So what are you in here for ?

[krsna]

So you have been sentenced to suffer in this body( in this material world )for some misdemeanor, some crime against the Supreme Government of the Universe.

 

What exactly did you do to warrant this forced material bodily incarceration of your atma(soul) for this lengthy duration of life?

 

 

[theist]

Yeah, I doubt there are too many avatars in the crowd. Basically I was just following my nose and sniffin' around for sex and something to eat.

 

But one day I heard these people chanting this song on the street and after talking to them for a while I realized they had ruined my ability for unrewstricted sense indulgence. In other words they ruined my life and nothing has been the same since.

[Guest guest]

I never committed any offense against anyone up there. I was just a fool, without any power of discrimination. So as soon as my brahmananda was finished, i came here, looking for that same ananda, but never finding it.

Then, to my luck, I met some people in the park and they changed my life. now ananda is sitting at my doorstep, waiting to serve me, by their and krsna's grace.

[stonehearted]

I was framed; I didn't do it!

[theist]

that's what they all say.

[Guest guest]

that's what they all say.

---------------------------

Theist, I genuinely believe that is what they want too. However, it soon becomes a sectarian slanging match, for they all believe they have the only way.

"Whenever and wherever there is irreligion, I or my representative appear."

This ia one of the most important verses in the Gita, when conducting inter-religious conversation. For it makes at once clear, that you respect all religions as genuine. It breaks the ice, so to speak.

Yrs, VdK.

[krsna]

"Krsna consciousness is our original consciousness because every living being is part and parcel of Krsna. Krsna has many expansions. They are called personal expansions and separated expansions. Although we are very intimately connected with Krsna, somehow or other we are now separated because of our contact with material nature. We have practically forgotten that we are part of Krsna. Actually, that is a fact. We are spoiled, just like a rich man's son who somehow or other forgets his father, and loiters in the street as a poor man. Actually, that is not his position. He has simply forgotten. The Krsna consciousness movement is trying to invoke in all people the original consciousness that we are part and parcel of Krsna. Why should we remain in this material world and suffer the threefold miseries? We want to revive that original consciousness. The original consciousness is Krsna consciousness. For example, a man born of a large wealthy family should enjoy the title of his family, but unfortunately he may forget his own home and accept menial tasks. The whole Vedic literature is meant for this purpose: to revive our original consciousness. Aham brahmasmi: I am not this body, I am spirit soul."

 

 

 

(Srila Prabhupada television interview, July 29, 1971)

[krsna]

Psssst Theistji, why don't you try bribing the prison guards so that we can curry some favor with the Head Honcho-in-chief?

 

Or maybe you can get Stony to scrape through the walls of the prison and then you can swim across to the other side of the Viraja river...?

[gHari]

I kept stepping on toes in the rasa dance. Still do, apparently. I'm trying to learn better this time 'round. No idea how many lifetimes the dance lesson wlll take this time. But however long it takes - I know I can't afford to embarrass Her again.

 

[krsna]

Consider this just once: While you wander in this world, under the control of material desires, what happiness will you achieve in this mundane life? Who are you? Where have you come from? How did you come here? What have you done? And where will you go at the time of death when your body drops?

 

What is the use of so much worldly happiness, distress and fear, which arise from the false egotism of “I” and “mine”? And what is the use of insignificant victory and defeat, anger, violence, and envy toward other living beings?

 

Bhaktivinoda says, “Just take shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Gaurasundara and sing the names of Radha and Krsna, and you will become saturated with the mellows of pure spiritual bliss.

 

(Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura- Gitavali, song 3)

[Bhaktavasya]

Because I just got hooked up on the internet at home, an old favourite web-site has temporarily shut down and I haven't been able to come up with a 'brief biography' of what made me what I am today with Gaudiya Discussions. That left Audarya-fellowship, Theist lamenting over the ruin of his material life, Stone-hearted's pleas of innocence...'hell, fire and brimstone' to be poked fun at. What better way to spend a portion of one's evening?

[krsna]

I think you'll like this:

 

 

Bhakti Tirtha Maharaja recently emphasized four particular themes throughout the Gita Nagari festival:

 

*Maharaja reminded us that the Bhagavad-gita was spoken on the battlefield, and we each have our own battlefield of Kuruksetra. Whether we're in a festival, at work, home, school, in the temple, or even on the altar, Krsna is there and Maya is also there. The war is always going on to annihilate our lust, greed, and the other enemies of the mind. The battlefield is designed for defeat and for victory. No other arena is more sensitive than a battlefield in bringing out the best and the worst of people. In a war we have casualties, traitors, and spies. We also have victims, survivors, and high achievers. In war we depend on association, strategy, and mentorship. But each individual person is held responsible for certain duties, and one person's failure can often bring disaster to many. Also one person's success can often bring victory to many.

 

*Take a daily personal inventory, in the morning or the evening, to see how we are being more mindful and time-conscious. Look at each day as if it could be our last. Take inventory and cry out directly to our deities, to the pictures of our gurus. Let them know our heart and mind, and beg for their help, guidance and chastisement. Tell them what we have offered that day for the mission of Srila Prabhupada and the mission of our gurus. The more we are personal with sastra, sadhu, guru, and Krsna, the more we will get that kind of reciprocation. Maharaja guaranteed that if we do this, we will see our spiritual life take on a whole new shift. So many things will go on in our life -- health, sickness, wealth, impoverishment, etc. -- but they'll just happen around us and we will not identify with them, because guru and Krsna are in the forefront of our consciousness.

 

*Look at our lives and distinctly see if we are helping to relieve the miseries of others. Our lives as Vaisnavas have as much value as we touch the life of another. Most of our thoughts and arrangements are about what isn't working in our lives. That is not transcendental. Yes, problems will be there and many of them will stay there. But we are all bigger than our own little problems. These experiences, problems, and challenges are part of our particular battlefield that we have to deal with to meet Krsna on the other side. That's why Krsna says one who is dear to Him is unaffected by happiness and distress. They're not seeing themselves as the center. As we think, act, plan, and strategize more in that way, then we will see so many issues, problems, and stagnations in our own lives are minimized or removed.

 

"Dear Lord, whatever we need to be better servants for Srila Prabhupada's mission, let it happen or come to us. Whatever we need to have taken away to become pure in Srila Prabhupada's service, let it be taken away."

 

New devotees who have vowed to follow the four regulative principles are also expected to honor eight other principles which Srila Bhakti Tirtha Swami requests of all his disciples: the Four Principles of Community Building and the Four Principles of Balance.

 

 

 

The Four Principles of Community Building

 

1-Treat everyone you encounter as if the success or failure of your spiritual life depends on the quality of your interactions with them.

 

2-Reflect on the person you love the most, and aspire to treat everyone with that same quality of love.

 

3-View all conflicts as your own fault first.

 

4-Realize that people in your present environment might very well be the people with whom you will live out your life, and who are likely to be with you at the time of death.

 

The Four Principles of Balance

 

1-Place more emphasis on having loving Vaisnava relationships. See all interactions as a cry for love or an extension of love.

 

2-Go the extra mile with regards to the care and protection of women and children. The Bhagavatam mentions that when elders, brahmanas, cows, women and children are not protected, not only does the individual who doesn't do those things suffer, but the whole society or community suffers.

 

3-Have a healthy balance with regard to our spiritual life and our material life, but make sure the secondary supports the primary.

 

4-Remain chaste to Srila Prabhupada's movement, but not sectarian. We are to remain loyal to Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON, but to respect all other Vaisnavas.

 

[stonehearted]

Oh, you're a hard, hard woman, Bhaktavasya! "Pleas," indeed. I tell you, I honestly don't remember doing whatever it is I'm accused of! Why do you think my heart's so hard? I may well be the only innocent lunk in this dump! That's my story, and I'm stickin' with it.

[krsna]

Who Is A Real Vaisnava?

 

 

— Vaisnava ke? - by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

 

1) dusta mana! tumi kiser vaisnava?

pratisthar tare, nirjaner ghare,

tava 'hari nama' kevala 'kaitava'

 

O, wicked mind! What kind of Vaisnava do you think you are? Your pretentious show of chanting Lord Hari's Holy name in a solitary place is only for the sake of attaining the false prestige of a worldly reputation - it is nothing but pure hypocrisy.

 

2)

jader pratistha, sukarer vistha,

jano na ki taha 'mayar vaibhava'

kanaka kamini, divasa-yamini,

bhaviya ki kaja, anitya se saba

 

Such materialistic prestige is as disgusting as the stool of a hog.

 

Do you not know that it is only a mere illusion cast by the potency of Maya? What is the value of contemplating day and night your plans for enjoying wealth and women? All these things are only temporary.

 

3)

tomar kanaka, bhoger janaka,

kanaker dvare sevaho 'madhava'

kaminir kama, nahe tava dhama,

tahar - malika kevala 'yadava

 

When you claim wealth as your own, it creates in you ever - increasing desires for material enjoyment. Your riches should be used for serving Madhava, the Lord of all wealth. Neither is it your proper place to indulge in lust for women, whose only true proprietor is Lord Yadava.

 

4)

pratisthasa-taru, jada-maya-maru,

na pela 'ravana' yujhiya 'raghava'

vaisnavi pratistha, tate koro nistha,

taha na bhajile labhibe raurava

 

The demon Ravana (lust-incarnate) fought with Lord Ramachandra (love- incarnate) in order to gain the tree of wordly reputation - but that oasis turned out to be but a mirage cast in the desert wasteland of the Lord's illusory material potency.

 

Please cultivate fixed determination to attain only the steady and solid platform whereupon a Vaisnava ever stands. If you neglect worshiping the Lord from this position, then you will ultimately attain a hellish existence.

 

5)

harijana-dvesa, pratisthasa-klesa,

koro keno tabe tahar gaurava

vaisnaver pache, pratisthasa ache,

ta'te kabhu nahe 'anitya-vaibhava'

 

Why do you needlessly suffer the torment of blaspheming the devotees of Lord Hari, attempting to achieve their eminence, thereby only proving your own fruitless foolishness? The desire for spiritual eminence is easilly fulfilled when one becomes a devotee of the Lord, for eternal fame automatically follows the heels of a Vaisnava. And that fame is never to be considered a temporary worldly opulence.

 

6)

se hari-sambandha, sunya-maya-gandha,

taha kabhu noy 'jader kaitava'

pratistha -candali, nrjanata -jali,

ubhaye janiho mayika raurava

 

The relationship between a devotee and Lord Hari is devoid of even a trace of worldly illusion; it has nothing to do with the materialistic cheating propensity.

 

The prestige of so called popularity in the material realm is compared to a treacherous dog-eating witch, and the attempt to live in solitude to supposedly engage in unalloyed bhajan is compared to an entangling network of distraction. Please know that anyone striving in either of these ways verily lives in the hell of Mayas illusion.

 

7)

kirtana chadibo, pratistha makhibo,

ki kaja dhudiya tadrsa gaurava

madhavendra puri, bhava -ghare curi,

na korilo kabhu sadai janabo

 

I shall give up chanting the Lord's name publicly in kirtan and retire to solitude, thus smearing myself with worldly honor." Dear mind, what is the good of seeking such so-called glory? I will always remind you that the great soul Madhavendra Puri never deceived himself in that regard by committing theft in his own storehous of perception the way you do.

 

8)

tomar pratistha - 'sukarer vistha',

tar -saha sama kabhu na manava

matsarata-vase, tumi jada-rase,

majecho chadiya kirtanan saustava

 

Your cheap reputation is equal to the stool of a hog. An ordinary ambitious man like you can never be equated with a devotee of Madhavendra Puri's eminence. Under the sway of envy, you have drowned yourself in the filthy waters of material enjoyment after having abandoned the excellent perfection of congregational kirtan

 

9)

tai dusta mana, 'nirjana bhajan',

pracaricho chale kuyogi -vaibhava'

prabhu sanatane, parama jatane,

siksa dilo yaha, cinto sei saba

 

Truly, O wicked mind, the glories of so-called solitary worship are propagated only by false yogis using unscrupulous means to deceive others.

 

To save yourself from these pitfalls, please contemplate the instructions that the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahprabhu kindly gave us while addressing Srila Sanatana Goswami with the utmost care.

 

10) sei du'ti kathe, bhulo' na sarvatha,

uccaih-svare koro 'hari nama rava'

'phalgu' ar 'yukta,' 'baddha' ar 'mukta,'

kabhu na bhaviho, ekakar saba

 

Do not forget for a moment the two most valuable concepts that He taught: 1) the principle of dry, apparent renunciation as opposed to real, appropriate renunciation, and 2) the principle of a soul being trapped in the bondage of matter as opposed to a soul who is liberated. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that these conflicting concepts are on the same level.

 

Please remember this while engaging yourself in chanting the Lord's holy names as loud as you possibly can.

 

11)

'kanaka-kamini,' 'prathistha-baghini,'

chadiyache jare, sei to' vainsava

sei 'anasakta,' sei 'suddha-bhakta,'

samsar tatha pay parabhava

 

One is truly a Vaisnava who has given up the habit of falling victim to the ferocious tigress of wealth, beauty and fame. Such a soul is factually detached from material life, and is known as a pure devotee. Someone with this consciousness of detachment has thereby become victorious over the mundane world of birth and death.

 

12)

yatha-yogya bhoga, nahi tatha roga,

'anasakta' sei, ki ar kahabo

'asakti-rohita,' 'sambandha-sahita,'

visaya-samuha sakali 'madhava'

 

One is indeed detached who moderately partakes of worldly things that are deemed necessary for living in devotional service; a devotee acting in that manner does not fall prey to the disease of material infatuation. Thus devoid of selfish attachement, and endowed with the ability to see things in relation to the Lord, all sense objects are then directly peceived as belonging to Lord Madhava Himself.

 

13)

se 'yukta -vairagya taha to' saubhagya

taha-i jadete harir vaibhava

kirtane jahar, 'pratistha-sambhar,'

tahar sampatti kevala 'kaitava'

 

This is the standard of befitting renunciation, and one who realizes this is most fortunate indeed. Everything involved in such a devotee's life represents Lord Hari's personal spiritual opulence as manifest in the world of matter. On the other hand, one who engages in chanting the Lord's name with hopes of enhancing his own material reputation finds that all his activities and paraphernalia represent only the riches of hypocrisy.

 

14)

'visaya-mumuksu,' 'bhoger bubhuksu,'

du'ye tyajo mana, dui 'avaisnava'

'krsner sambandha,' aprakrta-skandha,

kabhu nahe taha jader sambhava

 

O, mind, please reject the company of two types of persons - those desiring impersonal liberation from the material world and those who desire to enjoy the pleasure of material sense objects. Both of these are equally non devotees. The things that are used in relation to Lord Krishna are objects belonging directly to the transcendental realm, and thus having nothing to do with matter they cannot be either owned or forsaken by persons interested in mundane enjoyment of renunciation.

 

15)

'mayavai jana,' krsnetara mana,

mukta abhimane se ninde vaisnava

vaisnaver das, tava bhati as,

keno va dakicho nirjana-ahava

 

An impersonal philosopher is opposed to thinking of Krishna as an object of devotion, and thus being puffed up with the false pride of imaginary liberation he dares to criticize the true devotees of the Lord. O mind, you are the servant of the Vaisnavas, and you should always hope for attaining devotion. Why then do you make such a loud commotion by calling to me and trying to prove the supposed supremacy of your practice of solitary worship?

 

16)

je 'phalgu-vairagi,' kohe nije 'tyagi,'

se na pare kabhu hoite 'vaisnava'

hari-. chadi', 'nirjanata badi,'

labhiya ki phala, 'phalgu' se vaibhava

 

One wo falsely gives up things that could actually be used in the Lord's service proudly calls himself a 'renunciate', but unfortunately he can never become a Vaisnava by such an attitude. Abandoning his servitorship to the lotus feet fo Lord Hari, resigning himself to his solitary home - whatever is gained by that exercise can only be the worthless trasue of deception.

 

17)

radha-dasye rohi', chadi 'bhoga-agi,'

'pratisthasa nahe 'kirtana-gaurava'

'radha-nitya-jana,' taha chadi' mana,

keno va nirjana-bhajana-kaitava

 

Ever engage yourself in the service of Sri Radha, and keep aloof from the vicious snake of materialistic sense gratification. The glory of participating in the Lord's kirtan is not meant to bolster anyone's ambitions for personal recognition. O mind, why then have you abandoned the identity of being Radha's eternal servant in favor of retiring to a solitary place to practice the cheating process of so called bhajan?

 

18)

vraja-vasi-gana, pracaraka-dhana,

pratistha-bhiksuka ta 'ra nahe 'sava'

prana ache ta'r, se -hetu pracar,

pratisthasa-hina-krsna-gatha' saba

 

The most valuable treasures amongst the Lord's preachers are the eternal personalities residing in Vraja-dham. They never occupy themselves with begging for worthless material reputation, which is cherished only by the living dead. The Vraja-vasis are truly infused with life, and therefore they preach in order to give life to the walking corpses of the mundane world. All the songs that the Vraja-vasis sing about the glories of Lord Krishna are devoid of any tinge of desire for fame.

 

19)

sri-dayita-das, kirtanete as,

koro uccaih-svare 'hari-nama-rava

kirtana-prabhave, smarana svabhave,

se kale bhajana-nirjana sambhava

 

This humble servant of Radha and Her beloved Krishna always hopes for kirtan, and he begs all to loudly sing the names of Lord Hari. The transcendental power of congregational chanting automatically awakens remembrance of the Lord and His divine pastimes in relation to one's own eternal spiritual form. Only at that time does it become possible to go off to a solitary place and engage in the confidential worship of their Lordships.

 

(from Dushta Mana Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati translated by Dasaratha-suta dasa, nectar books)

 

[Guest guest]

 

Yes, I liked hearing from Bhakti-Tirtha Swami on this auspicious Vasant, first day of Spring. When Radha and Krishna first met as children.

 

The sandstorms of the 3-fold miseries whip most of us, showing no mercy, as we go about our daily activities.

Somewhere, someone is being engulfed in the sandpit of worldly violence (pysical, verbal, mental..all nonsense talk in general being a form of violence towards the soul)and the battle rages on.

 

Fortunately there is the soothing balm of Krishna's words, the Guru who expands and sheds new light on the meaning and relevance of the Gita in our daily lives.

 

We rub the sand from our eyes, put one foot in front of the other and with a renewed spring in our steps march off to greet yet another day.

 

Happy Spring

[Guest guest]

Took a wrong turn at the lights.

 

 

[Guest guest]

There was a tsunami in the brahmajhoti that washed me up on the shores of this material world

Stranded on the island of samsara

now I call for the mercy of loving search party

[Guest guest]

I'm in here for LIFE.

Unmentionable crimes.

My fellow inmates may persecute me if they knew too much.

[krsna]

POLICE DEPARTMENT / MAYA

 

We have got a limited, measured amount of energy throughout our life. We are not going to live forever, but we have got some energy by which we can create so many things. One has got sufficient energy, intelligence, he is utilizing, and he is becoming Rockefeller, Ford, or Birla, or something like that. Another man, he cannot utilize his energy. He remains a poor man, or a loafer class. It is all question of energy. So long we have got this energy in our control, that should be employed for Krsna, for God. That is Krsna consciousness. Krsna consciousness does not mean anything wonderful. It is a very simple thing. Simply you have to employ your energy for Krsna. That is expected by Krsna. And what will be the result? The result will be, at least individually you shall be peaceful and happy.

 

If everyone tries to apply his energy for the service of the Lord, then this world becomes the kingdom of God actually. But that is not possible. Here there is another opposing element, which is called maya, or Satan, who is acting against this principle. So we cannot expect that cent percent of the people will be God conscious or Krsna conscious because this material world means it is a place where maya is predominant. Maya is predominant means that forgetfulness of God is predominant. Maya means "nothing". Maya is not a ghost. Maya is a condition of consciousness. That’s all. When you forget God, or Krsna, that is called maya. In the Bhagavad-gita it is very nicely explained in the Seventh Chapter that “The influence of maya is so strong that it is very difficult to surmount.” Yes. Maya is the energy of God also. Just like you are also energy, but why you are not strong? Just like when you are criminal, when you are in the custody of police energy of the government, you are weaker. The whole population is the energy of the government. This is an example. But one energy is the civil population, another energy is the criminal population, and another energy, the government. So the criminal population means against the principles of government. And civil population means law-abiding principle of government. And the law and order energy means to punish the criminals. So this maya is the law-and-order energy of God. And we, those who have come to this material world, are all the criminal energy now.

 

We are not actually criminal. Just like a man is not born a criminal, but by association he becomes a criminal, or by association he becomes a godly man. It is a question of association. Similarly, the spirit soul, as son of God, is pure. He is as pure as anything. As God is pure, similarly the son of God is also pure. But as soon as he forgets God and wants to become an imitation God... Here in this material world everyone is trying to become an imitation God. Beginning from Brahma, the highest living creature, down to a small insignificant ant, more or less, we are criminals, and we are suffering the consequences. We cannot deny this . If we are sincere, if we actually believe in the shastras, in the Vedic literature, then we know our sufferings are due to our mischievous activities. According to the mischievous activities, there are different kinds of suffering and there are different kinds of species of life. But the spell of maya is so strong that one cannot understand that he is suffering. In spite of seeing that “This kind of criminality will put me into such kind of distress,” but still, I commit that thing. This is the influence of maya. (Class by Srila Prabhupada on Jan.3, 1970, in LA)

 

Devahuti said: I am very sick of the disturbance caused by my material senses, for because of this sense disturbance, my Lord, I have fallen into the abyss of ignorance. Your Lordship is my only means of getting out of this darkest region of ignorance because You are my transcendental eye, which, by Your mercy only, I have attained after many, many births. Now be pleased, my Lord, to dispel my great delusion. (Devahuti- SB 3:25:7,8,10)

[Bhaktavasya]

No, I don't to the idea that 'everyone is here (in the material world)for crimes against the Supreme Lord, because I believe that a devotee lives in the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupad once said that his disciples were sent back Srila Bhaktisiddhanta to assist him in spreading Lord Chaitanya's message of divine love and compassion for the fallen souls. Although I don't believe I fit into that catagory (and that Prabhupad was also trying to encourage 'newcomers' on the path)I have no doubt that most of my Godbrothers and Godsisters fit the definition of Vaisnava.

I mean, you're the one who claims to be Stone-hearted, but I don't believe it for a second!

 

I offer my respectful obeisances to all the Vaisnava devotees of the Lord, who are oceans of mercy and are just like the desire trees in the spiritual world, able to fulfill the (spiritual) desires of everyone and who are full of compassion for all the conditioned souls.

[stonehearted]

Bhaktavasya:

No, I don't to the idea that 'everyone is here (in the material world)for crimes against the Supreme Lord, because I believe that a devotee lives in the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupad once said that his disciples were sent back Srila Bhaktisiddhanta to assist him in spreading Lord Chaitanya's message of divine love and compassion for the fallen souls. Although I don't believe I fit into that catagory (and that Prabhupad was also trying to encourage 'newcomers' on the path)I have no doubt that most of my Godbrothers and Godsisters fit the definition of Vaisnava.

 

 

I also don't think we committed crimes against Krishna. The whole concept is actually inconceivable, which means it's inherently beyond our understanding. I was being facetious about my own situation. I was echoing the line from The Shawshank Redemption and countless other Big-House flicks. It's true that I don't remember how it is I got here, but there must certainly be a reason; somehow or other, I obviously forgot my real nature, so here I am. I'm certainly not someone whose presence here is solely for the deliverance of others. Now that I've received guru-kripa, it's my duty to try to share it to the extent I can (which is obviously very limited).

 

 

I mean, you're the one who claims to be Stone-hearted, but I don't believe it for a second!

 

 

That just serves as evidence for your own soft-heartedness. If mine were a little softer, I'd spend less of the little time and energy I have left trying to feather my own nest and more (much more!) sharing that kripa that has inexplicably found me.

[krsna]

INFECTION BY ASSOCIATION

 

We are changing our body because we have forgotten Krsna; therefore there is no Krsna consciousness. But we are manufacturing a different consciousness. And as we are manufacturing different consciousness, we are being contaminated by the particular quality of nature. People do not know that.

 

How are we becoming contaminated? There are three modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. And we are affected according to the association. Just like we can see, somebody cannot live without smoking. But none of our devotees smoke. So it is possible because a devotee is associating with the devotees, therefore he is acquiring their qualities by association. This is a fact. If you go to a contaminated, diseased person, you are infected. We should be very careful. When you become intimate with a certain friend, he gives you something to eat, and you also give him something to eat. But if there are different qualities, then by eating, you are contaminated by his infection, and he is contaminated by you. That is practical medical science.

 

I read in logic class about “Typhoid Mary.” Wherever she would go, all the people associating with her were attacked with typhoid. Then the medical board examined her blood and found that she is full of typhoid germs. These are medical facts. So therefore association is so important. According to association we infect different qualities. People do not know, but nature’s law is so particular, as soon as you infect by association a particular type of quality, you have to suffer for that. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was asked by one devotee householder, “Sir, what is the duty of a grihasta Vaisnava?” He immediately informed him, “A Vaisnava's behavior should be that he should give up the company of nondevotees.” That is his first business, otherwise he will be infected. Therefore we insist to our students that even if you are uncomfortable, you should tolerate, but you should not go out of the society. Otherwise you will surely fall down. So if there is inconvenience, if it is intolerable, please tolerate, please tolerate. Then it will be all right.

 

Why we have opened this society? I could have initiated, and let him remain at his home. No. The society is required. If you associate with goodness, then you acquire goodness, and if you associate with bad, passionate, or ignorant, then you get that quality. People are creating their own situation and becoming a god or a demon. So in the human form of life, advanced consciousness, instead of becoming a demon, we should become a demigod. That is the fulfillment of human life. (Class by Srila Prabhupada Dec. 12, 1973, LA)

 

Dhruva Maharaja continued: O unlimited Lord, kindly bless me so that I may associate with great devotees who engage in Your transcendental loving service constantly, as the waves of a river constantly flow. Such transcendental devotees are completely situated in an uncontaminated state of life. By the process of devotional service I shall surely be able to cross the nescient ocean of material existence, which is filled with the waves of blazing, firelike dangers. (Druva Maharaja- SB 4.9.11)

[krsna]

Guru is kind

He is our eternal father who is in charge of us here in this world.

And he'll introduce us to Krsna or Krsna's favorite girl companions.

 

We owe everthing to Guru's unconditional love for us as spirit souls beyond this world of matter and duality.

 

Meeting Guru was no chance occurance.

It was all meant to be by Krsna' inconceivable grace to release us from Maya's grip and bring us back to Him.

 

All Glories to all the softhearted devotees of the Lord!

[Guest guest]

 

 

"That just serves as evidence for your own soft-heartedness. If mine were a little softer, I'd spend less of the little time and energy I have left trying to feather my own nest and more (much more!) sharing that kripa that has inexplicably found me."

 

Prabhu it comes with the ageing process, because we don't trust the varnasram systems that are available today, we keep feathering, just in case the environment doesn't look after us. A little insecurity? or God looks after those who look after themselves, who knows?

Just another feather, that should keep us safe.

I feel it depends on whether ones family relations are conducive to spiritual advancement or not, if so then we can distribute from the exemplary nest with our partners.

If not then it is probably best to seek some higher audarya company and help them whole-heartedly.

I know one Prabhupad disciple in China at present who is varnapras and he is teaching English to many young students. At the same time he is giving Srila Govinda Maharajs' mercy in gradual installments, unlike the west, they are very eager and appreciative of where he is coming from. At the same time he is breaking down international fears, a nice service!

God works in mysterious ways.