last updated 7th October 2008

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

Kuli Mela, the festival to bond and inspire youth (Kulis) who have grown up in the Hare Krishna movement, truly showed its scope and adaptability this year when it reached Siberia.

Held in Tomsk from July 3 ­ 7, the event attracted 250 young devotees from CIS countries that most westerners have never heard of, and probably couldn’t even pronounce, including Moscow, Ulan Ude, Almaty (Kazakhstan), Novosibirsk, Novokuznetsk, and Krasnoyarsk. “Many imagine that Siberia is a place where bears walk on the streets,” laughs Siberian ISKCON youth Radha-Tattva Dasi. “True, we are rather remote, but the fact that so many people came to our Mela just shows that all devotee youth are bound like one family ­ a friend is a friend everywhere, in every town and village.”

The festival was organized by five enthusiastic local youth ­ Tatyana Stukalova, Kirtana Rasa, Roman Dvaladze, Oleg Lavrenov, Roman Lankin, Lakshman, Sergey Danilenko, and Sasha Filkina. “We attended Moscow Kuli Mela in 2007, where we met Kapila Monet, one of the creators of Kuli Mela,” Tatyana says. “We started to discuss organizing a festival in Tomsk -- and suddenly everything just started moving.”

 All four days of the festival were saturated with spiritual, cultural and sports activities. Participants got the opportunity to make friends and share their life and spiritual experiences. They also attended varied seminars and workshops, joined enthusiastic chanting parties, took part in evening fire sacrifices and ceremonies, and ate delicious sacred food. Despite uncertain weather and power cuts, nothing could spoil the festive occasion.

Highlights included Mukunda Murari, a Moscow congregation leader, who delighted everyone by transforming his usual persona into that of a hip-hop superstar and delivering a set of philosophical rap compositions. And the night-time kirtan that culminated in hundreds of red-hued candles being released to drift down the river burned itself into everyone’s memory.

“The festival’s motto was ‘Kuli Mela is a family,’” says Ananda dasi, one of the main organizers of Moscow’s Kuli Mela earlier this year. “And all the participants could really feel it. On the last evening, no one wanted to leave. So we stayed up glorifying each other, after which we had an ecstatic kirtan. All of us could feel the mission of Srila Prabhupada spreading throughout the world, and bearing with it the power of the Holy Name and service. Everyone was inspired to take part in spreading it further.”

It’s already happening: ISKCON youth in Kazakhstan are fearlessly organizing a Kuli Mela in Almaty for 2009, despite recent oppression from the government. They aim to make the event a significant one for both their community and for the entire ISKCON CIS. “Kuli Mela is going to draw a lot of attention to the Almaty community and will host a large number of people from outside it,” Ananda says. “So it may even help to change the attitudes and opinions of the wider community.”

“Each Kuli Mela has its own flavor,” she adds. “But I think Kuli Mela in Almaty will be a particularly interesting event, because they are going to make the festival open and attractive for non-devotee youth as well. Kazakhstan devotees are very enthusiastic and active so I'm sure it will be a very bright spiritual experience.”

At least 400 are expected for the groundbreaking event. And with a second event planned for Siberia in 2010, the Kuli Mela juggernaut shows no signs of slowing down. “I think that Kuli Mela can give our movement a real breakthrough in relationships between devotees of different generations,” Ananda says. “It inspires us to serve and to connect with each other in friendly warm relationships without dividing the society by groups, clans or levels.”

She concludes: “The energy from Kuli Mela, from the youth, is what will give our society a second life.”

Kazak Edition of Bhagavad-gita presented to Srila Prabhupada.
This is now the 55th language in which Bhagavad-gita has been printed.

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/

Our Campaign

We dedicate this campaign to Lila Salter, an Australian girl who spent most of her life in India and loved Vrindavan more than life itself, but was murdered there in February 2008.

This event could have been averted had there been a more adequate system of law and order in place for the safety of all the people in that area.

It is said, ‘God is too big to fit into one religion.’ In this age of stressful living and threats of war and terrorism, many of us like to take solace in our spiritual beliefs. It is a world of choices, be they Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hindu or any other spiritual path.

We all expect to be free to visit the holy places all around the world and imbibe their spirituality in safety.

Vrindavan Dham is one such place. It is unique, in that there are five thousand temples in a small area. A huge number of pilgrims and tourists flock yearly from India and abroad in increasing numbers.

Unfortunately, it is common place for tourists and pilgrims to experience criminal elements, corruption, and a general lack of adequate law and order.

Please, no matter what your religious beliefs, sign our petition to the Government of India to declare Vrindavan a tourist place, to crack down on violent crime, to increase law and order, and to bring in tourist police for the safety and protection of all pilgrims.

Let us create a Vrindavan that is a wonderful, secure place for everyone for many generations.

Click here to sign our petition http://www.safevrindavan.com/content/safe-vrindavan-campaign-petition

JODHPUR, RAJASTHAN, September 30, 2008: The stampede started after a rumor that a bomb had been planted at the temple. At least 147 people have been killed and over 425 injured in a major stampede at the Chamunda Devi Temple in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, where devotees had gathered in large numbers on the occasion of the start of Navaratri.

According to eyewitnesses there was a scramble on the narrow two-km path for gaining entry into the temple. The casualties were mostly men as the stampede occurred in the queue meant for them while the queue for women and children was largely unaffected. The District Collector of Jodhpur, Naresh Pal Gangwar said a ramp inside the temple collapsed, which, along with false rumors of a bombing, led to the stampede.

Rajasthan Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria said, “Enough police deployment was ensured to avoid an eventuality but the rush was just too much.”

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

Bhakti Narasimha Swami, the first Black South African swami (saint) in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Movement, makes offerings during a fire ceremony on the four day 'Festival of Chariots'.

Earlier this year, fourty-eight year old ISKCON member Jagat Guru Dasa was initiated as Bhakti Narasimha Swami.

Despite his relatively young age, the ISKCON swami has taken vows to renounce material pursuits to concentrate on passing on the teachings of the movement's founder, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He will be given the title of "His Holiness" and the authority to initiate others into this traditional lineage.

His 20 year involvement with ISKCON has seen him traveling to Swaziland, Zimbabwe, India and all over Africa. In Uganda he established a public school and a temple despite the governments objections. He is currently working on building temples and projects in Zambia, Mozambique and other African countries.

LONDON, ENGLAND, September 29, 2008: Can one’s faith in God really ease pain? “Yes”, say scientists at Oxford University, based on a recent experiment.

The scientists subjected 12 Roman Catholics and 12 atheists to painful electric shocks as they studied two paintings–the Virgin Mary and a somewhat similar painting by Leonardo da Vinci.

While looking at the Virgin Mary picture, the faithful reported feeling 12% less pain than when looking at the Leonardo. Using the latest brain-scanning techniques, the scientists discovered that these people were activating part of the brain associated with conditioning experience of pain. There was no such brain activity among the atheists, whose pain and anxiety levels stayed roughly the same.

The Catholics said that looking at the religious painting made them feel “safe”, “taken care of” and “calmed down and peaceful”.

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

New Zealand Beachgoers Mistake Fog for Tsunami, Prompting Panic and Evacuation
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,432725,00.html
Saturday, October 04, 2008

A trick of the light on some sea fog created havoc on a New Zealand beach Friday when people saw what they thought was a tsunami rushing towards them.

A man who alerted beachgoers was called a “hoaxer” and taken in for questioning over the incident at Kairaki beach, north of Christchurch, but police later said he was not the only one fooled.

Police decided the man's concerns were genuine and the apparent sighting was confirmed by fishermen in the area, Senior Sergeant Tony Ellis said.

"With the weather as it is at the moment, combined with sea fog and refraction of light at long distances, this impression was gained by many people," he said.

The man convinced people that a tsunami was coming, creating havoc as people tried to leave the area.

There were no tsunami warnings in place.

"We hope that no one was hurt or unduly shaken during the evacuation of the areas," Sen-Sgt Ellis told the New Zealand Press Association.

Advance warnings of tsunamis were received at communication centers in time to advise the public, he said.

Sharing a bed with someone could temporarily reduce your brain power - at least if you are a man - Austrian scientists suggest.

When men spend the night with a bed mate their sleep is disturbed, whether they make love or not, and this impairs their mental ability the next day.

The lack of sleep also increases a man's stress hormone levels.

According to the New Scientist study, women who share a bed fare better because they sleep more deeply.

Sleepless nights

Professor Gerhard Kloesch and colleagues at the University of Vienna studied eight unmarried, childless couples in their 20s.

Each couple was asked to spend 10 nights sleeping together and 10 apart while the scientists assessed their rest patterns with questionnaires and wrist activity monitors.

The next day the couples were asked to perform simple cognitive tests and had their stress hormone levels checked.

 Sharing the bed space with someone who is making noises and who you have to fight with for the duvet is not sensible Professor Neil Stanley, a sleep expert at the University of Surrey

Although the men reported they had slept better with a partner, they fared worse in the tests, with their results suggesting they actually had more disturbed sleep.

Both sexes had a more disturbed night's sleep when they shared their bed, Professor Kloesch told a meeting of the Forum of European Neuroscience.

But women apparently managed to sleep more deeply when they did eventually drop off, since they claimed to be more refreshed than their sleep time suggested.

Their stress hormone levels and mental scores did not suffer to the same extent as the men.

But the women still reported that they had the best sleep when they were alone in bed.

Bed sharing also affected dream recall. Women remembered more after sleeping alone and men recalled best after sex.

Separate beds

Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert at the University of Surrey, said: "It's not surprising that people are disturbed by sleeping together.

"Historically, we have never been meant to sleep in the same bed as each other. It is a bizarre thing to do.

"Sleep is the most selfish thing you can do and it's vital for good physical and mental health.

"Sharing the bed space with someone who is making noises and who you have to fight with for the duvet is not sensible.

"If you are happy sleeping together that's great, but if not there is no shame in separate beds."

He said there was a suggestion that women are pre-programmed to cope better with broken sleep.

"A lot of life events that women have disturb sleep - bringing up children, the menopause and even the menstrual cycle," he explained.

But Dr Stanley added people did get used to sharing a bed.

"If they have shared their bed with their partner for a long time they miss them and that will disturb sleep."

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/5197440.stm

Published: 2006/07/20 15:49:32 GMT

© BBC MMVIII

Bhakti Raghava Swami, a proponent of spiritual eco-living, spoke to a meeting of the Bhakti Yoga Club at Tulane University, New Orleans, this month.

The club aims to raise an awareness of human life’s essential nature through Vedic spirituality, vegetarianism and eco-friendly living. Since its inception, the forum has won support from the university’s faculty and students.

During his talk, “Towards a Greener Earth - A life in Balance,” Bhakti Raghava Swami said that there is a sustainable solution to the root cause of the modern world’s crisis, if only we are open-minded enough to see it.

Speaking on the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita, His Holiness said that the purpose of all living entities is to engage in loving exchanges with God.

Pleasing the Supreme Lord through such devotion, or Bhakti-yoga, is the time-tested secret to striking a successful balance in life, he explained. Only when we are happy within will harmony with ourselves, others, and the earth arise.

“ISKCON isn’t trying to introduce Hinduism or convert,” said Bhakti-Raghava Swami. “Rather, we are introducing a method based on these principles, by which one can raise one’s consciousness and live a simple, natural, and spiritual life.”

The audience nodded appreciatively as the swami suggested that the solution to a better society is natural, sustainable, and lies in making the connection between the land and cows.

The Swami concluded, “It is human society’s unnatural disconnection with these important elements of life ­ by unchecked blind urban life style ­ that has made civilization become both unsustainable and devoid of strong human relationships based on love and trust.”

He then answered a number questions, before giving the audience an exclusive viewing of a documentary on his Indian Eco-Village project, “Gokul Dham.”

MUMBAI, INDIA, September 9, 2008: This year, yet again, though civic officials have not gone out in promoting eco-friendly Ganeshotsav, organizations sculpting eco-friendly Ganesh deities have seen an increase in the demand for murthis. Sunil Mantri, CEO, Aniruddha Upasna Trust, says “Immersion of deities made of Plaster of Paris gives out harmful chemicals in water.
Meanwhile, social enterprise eCoexist is promoting the use of shaadu (natural clay) to create the deities. Manisha Gutman, its founder, says “Making deities out of shaadu is going back to the roots of the festival without hurting anybody’s religious sentiments. We have consulted Ved Gurus and then started making these deities. Though it weighs a lot, these clay deities are absolutely fragile and need to be handled with utmost care. Most importantly, eco-friendly Ganeshotsav as a concept needs to be inculcated within the mindset of children, so that they, as adults, will make it part of their lives. This belief is what drives Founder President, Young Environmentalists Program Trust’s Elsie Gabriel. In her recent event on eco-friendly Ganeshas, 600 students participated in the workshop and made deities from clay, paper and vegetable.

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

It was part three of "The 3 Things You Need to Find Your Freedom". This week we were talking about "the process".

I started by reading "The Nine Billion Names of God" by Arthur C. Clarke (http://lucis.net/stuff/clarke/9billion_clarke.html). I got my supporting visuals from Flickr.com, and marked on the story script where the slide changes were.

Then I compared this to a Muslim saying that when there is no tongue on Earth that utters the name of Allah, the world will end.

Then I talked about the 99 Names of Allah (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_names_of_God) in the Qu'ran, and read some of them out from the list on wikipedia.

Then I talked about the Tetragrammaton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetragrammaton)of the Jewish scripture, mentioning the loss of knowledge of its pronunciation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yahweh#Historical_overview)due to the Babylonian exile and a subsequent language change.

Then I discussed personal and impersonal names (titles), and primary and secondary names.

Then I showed some different pictures of Krishna with His different relationships and talked about those names.

Then I told the story of Lord Caitanya and Prakasananda Sarasvati (there seem to be at least two differing versions, possibly three, in the Caitanya-caritamrita). This involved some explanation of the social and philosophical evolution and differences between Buddhism, Sankara's Vedanta, and finally Caitanya Vaisnavism.

The power of God's name, and the process of glorifying it is not an edge belief / practice - it is a mainstream part of all major religions of the world. Lord Caitanya's movement, however, has really taken it to the next level.

Then I wrapped up by introducing some modern followers of Lord Caitanya and proponents of chanting the Holy Name: Bhaktivinode Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, and Srila Prabhupada.

I finished by playing the 5 minute track from the Krishna Conscious Happening LP (http://introduction.krishna.org/Articles/2000/07/00035.html)(at least that's where I think it's from). It's the one where Srila Prabhupada explains the chanting and says that it is "not an artificial imposition on the mind".

Read more on Chanting Hare Krishna HERE:

The festivities at Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari temple (ISKCON Juhu) are reputed to be one of the largest Krishna Janmashtami celebrations in world. An estimated million people attended the two day festival at Hare Krishna Land at Mumbai.

This year the Supreme Lord adorned outfits designed by none other than fashion icon and designer Manish Malhotra. Manish is reputed as the King of Indian Fashion. In 2007, Manish had designed outfits Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari, Sri Sri Sita Rama Laxman Hanunam and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai on the occasion of Radhastami - Sri Krishna's consorts Sri Radha's appearance day. Thereafter he expressed his desire to design outfits for Janamstami - Lord Krishna's appearance day.

For this auspicious occasion, Manish used red silk and velvet with heavy gold sequin work and hand embroidery. He mentioned that this was his offering to the Lord on His appearance day.

In the 1970's, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, founder of ISKCON, struggled hard to acquire the property at Juhu, Mumbai where the present Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari temple stands. True to his promise to Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari he built a beautiful marble temple for Their Lordships. It was his desire and dream that prominent citizens of Mumbai visit the temple and render some service to the Lord. He had mentioned that 'Bombay is my office.'

This year the Kalash Abhishek, a bathing ceremony for the Lord, saw more than 800 renowned citizens of Mumbai including businessmen, professionals, government officials and film personalities performing abhishek for the Lord and taking part in the Janmastami festivities.

Every year, when thousands of citizens of Mumbai wait in queue for long hours and undergo several austerities to participate in the festivities, we understand that Srila Prabhupada's dream to engage the citizens of Mumbai in service of Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari has long come true.

HYDERABAD, INDIA: Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the governing body managing the wealthy Lord Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, has decided to gold-plate the entire Ananda Nilayam (the sanctum sanctorum inside the hill shrine) both inside and out. At present, only a portion of Ananda Nilayam is covered with gold.

Board Chairman D. K. Adikesavulu Naidu, announcing the plans, said that the cost is being estimated and will be made public soon. Offers of gold donations, as well as direct contributions, are already flowing in from devotees.

Responding to concerns that the project might endanger the rare lithographic treasures on the temple walls or might even violate the shastras (scriptures), Naidu said the TTD would consult Peetadhipatis (religious heads) and Agama Shastra pundits, taking their suggestions before commencing the work, and would then proceed with utmost care.

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

INDIA, September 25, 2008: The National Medicinal Plants Board of India issued a study of demand and supply of medicinal plants in India showing alarming shortages of some of the plants used by the Ayurvedic industry. The Board has launched a special drive to invite proposals for conservation and cultivation of some of the rare and endangered species that are in high demand.

Of particular interest are the tree species like Sita Ashoka (Saraca asoca), the main ingredient of Ahsokaristha (a key Ayurvedic formulation for gynecological disorders); Guggal (Commiphora wightii), a thorny bush which yields gum resin that is used in more than 100 Ayurvedic preparations; and the Dashmools, which are used to make Dashmoolarishta, the most widely used Ayurvedic preparation. More than 1,000 MT of gum resin of Guggal is used by the Ayurvedic industry every year, but more than 90% of this is imported.

The National Medicinal Plants Board, set up in the Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) in November, 2000, is responsible for encouraging the conservation and cultivation of medicinal plants.

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

24 July 2008, 0031 hrs IST, BABUJEE DATTA

A picture in my wallet, after all those years (TOI Photo)
A ticket collector in a train found an old worn out wallet in a compartment full of people. He looked inside to find the name of its owner. There was no clue. All that there was in it was some money and a picture of Krishna.

He held it up and asked, "Who does this wallet belong to?"

An old man said, "That's my wallet, Sir, please give it to me." The ticket collector said, "You'll have to prove that it is yours. Only then I can hand it over to you."

The old man, with a toothless smile, said. "It has a picture of Krishna in it." The ticket collector said, "That is no proof; anyone can have a picture of Krishna in his wallet. What is special about that? Why is your picture not there in it like most normal people?"

The old man took a deep breath and said, "Let me tell you why my picture is not there in it. My father gave this wallet to me when I was in school. I used to get a small sum as pocket money then. I had kept a picture of my parents in it. When I was a teenager I was greatly enamoured by my good looks. I removed my parent's picture and put in one of my own. I loved to see my own face and my thick blackhair. Some years later, I got married. My wife was very beautiful and I loved her a lot. I
replaced my picture in this wallet with a picture of her. I spent hours gazing at her pretty face. When my first child was born, my life started a new chapter. I shortened my working hours to play with my baby. I went late to work and returned home early too. Obviously, my baby's picture occupied the prized position in my wallet."

The old man's eyes brimmed with tears as he went on. "My parents passed away many years ago. Last year my wife too left her mortal coil. My son, my only son, is too busy with his family. He has no time to look after me. All that I had ever held close to my heart is now far, far away from my reach. Now I have put this picture of Krishna in my wallet. It is only now that I have realised that he is the eternal companion. He will never leave me. Alas! If only I had realised this before. If only I had loved the Lord all these years, with the same intensity as I loved my family, I would not have been so lonely today!"

The ticket collector quietly gave the wallet to the old man. When the train stopped at the next station, he went to a bookstall at the platform and asked the salesman, "Do you have any pictures of God? I need a small one to put in my wallet!"

When a man ceases to have any attachment either for the objects of senses or for actions and has renounced all thoughts of the world, he is said to have attained yoga.

One should lift oneself up by one's own efforts and should not degrade oneself; for one's own self is one's friend, and one's own self is one's enemy.

He who regards well-wishers, friends, foes, neutrals, mediators, the objects of hatred, relatives, the virtuous and the sinful alike, stands supreme.

The yogi, who has subdued his mind and body, and who is free from desires and bereft of possessions, living in seclusion all by himself, he should constantly engage his mind in meditation.
sent in by Prananath dasa CHCH

MATHURA: Conservation efforts in this Hindu holy town - said to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna - have received a big boost, with a court banning mining operations in the area.

When pilgrims visit some of the shrines associated with Krishna-Radha lore, they will not fail to notice structural changes to restore, rejuvenate and conserve the ecology of the area.

The arrival of devotees is expected to go up before Janmashtami, the birthday of Krishna, considered Hinduism's popular divine, August 24.

A directive of the Rajasthan High Court bench July 7 stayed mining operations in hundreds of stone quarries in the area.

For years, the sub-districts of Deeg and Kamvan and villages of Nandgaon and Barsana associated with Lord Krishna were victims of indiscriminate mining and deforestation.

But now a petition before the high court has come to the rescue of the threatened Braj area - comprising the districts of Bharatpur, Mathura and Agra - considered an ecologically sensitive zone.

Krishna devotees are relieved that the court has ordered immediate suspension of mining activity in the area and all along the parikrama route in Braj.

The Rajasthan High Court bench headed by Justice Dilip Singh has ordered immediate halt to mining in the 100-odd areas associated with Krishna. The worst affected areas are in Kamvan, Deeg, Nand Gaon, Barsana, Goverdhan.

Vineet Narain, CEO of the Braj Foundation, said: "The order will help us carry on with our activities of restoration. The whole area has to be covered with greenery. (Work on) the dilapidated structures, the land already encroached upon, and so many smaller projects have to be executed."

"Each year the Braj area attracts millions of the devout from all parts of the world. But we were gradually helplessly watching the destruction of the cultural and historical relics of the Sri Krishna area," he said.

For the past two years, volunteers of the Braj Rakshak Dal and various religious organisations have been working to restore original the glory of many structures and holy ponds.

Deepankar Saha, an official of the Central Pollution Control Board in Agra, said a report was prepared on the extent of damage caused to the ecology of the Braj area and submitted to the court with recommendations.

"As the catchment area of river Yamuna, the crucial importance of the 12 vans (forests) and 24 upvans (gardens), scores of community ponds in the eco sensitive zone should be meticulously preserved," Saha said.

The Braj area has over 800 kunds (ponds), which need to be desilted.

"The Braj area falls in three states: Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. Therefore a coordinating authority of the three governments should be formed to speed up various projects before the festival season next month," said Raghav Mittal, project coordinator.

"The foundation has taken up several projects to bring back the lost glory of Braj. It is a pity that millions are poured into Braj in the name of ‘dham sewa’ (religious purposes) but practically nothing is done to protect, restore and decorate the real leela sthalis of the divine couple."

The restoration work on the historic Brahmo Kund in Vrindavan is going on in full swing. The octagonal ghats have been reconstructed. Life-sized statues of Chaitanya, Meera and others will be installed around the water body.

As a result of restoration and desilting work done last year, the Anjani Kund in Hodal and the Garud Govind Kund in Chatikara are overflowing with water.

READ MORE on Environmental Issues HERE

VRINDAVAN: Noted for its numerous temples, the holy land of Vrindavan in Mathura district, where Lord Krishna spent his childhood, has seen a huge increase in pilgrims and tourists in recent years.

However, over-flowing drains, strewn garbage and crowded, littered streets is what greets the thousands of pilgrims who visit this historic place every year. Locals rue that Vrindavan's religious and historical relevance is slowly being taken over by urbanisation and congestion.

In an attempt to revive Vrindavan's lost glory, Times Foundation has joined hands with local bodies to create a system level change in this historic town. The Clean Vrindavan project has been started in association with ISKCON (Vrindavan and Mumbai) and NGO — Friends of Vrindavan — as a social intiative to promote spiritual tourism at large. Times Foundation is supporting the initative to clean the town with a long term vision of improving sanitation, hygiene and living conditions here.

The initiative was launched a year ago and has already made a huge difference in the town. Jagannath Poddar, director, Friends of Vrindavan said: "Keeping Vrindavan clean is not a one man-job. It requires the support and cooperation of all the people who live here and the numerous tourists who visit the town. Unfortunately, hygiene was never a priority with locals for a long time and with time, Vrindavan's streets began to resemble a dump yard."

The Clean Vrindavan project involves local government bodies, ashrams, temple trusts, shops and other establishments. Dustbins have been placed and handcarts and rickshaws have been deployed to clean the streets twice a day.

Sanitation services like house-to-house segregated waste collection has reduced the quantum of garbage at landfill sites. Work will be undertaken in three phases and is expected to be complete in the next one or two years. Phase-I leans more towards creating awareness, planting trees and placing dustbins all over Vrindavan while Phase-II will involve cleaning and covering drains and making satellite dumping grounds for garbage disposal. The final phase will see construction of more toilets in the town.

Head priests of the various temples in Vrindavan have also pledged their support. The town has over 50 big temples including the ISKCON temple, which is a partner in the Clean Vrindavan project. Devamitra Prabhuji, head of ISKCON temple, Vrindavan said: "One of the most important things to keep the town clean is to educate people on the need for hygiene. People come hear from far-off places to purify their soul and they need to be taught to keep their surroundings clean as well."

According to residents, the explosive population growth, increase in pilgrimage activity, congestion due to commercial activities, traffic movement, unplanned construction of hotels, ashrams and residential colonies have exerted increasing demands on the infrastructure of the town. This has lead to allied problems such as water shortage, air, water pollution and an unchecked felling of indigenous trees.

Spread over an area of 2.5 sqkm, Vrindavan had a population of 47,746 people (as per the 1991 census). The town, a short drive from Delhi, is visited by more than 500,000 thousand pilgrims both from India and abroad annually.

If you want to contribute for the Clean Vrindavan project, mail us at mailto:info@cleanvrindavan.org  or visit us at http://www.cleanvrindavan.org

By Jessica Salter

People who report seeing bright lights or tunnels as they leave their bodies in near-death experiences are having their claims treated seriously in a hospital study.

Doctors in hospitals in Britain and the US will study 1,500 heart attack patients to see if people with no heartbeat or brain activity can have "out of body" experiences.

Some people report being able to soar out of their bodies and look down on themselves and medical staff.

The study at 25 UK and US hospitals will include doctors placing images on shelves that are only visible from the ceiling to test the theory.

Dr Sam Parnia, an intensive care doctor who is heading the study, said: "If you can demonstrate that consciousness continues after the brain switches off, it allows for the possibility that the consciousness is a separate entity.

"It is unlikely that we will find many cases where this happens, but we have to be open-minded.

"And if no one sees the pictures, it shows these experiences are illusions or false memories.

"This is a mystery that we can now subject to scientific study."

Dr Parnia said that after a cardiac arrest, where the body is technically dead, doctors restart the heart and reverse the dying process.

He said: "What people experience during this period of cardiac arrest provides a unique window of understanding into what we are all likely to experience during the dying process."

Hospitals involved include Addenbrookes in Cambridge, University Hospital in Birmingham and the Morriston in Swansea, as well as nine hospitals in the US.

See more pages on Near Death Experience:

A large study is to examine near-death experiences in heart attack patients.

Doctors at 25 UK and US hospitals will study 1,500 survivors to see if people with no heartbeat or brain activity can have "out of body" experiences.

Some people report seeing a tunnel or bright light, others recall looking down from the ceiling at medical staff.

The study, due to take three years and co-ordinated by Southampton University, will include placing on shelves images that could only be seen from above.

To test this, the researchers have set up special shelving in resuscitation areas. The shelves hold pictures - but they're visible only from the ceiling.

Dr Sam Parnia, who is heading the study, said: "If you can demonstrate that consciousness continues after the brain switches off, it allows for the possibility that the consciousness is a separate entity.

"It is unlikely that we will find many cases where this happens, but we have to be open-minded.

"And if no one sees the pictures, it shows these experiences are illusions or false memories.

"This is a mystery that we can now subject to scientific study."

Dr Parnia works as an intensive care doctor, and felt from his daily duties that science had not properly explored the issue of near-death experiences.

Process of death

He said: "Contrary to popular perception, death is not a specific moment.

"It is a process that begins when the heart stops beating, the lungs stop working and the brain ceases functioning - a medical condition termed cardiac arrest.

"During a cardiac arrest, all three criteria of death are present. There then follows a period of time, which may last from a few seconds to an hour or more, in which emergency medical efforts may succeed in restarting the heart and reversing the dying process.

"What people experience during this period of cardiac arrest provides a unique window of understanding into what we are all likely to experience during the dying process."

Dr Parnia and medical colleagues will analyse the brain activity of 1,500 heart attack survivors, and see whether they can recall the images in the pictures.
Hospitals involved include Addenbrookes in Cambridge, University Hospital in Birmingham and the Morriston in Swansea, as well as nine hospitals in the US.

Source: BBC News

See more pages on Near Death Experience:

NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 3, 2008: India strengthened its laws against smoking in public places Thursday, but enforcement is not expected to be easy. For years, anti-smoking laws here have been widely ignored. India’s smokers are accustomed to lighting up anywhere they happen to be, even in hospitals and playgrounds. Tobacco companies have fought to keep warnings off boxes, and an estimated 120 million (one-tenth of the entire population) are smokers–a habit which is projected to kill a million of them every year by 2010.

The ban, an effort to reduce the tobacco-related death rate, includes offices, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, college campuses, bars and discos, although some institutions will be allowed to provide separate smoking areas. Violators will be fined $5 at first, and officials plan to raise the penalty to $25. Officials hope an extensive anti-smoking campaign and tighter enforcement will make the ban successful; but the country’s health minister, Anubamani Ramadoss, knows people will not quit overnight. “This is going to be a continuous process,” he said.

Most European countries and several American cities prohibit or severely limit smoking in a host of public places, including bars, restaurants and cafes. Bans are rarer in Asia, though China–home to nearly a third of the world’s smokers–has set some limits, and Hong Kong prohibits smoking in many public places–even outdoor sites such as beaches and large swaths of public parks. Singapore has also banned smoking in most public places.

Indian Government Snuffs Out Smoking in Public Places
http://news.iskcon.com/node/1357/2008-10-04/indian_government_snuffs_out_smoking_public_places
By Parijata Devi Dasi on 4 Oct 2008

Study says that smoking epidemic in India is likely to cause nearly 1 million deaths a year by 2010.

The world’s biggest ban on public smoking came into effect in India on 2 October 2008. The Indian central government notification issued on May 30 bans smoking in all public places in India and is the government’s second try in four years to ban smoking. The ban came on the birthday of India’s Independence leader, Mahatma Gandhi who didn’t smoke.

Violation of the ban, imposed under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, will attract a fine of up to Rs.200.

Till the ban was imposed India’s 120 million smokers puffed away at playgrounds, railway stations, public transport, hospitals and even education institutions. However, with the new ban smokers shall have to snub their cigarettes at all public places including railway stations, airports, government offices, all workplaces, educational institutions, libraries, courts, amusement centers like cinema halls etc, hospitals, restaurants, shopping malls, hotels, public conveyance like buses, trains, taxis and autos, open space surrounding refreshment rooms, discotheques, canteens and private offices like firms of lawyers, architects and private clinics.

Exception to the rule are hotels and restaurants that have a minimum number of rooms and seats as specified in the rules can allow smoking in segregated areas with high walls and automated doors.

India is the third largest market for cigarettes and one of the few countries where sales of tobacco products has increased. Understandably India’s largest cigarette manufacturer ITC Ltd. turned to the Supreme Court to overturn the ban. A group of petitioners, including a leading hotel chain and the Indian Hotels Association had filed petitions against the notification in Delhi High Court. Several petitions have been filed at various high courts challenging the ban on smoking in private offices. On 29 September, the Supreme Court refused to stay the notification and clarified that 'no court in the country will pass any order in derogation of this order.'

Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss has welcomed the Supreme Court order declining to stay the Centre’s notification prohibiting smoking. He described the ban as a major step towards providing a smoke-free atmosphere and protecting non-smokers from passive smoking. At a ceremony in Delhi University, the health minister urged students not to take up smoking. He said that ‘Ireland and France ­ famous for their smoke-filled pubs and cafes ­ had led the way in proving that bans could be effective’.
Worldwide members of ISKCON, who refrain from smoking and consuming alcohol, have welcomed the ban.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine said India is in the grip of a smoking epidemic that is likely to cause nearly 1 million deaths a year by 2010. More than half of these deaths would be among poor and illiterate people, says the study.

[Editor: Hopefully they will go after the pan spitting epidemic next.]

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

USA, September 4, 2008: Scientists have for the first time recorded individual brain cells in the act of summoning a spontaneous memory, revealing not only where a remembered experience is registered but also, in part, how the brain is able to recreate it. The recordings, demonstrate that these spontaneous memories reside in some of the same neurons that fired most furiously when the recalled event had been experienced. For the brain, remembering is a lot like doing.

This is what I would call a foundational finding, said Michael J. Kahana, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the research. Its a really central piece of the memory puzzle and an important step in helping us fill in the detail of what exactly is happening when the brain performs this mental time travel of summoning past experiences.

In the study, a team of American and Israeli researchers threaded tiny electrodes into the brains of 13 people. The patients watched a series of 5- to 10-second film clips, some from popular television shows and others depicting animals or landmarks like the Eiffel Tower. The researchers recorded the firing activity of about 100 neurons per person. In each person, the researchers identified single cells that became highly active during some videos and quiet during others. More than half the recorded cells hummed with activity in response to at least one film clip; many of them also responded weakly to others. After briefly distracting the patients, the researchers then asked them to think about the clips for a minute and to report what comes to mind. When they recalled a specific one, the same cells that had been active during the Homer clip reignited. In fact, the cells became active a second or two before people were conscious of the memory, which signaled to researchers the memory to come.

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

Americans love their grilled meat, and so the discovery a few years ago that grilling creates carcinogens dismayed untold numbers of people. But worry no more, there are some easy solutions -- scientifically validated and tasty, too. Common spices -- rosemary, but also other members of the mint family including basil, oregano, sage, savory, marjoram and thyme -- can be used to reduce or block the formation of cancer-causing substances.

The carcinogens formed in grilled meat are called heterocyclic amines, or HCAs. Scientists at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, have been studying HCAs, hoping to find ways to reduce or eliminate them so people can continue to enjoy this summertime favorite. J. Scott Smith, PhD, professor of food chemistry and toxicology and head of the project, told me that the process of grilling creates HCAs in all meats, including beef, pork, chicken and fish. His team found that rosemary can reduce the formation of HCAs by at least 30% and sometimes completely. Sprinkling fresh rosemary directly on uncooked chicken or fish or marinating it in, say, olive oil with rosemary, does protect against HCA formation.

For those who don't like the texture of fresh rosemary, Dr. Smith offers a few other solutions. One is to brush the meat with rosemary powder extract or capsules, sold in health stores or available on-line (for example, http://www.vitacost.com or http://www.e-vitamin.com). If using capsules, open one up and then just brush a small amount of the powder onto meat.

The other way to achieve this protective effect is to use any of the other mint-family herbs listed above in a marinade. It is best to let the meat sit in the marinade for 30 minutes to an hour, he says, but even a few minutes will help... just a little bit of herbal antioxidants applied to the surface has a happily strong protective effect.

Source(s):

J. Scott Smith, PhD, professor of food chemistry and toxicology, Food Science Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2004/06/15/1131883.htm

TORONTO, CANADA, June 15, 2004: Growing up speaking two languages seems to help keep your mind young, Canadian researchers say.

When researchers tested older people who grew up speaking English and either Tamil or French they found the adults who grow up bilingual had quicker minds compared with people who grow up speaking only one language. This suggested that having to juggle two languages keeps the brain elastic and may help prevent some of the mental slowing caused by ageing, the researchers said.

Professor Ellen Bialystok of York University in Toronto and colleagues published their study in the current issue of the journal Psychology and Aging. The researchers tested 104 monolingual and bilingual middle-aged adults aged 30 to 59 and 50 older adults aged 60 to 88. They used a test called the Simon Task, which measures reaction time for cognitive tasks, such as recognizing where on a computer screen a colored square appears. Both younger and older bilinguals were faster on the test.

“We compared groups of people who, as far as we could tell, are exactly the same,” Bialystok said. “They have all had the same amount of education. They all scored exactly the same on cognitive tests. They all perform the same on memory tests. And they also score the same on tests in English vocabulary.” The difference was that half the people grew up with either French or Tamil spoken at home and English outside. They all spoke both languages every day from childhood.

“In the monolingual group the differences between the younger adults and the older adults were in line with [the decline seen] in previous research,” Bialystok said. “In the older bilingual they slowed down significantly less, dramatically less.

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

Religion Stastistics

Major Branches of Hinduism

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

Heather Mills, a champion of vegetarianism, brought her healthy diet to the streets of New York on Saturday when she hosted a meat-free barbeque for some of the city's poorest families.

Now a resident of the city, Heather picked up the tongs and got cooking the soy burgers, sausages, hot dogs and chicken pieces she had donated to create a vegan feast for 1,000 families living in the Bronx.

The 40-year-old also took the opportunity of the event ­ sponsored by a local children's charity of which she is honorary chairperson - to announce her plans to donate three years' worth of "meatless meats" - worth $1 million - to families in the community. Heather explained her gesture was intended to introduce the children to vegetarian alternatives and "help make sure they have as much nutritional advantages as anyone else".

And the blonde former model, whose daughter with Sir Paul McCartney, Beatrice, is also a vegan, went down a storm in the New York district, which has one of the city's highest rates of child obesity and asthma.

"We need more people like her around here," said local resident Tammy Tadua. And a spokesperson for the charity reported an equally enthusiastic response to Heather's generosity: "The reaction in the community to this donation is 'Wow'."

From Australia:

RSPCA radicals push for vegan world
By David Nankervis
September 28, 2008 02:30am

A RADICAL push has been staged within the RSPCA to endorse vegan diets as the best way to prevent cruelty to farmed animals.

One of the supporters of the push has been elected to the board of the RSPCA SA branch and will stand for the presidency.

A motion to the taxpayer-assisted body’s annual general meeting on Wednesday called for it to adopt a range of controversial policies, including:

RECOGNISING egg, milk and chicken, pig and rabbit meat production “inflicts high levels of physical and psychological suffering on tens of millions of animals each year”.

ACKNOWLEDGING a vegetarian or vegan diet was “the most effective way to significantly reduce cruelty to animals farmed for meat, eggs and milk”.

ASKING RSPCA members to consider changing to a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Vegan diets exclude any animal product, including dairy food.

The motion was put by a “reformer” - one of a group within the RSCPA that aims to make the organisation more proactive on animal rights.

However, critics within the RSPCA have slammed the policy push as “pie in the sky” and out of touch with community values. While the motion was defeated, one of the reformers, Rosalie McDonald, was voted on to the RSPCA board and will stand for president in the ballot next week.

Ms McDonald said the motion was defeated only because it was presented at the end of a long meeting and “about half the members had left by then”.

“I voted for it because there is nothing wrong with it,” Ms McDonald, 67, said.

“They say a high fibre diet is much better for you.”

Ms McDonald, a semi-retired businesswoman who said she was not personally a vegetarian, described herself as a “reformer”.

“I feel the RSPCA management or president may represent us as . . . lunatics but with my particular background I hope they all realise I’m not a nutter,”the former teacher and local government councillor said.

The “reformer” who proposed the motion, former Animal Liberation president Peter Adamson, admitted he was branded a “food Nazi” at the meeting. But he defended the push and said the general public should consider vegetarian diets to reduce animal cruelty.

“It would be very educational for the RSPCA to encourage its members to be vegetarians and this is something I would like the general public to consider,” the former teacher, 62, said.

Ms McDonald said she wanted to become president to “reform the RSPCA to do what it is supposed to do”.

“It’s supposed to get out to the public arena and advocate the abolition of cruel practices . . . factory farming, battery hens and pork production.”

Ms McDonald also wants to increase RSPCA membership and funding.

But RSPCA member and veterinarian Andrew Carter said resolutions like the one supported by Ms McDonald “would put off middle-of-the-road people and have a negative impact on membership”.

“The message from that resolution is the RSPCA is trying to tell people what to do . . . but I don’t think becoming a vegetarian will solve problems of animal cruelty,” Dr Carter, who joined the RSPCA a year ago to represent mainstream values, said.

The motion was also attacked by former RSPCA national president Hugh Wirth who said the issue of animal food production and animal cruelty “won’t be resolved by a few people changing their dietary habits” and to think so was “pie-in-the-sky” thinking.

INDIA, September 26, 2008: Within the space of a decade, India has become the world capital for diabetes, hypertension and heart ailments. Obesity is on the rise as well. The spurt in cardiovascular diseases has been the most steep and rapid–currently 14%, in contrast to 11% in 2003 and just 1% in 1960.

Western countries, implementing strict anti-smoking laws and publicizing the benefits of a low-fat diet, have succeeded in dramatically reducing mortality due to cardiovascular disease–by 60% in Japan and Finland, 50% in the US, and 25% in Canada and Australia. But in India, the World Health Organization (WHO) projects that by 2015, deaths due to cardiac ailments will increase by 100%.

Experts point to India’s changing food habits and to the spread of the smoking habit. Many in India have abandoned the traditional diet focused on whole grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables. Instead, they eat increasing amounts of pizza, burgers and deep-fried items like samosas–all of which are high in trans-fatty acids. Cardiologist Dr. H.K. Chopra stated that the move toward refined foods and the lack of sufficient fruits and vegetables in the diet has dramatically lowered immunity.

Worldwide studies have shown a strong connection between trans-fatty acids and coronary heart disease. Denmark witnessed a 20% decline in mortality from cardiac ailments after regulating the trans-fat content of foods. Dishes made out of hydrogenated fat, baked items, margarines, meat and even milk have trans-fat.

Experts recommend following a more vegetarian diet.

INDIA food crises meat eating
http://www.prabhupada.org/rama/?p=4335

Click below to watch it on the original site:
http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2008/06/05/mates.india.food.itn

A celebration of all things bovine is underway as part of Britain's first ever cow carnival.

The event, organised to celebrate the cow and everything associated with the animal, is being held at Bhaktivedanta Manor, in Letchmore Heath, this afternoon.

The star attractions of the carnival are the temple's huge bullocks and herd of cows, with demonstrations of milking and cart rides entertaining the children.

Youngsters are also competing in the "Cow Olympics", with children racing in egg and spoon and sack races.

For the adults, seminars in running a cow sanctuary and making cheese are also being held.

Sita Rama, who organised the event on behalf of Ahimsa, said a key aspect of the event was to promote organic milk.

He said: "We want to raise awareness of cows and the issues about compassion for cows.

"We want people to be aware of the benefits of drinking organic milk.

"The cow lives off the grass most of the time and by drinking it you receive almost all the nutrients you will get in the meat.

"Organic milk holds all benefits that are held in the cow's body."

UNITED NATIONS, September 7, 2008: People should have one meat-free day a week if they want to make a personal and effective sacrifice that would help tackle climate change. So said the world’s leading authority on global warming, Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which earned a joint share of last year’s Nobel Peace Prize. His comments are the most controversial advice yet provided by the panel on how individuals can help tackle global warning. Pachauri said diet change was important because of the huge greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental problems - including habitat destruction - associated with rearing cattle and other animals. It was relatively easy to change eating habits compared to changing means of transport, he said.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. These are generated during the production of animal feeds, for example, while ruminants, particularly cows, emit methane, which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide. The agency has also warned that meat consumption is set to double by the middle of the century. “In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity,” said Pachauri. “Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there,” said the Indian economist. However, he also stressed other changes in lifestyle would help to combat climate change. “That’s what I want to emphasize: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy.”

Pachauri can expect some vociferous responses from the food industry. Chris Lamb, head of marketing for pig industry group BPEX, said the meat industry had been unfairly targeted and was working hard to find out which activities had the biggest environmental impact and reduce those. “Climate change is a very young science and our view is there are a lot of simplistic solutions being proposed,” he said.

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

SYDNEY, Australia, September 16, 2008: Global warming has become the most critical issue facing humanity. It is the duty of each of us to do whatever we can to reduce the effects of climate change. But very few are willing to address the touchy subject of emissions resulting from meat production.

One of the biggest contributors to environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emission is the farming of animals for human consumption. Those who follow a vegetarian diet, or at least reduce the amount of meat they consume, are making a vast positive contribution to addressing the global warming problem.

The Hindu Council of Australia, ARRCC (Australian Religious Response to Climate Change) and the Australian Vegetarian Society are organizing a conference in Sydney on October 2, 2008, to highlight the environmental, health, and ethical advantages of eating less meat. Reducing meat consumption is the most direct, healthy and economical way to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. All are invited to honor Gandhi and help to protect our Mother Earth by abstaining from meat on that day.

See our World Vegetarian Day Newsletters 2004 - 2005 - World Vege Day

See similar articles at Vegetarianism & beyond:
http://turn.to/Vegetarianism

While studying Srimad Bhagavatam a powerful verse 2.7.25 revealed this important point of the power of protection by the Lord, wherein Lord Brahma says about Lord Rama's victory over Ravana.

vakshah-sthala-sparsha-ruguna-mahendra-vaaha
dantair vidambita-kakubjusha udha haasam
sadyo 'subhih saha vineshyati daara-hartur
visphurjitair dhanusha uccarato 'dhisainye

"When Ravana was engaged in the battle, the trunk of the elephant which carried the King of heaven, Indra, broke in pieces, having collided with the chest of Ravana, and the scattered broken parts illuminated all directions. Ravana therefore felt proud of his prowess and began to loiter in the midst of the fighting soldiers, thinking himself the conqueror of all directions. But his laughter, overtaken by joy, along with his very air of life, suddenly ceased with the tingling sound of the bow of Ramacandra, the Personality of Godhead."

In his powerful purport to the above verse, Srila Prabhupada says,"However powerful a living being may be, when he is condemned by God no one can save him, and similarly, however weak one may be, if he is protected by the Lord no one can annihilate him."

Moral: Pride comes before a fall.

See similar inspirational snippets HERE:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/parables.htm

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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World Vegetarian Day October 1st yearly &
World Vegetarian Awareness Month of October yearly
...please visit our links and see what you can do to help

World Smoke Free Day
31st May Every Year 

http://www.be-free.org/b-media/market-bfree03/cinema.php

yeah kick the butt
...and remember from 10th December 2004 no more smoking in public places in New Zealand by law