Newsletter Number #168  ( Xmas issue 2005 A.D. Gaurabda 519 )
http://www.hknet.org.nz/index.htm
http://welcome.to/hknetworks

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ki jaya
WeWishYouaHareKrishna..

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Please Accept My Respectful Obeisances (cyber pranams) & Best Wishes To All

_0____,

All Glories To Srila Prabhupad.

\o/
(_)
/ \ All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.

Welcome to the latest edition of the on-line HKSRNewsletter, and our humble attempt to render some service to the devotee community. The format of this newsletter is that of a continuous scroll, please see the table of contents where everything is hyper-linked on-line, we hope it's now easier for you all. This newsletter now goes out to way over 2508 receivers. We trust that all is well with everyone by the Mercy of the Lord. However, if anyone would like to be removed please just send us a message requesting me to do so, and we will do it promptly. If you are receiving this from a friend, and would like to be added directly to the mailout please also let us know and we will do the needful there too. Removal and Subscription details at the very end of this newsletter.

Hare Krishna. =>B-) JTCd

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"May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Sri Krishna, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him."(Srimad Bhagavatam 5:18:9.)

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The Nectar in this Issue 

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From time to time articles and shlokas (verses) included in this newsletter may require the Balaram font in order to view them nicely. If you don't have the Balaram font installed on your system you can download it for free from our fonts page.

See the events on Interactive Calendar site for details:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2002-2003.html
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2003-2004.html
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2004-2005.html

The present year's Vaishnava Calendar for 2005-2006
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2005-2006.html
(some selected locations are available already below)

...Download the Vaishnava Calendar software VCAL 4.01
...Ekadasi Information - fasting - breakfast times

Local temples
...Newsletters & Blogs

Words of Wisdom - Shastra & Shastrakaras speak:
... (Srila Prabhupad & the previous Acharyas)
... Coming Festivals
... Local temples
... Verses from Shastra
... Hare Krishna Maha Mantra
... Hare Krishna as ancient religion - NOT a cult
... Vaishnava Songs
... Samskaras and Agama Tantra
... Articles - topical
... Other Topical links - etc
... Vedik revival - Vedik World Heritage

Advertisements - what's on where: check them out...
... Cyber Community Notice Board
...lastest important news items !!!!

... Hare Krishna School in Auckland
... Ayurvedic health - and seminars - Radiance Ayurved has new site
... Fire Safety - Water Safety - Internet Safety
... Singles - Hare Krishna Singles - Vegetarian Singles - Marriage Compatibility checking
... FREE CD Rom
... Sri Shalagram Tirtha Pradarshini web-site and new newsletter
... Vegetarianism and Beyond site gets re-vamped
... Gaura Yoga - Wellington
... The Loft Auckland
... The new Auckland Temple now open

... and much more

At Grass Roots: Topical stuff
... Ho Ho Ho ...Seasonal Greetings...Happy Xmas...Happy Hanukkah & Chanukah...Happy 2006
... Have a Happy Year - Gaurabda 519

Prasadam Recipes: To slake the thirst of body, mind & soul
...World Vegetarian Day & World Vegetarian Awareness Month of October links
... Religious Stands on Vegetarianism (Vaishnava - Hindu, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism)
... some really useful Vege links and support
... inspiring Vegetarian articles
... Eggless cooking - baking - cakes
... Vegetarian Cheeses - new page (try the Tuxford range...)(updated August 2004)
... Vegetarian clubs
... Hare Krishna Food For Life - local and international food relief
... check out the new Ekadasi recipes link
... 101 reasons to be a vegetarian
... Meat substitutes - Tofu - Soy - TVP - tempe recipes
... White Sugar free from bone char in NZ
... FREE Meet your Meat CDRoms
... How to offer your food to God
... You mean that's in the Bible?
... visit our Vegetarianism and Beyond Award winning web-site
... Kurma's new web-site
... The Meatrix
... Holiday Season & Xmas survival recipes

Krishna conscious - Vedikly acceptable jokes:
... cut loose have a laugh
... serious therapy in humour !!!
... did U ever wonder -  Ways of the world - Strange but true

Thanx 2 our sponsors and supporters:
... sponsorship and support
... add or remove - sub or unsub
... HELP !!!
... donations welcome

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On the WWW News, Events and Views

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New Zealand Hare Krishna
Spiritual Resource Network
Check Out Our Main-index page
Easier to Navigate - Faster Loading
Lots of NEW links ....HEAPS !!! New Format & Layout ...have a surf !
NZ Hare Krishna Spiritual Resource Network Main Index:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/index.htm

Archana, Articles, Astrology, Audo files, Books, Calendars, Community, Downloads, E-cards, Education, Family, Food For Life, Ghosts, Harenama, Health, InterFaith, Iskcon, Jesus, Krishna, Karma, Lofts, Maori, Marketplace of the Holy name, Marriage Compatibility, Meditation, New Zealand centres, Prasadam, Questions and Answers, 4 Regulative Principles, Salagram.net, Self Help, seX-files, Srila Prabhupada, Temples world-wide, Varnashram Dharm, Vedik Culture, Vegetarianism & Beyond, Weather, X-poses, Yoga, Youth Forums, Zips.......and much much more !!!!!

http://www.hknet.org.nz/index.htm

http://welcome.to/hknetworks

So much more to be found there too... HEAPS of New sites/links
last updated on 6th December 2005

Simply the Cheapest & Best

Now you can view the FULL years 1999-2000 & 2000-2001 & 2001-2002 & 2002-2003 & 2003-2004 & 2004-2005, and 2005-2006.
All Calendar entries are explained - Appearance or Disappearance days, festivals, fasts, feasts, etc.

View previous years festival dates on the Calendar:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2001-2002.htm
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2002-2003.html
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2003-2004.html
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2004-2005.html
The present year's Vaishnava Calendar for 2005-2006
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2005-2006.html
(some selected locations are available already below)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada - Disappearance - Tirubhav (Fasting till noon)

Christmas Day - Xmas Madness - 25th December 2005

Fasting on Suddha Ekadasi for Saphala Ekadasi - (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 27th December 2005  in NZ)

Sri Devananda Pandit - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Sri Mahesa Pandit - Disappearance - Tirubhav
Sri Uddharana Datta - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Sri Locana Das Thakur - Appearance - Avirbhav

Srila Jiva Goswami - Disappearance - Tirubhav
Sri Jagadisa Pandit - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Fasting on Suddha Ekadasi for Putrada Ekadasi - (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 10th January 2005  in NZ)

Sri Jagadisa Pandit - Appearance - Avirbhav

Sri Krsna Pusya abhisheka
14th January 2006 - Makara Sankranti (Sun enters Capricorn) all about Makara sankranti

Sri Ramacandra Kaviraja - Disappearance - Tirubhav
Srila Gopal Bhatta Goswami - Appearance - Avirbhav

Sri Jayadeva Goswami - Disappearance - Tirubhav
Sri Locana Das Thakur - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Fasting on Suddha Ekadasi for Sat-tila Ekadasi - (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 26th February 2006  in NZ)

Sri Ganga Sagara Mela

3rd Feb 2006 Friday the following occur on:
Sri Vasanta Pancami
Srimati Visnupriya Devi - Appearance - Avirbhav
Srimati Sarasvati Puja
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur - Disappearance - Tirubhav
Sri Pundarika Vidyanidhi - Appearance - Avirbhav
Sri Raghunandana Thakur - Appearance - Avirbhav
Sri Raghunatha Das Goswami - Appearance - Avirbhav

5th February 2006 Sunday
Sri Advaita Acarya - Appearance - Avirbhav (Fasting till noon)

6th February 2006 Monday - public holiday for Waitangi day

Sri Bhismastami

Sripad Madhvacarya - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Sripad Ramanujacarya - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Fasting on Suddha Ekadasi for Bhaimi Ekadasi - (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 9th February 2006  in NZ)

10th February 2006 Friday  Dvadasi

Sri Varaha Dvadasi - Appearance of Lord Varaha deva
 (The fast is observed till noon on the Ekadasi.) (Feasting is done today.)

11th February 2006 Saturday
Sri Nityananda Trayodasi - Appearance of Nityananda Prabhu  (Fasting till noon)

Sri Krsna Madhura utsava
Srila Narottama Das Thakur - Appearance - Avirbhav
Kumbha Sankranti (Sun enters Aquarius)

18th February 2006 for the following:
Sri Purusottama Das Thakur - Disappearance - Tirubhav
HH Gour Govinda Swami -- Disappearance - Tirubhav
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupad - Appearance - Avirbhav - (Fasting till noon)

Fasting on Suddha Ekadasi for Vijaya Ekadasi - (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 25th February 2006  in NZ)

Sripad Isvara Puri - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Sri Shiva Ratri - Appearance Day of Lord Shiva (27th February 2006 in NZ)

 1st March 2006 for the following:
Srila Jagannatha Das Babaji - Disappearance - Tirubhav
Sri Rasikananda - Disappearance - Tirubhav
HH Tamal Krishna Goswami  - Disappearance - Tirubhav
HG Vrindavaneswari devi dasi - Disappearance - Tirubhav

Sri Purusottama Das Thakur - Appearance - Avirbhav

Fasting on Suddha Ekadasi for Amalaki vrata Ekadasi - (Fasting from Beans and Grains - 10th March 2006  in NZ)

Sripad Madhavendra Puri - Disappearance - Tirubhav

15th March 2006 (Wednesday)  Holika Purnima        (Holi)
Sri Krishna Chaitanya (Gauranga) Mahaprabhu - Appearance - Avirbhav
*** Gaura Purnima *** (Fasting Ekadasi style untill moonrise)

Penumbral Lunar Eclipse (do not cook, eat, etc. Only Chant Hare Krishna) see eclipses-page

Mina Sankranti (Sun enters Pisces)

This year's full panjikam also now available for viewing:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2005-2006.html

All Calender information HERE
http://www.hknet.org.nz/CalendarWhosWho-page.htm

http://panjika.pagehere.com/

Check out the Ekadasi pages with links to every Ekadasi:
(also find out from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada what is, and what constitutes a mahadwadasi)
Find out about Dwadasi and Mahadwadasi here:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/dvadasi.htm

NEW EKADASI RECIPES:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/ekadasi-page.htm

kasmad ekadasi jata tasyah ko va vidhir dvija
kada va kriyate kim va phalam kim va vadasva me

ka va pujyatama tatra devata sad-gunarnava
akurvatah syat ko dosa etan me vaktum arhasi

"Oh Gurudeva! When did Ekadasi take birth and from whom did she appear? What are the rules of fasting on the Ekadasi? Please describe the benefits of following this vow and when it should be followed. Who is the utmost worshippable presiding deity of Sri Ekadasi? What are the faults in not following Ekadasi properly? Please bestow your mercy upon me and tell about these subjects, as you are the only personality able to do so."

Find out what was said HERE:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/ekadasi-page.htm
 

Download yourVaishnava Calendar and make a hard copy for this
All Vaishnava Calendar Information HERE (Downloads, Glossary, Calendars, Eclipses etc)

A New Face Lift for the old VCAL program - info page

Vaishnava Calendar Reminder Services
http://www.vaisnavacalendar.info/programs.htm

GBC Vaishnava Calendar Comittee - Vaisnava Calendar Calculation
http://vcal.iskcongbc.org/

The present year's Vaishnava Calendar for 2005-2006
http://www.hknet.org.nz/Calendar2005-2006.html
(some selected locations are available already below)

or if you can't do that and you'd like a Calendar for your longitude, latitude and time zone ANYWHERE in the world I can do that for you and e-mail it to you - FREE    Vaishnava Calendar Software 4.01

Vaishnava Calendar Program Vcal 4.01 FREE Download, and make your own Calendar:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/vcal401.zip

MAKE YOUR OWN CALENDAR FOR YOUR LOCATION,
no more dodgy calendars/panchangas/panjikas from India

...some already made for you http://www.hknet.org.nz/Cals2005-2006-World.html

Vaishnava Calendar maker for your region - on-line:
http://www.iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/vcalndx.pl

Astrologically/Astronomically Accurate and FREE

Please download the software from:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/vcal401.zip

How to use the VCAL calendar program:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/VcalHow2use.html

mailto:jtcd@xtra.co.nz

Vaishnava Calendar maker for your region - on-line:
http://www.iskcondc.org/cgi-bin/vcalndx.pl

Free Vaisnava Calendar Email Reminder Service
Website URL:  http://www.vaisnavacalendar.info

New service just launched - a Free Vaisnava Calendar Email Reminder Service (BETA) where devotees can sign up and receive automated location sensitive reminders of ekadasi's, festivals, appearance and disappearance days via email.

Festivals on the Vrindavan Calendar
http://www.naturalnirvana.com/Braja-Mandala/Braja-Mandal-Files/Braja-Vrindavan-Festivals.htm

Time Zones and Countries World-wide:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/
Free Downloadable Vaishnava Reminder for your Desktop
This Vaishnava Calendar Reminder is so simple, so nice and so practical
It has a huge data base of Towns to choose from, and facility to add towns too.
This can be used in conjunction with all other software and URLs mentioned above.

"This software aimed to be a personal information manager of anyone in Krishna's devotee community. Did you ever miss Ekadasi? With Vaishnava Reminder it will not be so easy - it alerts you about fasting days. Also it has built-in vaishnava calendar generator, to-do tasks, custom events, diary and panchang. And it is 100% free - just visit http://www.vreminder.tk and download it. It quietly sits in the system tray and alerts you when needed."

Vaisnava Reminder v.0.501a setup - 520 kb
http://vreminder.gauranga.in/setup-vr0501a.zip

Once you've downloaded it and installed it, you'll never want to be without it.

Here's a few Vaishnava Calendar locations around the World friends asked for us to post !!

Newsletters:
Do you get the Hare Krishna Newsletter from Auckland?
If not send a message to Mother Madri to add yourself to their list:
mailto:madri@pamho.net
mailto:harekrishnanews_auck-owner@yahoogroups.com

See Auckland's latest newsletter HERE:

Christchurch Temple Times:
mailto:nitail@zfree.co.nz

Wellington Temple Newsletter:
mailto:jagjeevandas.mvgm@paradise.net.nz

Gaura Yoga Centre (Wellington) newsletter:
mailto:gaurayoga-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

...and across the ditch in Aus': 
Brisbane temple newsletter
to subscribe - mailto:brisbane@pamho.net

Melbourne Temple F.O.L.K. News Daily Newsletter/diatrobe:
http://anitest.manilasites.com/

Melbourne - Hare Krishna movement:
http://www.iskcon.net.au/

Sydney Temple Newsletter:
http://www.iskcon.com.au/Mailing_list.html

Other Journals, Newsletters, & KC Blogs:
Aisvarya prabhu's blog:
http://www.livejournal.com/~icemonger/

Aniruddha's blog: There's more comes out of the beadbag than just the finger...
http://www.iskcon.net.au/aniruddha/

Bala Gopala's Mrdanga (formerly Ekendra's Mrdanga)
http://www.gopala.org/
This is my new journal where I hope to contribute something worth reading to the world. The inspiration for this comes from Nectar of Devotion wherein it is stated that to reveal one's mind in confidence is one of the loving exchanges between Vaisnavas. Ekendra dasa.

CafeKrishna.com run by devotees from Pandava sena
http://cafekrishna.com/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/

Candidasa dasa' Deltaflow Blog
http://www.deltaflow.com/index.php

The Conch newsletter - Radha Giridhari temple Auckland
http://www.hknet.org.nz/TheConch-newsletter.html
The Conch Newsletter is a subscription newsletter that is sent out in Word format either as a printable attached file through e-mail, or hard-copy by snail mail. The newsletter is monthly, and compiled by Amrita-pani devi dasi in conjunction with the editorial advisor HH Mukunda Goswami.

Gauranga Sundara prabhu in Leicester (UK) Newsletter can be found at:
Current issue http://www.gauranga.org/files/newsletter_06.PDF
Back issues and all future issues can be found at: http://www.gauranga.org/newsletter_backissues.htm

Gopala Guru prabhu's blog on MSN - Religious Worship; Ever wonder what's it like to live the life of a Hare Krishna monk?
Visit this Space to find out.:
http://whatsyourstory.msn.com/
http://spaces.msn.com/members/gopalaguru/PersonalSpace.aspx

Indradyumna Swami's "Diary of a Travelling Preacher" blog:
http://blog.worldsankirtan.net/IDS/

Kavichandra Swami's Blog
http://www.kavicandraswami.info/

Kurma prabhu's Travel Diary Blog:
Hello there ! I have a new Blog (weblog) Travel Diary. Follow my very latest culinary travels: http://www.kurma.net and click on the blog link right side of page.
Hope all is well with you. Happy cooking, Kurma

Prahladananda Swami's Health blog: On the road, Journal, Audio, Health, Photos etc
http://prahladanandaswami.net/blogs/index.php

Rati Manjari mataji - Every Town & Village - newsletter, which consists of a collective contribution from preachers throughout the UK. To view or download it click the link below:
http://members.lycos.co.uk/etav/files/etav_01.PDF

Sit Properly dot com - go to extras 4 the blog - lots of useful info especially for new devotees throughout site
http://www.sitproperly.com/index2.html

From the virtual pen of Sita-pati dasa http://blog.worldsankirtan.net/sitapati/
News and views from Sita-pati dasa in Brisbane Australia.

Hare Krishna Cultural Journal - Krishna-Kirti dasa in USA - A commentary on the culture, views and progress of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
http://siddhanta.com/weblogs/culture/

The International Society for Education in Krsna Consciousness http://www.isekc.com/ has a Blog called Vaishnava Sanga which one can access from the ISEKC home page.

News stories, articles, comment, insights, features, and Vaisnava perspectives available on-line from http://www.iskcon.com/new/

Vraj journal
http://www.vrajajournal.com/

Srimad Bhagavad Gita AS IT IS

Bhagavad Gita:  Chapter 5 -  Karma-yoga : Action in Krsna Consciousness

                                TEXT 15

                         nadatte kasyacit papam
                         na caiva sukrtam vibhuh
                          ajnanenavrtam jnanam
                          tena muhyantijantavah

   WORD FOR WORD

   na--never; adatte--accepts; kasyacit--anyone's; papam--sin;
   na--nor; ca--also; eva--certainly; su-krtam--pious activities;
   vibhuh--the Supreme Lord; ajnanena--by ignorance; avrtam--covered;
   jnanam--knowledge; tena--by that; muhyanti--are bewildered;
   jantavah--the living entities.

                               TRANSLATION

   Nor does the Supreme Lord assume anyone's sinful or pious
   activities. Embodied beings, however, are bewildered because of the
   ignorance which covers their real knowledge.

PURPORT by HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad:

   The Sanskrit word vibhu means the Supreme Lord who is full of
   unlimited knowledge, riches, strength, fame, beauty and
   renunciation. He is always satisfied in Himself, undisturbed by
   sinful or pious activities. He does not create a particular
   situation for any living entity, but the living entity, bewildered
   by ignorance, desires to be put into certain conditions of life,
   and thereby his chain of action and reaction begins. A living
   entity is, by superior nature, full of knowledge. Nevertheless, he
   is prone to be influenced by ignorance due to his limited power.
   The Lord is omnipotent, but the living entity is not. The Lord is
   vibhu, or omniscient, but the living entity is anu, or atomic.
   Because he is a living soul, he has the capacity to desire by his
   free will. Such desire is fulfilled only by the omnipotent Lord.
   And so, when the living entity is bewildered in his desires, the
   Lord allows him to fulfill those desires, but the Lord is never
   responsible for the actions and reactions of the particular
   situation which may be desired. Being in a bewildered condition,
   therefore, the embodied soul identifies himself with the
   circumstantial material body and becomes subjected to the temporary
   misery and happiness of life. The Lord is the constant companion of
   the living entity as Paramatma, or the Supersoul, and therefore He
   can understand the desires of the individual soul, as one can smell
   the flavor of a flower by being near it. Desire is a subtle form of
   conditioning for the living entity. The Lord fulfills his desire as
   he deserves: Man proposes and God disposes. The individual is not,
   therefore, omnipotent in fulfilling his desires. The Lord, however,
   can fulfill all desires, and the Lord, being neutral to everyone,
   does not interfere with the desires of the minute independent
   living entities. However, when one desires Krsna, the Lord takes
   special care and encourages one to desire in such a way that one
   can attain to Him and be eternally happy. The Vedic hymns therefore
   declare, esa u hy evasadhu karma karayati tam yam ebhyo lokebhya
   unninisate. esa u evasadhu karma karayati yam adho ninisate: "The
   Lord engages the living entity in pious activities so that he may
   be elevated. The Lord engages him in impious activities so that he
   may go to hell." (Kausitaki Upanisad 3.8)

                         ajno jantur aniso 'yam
                         atmanah sukha-duhkhayoh
                         isvara-prerito gacchet
                       svargam vasv abhram eva ca

 "The living entity is completely dependent in his distress and
   happiness. By the will of the Supreme he can go to heaven or hell,
   as a cloud is driven by the air."

   Therefore the embodied soul, by his immemorial desire to avoid
   Krsna consciousness, causes his own bewilderment. Consequently,
   although he is constitutionally eternal, blissful and cognizant,
   due to the littleness of his existence he forgets his
   constitutional position of service to the Lord and is thus
   entrapped by nescience. And, under the spell of ignorance, the
   living entity claims that the Lord is responsible for his
   conditional existence. The Vedanta-sutras (2.1.34) also confirm
   this. Vaisamya-nairghrnye na sapeksatvat tatha hi darsayati: "The
   Lord neither hates nor likes anyone, though He appears to."

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

Bhagavad Gita As It Is - http://www.asitis.com/

Bhaktivedanta Vedabase - Bhagavad Gita on-line http://bhagavadgitaasitis.com/

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Bhagavad-gita As It Is  http://vedabase.net/bg/en

Bhagavad Gita Multi Media Web-version http://chantandbehappy.com/gita/

Listen to Bhagavad Gita on line - http://www.Gitamrta.org

View our Bhagavad Gita Overview:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/BG.html

Archive: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~vivek/btg/archive/
Home Page: http://www.cs.rice.edu/~vivek/btg/

Join Bhagavad Gita eGroups HERE
mailto:bhagavad_gita-owner@egroups.com

Prabhupada Uvacha:
(here's some nectar, sometimes it comes in the form of Srutakirti prabhu's diary, other times from Govinda dasi's diary, Hari Sauri prabhu's Transcendental Diary, or sometimes from a letter, or other related source, but still nectar...)

Little Drops of Nectar: Prabhupada Was Precise

Srila Prabhupada was very precise in his use of words and in his presentation of Krsna consciousness. Once one of his sannyasi disciples was giving a lecture in Prabhupada's presence and he was explaining the absolute nature of the holy name. "Krsna is in His name," the disciple said. Then Prabhupada interrupted him. "Oh, He is in His name? Where in His name is He?" His disciple fell silent. "Krsna is not in His name," Prabhupada explained, "Krsna is His name."

Prabhupada held an initiation in Geneva in 1974. Pusta Krsna Swami performed the fire sacrifice and Prabhupada presided over the yajna from his vyasasana.

The devotees had covered the sacrificial area with cloths of different kinds. One of the cloths that was used was a hari-nama cadar. Pusta Krsna Swami sat on a cushion with his foot on the cadar.

Prabhupada looked down and said, "What is that?" Pusta Krsna said, "What is what, Prabhupada?" Prabhupada said, "What mantra is that?" Pusta Krsna Swami said it was the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Prabhupada said that it was not the Hare Krsna mantra. Pusta Krsna Swami said yes, it was the Hare Krsna mantra. He said that it was printed in English letters that had been stylized to look like devanagari script, but that it was actually the Hare Krsna mantra. Prabhupada looked down and was silent for a few moments, then he said, "If that is the Hare Krsna mantra, why have you put your foot on the holy name?" Pusta Krsna Swami moved his foot.

- From the Prabhupada Nectar by HH Satsvarupa dasa Goswami

To receive little snippets of nectar like this on a daily basis subscribe HERE: or If you want to introduce anyone else in reading Srila Prabhupada Nectars, please send their eMail addresses to mailto:krpamaya_gauranga@hotmail.com

Please Chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Listen to Srila Prabhupad on-line
....a different lecture, morning walk, conversation or class daily.

"Serve Krishna Or Serve...Others"

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- April 1, 1974, Bombay

Listen to the entire lecture on-line:
http://prabhupadavani.org/Morning_Walks/m3u/MW039.m3u

Prabhupada: Aksara? First of all try to understand. Aksara... Aksara means, "that does not fall down." That is aksara. Aksara and ksara. The spiritual world is aksara, and this material world is ksara. So the living entities or God in the spiritual world, they are all aksara. And in the material world we are all ksara. Therefore aksaram paramam brahma. The Supreme...

Chandobhai: Svabhavo 'dhyatmam.

Prabhupada: Svabhavam.

Dr. Patel: Sva means "own."

Prabhupada: Eh?

Dr. Patel: Bhava means...? Bhava (Gujarati)? Essence, essence.

Prabhupada: Sva-bhavah means nature.

Dr. Patel: Nature. Sva-bhavah...

Chandobhai: Adhyatmam.

Dr. Patel: Adhi-atma. That is the...

Chandobhai: That is real bhava.

Prabhupada: Adhyatma. Adhyatma means bodily and mentally.

Chandobhai: Ah, bodily and mentally, yes.

Dr. Patel: Adhyatma? Bodily and mentally?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Chandobhai: Mentally. Spiritually... Inner existence.

Prabhupada: No. Adhyatmam. Adhyatma. Atma means body, mind and the soul, but here adhyatma means the body and the mind. That is material nature. The body and mind is made of material nature. [break] ...creation.

Chandobhai: Creation, yes.

Prabhupada: So by working with the body, we create another creation.

Dr. Patel: Bhuta-bhavodbhava...

Prabhupada: Just like now I am a human being. Next life I may be a demigod, I may be a dog. That I create. That is sarga.

Dr. Patel: That is karma.

Chandobhai: That is his karma. That is his karma.

Dr. Patel: What is karma?

Prabhupada: Karma, anyone can understand. As you... Fruitive activities. You do something and enjoy the good or bad result. That is karma. You do something, either good or bad. So the result you'll have to suffer or enjoy.

continued.......................

"Glory to the Sri Krishna Samkirtan which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years together. Thus the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death, is extinguished. The Samkirtan Movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction Moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge, it increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it helps us to have a taste of the full nectar for which we are always anxious."

(Every Town & Village, album cover)

On-line Virtual Arati to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai - check it out
http://www.in2-mec.com/GNpuja.html

http://www.hknet.org.nz/harernam-page.htm
http://Harinam/rulestheweb.com

What's So Special About Chanting Hare Krishna?
By Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandan dasa ACBSP):
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/chanting_hare_krishna.htm

Hare Krishna is NOT "a Cult":
Is ISKCON a Cult or part of the "Hindu Culture" or Something Else?
http://www.hknet.org.nz/not-a-cult.html

Hare Krishna is NOT a Cult letter by Kunti dd editor of Hare Krishna World:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/HK-no-cult.html

40+ Years of Krishna Consciousness through Iskcon.........
http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/aa081201a.htm

Very nice articles and numerous links on the About Hinduism web-site.

What is ISKCON ???
http://www.iskcon.org/main/twohk/iskcon/what.htm

Is Iskcon a Cult?
http://www.hknet.org.nz/not-a-cult.html

Iskcon and Hinduism
http://www.hknet.org.nz/IskconHinduism.html

New to Krishna Consciousness - these topics 4 you
http://harekrishnaworldnews.blogspot.com/2005/08/new-to-krishna-consciousness.html

For those who are new to the Krishna Conscious philosophy,
here are a series of FLASH presentations introducing the philosophy to beginners.

What is Krishna Consciousness? (172k)
How can we become Krishna Conscious? (144k)
What is the Soul? (412k)
What is Yoga? (396k)
What is the Maha mantra? (216k)
What is Sanskrit? (64k)
What is the syllable Om? (312k)
Who is the girl with Krishna? (200k)
What are the Incarnations of the Lord (1.2mb)

http://www.iskcon.com.au/New_to_Krishna.html

Are You Tired Of Suffering?

Unlimited Bliss Is Your
Constitutional Birthright.

Now You Can Regain It With
The Ultimate
Self-Realization Course

Enroll Today
For Your Free E-Course!

http://www.backtohome.com/

SONGS AND MANTRAS by Vaishnava spiritual masters:
http://web.tiscali.it/no-redirect-tiscali/gopala/Vaishnava-Songs/index.html

Vaishnava Song Book:
http://www.iskcon.org/sastra/f_vs.html
http://www.iskcon.org/sastra/vs_other.html

Vedic Art Publications
http://www.vedicarts.net/catalogmain.html

Vrindavan Art
http://www.vrindavanart.com/index.php?gallery=gal14

Mayapur Darshans

http://www.mayapur.com
http://www.photo.net/photos/Vrindavan Lila
http://www.maphoto.tk
http://www.mayapur-katha.tk
http://www.dipika.org/mainpages/contributors/vrindavan.lila.dd.htm
http://www.geocities.com/mayapurkatha1

Radhastami photo-gallery:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=528023

Nrisimha Deva's photo-gallery:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=500789

Also we are sending out mailing lists with regular postings of video clips,
photos and PDF jornals.

to SUBSCRIBE to our FREE MAILING LISTs:

- MAYAPUR KATHA for web-magazines (PDF) send request to
  "Mayapur Katha Magazine" <Mayapur.Katha.Magazine@pamho.net>

- MAYAPUR DARSAN, video clips of Mayapur, send reqest to
  "Mayapur Darshan" <Mayapur.Darshan@pamho.net>

- Second SUNDAY MAILING LIST - photos of Mayapur, send request to
  Padmalochan.ACBSP@pamho.net / vrindavanlila@photo.net

Iskcon Mayapur are looking at starting a new WWW web-site, and are looking for a sponsor
if you are interested is assisting this great project please contact
Padmalochan.ACBSP@pamho.net or his wife vrindavanlila@photo.net

Listen to or download Prabhupad lectures and bhajans
http://chantandbehappy.com/prabhupada/index.html

Devotional Bhajans and kirtans
http://chantandbehappy.com/bhajans/index.html

Hundreds of devotional songs by various artists - singers - performers - and many more coming soon:
http://www.radiokrishna.com/modules.php?name=NukeView&file=index&query=http://www.radiokrishna.com/rkc_archive_new/index2.php

Download songs
http://www.harekrsna.cz/mp3/folk/

Krishna Vision of Krishna Prema dasa ACBSP Sound Track Vol. 4 samples:
http://www.krisnavision.narod.ru/

Sydney temple Audio page
http://www.iskcon.com.au/Audio.html

Leicester Temple UK Audio page - many bhajans and kirtans
http://www.gauranga.org/audio_page.htm

Listen to Krishna Radio on various subjects on-line:
http://www.krishna.com/newsite/main.php?id=260

Hare Krishna Media Library
http://www.harekrishna.org.au/

Agama Tantra and the Vaishnava Samskaras as a way of life:

Recently I was asked, "Don't you find it an inconvenience to always be checking to see when is the right time to do this or the best time for that?"

In simple terms my answer was and still is; if you go to the bus or railway station or airport it is probably an intelligent venture to enquire about the times and routes of vehicles than to just hope that one will be along soon, or one is going in your direction.

There are subtle influences in the Universe that, for thousands of years gone by, advanced cultures have honoured, respected and utilised. Before the corruption of the Vedik literatures by the Christian and Moslem invaders to India all these things were used; Ayurvedik Medicine; Vedik Astrology; etc. Today there's a rennaisance among many to revive these arts.

We have been trained and studied to be able to provide these services. See some of my sites:

http://www.hknet.org.nz/jtcd-samskaras.html
http://www.iskcon.net/nz-namahatta/jtcd/1-homepage.html

or contact me directly: mailto:jtcd@xtra.co.nz

aham kratur aham yajnah
svadhaham aham ausadham
mantro 'ham aham evajyam
aham agnir aham hutam

"But it is I who am the ritual, I the sacrifice, the offering to the ancestors, the healing herb,
the transcendental chant. I am the butter and the fire and the offering."(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita 9.16)

Krishna conscious affirmations:

 Always remember Krishna and never forget Him

Join and receive Krishna conscious affirmations:
mailto:Sravana.SPGTSI@pamho.net

By popular demand - Looking for a devotee husband or wife?
&
Marriage Synastry

Devotee Meeting-Place Web site - FREE Service:
http://www.angelfire.com/ab7/devoteesmeet/home.html 

or HERE

BHAKTI YOGA SINGLES:
This list is for Bhakti Yoga singles. Those who practice Bhakti Yoga are known as Vaisnavas.
This list is therefore called Vaisnava Singles.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vaisnavasingles

Post a Message: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vaisnavasingles/post

Vegetarian Singles:
This list is for vegetarian singles. I know it can be difficult to get to know someone. There may not be anyone who can help us to get to know that special someone. We've got the computer now. So signup and start letting people know you're lonely.
Don't keep it a secret any longer.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vegetariansingles

Post a Message:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vegetariansingles/post

Post your singles ads here.
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/devoteesingles

.....think you've found someone special......
Marriage Compatibility Checking - Synastry

For marriage compatibility analysis bookings
http://www.hknet.org.nz/3-synastry.html

For more information about the system of analysis - the Vedik Kuta system
http://www.hknet.org.nz/synastry9page.htm

For more information about Vedik Marriage Compatibility
http://www.hknet.org.nz/MarriageSynastry4U.html

......and the process of Vaishnava Vivaha - sacred marriage

Gurukuli.com
A positive, safe environment to meet and chat
http://youth.rupa.com

BRITish CREW - Gurukuli forum
http://britcrew.com

Young F.O.L.K.
Young Friends Of Lord Krishna
 http://www.hknet.org.nz/YoungFOLK.htm

ete cäàça-kaläù puàsaù
kåñëas tu bhagavän svayam
indräri-vyäkulaà lokaà
måòayanti yuge yuge

“All the lists of the incarnations of Godhead submitted herewith are either plenary expansions or parts of the plenary expansions of the Supreme Godhead, but Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.28)

rämädi-mürtiñu kalä-niyamena tiñöhan
nänävatäram akarod bhuvaneñu kintu
kåñëaù svayaà samabhavat paramaù pumän yo
govindam ädi-puruñaà tam ahaà bhajämi

“I worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda [Kåñëa], who is always situated in various incarnations such as Räma, Nåsiàha and many subincarnations as well, but who is the original Personality of Godhead known as Kåñëa, and who incarnates personally also.” (Brahma samhita 5:39.)

Hindu Gods, Goddesses & Devas Wallpaper - 22 different ones, and screensavers too.
http://coolbuddy.com/wallpapers/Religious/hindu_god_home.htm

The Devotee List - Iskcon and Gaudiya math(s):
(It's still being developed, and a lot of devotees are not here......)
http://devotee.s5.com/index.html

Mail box full - over quota - newsletters bouncing.......

Still waiting for an internet company to come forward
and give you a massive mailbox for FREE like it's been rumoured for months.

HELP IS HERE AT LAST.

Tired of that wimpy 2mb mailboxs?  rejecting important emails cause
its always overflowing but still too cheap to spring for a "real" ISP..
No computer but need an email address? Need a stealth email address? Got
a friend who fits that description?... Well here are some other free
options for you. Note that a couple of these offer HUGE 100-200mb mail boxes...

http://www.hotmail.com   ..................2 mb
http://www.yahoo.com ....................4 mb
http://www.freeserve.com ..............5 mb
http://www.myownemail.com ........5 mb
http://www.lycos.com ......................5 mb
 http://www.softhome.net ................6 mb
http://www.bigmailbox.com ...........7 mb
http://mail.uk2.net ...........................10 mb
http://www.mail15.com .................15 mb
http://macnews.de .........................20 mb
http://xms.ms ..................................20 mb
http://balls.com ............................100 mb
http://ukonline.net .......................200 mb

Get a FREE Gmail account today
HERE  or HERE
Gmail give you 2000+ Mb of free space

Vedik World Heritage pages

Read enlivening articles
See pictures of exhumed relics
Understand conspirital deceptions...
Join the renaissance to rebuild the Golden Age in the Kali-yuga
Find out about Vedik heritage items all around the world.....

Send in your articles and news:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/VWH.html

See more similar pages and links http://www.hknet.org.nz/VWH.html and http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-Vedik.htm

Vedik Culture list
 mailto:vediculture-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

A selection of interesting Krishna conscious articles from New Panihati - Atlanta temple USA:
http://newpanihati.tripod.com/NewsGroup/KCNectar/KCNectarMain.htm

Paradigms - where things are not all they seem

Krishna conscious Dramas and plays:
A collection of 88 transcendental dramas assembled and presented for the pleasure of
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
http://www.cedarpost.com/krsnaconsciousplays/default.htm

Wonderful modern Krishna conscious plays:
http://www.cedarpost.com/krsnaconsciousplays/TableOfContents.htm

These are great for Sunday feasts, or school programs or street presentations, or just for our own understanding.

Read here what Prabhupad says about such plays and dramas:
http://www.cedarpost.com/krsnaconsciousplays/PlaysP2SPquotes.htm

Click on this link to see how really short life is.

http://www.sastradana.com/video/lifeisshort.wmv

thanx again Shyam'

Hare Krsna!

In the download section of my website  http://tinyurl.com/9er95 you will find a copy of Ganguly's complete English translation of the Mahabharata (originally in 13 hardback volumes) in HTML format. It is in a 7.5 MB zipped file.

The Mahabharata explains by example how Lord Krsna's Vedic culture and Varnashrama Dharma are meant to work. Where the Manu Smriti is a concise book of laws for Mankind the Mahabharata shows how those laws are applied. The Mahabharata along with the Ramayana have been the main foundation for the continuation of Vedic culture because they are easily accessible to the masses. The Mahabharata was actually written for the unfortunate people of the Kali Yuga to help uplift them. A close study of the Mahabharata and Ramayana in conjunction with the Manu Samhita would serve as a good guide on how to implement Varnashrama Dharma. And, in conjunction with the Srimad Bhagavatam, insight into Daivi Varnashrama Dharma. The Mahabharata is thus an essential text for anyone interested in implementing VAD.

The Mahabharata is a vast treasure house of Brahminical knowledge and as the Mahabharat itself says: "What is found in the Mahabharata may be found in other texts; whatever is not found in the Mahabharata is not found anywhere."

You will also find a PDF copy  of a canto of Agnivesa's Caraka Samhita (an Ayurvedic text) entitled Sarirasthana, a fascinating account of how the body is formed starting with philosophical details, conception, karmic details, embryology etc. I once gave this text to an obstetrician to read while she was waiting to see me and she was astounded at how much knowledge was contained in such an ancient text. Size 14 MB

Yours faithfully,

Shyamasundara Dasa

http://www.ShyamasundaraDasa.com
"krsnas tu bhagavan svayam"

The Formidable Audio page - Bhajans, Kirtans, Lectures many Iskcon devotees:
http://www.iskcon.com.au/Audio.html

and

Bhajans and Kirtans
http://chantandbehappy.com/bhajans/index.html

and

Download latest Real Player for Free:
http://software-dl.real.com/22e4968a89f121132020/windows/mrkt/AUN03D/RealOnePlayerV2GOLD.exe

Listen to audio and view videos on-line here:
http://www.prabhupada.org/prabhupadadesh/a_deposito_oggetti/Archivio_Audio-Video/index.php?q=t&t=EN
http://www.prabhupada.org/prabhupadadesh/a_deposito_oggetti/Archivio_Audio-Video/index.php?q=f&f=%2FAudio
There's literally hundreds of bhajans, kirtans and videos segments to check out.............try all the folders too.......

Devotional bhajanas, kirtans and mantras:
http://www.sudarshana.org/

Nectar for kids and adults alike:
http://www.rasa-music.com/Bodies/body-shop.html

...........more Audio sites linked HERE

Topical Articles:
Abortion - http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-abortion.htm
Genetic Engineering ( GE or GM ) - http://www.hknet.org.nz/GE.html
Environment - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Environment.htm
Encroachment - http://www.hknet.org.nz/WE-Day2004.html
Cloning - http://www.hknet.org.nz/cloning.htm
Science - http://www.hknet.org.nz/science2KC.html
Cow Protection - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Cow-protection.htm
The Four Regulative Principles of Freedom - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Regs-4page.htm
seX-files - http://www.hknet.org.nz/seX-files.htm
Mundane Knowledge - http://www.hknet.org.nz/mundaneknowledge.html
Death (Yamaduttas - Terminal Restlessness etc)- http://www.hknet.org.nz/death.html
Near Death Experience - http://www.hknet.org.nz/NDE.htm
Ghosts - http://www.hknet.org.nz/ghosts.htm
Reincarnation again here - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Reincarnation-page.htm
Gain some insights in the TV culture  - http://www.hknet.org.nz/television.html
The aweful Truth about softdrinks - http://www.hknet.org.nz/theREALthing.html
Changing the face of the Earth - http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/1390/index.html
UFOs - http://www.hknet.org.nz/UFOs.html
Vegetarianism & Beyond - http://turn.to/Vegetarianism
Articles for newcomers to Krishna consciousness - http://www.krishna.com/newsite/main.php?id=87
Self Help and Motivational pages - Deals and Affiliate programs: - http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-selfhelp.html
Myth of the Aryan invasion by Dr. David Frawley: - http://www.hknet.org.nz/Aryan-invasion-mythDF.html

The Peace Formula - (By HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada) http://www.hknet.org.nz/PeaceFormula.html

.........many other articles - http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-articles.htm

and from there go to the Main Index http://www.hknet.org.nz/index.htm

Iskcon News Articles now available - many topical insights
http://www.iskcon.com/new/index.html

Perhaps we should deck the halls with boughs of spring flowers, because an English astronomer suggested that Jesus might have been born on September 15th, 7 BC.
Dr David Hughes, of Sheffield University, argued that September 15th is the real Christmas for he following reasons:
In the Gospel of St Luke we read that Joseph took Mary to Bethlehem because "... there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed ... and all went to be taxed, every one in his own city." Such a decree occurred about 8 BC.
King Herod was so infuriated that a rival had been born (the "King of the Jews") that he ordered the massacre of all baby boys in Israel, but Mary and Joseph fled to Egypt. They stayed there for two years until Herod's death, said to have closely followed a lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses occurs in 4 BC and 1 BC.
The distinctive astronomical phenomenon that happened between 8 BC and 1 BC, that could be equated with the Star of Bethlehem, is the conjunction of the giant Jupiter with Saturn in the constellation of Pisces (considered the Zodiac sign of the Jews). This began on May 27th, 7 BC and continued for some months - long enough for the three wise men (astrologer/priests) to follow the phenomenon across country. On September 15th, the Magi (three wise men) would have seen a striking phenomenon, the conjoined rising of this celestial light on the eastern horizon, at sunset.
If Dr Hughes is right, the Magi would have arrived at the inn at Bethlehem with their presents for the Christ child, on the day the star stopped over that town - December 1st, 7 BC.

"25th December has become Christmas Day although almost certainly not the day on which Christ was born, as is popularly supposed. The date was eventually fixed by the Church in AD 440, the day of the winter solstice, which had anciently been a time of festival among heathen peoples. In Anglo-Saxon England, the year began on 25th December, but from the late 12th century until the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in 1752 the year began on Lady Day, 25th March." (Evans 1988)

Christmas cards
Englishman WCT Dobson is usually regarded as having sent the first Christmas card in 1844. Sir Henry Cole and JC Horsley produced the first commercial Christmas card in 1846, although it was condemned by temperance people because members of the family group in the centrepiece were drinking wine. After Tucks, the art printers, took to printing them in the 1870s, they really came into vogue.

            When we consider the story of how baby Jesus appeared in the heart of his mother Mary by immaculate conception, as well as the bright star appearing in the night sky, we can discern a direct parallel to Lord Krishna’s birth three thousand years earlier in Vrindavana, India, as recorded in the Vedic literature. It is described in the ancient Vedic texts how Krishna appeared in the mind of Vasudeva, Krishna’s father, and was then transferred into the heart of His mother, Devaki. During Krishna’s birth, the bright star Rohini was high in the sky, and the king at the time, Kamsa, actually ordered the killing of all the infants in an attempt to kill Krishna, similar to the way Herod was supposed to have done as described in the gospel of Matthew. And just as a multitude appeared among the shepherds in the hills praising God at the time of Jesus’ birth, there were also many demigods who came and danced and sang about the glories of Krishna when He was ready to appear in this world. Krishna was born in a cave-like dungeon, while Jesus was also born in a cave, although some say a manger in a barn. Rays of light illuminated the area after they had taken birth. While newly born, they both spoke of why they had come to this world. And as wise men were supposed to have presented Jesus with frankincense and myrrh, baby Krishna was also presented with gifts that included sandalwood and perfumes.

            At the time when Krishna left this planet, His foot was pierced with an arrow, while Jesus’ side was pierced with a spear. There was a darkness that descended when Jesus is said to have been crucified, just as there was a darkness and many calamities taking place when Krishna left this world. And as there is a description of many ominous signs that are to signify the second coming of Christ, there are even more symptoms of the terrible age of Kali that we are going through that indicates the time before the coming of Krishna’s next incarnation as Kalki. Many of these I have included in my book, The Vedic Prophecies. There are many other parallels that we could refer to that are disclosed in the Vedas, which were written many hundreds of years before the Bible.

            Jesus preached in a way that can also be compared to the sayings of Krishna. For example, in Bhagavad-gita (7.6-7) Krishna said, “I am the cause of the whole universe, through Me it is created and dissolved, all things are dependant on Me as pearls are strung on a thread.” Jesus said, “Of Him and through Him, and unto Him, are all things. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1.3) Krishna had said (Bg.4.7), “For the establishment of righteousness I am born from time to time.” This compares to Jesus in John 18:37, wherein he says, “Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” These and many other comparisons can be made. Nonetheless, the fact is that the history of Krishna is thousands of years older than that of Jesus.

            In this way, practically speaking, what we find in the Bible regarding Jesus’ birth is a description of the appearance of Lord Krishna, but only the names have been changed. Of course, there are different theories about how this happened. One theory is that when the Christians went to India, they found out that this story was there in the Bhagavat-Purana; so, they immediately had to change the date of when the Bhagavat-Purana was supposed to have been written. So now the historians generally say that it was written about 1400 years ago. Otherwise, how could they explain the story of Krishna’s birth being so similar to the story of Christ’s birth? They thought that the Vedic pundits must have heard about the story of Jesus and adapted the story to their own incarnation, as if the Vedic scholars would demean themselves by putting a story into their scripture that was heard from people who were considered low-born foreigners. Actually, what happened was just the opposite.

            Since both the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam contain many similar sentiments and descriptions to Christianity, numerous Christian scholars have tried to prove that the stories therein had been borrowed from the Bible. However, this has been proved to be quite the reverse. This is has been accepted by Reverend J. B. S. Carwithen, known as one of the “Brampton Lecturers,” who says, as quoted in Reverend J. P. Lundy’s Monumental Christianity (pp. 151-2), “Both the name Crishna and the general outline of his story are long anterior to the birth of our Savior [Jesus Christ]; and this we know, not on the presumed antiquity of the Hindoo records alone. Both Arrian and Strabo assert that the God Crishna was anciently worshiped at Mathura, on the river Jumna, where he is worshiped at this day. But the emblems and attributes essential to this deity are also transplanted into the mythology of the West.”

            Monier Williams, one of the accepted early Western authorities on Hinduism, Professor at Oxford in London and a devout Christian, also focused on this issue when writing for the “Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge” in his book, Indian Wisdom. Therein he states: “To any one who has followed me in tracing the outline of this remarkable philosophical dialogue, and has noted the numerous parallels it offers to passages in our Sacred Scriptures, it may seem strange that I hesitate to concur to any theory which explains these coincidences by supposing the author [of such Vedic books as the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam] had access to the New Testament, or that he derived some of his ideas from the first propagators of Christianity. Surely it will be conceded that the probability of contact and interaction between Gentile systems and the Christian religion of the first two centuries of our era must have been greater in Italy than in India. Yet, if we take the writings and sayings of those great Roman philosophers, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, we shall find them full of resemblances to passages in our Scriptures, while there appears to be no ground whatever for supposing that these eminent Pagan writers and thinkers derived any of their ideas from either Jewish or Christian sources. In fact, the Reverend F. W. Farrar, in his interesting and valuable work, Seekers After God, has clearly shown that ‘to say that Pagan morality kindled its faded taper at the Gospel light, whether furtively or unconsciously, that it dissembled the obligation and made a boast of the splendor, as if it were originally her own, is to make an assertion wholly untenable.’ He points out that the attempts of the Christian Fathers to make out Pythagoras a debtor to Hebraic wisdom, Plato an ‘Atticizing Moses,’ Aristotle a picker-up of ethics from a Jew, Seneca a correspondent of St. Paul, were due in some cases to ignorance, in some to a want of perfect honesty in controversial dealing. . . It must indeed be admitted that the flames of true light which emerge from the mists of pantheism in the writings of the Indian philosophers, must spring from the same source of light as the Gospel itself; but it may reasonably be questioned whether there could have been any actual contact of the Hindoo systems with Christianity without a more satisfying result in the modification of pantheistic and anti-Christian ideas.”

            Again, Monier points out the antiquity of the Vedic culture, practically over and beyond all others, when he explains on page iv of his book: “It should not be forgotten that although the nations of Europe have changed their religions during the past eighteen centuries, the Hindu has not done so, except very partially. Islam converted a certain number by force of arms in the eighth and following centuries, and Christian truth is at last slowly creeping onwards and winning its way by its own inherent energy in the nineteenth; but the religious creeds, rites, customs, and habits of thought of the Hindus generally have altered little since the days of Manu. . .”
            In light of all this research, by myself and others, we can conclude with the words of T. W. Doane in his book, Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions. Therein he goes so far as to say at the beginning of Chapter Twenty-Eight, “. . . the mythological portion of the history of Jesus of Nazareth, contained in the books forming the Canon of the New Testament, is nothing more or less than a copy of the mythological histories of the Hindoo Savior Crishna, and the Buddhist Savior Buddha, with a mixture of mythology borrowed from the Persians and other nations. . .”

            One archeological find that proved that knowledge of Krishna antedated Christianity by at least 200 years was the Heliodorus column, built in 113 B.C. in central India by the Greek ambassador to India, Heliodorus. On it is an inscription commenting on the ambassador’s devotion to Lord Vishnu (Krishna) and mentioning when the column had been erected. The column still stands near the town of Vidisha.

            We must remember that when the Christians first came to India to preach, they were not very well received by the local people. There was very little penetration because the Christian priests and missionaries were seen for what they were: mlecchas and yavanas, more or less unclean cow-killers or untouchables in local terminology. So it is doubtful that the Vedic pandits spent much time even listening to them, what to speak of writing scripture or changing the story of Krishna’s birth on account of hearing these missionaries. Of course, now as Indian society has deteriorated and become more attracted to Western values (partly due to being indoctrinated by the British rule years ago), Christianity is more easily accepted.

            So, the conclusion we must arrive at is that the story of Lord Krishna’s birth, along with numerous other parts of the Vedic philosophy, must have come to the mid-eastern part of the world because of the many trade caravans going back and forth at that time from India to the region of Palestine. Since there were no real witnesses of Christ’s birth and hardly any history in the gospels of the life of Christ up to the age of thirty, it is likely they applied the story of Krishna to Jesus’ life. Otherwise, there is little historical evidence that any of it is factual.

            There is evidence, however, as more facts are being uncovered, that contends that Jesus may have been nailed to the cross but did not die on it. After having been taken from the cross, he later recovered from the ordeal rather than rose from the dead. The Shroud of Turin, if it is authentic (which has been a great debate by itself), seems to provide some evidence that Christ was not dead when taken from the cross since his body was still bleeding while wrapped in the cloth. Even if Christ did appear to die on the cross, being a yogic master, he could have put himself into trance to be revived later. This goes on even today with yogis in India or fakirs in Egypt who can appear to die, be buried for hours, days, months, or sometimes years, and then be uncovered and resurrected from their apparent death. Even the Koran (4.157) claims that Jesus did not die on the cross.

            There is also evidence that after the crucifixion Jesus traveled through Turkey, Persia, and then India. The Russian scholar Nicolas Notovitch discovered in 1887 Buddhist documents at the Hemis monastery in Ladakh that describe the life of Issa. Issa is the Tibetan spelling while Isa is the Arabic spelling of the name Jesus, and the name commonly used in Islam. The manuscript was originally from Lhasa, translated into Tibetan from the Pali language. Jesus’ ascension into heaven may have referred to his entrance into Kashmir, an area considered by many to have been like heaven or the promised land.

            Furthermore, the Bhavishya Purana, dating back to 3000 B.C. and compiled by Srila Vyasadeva, also described the future coming of Jesus and his activities. Dr. Vedavyas, a research scholar who holds a doctorate in Sanskrit, said that the Purana tells of how Jesus would visit the Himalayas and do penance to acquire spiritual maturity under the guidance of the sages and siddha-yogis of India. Dr. Vedavyas says that besides describing the future events of Kali-yuga, the Purana predicted that Jesus would be born of an unmarried woman, Kumari (Mari or Mary) Garbha Sambhava, and would first go to India when he was 13 years old and visit many Hindu and Buddhist holy places. This was his spiritual training in a time of his life of which the gospels are totally ignorant. Furthermore, the actual burial place of Jesus is believed to be in Anzimar or Khanyar, Srinagar’s old town in Kashmir, where thousands of pious pay homage to the tomb of Issa each year. There is where he settled and died sometime after the crucifixion.

            In any case, the Christian Church began with what Paul said about the resurrection of Jesus. Whether the resurrection actually happened or not cannot be proved. Nonetheless, a new faith was born. But through the years there has been much controversy about the nature of Jesus and whether he was actually God as some Christians seem to believe. None of his direct disciples believed that he was, and, indeed, there are many Bible verses which state directly that he was the son of God, such as Luke 1.35, Matthew 17.5, John 4.15, 8.28, 14.28, and others. Only Paul put forward the idea that Jesus was God. But historically it is said that Paul never met Jesus personally, and was converted to Christianity several years after Jesus’ disappearance. Other than that, most of Jesus’ followers thought that perhaps he was the Jewish Messiah. But the Jewish Messiah, according to their prophecies, was not God but rather a Jew who was empowered by God. This actually fits into the Vedic view because there are many empowered living beings who appear from time to time who are sent by God to represent and disseminate His law. Furthermore, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, one of the great Vaishnava spiritual masters in the Madhava-Gaudiya line of disciplic succession, has stated that Jesus was a shaktyavesha avatar, or an empowered living entity meant to preach the glories of God.

            People may say that Jesus walked on water, healed the sick, raised the dead, so he must have been God. But even today in India there have been yogis who have walked on water or who can do other amazing things, like walking over hot coals. This is not like the Hollywood fad of fire walking, but the yogis let the coals burn for days and get so hot that you cannot even get near them without burning your clothes. Then, after spending one month in penance, praying to Durga, they walk across the fire and do not even burn their feet. But some people will say this is the work of the devil. However, is this not peculiar logic to say that walking across fire is of the devil, but if one walks across water he is God? This kind of thinking that is usually found amongst fundamentalists simply shows a great ignorance of yogic powers, which is all walking across fire or water is. Therefore, the miracles of Jesus are a sign of his knowledge of the mystical powers that come from practicing yoga. But it is not a proof that someone is God.

            One important part of Eastern knowledge that was present in early Christianity was the understanding of karma and reincarnation. I have already discussed this and pointed out some of the verses that showed the acceptance of reincarnation in the Bible in The Secret Teachings of the Vedas; so, I will not go into it so deeply here. But it is known that the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 A.D. threw out all references to reincarnation and stated that the idea of it was a myth, and anyone who believed in it would be excommunicated. Of course, this action would not be unexpected in light of the other things the Church has done throughout history in order to place itself as the only way to reach heaven and attain the mercy of God. By eliminating the possibility of reincarnation and the soul’s existence prior to this life, there could be no chance for the soul to reach the state of spiritual perfection over a period of several lifetimes. There would only be this one lifetime in which the soul came into existence, and one chance for a person to reach either heaven or eternal hell, which would be determined by the intervention of the Church. In other words, the Church felt threatened by the fact that the soul has an eternal and personal relationship with God that must be rekindled either in one, two, or however many lifetimes it takes, and this relationship does not necessarily depend on one’s good standing in any religious organization. Thus, people could try to re-establish their relationship with God by other means than the dictates of the Church, which is what the Church could not tolerate.

            Unfortunately, by taking out the knowledge of reincarnation and karma, the Church has created huge gaps in its philosophy which leave questions it cannot answer. For example, the Christians cannot explain why one person may be born blind, poor, deformed, or sickly, while another may be born healthy and rich. They do not understand why reversals in life may happen to some, and others seem to have a life of ease. They cannot explain why these differences take place and, in fact, they sometimes blame God for such things, which only shows their ignorance of spiritual knowledge. Furthermore, they do not understand the science of the soul and our spiritual identity, the nature of the spiritual realm, the characteristics of the personality of God, nor the pastimes and incarnations of God, and so on. Thus, the spiritual knowledge that the Christians utilize in their philosophy is very elementary and incomplete. And as we have already established in our previous writings, reaching complete spiritual perfection is not possible in such an incomplete spiritual process. At best, it promotes good moral values, detachment toward worldly life, attachment and devotion to God, and the possibility of reaching the heavenly planets. However, the heavenly planets are still within the material cosmic manifestation and not in the spiritual realm. A real religionist or transcendentalist is interested only in reaching the level of spiritual realization that enables him to directly perceive his spiritual identity and enter the spiritual strata far beyond this material creation.

            Actually, Christians still must accept the understanding of karma and reincarnation to some extent in order to explain logically how one can have a life after death in heaven or hell. According to the Christian doctrine, qualifying for heaven or hell depends on one’s actions in this life. That is called karma in Vedic literature. And as one enters heaven or hell in his next life, he takes on or incarnates in a different form. This is reincarnation. So Christians must, at least to this degree, accept karma and reincarnation whether they fully understand it or not. But to understand it more completely, as explained in the philosophy of the Vedic literature, allows us to realize that our good or unpleasant situations in this life depends on our activities from past lives. And by our activities in this life we can cause our future existence to be good or bad, or we can reach the heavenly or hellish planetary systems to work out our karma. This understanding is accepted by many cultures throughout the world. In fact, the scholar Max Muller remarked that the greatest minds humanity has produced have accepted reincarnation.

            More connections between Christianity and the Vedic culture can be recognized as follows:

            The ancient Vedic custom of applying ash or sandalwood paste to the body is still retained by Christianity in the observance of Ash Wednesday. The so-called “All Soul’s Day” is an exact translation of the Vedic observance of Sarva Pitri Amavasya, the day fixed by tradition for the worship of all deceased ancestors.

            Another Christian tradition derived from Vedic origins is that of having and ringing bells in the churches, especially before or during worship. In Vedic temples it is often seen where bells are rung during worship and when pilgrims enter the temple, announcing their entrance. Christian churches also ring bells to announce the beginning of worship. The word “bell” comes from the Sanskrit bal which means strength. This is in reference to the idea that ringing a bell adds force to the voice of prayer in invoking divinity.

            When the Christians say “Amen” at the end of their hymns or to emphasize something, what they are saying is a corrupted form of “Aum” or “Om,” which is a standard form of Vedic meditation and name of the Supreme Being.

            While we are on the topic of words used in Christianity that are derived from Sanskrit, the Catholic term “Madonna,” another name for Mother Mary, comes from the Sanskrit Mata Nah, meaning “Our Mother.” This is also derived from the great Vedic Mother Goddess. Thus, Mother Mary was a reference not only to the mother of Jesus alone, but a reference to the Goddess, mother of all humanity. Furthermore, the European term of “Madam” is a soft pronunciation of the Hindu term mata or mataji, which also means “Mother.”

            The term “vestry” in referring to the room in churches in which holy clothes are kept comes from the Sanskrit word vestra, meaning clothes. Even the word “psalm” with a silent “P” comes from the Sanskrit word sam or sama which means holy and serious sacred songs, hymns or chants, as found in the Sama-veda.

            Other Christian links with Sanskrit words can be found in the name Bethlehem, which is the English mispronunciation of the Sanskrit Vatsaldham, which means “the home (town) of the darling child.” The Sanskrit term Nandarath is linguistically connected with Nazareth. Nandarath means Nanda’s chariot, and King Nanda was the guardian at whose village he nurtured Lord Krishna (sometimes pronounced as Chrisn, and later Christ in some regions).

            The Christian term “Satan” and the Islamic term “Shaitan” both are derived from the Sanskrit term Sat-na, which means non-truth, falsehood, or fraudulence. The Christians who explain the term “Devil” as a fallen angel should realize that the word is derived from the Sanskrit terminology which signifies a fallen Deva.

            At the beginning of the book of John in the New Testament, it states, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” This is actually a verbatim translation of the Vedic Sanskrit mantra: “Prajapatirvai idamagraasit, tasya vag dvitiyaa asit, vag vai paramam Brahma.”

            The Holy Spirit in Christianity is called Paramatma in Sanskrit, or Parakalate. In Greek the word is Paraclete. This is the God of that spiritual knowledge which is revealed or descended, or the Veda, which is spoken through the prophets (Sanskrit purohitas) . Veda is Yeda in Hebrew, the word God uses for His Self-revelation in Exodus of the Old Testament. Veda in Greek is Oida, and Aidos, from which the English word idea is derived. The term oida is used for God’s/Christ’s Sel-revelation in the New Testament. Thus, the Vedas, the Old and New Testament, and the related scriptures are but part of one continuous revelation of God.

            Dr. Venu Gopalacharya also points out in his book, World-Wide Hindu Culture (pp. 158-9), that in the book of Genesis, Chapter 22, God told Abraham that he and his wife, Sarah, would be blessed and God would, “make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. . . and through thy seed, shall all nations be blessed because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Dr. Venu Gopalacharya explains, “Abraham and Sarah [Sarai] refer to [or was derived from] the Indian version of Brahma and Sarasvati. This indicates that this is an abridgement of some of the versions in the Indian Puranas referring to ‘Brahma and his consort as the first aspects of the Supreme Lord or His agents of creation and offering sacrifices [or performing austerities].’ In the commencement of the book of Genesis, the sentence, ‘In the Beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved upon the waters.’ This is similar to the Vedic Puranas stating that MahaVishnu or Narayana was lying on Adisesha in the ocean, [who is] the original source from which Brahma comes into being. The killing of Abel by his brother for the sacrifice of animals refers to the slaying of Asuras by the Devas, their own brothers, due to the difference of opinion about the mode of offering sacrifices or worshiping God.

            “Just as Indian Puranas were compiled to glorify a particular aspect of the Supreme Lord as Vishnu, or of Shiva, Durga, Ganesha, etc., the Old Testament deals with ‘Yahwe,’ an aspect of the angry god Rudra. As the word ‘Rudra’ means a weeping god, the Jews for worship use weeping before the wailing wall of the ‘Dome of the Rock’ within the temple of Harmahesh Sri (called by Judaic religionists as Haram Esh Sheriff) in the old city of Jerusalem, i.e., Yadusailam. The Jews spell the name of the city as ‘Yerushalayim,’ of which the Sanskrit synonym is Yadu Ishalayam, which means the temple of the Lord of the Yadus [the descendants of Lord Krishna’s clan].

            “Dr. S. Radhakrishnan has informed in his book, Pracya Mattu Paschatya Sanskriti, that the Greeks asserted that the Jews were Indians whom the Syrians called Judea, the Sanskrit synonym of which is Yadava or Yaudheya, and the Indians called them Kalanis, meaning orthodox followers of the scripture.”

            This information certainly provides serious insights into the relationship between the early Jews, Christians, the Bible, and the Vedic culture. I could go on pointing out more Eastern traditions that influenced or were adopted and preserved in various levels of Christianity, but this should be enough for now.

View the rest of the article HERE

Christmas atmosphere - snow, dazzling shop windows with Christmas decoration, Christmas markets, traditional customs, trees, gifts, food, carols, bells, churches with mangers and midnight Mass. Kids love it and almost all people try to behave better to each other. Despite all the commercialization and secularization of Christmas which manages to destroy this atmosphere as well as a fact that Christmas feasting costs lives of innumerable fish and other animals, spiritual atmosphere of Christmas still survives.

Origin of Christmas

December 25, shortly after winter solstice, was in Mediterranean region celebrated as "Dies Natalis Invict" (Day of Unconquerable One), an appearance day of Vedic-Persian-Roman sun god and savior of mankind Mitra. "Mitra" means in Sanskrit "friend" or "friendship" and his life resembles that of Jesus'.

When the Christianity moved to new regions it pushed out aboriginal religions (mainly forms of lower Vedic systems like nature and ancestor worship whose features survived in many still extant folk customs). It was done also by covering their holidays by Christian ones of similar nature. This also happened in case of Christmas, now mainly celebrated as an appearance day of Jesus.

There are two prominent Vedic aspects of Christmas whose origin and meaning was in the course of time more or less forgotten. By learning about them we can enrich our Christmas celebrations and the whole life.

Carols (bhajan/kirtan)

In course of centuries appeared in Europe many carols, inherent part of Christmas. They are songs celebrating Jesus' birth and mercy. Eulogizing God and His pure devotees is called kirtan, one form of devotional service to God. The same goes for hearing (sravanam). In Vaisnava tradition there are many such songs (bhajans) sung at various occasions. Majority of people in the West has this chance to hear and sing carols once a year even though they don't know its spiritual potency. This form of unknowing devotional service is called ajnata-sukrti and it makes one ready for conscious service. If God and His devotee are satisfied, all living beings are also satisfied - this is the secret of popularity of carols which contribute significantly to merry Christmas atmosphere.

On a personal note - before becoming a practicing Vaishnava I used to listen often to carols during the year and others condescendingly reminded me that carols are listened to at Christmas... But why only at Christmas? Celebration of God and His servants is not limited by time, place or in any other way. It is of eternal nature (nitya-bhagavata-seva).

Gift-giving (dana)

Second inherent aspect of Christmas are gifts. Shops are making offers already long time before Christmas so to most people the idea of Christmas blends with gifts. How the tradition of gift-giving started?

Gospel of Matthew 2:1-12 describes how from the East came sages to pay respect to Son of God and they brought Him gifts. Although their background is not known, to bring gifts to newborn baby is part of Vedic tradition as we can see e.g. from the description of Shri Krishna's and Shri Chaitanya's appearance. To present God or His servants with gifts is devotional service and a symptom of love among devotees (priti-lakshana).

It is a nature of this material world that originally spiritual activities turn into material ones under the influence of time. Thus later people, not knowing God or enough of His servants, began to present gifts to each other (especially to children) and spiritual essence was lost (not everyone is a Son or a conscious servant of God). Someone may object that identity of God is not known but Vedic tradition is clear: God, or the Supreme Person, Purushottama, is Vishnu, or Krishna.

If we would follow the original way of gift-giving (shown by the sages) and offered gifts to God and His servants, we would return to Christmas its transcendent content for the benefit of all and we would experience until now unknown joy.

His white horse was still there, but now with four legs, and his son had disappeared. Now he was supposed to simply have come from Spain for chastising the naughty children and rewarding the brave ones with gifts from his never ending sack of presents, stuffing them through the chimneys while riding his sledge on the rooftops. Of course he also had a huge book in which everything was noted down about the kids and a bunch of black, dwarfy helpers (supposed to be Moors from Spain). Still later Sinterklaas and his entourage were banished to the North Pole, to become the fatty Santa Claus and his dwarfs of modern times.

Grandfather Frost is a Vedic God

Dadan Upadhyay
Copyright 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.

MOSCOW, DECEMBER 30: A Russian scholar says red Russia's fairy tale Grandfather Frost, or Ded Moroz, is none other than Varuna, the god of seas in Hindu mythology.

Grandfather Frost, who is currently taking rest at his Moscow residence, gives children presents just as Santa Claus does but is associated with New Year's, the most universally observed Russian holiday. He flew to the capital from the northern Vologda region town of Veliky Ustyug, his official hometown, 800 kms east of Moscow, along with his assistant Snegurochka, or the Snow Maiden, as the festivities kicked off on the Christmas.

In the year 2003, which marks the beginning of the astrological age of Aquarius, Grandfather Frost is expected to shed his dear-old-man mask and allow the people of the world to see him as he truly is Varuna, the supreme Vedic god of water.

According to Vologda State University ethnologist, Svetlana Zharnikova, the Frost legend originated in the Russian north, the cradle of Indo-European civilization.

"All the original paradigms of Indo-European culture grew out of Polar Europe, and one of them is the image of Grandfather Frost," claims Zharnikova. "Because the Indo-European peoples originated within the Arctic circle, which was 30 degrees further south at the end of the Stone Age," she said. Characters related to cold and winter became an integral part of Vedic mythologies.

Varuna was both the source of life and death, and was described in Vedic writings as holding the tree of life, an image reminiscent of Grandfather Frost standing next to a Christmas tree, says the ethnologist.

The mythical hero of Russian children's New Year celebrations is said to emerge from the forest, deliver presents, then disappear to some uncertain destination.

http://www.hvk.org/articles/1200/202.html

Other Varuna links:

Cheti Chand -- Sindhi New Year

Jhulelal story - part 1/2

Jhulelal story - part 2/2

Jhulelal, The Sindhi God (.pdf)

Al-Khidr, The Green Man

Don´t keep a good thing to yourself, pass it on!
http://www.iskcon-london.org/bookdistribution/marathon.html

This year´s annual Srila Prabhupada Marathon runs from Friday 25th November to Saturday 24th December. During this month, the whole International Society for Krishna Consciousness focuses on distributing Srila Prabhupada´s transcendental literature.

Here at the Radha-Krishna Temple, we aim to distribute a total of £50,000´s worth of books in one month! London has a population of 7 million people so this is definitely achievable.

We don´t want to keep all the mercy for ourselves... You can be involved too.

If you have never tried book distribution, don´t worry, we´re here to help you. Our Sankirtana Leader, Taruna Krishna dasa will be running more sessions of his popular workshops on Sundays 6th, 13th and 20th November from midday until 14:00h in Govinda´s Restaurant. We invite you to come along to any of these sessions to learn how it´s done.

There are many ways to get involved: on the streets; door-to-door; with book tables; at special events; in shops; on-line; on buses; at bus stops - wherever inspiration strikes!

Devotees based at the Temple are gearing up to facilitate this real pandemic of spiritual compassion for the fallen conditioned souls through workshops, training and guidance. Our experienced book distributors will accompany you; no one need be left alone.

If you´d like to support us by sponsoring books or distributing them please contact Taruna Krsna dasa by eMail: bookdistribution@iskcon-london.org
Srila Prabhupada Summer Marathon 2005

This year´s summer marathon, which ran for 23 days, was the most succesful marathon (outside of the December marathon) for two years. Dedicated to Srila Prabhupada (as it was held in the 108th year anniversary of his birth) 59 devotees contributed to collecting 21,373 laxmi points and distributing 3475 pieces of literature!

Devotees distributed books at festivals, in pubs, in shops and on the streets in their efforts to please Srila Prabhupada. ISKCON London´s congregation also sponsored thousands of pounds worth of books, understanding the urgency of this sankirtan mission.

As Krsna says at the climax of His epic Bhagavad gita; ‘There is no servant more dear to me than one who preaches my glories, nor will there ever be one more dear.’

See related pages:
http://books.krishna.org/Articles/2002/10/028.html
http://books.krishna.org/Articles/2002/05/007.html
http://www.prabhupada.org/rama/?p=1226

Yuletide is not a Hindu holiday, but we have our own December gift-giving festival called Pancha Ganapati

November/December, 2001

PUBLISHER'S DESK
By Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Daddy, why don't we have Christmas? What do we do? Don't we get presents, too?" That question was heard in so many Hindu homes some 15 years ago that it inspired us to create a new holiday based on time-honored traditions. In cooperation with swamis, scholars and elders, an alternative for Christmas was conceived and put into action. Pancha Ganapati, a five-day festival celebrated from December 21 through 25, has since become a favorite in homes all over the world. The winter solstice has always been a festive time of year in all countries, religions and among Hindus especially, for it is a traditional season for the worship of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Lord of Culture and the Arts.

In the Sri Lankan tradition, for example, thirty days are dedicated to Ganesha worship during December-January in the festival called Markali Pillaiyar. In Vedic astrology this time of year marks the end of the sun's southward movement and the beginning of its movement north. Since most Hindus do not celebrate Christmas, they often find it difficult to relate in a meaningful way to those who do. Their children are often embarrassed when asked why they don't receive gifts like their friends. Adults feel the need to give gifts and mail greeting cards as well as accept them from relatives, neighbors, friends and business associates. The five days of Pancha Ganapati offer a Hindu expression of this natural season of worship, gift-giving and celebration.

December 25 and the days that precede and follow it have truly become a special time of year for people of many religions, and for the nonreligious as well. In fact, this season has become so universally popular that it has virtually become a secular cultural holiday in addition to its special observance by certain religions. Recognizing this fact, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Christmas a secular, social holiday. This is because it has become a time for everyone to rejoice, give and share their abundance, each in his own way.

During each of the five days of Pancha Ganapati, a special sadhana, spiritual discipline, is focused upon by the entire family. Because of the festival's importance as a new beginning and mending of all past mistakes, a shrine is created in the main living room of the home and decorated in the spirit of this festive occasion. At the center is placed a large wooden or bronze five-faced statue of Lord Pancha Ganapati. If this is not available, any large picture or statue of Lord Ganesha will do. Lord Ganesha is often depicted as coming from the forest; therefore, pine boughs (or banana leaves) may be used. Flashing lights, tinsel and colorful hanging ornaments may also be added. Each morning the children dress or decorate Ganesha anew in a different color: golden yellow on December 21, then royal blue, ruby red, emerald green and finally brilliant orange. These are the colors of His five powers, or shaktis.

Each day a tray of sweets, fruits and incense is offered to Lord Ganapati, often prepared and presented by the children. Chants, songs and bhajanas are sung in His praise. After puja, the abundant, diverse sweets are shared by one and all as prasada. Each day gifts are given to the children, who place them before Pancha Ganapati to open only on the fifth day. Gifts need not be extravagent or expensive; they should be within the means of each family. Handmade presents are by far the most precious. Ganesha does not want gift-giving to promote Western commercialism but to further the great Hindu culture. Clearly, killer games should never be given. Greeting cards, ideally made by the children, offer Hindu art and wisdom, such as verses from the Vedas. Now let me explain how the five-day celebration is observed.

December 21, yellow: The family sadhana for the first day of Pancha Ganapati is to create a vibration of love and harmony among immediate family members. The day begins early, and the entire family works together to design and decorate the shrine with traditional symbols, rangoli, lamps and more. Then a grand puja is performed invoking the spirit of Pancha Ganapati in the home. The sadhana of the day now begins. The family sits together for the purpose of easing any strained relationships that have arisen during the year. They make amends one with another for misdeeds performed, insults given, mental pain and injuries caused and suffered. When forgiveness is offered to all by one and all, they speak of each other's good qualities and resolve that in the days ahead they will remember the futility of trying to change others and the practicality of changing one's self to be the silent example for all to witness. Gifts are then exchanged and placed unopened before Pancha Ganapati. As family harmony is important to all Hindus, this sadhana must be taken very, very seriously.

December 22, blue: Day two is devoted to creating a vibration of love and harmony among neighbors, relatives and close friends and presenting them with heartfelt gifts. The sadhana of the day is to offer apologies and clear up any misunderstandings that exist. Relatives and friends in far-off places are written to or called, forgiveness is sought, apologies made and tensions released. Gifts received are placed unopened before Pancha Ganapati.

December 23, red: The sadhana for the third day is to create a vibration of love and harmony among business associates, the casual merchant and the public at large. This is the day for presenting gifts to fellow workers and customers and to honor employers and employees with gifts and appreciation. The sadhana today is the settling of all debts and disputes. Gifts received are placed unopened before the Deity.

December 24, green: The sadhana of day four is to draw forth the vibration of joy and harmony that comes from music, art, drama and the dance. Family, relatives and friends gather for satsang to share and enjoy their artistic gifts. Then all sit together before Ganesha, Patron of Arts and Guardian of Culture, discussing Hindu Dharma and making plans to bring more cultural refinements into the home. More gifts are placed before Pancha Ganapati.

December 25, orange: The family sadhana for the final day is to bring forth love and harmony within all three worlds. Because of sadhanas well performed during the first four days, the family is now more open and aware of Ganesha's grace, and their love for Him is now overflowing. On this day the entire family experiences an outpouring of love and tranquility from the great God Himself. His blessings fill the home and the hearts of everyone within it, inspiring them anew for the coming year.

Quite honestly, however, many Hindus do celebrate Christmas and would ask, "What's wrong with that?" My answer is that it dilutes and weakens our noble tradition and leads children astray. Each religion educates its young in a sectarian way, for religionists believe that to learn one specific path is sufficient and necessary. Therefore, education should not be diluted by taking in all religions under one banner.

Religions are one in their movement toward God, some offering knowledge, others service, others love, attainment and direct experience. At the same time, they are different in their practices and attainments, and most assuredly distinct in their beliefs, the foundation of the attitudes of their members. It is good to love and respect all religions; that is a necessary condition of individual spiritual unfoldment. Following the path given by our religion leads one onward through religious practices and sadhana into Divine Realization.

The success of any person on the spiritual path is reliant upon the depth and strength of his religious roots. A great tree with roots well wrapped around boulders and sunk deep into the Earth can withstand any storm. High winds are nothing more to it than the cleansing of its branches. The individual on the path must be just as firm in his religious foundation in order to withstand raging emotions, depression and elation, confusion and despair. To him, such disturbances will be nothing more than a cleansing of false concepts as he dives deeper into his religion and philosophy.

We can clearly see that religion and tradition are interlocked in the annals of time back many thousands of years, and how tradition moves forward from one generation to the next, setting the patterns for humanity. Every time-honored tradition loyally serves mankind, and by following it through the context of one of the great religions of the world, one cannot go astray. Jai Ganapati! May He lead us always along the right path.

Courtesy of Hinduism Today http://www.HinduismToday.com/

India Develops Bamboo-based Electricity

Guwahati, India, Dec 15, IRNA
India-Assam-Bamboo electricity

Indian scientists have successfully developed and tested technologies to generate electricity using bamboo.

Two power plants with a capacity of one megawatt each would be commissioned in the northeastern state of Assam in February 2006.

"This would be the first of its kind where we are using bamboo and bamboo waste to generate electricity," Vinay S Oberoi, director of the National Mission on Bamboo Applications (NMBA), told IRNA.

"This would not only be cost effective but also highly eco- friendly."

The NMBA is an agency set up by the Indian government to promote value addition and commercialization of the country's total 80 million tons of bamboo harvested annually.

The two-power projects set up at an estimated cost of Rs 100 million was designed and developed by scientists at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

"We are confident the commercial success of gassification of bamboo for generation of electricity would help us solve the energy crisis facing India and allow our experts to pursue such ventures on a bigger scale," Oberoi said.

Both bamboo-based power plants were set up in two paper mills in Assam's Jagi road and Silchar towns.

"Power from the two plants would now be used by the two paper mills although such bamboo-fueled energy could be suitably used in off-grid and remote locations and to meet captive industry and utility needs," Oberoi said.

"The technology has been developed, tested and stabilized and is now available for large-scale induction and is suitable for application in the 10kw to 1mw range."

Experts from the Bangalore-based institute in collaboration with the NMBA were working to develop a similar medium-sized power plant for the Indian Army.

India is the second highest bamboo-producing country after China.

More than 55 percent of India's annual bamboo crops are grown in the northeastern region.

"Bamboo grows in the wild abundantly and all we need to do is to further propagate cultivation so that we can use it as an alternative for wood in the near future," Madhab said.

News sent: 10:57 Thursday December 15, 2005 Print
http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0512156258105712.htm

In defence of Lord Krishna

http://www.HindustanTimes.com
New Delhi, December 8, 2005

A section of our surfers will agree, Hindus have traditionally been seen as 'passive'. Not any more. Hindus, learning from people of other religious sects, are quick to react every time a defamatory statement or picture appears.

The comment of Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak from the Russian Orthodox Church statements against Lord Krishna has evoked sharp and informed reaction from one of our surfers.

It certainly merits attention.

In recent times, there have been a good number of cases when Hindu gods and goddesses have been misused. Take the British postage department's mistake in November this year. The stamp allegedly featured two Hindus with 'tilak' marks worshipping the infant Jesus Christ. The Hindu Forum of Britain immediately raised a furore demanding its withdrawal from circulation.

There has been any number of cases of fashion fraternity misusing Hindu icons and symbols as context for lingerie display.

It is in this context that the article and its response gain importance.

Let's first discuss the article appearing in HindustanTimes.com/UK Edition.

It said that the Archbishop sent a letter to the Mayor of Moscow, proposing against the building of a Hindu temple in the city. He called Lord Krishna "an evil demon, the personified power of hell opposing God", and "a livid lascivious youth".

It is amazing how a prominent member of such an important sect can have such intolerant and ignorant notions of another.

In a fitting reply, the article quotes Sanjay Jha, President of the Association of Indians in Russia as saying that besides displaying stunning ignorance of the world's oldest religion, it is also evident from the statement that the Russian Orthodox Church is still embedded in the dark ages of religious exclusivity, which has no place in today's increasingly pluralistic society.

Our surfer Mr William Glick from Gainesville, US wrote to put up an informed counter-argument.

He says, "The Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak from the Russian Orthodox Church has shown that he has no understanding of Hinduism."

Glick contends Hinduism is far more assimilative as against the intolerance of the Archbishop.

Glick says that the Bhagwat Gita believes that through the chequered history of mankind, "God or His representatives come to reclaim conditioned souls".

There may be differences due to differences in culture, climate and people, but the basic principle remains the same, he says.

Hinduism, therefore, agrees with the Biblical claim that Christ was the son of God and had come from the kingdom of God to reclaim conditioned souls, just as Lord Krishna.

This is in sharp contrast to the intolerant creed of the Archbishop.

The article on HindustanTimes.com also counters the Bishop's 'satanic' claims when it says, "To call Lord Krishna 'satanic' is not only sacrilegious in the eyes of Hindus, it is also patently ridiculous as any student of Hinduism knows, for Krishna is famous as the slayer of demons, Bhagavad-Gita (4.7-8)".

Glick further shows the similarity between Hinduism and Judaism. He says, "In fact, the Jewish and Hindu (Vedic) religions are saying the same thing and using almost the same language root. Their calendars are only about 300 years apart (after 5000 years). The most important name of God for every Jewish person is the name El KNA, who every Hindu knows as Kana, another name of Krishna."

A far cry from the exclusivity of Russian Archbishop's notions of his religion!

 http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1567434,0093.htm

Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak of the Russian Orthodox Church exposed

My dear respected readers,

Today is a sad day in the history religion! For the Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak from the Russian Orthodox Church has shown that he has no understanding of Hinduism (The Vedas) and no understanding of this statement of Jesus from Mark 9:40 "For he that is not against us is on our part." Also for he that is not against us is for us.” (Luke 9:49-50).

There is no question that the Hare Krishna movement and a large number of Hindus accept Jesus Christ (Isha in Hebrew), please review this quote from the founder of the Krishna movement, His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

"In the Christian religion, Jesus Christ claimed to be the son of God and to be coming from the kingdom of God to reclaim conditioned souls. As followers of Bhagavad-gita, we admit this claim to be true. So basically there is no difference of opinion. In details there may be differences due to differences in culture, climate and people, but the basic principle remains the same-that is, God or His representatives come to reclaim conditioned souls."
(Raja Vidya Chapter 6 :Knowledge of Krsna's Appearance and Activities)

In fact, the Jewish and Hindu (Vedic) religions are saying the same thing. using almost the same language root. Their calendars are only about 300 years apart (after 5000 yrs) And, the most important name of God for every Jewish person is the name El KNA, Who every Hindu knows as Kana another name of Krsna. Of course Archbishop Nikon most likely does not know that in some parts of India Krishna is know by the name Krista and Kristen, there are many more variations and loving nicknames. To explain Jesus to a Hindu is really a simple matter when you understand the Vedas.

A detailed linguistic and philosophical comparison can be found on the internet at http://www.equalsouls.org and http://www.soultoosoul.com/blog I quote Dr. Nathan Katz from Florida International University, "Rather than postulate a common source, I might attribute these affinities either to historical borrowing indeed, there has been many more interactions between India and Judaic civilizations then is commonly supposed or to inherent similarities of the human mind." From Dr. Katz's review of "The Rabbi and I, Equality Based On The Soul"

I personally invite Archbishop Nikon to India to commence a dialogue.

Thank you and praying for God's mercy.

William Glick

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

The Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak from the Russian Orthodox Church called Lord Krishna "an evil demon, the personified power of hell opposing God", and "a livid lascivious youth".
HindustanTimes.com »

Russian Archbishop calls Lord Krishna 'Satan'

UK Bureau

London, December 6, 2005

Hindus are shocked and outraged to read the views of the Russian Orthodox Church on Lord Krishna, who is revered by over one billion Hindus worldwide as the Supreme Lord, said an ISCKON press statement.

According to it, in a letter to the Mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, dated November 29, 2005, the Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak from the Russian Orthodox Church called Lord Krishna "an evil demon, the personified power of hell opposing God", and "a livid lascivious youth".

Marijuana: The Myth - video

Marijuana: The Myth    Many have heard that "Marijuana is natural" or "It can't hurt you" or "It only stays in your system for thirty days". Is this really true?

What are the real effects of Marijuana on your health? Hear the truth like you've never heard before! This video provides up-to-date information about drugs for teenagers they won't get anywhere else.

The more truthful information we can get to our kids regarding drug use the better chance they have of not becoming addicted. This video has been viewed by hundreds of thousands of students across the country and is seen as a valuable tool in preventing the use of the nation's most-used illicit drug.

Order your copy of the Marijuana: The Myth video today by calling Narconon Arrowhead at 1-800-468-6933. VHS $39.95 or DVD $47.00.

Browse our website for other educational books on how to overcome addiction at www.narconon-books.com    ©2005 Narconon of Oklahoma, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NARCONON and the Narconon logo are registered trademarks and service marks owned by Association for Better Living and Education International and are used with its permission.

Marijuana: The Myth ©2001 Friends of Narconon, Intl.

See related links HERE

TIME MAGAZINE
http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020715/

Should we all be vegetarian? and the answer is YES

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

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

NASA SHUTTLE IMAGES OF A MYSTERIOUS ANCIENT BRIDGE BETWEEN INDIA AND SRILANKA

 Courtesy : NASA Digital Image Collection

The recently discovered bridge currently named as Adam's Bridge made of chain of shoals, c.18 mi (30 km) long, in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka, reveals a mystery behind it. The bridge's unique curvature and composition by age reveals that it is man made. The legends as well as Archeological studies reveal that the first signs of human inhabitants in Sri Lanka date back to the a primitive age, about 17,50,000 years ago and the bridge's age is also almost equivalent. This information is a crucial aspect for an insight into the mysterious legend called Ramayana, which was supposed to have taken place in tretha yuga (more than 17,00,000 years ago). In this epic, there is a mentioning about a bridge, which was built between
Rameshwaram (India) and Srilankan coast under the supervision of a dynamic and invincible figure called Rama who is supposed to be the incarnation of the supreme.

This information may not be of much importance ! to the archeologist s who are interested in exploring the origins of man, but it is sure to open the spiritual gates of the people of the world to have come to know an ancient history linked to the Indian mythology.

sent in by Yajnesh Rajani from Malawi

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

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

 there is a story of one old man who was addicted to sinful activity, a very cruel person.  But when he was on his death bed, at the last minute he had a change of heart.  He said, "Well, why not try it?  All my life I've seen these Vaishnavas chanting Hare Krsna.  I'm going to die anyway, so I might as well try it."  He called his servant and told him "Go to the marketplace and purchase some of those beads I see the devotees chanting on, those japa malas."  His servant was surprised.  "You want japa-mala?  What are you going to do with them?"  "I'm going to chant Hare Krsna.  Give it a try."  So the servant went to the marketplace, but unfortunately the old man died before his servant returned.  So at that time the Yama-dutas came, and the Vishnu-dutas also came at the same time.  Both questioned the other's presence.  The Yama-dutas said, "This man was a very sinful person.  He never did one pious activity.  There is nothing in his record to show that he did anything pious or transcendental.  So what are you doing here?"  The Vishnu-dutas replied, "We have come to take this man back to Godhead simply because he had a desire to chant Hare Krsna.

MORAL:  If nama-abhasa, contaminated chanting of the holy name is so powerful then what of those devotees who are chanting the pure name?

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

Dear Prabhus,

  Please accept our respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 With thankfulness to our Founder Acharya Srila Prabhupada, Sri Gaura-Nitai, and the inspiration of all of you, we announce the Grand Opening of "NECTARBOOKS.COM". This website contains rare, wonderful Krishna Literature by our Vaisnava Acharyas, beautifully and carefully translated by Dasaratha Suta Prabhu, a scholarly disciple of Srila Prabhupada, long known for his translation work.

It was a desire of Srila Prabhupada to give all of us, his children and grandchildren, the entire Vaisnava Library of devotional writings, and we are  blessed by His Divine Grace to recieve some of this literature with which to further water our creepers of devotion.

Please consider forwarding this email to your address list in the mood of going for the mercy of Lord Chaitanya by assisting His missionary desires.

http://www.nectarbooks.com

Your aspiring servants at NectarBooks.Com

Dasaratha-suta Dasa and Dina Sharana Dasa

********
Letter to: Hayagriva
Tokyo April 27, 1972

.. It is my serious desire to devote the fag end of my life to translating Srimad Bhagavatam and so many other Vaisnava literatures so by assisting me in this regards you will be performing the highest service to Krsna....

HG Amal Bhakta dasa ACBSP
http://www.amalbhakta.com/

(the late) HH Bhakti Tirtha Swami
http://www.btswami.com/ (UK)
http://www.ifast.net/  (Institute for Applied Spiritual Technology)
http://home.iprimus.com.au/naractl/Biographys/ISKCON_Gurus/Bhakti_Tirtha_Swami.html#mod (Perth Aus)

HH Bhakti Vikas Swami
http://www.bvks.com/

HH Bir-Krishna Goswami
http://www.bkgoswami.com/

HH Devamrita Swami
http://www.devaswami.com/main.php
http://www.devaswami.com/main.php?&displayPage=home

HH Gopal Krishna Goswami:
http://www.geocities.com/gopalkrsna/

HH Indradyumna Swami
http://www.traveling-preacher.com/
http://www.harekrishna.asn.au/speakers/indradyumna_swami/indradyumna_swami.htm

HH Jayapataka Swami
http://www.hearjps.com/
http://www.jpsoffice.com/
http://www.harekrishna.asn.au/speakers/jayapataka_swami/jayapataka_swami.htm
http://www.victoryflag.com/
Many lectures by HH Jayapataka Swami and HH Radhanath Swami
http://www.radiokrishna.com/rkc_archive_new/

HH Kadamba Kanana Swami
http://www.geocities.com/kksaudioministry/

HH Prabhavishnu Swami
http://home.iprimus.com.au/naractl/Biographys/ISKCON_Gurus/Srila_Prabhavisnu_Swami_Biography.html#Prabhu

HH Prahladananda Swami
http://home.iprimus.com.au/naractl/Biographys/ISKCON_Gurus/Prahladananda_Swami_Maharaja.html#mod

HH Romapada Swami
http://www.prastha.com/cgi-bin/uncgi/renderphilo.pl?ndx=2

HH Sacinandan Swami
http://www.saranagati.net/

HH Sivaram Swami:
http://www.sivaramaswami.com/

HH Sridhar Swami (the late Sridhar swami formerly in Bombay)
http://www.jollyswami.net/home.php

HH Suhotra dasa Tapa Vanacharin
http://www.suhotraprabhu.com/

HH Trivikram Swami
http://www.tvswami.sotiko.pl/

HG Vaiyasaki dasa Adhikari
http://www.kirtan.org/index.html

If you know of any other senior Iskcon devotee web-sites please send their URL to us to share with others through this media mailto:jtcd@xtra.co.nz

See the Blogs above also for some interesting reads:

Here's a short list with some links - sadhu sanga ki jaya
http://krisna-volgy.hu/sadhu/

What's Going On Where &Adds

FESTIVAL EVENTS AND VENUES:


The New Iskcon Auckland temple

for more information and some wonderfrul pictures of the event see our page:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/HKAuckland-page.htm

photos updated 12th March 2004

page updated September 2005

Hare KrishnaSchool & Playgroup

Krishna Conscious education for children
http://www.harekrishna.school.nz
http://hkschool.orcon.net.nz/

Hare Krishna School in Riverhead, Auckland is a government funded school that runs from 9am – 3pm five days a week. We cover all core subjects in the New Zealand Curriculum and in addition teach Sanskrit, Sastra and Vedic arts. Children who come to this school get everything that children at state schools get plus Vedic culture and values in a serene rural environment.

We also run a preschool program for children 3 and up.

A school bus service provides transport from Auckland suburbs.

For enrolment information please contact:- HKSchool@xtra.co.nz

admin@harekrishna.school.nz

Ph: 09-412-6325
Mob: 021-265-7587
Fax: 09-412-6325

Find out what the NZ Government Education Review Office thinks of the Hare Krishna School. Click the link below.
http://www.ero.govt.nz/publish/reppub.ns4/Institution/98CA326F2C53BF0CCC256B7500174198/$File/4204.htm?OpenElement

Balgopal Krishna Conscious Preschool in Henderson Auckland prepares children for school with a nurturing academic and character development program founded on Krishna consciousness.

 For details please contact-

Vishnupadi dasi Ph.836-1214

Gaura Yoga Centre
First floor
175, Vivian Street,
Wellington

Phone:  (04) 801-5500

Learn about the Krishna conscious life-style
Learn Yoga
Learn about Vegetarianism
...all in a non-threatening friendly atmosphere.

http://www.gaurayoga.co.nz

Contact us: mailto:info@gaurayoga.co.nz

Subscribe to newsletter: mailto:gaurayoga-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Sunday Love Feasts - contact your local temple, or community for details
http://www.hknet.org.nz/index-int.htm

http://www.hknet.org.nz/NZKiwi-yatra.htm

http://www.hknet.org.nz/aussie-yatra.htm

Harinaam Kirtan and Bhajans in Tauranga BOP.
Every Saturday in the Red Square by the Strand (or Mt. Maunganui)

Come and join the throng 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

...for more details contact Trivikrama dasa

mailto:touchstone@slingshot.co.nz (for Trivikram prabhu)

Vegetarian Clubs
Waikato University - Hamilton campus

2 days per week serving about 100 plates each day.

for more information contact Mangala Vaishnava dasa
mailto:bhaktamark@hotmail.com

Auckland Veda club.
Auckland University - Wellesley St. campus

Its a simple weekly program thats been running for a few years, at Clubspace,
where we have a vegetarian prasadam lunch and sometimes show a video.
Srila Prabhupada's books are available to browse or buy.

For more information contact Auckland temple:
mailto:radhik@e3.net.nz

Otago University - Dunedin - Vege Club
Room 2., Clubs & Societies Building
Albany St.,

contact Jambavati dasi (03) 477 8277
mailto:jambavati85@hotmail.com

http://www.hknet.org.nz/HKDunedin-page.htm


Auckland
http://www.hknet.org.nz/AuckFFL-page.htm

Christchurch
http://www.hknet.org.nz/CHCH-FFL-page.htm

See more about Food For Life and how you can help HERE:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/HKFood4Life-page.htm

 268., Karangahape Road., Auckland

Delicious hot inexpensive Vegetarian Meals !

Pure Vegetarian Restaurant

$5 Combo Meal

Open Mon-Fri 11am-7.30pm

Sat 11am-2.30pm

Phone (09) 300 7585

SPIRITUAL MASTER INSPIRES FOOD DISTRIBUTION

Seven hundred plates of free prasadam (food offered to the Lord) were distributed to an appreciative public and to 50 devotees who took part in a central city Harinam (chanting in the streets).

By the mercy of Guru, Gauranga and Radha Krishna, (after our first bhajan album Bhajanamrtam) we have managed to produce a new CD entitled "Bhaktivinoda", a collection of bhajans of Saccidananda Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur and other Vaisnava acaryas in Orissi classical ragas.

The CD includes 8 bhajans and a 12-page booklet with all lyrics and a translation of the songs:
Gurudeva! Kabe Mora Sei Din Habe
Hari Hari, Kabe More Hoibe Sudina
Kabe Sri Caitanya More
Radha-Kunda-Tata
Narada Muni
Janama Saphala Ta'ra
Brajendranadana, Bhaje Jei Jana
Kabe Ha'be Bolo

Price, inclusive of shipping, is 15 Euros per CD. If you want to order this CD, please transfer the amount to the following account (and send us your shipping address by mail or email):

Account number 3125628, Ashok Jagram, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Bank details: Postbank, Foreign operations, P.O. Box 1800, 1000 BV Amsterdam [Swiftcode: PSTB NL2]

- HEALTHY ISSUES - Ayurveda:-
Visit Vaidya Yolande Manson's Ayurvedic practice - in Hamilton:
http://www.hknet.org.nz/YM-Ayurved.html

dhanvantaris cha bhagavan svayam eva kirtir
namna nrnam pururujam ruja asu hanti
yajne cha bhagam amrtayur avavarundha
ayusya vedam anusasty avatirya loke

"The Lord in His incarnation of Dhanvantari very quickly cures the diseases of the ever diseased living entities simply by His fame personified and only because of Him do the demigods achieve long lives. Thus the Personality of Godhead becomes ever glorified. He also exacted a share from the sacrifices, and it is He only who inaugurated the medical science or the knowledge of medicine in the universe." (Srimad Bhagavata Purana 2.7.22 )

Sacred Vegetarian Recipes - Prasadam

XmasSurvivaledition

Ho ho ho

Christmas Dinners with Dignity
(heaps of recipes)

Some guidelines to get through Xmas season when visiting non-devotees
 

Mother cow gives us her excess milk - the hen loses her family - pigs don't have a leg to stand on............what to speak of the Turkey

World Vegetarian Day 1st October each year

World Vegetarian Awareness Month - October

http://www.hknet.org.nz/VegeWVD.html

see what's already happened last year http://www.hknet.org.nz/VegeWVD2004.html

see what we hear is to be happening this year

See our previous World Vegetarian Day issue of the newsletter for a wide range of Vegetarian issues
2005 World Vegetarian Day newsletter
Shaligram Tirtha Pradarshini newsletter October 2005 - Theme Prasadam

Vege update:
Social scientists and law enforcement officials have identified animal abuse as a symptom of emotional illness and a precursor to violent crimes against human beings. To allow individuals guilty of perpetrating such cruel acts to go unpunished or not sufficiently punished would be to sanction these horrific crimes and would permit them to go on to possibly commit violent crimes against humans.

The Animal Spirit Newsletter - Issue #2 -  4/21/03-4/27/03

This list is about vegetarian kitchen crafts. This list is created for postings regarding back to basics vegetarian kitchen crafts. When we say vegetarian we mean no meat, fish or eggs. When we say back to basics, we mean tips on making yeast, bread, gluten, tofu, sprouts and so forth. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vkcrafts   Post a Message: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vkcrafts/post
 
 

Greek Christmas Bread
Yield:15 servings
Ingredients
1 pk (or 1 tablespoon) Active Dry Yeast
1/4 c Warm Water (110 to 115 degrees)
1/3 c Sugar
1 ts Ground Cardamom
1/4 ts Salt
1 tablespoon yogurt
1/4 c Milk
1/4 c Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 c Whole Wheat Flour
1 c All-Purpose Flour
1/4 c Golden Raisins
1/4 c Walnuts, chopped

Instructions
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Combine the sugar, cardamom, salt, yogurt, milk and oil in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the yeast mixture, flours, raisins and nuts. Mix well. Add enough extra flour to make soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape into a round loaf.
Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Combine the sugar, cardamom, salt, yogurt, milk and oil in a large bowl. Mix well. Add the yeast mixture, flours, raisins and nuts. Mix well. Add enough extra flour to make soft dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Shape into a round loaf.

2. Put the dough into a lightly-oiled 8-inch-round cake pan. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake in a 350-degree oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until brown.
Put the dough into a lightly-oiled 8-inch-round cake pan. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Bake in a 350-degree oven 35 to 40 minutes, or until brown.

Serves 15 (or three hungry brahmacharis)

Tofurkey
Recipe is from my (Paramseva dasa in Atlanta GA USA) Mother-in-law, Amrita Jivani dd who is a knockout chef! She used to be JPS' personal cook in Mayapur - although he never ate Tofurkey there!!!
Ingredients:
Tofu
Black pepper
Olive oil
Bread crumbs
celery
arrots
sage
paprika
soy sauce \
sugar - molasses
salt

Gravy:
potatoe starch or mashed potatoe, molasses, soy sauce, and white pepper.

Method:
Take tofu and crumble it up to make it like a dough by hand with some olive oil (and black pepper and salt) to smooth it out. Place a layer - say 2 CMs thick on a baking pan (or you fancy it up and make a ball or log or something) than add stuffing (large pieces of bread crumbs, celery, cerrots, or whatever with spices such a fresh sage, which seems to be the main spice ingredient and maybe paprika) then add more tofu mixture on top. You might want to also add tofu to the sides to keep the stuffing inside. You can baste it with various basting items depending on what you like - soy sauce, molasses, etc. It works well to bake it first and then baste it a little later and let it brown. It should bake in a bout 45 minutes at a moderate heat. You can also make a gravy to go along with it by using potatoe starch or mashed potatoe, molasses, soy sauce, and white pepper.

Tofu "Turkey" with Stuffing
Ingredients:
Tofurkey:
5 pounds of firm tofu
1 pound of tofu for the "drumsticks" - optional

Stuffing:
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 firm small head of cabbage, chopped fine
1 and 1/3 cup celery, diced (about 4 stalks)
2 - 3 teaspoons hing
1/4 cup sage (may use 1/8)
2 teaspoons marjoram
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon winter or summer savory
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 teaspoons celery seed
1/4 cup soy sauce or tamari
3 cups Pepperidge Farm Herb Stuffing

Basting mixture:
1/2 cup toasted sesame oil
1/4 to 1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons miso (vegetarian miso)
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vegan mustard of choice

Directions:

Mash tofu or mix well with hands. Be sure that all of the lumps are out. Line a 12" colander with wet cheesecloth over lapping the sides. Add the mashed tofu to the cloth covered colander, press down and cover with the overlapping sides. Place the whole thing in a large bowl. Cover the cheesecloth with a plate that fits inside the colander and place a 5 pound weight on the plate. Refrigerate and let sit for 2 to 3 hours.

When time is up, start the stuffing. Saute' the finely chopped cabbage, and celery in the 2 tablesoons sesame oil. When soft, add the hing and all the rest of the stuffing ingredients, except stuffing, mixing well. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add herb stuffing and mix well.

Remove tofu from fridge and take off weight, plate and top of cheesecloth. Hollow out tofu to within 1 inch of the sides and bottom, placing the tofu in a bowl. Place the stuffing inside the shell and pack in firmly. Cover with the remaining tofu and pat down firmly. Turn stuffed tofu onto a greased baking sheet, flat side down. Gently press on sides of "turkey" to achieve a more oval shape. If desired at this point, you may mold "drumsticks" out of one pound of tofu, and place on each side of the "turkey".

Mix up the basting mixture and baste tofu "turkey" with half of it. Cover the "turkey" with foil, and bake at 400 degrees for about 1 hour.

Remove foil, baste with all the remaining mixture except a few tablespoons and return to oven for 1 hour more, or until the "turkey" is golden. Remove from oven and use rest of basting mix. Using at least 2 large spatulars, move to a large plate. Serve with the gravy of your choice, if you wish, and cranberry sauce.

Vegetarian stuffing and gravy
by Hare Krsna dasi

Vegetarian Stuffing:

Make your favorite whole wheat bread as usual -- except add savory herbs -- especially ground sage, rosemary leaves, and oregano. Additional possibilities: basil, dill, savory.

Slice bread, break into cubes. I then toast this on a clean broiler pan in my oven. If you don't have acces to a broiler pan which has never been used for meat, you may prefer instead to toast slices of bread and break them into pieces after they are toasted.

Peel and saute in large heavy pot (cast iron is good) in 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 t cumin seeds: 1 large eggplant

Dice and add to saute: 3 sticks celery

Add your toasted bread crumbs. Add water if necessary. Mix.

At this point you may remove from stove and put in a large baking dish or oven-proof mixing bowl covered with foil. Bake for 45 min. at 350 degrees (F).

Vegetarian gravy

Heat 2 tablespoons of corn oil in a frying pan (cast iron is best).

Add 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne.

(Have ready 1 1/2 cup water (water strained from boiling potatoes is best)

Add 1/3 cup whole wheat flour -- do not scorch! Stir quickly with spatula.

Add some of the water. Reduce heat to simmer.

Add soy sauce (unfermented type).

Sprinkle on additional flour (about 1 tablespoon).

Add 3 tablespoons of sesame tahini or peanut butter.

Add more water.

Keep alternating water and whole wheat flour, stirring constantly with a spatula, until gravy reaches a nice consistency. Remove from heat.

Prepare a plate with vegetarian stuffing topped with vegetarian gravy, and potatoes, squash, cranberries, cream-cheese and olive stuffed celery -- and pumpkin or apple pie -- and offer to your Deities.

Take the Deities' prasadam to Grandma's house!

your servant,

Hare Krsna dasi

Xmas Dumplings in Lentil Curry
Ingredients:
1 cup tuwar dal
2 tbsp peanuts, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
l/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp sugar
1 cup coriander leaves, chopped
6 curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida
Required ghee or butter
Salt to taste

For the dumplings:
1 cup wheat flour
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
l/2 tsp asafoetida
Sufficient oil
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil the dahl and the peanuts in a pressure cooker till soft and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds, garlic, asafoetida and finally, the boiled dahl.
Add turmeric powder, chili powder, sugar and curry leaves. Boil and add salt to taste.
To make the dumplings, mix the flour with salt, turmeric, chili powder, asafoetida, little oil and make a stiff dough with water.
Knead well and roll out into 10 cms discs.
Cut the discs into diamonds or squares with a knife and drop them into the boiling dahl mixture.
After all the dumplings are immersed, boil the dahl for a further 15 minutes on a low heat.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Xmas Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts
Try this fabulous recipe for buttery brussels with chestnuts to team up with tofukey - and banish soggy sprouts forever!

Serves 4
Ingredients:
350g/12oz Brussel sprouts
225g/8oz whole chestnuts, cooked
60g/2½oz butter
1 pinch salt and fresh ground black pepper

Method:
1. Trim off the outside leaves of the brussels sprouts and cut a cross in the stalk.

2. Plunge into boiling salted water and cook on a fairly fast boil for about four to five minutes until they are just done but not soggy.

3. Refresh the sprouts in cold water and drain.

4. Cut the chestnuts and sprouts in half.

5. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the sprouts and fry gently for five minutes.

6. Add the chestnuts and heat through for a couple of minutes.

7. Season and serve hot with the tofukey.

Crisp Roast Potatoes

The perfect accompaniment to any roast meal such as your Tofurkey - golden crisp potatoes with a steamy centre for mopping up vege juices.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
900g/2lb floury potatoes, such as King Edwards or Maris Piper are the best. If in NZ Rua are okay - tolerable
150ml Olive oil
salt and fresh ground black pepper
 Fresh Rosemary

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4.

2. Peel the potatoes, cutting them into chunks if they are large. Put in a large saucepan, cover with water, add salt, and bring to the boil. Simmer briskly for about 5 minutes, until barely tender. Drain in a colander and allow to dry. Ruffle the edges with a fork.

3. Pour the olive oil into a roasting pan large enough to hold the potatoes in a single layer. Put the pan in the oven for a few minutes until the oil is very hot.

4. Tip the potatoes into the pan, spreading them out and turning to coat with the hot oil. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with heaps of fresh Rosemary.

5. Roast for about 1 hour, turning every 20 minutes, until evenly browned and crisp.

6. Transfer to a warmed serving dish.

Xmas Parmesan Popovers
Ingredients
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
2 tble spoons yogurt
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
Oregano or Italian Seasoning (Sweet Basil, Mint, Oregano, Paprika)

Directions
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. In a buttered muffin tin, fill each cup half full.
Place in a cold oven and put temperature on 450 'F degrees for 15 minutes.
Turn oven down to 350 'F for another 15 minutes.
Serve hot with butter. They are better than biscuits!

Recipe makes 10 popovers. .........from Emily

SUFGANIYOT - Hanukkah Donuts
The young State of Israel has created many of its own customs. One is serving jelly doughnuts at Hanukkah, which are fried in oil to symbolize the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days instead of one.

Ingredients:
1 scant tablespoon (1 package) dry yeast
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup lukewarm milk or warm water*
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons yogourt
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, softened*
Apricot or strawberry preserves
Sugar
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
little corn flour and water to make paste
*Use butter and milk if serving at a milk meal.

Method:
Child: Mix together the yeast, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and the milk. Let sit to make sure it bubbles.
Child: Sift the flour and mix it with the remaining sugar, salt, cinnamon, yogourt, and the yeast mixture.
Adult with Child: Knead the dough until it forms a ball. Add the butter or margarine. Knead some more, until the butter is well absorbed. Cover with a towel and let rise overnight in the refrigerator.
Adult: Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
Child: Cut out the dough into 24 rounds with a juice glass, or any object about 2 inches in diameter. Take 1/2 teaspoon of preserves and place in center of 12 rounds. Top with the other 12. Press down at edges, sealing with corn flour and water paste. Crimping with the thumb and second finger is best. Let rise for about 30 minutes.
Adult: Heat 2 inches of oil to about 375°. Drop the doughnuts into the hot oil, about 5 at a time. Turn to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
Child: Roll the doughnuts in sugar.
Makes about 12.

Adapted from: The Children's Jewish Holiday Kitchen, by Joan Nathan - Random House, Inc.

Christmas Tree Loaf
Ingredients:
Base:
180g(6oz)self raising flour
60g(2oz)dairy free margarine
30g(1oz)sugar
80ml(2.5 fl.oz)soy milk

Filling:
half apple, grated
3 Tbsp water
60g(2oz)mixed dried fruit (as used in fruit cakes)
1 Tbsp dried mixed spice
1 tsp lemon juice

Directions:
For base, rub margarine into flour, add sugar and then mix in soy milk. Knead very lightly, divide mixture in two. Roll each half into a triangle approx 23cm (9") sides.Trim small amount of dough to form trunk of tree
For filling combine apple and water in a small saucepan. Cook until tender. Remove from heat, add fruit, spice and lemon juice. Allow to cool.
Place one triangle on a lightly oiled and floured baking tray, place filling on this triangle leaving 1cm (1/4") clear around all edges. Place trunk at base and moisten edges. Fit second triangle on top, sealing edges. Cut three slits (on an outward,downward angle) on the two sides. Turn the points up slightly to form christmas tree branches. Brush lightly all over with a little soy milk. Bake at 180-200c(350-400F) for 10-15 min until golden brown. When cool ice with 60g(2oz) icing sugar and water (as snow). Decorate with glace cherries or coloured candy balls,walnuts etc.
We made this at high school MANY years ago and it is so easy and really nice. Sorry but don't have any nutritional info. But at Christmas who cares.

EGGLESS CHRISTMAS CAKE (1)
Ingredients:
225g - 2 cups  white self-raising flour
225g - 1 cup  butter
225g -  1 cup  soft brown sugar
1 tsp. -  1 tsp.  ground mixed spice
½ tsp. -  ½ tsp.   grated nutmeg
1 tbs. -  1 tbs.  golden syrup
300ml -  1 ¼ cups  sour cream
75g -  ¾ cup  ground almonds
350g -  2 cups  currants
250g -  1 ½ cups  sultanas
175g  -  1 cup  raisins
100g -  ½ cup  glacé cherries, quartered
75g -  ½ cup  chopped mixed peel
50g -  ½ cup  split almonds
 grated rind of 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/gas mark 2
Use a 23cm/9 inch square cake tin.

Line the base and sides of the cake tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper. Tie a thick band of brown paper around the outside of the tin and stand it on a pad of brown paper on a baking sheet. Sift flour and spice together. Cream butter, sugar and golden syrup together until light and fluffy. Add sour cream and mix well. Fold in flour, fruit and nuts until thoroughly mixed. Place in prepared tin, smooth the top. Bake for 3 to 4 hours, test with a warm knife after 3 hrs. Leave in tin for 20 minutes, then turn onto wire rack to cool.

EGGLESS CHRISTMAS CAKE (2)
Ingredients:
200g  -  1 ¾ cups  white self-raising flour
250g 9 - 1 ½ cups  currants
175g - 1 cup  raisins
75g -  ½ cup  sultanas
75g -  ½ cup  dried apricots, finely chopped
75g -  ¾ cup  flaked almonds
300ml -  1 ¼ cups  orange juice
175g -  ¾ cup  soft unsalted butter
100g -  ½ cup  caster sugar
 2 tbs. -  2 tbs.  molasses
8 tbs. -  8 tbs.  sour cream
50g  -  ½ cup  ground almonds
1 tsp. -  1 tsp.  ground mixed spice
½ tsp. -  ½ tsp.   ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. -  ¼ tsp.   ground nutmeg
3 tbs. -  3 tbs.  milk
 grated rind 1 lemon

DECORATION.

METRIC. US.
2 tbs. -  2 tbs.  apricot jam
2 tbs. -  2 tbs.  clear honey
2 tbs. -  2 tbs.  boiling water
a selection of halved shelled nuts
Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1
Use a 20cm/8 inch round cake tin.

Place the dried fruit in a bowl with the flaked almonds, lemon rind and orange juice, cover with a damp cloth and leave to stand for 8 hours or overnight.

Grease and line the base and sides of the cake tin with a double layer of greased greaseproof paper. Tie a thick band of brown paper around the outside of the tin and stand it on a pad of brown paper on a baking sheet to protect the cake during cooking.

Cream the butter, sugar and molasses together until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the sour cream, a little at a time, adding the ground almonds alternately and mixing well after each addition.

Sieve the flour and spices into the bowl, adding any bran remaining in the sieve. Add the fruit, with the liquid, then the milk and mix to a dropping consistency. Spoon into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Cover the top loosely with several layers of greaseproof paper and a layer of brown paper.

Bake in the preheated cool oven. Check the cake after 2 ½ hours, and then at half hourly intervals. Test by inserting a warm knife into the centre of the cake; if it emerges clean then the cake is ready.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin until completely cold. Remove from tin, and take out of the lining paper. Wrap in kitchen foil and store in an airtight container until needed.

Decoration: Arrange the nut halves on the top of the cake. Make a glaze by combining the apricot jam with the honey and boiling water in a small bowl. This makes a smooth, shiny paste. Brush this over the top of the cake.

Vegan Christmas Cake

Ingredients:
1 lb Candied pineapple
1/2 lb Citron
1/4 lb Candied citron
1/4 lb Candied orange and lemon peel
1/4 lb Candied cherries
1 1/2 lb Raisins
1/2 lb Currants
1/2 c  Grapefruit juice
1/4 lb Whole mixed nuts without peanuts
2 c  Flour
1 ts Salt
1/2 ts Baking soda
1 ts Cinnamon
3/4 c  Shortening
1 c  White sugar
1 c  Brown sugar
5 tb Cornstarch
1 ts Almond extract
6 tb Grapefruit juice

Method:
Combine pineapple, citrons, peels, cherries, raisins and currants in a large bowl. Add 1/2 c grapefruit juice, mix very well.

Cover and let stand overnight. The next day, add the nuts and 1/2 c of the flour to the fruit mixture and mix well. Combine the rest of the flour with the baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl, and mix well.

In a third bowl, beat the shortening for 30 seconds. Gradually add the sugars, creaming well as you add them. Stir in the cornstarch. Add the beaten shortening and sugars to the fruit. Gradually stir in the flour mixture. Add the almond extract and the rest of the grapefruit juice, stirring well until the mixture is well combined. Preheat oven to 275F.

Grease a 10 inch square cake tin. Line with brown paper and grease the paper. Transfer the cake mixture to the cake tin. Press down gently. Bake for 3 hours. Check after two hours. If the top is browning too quickly, cover with some waxed paper. After it is cooked, remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Gently remove cake from the tin and peel away the paper. Let cool on wire racks till completely cooled. Wrap in waxed paper and keep in a cool place. If icing the cake, layer with marzipan and then decorate as desired.

Swaha mataji's (Carterton NZ) Incredible Ice Cream
Ingredients:
Mix together 1 tin condensed milk with 1c water
CHILL IN FREEZER FOR APPROX 1 1/2 HRS
whip 300mls cream until soft add flavour
2t essence
1/2c carob
fruit
or what ever
1/3 tin caramel (I add this at the last beating)
add cream and flavour to chilled condensed milk and beat.

Freeze beating every 3/4 hr until too hard.

Swaha mataji triples the recipe and get 15 pieces 4 inches by 4 inches square and 1.1/2 deep.

Dream up all sorts of flavours.
There may have been caramel or vanilla essence in the ice cream.

.......also try this one

Whip 300mls creme/cream with 1t vanilla essence until soft peaks form add to 1 tin caramel and fold together gently but thoroughly. Cover and put in freezer for 4hrs or until firm.

Xmas Holiday Mint Cookies (Vegan)
This recipe serves 12 and takes about 30 minutes (excluding chill and bake time) to prepare.

Ingredients:
1 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons mint extract
2 1/4 tablespoons crushed dried mint leaves
2 cups flour
extra sugar for coating

Instructions:
Mix margarine and sugar thoroughly.
Add salt, mint extract, mint leaves, and flour.
Mix thoroughly.
Chill dough for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F.
Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in sugar.
Press ball with your thumb.
Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake 12 to 15 minutes.
Cool on racks.
Makes about 3 dozen lovely, green-specked cookies.

XMAS STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE
Ingredients
For the Shortbread:
175g/6oz unsalted butter, softened
75g/3oz golden caster sugar
175g/6oz plain flour
75g/3oz rice flour or ground rice

For the Filling:
425ml/¾pt double cream
1 vanilla pod
45g/3tbsp icing sugar, sieved
450g/1lb fresh strawberries, washed

To Garnish:
8 whole strawberries
icing sugar, to dust

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas3.
2. Place the butter into a large bowl and, using a wooden spoon, cream until softened. Add the sugar and blend together.
3. Sift both the plain flour and ground rice together into the creamed mixture.
4. Shape the mixture into a sausage shape, cut it in half and set one half aside. Squash the mixture down onto a large baking tray. Use a 20cm/8in plain flan ring as a guide and press the mixture around the ring. Use the back of a metal tablespoon to smooth the surface of the mixture.
5. Remove the flan ring and decorate the shortcake mixture by crimping the mixture with your thumb and forefinger to form scalloped edges. Prick the surface of the shortcake with a fork. Repeat the process with the remaining shortcake mixture.
6. Place the shortcakes in the fridge and chill for 30-40 minutes until hard. Meanwhile, reserve 8 whole strawberries. With the remaining strawberries remove the stalks (or hull) and cut in half. Set aside.
7. Remove the shortcakes from the fridge and bake for about 30 minutes until pale golden brown.
8. To prepare the vanilla cream filling: pour the cream into a large bowl. Split the vanilla pod with a knife lengthways, scrape out the seeds and add the seeds to the double cream with the icing sugar. Whisk until the cream forms soft peaks.
9. Allow the shortcakes to cool for 2 minutes. Carefully release from the baking sheet with a palette knife. Using a large knife mark into 8 equal wedges. Allow to cool completely.
10. To assemble: place 8 of the shortcake wedges onto a large plate. Lay the wedges closely together. Spoon over half of the whipped cream; pile the halved strawberries onto the cream. Spoon over the remaining cream and place the remaining 8 shortcake wedges at an angle with the reserved whole strawberries underneath to keep each piece at an angle.
11. Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Christmas Cinnamon Shortbread Stars
(diabetic/vegetarian)

These delicious biscuits weigh in at only 30 calories each but are quite high in fat, so to avoid becoming the cookie monster, share them around and freeze the rest for later. Hahaha like there'd be any left

Makes 80
Ingredients:
250g/9oz plain white flour
175g/6oz butter
grated rind 1 orange
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
75g/3oz caster (refined granulated) sugar
To serve:
2 teaspoons icing (confectioners) sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Method:
1. Place the flour and butter into a bowl and rub together until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the remaining ingredients with 2 teaspoons of cold water and combine to form a ball.

2. Roll out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 2.5mm/1/8in. Using a 2cm/3/4in star cutter, cut out approximately 80 stars.

3. Place the stars on baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes, until golden. Mix together the icing sugar and cinnamon and dust a little over the biscuits

XMAS with JAMAICAN FRUIT 7 ICE CREAM SUNDAE:
Ingredients:
4 large bananas
1 whole pineapple
250 grms brown sugar
100 grms butter
500 grms/ half litre cream
500 grms vanila ice cream

Method:
either on a BBQ grill or under the toaster grill of your oven, grill the 4 bananas with their skins on. While these are cooking (until bursting and bubbling) take the whole pineapple, take off the top, and while keeping the outter skin on cut it length ways in four and remove the central core.

Then still keeping the outer skin on, cut the pineapple into wedge like shapes by cutting across the length. Dip those wedges into the brown sugar and put the wedges also onto the grill to cook until looking golden brown.

While this is happening melt the 100 grms of butter into a saucepan add the remining sugar to that when the butter has melted and stir this together until it has the unmistakeable aroma of caramel toffee - about five minutes on medium heat. When it is ready add the cream to it and stir in or whisk together.

On the offering plate place the bananas, if they are not already split, just cut them open with a knife. Place the golden brown sticky pineapple wedges either side of the bananas place a serving of the ice-cream on top of the banana and then drizzle over the entire preparation a thick coating of the caramel toffee cream sauce.

The Animal Spirit Newsletter - Issue #2 -  4/21/03-4/27/03

The book "Living a Good Life" normally selling at $21.95 is now going at the $14.95 price, .http://vegsoc.wellington.net.nz/livingGd.htm

 Krishna Conscious - Vedikly acceptable Jokes

Healing with humour: Taking better care of ourselves  =>;-))
http://www.hknet.org.nz/healthNhumour.html
Visit our Hasya Rasa pages

Laughter Therapy - its no joke:
http://www.healthlibrary.com/reading/yod/march98/news.htm

To read more about Hasya visit our pages

FOR YOUR INTEREST: This one is not a joke but I thought you might like to know. These are the names of Lord Caitanya taken from the book "Sri Caitanya Sahasra Nama Stotra", i.e. "A Thousand Names of Lord Caitanya" by Srila Kavi Karnapura (as translated by HG Kusakratha Prabhu from the Krsna Institute)...

by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

Once a guru went to the house of one of his disciples. The disciple prepared nice food, and after the guru had eaten, the disciple wanted to show his guru-bhakti. In Ayurveda the haritaki fruit is recommended for good digestion, so the disciple came with haritaki for his guru. The guru said, "All right. Remove the unnecessary things and give me the necessary part."

That disciple was a speculator, a crooked person. He thought, "Oh, the outer portion of the haritaki is unnecessary and the inner portion is necessary." So he threw away the outer skin and gave the inner portion, the hard seed, to the guru. But with haritaki the outer skin is necessary and the inner portion is thrown away. That disciple did the opposite because he was a speculator— bharavahi, saragrahi nahin— he always accepted the unnecessary things that are not the essence.

His guru could not enjoy the haritaki. "You are such a unintelligent fellow," he said. "Don't you know? The inner portion, the hard nut of haritaki, is unnecessary. The outer portion, the skin, is necessary."

Incurable

The next day, after the guru had eaten, that so-called disciple brought some cardamom. Remembering the previous day's event, he thought, "Oh, the guru has taught that this inner portion is unnecessary and this outer portion is necessary." So he threw away the inner portion of the cardamom and offered the outer skin to the guru. But with cardamom, the seed is necessary and the skin is useless. That means that those who are kapati, crooked persons, only speculate. They will not accept anything as it is.

Therefore the mahajanas have said that one who is very serious and eager to achieve perfection in his human birth, that is krsna-bhakti, should cultivate simplicity. Simplicity is Vaishnavism. Those who are real vaisnavas are simple by nature. Kapatya, crookedness, is a great hindrance on this path of perfection. It is a sort of disease. And because a crooked person becomes envious towards the doctor who has come to cure him, his disease is incurable.

In Bhakti-Sandarbha, Jiva Goswami has said that there are many such persons who pretend to be devoted, but inside their heart there is great crookedness. Outwardly they pay dandavats, falling down like a rod from a great distance, as if they are very humble. Yet they criticize sadhu, acarya, and gurus. They may even offer worship, but actually they have no respect at all. They are very keen to find out the faults of the sadhu.

Such persons take to karma, jnana, yoga, tapasya, tyaga, and niti— fruitive activities, speculative knowledge, penance, renunciation, and morality. Externally they practice these things and pose as if they are of very high moral character, but actually their hearts are very hard.

Unreal Shelter

Those persons who leave the bona fide guru and go elsewhere due to crookedness cannot be delivered. In Skanda Purana it is said, bhumau skhalita-padanam, bhumir evavalambanam — "If your feet slip up from the ground, only that same ground can give you shelter." Similarly, if you have slipped up from the lotus feet of a bona fide guru, only that guru can give you shelter. A crooked person who pretends to be a humble follower of the guru will leave that guru and go somewhere else to take shelter. But he should understand that no one can give him shelter. It may seem that someone may give him shelter, but that is not real shelter at all because he cannot make any advancement there.

Rather, for his offense he will definitely fall down and go to hell. If he does not come back to his guru and beg to be excused, his offense cannot be destroyed or counteracted. If he is really an intelligent, simple-hearted person, he will understand this and come back. Unless he comes back, he must be entrapped by this crookedness. In this way, Jiva Goswami has discussed kapatya in his Bhakti-Sandarbha, and how it is a great stumbling block on the path of devotional service.

Stool of a Hog

Lord Balarama's Intoxicated Ranting
http://www.gopala.org//index.php?cat=21

In the Lalita-madhava it is stated that Lord Baladeva, intoxicated from drinking excessive quantities of honey, once began to address the ants, "O you kings of the ants! Why are you hiding yourselves in these holes?"

At the same time He also addressed the King of heaven, "O King Indra! You plaything of Saci! Why are you laughing? I am now prepared to smash the whole universe, and I know that Krishna will not be angry with Me..."

Then He addressed Krishna, "My dear Krishna, tell Me immediately why the whole world is trembling and why the moon has become elongated! And O you members of the Yadu dynasty, why are you laughing at Me? Please give Me back My liquors made of honey from the kadamba flower!"

Srila Rupa Goswami prays that Lord Balaram will be pleased with all of us while He is thus talking just like an intoxicated person...

The Nectar of Devotion

One beautiful December evening Huan Cho and his girlfriend
Jung Lee were sitting by the side of the ocean.
It was a romantic full moon, when Huan  Cho said "Hey baby, let's play Weeweechu."

"Oh no, not now, lets look at the moon" said Jung Lee.

"Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I play Weeweechu.
 I love you and it's the perfect time," Huan Cho Begged.

"But I rather just hold your hand and watch the moon."

"Please Jung Lee, just once play Weeweechu with me."

Jung Lee looked at Huan Chi and said, "OK, we'll play Weeweechu."

Huan Cho grabbed his guitar and they both sang.....
"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,
Weeweechu a Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year."

.....AND SO DO I  !

Please play the following URL:
http://web.icq.com/shockwave/0,,4845,00.swf

sent in by Pauline Archell-Thompson UK - thanks



hahaha I've told this one a few Xmas's, but still funny - JTCD

108% TRUE

As everyone knows for decades now Christmas has developed into one of the biggest money spinning ventures of all time. It has been so institutionalised like this that even our devotees would "get into the Xmas spirit" to distribute more books.

Putting on Santa Klaus outfits they would take to the airports and try to stop passers by. On one such occasion, during this partying period of the year a drunk came to harass a devotee dressed as Santa. The irate drunk shouted, whilst brandishing a hand gun at the devotee, "You're not Santa, your one of those Hare Krishna's ...........you're not Santa you're a fraud."

The devotee keeping a cool head opened his Bhagavad Gita As It Is, to the verse 3:13 and showed the irate drunk. See Srila Prabhupada says here in this purport, "That all the devotees are santa !"

SCHIZOPHRENIA:
Do You Hear What I Hear?

MULTIPLE PERSONALITY DISORDER:
We Three Queens Disoriented Are

GRANDIOSE:
Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me

MANIC:
Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets
and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and
Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and...

PARANOID:
Santa Claus is Coming to Get Me.

PERSONALITY DISORDER:
You Better Watch Out, I'm Gonna Cry, I'm Gonna Pout,
Maybe I'll Tell You Why

SOCIOPATH:
Thoughts of Roasting You on an Open Fire...

OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE DISORDER:
Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell,
Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell,
Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell
Rock, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock, Jingle
Bell, Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell Rock...

.......and always remember (don't forget...)

You might like to check out Krishna-conscious jokes - http://vedaveda.com/anglais/joke/deux.html
Also check out the Humour section of the Main Index: http://www.hknet.org.nz/index.htm

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