Vol 15 Heath and Welfare Magazine

# – Prahladananda Swami – 19/12/09; 1:25:42 PM

to see the all magazine downloads click here

Friday 11 December 2009

by: Le Monde with AFP   |  Le Monde

GMO cornfields in Canada. A new European study "clearly reveals … new side effects linked with GM maize consumption" affected the liver and kidneys, but also other organs for three Monsanto GMO corn varieties. (Photo: DawnOne)

A study published in the International Journal of Biological Sciences demonstrates the toxicity of three genetically modified corn varieties from the American seed company Monsanto, the Committee for Independent Research and Information on Genetic Engineering (Criigen, based in Caen), which participated in that study, announced Friday, December 11.

"For the first time in the world, we’ve proven that GMO are neither sufficiently healthy nor proper to be commercialized. [...] Each time, for all three GMOs, the kidneys and liver, which are the main organs that react to a chemical food poisoning, had problems," indicated Gilles-Eric Séralini, an expert member of the Commission for Biotechnology Reevaluation, created by the EU in 2008.

Caen and Rouen University researchers, as well as Criigen researchers, based their analyses on the data supplied by Monsanto to health authorities to obtain the green light for commercialization, but they draw different conclusions after new statistical calculations. According to Professor Séralini, the health authorities based themselves on a reading of the conclusions Monsanto has presented and not on conclusions drawn from the totality of the data. The researchers were able to obtain complete documentation following a legal decision.

"Monsanto’s tests, effected over 90 days, are obviously not of sufficient duration to be able to say whether chronic illnesses are caused. That’s why we ask for tests over a period of at least two years," explained one researcher. Consequently, the scientists demand a "firm prohibition" on the importation and cultivation of these GMOs.
These three GMOs (MON810, MON863 and NK603) "are approved for human and animal consumption in the EU and especially the United States," notes Professor Séralini. "MON810 is the only one of the three grown in certain EU countries (especially Spain); the others are imported," he adds. A meeting of EU ministers over MON810 and NK603 is scheduled Monday

Translation: Truthout French Language Editor Leslie Thatcher.

His Holiness Prahladananda Swami, ISKCON’s sannyasa minister and minister for health and welfare, addresses devotees regarding the 2009 December book distribution marathon.

PAS_CC_Adi_1.1-4 11-29-2009

By Kristen Hallam
Oct. 15 (Bloomberg) — People living near gardens, parks and other green spaces
have lower rates of anxiety, depression and poor physical health than those
living in urban areas, Dutch researchers found.
The scientists reviewed the medical records of more than 345,000 people in the
Netherlands and calculated the percentage of green space near the patients?
homes. For those with 10 percent of green space within a 1-kilometer radius of
their homes, the prevalence of anxiety disorders was 26 out of 1,000 people,
according to the study. In a residential area that was 90 percent green, the
prevalence was 18 out of 1,000.
Better health may stem from access to fresher air and more opportunities to
relax, socialize or exercise, though more research is needed to confirm those
theories, said Jolanda Maas and colleagues at VU University Medical Center in
Amsterdam. Expanding green spaces may help prevent chronic illnesses that cost
billions of dollars to treat each year, they said.
?The role of green space in the living environment for health should not be
underestimated,? they wrote in the study published in the British Medical
Journal?s Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. ?Most of the diseases
which were found to be related to the percentage of green space in the living
environment are highly prevalent in society and in many countries, they are the
subject of large-scale prevention programs.?
The study also found fewer cases of depression, heart disease, back pain and
asthma among those living near green spaces. The link between green space and
health was strongest for children and people with low incomes, who are less
mobile and spend more time closer to home, the study found.
The research was funded by a grant from the Netherlands Organization for
Scientific Research. # – Prahladananda Swami

The silver foils are not very expensive. They are sold by weight.
Ordinarily, you can buy a packet of 160 foils for a price between Rs.100 to
200. That is, approximately one rupee per foil. Not only the sweets, now a
days it is also applied on fruits. Some Ayurvedic medicines also are wrapped
in silver foils.
They are made by hammering thin sheets of silver in middle of booklets made
of a bull’s intestines. In other words, after slaughtering a bull, quickly
his intestines are removed, and sold to the manufacturers of foils. The
skins made of old intestines are of no use. Even one-day-old intestines can
not be used, because within a few hours they stiffen.
The foil manufacturer removes blood and stools from the intestines, and cuts
them into pieces. Then he puts one piece over another, making a booklet out
of it. At his home, or in the factory, he puts one silver (or gold) sheet
in-between each page. Then he hammers it hard until those metal sheets turn
into thin wafers.
The intestines of bulls are so strong, that even repeated hammering do not
destroy them, or they do not let the foils move around inside. Because of
the hammering, some tissues of the intestine mix with the foils. After that
the foil manufacturer sells the bundle of foils to the sweets manufacturers.
Some small foil manufacturers sell the foils to the temples.
This foil is not only dirty, it also is non-vegetarian. Even the meat-eaters
do not eat intestines. Use of these foils turn even sweets into
non-vegetarian food. A few years ago the Indian Airlines learned about this,
and since then stopped using them on the sweets served in their planes.
Source of Silver Foil in Sweets
Indian Airlines, the domestic air-carrier of India had issued instructions
to its suppliers to supply sweet without silver foil called VARAKH. Do you
know why? Silver is widely used for various purposes in the market today.
Silver is considered precious and its utility is enormous. The reason behind
this is that silver reflects back 95% of the light energy that falls on it.
The silver foils used for edible purposes is called VARAKH So what’s so
special about VARAKH? If you keenly observe this VARAKH under a microscope
don be perturbed if you happen to see traces of blood, stools and saliva of
a cattle or ox.
VARAKH is a silver foil and we have no second questions on this, but to
prepare this VARAKH important parts of the CATTLE/OX is made use of.
Intestines of Cattle/OX are obtained from the slaughterhouse. This is
obtained after butchering to death the cattle/ox for beef and the part,
which cannot be consumed: the intestines are pulled out of the animal and
handed over to the manufacturers of VARAKH. Before handing over the
intestines, they are washed in the slaughterhouse to get rid of the blood
and other remains on these intestines in the limited facility that is
present in the slaughterhouse. We are not sure how neatly this job is
carried out. Intestines are cut into small pieces and then are bound
together as pages in a notebook.
A silver block is placed in the middle of these bound intestines, and the
whole thing is placed in a leather bag and sealed. Experts, who know how to
make VARAKH, pound the bag with wooden sticks, till the entire bag flattens
out. The silver block would by this time be turned into silver foil. This
Silver foil would now be separated from the intestine pack and will be
placed on paper.
This is VARAKH, which reaches the market ready for use. Even staunch
vegetarians, who shy away from egg, unknowingly consume this as a part of
sweet, pan and arecanut. Some unknowingly consume this because of the
additional taste that VARAKH provides.
Now the question is “Why the intestines of the cattle/ox? Why not something
else?” The reason behind using the intestines of the cattle/ox for preparing
the VARAKH is because of the elasticity of the intestines.
They do not get cut even after a severe pounding.
This aspect is brought out in the magazine “Beauty without cruelty” and the
Television show of Maneka Gandhi, “Heads and Tails”. In India, on an average
an estimate indicates that 2,75,000 kilos of “VARAKH” is consumed. Can you
estimate how many cattle/ox are sacrificed for just a bit of taste? If you
are surprised as I am, after reading this article please inform as many as
possible so as to ensure that we unknowingly don’t consume beef.
Pan
By now, a pan-lover vegetarian person may have eaten equivalent of many
miles of oxen intestines! For them, here is an another bad news – the Chuna
that they apply on pan, also is not vegetarian! That is made from the shells
of living insects. These insects are taken from the ocean, killed, and
removed from the shell. Then the shells are softened in water, dried, and
ground into white powder. When you put this Chuna in your mouth, you are
participating in killing of many insects. This is no different from taking
life of a goat or a pig. Everyone wants to live, no one likes the pain of
death.
Indian Sweets and Varakh
Silver foil, or varakh, as it is generally known in India, adds glitter to
Indian sweets, betel nut (Supari), Paan (betel-leaf), and fruits. It is also
used in Ayurvedic medicines. The silver-topped sweet is even served as
prashad in many temples and on auspicious and religious occasions. Varakh is
also used in flavoured syrups as in Kesar (saffron) syrup.
If one observes Varakh under a microscope one will find traces of blood,
stools and saliva of a cattle or an ox. Varakh is not derived from an animal
source. However, a crucial material of animal origin, ox-gut, is used in its
manufacture. This ox-gut is obtained from the slaughterhouse.
The intestine (ox-gut), smeared with blood and mucus, is pulled out from the
slaughtered animal by the butcher at the slaughterhouse, and sold for the
specific purpose. This is then taken away to be cleaned and used in the
manufacture of Varakh.
The gut of an average cow, measuring 540 inches in length and 3 inches in
diameter, is cut open into a piece measuring 540″ x 10″. From this, strips
of 9″ x 10″ are cut to give approximately 60 pieces of ox-gut, which are
then piled on top of each other and bound to form a book of 171 leaves.
Next, small thin strips of silver are placed between the sheets and the book
slipped into a leather pouch. These bundles are hammered continuously for a
day to produce extremely thin foils of silver of 3″ x 5″.
The leather and ox-gut, being supple, can withstand the intense manual
hammering for up to 8 hours a day till such time as the silver is beaten to
the desired thickness. When ready, the foil is carefully lifted from between
the leaves of ox-gut and placed between sheets of paper to be sold to the
sweet shops. A booklet of 160 foils weighs approximately 10 grams and costs
few hundred rupees.
To make a single booklet of 171 sheets, the guts of 3 cows are used. And the
yield per book is generally 160 foils of silver, the rest of which may be
damaged or unfit for use. Thus one book, used on an average of 300 days of
the year yields approximately 48,000 foils of silver which means that each
ox-gut yields an estimated 16,000 foils.
The leather used for the pouch to hold the book (made from ox-gut), is
cowhide or calf leather, and uses about 232 sq. inches of material. Assuming
the size of an average cowhide to be 18 sq. ft or 2,600 sq. Inches, the
yield per hide will be approximately 10 leather pouches.
Usually 4 foils are used per kilograms of sweets and the ox-gut of one cow
is used to produce foil for approximately 4,000 kilograms of sweets. It is
estimated that the average consumption of sweets by a middle class family of
four in India is about 100 kilograms per year.
Thus, an average middle class Indian family of four consuming approximately
100 kg of sweets per year for forty years consumes silver foil produced with
the gut of 3 cows and one-tenth of a cowhide!
In India 275 tons of silver is transformed into Varakh that utilises the
intestines of 516,000 cows and calf leather of 17,200 animals each year.
# – Prahladananda Swami – 27/7/09; 8:03:13 PM

Doug Cross
UK Council Against Water Fluoridation
July 22, 2009

Fluoridated water must be treated as a medicine, and cannot be used to prepare foods. That is the decision of the European Court of Justice, in a landmark case dealing with the classification and regulation of ?functional drinks? in member states of the European Community. (HLH Warenvertriebs and Orthica (Joined Cases C-211/03, C-299/03, C-316/03 and C-318/03) 9 June 2005)

Functional drinks are those products that have two different purposes ? for example, nutrition and exerting a positive effect on some medical condition. They include ?near-water drinks with added minerals? and, in view of the properties claimed for fluoridated water by fluoride advocates, it must be classified as a ?funtional food?, and therefore falls within the scope of the relevant legislation.

Medicinal law takes precedent over food law.

The Court ruled that, where two different sets of rules appear to apply to a product, medicinal legislation must take precedent, and the product must be regulated as a medicine. It emphasised that medicines regulators in member states do not have the power to exercise discretion on the classification of such dual-function products. The repeated refusal of the British and Irish Regulators to recognise fluoridated water as a medicinal product is therefore an unlawful misuse of their powers, and one that requires immediate reversal.

ECJ rulings do not establish new laws, but clarify how existing ones should be applied, and are enforceable in the domestic legislation of all member states of the EC. In effect, this decision at last confirms the claim that I have made for many years ? that existing medicinal law has always required that fluoridated water be regulated as a medicine. Fluoridated water has no medicinal marketing authorization (?product licence?), and because of this it is ? and always has been ? illegal to supply it to the public, as the 1968 Medicines Act confirms.

As a ?medicinal water?, the protection afforded by the water quality regulations that shield consumers from hazardous substances in drinking water does not apply. Its use in the processing of foodstuffs is also prohibited, under the food safety legislation. Aa a direct result of this ruling, all English and Irish legislation providing for water fluoridation are at last exposed as having been in violation of that fundamental prohibition, and must now be repealed.

Prohibition of use of fluoridated water in foods

But the Court also ruled that such functional food products must not be used in the preparation of foods. As a ?medicinal water? the fluoridated product cannot be regarded as equivalent to the mandatory ?water for human consumption? specified for drinking and food preparation. So now every food wholesale and retail outlet in fluoridated areas of the UK and Ireland, from the corner chip-shop to the largest brewery, from the small high-street bakery to the largest supermarket retailers ? all will now have to either cease production or install an alternative water supply.

Implications for international trade in food products

But the ruling also has an equally profound implication for export trade in processed foods and drinks. The Court stated that even if a functional food product (or a food containing it) is legally marketed as a food in one member state, it cannot be exported to any other member state unless it has a medicinal licence. So any company making a consumable product using fluoridated water in its preparation or as an ingredient cannot now export that product to any other state in the EC, even if their product is permitted in their home state.

The economic implications are enormous. Not only does the ruling ban the use of fluoridated water for all retail catering and wholesale food processing in the UK and Ireland, it also prohibits such trade from these states to other member states of the EC. But it goes much further than even this, because if British and Irish processed foods from fluoridated areas cannot be exported to the EC, this prohibition must also apply to the importing of such products into EC member states from any other country that practices water fluoridation. The decision effectively bans all processed food products from countries such as the USA, Australia and New Zealand, unless they can be positively proven to have been prepared using only water that was not fluoridated.

What does this mean for water undertakers who fluoridate their product?

Before British water undertakers allow Strategic Health Authorities to order them to start fluoridating their water they need to be fully aware of the implications to them and their shareholders should they agree to do so. Not only are medical damages compensation claims likely to be far higher, with charges of negligently supplying an unlawful product forming the basis of class actions, food processers who lose their markets will certainly hold their water undertaker accountable in law for their losses. This ruling means that Courts in other member states of the EC must support demands from competing food processors that an embargo be placed on British and Irish products unless they can be proven to have been manufactured using only non-fluoridated water.

I have previously warned that this illegal product substitution cannot be permitted to continue, and that members of the public are entirely entitled to demand to be supplied with water that complies with, and is regulated under, the drinking water quality standards that are enforceable under both EC and UK (and Irish) law. Since the ruling must be enforced in all EC member states, water companies will now have to come off the fence and accept that fluoridated water is not an acceptable alternative drinking water.

The only way out ? repeal all fluoridation laws and ban the product.

This decision completely supports the challenge that I have issued repeatedly to the UK Regulator, the MHRA ? identify the case law that justifies your perverse claim that this product is not a medicine. Ironically, it was the MHRA itself that finally gave the game away, in a formal response to another Regulator, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). In what I can only assume was a deliberate attempt to mislead the ASA, the MHRA actually cited this case in support of its continued perverse refusal to implement the medicines legislation that it is obliged to enforce!

The beginning of the end ? fluoridation must now be banned, worldwide.

This ECJ ruling effectively puts the final nail in the coffin of water fluoridation, not only within the EC but worldwide. It establishes a very substantial but entirely justified obstacle to trade in food products that are prepared without proper regard to the protection of the public that is enshrined in law. The ruling must be recognised and enforced not only in every memebr state, but also in any external state that wishes to trade with the EC in processed foods. So just what can be done to resolve the present unacceptable situation?

One solution would be to grant a medicinal licence to fluoridated water. But the Court ruled that any evaluation of a functional drink may only be done under the rigorous procedures required to scrutinise any pharmaceutical product. In the present state of scientific concern over the evidence of its lack of efficacy and safety it is impossible to imagine that such a licence could ever be granted. If it were, it would immediately result in a world-wide denunciation from the scientific community that is fully aware of the improper commercial influence that is at the heart of the international promotion of fluoridated products.

The only acceptable response is to call a halt to this controversial practice now. The experience of the past half century has shown that it is completely unjustified ? indeed, it is responsible for what may reasonably be described as a pandemic of avoidable chronic fluoride poisoning. In ruling that this type of product must be regulated under medicinal law, the Court has taken the final step towards bringing this disreputable practice to a long-delayed end. Let us hope that national Governments all over the world will heed this decision ? the economic consequences will be dire for those who continue to attempt to continue this discredited and illegal practice.

# – Prahladananda Swami – 23/7/09; 5:51:43 PM

By Maneka Gandhi for The Bihar Times [1] on 18 Jul 2009
(Bihar, India) Some years ago it was discovered that owners of Vanaspathi
oils were putting cow and pig lard into the oil. There was a furor which
died down after a few months and no one knows till today what happened to
the Jains who owned the enterprise ? but I have little doubt that they got
off and a few bureaucrats and policemen are richer.
Ghee (from Sanskrit gh?ta meaning “sprinkled”) is clarified butter, sacred
to the gods. On June 13, a ghee manufacturing unit was raided by the health
officers and police of Agra . Hundreds of tins of ghee were found in the
Jharna nullah locality . The so called ghee was being manufactured from
animal fat boiled in huge iron pans. “25 big drums, 150 tins and four
furnaces, knives and country pistols were recovered from the site” a police
official said. “Animal hides of cows, monkeys, donkeys, horses and dogs
hanging by the trees and bones littered showed the scale of manufacturing
being carried out clandestinely for years.”
Now comes the standard Indian part ? “Police said at least 50 people must
have been working there in the sheds but none could be caught, probably
because the information about the raid was leaked to them.”
Agra Municipal corporation?s animal husbandry department Chief B.S. Verma
said that residents of the locality had complained for years about the
spurious manufacturing unit but the department could not find the unit.
TV channels aired footage filmed at ghee manufacturing plants. The footage
confirmed that across India animals were being rendered and their fat added
to ghee. The ghee plants had dead animals all around, animal fat boiling in
big drums and slabs of fat hanging from the ceilings.
Members of ISKCON collected samples of commercial ghee in Pune and sent them
to be tested at the Anatech Laboratory and research centre in Bangalore. The
tests based on the Fancier-Transbraned Infrared spectrum Replication showed
beyond a doubt that the ghee contained animal fat. This laboratory which has
analyzed hundreds of ghees said that of all the brands in India, Amul was
the best brand for ghee and butter, with even Nestle adulterated with about
5% vegetable oil fats. They said that most ghee, including Amul, was a
mixture of cow and buffalo milk
Unfortunately most labs in India do not have the equipment to test. They can
simply say that the ghee is adulterated. Why is ghee being adulterated?
Firstly, because there is no milk. India prides itself on being the world?s
largest producer of leather so all the cows are being killed off rapidly to
service the hundreds of leather units in Chennai, Kanpur and Kolkata ? which
kill lakhs of cows and calves. Recent raids have found that only 30% of the
“milk” we drink, is milk. The rest is a mixture of soap, urea, earthworm
fat, oil and whiteners. So if there is no milk, how does one get the ghee?
450,000 tonnes of ghee are supposedly made every year, 80% of which is eaten
and the rest offered to the gods in rituals that include marriage and death.
This is an impossible figure ? the actual ghee would be less than a quarter.
The second reason is that milk products like ghee only have a 5% profit
margin so the only way to be profitable is to use animal fat.
If you insist on ghee make your own. Boil milk. Keep taking the cream off.
When the cream is cold, take a wooden stick and churn it. The water
separates and the rest becomes unsalted butter. Melt the butter over low
heat gradually in a heavy-bottomed pot. Do not stir. Cook until it is a
clear golden liquid. It may bubble and foam may form on top which you?ll
need to skim off and discard. Remove from heat while the liquid is a clear
gold. Any darker and it?s overcooked. Take a large sieve and line it with 4
sheets of cheesecloth or muslin. Place it over a clean dry pot. While still
hot, carefully strain the ghee through the cheesecloth-lined sieve into the
pot. Transfer the strained ghee carefully into a clean glass jar and shut
tightly. Ghee at room temperature looks semi-solid. Ghee can be stored for
extended periods without refrigeration, provided it is kept in an airtight
container to prevent oxidation. Always use a clean utensil to scoop out
ghee. # – Prahladananda Swami – 22/7/09; 7:04:38 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKAj_r612BU

posted: May 20, 2009

Dear Kanva prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
When I read your letter I felt impelled to offer another perspective.
Although I fully agree that management as well as any relationship, will
blossom if handled with love, care and simplicity, but I do not agree with
the assumption that "ISKCON" is run based on politics, diplomacy, power and
envy.
ISKCON is a huge organization comprising of thousands of individuals,
temples and communities in many countries around the world. To make a
blanket statement about ISKCON is unrealistic. We also have a choice on how
to look at a situation (the glass being half-full or half empty).
Personally, in my 19 years experience being in ISKCON, I have been, in
countless occasions, the recipient of many devotees love and care. I have
visited and stayed in temples, in Canada, US, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France,
Ireland and India, and I  only remember the sweetness, kindness and
dedication of the devotees involved in those yatras.
I have yet to meet a devotee who is solely driven by politics, diplomacy,
power, and envy. I have only met devotees who were sincerely trying their
best to serve Srila Prabhupada and his mission, there might have been some
shortcomings due to their past, to stress, being overworked, under pressure
or not particularly skilled in interpersonal communication. But at the core,
they are sincerely serving Srila Prabhupada’s movement, they have love for
their guru, Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
To give you a specific example, when my little 21 month old son, back in
2001, was diagnosed with cancer along with a debilitating auto-immune
disorder, the Dallas temple community, offered us varieties of support;
financial, prasadam, house cleaning, a loan of 8 months rent, prayers etc.
The temple president, Nityananda prabhu would monthly give some of his blood
to be kept for my son, if need would arise, his wife kept my son alive with
her iddlis, which was his sole prasadam while undergoing chemotherapy, as he
couldn’t keep anything else down. Tamal Krishna Maharaja, who had just met
us a few months earlier, wrote us regularly beautiful, heartfelt letters and
even once, he quickly responded to my letter, from a train, while travelling
extensively in the Philippines.
Devotees from different parts of the world prayed for my son’s well-being,
over his 7 years of chronic health conditions. Once when he almost died, the
whole Dallas community came together in the temple to chant and pray to
Radha Kalachand’ji for his protection. The Alachua community, where we are
now residing, have also been there for us whenever we were in need. I am
convinced that by the power of the devotees love and prayers, my son has
survived a Neuroblastoma (the most aggressive type of childhood cancer), OMS
(an extremely rare auto-immune disorder) and CVID (a severe immune
deficiency). As for my husband and I, we would have never been able to pull
through all this without the love, care and sincere prayers of the
vaishnavas.
Here in Alachua, they started a community service called Ashraya, to provide
different services to its community members in times of need.
Another example is when Syamasundhar prabhu needed a liver transplant and
they couldn’t find a suitable donor. Mother Malati announced it on "pamho"
and shortly after, about 10 devotees, who had never met Syamasundhar prabhu
offered to donate part of their liver; which is an extremely painful and
dangerous procedure. The hospital staff were amazed, they said that this
never happened before, they were wondering what kind of movement is this,
where its members would exhibit such selfless love for one another. They
selected one devotee and the surgery was successful. That is not ordinary!
There are so many examples of extremely loving, selfless and compassionate
devotees in our movement, I wish I could name all of them but this letter
would become too extensive, it would be such a beautiful meditation though.
This movement is no ordinary movement, it is Lord Chaitanya’s movement and
the vaishnavas aren’t ordinary either, it is sometimes so easy to judge by
the externals, but once someone sincerely chants the Holy Names, he or she
comes under the direct protection of the Lord.
Devotees are very special and very dear to the Lord and we should be very
careful how we talk about them, especially when it is written and
broadcasted.
I am not saying that there is no need for improvement but each issue must be
addressed individually and specifically, as every situation is unique.
Radhanath Swami and the Radha Gopinath temple’s spiritual counselor system,
as been successful in achieving what you have described as a temple
community which is based on love, care, simplicity and a high spiritual
standard. As ISKCON is expanding more and more, we can see the need for such
models, to provide the level of care each devotee requires.
Instead of demanding from our leaders, who are already spreading themselves
so thin that they are ruining their health, if we all offered them
assistance by extending ourselves in caring for 5 or 10 devotees in our
local community, or taking on some responsibility in our temple, or offering
some financial support, or some training, counseling, using whatever talents
we have in service or to BE the servant who would greet Krishna’s guests in
His temple with genuine love, care and a beautiful smile.
Recently I read a quote from Gandhi which said: "Be in the world what you
want to see in the world."
It’s quite simple but it works, if we treat others with genuine respect,
love and care, they will open their heart to us. And especially, if we look
for a devotee’s unique qualities instead of their shortcomings, we will soon
find ourselves surrounded by exalted, jewel like, vaishnavas and we will
thank the Lord everyday with tears in our eyes and a grateful heart for the
unbelievable great fortune that has been bestowed upon us.
The Association of Krishna’s devotees! It is very rare!!!
Your servant,
Vaishnavi Devi dasi.
# – Prahladananda Swami – 12/5/09; 10:24:11 PM

Date: February 15, 2009
Verse: Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.23.55
Speaker: Prahladananda Swami

Download: SB 03.23.55_ThePurposeIsTheSame_2009-02-15

sango yah samsrter hetur asatsu vihito ‘dhiya
sa eva sadhusu krto nihsangatvaya kalpate

TRANSLATION

Association for sense gratification is certainly the path of bondage. But the same type of association, performed with a saintly person, leads to the path of liberation, even if performed without knowledge.

PURPORT

The association of a saintly person in any way bears the same result. For example, Lord Krsna met many kinds of living entities, and some treated Him as an enemy, and some treated Him as an agent for sense gratification. It is generally said that the gopis were attached to Krsna for sense attractions, and yet they became first-class devotees of the Lord. Kamsa, Sisupala, Dantavakra and other demons, however, were related to Krsna as enemies. But whether they associated with Krsna as enemies or for sense gratification, out of fear or as pure devotees, they all got liberation. That is the result of association with the Lord. Even if one does not understand who He is, the results have the same efficacy. Association with a great saintly person also results in liberation, just as whether one goes toward fire knowingly or unknowingly, the fire will make one warm. Devahuti expressed her gratefulness, for although she wanted to associate with Kardama Muni only for sense gratification, because he was spiritually great she was sure to be liberated by his benediction.

Prahladananda Swami

Here it is explained one of the most basic principles of how to advance in Krishna consciousness namely through association with saintly persons. As we have heard, mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes, tamo-dvaram yositam sangi-sangam (SB 5.5.2) That association of devotees opens the path of liberation. On the other hand, association with non-devotees sends one to the darkest regions of existence.

Now the question is who is a devotee, or is there more than one type of devotee. The general tendency in the western world is to make things simple, either it is black or it is white. And anything in between is too complicated to talk about. But devotional service is not a black or white proposition. It is more like, you put an iron into the fire and the iron gets hotter and hotter and eventually becomes just like fire. So wherever you touch the iron it will act just like fire. Similarly the more we associate with Krishna, the more consistently we’re in consciousness of Krishna and the more our intent is to please him out of love and enthusiasm, then the more one becomes absorbed in that fire of Krishna consciousness.

When Maharaj Vidura came back from his pilgrimage after many, many years away, Maharaja Yudhistir greeted him with the words,

bhavat vida bhagwatas
teertha bhutah swayam bibho
teerthi kurvanti teerthani
swantasthena gadabhrita
(SB 1.13.10)

“My dear Vidura, bhavat vida bhagwatas, that persons just like your good self are verily places of pilgrimage. Indeed wherever you go, you turn that place into a place of pilgrimage because you carry the Supreme Personality of Godhead within your heart.”

Now the question is, who is eligible to carry Krishna within his heart. If that is the qualification to be considered a saintly person and variably a holy place of pilgrimage, then who can carry Krishna within the heart.

According to our philosophy, it is not difficult to carry Krishna in the heart, in one sense. In another sense, obviously there are a few obstacles.

Dhruva Maharaja was able to capture Krishna within his heart within six months. And we may wonder after relatively many years of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, why doesn’t Krishna surrender? Well Krishna is very happy to surrender, but he wants us to follow the process by which there is a reciprocation in surrender, where we surrender to him also rather than his illusory agent called maya, His maidservant, maya.

In the Bhagavad-gita, the process of capturing Krishna within the heart has been explained in a very simple way. It has also been explained in a very elaborate way. In the verse 18.57, Krishna says,

cetasa sarva-karmani mayi
sannyasya mat-parah
buddhi-yogam upasritya
mac-cittah satatam bhava

“In all activities just depend upon Me and work always under My protection. In such devotional service, be fully conscious of Me.”

Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport that one who acts in Krishna consciousness means that one does not act as the master of the world. Here is our first introduction to Krishna consciousness that there is a God and that we are not that God. And we know from Bhagavad-gita who that God is, namely, Krishna. So that means the implications are very deep. It means everything here belongs to Krishna. It is very simple and very difficult under maya to actually appreciate, what to speak of rejecting or working against or making campaigns or having huge educational institutions just to make sure that no one believes that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What to speak of the fact that He owns everything here.

Prabhupada said just like a cashier counts millions of dollars. They may not be his, but still he does his duty and counts the money. And at the end of the day, he is not supposed to claim that he gets a percentage of whatever he counted. Otherwise, it is called illegal, avidhi-purvakam. Similarly, accepting that everything here belongs to Krishna, the next thing is, what does Krishna want us to do with his energy? That may not be so clear.

Sometimes it appears to be very clear to someone. That last night Krishna told to me to go and destroy the Hare Krishna movement. It is very unlikely that, that is true. Why do we say that it is very unlikely? Because there is a process of understanding what Krishna wants us to do through guru, sadhu, and sastra.

And so Prabhupada writes next that someone may say that if Krishna is not personally present, how do we know what to do? So Srila Prabhupada writes that if one acts according to Krishna’s directions in this book Bhagavad-gita as well as under the directions of the representatives of Krishna, then the result will be the same. So it is not the book or the representative. It is the book and the representatives. And if we don’t know what is in the book and we don’t know what the representatives say then we won’t know what to do.

One time I asked Srila Prabhupada that. I said, “Srila Prabhupada if Krishna wants me to do something or if Krishna doesn’t want me to do something, how will I know what Krishna wants me to do?” My rasa with Srila Prabhupada at that time was that every time I’d ask Srila Prabhupada a question, he’d answer with a joke. So Srila Prabhupada looked at me and started to laugh.

He said, “You wont’ know what to do. You’ll do the wrong thing.” Everyone started to laugh. Prabhupada looked at me with the most compassionate look I have ever seen.

In any case there is a process for finding out what Krishna wants us to do. And if we don’t know what to do it is only common sense that very humbly we search,

amanitvam adambhitvam
ahimsa ksantir arjavam
acaryopasanam saucam
sthairyam atma-vinigrahah
(Bg 13.8)

We have to have some humility at the beginning and then there is a progression, freedom, humility and lack of false prestige. Then we humbly search after the answer from the right source, ultimately approaching someone who knows the answer. Then they can give us the answer. Then when we get the answer, then we can work, we can act for Krishna. It may not be very complicated. Obviously Srila Prabhupada has created a program, which is very simple. We don’t have to ask the saintly persons we know whether to go to mangala arati or not. We don’t have to ask them whether we should chant Hare Krishna. We don’t have to ask them about hopefully 95 or 99 percent of our service that we have been given to do. But there may be sometimes a doubt, and then we have to inquire humbly. When the answer is known, then we follow the answer and that is the beginning, to do the right thing. And then we have to do the right thing in the right consciousness.

What is that consciousness? That Krishna has asked me to do this service. It wasn’t some temple commander or whoever else. I don’t’ like them, but they don’t give me prasadam unless I follow their instructions, so what to do, I am surrendered. One has to be conscious that we are actually following Krishna’s representative. And they are asking us, what are they asking us to do, we should do the work to please Krishna, that I have been appointed to discharge this particular duty by Krishna and I am doing it just to please Him. And what will be the result? What is the result we are looking for, more followers, more security, more reputation, and better prasadam? What is the result we are looking for? The result will be that naturally we will think of Krishna. What does Prabhupada say? That is perfect Krishna consciousness. Not that we do something whimsically. That, “My dear Lord I have done this service. It was a mistake. No one else wants to accept the results, so here I offer them to you, you are all merciful, please accept.”

No. That is called acting whimsically. Unless we follow the process given to us by Lord Krishna it is considered whimsical.

How do we know? That order of Krishna is coming down through the disciplic succession from the bona fide spiritual master. And so the bona fide spiritual masters order should be taken as ones prime necessity of life. If one gets a bona fide spiritual master and acts according to his direction then ones success in Krishna consciousness is guaranteed.

So who is I the bona fide spiritual master? Who is a bona fide person to lead? In one sense there is and authority structure that Prabhupada has set up, but that does not mean that one should follow blindly. Blind following is condemned. One should get a clear understanding through submission, service, and inquiry. One should not only hear submissively but one should get a clear understanding through service, submission and inquiring.

So there is a process. We don’t blindly follow out of sentiment and we don’t ask completely useless inquiries that have nothing to do with our advancement in Krishna consciousness. That combination between knowledge and bhakti has to be there so that the result is that we become conscious of Krishna. We become conscious all the time, everything is perfectly arranged by Krishna. It is being arranged to inspire us, educate us to become conscious of Krishna. Maya sometimes slaps us to wake us up and sometimes the devotees sometimes give us the beautiful lotus flower to smell to awaken our Krishna consciousness. In any case the aim of the material energy and the aim of the devotee is the same. To awaken our dormant Krishna consciousness.

All the devotees in the movement are meant to act as instruments in that awakening, whether we have an official post in the movement, whether we are diksha guru or siksa guru or GBC, or temple president, or we are cleaning the toilets, everyone has the same purpose. To act as an instrument for Krishna they help awaken our Krishna consciousness and everyone else’s.

When Srila Prabhupada was asked in 1977, November 2nd, just a few days before his disappearance, some Indian gentleman came into Srila Prabhupada’s room and more or less demanded that Prabhupada explain to them who the next leader of the Hare Krishna movement would be. And he demanded that even the personal associates of Srila Prabhupada, his servants leave the room for the discussion. When the personal servants came back, Prabhupada told them that, “They had asked me who the next leader would be.” Prabhupada said, “I told them that whoever follows the previous leader becomes the next leader.” As purely as one follows the present leader they become the next leader. The leader is not something official. The actual leader is, as much as we capture Krishna within our hearts we become a leader. That is the purpose. There may be many organizational necessities of how we organize ourselves to help make the process as simple as possible to capture Krishna within our hearts. In the verse 18.65,

man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yaji mam namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo ‘si me

Krishna says, “Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.”

And in the purport Prabhupada writes that, well one thing he says, that one should organize his life in such a way that throughout 24 hours a day, one cannot help but think of Krishna and the result is that one is guaranteed that he will go back to Krishna, that Krishna will reveal himself to us. Or in the paribhasya-sutra in the Bhagavad-gita,

janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

Prabhupada writes in the purport, if one simply says one to Lord Krishna, “My dear Lord, you are the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Then one at once becomes liberated and his going back to the spiritual world is guaranteed. Everyone can repeat, “My dear Lord, Krishna, You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” (Audience repeat) Thank you very much!

Obviously there is something in between. In other words, so many time a day we are saying, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

So, we are saying that, “My dear Lord, o the energy of the supreme Lord, o the supreme Lord, engage me in your loving service.” So many times a day we are saying that. So why are we not liberated instantly? Well, in one sense, we are liberated but there are different types of liberation. For example in this verse, Kamsa was liberated by association with Krishna, Sisupala, and so many demons. We want something more than their kind of liberation, merging into Brahman, or getting material opulence. Because in the history of for instance Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa we find that by being killed by the lord their next lifetime was not in Brahman. They got unlimited opulence, unlimited possibilities of sense gratification by association with Krishna. They got liberated from all anxieties how to gratify their senses.

After being killed again by Krishna again they took birth as Sisupala and Dantavakra and again Ravana and Kumbhakarana and they got even more opulence. And finally they got killed and they had knowledge that this is actually God and therefore they actually attained merging into Brahman.

So, by associating with Krishna in some way or another we are all being benefited. But there is the process of chanting the Holy Name of Krishna which is the easiest process so that we can very easily get all the benefit, direct association with all of Krishna’s associates, directly entering directly into the spiritual atmosphere of devotion in loving service.

It begins with chanting clearly. As you have all heard that famous mantra either from me or in other classes or maybe from some devotee you know. The mantra is not ‘snik snik ram ram day day day hay kiri kiri kiri.’ I don’t’ know which sampradaya that comes from but I don’t know anyone giving that mantra within the Iskcon Movement, but somehow it has become very popular.

So the mantra is at least utilizing the tongue and lips and whatever else we have to utilize to chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

So the first step is attentive chanting. Many times the devotees say, “But what about my mind? My mind is here and there going everywhere. What about my mind?” Well, we are not supposed to follow the mind. Nor is the mind the most important element in chanting Hare Krishna. The most important element above the mind is the intelligence.

So we have to use our intelligence how to chant Hare Krishna in such a way as to get the full result. No matter where the mind is going due to our previous association it may have some significance, but ultimately, it is not that important. What is important is that we utilize our intelligence.

We know the instructions how to chant nicely so we try to concentrate on properly utilizing our tongue, our lips, our teeth so that we chant very clearly. And then we listen to it how are we actually chanting, “Am I chanting the names or after some mantras, are we thinking, it didn’t work. I chanted so nicely, so clearly, Krishna doesn’t appreciate. He hasn’t revealed Himself before me. It has been at least five minutes, I’m getting bored.” We have to go beyond that. We have to chant, listen to our chanting, and then try to improve the quality, calling out to Srimati Radharani and Krishna. We have to believe that they exist that they are actually hearing us when we are chanting. They are not indifferent to us. They are not simply a mythology. We have to forget about all these doubts and call out to Them sincerely. That is important. We have to be aware why we are so sincerely chanting for Them. What are we asking Them for?

When Srila Prabhupada was traveling in India one time, he was in one train car and some Indian gentlemen wanted to get his darshan. But Prabhupada’s servants did not want Prabhupada to be disturbed so they were trying to make sure that these Indian gentlemen did not get into the car. Somehow or other they captured Prabhupada’s attention, they captured his eye and Srila Prabhupada was more or less, due to the etiquette of life willing to let tem come in. They came in and Prabhupada said, “Yes, what can I do for you?”

They said, “Swamiji, swamiji we have your darshan it is so wonderful, please give us your blessings, asirvada?” So Prabhupada said, “Yes, very nice. What blessings do you want?” Generally people come to the sadhu and ask the sadhu for his blessings and the sadhu raises his hands, waves it a few times in blessing. Fire or sparks emanate from the hands! So Prabhupada asked them, they were quite surprised that the sadhu was going to ask what kind of blessings they were expecting. So one of them said, ” Swamiji I have a daughter the dowry is every expensive, I can’t afford the dowry, Please give me your blessings.” Another said, “I have this wart on my foot. I have gone to so many doctors it has not worked. I need your blessing.” Prabhupada looked at them and said, “Well,” and then Prabhupada pointed to his sannyasi disciples in saffron cloth and said, “This is my blessing.” And they said, “Oh, Swamiji, you look very tired. It is getting very late I think we will come back tomorrow to get your blessings.”

What to speak if we become conscious of Krishna, what to speak of being a sannyasi, renounced to the material world. We will have to renounce everything even our false ego. The sannyasis can renounce the material world merge in Brahman and become god there but when we become Krishna conscious then we become, from here we come all the way down. Really tiny! How big am I? 1/10,000 the size of the tip of a hair in size! I didn’t join the Hare Krishna movement to find that out! Please anything but that! I knew I was supposed to be humble but that’s too much!

We have to accept that, that we actually are insignificant, that how can we become humble? Just find out who we are, just find out how wonderful Krishna is, just find out how wonderful Krishna’s devotees are and automatically we’ll become humble and we’ll be very happy to become humble. So we have to be prepared to do that. If we actually chant Hare Krishna, calling out to Srimati Radharani, or Radha and Krishna to engage us in Their loving devotional service then we will do it happily. Then I don’t have to worry about my prestige, I don’t have to worry about my schedule, I don’t have to worry about anything. I just have to worry about the fact that I want to be engaged in loving service and therefore You will appear within my heart and I’ll become fully Krishna consciousness and then I’ll be able to help others, I will know the science of how to help them become Krishna conscious and solve all their problems also.

naivodvije para duratyaya-vaitaranyas
tvad-virya-gayana-mahamrta-magna-cittah
soce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyartha-
maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan
(SB 7.9.43)

Prahlada Maharaja, he said, “I will give you any benediction”… Lord Nrsimhadev. So Prahlad Maharaj said, “Please come back tomorrow I’ll consult my friends and see what I need.” He said, “I don’t need any benediction. Why? Whenever I chant Your glories I immediately merge into an ocean of happinessand I am completely satisfied. Happiness beyond anything I could have imagined. Every time I chant it becomes more, and more wonderful beyond any conception I had previously. So I am always in awe and wonder, anxious for the next moment to find out how much more wonderful You are and realize how wonderful all Your devotees and energies are.” Srila Prabhupada said Lord Nrsimhadev could have said so Prahlad Maharaj, You look a little despondent Prahlad.” So Prahlad Maharaj said, “Yes I am lamenting for those vimuddhas, not asses but vimuddha super-asses, who are spoiling their lives day and night for sense gratification without any idea of what love of God is. Therefore I am working to make them become Krishna conscious, to help them become Krishna conscious.”

So Prabhupada writes here, Even if we have no knowledge if we act according to the previous acaryas, we act according to Prabhupada’s instructions, the most perfect instructions and even as they come down through Prabhupada’s representatives who are actually repeating and serving and following Prabhupada. If we do that even if we are not in knowledge we’ll be able to help others. And if we gain this knowledge, we actually become Krishna conscious, just like Srila Prabhupada was so Krishna conscious.

I remember one day, and I always try to remember that day, in Boston in 1969, I had come from Buffalo, New york with some of the devotees and we were waiting in the Boston temple for Srila Prabhupada to come. I had seen Prabhupada before and Prabhupada was walking up the stairs to the second floor, first time he was there also, I remember Lord Caitanya, the picture is still there in the Boston temple. Suddenly Lord Caitanya in the picture had become effulgent, I did not see Prabhupada but I saw that the picture had become effulgent and then Prabhupada walked up the stairs and the whole room turned into Vaikuntha. That was not only my impression but also everyone that was there that I asked they had the same experience. For the first time in this lifetime I could remember I had no anxiety whatsoever.

Everything was wonderful. Prabhupada sat down in the chair and he looked at me and I could see as many other devotees could see that Prabhupada not only saw my body and mind and intelligence, he could actually see me whoever I am. And then for the next half an hour that Prabhupada was in the temple room it was Vaikuntha, Prabhupada related the stories and unfortunately they were not recorded, of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Maharaj. And every story I was feeling like I was actually there and the Prabhupada left. He went downstairs and I came back to were I normally am.

So what does that mean, it means who can understand Prabhupada, who can actually understand the dept of his meditation on Krishna on his spiritual master and his instructions, who can actually understand! I have no idea where Prabhupada was actually situated or where he is situated now, all I can understand is that to follow his instructions is the only way I am going to have any chance to understand. And for those who are following his instructions better than I am, who are situated in Krishna consciousness then only by following their instructions am I going to understand. And even if somebody is not better situated but if they are repeating his instructions and they are doing it as sincerely as possible then if I try to understand what they are saying and follow Prabhupada’s instructions then I’ll make progress also. In any case it is not so difficult. Prabhupada has shown by his example, he has given us many instructions and he said that, “If you cannot do better, then at least maintain what I have given you.”

So as we have seen that is not so easy but our process is not so difficult. We have to follow Prabhupada’s process, become ecstatic in Krishna consciousness and then we will become enlivened and we will have the understanding more and more and more how to fulfill Prabhupada’s desire, how to fulfill the desires of the previous acaryas and become a better and better instrument and make our lives successful and help others make their lives successful too.

Thank you very much. [Applause] Any comments or questions? OK.

Visuddha Sattva Das: Thank you very much Maharaj. You made a very good point. My question is focusing on that verse which says that association with saintly person is very important. Sadhu sanga So sometimes we have difficulties in Krishna consciousness or devotional service and because we are not in the paramahamsa stage were we can have direction in the heart of Krishna as Caityaguru so how will we know what is the right source if they are not available amidst devotees. What is the best process to know what Krishna wants us to do in these critical moments?

Prahladananda Swami: Well we have an advanced devotee. Prabhupada’s instructions are always there and if we imbibe those instructions, we assimilate them Krishna within the heart, as Supersoul will remind us what the appropriate instructions are coming from Prabhupada. And when we serve those instructions and we take also council from the present representatives of Prabhupada, the present devotees within the Iskcon movement, the ones we have faith in, and assimilate those instructions and when it is clear exactly what Krishna wants us to do then we do it the result will be that we will actually become Krishna conscious. Krishna will reveal Himself to us.

We will get the result we are looking for, Krishna consciousness. So in other words guru, sadhu and sastra are very much present in our society. We have to learn how to take advantage of them.

Ekalavya Das: Thank you for you class Maharaj. Sometimes we are in danger if acting whimsically as you mentioned in your class especially if we think we can prematurely take guidance from Caityaguru without consulting others. Under which circumstances are we in danger to act whimsically. Could you give some examples?

Prahladananda Swami: As soon as we think we can act independently. Srila Prabhupada said that anyone who thinks he can act independently without consultation of other devotees what to speak of a spiritual master, the one who is better than we are, who is absorbed in Krishna consciousness the he at once becomes fallen, CC Adi lila – Chapter one. So as soon as we think that we can act without consultation of others, we are independent, unless we are directly hearing it from Krishna then we once become endangered. Krishna says,

mac-cittah sarva-durgani
mat-prasadat tarisyasi
atha cet tvam ahankaran
na srosyasi vinanksyasi

If you do not act according to My direction, mac-cittah sarva-durgani, if you become absorbed in following my direction then you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. If however you act without hearing from Me or My representatives then you will be lost.

So as soon as we neglect the devotees and think, “I really don’t care about the pujaris, they are all in maya. I don’t care about my Guru he doesn’t understand me. I don’t care about Prabhupada’s books, they are too hard to understand, they are full of contradictions. I don’t care about anything. I am just with Krishna, then one will find out that maya can appear in many ways. She can appear apparently as Caityaguru also and tell you, ‘Hi, this is Krishna talking to you. You remember me right? Just follow me everything will be all right. Don’t listen to these other people they are in maya, only you are out of maya. You can hear me directly.

Jahnudvipa Das: So in the mode of passion there is doubt. You don’t know what to do or what not to do. But in the mode of ignorance there is no doubt you are completely convinced of the wrong thing. So what you do in that situation?

Prahladananda Swami: We act in the mode of goodness by hearing from authorities. We ourselves may be situated in the lower modes but if we know that and we take shelter and strictly follow the instructions as best as we can then the result is that Krishna will help us within. He’ll give us the understanding how to do our service better and better and better. He will reveal Himself when we humble serve the previous acaryas. Yes.

Ramacandra Kaviraja Das: Hare Krishna Maharaj. In the verse it says that when one associates with materialists then he becomes despondent. An example of that would be watching movies or playing frivolous sports like that and then it says in the verse that by the same type of association with saintly persons one gains liberation.

Prahladananda Swami: You mean if you play tennis with a saintly person you will get liberation? It hasn’t work for me. If we associate with a devotee through service, then we get liberation. If we associate with maya and serve maya then we will get bondage. So we have a tendency to serve this body and things in relation to the body but that binds us but if instead or serving the body we utilize the body in Krishna’s service, utilize the body in the service of Krishna’s representatives then we become liberated. But that means the service must be authorized and there are the nine processes of devotional service. Prabhupada writes, sravanam, kitanam, visnu smaranam pada sevanam and these are the nine authorized activities. Anything besides this in Nectar of Instruction is considered to be a fall down. So we serve the saintly persons by following these nine processes.

Grantharaja Srimad-Bhagavatam ki jay! Srila Prabhupada ki jay!

Gaura-premanande, hari haribol!

To All Vaishnavas,
         On 18th March,2008,Sri Maheshbhai Dhokia ,congregation member from
London called me and told me that His wife,Srimati Jayshree Dhokia is
suffering from acute uterine cancer and she is being flown to Frankfurt for
the last time.Maheshbhai asked me if the devotees in mayapur could do some
prayers for his wife. Doctors in London had given up the hope and claimed
that she may not last more then 3 months as the cancer had spread to most
parts of lower body that is Abdominal and pelvic area..
        The following morning,I humbly requested HG Pankajanghri prabhu and
explained him the whole situation.We were both in the pujari room near Radha
Madhav Altar.I was dressing mahaprabhu at that time of the year and HG
Pankajanghri prabhu was making his final preparations for all the abhisekha
of Lord Nrisimadeva.HG Pankajaghri prabhu asked what is the name of the
mataji.I just gave the name of the mataji writing on the piece of paper.
       Now in Germany,just during the same time the operation was going on
to save Srimati Jayshree mataji.After she gained her consciousness she told
her husband that she dream’t of lord Nrisimhadev of Mayapur.Bhakta Pralad
maharaj was there  to tell her the glories of lord Nrisimhadev.She also told
her husband that she completely feels like a new person and something evil
has left her body.
      Now back in London,She was taken back to Doctors for a check up.During
the PET Scan,The Radiologist were shocked to discover that there was no sign
of cancer at all.They called up the hospital in Germany to confirm about the
the medical details of the patient.The German surgeons, who operated on her
could not believe what they were just hearing from the radiologist in
London.The German Surgeons were shocked to hear that there was no sign of
cancer at all.The German research medical unit is now deeply studying the
entire case.Now little do these Doctors know, that there is somebody by the
name of Lord Nrimimhadeva,Who protect his devotees.
     While both HG Maheshbhai and his good wife Srimati Jayshree came back
to Mayapur to really have a close darshan of Lord Nrisimhadeva and come to
their senses and understand  as to just what had happen .
    Srimati Jayshreeben just cried and cried in front of lord Nrishmdeva.HG
Jananivas prabhu summed up the whole transcendental episode,While blessing
both the couples,HG Jananivas prabhu said " Lord Nrisimhadeva performs
operation with his transcendendal nails and the devotees just feel
blissful".
    Jayshreeben now chants 16  good rounds and with this new Krishna
Consiousness life,She thanks all the devotees of ISKCON and she feels very
proud to join the real spritual family of Srila Prabhupada.She vows to come
to Mayapur every year and be near Lord Nrisimhadeva.
     She also thanks Both HG Jananivas prabhu and HG Pankajanghri prabhu for
having saved her life through powerful prayers to Lord Nrisimdeva .
           ALL GLORIES TO LORD NRISIMHADEVA !!!!!!!!!!!
Ys
Nandkishore das # – Prahladananda Swami – 28/12/08; 6:17:12 PM

Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 15, Text 40 given on Thanksgiving day, Unconcerned or Trance

atmanam ced vijaniyat
param jnana-dhutasayah
kim icchan kasya va hetor
deham pushnati lampatah

TRANSLATION
The human form of body is meant for understanding the self and the Supreme Self, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, both of whom are transcendentally situated. If both of them can be understood when one is purified by advanced knowledge, for what reason and for whom does a foolish, greedy person maintain the body for sense gratification?
PURPORT
Of course, everyone in this material world is interested in maintaining the body for sense gratification, but by cultivating knowledge one should gradually understand that the body is not the self. Both the soul and the Supersoul are transcendental to the material world. This is to be understood in the human form of life, especially when one takes sannyasa. A sannyasi, one who has understood the self, should be engaged in elevating the self and associating with the Superself. Our Krishna consciousness movement is meant for elevating the living being for promotion back home, back to Godhead. Seeking such elevation is one’s duty in the human form of life. Unless one performs this duty, why should one maintain the body? Especially if a sannyasi not only maintains the body by ordinary means but does everything to maintain the body, including even eating meat and other abominable things, he must be a lampatah, a greedy person simply engaged in sense gratification. A sannyasi must specifically remove himself from the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals, which disturb one as long as one is not fully aware that the body is separate from the soul.

Dallas, TX
2007-11-27

Download: SB 07.15.40 Thanksgiving Day. Unconcerned Or Trance 2008-11-27

Lecture “With Rust Or Lust Cannot Be Attracted” on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 15, Texts 38 and 39.

grihasthasya kriya-tyago
vrata-tyago vatorapi
tapasvino grama-seva
bhikshor indriya-lolata
asramapasada hy ete
khalv asrama-vidambanah
deva-maya-vimudhams tan
upekshetanukampaya
TRANSLATION
It is abominable for a person living in the grihastha-asrama to give up the regulative principles, for a brahmacari not to follow the brahmacari vows while living under the care of the guru, for a vanaprastha to live in the village and engage in so-called social activities, or for a sannyasi to be addicted to sense gratification. One who acts in this way is to be considered the lowest renegade. Such a pretender is bewildered by the external energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one should either reject him from any position, or taking compassion upon him, teach him, if possible, to resume his original position.
PURPORT
We have repeatedly stressed that human culture does not begin unless one takes to the principles of varnasrama-dharma. Although grihastha life is a concession for the enjoyment of sex, one cannot enjoy sex without following the rules and regulations of householder life. Furthermore, as already instructed, a brahmacari must live under the care of the guru: brahmacari guru-kule vasan danto guror hitam [SB 7.12.1]. If a brahmacari does not live under the care of the guru, if a vanaprastha engages in ordinary activities, or if a sannyasi is greedy and eats meat, eggs and all kinds of nonsense for the satisfaction of his tongue, he is a cheater and should immediately be rejected as unimportant. Such persons should be shown compassion, and if one has sufficient strength one should teach them to stop them from following the wrong path in life. Otherwise one should reject them and pay them no attention.

Dallas, TX
2008-11-26

Download: SB 07.15.38-39 With Rust Or Lust Cannot Be Attracted 2008-11-26

Lecture by Prahladananda Swami on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 13, Text 37.

yaih sva-dehah smrito ‘natma
martyo vit-krimi-bhasmavat
ta enam atmasat kritva
slaghayanti hy asattamah

TRANSLATION
Sannyasis who first consider that the body is subject to death, when it will be transformed into stool, worms or ashes, but who again give importance to the body and glorify it as the self, are to be considered the greatest rascals.
PURPORT
A sannyasi is one who has clearly understood, through advancement in knowledge, that Brahman — he, the person himself — is the soul, not the body. One who has this understanding may take sannyasa, for he is situated in the “aham brahmasmi” position. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kankshati [Bg. 18.54]. Such a person, who no longer laments or hankers to maintain his body and who can accept all living entities as spirit souls, can then enter the devotional service of the Lord. If one does not enter the devotional service of the Lord but artificially considers himself Brahman or Narayana, not perfectly understanding that the soul and body are different, one certainly falls down (patanty adhah). Such a person again gives importance to the body. There are many sannyasis in India who stress the importance of the body. Some of them give special importance to the body of the poor man, accepting him as daridra-narayana, as if Narayana had a material body. Many other sannyasis stress the importance of the social position of the body as a brahmana, kshatriya, vaisya or sudra. Such sannyasis are considered the greatest rascals (asattamah). They are shameless because they have not yet understood the difference between the body and the soul and instead have accepted the body of a brahmana to be a brahmana. Brahmanism (brahmanya) consists of the knowledge of Brahman. But actually the body of a brahmana is not Brahman. Similarly, the body is neither rich nor poor. If the body of a poor man were daridra-narayana, this would mean that the body of a rich man, on the contrary, must be dhani-narayana. Therefore sannyasis who do not know the meaning of Narayana, those who regard the body as Brahman or as Narayana, are described here as asattamah, the most abominable rascals. Following the bodily concept of life, such sannyasis make various programs to serve the body. They conduct farcical missions consisting of so-called religious activities meant to mislead all of human society. These sannyasis have been described herein as apatrapah and asattamah — shameless and fallen from spiritual life.

Dallas, TX
2008-11-25

Download: SB 07.15.37 Whether Illusioned Or Enlightened We Are Dependent 2008-11-25

Lecture by Prahladananda Swami on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 15, Text 36.

yah pravrajya grihat purvam
tri-vargavapanat punah
yadi seveta tan bhikshuh
sa vai vantasy apatrapah

TRANSLATION
One who accepts the sannyasa order gives up the three principles of materialistic activities in which one indulges in the field of household life — namely religion, economic development and sense gratification. One who first accepts sannyasa but then returns to such materialistic activities is to be called a vantasi, or one who eats his own vomit. He is indeed a shameless person.
PURPORT
Materialistic activities are regulated by the institution of varnasrama-dharma. Without varnasrama-dharma, materialistic activities constitute animal life. Yet even in human life, while observing the principles of varna and asrama — brahmana, kshatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacarya, grihastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa — one must ultimately accept sannyasa, the renounced order, for only by the renounced order can one be situated in brahma-sukha, or transcendental bliss. In brahma-sukha one is no longer attracted by lusty desires. Indeed, when one is no longer disturbed, especially by lusty desires for sexual indulgence, he is fit to become a sannyasi. Otherwise, one should not accept the sannyasa order. If one accepts sannyasa at an immature stage, there is every possibility of his being attracted by women and lusty desires and thus again becoming a so-called grihastha or a victim of women. Such a person is most shameless, and he is called vantasi, or one who eats that which he has already vomited. He certainly leads a condemned life. In our Krishna consciousness movement it is advised, therefore, that the sannyasis and brahmacaris keep strictly aloof from the association of women so that there will be no chance of their falling down again as victims of lusty desires.

Dallas, TX
2008-11-24

Download: SB 07.15.36 Three Stages Of Happiness 2008-11-24

Lecture by Prahladananda Swami on Srimad Bhagavatam.  Canto 7, Chapter 15, Text 35.

kamadibhir anaviddham
prasantakhila-vritti yat
cittam brahma-sukha-sprishtam
naivottishtheta karhicit

TRANSLATION
When one’s consciousness is uncontaminated by material lusty desires, it becomes calm and peaceful in all activities, for one is situated in eternal blissful life. Once situated on that platform, one does not return to materialistic activities.
PURPORT
Brahma-sukha-sprishtam is also described in Bhagavad-gita (18.54):
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kankshati
samah sarveshu bhuteshu
mad-bhaktim labhate param

“One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed toward every living entity. In this situation, he begins transcendental activities, or devotional service to the Lord.” Generally, once elevated to the transcendental platform of brahma-sukha, transcendental bliss, one never comes down. But if one does not engage in devotional service, there is a chance of his returning to the material platform. Aruhya kricchrena param padam tatah patanty adho ‘nadrita-yushmad-anghrayah: [SB 10.2.32] one may rise to the platform of brahma-sukha, transcendental bliss, but even from that platform one may fall down to the material platform if he does not engage himself in devotional service.

Dallas, TX
2008-11-22

Download: SB 07.15.35 Don’t Stay On The Theoretical Platform 2008-11-22

Lecture by Prahladananda Swami at the home of Rupa and Gopi on Srimad Bhagavatam, Chapter 15, Text 14 on the Three Modes of Nature.

Chapter 14: The Three Modes Of Material Nature
Text 19

nanyam gunebhyah kartaram
yada drashtanupasyati
gunebhyas ca param vetti
mad-bhavam so ‘dhigacchati

TRANSLATION
When one properly sees that in all activities no other performer is at work than these modes of nature and he knows the Supreme Lord, who is transcendental to all these modes, he attains My spiritual nature.
PURPORT
One can transcend all the activities of the modes of material nature simply by understanding them properly by learning from the proper souls. The real spiritual master is Krishna, and He is imparting this spiritual knowledge to Arjuna. Similarly, it is from those who are fully in Krishna consciousness that one has to learn this science of activities in terms of the modes of nature. Otherwise, one’s life will be misdirected. By the instruction of a bona fide spiritual master, a living entity can know of his spiritual position, his material body, his senses, how he is entrapped, and how he is under the spell of the material modes of nature. He is helpless, being in the grip of these modes, but when he can see his real position, then he can attain to the transcendental platform, having the scope for spiritual life. Actually, the living entity is not the performer of different activities. He is forced to act because he is situated in a particular type of body, conducted by some particular mode of material nature. Unless one has the help of spiritual authority, he cannot understand in what position he is actually situated. With the association of a bona fide spiritual master, he can see his real position, and by such an understanding he can become fixed in full Krishna consciousness. A man in Krishna consciousness is not controlled by the spell of the material modes of nature. It has already been stated in the Seventh Chapter that one who has surrendered to Krishna is relieved from the activities of material nature. For one who is able to see things as they are, the influence of material nature gradually ceases.

Dallas, TX
2008-11-21

Download: BG 14.19 No House Loan Need, Just Wake Up 2008-11-21

Gopi and I (Rupa of Rupa.com) hosted a home program at our house with Prahladananda Swami.  This some of the Hare Krishna Bhajan he sang prior to the lecture.

Dallas, TX
2008-11-21

Download: 2008-11-21 – Prahladananda Swami – Bhajan.mp3

Lecture given on Srimad Bhagavatam, Canto 7, Chapter 15, Text 34,  ”Counterfeit Advancement”

TRANSLATION
When the yogi regularly practices in this way, in a short time his heart becomes fixed and free from disturbance, like a fire without flames or smoke.
PURPORT
Nirvana means the cessation of all material desires. Sometimes desirelessness is understood to imply an end to the workings of the mind, but this is not possible. The living entity has senses, and if the senses stopped working, the living entity would no longer be a living entity; he would be exactly like stone or wood. This is not possible. Because he is living, he is nitya and cetana — eternally sentient. For those who are not very advanced, the practice of yoga is recommended in order to stop the mind from being agitated by material desires, but if one fixes his mind on the lotus feet of Krishna, his mind naturally becomes peaceful very soon. This peace is described in Bhagavad-gita (5.29):
bhoktaram yajna-tapasam
sarva-loka-mahesvaram
suhridam sarva-bhutanam
jnatva mam santim ricchati
If one can understand Krishna as the supreme enjoyer, the supreme proprietor of everything, and the supreme friend of everyone, one is established in peace and is free from material agitation. However, for one who cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the practice of yoga is recommended.

Dallas, TX
2008-11-21

Download: SB 07.15.34 Counterfeit Advancement 2008-11-21

BBC NEWS
Hygiene horror in commuter study
More than one in four commuters have bacteria which come from faeces on
their hands, an investigation finds.
Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine swabbed
409 people at bus and train stations in five major cities around the UK.
The further north they went, the more often they found commuters with faecal
bacteria on their hands – men in Newcastle were the worst offenders.
Experts stressed the importance of hand hygiene for preventing illness.
The bacteria found suggested people were not washing their hands properly
after using the toilet, said the researchers.
Toilet hands
In Newcastle and Liverpool, men were more likely than women to show
contamination – 53% of men compared to 30% of women in Newcastle and 36% of
men compared to 31% of women in Liverpool.
    We were flabbergasted by the finding that so many people had faecal
bugs on their hands
Dr Val Curtis, director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
In the other three cities – London, Cardiff and Birmingham – the women’s
hands were dirtier.
People who had used the bus had higher rates of hand contamination than
those who had used the train.
Manual workers had cleaner hands than other professionals, students, retired
people or the unemployed.
Dr Val Curtis, director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "We were flabbergasted by the finding
that so many people had faecal bugs on their hands.
"The figures were far higher than we had anticipated, and suggest that there
is a real problem with people washing their hands in the UK.
DIRTY HANDS
Newcastle – men 53%, women 30%
Liverpool – men 36%, women 31%
Birmingham – men 21%, women 26%
Cardiff – men 15%, women 29%
Euston (London) – men 6%, women 21%
"If any of these people had been suffering from a diarrhoeal disease, the
potential for it to be passed around would be greatly increased by their
failure to wash their hands after going to the toilet."
Professor Mike Catchpole, director of the Health Protection Agency’s Centre
for Infections, said: "These results are startling and should be enough to
make anyone reach for the soap.
"It is well known that hand washing is one of the most important ways of
controlling the spread of infections, especially those that cause diarrhoea
and vomiting, colds and flu.
"People should always wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating
or handling food, and after handling animals. And remember to cover all cuts
and scratches with a waterproof dressing."
Winter vomiting
The HPA’s monitoring of infections over recent weeks suggests that cases of
norovirus – the winter vomiting bug – are rising and that the annual
norovirus season is likely to have begun.
Norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal disease in the UK
with peak activity in terms of numbers of cases and outbreaks during the
winter months, from October to March.
It has been estimated that between 600,000 and a million people in the UK
are affected each year.
Professor Catchpole said: "Norovirus is highly infectious and easily spread
in settings where people are in close contact with one another so good
hygiene, including frequent handwashing, is really important."
The study was part of the world’s first Global Handwashing Day, dedicated to
raising awareness about the importance hand hygiene plays in public health.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7667499.stm # – Prahladananda Swami – 16/10/08

Are you one of those individuals who works through the night? Do you spend
too much time hooked to the computer or the television till the wee hours,
compromising on your sleep?
Beware — apart from leaving you red-eyed, weary and dozing off in the
middle of an office meeting, lack of adequate sleep can also result in heart
disease, obesity, diabetes and other stress-related disorders.
"As our lives get busier and we try to cram more and more activities into
our already-packed schedules, we sacrifice our sleeping hours," says
consulting dietician Priti Apte.
The amount of necessary sleep varies from person to person, with some
breezing through their days on just a few hours’ slumber and others needing
10 hours of sound rest. "If you feel fresh after five hours of sleep and
complete your tasks with ease throughout the day, five hours is enough for
you,’ she explains. "But most people need around seven to nine hours of
sleep and it’s necessary that the person meet this quota for a healthy
life."
"Regular sleep keeps the mind alert and the body healthy, so that one can
complete one’s daily tasks. It also ensures proper distribution and
digestion of all nutrients in the body," says Priti.
Apart from the fact that lack of sleep has a dire effect on general
wellbeing and health, creativity and mental alertness, people who are unable
to sleep properly at night tend to be weary most of the time and lack the
ability to concentrate.
Housewife Kunika Malhotra, 32, complains that she has problems coping with
minor hassles, gets irritated easily and cannot tolerate noise. Kunika has
been trying to juggle her husband’s late working hours and her children’s
early morning school preparations for some time now and can barely squeeze
in five hours of sleep every night.
"I always think that I will catch up on my sleep over the weekend, but that
has never happened," she says.
According to general practitioner Dr Manoj Bhise, this is not the solution.
He explains, "What one needs is regular, consistent sleep — over-sleeping
once in a while to reduce the backlog won’t help."
Apart from psychological effects, lack of sleep also has an adverse effect
on one’s physical health. Dr Bhise informs us that a sleep deficit may put
the body into a state of high alert, increasing the production of stress
hormones and driving up blood pressure, a major risk factor behind heart
attacks and strokes.
The newest study on obesity, conducted by Columbia University, is the latest
to find that adults who sleep the least appear to be the most likely to gain
weight and to become obese. Says Priti, "Researchers have found that even
mild sleep deprivation quickly disrupts normal levels of the
recently-discovered hormones ghrelin and leptin, which regulate appetite.
Adds Dr Bhise, "Patients who do not get their daily dose of sleep also
complain about aching muscles and hand tremors, apart from drowsiness during
the daytime."
Other health problems brought on by sleep-deprivation include, dizziness,
hypertension, memory loss, nausea, fatigue, dramatic weight loss or gain.
Erratic sleep schedules also throw the digestive system for a toss, often
leading to constipation.
Says software engineer Mandar Bhave, "I have a US-based client and I was
working through the night most of the week. As a result, I started suffering
bouts of severe headaches and then one day I just collapsed in the office
due to heartburn. The doctors also diagnosed the formation of an ulcer in my
stomach. My body clock was all erratic thanks to irregular, inconsistent
rest. The first thing my doctor advised was to get eight hours of regular
sleep."
Though most of us know well enough that our bodies need sleep to rest and
recuperate, we continue to reduce our rest time so that we can squeeze in
the increasing demands of our lifestyle.
It’s about time we started listening to our bodies and turning in for a good
night’s sleep everyday. # – Prahladananda Swami – 22/9/08

Vyasa puja HH Prahladananda Swami 2008 in Radhadesh  –posted August 20, 2008

A prominent cancer researcher’s warning to limit cell phone use has
rekindled anew the longstanding question over mobile-phone health risks.
The media is abuzz with news of the memo from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman,
director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He sent it to
faculty and staff Wednesday, saying, among other things, that children
should use cell phones only for emergencies, since their developing organs
are the most likely to be sensitive to possible effects of exposure to
electromagnetic fields. Dr. Ronald B. Herberman
In his 10-point advisory (see below), Herberman also urges adults to keep
phones away from their heads and use speakerphones or wireless headsets.
He suggests that people try to avoid constantly carrying their cell phones
on their bodies and also try not to keep the devices nearby at night under
the pillow or on a nightstand. He even warns against using cell phones in
public places like buses because it exposes others to the phone’s
electromagnetic fields.
Herberman notes that the precautions have been reviewed by UPCI experts in
neuro-oncology, epidemiology, and neurosurgery, as well as the Center for
Environmental Oncology.
The tumor immunologist’s words are grabbing widespread attention both
because of his professional position and because they contradict numerous
studies that don’t find a link between cancer and cell phone use.
Herberman said his warning was based on early findings from unpublished
data.
"Recently, I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking
long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including
cancer," he says. "Although the evidence is still controversial, I am
convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to
share some precautionary advice on cell phone use."
For anyone concerned about possible health repercussions of cell phone
use, many of Herberman’s suggestions are easy enough to implement and
minimally disruptive at most. Still, the topic can prove daunting to
consumers.
Read the New York Times article.
Practical Advice to Limit Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted
from Cell Phones
01 Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies. The
developing organs of a fetus or child are the most likely to be sensitive
to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.
02.While communicating using your cell phone, try to keep the cell phone
away from the body as much as possible. The amplitude of the
electromagnetic field is one fourth the strength at a distance of two
inches and fifty times lower at three feet.
03.Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode or a wireless Bluetooth
headset, which has less than 1/100th of the electromagnetic emission of a
normal cell phone. Use of a hands-free ear piece attachment may also
reduce exposures.
04.Avoid using your cell phone in places, like a bus, where you can
passively expose others to your phone’s electromagnetic fields.
05.Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body at all times. Do not keep it
near your body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table,
particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on "flight" or "off-line"
mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions.
06.If you must carry your cell phone on you, make sure that the keypad is
positioned toward your body and the back is positioned toward the outside
so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from your rather
than through you.
07.Only use your cell phone to establish contact or for conversations
lasting a few minutes, as the biological effects are directly related to
the duration of exposure. For longer conversations, use a land line with a
corded phone, not a cordless phone, which uses electromagnetic emitting
technology similar to that of cell phones.
08.Switch sides regularly while communicating on your cell phone to spread
out your exposure. Before putting your cell phone to the ear, wait until
your correspondent has picked up. This limits the power of the
electromagnetic field emitted near your ear and the duration of your
exposure.
09.Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak or when moving at
high speed, such as in a car or train, as this automatically increases
power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new
relay antenna.
10.When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call,
limiting the duration of exposure and the proximity to the body.
11.Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = Specific Absorption
Rate, which is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by
the body). SAR ratings of contemporary phones by different manufacturers
are available by searching for "sar ratings cell phones" on the internet.
# – Prahladananda Swami – 10/8/08

The reason garlic is so toxic: the sulphone hydroxyl ion penetrates the blood-brain barrier, just like DMSO, and is a specific poison for higher life-forms and brain cells. We discovered this, much to our horror, when I (Bob Beck, DSc) was the world’s largest manufacturer of ethical EEG feedback equipment. We’d have people come back from lunch that looked clinically dead on an encephalograph, which we used to calibrate their progress. “Well, what happened?” “Well, I went to an Italian restaurant and there was some garlic in my salad dressing!” So we had ’em sign things that they wouldn’t touch garlic before classes or we were wasting their time, their money and my time.
I guess some of you who are pilots or have been in flight tests… I was in flight test engineering in Doc Hallan’s group in the 1950’s. The flight surgeon would come around every month and remind all of us: “Don’t you dare touch any garlic 72 hours before you fly one of our airplanes, because it’ll double or triple your reaction time. You’re three times slower than you would be if you’d not had a few drops of garlic.”
Well, we didn’t know why for 20 years later, until I owned the Alpha-Metrics Corporation. We were building biofeedback equipment and found out that garlic usually desynchronizes your brain waves.
So I funded a study at Stanford and, sure enough, they found that it’s a poison. You can rub a clove of garlic on your foot, and you can smell it shortly later on your wrists. So it penetrates the body. This is why DMSO smells a lot like garlic: that sulphone hydroxyl ion penetrates all the barriers, including the corpus callosum in the brain. Any of you who are organic gardeners know that if you don’t want to use DDT, garlic will kill anything in the way of insects.
Now, most people have heard most of their lives that garlic is good for you, and we put those people in the same class of ignorance as the mothers who at the turn of the century would buy morphine sulphate in the drugstore and give it to their babies to put ’em to sleep.
If you have any patients who have low-grade headaches or attention deficit disorder, they can’t quite focus on the computer in the afternoon, just do an experiment – you owe it to yourselves.
Take these people off garlic and see how much better they get, very very shortly. And then let them eat a little garlic after about three weeks. They’ll say, “My God, I had no idea that this was the cause of our problems.” And this includes the de-skunked garlics, Kyolic, some of the other products.
Very unpopular, but I’ve got to tell you the truth.
From Nexus Magazine Feb/Mar 2001.
Source: From a lecture by Dr. Robert C. Beck, DSc, given at the Whole Life Expo, Seattle, WA, USA, in March 1996.
# – Prahladananda Swami – 3/7/08

–posted June 29, 2008

–posted June 29, 2008

Vyasapuja Prahladananda Swami 2008 en Chosica, Lima Peru  — posted June 10, 2008