Devotee Definition

[gHari]

This was your punishment. You are honest and will learn from it. The fault-finding will cease.

 

Hare Krsna

 

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

 

Prabhupaadha just similified the original principles of Vaishnavism which the brahmins of India has been following all along. He simplified it for the sake of better understanding and easiness to follow, primarily because he took vaishnavism to western counties where the exposure to Hinduism philosophies are not high and hence he did not want to confuse the people for which he simplified. How many of you have understood this first of all.

 

 

Srila Prabhupada presented the essential teachings of Sanatana Dharma and Bhagavad Gita perfectly, which is the path of bhakti-marga enunciated by Lord Krishna. It is not that he has given some watered down simplified version for the uneducated.

 

It is your opinion that "Brahmins of India" have been following this path all along. Why only Brahmins? This castism is exactly what Srila Prabhupada preached against. The idea that people born in a particular community are perfect simply by virtue of their ancestry. The Lord's devotees are found in every corner of society, and those adversive to the Lord are likewise found everywhere, even among the Brahmins.

 

Those who follow the pure principles of Krishna bhakti as found in the Gita are glorious, those who don't are infamous. The devotion to Krishna of the Brahmin caste in India is no greater than any other caste.

 

And then you conclude with "How many of you have understood this first of all." You want to imply that those who do not accept your view are ignorant of Srila Prabhupada's true mission. I would suggest you undertake a serious study of Srila Prabhupada's teachings before you try to decide for him what his mission was about.

 

 

Woshipping humans have no value and keeping a human as equal to God is not accepted as per Gita itself. How many of you have understood this, since I see people keeping swami Prabhupada at a pedestel equal to Krishna, which is like the stupid saibaba group worshipping him as krishna.

 

 

As I mentioned before in another thread, your view is based on ignorance of Vedic tradition. Are you aware that Ramanuja (since you cite Andal) while living established the worship of himself in three life size murtis? And that in every Sri Vaishnava temple the deity of Ramanuja is worshipped. Are you aware that Raghavendra Swami's deity is worshipped in all of his temples. It is a timeless Vedic tradition that the Acharya is worshipped by his disciples. And for those coming in a sampradaya, the samsthapaka-acharya is established within their temple for worship. Worship of Srila Prabhupada by his disciples in their own temples is perfectly in line with Vedic tradition.

 

 

In what way, the ideologies differ between those saibaba group and you.

 

 

I would suggest you study the two seriously and understand the teachings of the two before you comment based on what you saw while walking past their temple. The Sai Baba movement considers Sathya Sai Baba to be an incarnation of Krishna. The Hare Krishna movement considers Srila Prabhupada to be the Founder-Acharya of their movement, i.e. the Guru, and thus offer worship to him knowing he is a servant of Lord Krishna. The difference is quite clear.

 

 

How many of you who claim to be devotee are willing to throw away a 100 dollar note without any attachment to it even though if you worked hard for it and earned since you all claim to be great and close to Krishna waiting for His flower aeroplane to come and pick u all.

 

 

Where in the Gita does Lord Krishna advise anyone to throw away the money they have earned. This isn't a teaching of Lord Krishna, and it isn't a teaching of Srila Prabhupada. Thus the answer is that none of Srila Prabhupada's followers would be willing to do this.

 

What did he teach? Srila Prabhupada taught that everything should be used in Lord Krishna's service. Thus the 100 dollar bill that you suggest we throw away would be used by Hare Krishna devotees in the service of Lord Krishna. And for the record thousands and thousands of Hare Krishna devotees have given all of their possessions in Lord Krishna's service, not just 100 dollars. So we should all look at ourselves in a mirror and ask us what we have given to Krishna. If all we gave was a few moments in our dream, then it would be best for us to not criticize others who have dedicated themselves to Lord Krishna's service, even if they have many faults and imperfections.

 

 

Please dont call yourself as lineage of Chaithanya Mahaprabhu. Its an insult to Lord Chaithanya.

 

 

You fail to see how blanket criticism of Hare Krishna devotees is an offense to those among them who are sincerely engaged in devotion. You want everyone to acknowledge your divine attributes and your intense devotion to the Lord, yet you refuse to acknowledge the same in others. Humility is the sign of a Vaishnava. The great devotee Haridas Thakur (a follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu) would not enter the Jagannatha Puri temple because he considered himself fallen and unclean. This is the sign of an advanced devotee, not someone who demands that others respect us and recognize our devotion to Krishna. You may find that the few devotees you have met in the Hare Krishna temple you visited lack this humility, but then look at yourself. You're in the same boat. Why else would you post in a public internet forum the faults of people you met while visiting a temple?! I have never heard of someone visit a temple (any temple), and then start an anonymous thread on the internet about how everyone there was so proud because they couldn't recognize their devotion to Krishna. Accept everything as a lesson and blessing from the Lord.

 

 

When somebody new is questioning genuinely, a patient answer from a person practicing the principles would be better rather than saying that questioning person is arrogant.

 

 

I didnt see any geniune question in this thread. You started a thread about how other devotees you met are not actually devotees. A cultured person does not like to point out the flaws in others, but prefers to see the faults in oneself.

 

 

One thing that is clear to me is the common mentality of Hare Krishna group.

 

 

In your little experience you have already created a blanket description of everyone associated with the Hare Krishna movement. You don't see this for the ignorance it is?

 

 

..Krishna is not going to punish me and I dont care even if you think that I have offended all the vaishnavas of your group.

 

 

But Vaishnava's should care for the feelings of others. Whether we intentionally offend or not, if we have hurt someone's feelings (especially a devotee of Lord Krishna) we should care about our actions. Just like Hare Krishna devotees reading this thread should care that you have felt offended when you visited their temple, in the same way you should care if Hare Krishna devotees feel offended by reading your remarks. All this, "I am a great devotee of Lord Krishna so I don't care what others think," is nothing by an inflated ego. The true devotees acknowledge themselves as the most fallen and offer all respects to others. This was the teaching of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Perhaps the "Brahmins of India" you speak of have taught you something different, but Mahaprabhu has taught us that the goal is to become as humble as the straw in the street. That is certainly a difficult goal to achieve, and we all must work towards it. But proclaiming ourselves as devotees and uncarring towards others feelings doesn't help us one bit towards this goal.

[Haridham]

.....a fool remains undetected until he opens his mouth. Or in the case for our 'guest' until he starts typing.

 

Ghari, Priitha, Jndas very appropriate and well thoughtout replies.

 

Now when this thread began I had an inclination about where this was heading. Lucky for me I had to take the bus but I now reaiise that this person who is having problems with the devotees egos and such is only because he is realising when he asks a question that he cannot take the answer humbely. The answer he gets is not what he wants to hear. He wants to feed his ego and along the lines of thinking himself as a great vaisnava he found out he actually wasnt.

 

The reason you dont like the devotees is because you are envious of them.

 

Now If you truly love krsna you must realise that Krsna did this to smash your ego. This was krsna's mercy so that you can better understand your culture.

 

this was a great way to expose yourself. Now instead of wasting your time and blasphaming devotees and undermining Prabhupads position why dont you chant Hare Krsna.

 

If you only thought of krsna as much as you thought of his devotees faults then you would turn out to be a great devotee.

 

 

As for your dreams, I think helucinations dont count as Krsna. You are probably dreaming of yourself telling yourself that you are a great devotee. I dont see any devotion to krsna by your actions, rather someone who is in awe of himself and his devoted to feeding his ego.

 

 

Be careful of Vaisnava aparadha. NO DEVOTEE HERE IS GOING TO TOLARATE THAT. I might not be a great devotee but you must realise something, and that is I wont stand for it.

 

Krsna doesnt forgive you until the devotee forgives you.

 

Hare Krsna

 

 

[Guest guest]

YOur answer is quite convincing. I guess you could have answered me in the begining itself. BY the way, i have never mentioned in any sentence that "I am a great devotee of Krishna" I only mentioned that pray to Krishna ever since I know me and He comes in my dreams". homuch ever one may consider themselves He only knows who is great devotee and who is fallen and none can judge themselves.

 

What I meant as "I dont care if you think that I have offended" was just to stop my argument as that person ghari was not answering properly like you,rather talking rudely which only increased my unhappiness with your group.

 

 

[Guest guest]

gH was not rude but did you a favor. He told you what you needed to hear.

 

That our group doesn't try to get your approval is not arrogance. Maybe you dont like our group because you dont like yourself.

[Guest guest]

The administrator is the only person who appears to be logical, sensible and have patience. I prefer to understand things from him than getting stupid reply from others who does not have patience or understanding.

 

I am nobody to approve anybody's faith or devotion. I have few questions which I put forth, but it was misunderstood as ridiculing. That shows that there are still different plane of people irrespective of their practices.

Thank you Mr. Jndas for clarifying my doubts. If you alone are willing to answer I have few more questions. But I dont wish to receive any reply from anyone.

Thanks and regards

[Guest guest]

You're right, its nonsense that you cant see the benefit of gh's posts to you. You could take benefit from it, but instead you put up a wall of defensiveness and try to defect it back.

 

Jndasa's post was indeed wonderful. Its not that others haven't given you many long, patient explanations elsewhere here. You simply argue with them all or call them nonsense and run away from hearing truth. Let down your defenses and hear the Holy Name.

[Haridham]

This guest is totally blind. He says he likes Jndas because Jndas actually spent time in reading and replying to this persons arrogant comments. He feels that others are impatiant to just show how high above them all he is. He realised he cant touch Jndas so he is pretending to honour him.

 

Talk about wolf in sheep clothing.

 

Hare Krsna

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

 

 

livin da veda krsna*loka..i love that song

[Guest guest]

I enter here to hear something spiritual, about love, peace, God, but I found this combats, this is hare krishna guys? WAW!

My first and last time, bye, bye.

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

 

The sound of Krishna.