Michael Cremo interview:
One example from historical times is during the California Gold Rush days, miners were digging tunnels thousands of feet into the sides of mountains. Now, the rock in these mountains is over 10 million years old. When they were digging these tunnels, they were finding human skeletons, they were finding stone spear points, they were finding mortars and pestles—hundreds of them at dozens of locations. Now, all of these were gathered together and reported to the scientific world by J.D. Whitney, who was the State Geologist of California. And he published a massive book about them, by Harvard University. Harvard University was the publisher. Now, what happened to these artifacts? Why aren't they on display in museums? Why aren't our children taught about them in school? There was a very powerful anthropologist at the Smithsonian Institution named William H. Holmes, and he said to Whitney, "Dr. Whitney, if you have understood the theory of human evolution as we understand it today, you would have hesitated to announce your conclusion, namely that human beings existed millions of years ago, despite the imposing array of facts with which you were confronted." In others words, simply because the facts didn't fit the theory, the facts had to go, and so did Professor Whitney.
Monday 2 March 2009
Friday 27 February 2009
The foolishness of bodily identification. Excerpt from talk by Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Bhagavad-gita 5.26-29–New York, September 1, 1966
Prabhupada: “Those who are free from anger and all material desires, who are self-realized, self-disciplined and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near future.” So first thing is that suppose somebody speaks of me very harshly. Naturally we become angry. Just like somebody calls me, “You are dog,” or “you are hog.” But if I am self-realized, if I know perfectly well that I am not this body so you call me hog, dog, or king, emperor, majesty, what is that? I am not this body. So either you call me, “Your majesty,” or you call me a dog or a pig, what I have got to do? I am neither his majesty nor a dog nor a cat:nothing of the sort. I am servant of Krsna.
So this requires little training. Actually this is the fact. Suppose I have got some dress, black dress. Somebody calls, “You black dress,” is that cause of anger? Somebody calls you black dress. So this is simply my false identification with the dress that I become angry. Actually if I am self-realized, self-disciplined… Self-discipline means not to identify with this body. That is self-discipline. It requires training of course. Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches therefore, trnad api sunicena. That a smaller than the smallest grass. Actually if I realized what is the spiritual dimension, actually my dimension, length and breadth you cannot measure because I am actually a very small spiritual particle. You cannot measure one ten-thousandth part of the tip of your hair. That is my measurement. So if I am smaller than the grass, that’s a fact. I am still smaller, smaller, I do not know how smaller but I am thinking of this body. An elephant is thinking that “I am so big,” or a man is thinking, “I am so big,” ant is thinking, “I am so small.” This smallness, bigness is due to this body. Therefore in Bhagavad-gita you will find, panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. One who is learned he does not see the small body or big body. He sees the particle of soul, spirit soul, therefore sama-darsinah. He knows that the small particle of spirit is there in the ant and in the elephant. Therefore he sees the elephant and the ant on the same level, on spiritual vision, not on this external vision. This is called self-realization.
Self-realization you have heard so many times. What is that self-realization? Self-realization means I am not this body, I am spirit soul. That is self-realization. So if I am smaller than the grass then if somebody says that “You are lower than the grass,” or “You are smaller than the grass,” that’s a fact. So sometimes this insulting words may come from others but if you are self-realized you know that I am not this body. So let him insult. Let me tolerate. Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches that taror api sahisnuna. Toleration like the tree. Best example. You cannot find any tolerant living entity than a tree because it is standing day and night in scorching heat, in severe cold, there is wind, there is rainfall, it does not not make any protest:standing tolerant. People are taking leaves, flowers, fruits, cutting, and never protests. This is a symbol of toleration. Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that you become tolerant than the tree and smaller than the small grass on the street and you give all honor to others and don’t expect any honor. Because people do not know how to honor me. Real honor is that you are servant of Krsna. That is real honor. And if I say, “Your majesty, your honor, your lordship,” they are all false. Real honor is when I call you that you are servant of God or servant of Krsna. That is real honor.
So self-discipline and constantly endeavoring for perfection. This is the perfection. Always be situated in self-realized condition that I am not this body. This is perfection. Actually it is. But due to my ignorance I am identifying with this body, therefore I am now self-realized. So constantly endeavoring. This cannot be attained all of a sudden. One has to practice. It is a fact. But one has to realize this fact by endeavoring. That is Krsna consciousness practice. All the yoga practice or philosophical speculation or anything:all practice targets to one point:that I am spirit soul. Aham brahmasmi, I am Brahman. I am not this matter. This is perfection. A man who has made sufficient progress to this realization is more perfect. This is the way of perfection. And assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near future. One has simply… If I am realized then this material composition of this body is disbursed and I am the spirit soul, small particle, I am immediately promoted to the spiritual sky. That is the highest perfection. In the spiritual sky either you remain as a small spark of spirit soul, molecules. Just like there are millions of molecules of shining matter in the sunshine. So if I remain as molecule in the brahmajyoti, that is also possible. The impersonalist wants that. Or if I enter into some spiritual planet and associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead that is also another spiritual existence. Although both of them are spiritual existence, this spiritual existence is impersonal. To remain as molecular part of the Brahman rays or spiritual rays, that is impersonal. And to have a spiritual form just like Krsna and Visnu, that is another spiritual perfection. That is Vaisnava philosophy.
Prabhupada: “Those who are free from anger and all material desires, who are self-realized, self-disciplined and constantly endeavoring for perfection, are assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near future.” So first thing is that suppose somebody speaks of me very harshly. Naturally we become angry. Just like somebody calls me, “You are dog,” or “you are hog.” But if I am self-realized, if I know perfectly well that I am not this body so you call me hog, dog, or king, emperor, majesty, what is that? I am not this body. So either you call me, “Your majesty,” or you call me a dog or a pig, what I have got to do? I am neither his majesty nor a dog nor a cat:nothing of the sort. I am servant of Krsna.
So this requires little training. Actually this is the fact. Suppose I have got some dress, black dress. Somebody calls, “You black dress,” is that cause of anger? Somebody calls you black dress. So this is simply my false identification with the dress that I become angry. Actually if I am self-realized, self-disciplined… Self-discipline means not to identify with this body. That is self-discipline. It requires training of course. Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches therefore, trnad api sunicena. That a smaller than the smallest grass. Actually if I realized what is the spiritual dimension, actually my dimension, length and breadth you cannot measure because I am actually a very small spiritual particle. You cannot measure one ten-thousandth part of the tip of your hair. That is my measurement. So if I am smaller than the grass, that’s a fact. I am still smaller, smaller, I do not know how smaller but I am thinking of this body. An elephant is thinking that “I am so big,” or a man is thinking, “I am so big,” ant is thinking, “I am so small.” This smallness, bigness is due to this body. Therefore in Bhagavad-gita you will find, panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18]. One who is learned he does not see the small body or big body. He sees the particle of soul, spirit soul, therefore sama-darsinah. He knows that the small particle of spirit is there in the ant and in the elephant. Therefore he sees the elephant and the ant on the same level, on spiritual vision, not on this external vision. This is called self-realization.
Self-realization you have heard so many times. What is that self-realization? Self-realization means I am not this body, I am spirit soul. That is self-realization. So if I am smaller than the grass then if somebody says that “You are lower than the grass,” or “You are smaller than the grass,” that’s a fact. So sometimes this insulting words may come from others but if you are self-realized you know that I am not this body. So let him insult. Let me tolerate. Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaches that taror api sahisnuna. Toleration like the tree. Best example. You cannot find any tolerant living entity than a tree because it is standing day and night in scorching heat, in severe cold, there is wind, there is rainfall, it does not not make any protest:standing tolerant. People are taking leaves, flowers, fruits, cutting, and never protests. This is a symbol of toleration. Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that you become tolerant than the tree and smaller than the small grass on the street and you give all honor to others and don’t expect any honor. Because people do not know how to honor me. Real honor is that you are servant of Krsna. That is real honor. And if I say, “Your majesty, your honor, your lordship,” they are all false. Real honor is when I call you that you are servant of God or servant of Krsna. That is real honor.
So self-discipline and constantly endeavoring for perfection. This is the perfection. Always be situated in self-realized condition that I am not this body. This is perfection. Actually it is. But due to my ignorance I am identifying with this body, therefore I am now self-realized. So constantly endeavoring. This cannot be attained all of a sudden. One has to practice. It is a fact. But one has to realize this fact by endeavoring. That is Krsna consciousness practice. All the yoga practice or philosophical speculation or anything:all practice targets to one point:that I am spirit soul. Aham brahmasmi, I am Brahman. I am not this matter. This is perfection. A man who has made sufficient progress to this realization is more perfect. This is the way of perfection. And assured of liberation in the Supreme in the very near future. One has simply… If I am realized then this material composition of this body is disbursed and I am the spirit soul, small particle, I am immediately promoted to the spiritual sky. That is the highest perfection. In the spiritual sky either you remain as a small spark of spirit soul, molecules. Just like there are millions of molecules of shining matter in the sunshine. So if I remain as molecule in the brahmajyoti, that is also possible. The impersonalist wants that. Or if I enter into some spiritual planet and associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead that is also another spiritual existence. Although both of them are spiritual existence, this spiritual existence is impersonal. To remain as molecular part of the Brahman rays or spiritual rays, that is impersonal. And to have a spiritual form just like Krsna and Visnu, that is another spiritual perfection. That is Vaisnava philosophy.
Friday 6 February 2009
Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami explains the misconception of bodily identification.
Prabhupada: Stand up here. Can you say what is this? What is this?
Boy: Hand.
Prabhupada: Whose hand?
Boy: Your hand.
Prabhupada: Your hand. And what is this?
Boy: Your head.
Prabhupada: My head. Yes. And what is this?
Boy: Your knee.
Prabhupada: Yes. My leg. And what is this?
Boy: Your clothes.
Prabhupada: My cloth. Similarly, you have got your head, you have got your hand, you have got your leg, you have got your coat, you have got your pant, but do you know where you are?
Boy: I am here. (laughter)
Prabhupada: You are here, but that is your coat, that is your pant, that is your hand, that is your leg, that is your head. But where you are? It is your coat, it is your pant, it is your hand, it is your leg. Where you are? Do you know that? Can you say, any of the boys or girls here, where you are?
Boy: No.
Prabhupada: No? Oh. So you are not taught in this school where you are? Then what is that education? You do not know where you are.
Boy: I do know where I am. I’m in this school.
Prabhupada: You do not know, because as you say you are here, here your coat is there, your pant is there, your hand is there, your body is there, but you cannot explain where you are. All right. Sit down. I shall explain. (laughter) This is the defect of modern education. We are educated in a way in which we have misunderstood, ‘This is my body. This is my hand. This is my leg. This is my country. This is my mother. This is my father. This is my school. ‘This is my, I know. I have the concept of ‘my. But who is conceiving ‘my ? We have no information where it is. In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. Under misconception we understand my body as myself. I say, ‘It is my body, but I misidentify my body with myself. Is it not?
So the basic principle of mistake… Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke. According to Vedic literature, this body is prepared in three elements: fire, water, and clay. So I am not the combination of fire, water, and clay. Then I am this house, I am this room. So yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. So basic principle of my knowledge is false, that I am considering this material body as ‘I am. And if the basic principle is wrong, then, in relationship with this body, because I am born in this land of America… ‘I am born means my body is born. Or because my body is born from another body, my father and mother, so I think that ‘This body is my kinsman, and this country is mine, and so on.
But the basic principle is false, that ‘I am considering, falsely identifying myself with this body. But I am within this body. That is a fact. And how can I understand how I am within this body? I can understand I am within this body by my feeling. If there is some pain or pleasure on my body, I can feel. I am conscious that I am there. In consciousness, I am there. And what is this consciousness? This consciousness is the reflection of real myself. Myself means soul. So as soon as the soul is within this body, there is perception of pains and pleasure, heat and cold, and so many things. That is consciousness. And as soon as the soul is out of this body, there is no more pain, pleasure, or heat and cold. A dead body, if you cut it into pieces, it will not protest. Therefore the soul, or consciousness, the symptom of soul, consciousness, is my self. My consciousness is the symptom of my real self. Similarly, there is another consciousness.
In the Bhagavad-gita there are description of two consciousness. Just like I am conscious throughout my body. If you pinch any part of my body, then I feel. That is my consciousness. So I am spread, my consciousness is spread, all over my body. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, avinasi tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam: ‘That consciousness which is spread all over this body, that is eternal. And antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah saririnah: [Bg. 2.18] ‘But this body is antavat, means imperishable. ‘This body is perishable, but that consciousness is imperishable, eternal. And that consciousness, or the soul, is transmigrating from one body to another. Just like we are changing dress. I may have this dress. You may have another dress. I may exchange your dress with me.
So this changing of dress going on every moment. How? Now, these children, they are now so small. When they’ll become young, this body will grow. We do not know… We say, ‘It is growing, but growing or not growing, this body will not remain. This body will go; another body will come. Medical science also says that every second we are changing blood corpuscles, and therefore change in the body is going on. So you say or I say that ‘Body is growing, but in the Vedic language it is said that ‘Body is changing. Just like a child is born so small from the mother’s womb, and it changes body every second. Then he becomes a young child or a boy, then young man, then old man like me, and so on. In this way this changing, body changing, is going on. And the final change is called death. Death means… Just like the too much old garments cannot be used, similarly, this body is the garment of the soul. When it is…, no longer can be used, we have to accept another body. This is called transmigration of the soul.
Now, consciousness, the symptom… The presentation of the soul within this body is proved by consciousness. So from Bhagavad-gita we can understand there are two different qualities of consciousness. One consciousness is that I know about the pain and pleasure of my body, you know about the pains and pleasures of your body, but I do not know the pains and pleasure of your body; neither you know the pains and pleasure of my body. Therefore each and every one of us is individual soul, and our consciousness is limited within the body. Similarly, there is another consciousness and another body. That body is universal body, and that consciousness is universal. That universal consciousness knows your pains and pleasure, my pains and pleasure, and millions and trillions of living entities and bodies. He knows the pains and pleasures of everyone. These are the statements in the Bhagavad-gita. Ksetrajnam ca mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata: ‘As individual soul is conscious, is, only of his body, similarly, I am also conscious of everyone’s body.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that ‘I am conscious of everyone’s body, because He is all-pervading. He is all-pervading. That is all-pervading consciousness. So this all-pervading consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, we are preaching, consciousness, all-pervading consciousness, universal consciousness. So our consciousness, when it is dovetailed with universal consciousness, them our consciousness also becomes universal consciousness. What is that? I will give you one example. Just like a motorcar is running at hundred miles speed, and you are running on your cycle at ten miles speed. But if you catch that motorcar, you will also run in hundred miles speed. Although your capacity of bicycle is only ten miles speed, you also run at hundred miles speed. So unless we dovetail our activities with the supreme consciousness, or God consciousness, there cannot be equality, fraternity, or universality as we are hankering after. It is not possible. You can go on crying in the wilderness for universal fraternity, friendship, equality, but if you keep your individuality, individual consciousness, selfish consciousness, there is no possibility of peace or tranquillity in the world. Therefore people are very much anxious at the present moment for peace and tranquillity over the world, but they do not know how that peace can be attained. Peace can be attained. The formula is there in the Bhagavad-gita. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. You can attain peace only when you understand that God is the proprietor of everything.
Actually, God is proprietor of everything. Now, take for example this house. This house is made of wood, stone, clay, sand, and everything, materials. But who is the proprietor of this wood, sand, clay? God is the proprietor. You cannot produce wood. You cannot produce sand. You cannot produce clay. You can simply work as a laborer to bring the clay, to bring the wood, to bring the stone and collect them and stand, make, construct a very big skyscraper house. But actually, the proprietor is God. This land, this land, America, it was lying before you came from Europe, before you colonized. And it may be, some days after, it will be lying here, and you shall have to go. Therefore who is the proprietor of this land? God is the proprietor. In this way, if we study that ‘Everything belongs to God. I also belong to God, my self, my body, my mind, my activity, my energy, everything… Just take for example. I am claiming that ‘This is my hand, but if God withdraws the energy of the hand, your claim for ‘my hand at once goes. So we have to develop that God consciousness and Krsna consciousness. When we speak of Krsna consciousness, it is God consciousness. People have become degenerated, forgetting God consciousness. Therefore in the present world there is no peace. Materially, they are very much advanced. They are advanced in so-called education, but they do not know what is ‘I. The everything, they are claiming, ‘my and mine, but they do not know what is ‘I.
So this consciousness, Krsna consciousness, is scientifically presented. It is not a sentiment. It is not a sentimental movement. It is very scientific movement. And the easiest process to come to this Krsna consciousness is by chanting this Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So we are presenting very easy formula for coming to the Krsna consciousness platform. Just a moment before, we were dancing and chanting equally, the boys, the girls, the men, the women. So there is no distinction. Even if we do not understand the language, what is the meaning of Hare Krsna, but because it is transcendental, because it is spiritual, from the spiritual platform, everything is equal. We forget that we are American, or we are Indian, we are child, we are youth, or man, or woman, because in the spiritual platform there is no such bodily distinction.
So our request to all the guardians of the boys and girls present here, or the teachers, that they should teach from the very beginning this Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness. Otherwise the future of the world is not very bright. It is recommended in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. We are having our class in our temple: the instruction of Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja was a five-years-old boy, and he was agitating this Krsna conscious movement in his school. The schoolteacher would not allow him to speak about God, but as soon as there was some recess and the child, the boy, five-years-old boy, he would take the opportunity, call his friends and speak on Krsna consciousness. And he said, kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha [SB 7.6.1]. The Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness, should be taught from the very beginning of education. This is the greatest drawback of modern education, that not only in your country or any country they have completely neglected what is meant by God. And in India, they are especially… Now, as soon as there is any question of God, they see phobia: ‘Oh, this is all nonsense. They have become so clever.
So anyway, my appeal to you, American people, that you are considered to be the leader of all nations of the world. You should take this Krsna conscious movement very seriously. It is good for you. It is good for the whole world. It is individually, collectively, without any consideration of caste, creed, or color. Everyone can chant Hare Krsna, anyone and everyone, at home, on the street. There is no expenditure. Suppose while walking if you chant Hare Krsna, there is no loss, there is no expenditure, but you see how much you are profited by chanting Hare Krsna. This is practical. We don’t say that ‘You come to our temple and give us some subscription. Become our member. That is a secondary question. Our primary movement is that everyone may take advantage of this movement and simply chant wherever possible, at home, at work, on the street, anywhere. There is no regulation where you have to chant and how you have to chant. It is spontaneous. Simply chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There are only three words there: Hare, Krsna, and Rama, but they are adjusted in a different position. There are sixteen words. So it is not very difficult. You can make an experiment. The children also may take pleasure. We have got our records. If you play those records and chant with it, you will find a transcendental pleasure in you. These are facts. So our request to you, that you take this movement a little seriously, and you will be happy by grace of Krsna.
Boy: Hand.
Prabhupada: Whose hand?
Boy: Your hand.
Prabhupada: Your hand. And what is this?
Boy: Your head.
Prabhupada: My head. Yes. And what is this?
Boy: Your knee.
Prabhupada: Yes. My leg. And what is this?
Boy: Your clothes.
Prabhupada: My cloth. Similarly, you have got your head, you have got your hand, you have got your leg, you have got your coat, you have got your pant, but do you know where you are?
Boy: I am here. (laughter)
Prabhupada: You are here, but that is your coat, that is your pant, that is your hand, that is your leg, that is your head. But where you are? It is your coat, it is your pant, it is your hand, it is your leg. Where you are? Do you know that? Can you say, any of the boys or girls here, where you are?
Boy: No.
Prabhupada: No? Oh. So you are not taught in this school where you are? Then what is that education? You do not know where you are.
Boy: I do know where I am. I’m in this school.
Prabhupada: You do not know, because as you say you are here, here your coat is there, your pant is there, your hand is there, your body is there, but you cannot explain where you are. All right. Sit down. I shall explain. (laughter) This is the defect of modern education. We are educated in a way in which we have misunderstood, ‘This is my body. This is my hand. This is my leg. This is my country. This is my mother. This is my father. This is my school. ‘This is my, I know. I have the concept of ‘my. But who is conceiving ‘my ? We have no information where it is. In Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said that yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. Under misconception we understand my body as myself. I say, ‘It is my body, but I misidentify my body with myself. Is it not?
So the basic principle of mistake… Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke. According to Vedic literature, this body is prepared in three elements: fire, water, and clay. So I am not the combination of fire, water, and clay. Then I am this house, I am this room. So yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. So basic principle of my knowledge is false, that I am considering this material body as ‘I am. And if the basic principle is wrong, then, in relationship with this body, because I am born in this land of America… ‘I am born means my body is born. Or because my body is born from another body, my father and mother, so I think that ‘This body is my kinsman, and this country is mine, and so on.
But the basic principle is false, that ‘I am considering, falsely identifying myself with this body. But I am within this body. That is a fact. And how can I understand how I am within this body? I can understand I am within this body by my feeling. If there is some pain or pleasure on my body, I can feel. I am conscious that I am there. In consciousness, I am there. And what is this consciousness? This consciousness is the reflection of real myself. Myself means soul. So as soon as the soul is within this body, there is perception of pains and pleasure, heat and cold, and so many things. That is consciousness. And as soon as the soul is out of this body, there is no more pain, pleasure, or heat and cold. A dead body, if you cut it into pieces, it will not protest. Therefore the soul, or consciousness, the symptom of soul, consciousness, is my self. My consciousness is the symptom of my real self. Similarly, there is another consciousness.
In the Bhagavad-gita there are description of two consciousness. Just like I am conscious throughout my body. If you pinch any part of my body, then I feel. That is my consciousness. So I am spread, my consciousness is spread, all over my body. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, avinasi tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam: ‘That consciousness which is spread all over this body, that is eternal. And antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah saririnah: [Bg. 2.18] ‘But this body is antavat, means imperishable. ‘This body is perishable, but that consciousness is imperishable, eternal. And that consciousness, or the soul, is transmigrating from one body to another. Just like we are changing dress. I may have this dress. You may have another dress. I may exchange your dress with me.
So this changing of dress going on every moment. How? Now, these children, they are now so small. When they’ll become young, this body will grow. We do not know… We say, ‘It is growing, but growing or not growing, this body will not remain. This body will go; another body will come. Medical science also says that every second we are changing blood corpuscles, and therefore change in the body is going on. So you say or I say that ‘Body is growing, but in the Vedic language it is said that ‘Body is changing. Just like a child is born so small from the mother’s womb, and it changes body every second. Then he becomes a young child or a boy, then young man, then old man like me, and so on. In this way this changing, body changing, is going on. And the final change is called death. Death means… Just like the too much old garments cannot be used, similarly, this body is the garment of the soul. When it is…, no longer can be used, we have to accept another body. This is called transmigration of the soul.
Now, consciousness, the symptom… The presentation of the soul within this body is proved by consciousness. So from Bhagavad-gita we can understand there are two different qualities of consciousness. One consciousness is that I know about the pain and pleasure of my body, you know about the pains and pleasures of your body, but I do not know the pains and pleasure of your body; neither you know the pains and pleasure of my body. Therefore each and every one of us is individual soul, and our consciousness is limited within the body. Similarly, there is another consciousness and another body. That body is universal body, and that consciousness is universal. That universal consciousness knows your pains and pleasure, my pains and pleasure, and millions and trillions of living entities and bodies. He knows the pains and pleasures of everyone. These are the statements in the Bhagavad-gita. Ksetrajnam ca mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata: ‘As individual soul is conscious, is, only of his body, similarly, I am also conscious of everyone’s body.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that ‘I am conscious of everyone’s body, because He is all-pervading. He is all-pervading. That is all-pervading consciousness. So this all-pervading consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, we are preaching, consciousness, all-pervading consciousness, universal consciousness. So our consciousness, when it is dovetailed with universal consciousness, them our consciousness also becomes universal consciousness. What is that? I will give you one example. Just like a motorcar is running at hundred miles speed, and you are running on your cycle at ten miles speed. But if you catch that motorcar, you will also run in hundred miles speed. Although your capacity of bicycle is only ten miles speed, you also run at hundred miles speed. So unless we dovetail our activities with the supreme consciousness, or God consciousness, there cannot be equality, fraternity, or universality as we are hankering after. It is not possible. You can go on crying in the wilderness for universal fraternity, friendship, equality, but if you keep your individuality, individual consciousness, selfish consciousness, there is no possibility of peace or tranquillity in the world. Therefore people are very much anxious at the present moment for peace and tranquillity over the world, but they do not know how that peace can be attained. Peace can be attained. The formula is there in the Bhagavad-gita. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. You can attain peace only when you understand that God is the proprietor of everything.
Actually, God is proprietor of everything. Now, take for example this house. This house is made of wood, stone, clay, sand, and everything, materials. But who is the proprietor of this wood, sand, clay? God is the proprietor. You cannot produce wood. You cannot produce sand. You cannot produce clay. You can simply work as a laborer to bring the clay, to bring the wood, to bring the stone and collect them and stand, make, construct a very big skyscraper house. But actually, the proprietor is God. This land, this land, America, it was lying before you came from Europe, before you colonized. And it may be, some days after, it will be lying here, and you shall have to go. Therefore who is the proprietor of this land? God is the proprietor. In this way, if we study that ‘Everything belongs to God. I also belong to God, my self, my body, my mind, my activity, my energy, everything… Just take for example. I am claiming that ‘This is my hand, but if God withdraws the energy of the hand, your claim for ‘my hand at once goes. So we have to develop that God consciousness and Krsna consciousness. When we speak of Krsna consciousness, it is God consciousness. People have become degenerated, forgetting God consciousness. Therefore in the present world there is no peace. Materially, they are very much advanced. They are advanced in so-called education, but they do not know what is ‘I. The everything, they are claiming, ‘my and mine, but they do not know what is ‘I.
So this consciousness, Krsna consciousness, is scientifically presented. It is not a sentiment. It is not a sentimental movement. It is very scientific movement. And the easiest process to come to this Krsna consciousness is by chanting this Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So we are presenting very easy formula for coming to the Krsna consciousness platform. Just a moment before, we were dancing and chanting equally, the boys, the girls, the men, the women. So there is no distinction. Even if we do not understand the language, what is the meaning of Hare Krsna, but because it is transcendental, because it is spiritual, from the spiritual platform, everything is equal. We forget that we are American, or we are Indian, we are child, we are youth, or man, or woman, because in the spiritual platform there is no such bodily distinction.
So our request to all the guardians of the boys and girls present here, or the teachers, that they should teach from the very beginning this Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness. Otherwise the future of the world is not very bright. It is recommended in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. We are having our class in our temple: the instruction of Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja was a five-years-old boy, and he was agitating this Krsna conscious movement in his school. The schoolteacher would not allow him to speak about God, but as soon as there was some recess and the child, the boy, five-years-old boy, he would take the opportunity, call his friends and speak on Krsna consciousness. And he said, kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha [SB 7.6.1]. The Krsna consciousness, or God consciousness, should be taught from the very beginning of education. This is the greatest drawback of modern education, that not only in your country or any country they have completely neglected what is meant by God. And in India, they are especially… Now, as soon as there is any question of God, they see phobia: ‘Oh, this is all nonsense. They have become so clever.
So anyway, my appeal to you, American people, that you are considered to be the leader of all nations of the world. You should take this Krsna conscious movement very seriously. It is good for you. It is good for the whole world. It is individually, collectively, without any consideration of caste, creed, or color. Everyone can chant Hare Krsna, anyone and everyone, at home, on the street. There is no expenditure. Suppose while walking if you chant Hare Krsna, there is no loss, there is no expenditure, but you see how much you are profited by chanting Hare Krsna. This is practical. We don’t say that ‘You come to our temple and give us some subscription. Become our member. That is a secondary question. Our primary movement is that everyone may take advantage of this movement and simply chant wherever possible, at home, at work, on the street, anywhere. There is no regulation where you have to chant and how you have to chant. It is spontaneous. Simply chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There are only three words there: Hare, Krsna, and Rama, but they are adjusted in a different position. There are sixteen words. So it is not very difficult. You can make an experiment. The children also may take pleasure. We have got our records. If you play those records and chant with it, you will find a transcendental pleasure in you. These are facts. So our request to you, that you take this movement a little seriously, and you will be happy by grace of Krsna.
Wednesday 21 January 2009
A warning. We all have to die.
No matter how powerful someone becomes in this world, they cannot escape the inevitable day of their death. Therefore, it is advisable for everyone to be careful how they live their lives, because there is information that points to judgement at the time of death. When that time comes, it will be no good screaming injustice, or that one didn't know they would be punished.
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike the inevitable hour:
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
(Excerpt from Gray's Elegy)
"The King of the pitas is Yamaraja, the very powerful son of the sun-god. He resides in Pitrloka with his personal assistants and, while abiding by the rules and regulations set down by the Supreme Lord, has his agents, the Yamadutas, bring all the sinful men to him immediately upon their death. After bringing them within his jurisdiction, he properly judges them according to their specific sinful activities and sends them to one of the many hellish planets for suitable punishments."
Process of Dying
At the moment of death the following things take place. If the person is impious and quite sinful, the messengers of Yamaraja, called the Yamadutas, fierce, horrible looking persons with twisted features, copper red flaming hairs that stand on end, black in complexion and frightening to behold, appear at the deathbed of the person in question and drag him forcibly from his body with ropes and chains. This scene so frightens the person that he literally dies of fright. They then pack up the subtle body of the person in a bag, where they take the soul, now covered only by the subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego, to the abode of Yamaraja for judgement. He is taken over long stretches of hot, dry sands, and along the way he is insulted in various ways by other horrible creatures and bitten by dogs. He is suffering terribly on this journey and he wishes it would end.
(The movie "Ghost" presented a world that included ghosts, psychic powers, Yamaduta-like spirits, and an effulgent heavenly realm.)
However, when it does end he is taken before Yamaraja, the fierce demigod in charge of death and punishing the sinful. He is forced to accept a position of suffering according to his sins in one of the hells which exist at the bottom of the universe, just above the Garbhodaka Ocean. In this hellish region called the Naraka, there are approximately 27 hellish places.
As an example of this a person who has engaged in the slaughter and eating of other innocent animals will enter into Krimibhojana, wherein he will exist as a worm who is eating the tail of another worm as that worm is eating his tail. There are many such hells just according to the crimes committed. One may find the complete description in the last chapters of the 5th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
After such intense and horrible forms of suffering the living being is thrown again into the lower species of life just suited according to his sinful desires in his human life.
However, persons who are not quite that sinful may expect a more peaceful departure from the body. At the time of death, death is denoted as the moment when the spirit soul departs from the material gross body. At that time the soul, covered by the subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego, leaves the body. The subtle body always travels with the soul wherever he goes within this material world and therefore the living entity has a continuity of material experience throughout his different lifetimes.
Death may come from a variety of causes, but when it actually happens the first thing that a person experiences is total blackness. All is dark, but this lasts only for a moment. The Supersoul, situated right next to the soul, illuminates a hole which appears to the soul to be a light at the end of a tunnel. In fact the darkness which appears is the body but now that it is dead it is devoid of consciousness and now we are seeing it from the inside for the first time.
There are some 118 different passageways through which one might depart from the body. One may only go through one of these at the time of death. These passageways are called nadis, or channels of consciousness. According to Garuda Purana 1.67 death occurs when both main (spine) nadis, Ida and Pingala, are at work. Under normal conditions they switch. One might understand them to be the major nerve channels of channels of energy flow within the body, but the exact medical synonym is not available to us at this time. In any case one will depart from one of these nadis to his next destination. We do know that one who departs from the anus or genital goes to the lower regions, wherein one who departs from the upper portion of the body goes to the higher regions. Those who depart from the top of their skulls, from the hole known as the brahma randhra, the place where the three bones in the skull meet, will attain the regions of Brahman.
Description of yogic death by merging the elements of one's body into mahat-tattva is given in SB 1.15.41-42, 2.2.30, 4.23.15-18, 7.12.30-31, Vs 4.2.15-16, etc. This process goes on in yogi's consciousness. Sridhara Swami speaks about giving up attraction to different sense objects (BG 2.67) and merging the sense into their objects (tan-matras).
The Supersoul illuminates only one of these passageways according to the karma of the soul. He selects the passageway just according to the previous activities of the living entity and as soon as it is illuminated the soul naturally wants to move towards the light. As soon as he is out of the body, he feels relieved of the burden of the material frame and starts to move, naturally drawn towards his next form. He's lead by various guides called ativahika devatas. Description is in Vedanta-sutra 4.2.7-4.3.16. At that time he will experience the world from the point of view of the subtle body and will see things much clearer than they are seen through the present body. Just try to imagine how much more beautiful the world must be when seen through spiritual eyes!
Vedanta-sutra describes that not-too-sinful persons go to higher planets. According to NDE they may meet their departed relatives there. After time alotted by their karma they must return to earth though.
"In the process of sacrifice, the living entity makes specific sacrifices to attain specific heavenly planets and consequently reaches them. When the merit of sacrifice is exhausted, the living entity descends to earth in the form of rain, then takes on the form of grains, and the grains are eaten by man and transformed into semen, which impregnates a woman, and thus the living entity once again attains the human form to perform sacrifice and so repeat the same cycle. In this way, the living entity perpetually comes and goes on the material path. The Krsna conscious person, however, avoids such sacrifices. He takes directly to Krsna consciousness and thereby prepares himself to return to Godhead." (BG 8.3 p., quote from Chandogya Upanisad)
sri-bhagavan uvacakarmana daiva-netrenajantur dehopapattayestriyah pravista udarampumso retah-kanasrayah
"The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body." (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.1)
When the embryo is about seven months of age it is sufficiently developed to support consciousness and the baby awakens in his new body and immediately moves, sometimes kicking the mother from within in a vain attempt to get out of the horrible entanglement that he has found himself in.
If he is pious, this horrible condition of having the arms and legs jammed into the chest as one is bent over in the foetal position, causes the soul to pray to the Lord as follows, "O Lord, this condition is terrible. Please save me from this situation and get me out of this womb immediately and I promise to serve You in this lifetime for sure." However, as soon as he takes his birth he becomes too much attached to all the attention and service being rendered him by mother and family members and he forgets all about serving the Lord and falls totally into maya again.
Avoid the process of rebirth, it is not auspicious in any way.
Yama - Restrainer. Pluto, etc. In the Vedas Yama is god of the dead, with whom the spirits of the departed dwell. He was the son of Vivasvat (the Sun) and had a twin-sister named Yami or Yamuna. These are by some looked upon as the first human pair, the originators of the race; and there is a remarkable hymn, in the form of a dialogue, in which the female urges their cohabitation for the purpose of perpetuating the species. Another hymn says that Yama "was the first of men that died, and the first that departed to the (celestial) world." It was Yama who found the way to the home which cannot be taken away. "Those who are now born follow) by their own paths to the place where our ancient fathers have departed." "But," says Muir, "Yama is nowhere represented in the Rigveda as having anything to do with the punishment of the wicked." So far as is yet known, "the hymn of that Veda contain no prominent mention of any such penal retribution... Yama is still to some extent an object of terror. He is represented as having two insatiable dogs [Rigveda 10.14.10-12] with four eyes and wide nostrils, which guard the road to his abode, and which the departed are advised to hurry past with all possible speed. These dogs are said to wander about among men as his messengers, no doubt for the purpose of summoning them to their master, who is in another place identified with death, and is described as sending a bird as the herald of doom." In the epic poems Yama is the son of the Sun by Sanjna (conscience) and brother of Vaivasvata (Manu). He was the father of Yudhishthira. He is the god of departed spirits and judge of the dead. A soul when it quits its mortal form goes to his abode in the lower regions; there the recorder, Citragupta, reads out his account from the great register called Agrasandhani, and a just sentence follows, when the soul either ascends to the abodes of the Pitris (Manes), or is sent to one of the twenty-one hells according to its guilt, or it is born again on earth in another form. Yama is regent of the south quarter, and as such is called Dakshinashapati. He is represented as having a green color and clothed with red. He rides upon a buffalo, and is armed with a ponderous mace and a noose to secure his victims. In the Puranas a legend is told of Yama having lifted his foot to kick Chaya, the handmaid of his father. She cursed him to have his leg affected with sores and worms, but his father gave him a cock which picked off the worms and cured the discharge. Through this incident he is called Shirnapada, "Shrivelled foot." Yama had several wives, as Hemamala, Sushila, and Vijaya. He dwells in the lower world, in his city Yamapura. There, in his palace called Kalichi, he sits upon his throne of judgment, Vicharabhu. He is assisted by his recorder and councillor, Citragupta, and waited upon by his two chief attendants and custodians, Canda or Mahacanda, and Kalapurusha. His messengers, Yamadutas, bring in the souls of the dead, and the door of his judgment-hall is kept by his porter, Vaidhyata. Yama has many names descriptive of his office. He is Mrityu, Kala, and Antaka, "death"; Kritanta, "the finisher"; Shamana "the settler"; Dandi or Dandadhara, "the rod-bearer"; Bhimashasana, "of terrible decrees"; Pashi, "the noose-carrier"; Pitripati, "lord of the manes"; Pretaraja, "king of the ghosts"; Shraddhadeva, "god of the exequial offerings"; and especially Dharmaraja, "king of justice." He is Audumbara, from Udumbara, "the fig-tree," and from his parentage he is Vaivasvata. There is a Dharmashastra which bears the name of Yama.
The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike the inevitable hour:
The paths of glory lead but to the grave.
(Excerpt from Gray's Elegy)
"The King of the pitas is Yamaraja, the very powerful son of the sun-god. He resides in Pitrloka with his personal assistants and, while abiding by the rules and regulations set down by the Supreme Lord, has his agents, the Yamadutas, bring all the sinful men to him immediately upon their death. After bringing them within his jurisdiction, he properly judges them according to their specific sinful activities and sends them to one of the many hellish planets for suitable punishments."
Process of Dying
At the moment of death the following things take place. If the person is impious and quite sinful, the messengers of Yamaraja, called the Yamadutas, fierce, horrible looking persons with twisted features, copper red flaming hairs that stand on end, black in complexion and frightening to behold, appear at the deathbed of the person in question and drag him forcibly from his body with ropes and chains. This scene so frightens the person that he literally dies of fright. They then pack up the subtle body of the person in a bag, where they take the soul, now covered only by the subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego, to the abode of Yamaraja for judgement. He is taken over long stretches of hot, dry sands, and along the way he is insulted in various ways by other horrible creatures and bitten by dogs. He is suffering terribly on this journey and he wishes it would end.
(The movie "Ghost" presented a world that included ghosts, psychic powers, Yamaduta-like spirits, and an effulgent heavenly realm.)
However, when it does end he is taken before Yamaraja, the fierce demigod in charge of death and punishing the sinful. He is forced to accept a position of suffering according to his sins in one of the hells which exist at the bottom of the universe, just above the Garbhodaka Ocean. In this hellish region called the Naraka, there are approximately 27 hellish places.
As an example of this a person who has engaged in the slaughter and eating of other innocent animals will enter into Krimibhojana, wherein he will exist as a worm who is eating the tail of another worm as that worm is eating his tail. There are many such hells just according to the crimes committed. One may find the complete description in the last chapters of the 5th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
After such intense and horrible forms of suffering the living being is thrown again into the lower species of life just suited according to his sinful desires in his human life.
However, persons who are not quite that sinful may expect a more peaceful departure from the body. At the time of death, death is denoted as the moment when the spirit soul departs from the material gross body. At that time the soul, covered by the subtle body of mind, intelligence and false ego, leaves the body. The subtle body always travels with the soul wherever he goes within this material world and therefore the living entity has a continuity of material experience throughout his different lifetimes.
Death may come from a variety of causes, but when it actually happens the first thing that a person experiences is total blackness. All is dark, but this lasts only for a moment. The Supersoul, situated right next to the soul, illuminates a hole which appears to the soul to be a light at the end of a tunnel. In fact the darkness which appears is the body but now that it is dead it is devoid of consciousness and now we are seeing it from the inside for the first time.
There are some 118 different passageways through which one might depart from the body. One may only go through one of these at the time of death. These passageways are called nadis, or channels of consciousness. According to Garuda Purana 1.67 death occurs when both main (spine) nadis, Ida and Pingala, are at work. Under normal conditions they switch. One might understand them to be the major nerve channels of channels of energy flow within the body, but the exact medical synonym is not available to us at this time. In any case one will depart from one of these nadis to his next destination. We do know that one who departs from the anus or genital goes to the lower regions, wherein one who departs from the upper portion of the body goes to the higher regions. Those who depart from the top of their skulls, from the hole known as the brahma randhra, the place where the three bones in the skull meet, will attain the regions of Brahman.
Description of yogic death by merging the elements of one's body into mahat-tattva is given in SB 1.15.41-42, 2.2.30, 4.23.15-18, 7.12.30-31, Vs 4.2.15-16, etc. This process goes on in yogi's consciousness. Sridhara Swami speaks about giving up attraction to different sense objects (BG 2.67) and merging the sense into their objects (tan-matras).
The Supersoul illuminates only one of these passageways according to the karma of the soul. He selects the passageway just according to the previous activities of the living entity and as soon as it is illuminated the soul naturally wants to move towards the light. As soon as he is out of the body, he feels relieved of the burden of the material frame and starts to move, naturally drawn towards his next form. He's lead by various guides called ativahika devatas. Description is in Vedanta-sutra 4.2.7-4.3.16. At that time he will experience the world from the point of view of the subtle body and will see things much clearer than they are seen through the present body. Just try to imagine how much more beautiful the world must be when seen through spiritual eyes!
Vedanta-sutra describes that not-too-sinful persons go to higher planets. According to NDE they may meet their departed relatives there. After time alotted by their karma they must return to earth though.
"In the process of sacrifice, the living entity makes specific sacrifices to attain specific heavenly planets and consequently reaches them. When the merit of sacrifice is exhausted, the living entity descends to earth in the form of rain, then takes on the form of grains, and the grains are eaten by man and transformed into semen, which impregnates a woman, and thus the living entity once again attains the human form to perform sacrifice and so repeat the same cycle. In this way, the living entity perpetually comes and goes on the material path. The Krsna conscious person, however, avoids such sacrifices. He takes directly to Krsna consciousness and thereby prepares himself to return to Godhead." (BG 8.3 p., quote from Chandogya Upanisad)
sri-bhagavan uvacakarmana daiva-netrenajantur dehopapattayestriyah pravista udarampumso retah-kanasrayah
"The Personality of Godhead said: Under the supervision of the Supreme Lord and according to the result of his work, the living entity, the soul, is made to enter into the womb of a woman through the particle of male semen to assume a particular type of body." (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.1)
When the embryo is about seven months of age it is sufficiently developed to support consciousness and the baby awakens in his new body and immediately moves, sometimes kicking the mother from within in a vain attempt to get out of the horrible entanglement that he has found himself in.
If he is pious, this horrible condition of having the arms and legs jammed into the chest as one is bent over in the foetal position, causes the soul to pray to the Lord as follows, "O Lord, this condition is terrible. Please save me from this situation and get me out of this womb immediately and I promise to serve You in this lifetime for sure." However, as soon as he takes his birth he becomes too much attached to all the attention and service being rendered him by mother and family members and he forgets all about serving the Lord and falls totally into maya again.
Avoid the process of rebirth, it is not auspicious in any way.
Yama - Restrainer. Pluto, etc. In the Vedas Yama is god of the dead, with whom the spirits of the departed dwell. He was the son of Vivasvat (the Sun) and had a twin-sister named Yami or Yamuna. These are by some looked upon as the first human pair, the originators of the race; and there is a remarkable hymn, in the form of a dialogue, in which the female urges their cohabitation for the purpose of perpetuating the species. Another hymn says that Yama "was the first of men that died, and the first that departed to the (celestial) world." It was Yama who found the way to the home which cannot be taken away. "Those who are now born follow) by their own paths to the place where our ancient fathers have departed." "But," says Muir, "Yama is nowhere represented in the Rigveda as having anything to do with the punishment of the wicked." So far as is yet known, "the hymn of that Veda contain no prominent mention of any such penal retribution... Yama is still to some extent an object of terror. He is represented as having two insatiable dogs [Rigveda 10.14.10-12] with four eyes and wide nostrils, which guard the road to his abode, and which the departed are advised to hurry past with all possible speed. These dogs are said to wander about among men as his messengers, no doubt for the purpose of summoning them to their master, who is in another place identified with death, and is described as sending a bird as the herald of doom." In the epic poems Yama is the son of the Sun by Sanjna (conscience) and brother of Vaivasvata (Manu). He was the father of Yudhishthira. He is the god of departed spirits and judge of the dead. A soul when it quits its mortal form goes to his abode in the lower regions; there the recorder, Citragupta, reads out his account from the great register called Agrasandhani, and a just sentence follows, when the soul either ascends to the abodes of the Pitris (Manes), or is sent to one of the twenty-one hells according to its guilt, or it is born again on earth in another form. Yama is regent of the south quarter, and as such is called Dakshinashapati. He is represented as having a green color and clothed with red. He rides upon a buffalo, and is armed with a ponderous mace and a noose to secure his victims. In the Puranas a legend is told of Yama having lifted his foot to kick Chaya, the handmaid of his father. She cursed him to have his leg affected with sores and worms, but his father gave him a cock which picked off the worms and cured the discharge. Through this incident he is called Shirnapada, "Shrivelled foot." Yama had several wives, as Hemamala, Sushila, and Vijaya. He dwells in the lower world, in his city Yamapura. There, in his palace called Kalichi, he sits upon his throne of judgment, Vicharabhu. He is assisted by his recorder and councillor, Citragupta, and waited upon by his two chief attendants and custodians, Canda or Mahacanda, and Kalapurusha. His messengers, Yamadutas, bring in the souls of the dead, and the door of his judgment-hall is kept by his porter, Vaidhyata. Yama has many names descriptive of his office. He is Mrityu, Kala, and Antaka, "death"; Kritanta, "the finisher"; Shamana "the settler"; Dandi or Dandadhara, "the rod-bearer"; Bhimashasana, "of terrible decrees"; Pashi, "the noose-carrier"; Pitripati, "lord of the manes"; Pretaraja, "king of the ghosts"; Shraddhadeva, "god of the exequial offerings"; and especially Dharmaraja, "king of justice." He is Audumbara, from Udumbara, "the fig-tree," and from his parentage he is Vaivasvata. There is a Dharmashastra which bears the name of Yama.
Wednesday 14 January 2009
Kali Yuga
Situation in Kali-yuga
According to the Vedic scriptures, our current age, known as Kali-yuga, is one of spiritual darkness, violence and hypocrisy. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.2.31) records Kali-yuga as having begun when the constellation of the seven sages (saptarsi) passed through the lunar mansion of Magha. Hindu astrologers have calculated this to have been 2:27 a.m. on February 18, 3102 BC. This took place some 36 years after Lord Krsna spoke Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna.
The scriptures like SB 12.2 teach that during the 432,000 year age of Kali, humanity deteriorates and falls into barbarism. Humans begin to kill animals for food. They fall under the spell of intoxication. They lose all sexual restraint. Families break up. Women and children are abused and abandoned.
Increasingly degraded generations, conceived accidentally in lust and growing up wild, swarm all over the world. Political leadership falls into the hands of unprincipled rogues, criminals and terrorists, who use their power to exploit the people. Entire populations are enslaved and put to death. The world teems with fanatics, extremists and spiritual artists, who win huge followings among a people completely dazed by hedonism, as well as by cultural and moral relativism. "Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, physical strength and memory diminish with each passing day." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.2.1)
The saints and sages of ancient India describe the people of this age as greedy, ill-behaved, and merciless. In this age, says Srimad-Bhagavatam, merely possessing wealth is considered a sign of good birth, proper behavior, and fine qualities. Law and justice are determined by one's prestige and power. Marriage ceases to exist as a holy union - men and women simply live together on the basis of bodily attraction and verbal agreement, and only for sexual pleasure.
Women wander from one man to another. Men no longer look after their parents in their old age, and fail to provide for their own children. One's beauty is thought to depend on one's hairstyle. Filling the belly is said to be the only purpose in life. Cows are killed once their milk production drops. Atheism flourishes. Religious observances are performed solely for the sake of reputation.
The Linga Purana (ch. 40) describes the human race in Kali-yuga as a vain and stupid people "spurred on by the lowest instincts." They prefer false ideas and do not hesitate to persecute sages. They are tormented by bodily desires.
Severe droughts and plagues are everywhere. Slovenliness, illness, hunger and fear spread. Nations are continually at war with one another. The number of princes and farmers decline. Heroes are assassinated. The working classes want to claim regal power and enjoy royal wealth.
Kings become thieves. They take to seizing property, rather than protecting the citizenry. The new leaders emerge from the laborer class and begin to persecute religious people, saints, teachers, intellectuals, and philosophers.
Civilization lacks any kind of divine guidance. The sacred books are no longer revered. False doctrines and misleading religions spread across the globe. Children are killed in the wombs of their mothers. Women who have relations with several men are numerous. Predatory animals are more violent. The number of cows diminishes.
The Linga Purana says that in Kali-yuga, young women freely abandon their virginity. Women, children, and cows - always protected in an enlightened society - are abused and killed during the iron age. Thieves are numerous and rapes are frequent. There are many beggars, and widespread unemployment. Merchants operate corrupt businesses. Diseases, rates, and foul substances plague the populace. Water is lacking, fruits are scarce. Everyone uses vulgar language.
The men of Kali-yuga seek only money. Only the richest have power. People without money are their slaves. The leaders of the state no longer protect the people, but plunder the citizenry through excessive taxation. Farmers abandon living close to nature. They become unskilled laborers in congested cities. Many dress in rags, or are unemployed, and sleep on the streets. Through the fault of the government, infant mortality rates are high. False gods are worshiped in false ashrams, in which pilgrimages, penances, charities and austerities are all concocted.
People in this age eat their food without washing beforehand. Monks break their vows of celibacy. Cows are kept alive only for their milk. Water is scarce. Many people watch the skies, praying for rain. No rain comes. The fields become barren. Suffering from famine and poverty, many attempt to migrate to countries where food is more readily available. People are without joy and pleasure. Many commit suicide. Men of small intelligence are influenced by atheistic doctrines. Family, clan and caste are all meaningless. Men are without virtues, purity or decency. (Visnu Purana 6.1).
According to the Vedic scriptures, our current age, known as Kali-yuga, is one of spiritual darkness, violence and hypocrisy. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.2.31) records Kali-yuga as having begun when the constellation of the seven sages (saptarsi) passed through the lunar mansion of Magha. Hindu astrologers have calculated this to have been 2:27 a.m. on February 18, 3102 BC. This took place some 36 years after Lord Krsna spoke Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna.
The scriptures like SB 12.2 teach that during the 432,000 year age of Kali, humanity deteriorates and falls into barbarism. Humans begin to kill animals for food. They fall under the spell of intoxication. They lose all sexual restraint. Families break up. Women and children are abused and abandoned.
Increasingly degraded generations, conceived accidentally in lust and growing up wild, swarm all over the world. Political leadership falls into the hands of unprincipled rogues, criminals and terrorists, who use their power to exploit the people. Entire populations are enslaved and put to death. The world teems with fanatics, extremists and spiritual artists, who win huge followings among a people completely dazed by hedonism, as well as by cultural and moral relativism. "Religion, truthfulness, cleanliness, tolerance, mercy, physical strength and memory diminish with each passing day." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.2.1)
The saints and sages of ancient India describe the people of this age as greedy, ill-behaved, and merciless. In this age, says Srimad-Bhagavatam, merely possessing wealth is considered a sign of good birth, proper behavior, and fine qualities. Law and justice are determined by one's prestige and power. Marriage ceases to exist as a holy union - men and women simply live together on the basis of bodily attraction and verbal agreement, and only for sexual pleasure.
Women wander from one man to another. Men no longer look after their parents in their old age, and fail to provide for their own children. One's beauty is thought to depend on one's hairstyle. Filling the belly is said to be the only purpose in life. Cows are killed once their milk production drops. Atheism flourishes. Religious observances are performed solely for the sake of reputation.
The Linga Purana (ch. 40) describes the human race in Kali-yuga as a vain and stupid people "spurred on by the lowest instincts." They prefer false ideas and do not hesitate to persecute sages. They are tormented by bodily desires.
Severe droughts and plagues are everywhere. Slovenliness, illness, hunger and fear spread. Nations are continually at war with one another. The number of princes and farmers decline. Heroes are assassinated. The working classes want to claim regal power and enjoy royal wealth.
Kings become thieves. They take to seizing property, rather than protecting the citizenry. The new leaders emerge from the laborer class and begin to persecute religious people, saints, teachers, intellectuals, and philosophers.
Civilization lacks any kind of divine guidance. The sacred books are no longer revered. False doctrines and misleading religions spread across the globe. Children are killed in the wombs of their mothers. Women who have relations with several men are numerous. Predatory animals are more violent. The number of cows diminishes.
The Linga Purana says that in Kali-yuga, young women freely abandon their virginity. Women, children, and cows - always protected in an enlightened society - are abused and killed during the iron age. Thieves are numerous and rapes are frequent. There are many beggars, and widespread unemployment. Merchants operate corrupt businesses. Diseases, rates, and foul substances plague the populace. Water is lacking, fruits are scarce. Everyone uses vulgar language.
The men of Kali-yuga seek only money. Only the richest have power. People without money are their slaves. The leaders of the state no longer protect the people, but plunder the citizenry through excessive taxation. Farmers abandon living close to nature. They become unskilled laborers in congested cities. Many dress in rags, or are unemployed, and sleep on the streets. Through the fault of the government, infant mortality rates are high. False gods are worshiped in false ashrams, in which pilgrimages, penances, charities and austerities are all concocted.
People in this age eat their food without washing beforehand. Monks break their vows of celibacy. Cows are kept alive only for their milk. Water is scarce. Many people watch the skies, praying for rain. No rain comes. The fields become barren. Suffering from famine and poverty, many attempt to migrate to countries where food is more readily available. People are without joy and pleasure. Many commit suicide. Men of small intelligence are influenced by atheistic doctrines. Family, clan and caste are all meaningless. Men are without virtues, purity or decency. (Visnu Purana 6.1).
Tuesday 30 December 2008
The Subject of Nationalism.
He declared totalitarian war against maya, illusion, including all other religious conceptions.
In the culture of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the subject of nationalism has been dealt with by such exalted personalities as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur (pictured above). He manifested his earthly pastimes between the years 1874 and 1936. During that time, the Indian Nationalist movement was active in trying to defeat British rule. The Bengali, Subhas Chandra Bose was a prominent leader in that movement, and he was, it is reported, in conflict with Ghandi's non-violent resistance to the British colonialists. He advocated the use of armed resistance, and he allied with the Japanese and Nazi military in an attempt to chase the Brits out of India. Savitri Devi, although not Indian by birth was a proponent of Hinduism and National Socialism, which can be condensed as championing the Aryan culture as a model for social organization and spiritual guidance. The above mentioned personalities were active in their various fields before the Second World War. Savitri Devi eulogises the sadhus of Bengal in her writings. She also speaks in favour of varnashram dharma, the proscribed method for social organisation. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur was active in Bengal and other parts of India in the thirties, and it is possible that Savitri Devi came in contact with members of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's mission. Even if she didn't, she shows in her writings quite a deep understanding and appreciation of Indian culture.Someone familiar with the works and teachings of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and his followers and disciples, will see in Savitri Devi a noble attempt at promoting the solution to the world's ills, namely the ancient and eternal Vedic culture, which due to the onset of Kali Yuga has been replaced by demoniac philosophies and religions.
So, what are the sadhus saying? What is the Bhagavad Gita, that many prominent persons in history have held up as so influential and important (including Savitri Devi and Ghandi), also saying?
Firstly, it is no good paying lip service to a Vaishnava sadhu as if they are just blowing hot air. What they are speaking of is crucial to everyone, in every walk of life. One subject discussed by Vaishnavas is the Bhagavad Gita, which contains the essence of spiritual instruction, viz-a-viz, surrender to the Supreme Lord.
The prominent disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati, Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who introduced Vaishnavism to the western world, was initially involved in the Indian campaign for independence. However, on meeting Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, he was advised to make the preaching of Vaishnavism the main focus of his life. Bodily concepts and selfish, parochial interests are illusions meant to trap the soul in bondage to this material world. So, therefore, concepts like my wife, my home, my nation etc are detrimental to progress in spiritual life. Of course, while we are here, a nation is to be run and maintained as is a family and home, but these should be viewed as temporary and therefore subordinate to our spiritual interest.
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