last updated 31st August 2007
 

Kazakhstani online petition

Kazakhstani online petition

By Radha Mohan Dasa

Please visit http://www.krishnatemple.com NOW and click the link to the new petition, or go straight to the petition webpage:

http://harekrishna.epetitions.net

Please sign it soon as you can, and please tell as many people as you can about it.

Background: Workers and police arrived on 15th June at the village near Almaty, Kazakhstan, where the embattled Hare Krishna commune is based to demolish twelve more Hare Krishna-owned homes. “The houses were literally crushed into dust. By ten o’clock it was all over,” said ISKCON spokesperson Maksim Varfolomeyev.

The temple, which the devotees have been ordered to destroy, has not been touched but the devotees fear it could be the next target. Human rights activist Yevgeny Zhovtis is outraged at the continuing destruction. “The authorities are showing that they will do what they want, despite the international outrage at the earlier demolitions of Hare Krishna-owned homes.” He believes the local administration chief “doesn’t care about the political damage to Kazakhstan’s reputation – or to its desire to chair the OSCE.”

ys Radha Mohan das

August 19th, 2007 Editor

The corruption continues…

By OLESSYA IVANOVA, Associated Press Writer Sun Aug 19, 3:03 PM ET

ASTANA, Kazakhstan - The authoritarian president’s party swept Kazakhstan’s parliamentary election, winning all the seats in a vote that was rejected Sunday by the opposition and deemed flawed by international observers.
ADVERTISEMENT

Nursultan Nazarbayev’s Nur Otan party received 88 percent of Saturday’s vote, and no other party cleared the 7 percent barrier needed to win a seat in the legislature, according to preliminary results released Sunday by the Central Elections Commission.

The two largest opposition groups condemned the results, saying they had been manipulated.

Nazarbayev, who has ruled the oil-rich Central Asian country since 1989 when it was still a Soviet republic, had pledged the elections would be free and fair. He is pushing for Kazakhstan to become chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 2009, and the group has delayed making a decision because of concerns over Kazakhstan’s commitment to democracy.

The election, which was called two years early after Nazarbayev pushed through constitutional amendments in May, was widely seen as a maneuver by him to try to improve Kazakhstan’s democratic image while maintaining his grip on power. But there had been some hope that he would be willing to loosen his hold a bit.

The stability of Kazakhstan, the most prosperous nation in ex-Soviet Central Asia, is of particular importance to regional powers Russia and China because of its substantial oil and gas reserves. The United States has also sought greater access to Kazakh energy resources.

The OSCE, which had sent more than 400 election observers to Kazakhstan, said there were irregularities in the vote count in more than 40 percent of the polling stations visited, mainly due to procedural problems and lack of transparency.

Lubomir Kopaj, who heads the long-term election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, said the results showed Kazakhstan still needs to improve its election process.

“I have never seen a democratic country with one political party in parliament,” Kopaj said at a news conference in the capital, Astana.

However, the head of the OSCE observer mission, Canadian senator Consiglio Di Nino, noted there was some progress in the vote.

“Notwithstanding the concerns contained in the report, I believe that these elections continue to move Kazakhstan forward in its evolution toward a democratic country,” he said in a statement.

The election had been expected to slightly improve the position of the opposition, which held only one seat in the outgoing parliament. Instead, the largest opposition groups were shut out.

“We don’t recognize the results of the election. They absolutely do not reflect the actual alignment of political forces and the social support they draw,” Burikhan Nurmukhamedov, a leader of the Ak Zhol party, was quoted as saying by the Russian news agency Interfax.

The elections commission said Ak Zhol received 3.25 percent of the vote, but Nurmukhamedov said the party’s own surveys indicated it had won about 12 percent.

“We have definitely won those votes,” he said, adding the party was preparing reports on voting irregularities to be given to the elections commission and the prosecutor-general, Interfax said.

“The elections have been utterly profaned,” said Ualikhan Kaisarov of the National Social Democratic Party, which received less than 5 percent of the vote, according to Interfax.

The OSCE mission expressed concern over the requirement that a party garner at least 7 percent of the vote in order to be represented in parliament. The same threshold has been introduced in Russia, where parliamentary elections are scheduled for December.

An observer mission from the Commonwealth of Independent States, a group comprising Russia, Kazakhstan and other former Soviet republics, said the Kazakh elections were “free and transparent,” the ITAR-Tass news agency reported, quoting CIS secretary Vladimir Rushailo.

The CIS observers consider the elections “a reflection of the stable social and economic development of Kazakhstan,” said Rushailo, a former Russian interior minister.

Nazarbayev has brought relative prosperity to the nation of 15 million, where economic growth has been in the double digits in recent years. But his rule has been marred by accusations of autocratic policies and the slayings of two vocal critics of his policies, which opposition leaders said were politically motivated.

At an Osce conference, the countries religious authorities vaunt Astana’s religious freedom and tolerance. At the same time Jehovah Witnesses are sentenced for having gathered in prayer and the temple of the Hare Krishna is demolished. The systematic persecution of religious minorities.

Astana (AsiaNews/F18) – In a conference in Romania against religious discrimination, the Kazak delegate vaunted his countries promotion of religious freedom and tolerance.  At the same time in the homeland the Hare Krishna are ordered to tear down their temple and the Jehovah’s witnesses are sentenced for having held a prayer meeting.

June 7th in Bucharest, at a conference sponsored by the Organisation for security and cooperation in Europe, Yeraly Tugzhanov, Chief of the Kazk Committee for religious affairs, said that his country is “an oasis of stability and religious harmony” and that religious discrimination does not exist.

But Forum 18 reveals that on June 5th the Hare Krishna in Seleksia village, Karasai district, was ordered to demolish their temple and dwellings by Sri Vrindavan Dham twon council, as they were deemed to have been illegally built.  The commune originally had 66 Hare Krishna-owned homes, plus the 47.7-hectare (118 acre) farm. Amid an international outcry, the authorities bulldozed 13 of the 66 homes in November 2006 and have repeatedly threatened to resume demolitions, most recently in early May. The faithful protest that the temple and homes are not illegal, and the arbitrary treatment at the hands of the authorities who have cut off water and electricity supplies.

On 4 June, six Jehovah's Witnesses in the Caspian Sea port of Atyrau were given huge fines – between 50 and 100 times an average salary - to punish them for their community's unregistered religious activity.

In Kazakistan non registered religious groups are forbidden to meet or hold religious activities.  But the Jehovah’s witnesses requested to be registered in 2001 and have so far received no response, even if a January 30th law sets down that all request must be processed within 60 days.

The Osce does not allow limitations on religious freedom and Tughzhanov says his country wants to change the law but has neither said when or how.  Since 1992 religious legislation has been amended on various occasions, but always in a more restrictive sense.  In the interim there is a rising tide of intolerance towards religious minorities in Kazakhstan, comprising Protestants and Armadi Muslims, to which state media contributes with damaging propaganda.

The Council of Baptist Churches refuses to register, a move it sees as being against the concept of religious freedom and merely a means for the government to gain control.  The government sentences faithful who meet to heavy fines.  Aleksandr Rozinov, leader of Atyrau’s Jehovah’s witnesses tells F18 that “public official’s mentality is still that of the soviet regime”.

Read HERE how the original issue began in Kazakstan

Read HERE what the previous articles from November 2006 were

Iskcon Kazakstan
http://www.palaceofthesoul.com/news/index.php

PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE
http://kazakhkrishna.com/en-main/

Kazakh
http://vedabase.net/kazakhstan/

Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:53 pm ((PDT))

We are extremely concerned about the continuing reports in the media related to the determination of Indian government especially Ministers of Shipping Mr. Balu and Ambika Soni of Cultural Ministry to the destruction of Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) by continuing the sethusamudram project.  The project is fine, but the present route is not, as it involves destruction of the Adam's bridge (Ram Sethu).

The existence of Ram Sethu (Adam's Bridge) has been proved by the satellite pictures of NASA. Details may be seen and read at: http://history.nasa.gov/SP-168/section3b.htm

Foreigners and Indians alike have described it as Rama's bridge since ancient times in their maps and travelogues. The first time someone called it Adam's Bridge was in 1804 by James Rennell, the first surveyor general of the East India Company. Even if the Government of India prefers to use the name Adam's Bridge, it simply proves that not only Hindus but Muslims and Christians too have a reverence for the bridge it is going to destroy.

The Encyclopedia Britannica describes the bridge thus, 'Adam's Bridge also called Rama's Bridge, chain of shoals, between the islands of Mannar, near northwestern Sri Lanka, and Rameswaram, off the southeastern coast of India.' Read at:
http://www.britannicaindia.com/duk_det_inside.asp?art_id=28

The Ram Setu or Adam's Bridge connects India's Rameshwaram to Sri Lanka's Talaimannar. A movement has begun to safeguard it at the shores of Rameshwaram on April 18. Two former judges of the Supreme Court, Justice K T Thomas and Justice V R Krishna Iyer, none of them close to any political party, have warned the government against destroying the Ram Setu.

Ramasethu acted as 'barrier' during tsunami: ADB expert

A former Asian Development Bank expert has urged for preserving the legendary 'Rama Sethu' bridge of 'Ramayana' times now immersed under sea waters, saying it had protected the entire South and South-West of Nagapattinam when the Tsunami struck the coastlines of several countries in the Indian Ocean.

After the Tsunami struck the Indian coasts in December 2004, shoal accumulations of the Rama Sethu acted as a barrier in protecting the coastline on the South and South-West of Nagapattinam.

The devastating high tides caused by the displacement of tectonic events near Banda Aceh in Indonesia circled the entire Sri Lankan Island and partially moved to Kerala and towards the Rama bridge.

''If the bridge is breached for Sethusamudram, the waters would directly gush into the entire peninsular region beyond Dhanushkodi and the coastline in Kerala to Konkan regions in Karnataka-Goa and Maharashtra and the devastation would be incalculable,'' he said.

Even Geological Survey of India in its logo, which describes India in this line etched at the bottom of its insignia -- Aasetu Himachal, meaning India is spread between the Bridge and the Himalayas.

Millions of families of fishermen, Hindus, Muslims and Christians who eke out a living by the sea have formed a protest group under the banner Tamil Nadu Fishermen Sangh headed by Shri Kuppu Ram.

This is comparable to a recent news story from the USA which we highlighted here in HHR
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1505736.ece  where the American courts disallowed the use of sewage for artificial snow on a sacred mountain used as a place of worship and pilgrimage by the Native American people.

Why has the council rejected the alternative plans put forward by the various organisations?

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi inaugurated the Sethusamudram project on July 2, 2005. The present route of the project essentially requires the destruction of the Ram Setu (Adam's bridge) is intentionally being adopted, while other options, closer to Dhanushkodi, which did not touch the Ram Setu were ignored?

And why is the Indian government hesitating in consulting the issue related to the safety of Ram Sethu (Adam's bridge) with the organizations want to save Ram Sethu (Adam's bridge), scientists and NASA?

We of the following signatures look forward to hearing from you or saving the world heritage Ram Sethu *Adam's bridge) ­ and, we hope, that Indian government will adopt a more responsible attitude to its own country heritage, as well as world heritage.

By Premendra Agrawal
Please sign on the petition to save Ram Sethuby visiting at:
http://newsanalysisindia.com/ramsethu.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/science/23cnd-body.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

UNITED STATES, August 23, 2007: (HPI note: What the researchers did not appear to investigate in this fascinating experiment is whether, during the induced out-of-body experience, it was possible for the person to see or hear something that he should not have been able to. The most compelling testimony in out-of-body experiences is the person in his astral body seeing or hearing something he could not have from the perspective or location of his physical body.)

Using virtual reality goggles, a camera and a stick, scientists have induced out-of-body experiences--the sensation of drifting outside of one's own body--in healthy people, according to experiments being published in the journal Science. When people gaze at an illusory image of themselves through the goggles and are prodded in just the right way with the stick, they feel as if they have left their bodies. The research reveals that "the sense of having a body, of being in a bodily self," is actually constructed from multiple sensory streams, said Matthew Botvinick, an assistant professor of neuroscience at Princeton University, an expert on body and mind who was not involved in the experiments.

Usually these sensory streams, which include vision touch, balance and the sense of where one's body is positioned in space, work together seamlessly, Prof. Botvinick said. But when the information coming from the sensory sources does not match up, when they are thrown out of synchrony, the sense of being embodied as a whole comes apart. The brain, which abhors ambiguity, then forces a decision that can, as the new experiments show, involve the sense of being in a different body.

The research provides a physical explanation for phenomena usually ascribed to other-worldly influences, said Peter Brugger, a neurologist at University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland. After severe and sudden injuries, people often report the sensation of floating over their body, looking down, hearing what is said, and then, just as suddenly, find themselves back inside their body. Out-of-body experiences have also been reported to occur during sleep paralysis, the exertion of extreme sports and intense meditation practices. The new research is a first step in figuring out exactly how the brain creates this sensation, he said.

The out-of-body experiments were conducted by two research groups using slightly different methods intended to expand the so-called rubber hand illusion. In that illusion, people hide one hand in their lap and look at a rubber hand set on a table in front of them. As a researcher strokes the real hand and the rubber hand simultaneously with a stick, people have the vivid sense that the rubber hand is their own. When the rubber hand is whacked with a hammer, people wince and sometimes cry out. The illusion shows that body parts can be separated from the whole body by manipulating a mismatch between touch and vision. That is, when a person's brain sees the fake hand being stroked and feels the same sensation, the sense of being touched is misattributed to the fake. The new experiments were designed to create a whole body illusion with similar manipulations. For the full article click on URL above.

courtesy of Hinduism Today  http://www.hinduismtoday.com

Forget the past that sleeps and ne'er
The future dream at all,
But act in time that are with thee
And progress thee shall call.
­Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur

Trust no Future, however pleasant.
Let the dead Past bury its dead.
Act ­ act in the living Present,
Heart within, and God overhead.
­Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
 

I looked up Longfellow while there as I'd remembered a similarity between some lines of his and those of Bhaktivinoda Thakur:

A Psalm of Life

What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!­
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,­act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Earlier today I heard the following on a lecture by HH Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami, Srila Gurudeva and wanted to share with you the inspiration.  (TKG
SB 8.22.20 Prabhupada desa.)

...When we feel that we are not getting our just quota of satisfaction. When we feel that we are owed some sort of happiness, in this body, in this life or by our situation, ... who is it that is owed that? You claim that your body has a right, or your mind has a right to enjoy in such an such a way, but here she (The wife of Bali Maharaja, Vindhyavali) says ´On what grounds?!´ The body belongs to Krishna. The only thing you have a right to enjoy is service. And nothing else. You have a right to enjoy service. You have a right to utilize everything that is now in your possession in the service of the Lord. And nothing beyond that. So this understanding should help us to determine what we often hear to be claims on the part of various individuals that we have our rights. She says the only right you have is to be a servant. You don´t have any other right.

...Actually the spiritual energy and the material energy are one. There is only one energy but according to how we see it, it becomes material or spiritual. Otherwise there is only the energy of the Lord. But it acts in different ways based upon our desire. It is very much a question of free will. That is why Prabhupada says that lust becomes love, or Mahamaya turns into Yogamaya. And he gives the example of the electrician who takes one type of energy and uses it in different ways, to refrigerate something or to heat it.  Everything is the energy of God. When it is used for his pleasure, it´s called the internal potency and when it is used to materially condition the souls, it is called the material energy.  That´s why the answer to the falldown of the jiva is, that we are with Krishna even now. We just don´t realize it. That´s why Prabhupada said that in a moment you can become Krishna conscious. If actually Krishna is somewhere else, then it doesn´t take just a moment to get there. But actually he´s present at every moment.
But we are not in Krishna consciousness. We are in mondain consciousness. ´I consciousness´. ´My consciousness´. That´s why Prabhupada calls us the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Just a change of consciousness is required. Not a change of place, not even a change of circumstance. Just a change of consciousness.

Prahlada Maharaja showed how to be Krishna conscious in the midst of demons. So, people who say I can´t be Krishna conscious at work, I can´t be Krishna conscious in this marriage, ... well I don´t think your situation can ever be as bad as Prahlada Maharaja´s or as bad as Arjuna´s. And both of them were fully Krishna conscious. We can struggle a little bit to change our circumstances, but if it is not Krishna´s will then accept it and just try to be Krishna conscious in that situation.

Question: What is the difference between the suffering of a devotee and the suffering of a non-devotee?

Srila Gurudeva´s answer: ... The suffering of a devotee reminds the devotee of the Lord. And the suffering of a non-devotee brings a person to the point of surrender. The suffering of ordinary materialists exhausts their karma, and gradually wears them down so that they gradually may be able to hear about God. The suffering of a devotee directly reminds a devotee of taking shelter of Krishna. In either way, it´s the mercy of God. Suffering is good.

His Holiness Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami, Srila Gurudeva, ki... Jaya!

sent in by Amritapani dd TKG

Father's Day page - Joke page

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your can drink across the room, splattering it against that freshly-stained heirloom piece you were drying.

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent to the object we are trying to hit. Also used as replacement for screwdriver.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race out of.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids and for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

RADIAL ARM SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to scare neophytes into choosing another line of work.

SKILL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

TWEEZERS: A tool for removing wood splinters and wire wheel wires.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WELDING GLOVES: Heavy-duty leather gloves used to prolong the conduction of intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 or 1/2 inch socket you've been searching for the last 45 minutes.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned guitar calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, "YEOWW!

You may want this listed in the JOKE section

Dear Devotees
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

As you may be aware at this years Mayapura festival the GBC made the following resolution regarding World Holy Name Day in ISKCON Annual World Holy Name Day Therefore it is resolved, That World Holy Name Day is made an annual program for all ISKCON centers. Different countries or continents can modify the name to suit their needs.

The observance of World Holy Name Day is to be held in connection with Srila Prabhupada's arrival in the USA (Sept. 17, 1965) to coincide
with, and commemorate, his delivering the gift of the holy name to the world.

A Global Coordination Team for World Holy Name Day shall be appointed consisting of His Holiness Lokanath Swami, His Grace Janananda Das, and His Grace Ekalavya Das.

The chanting of the holy name is the yuga dharma, "The vision of ISKCON is to bring the holy name to every town and village and this program is helpful in fulfilling this vision." Quote from purposes of ISKCON. Every year, there would be massive harinama sankirtan festivals held across the planet, generating a tremendous amount of media interest and coverage.

Every year, devotees around the world would share their ideas on spreading and glorifying the holy name. There would be an increased focus in ISKCON on the chanting of the holy names.

I request you to please take this seriously and dedicate at least one day to this event. The 17th happens to be a Monday and thus for many is not suitable. So please choose a date and day as near as possible and observe in full force. I would be happy if you could let me know the date you have chosen.

We are trying to encourage the devotees to hold 24 hour kirtan on that day and also spend as much time as possible on street sankirtan.
I t would be nice if Temples in the same area would observe on the same day.

Thank you
Your servant
Janananda Gosvami

(Please check with your local community to be part of this monumental event)
http://iskcondesiretree.com/Audio/ISKCONWorldwide/HisHolinessLokanathSwami/WorldHolyNameDay/tabid/551/Default.aspx

Free World Holy Name Day Posters!
http://www.dandavats.com/?p=4136

By Eklavya Dasa

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, the ambassador of the holy name.

These are the new ISKCON World Holy Name Day Posters designed by the World Holy Name Day International team deputed by the GBC.

You can download and print these FREE high resolution versions at A3 size.

Monday, September 17, 2007 (Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival in the USA) World Holy Name Day Poster (Global)

Please visit this link for the posters.

Saturday, September 22, 2007 World Holy Name Day Poster (For North America and others who prefer this day)

Please Note: The posters are now in A3 size. In case devotees want to print on A4 size, they can do so easily. If devotees want, they can open the jpg file in Photoshop and type the time & place, before they print for themselves.

Potential events include:

. Massive Harinama sankirtan parties on the streets

. Twenty four hour kirtans in the temples

. Public Festivals and Stage Programs

. Seminars, lectures, dramas, and skits glorifying the holy name.

. Interfaith gatherings to glorify the holy name.

. Special chanting events for groups within ISKCON like youth, women, and children.

. This world holy name day event is an opportunity to glorify Srila Prabhupada, who is delivering the world by giving the gift of the holy name.

. Don’t forget prasadam!

This year September 17 falls on Monday. Centers can also have events and festivals on the weekends before or after WHN Day in order to maximize participation. The North American devotees have decided to hold their main celebration on Saturday Sept. 22nd this year, and we have made a special poster to accommodate them.

If you choose to celebrate WHN Day on additional days, we encourage you to also do something to observe World Holy Name Day on September 17, as this is the date that Srila Prabhupada arrived in the USA. Even encouraging the Bhagavatam Class speaker to address the subject of the holy name and Srila Prabhupada’s contributions to spreading the holy name would be helpful for promoting a cohesive unified global consciousness.

We want to take this opportunity, each year, to glorify Srila Prabhupada as the divinely empowered ambassador of the holy name.

Please send us reports of both your preparations and your successful WHN Day festivities. We need to make a report to the GBC and devotee community and would love to include your written reports, photos, audio and even video files. Send us your ideas, planning and strategies so that we can share them with others. Any other words of inspiration you can provide would also be greatly appreciated.

Hare Krishna!

Your servants in the service of the holy name and Srila Prabhupada,

Global World Holy Name Day Co-ordination team:

H.H. Lokanath Swami: Lokanath.swami@pamho.net

H.H. Janananda Goswami: Janananda.goswami@pamho.net

H.G. Eklavya Prabhu: Ekalavya.lok@pamho.net

For inquires regarding WHN Day in North America please contact:

North America World Holy Name Day Co-ordination team:

H.G. Ballabhadra Bhattacharya Prabhu (Atlanta): btillman108@yahoo.com

H.G. Bhadra Prabhu (Alachua): bhadradas@gmail.com

P. S. Here is the 2006 GBC resolution:

310. Annual World Holy Name Day

Therefore it is resolved:

That World Holy Name Day is made an annual program for all ISKCON centers. Different countries or continents may modify the name to suit their needs.

The observance of World Holy Name Day is to be held in connection with the anniversary observances of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the USA on Sept.
17, 1965, to coincide with, and commemorate, his delivering the gift of the holy name to the world.

The Global Coordination Team for World Holy Name Day shall be Lokanath Swami, Janananda Das, and Ekalavya Das.

For 2007 - 2008, a budget of Rs. 22,000/- is granted for promotion and other expenses.

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newsid=49604&newstype=local  (many nice pictures)

KYOTO, JAPAN, August 28, 2007: "Since terrorism is now taking new shape with the advent of modern technology, there is a need to strengthen peace process and come out with the novel approach of peace initiatives along with prayers," said His Holiness Sri Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji of Jagadguru Sri Madhvaachaarya Moola Maha Samsthaanam, Sri Puthige Mutt, Udupi, Karnataka, India, while addressing the public ceremony organized by the Japanese Council of Religious Leaders, marking its 20th anniversary of World Peace Prayers, in Mount Hiei, Kyoto, Japan. Earlier in the day, delivering the key note speech during the panel discussion on "Harmony and Sustainable Living with Nature," His Holiness pointed out that the seed of aggravating terrorism and the seed of deteriorating ecosystem is nothing but the diminishing of human heart and vanishing of the human value system. His message from the Vedas was to "live like a guest in this world, use minimum and give maximum."

courtesy of Hinduism Today  http://www.hinduismtoday.com

Besides the fact that the battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas was already fought, decided and over before it even began, as revealed by Krishna in his visvarupa to Arjuna, the reason the Kauravas lost was basically due to an act of apparent stupidity which can be traced back to one pivotal incident.

Krishna was taking an afternoon nap when both Duryodhana and Arjuna came to his place. Duryodhana came a little earlier and, being a proud person, felt his place should be at the head of the sleeping Krishna. Arjuna, who came a few moments later thought his rightful place should be near the feet. So when Krishna awoke and sat up he saw Arjuna first and let him have the first say.

economictimes.indiatimes.com

Vedic World Heritage links:

See our pages supporting these views HERE:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/VWH.html (Vedik World Heritage)
Western Indologists been exposed page:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/WesternIndologists-page.htm
How British Misguided the World on Vedic History
http://www.hknet.org.nz/MotiveBritishRajMissionaries.html

"A flower accepted for one’s sense gratification is material, but when the same flower is offered to the Supreme personality of Godhead by a devotee, it is spiritual. Food taken and cooked for oneself is material, but food cooked for the Supreme Lord is spiritual prasäda. This is a question of realization. Actually, everything is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore everything is spiritual, but those who are not advanced in proper knowledge make distinctions because of the interactions of the three modes of material nature. In this regard, Çréla Jéva Gosvämé says that although the sun is the only light, the sunshine, which is exhibited in seven colors, and darkness, which is the absence of sunshine, are not different from the sun, for without the existence of the sun such differentiations cannot exist. There may be varied nomenclature because of different conditions, but they are all the sun. The puräëas therefore say:

      eka-deça-sthitasyägner
      jyotsnä vistäriëé yathä
      parasya brahmaëaù çaktis
      tathedam akhilaà jagat

“Just as the illumination of a fire, which is situated in one place, is spread all over, the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Parabrahman, are spread all over this universe.” (Viñëu Puräëa 1:22:53.) Materially, we can directly perceive the sunshine spreading itself according to different names and activities, but ultimately the sun is one. Similarly, sarvaà khalv idaà brahma: everything is an expansion of the Supreme Brahman. Therefore, the Supreme Lord is everything, and He is one without differentiation. There is no existence separate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead."(A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. SB 8.12.8. purport.)

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One of Prabhupada's godbrothers came from Germany, and his name was E.G.Schulz.  He came to India in the early 1930's with a friend of his.  This E.G. Schulz became Sadananda, and he has since passed on.  He got initiation from Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.  They came to India looking for the truth, the Supreme Truth in life.  They were visiting many temples, and seeing different gods on the altars.  THis Schulz, not knowing anything about Hinduism concluded, simply from seeing the murtis in different temples, that Krsna must be the Supreme of all these Gods.  How did he conclude this?  He later told, "When I saw these different devatas, they were always doing something.  Someone was in meditation, like Lord Siva.  Someone else is holding some weapon, a sword or a trident.  They're all engaged in different activities, different kinds of work.  They were all serving someone higher, or they were aspiring for something higher, through meditation or something else.  This was clearly visible from their activities.  But when I saw Radha and Krsna, I saw that these two have nothing to do but enjoy themselves.  Krsna is just playing on the flute, Radharani is standing by His side, and They were smiling very happily."  So he came to the conclusion that Radha and Krsna must be Supreme, because they have nothing to do but enjoy.

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The phaomnneil pweor of the hmuan mnid: Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig!
Mybae the I can sotp slpel ckchenig?

http://www.gaura-gambhira.com/

Written by HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami

Dear Maharaj/ Prabujis/ Matajis,

It is my great pleasure to inform all the devotees of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu that a great service opportunity has been offered by the temple authorities of Gambhira, in Puri dham, where Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu spent the final years of His manifested pastimes on this earthly planet. Kasi Mishra's house, also known as Gambhira, and the Radha Kanta math, were both under the care of the Orissa government due to 20 years of litigation. Finally, this litigation problem has been resolved and the management of the institution has been returned to the temple mahanta.

The temple has sustained much damage over the years due to lack of proper maintenance. The whole place is very dirty and the roofs and walls are falling down. The temple roof is also cracking. Additionally, the temple has a lack of proper income for the maintenance of the devotees and for deity puja—and, of course, the more the Gambhira is allowed to deteriorate, the fewer visitors it will have.

At this crucial point, the mahanta of Gambhira has requested ISKCON to extend kind assistence to him in order to protect and maintain this most holy place. Devotees from all over the world come to offer their prayers and obeisances at Gambhira. This is one of the most important places for the followers of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and must be maintained nicely.

Thus, this is a golden opportunity for devotees to render service to this most sacred cause. I request all devotees to kindly donate towards this purpose. There are many things to be fixed at the place. For the time being we have prepared a rough budget, for whatever the most urgent needs are, just to bring the situation up to  survival position. Later on, we will let you know about further opportunities for service in the development of the Gambhira.

For further information contact

Bhakti Purusottama Swami

Phone: ++ 91 9434506434

E mail: bps@pamho.net

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