such a devotee is very dear to Him, for the Lord is always pleased with all his activities in full Krsna consciousness. He for whom no one is put into difficulty and who is not disturbed by anxiety, who is steady in happiness and distress, is very dear to Me. GITA 12-15 Shrila Prabhupada explains for us: A few of a devotee's qualifications are further being described. No one is put into difficulty, anxiety, fearfulness, or dissatisfaction by such a devotee. Since a devotee is kind to

everyone, he does not act in such a way to put others into anxiety. At the same time, if others try to put a devotee into anxiety, he is not disturbed. It is by the grace of the Lord that he is so practiced that he is not disturbed by any outward disturbance. Actually because a devotee is always engrossed in Krsna consciousness and engaged in devotional service, all such material circumstances cannot woo him. Generally a materialistic person becomes very happy when there is something for his sense gratification and his body, but when he sees that others have something for their sense gratification and he hasn't, he is sorry and envious. When he is expecting some retaliation from an enemy, he is in a state of fear, and when he cannot successfully execute something he becomes dejected. But a devotee is always transcendental to all these disturbances; therefore he is very dear to Krsna. One who neither grasps pleasure

or grief, who neither laments nor desires, and who renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things, is very dear to Me. One who is equal to friends and enemies, who is equipoised in honor and dishonor, heat and cold, happiness and distress, fame and infamy, who is always free from contamination, always silent and satisfied with anything, who doesn't care for any residence, who is fixed in knowledge and engaged in devotional service, is very dear to Me. GITA 12-17/19 A pure devotee is neither happy nor distressed over material gain and loss, nor is he very much anxious to get a son or disciple, nor is he distressed by not getting them. If he loses anything which is very dear to him, he does not lament. Similarly, if he does not get what he desires, he is not distressed. He is transcendental

in the face of all kinds of auspicious, inauspicious and sinful activities. He is prepared to accept all kinds of risks for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord. Nothing is an impediment in the discharge of his devotional service. Such a devotee is very dear to Krsna. A devotee is always free from all bad association. Sometimes one is praised and sometimes one is defamed; that is the nature of human society. But a devotee is always transcendental to artificial fame and infamy, distress or happiness. He is very patient. He does not speak of anything but the topics about Krsna; therefore he is called silent. Silent does not mean that one should not speak; silent means that one should not speak nonsense. One should speak only of essentials, and the most essential speech for the devotee is to speak of the Supreme Lord. He is happy in all conditions; sometimes he may get very palatable foodstuffs, sometimes not, but he is satisfied. Nor does he care for any

residential facility. He may sometimes live underneath a tree, and he may sometimes live in a very palatial building; he is attracted to neither. He is called fixed because he is fixed in his determination and knowledge. We may find some repetition in the descriptions of the qualifications of a devotee, but this is just to give an illustration of the fact that a devotee must acquire all these qualifications. Without good qualifications, one cannot be a pure devotee. O ne who is not a devotee has no good qualification. One who wants to be recognized as a devotee should develop the good qualifications. Of course he does not extraneously endeavor to acquire these qualifications, but engagement in Krsna consciousness and devotional service automatically help him develop them. Those whose minds are established in sameness and equanimity have already

conquered the conditions of birth and death. They are flawless like Brahman, and thus they are already situated in Brahman. GITA 5-19 Equanimity of mind, as mentioned above, is the sign of self-realization. Those who have actually attained to such a stage should be considered to have conquered material conditions, specifically birth and death. As long as one identifies with this body, he is considered a conditioned soul, but as soon as he is elevated to the stage of equanimity through realization of self, he is liberated from conditional life. In other words, he is no longer subject to take birth in the material world but can enter into the spiritual sky after his death. The Lord is flawless because He is without attraction or hatred. Similarly, when a living entity is without attraction or

hatred, he also becomes flawless and eligible to enter into the spiritual sky. Such persons are to be considered already liberated, and their symptoms are described below. The philosophy above as explained by Srila Prabhupada is far more important and valuable than singing and cleaning mandirs. Teach this to the pupils and students and you would have given them the greatest gift. Nanda <nandukother wrote: Om

Namo Narayanaya. Capil Ji, Pranaams. You seem have entirely missed the message that I have sent--please reread the last paragraph where I asked that we use this sacred period to address issues affecting those that are suffering within our Society/Homes and help those that need help. My message is not --"harbour poisonous thoughts about harming others"--how did you get this impression is beyond my comprehension. "Harbouring poisonous thoughts and harming others" were what demoniac people like Hiranyakasyapu were doing hence he was destroyed by The Lord. It is The Lord who knows who deserved to be punished and who do not and He has also given us example as to whom will/should be punished. For example when it was the time for the destruction of The Kauravas and their supporters(Guru, Grandfather et al), The Lord commanded

Arjuna Ji into performing the act. He did not commend Arjuna for wanting to forgive those who committed sin. Please be assured that I will not be contaminated as long as I am in a home sanctified by years and years of sadhana--as this one done by pious parents and siblings. I am even more lucky as we have one of the most beautiful Sri Krsna Mandir. Just before Holi, the children, myself and another devotee, cleaned the entire Mandir inside out, the entire compound-front to back and then decorated it beautifully with mango, peepal and tulsi leaves and flowers. Our Kandhaiya was beaming. Maybe one day you can come when you are in Guyana and have darshan.You want find peace--go clean a Mandir--pick up a brush and scrub the floors and see how quickly you get immense, immense satisfaction. It is extremely sad that many people born into our Dharma make the sufferings of

devotees as something to be shoved aside lightly and ignored and even frowned upon. We should be making sure that the devotees of The Lord is always protected and taken care of. I'll give you a simple example. A month ago, a member from our Mandir passed away after illness. Her 3 children are my students. The only daughter is only 13, the youngest son 7. This young girl was devastated at her Mother's passing even though she knew it had to happen. We went to the home and sang Kirtanas--she came and sat and sang with us. My Mom and I spoke words of comfort to her, hugged her as she cried. I told her that on the day of the funeral, she must remember Lord Krsna when she feels bad. This is just a simple simple act yet it gave some measure of comfort to a child in distress. I have taught these children at our Mandir to depend on The Lord. To call on Him when they are fearful and they have come back to me with stories about how they got help

when they needed it. I can go on and on about this. With working knowledge about what needs to be done, I know how much can be accomplished if we all stop thinking about OUR OWN SELF AND START DOING SEWA. I have peace, I know how to find peace but that is not what is important to me as I know that it is more important to helping those Devotees of The Lord that need help.It is the least that I can do as thanks for being so lucky to be a servant of His. Jai Sri Krsna. Nanda TAD VISNOH PARAMAM PADAM (Rg Veda 1.22.20) for Good helps you make a difference

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April 1, 2008

Om Namo Narayanaya. Capil Ji, While I welcome the sharing of your opinions and enjoy having exchanges with any devotee--am not too sure if the Moderators will allow this thread to continue. If they don't,please feel free to continue privately. You have sent several wonderful messages by Srila Prabhupada Maharaj. I loved the one about counselling married couples who has problems. It is easy to see faults in others and none in oneself however when it comes to abusive relationships the same does not apply. You can talk to any Psychologist/Therapist and they will give you the same scenario. The abusive person never ever would admit that he/she is abusive and would go to great lengths to further abuse their victims by making up stories to excuse their abusive behaviour. For example, a Hindu man was angry because his wife sat on the floor of a Mandir. He verbally abused his wife

telling her she was backward and illiterate for sitting on the ground and that only civilised people sit on chairs. That was not all--that night he put her out of the room and she had to spend the rest of the weekend sleeping on a couch. What excuse does this Hindu man has for this behaviour/what excuse any civilised human being have to do something like this? Would he accept that what he did was extremely cruel? Would he accept that he has no right to impose his belief on his wife even? No--he will seek to find reasons to justify his behaviour. You mentioned that---We cannot prevent suffering but we can teach others how to understand, accept, and deal with suffering, according to Bhagavad Gita. Please share these verses with others who are in distress or going through difficult times. Bhagavan is there for us, all of us. Can you imagine how that 13 year old child

would have felt had I said to her that she has to suffer/bear her sufferings as this is life? Do you know how cruel this would be? I didn't mentioned her outpourings as she wept and literally told us her feelings as it was done in grief. Who will comb my hair now, she cried. Who will tell me what to wear? Things like this!! How can one tell a child in grief that he/she must bear up? It is for this same callous and cruel behaviour that people leave our Dharma and seek help where there are kind hearted and understanding people. No child should be told that they must accept suffering. They are children,innocent souls. It is us adults who have to help and comfort them in sufferings and as they get older; as we teach them other lessons in life, we teach them about acceptance of suffering. I would not even bother to pay attention to your comments about cleaning temples and singing bhajans--only one who has

done this would understand what it is I am talking about.Just as an aside, Meera, Soordas, Tukaram and Tulsidas just sang the Lord's Name--see what they attained!! As I end, I want to make a comment. Before I sent out my message, I sent it to several people for their comments--one a Psychologist who is Hindu and does a lot of Sewa, one a Western Hindu and another who is a Hindu Social Worker. They all agreed and endorsed my message and their opinion is that only someone who is guilty will disagree with what I have written. This of course is their opinion. I have a duty to do and I am doing it whether someone wants to take personal umbrage or not. It is my message/prayer--one can agree or not. Bhagwaan knows who dear to Him and He demonstrates this like He did when He rescued Prahalada and destroyed his abuser. He did same when He made sure that Arjuna destroyed the Kauravas, He did the

same when He showed Bheema how to destroy the beast who tried to disrobe His Devotee Draupadi. In fact, when Draupadi was staying in the battlefield because she said she wanted to make sure that her husbands do not get sentimental and weak and forgive the Kauravas, Lord Krsna did not tell her that she was wrong to harbour such thoughts of revenge in her mind. He did not tell her that she was wrong--he made sure that her wishes--the wishes of His Devotee was fulfilled. I close with one more point--as Bhagwaan has demonstrated over and over, when someone commits a sin--he/she is given chances to make amends/do praschitta. We have seen kathas about this where people with repentant hearts are pardoned. The Lord said in C 9 V30-31 Even if a man of the most sinful conduct worships Me with undeviating devotion, he will be regarded as righteous for he has rightly resolved. Soon he becomes a man of righteousness and

obtains peace. O Kaunteya, know for certain that My Devotee never perishes. Everyone gets chances to rightly resolve. Hiryankashyapu should have realised what he was doing was wrong when he saw Holika dead but he was too arrogant and drunk with his own power. Ravana refused to listen to the wise counsel of Mandodari so he was destroyed. Same with Kamsa and Duryodhana.The point is--why are people finding it so difficult to admit that they did wrong? That they commit sinful acts especially when its upon people who are devoted to Bhagwaan? This is the reason why when people commit sins--they are ultimately destroyed. It is an example for anyone to reexamine themselves/their actions so that they will think twice before abusing an innocent soul.If one is afraid of punishment, then do not commit harmful acts. If you did something harmful,then be man/woman enough to admit--yes I have done this wrong and that I am sorry and make

amends. Do not go about attacking people because you feel guilty. As Bhagwaan has demonstrated with Hiranyakashyapu, He Sees and Hears EVERYTHING!! He is everywhere, He cannot be duped. He is the Ultimate Judge and Jury!! Have said enough now, as I said anyone is free to email me anytime Jai Sri Krsna Nanda TAD VISNOH PARAMAM PADAM (Rg Veda 1.22.20)

for Good helps you make a difference