last updated 15th February 2008

Kazakhstani online petition

Kazakhstani online petition

By Radha Mohan Dasa

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

http://harekrishna.epetitions.net

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

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

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

ys Radha Mohan das

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev criticized foreign missionaries on Thursday as a threat to national stability and urged lawmakers to curb their activities.

The mainly Muslim country has positioned itself as an area of stability in the potentially volatile Central Asian region. But some rights groups have criticized its treatment of small groups such as Hare Krishna.

Speaking at a congress of the Nur-Otan party, which holds all seats in the lower house of the parliament, Nazarbayev said foreign missionaries posed a threat to secularity.

"We are a secular state where religion is separated from the state, but this does not mean Kazakhstan should become a dumping ground for all kinds of religious movements," he said the veteran leader, without naming any groups.

"There are tens of thousands of missionary organizations working in Kazakhstan today. We don't know what their aims are. ... We cannot leave it like that and let them do something that our country does not need," he said.

Nazarbayev often singles out ethnic and religious accord as one of his main achievements in the country, which has a large Orthodox Christian community.

But Western human rights groups say religious intolerance toward smaller groups is on the rise.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticized Kazakhstan last year for destroying houses belonging to followers of Hare Krishna, who practice yoga and vegetarianism in a village near Almaty.

Read HERE how the original issue began in Kazakstan

Read HERE what the previous articles from November 2006 were

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

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

Kazakh
http://vedabase.net/kazakhstan/

This January, over 600,000 pilgrims swarmed onto Sagara island, just off the Eastern Coast of West Bengal, India, to take a holy dip where the river Ganges meets the ocean. Some had traveled thousands of miles for the sacred event ­ Ganga Sagara Mela.

The story goes that in a previous age, King Sagara of Ayodhya decided to confirm his sovereignty by performing an Asvamedha Sacrifice. As per custom, he let the sacrificial horse loose to gallop freely through neighbouring kingdoms. When the kings of these lands saw the horse, they knew they had to either accept Sagara’s supremacy, or capture the horse and fight his many formidable sons, who followed the animal’s path.

When the horse wandered into the ashrama of the sage Kapila, an incarnation of Krishna, Sagara’s sons presumed that he had captured it, and began to harass him, disturbing his meditation. Incensed, Kapila cursed them and burnt them all to ashes.

Time passed. Many years later, Sagara’s great-grandson, Bagiratha, prayed to Vishnu to send the heavenly river Ganga down to earth to wash the bones of his ancestors and thus liberate them.

Today, spiritual seekers from every lineage and background wash in the heavenly waters, hoping to gain their own liberation. It’s a dizzying, colorful mélange of diversity ­ there are sky-clad devotees of Lord Shiva covered in ash, saffron-robed sannyasis, and sadhus clothed in leopard skirts, turbans, red robes, dhotis, and saris worn in every imaginable fashion.
 
Who knows what you might see at these holy Hindu festivals? (pic of naga babas running into Ganga)

In the midst of all this stands ISKCON Mayapur’s “Pandal” tent, its flaps open to any pilgrims who care to enter, no matter how outlandishly outfitted they may be. This year, one hundred devotees from the Mayapur community, including MIHET (Mayapur Institute for Higher Education and Training) and Gurukula students, registered to volunteer their services at the Mela.

Alysia Radder is one of the volunteers. She first met devotees at a Rainbow Gathering in the US, and has attended Hare Krishna festivals for many years. But she says she’s never seen anything like this one. “It just took things to another level ­ it was pretty darn first class for an outside camp.”

Vaisnavis chop up the veggies for the distribution of sanctified foodstuffs.
Food for Life volunteers worked around the clock to distribute a record 100,000 plates of Krishna Prasada over the course of the five day festival. “They were the camp’s most impressive feature,” Alysia says. “I saw things you wouldn’t believe. I saw people so expertly wield the most bizarre tools in the world ­ foot knives ­ that they could chop and peel a six-foot mound of cauliflower and zucchini in a matter of minutes. And I’ll never forget the size of those pots!”

Pilgrims were thankful for the hot, nutritious meals, as well as for the night shelter and medical aid provided. On the holy “Makara Sankranti” day, January 15th, stacks of blankets and clothes were distributed to the sadhus.

Every afternoon, students from the Mayapur Gurukula, a brahmical school for young boys, held traditional Vedic fire ceremonies, invoking auspiciousness and wowing the crowds with hundreds of Sanskrit mantras. Video shows and bhajans entertained guests every evening. Krishna-Balaram deities were kept inside the tent and worship was offered daily. And still, devotees managed to find the time to visit Kapila Ashram, where the divine sage once lived, and pay their respects.
 
Students from the Mayapur Gurukula hold a traditional Vedic fire ceremony.

Chanting processions throughout the Mela may have been the most electrifying activity, however. “Every day, for four hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon, we would parade down to Mother Ganga playing accordians, mrdangas, djembes and cymbals,” says Alysia. “Then we’d circle up onto the beach, and invite everyone to join in. It was the ultimate dance party.”
 

This blissful festival-goer [name unknown] danced for 8 hours a day during the festival.
Alysia, and all the other ISKCON volunteers who came with her, are unlikely to ever forget their Ganga Sagara Mela experience. “Where else can you wake up at two in the morning to hike down to Mother Ganga with tens of thousands of pilgrims?” she says. “To take bath in the company of calves, sadhus, gurus, coconuts, marigold flower garlands, floating candles, and millions of sticks of incense, burning and lighting up the river.”

“It was a pleasant surprise; it was an amazing adventure.”

For more pictures and video of Ganga Sagara Mela 2008, visit http://www.mayapur.com.

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSCOL66255420080206

CHENNAI, INDIA, February 8, 2008: A 1-week yoga program reduced stress and anxiety among survivors of the tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean islands of Andaman and Nicobar in December 2004, researchers from India report.

Dr. Shirley Telles and her team from the Swami Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation in Bengaluru conducted a stress management program for the survivors a month after the tsunami occurred. Forty-seven adults, of different cultural backgrounds, dedicated to the program one hour every day.

Fear, anxiety, sadness, sleep disturbances and respiratory rates were significantly reduced. Yoga modifies the body response to stress of various types, Telles explained in comments to Reuters Health.

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

http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=66251

MANGALORE, KARNATAKA, INDIA, February 8, 2008: Every February the night turns into a wonderland of folk rituals in Dakshina Kannada. Individuals, families, communities and societies get together to worship the Bhutas, nature spirits, with music, narratives, dances, trances and oracles, miraculous healings and interactions with the subtle worlds. This year's festival was no different.

The Bhutas are spirits which once--long back in time--used to be in blood and flesh like any human being but nevertheless they were endowed with special and extra-human powers. The origin of the tradition can be traced to ancestor worship and the interaction with Devas. There are certain spirits originated from God Shiva who sends the Bhutas or Ganas to earth. During the festival, devotees emulate these colorful beings, wearing gorgeous costumes, masks and high crowns, making awe-inspiring cries, performing heroic feats and settling village disputes. You can see photos clicking on the link above.

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

  Guru to the Beatles whose empire rose on transcendental meditation  By Jo Johnson

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Indian guru who encouraged the Beatles to swap hallucinogenic drugs for more natural highs and went on to build a multi-million-dollar international meditation business, died on Tuesday at his home in the Dutch town of Vlodrop. He was thought to be at least 91.
  The Vedic sage, known just as the Maharishi, became one of the leading inspirations for the flower power generation when in August 1967, shortly after releasing Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the Beatles travelled to Bangor in Wales to sit at his feet and lap up an optimistic message of universal love and world peace.
  He was born Mahesh Prasad Varma, according to some, and Mahesh Srivastava, according to others, some time between 1911 and 1918 in Jabalpur, a town in Madhya Pradesh. He became a disciple of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati who, from 1941 to 1953, was the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, a high-ranking Hindu spiritual leader.
  He began teaching transcendental meditation in 1955 and brought the technique to the US in 1959. Interest in the movement surged after the Beatles, prompted by George Harrison, attended his lecture in Wales and then in 1968 stayed at his ashram in Rishikesh, a town in the foothills of the Himalayas.
  The Beatles were in the vanguard of a wave of rock exoticism, with Harrison influenced by Ravi Shankar, the Indian sitar maestro,
  and John Lennon entranced by the bearded swami's political philosophy of world "coherence", echoes of which can be heard in his 1969 protest anthem "Give Peace a Chance".
  The guru insisted that his students stay clean for 15 days before learning the art of transcendental meditation, and "TM", as his organisation later branded it, for a time provided the group with "the Next Big High" after LSD and marijuana. But he failed to deliver cosmic calm in sufficient quantities to stop the Fab Four unravelling.
  Despite some musical experimentation, Merseyside on the Ganges never took off. The band soon tired of what Lennon described as Maharishi's "lousy vegetarian food", resumed drug use and fell out with the guru after he made an apparent pass at Mia Farrow, a fellow pilgrim, when they were alone in the yogi's cave-like meditation room.
  Whether his advance was sexually motivated is disputed. Farrow was ambiguous, later writing: "I was blinking at his beard when suddenly I became aware of two surprisingly male, hairy arms going around me. I panicked, and shot up the stairs, apologising all the way." It was enough to prompt the Beatles to pack their bags.
  Asked why he was leaving, Lennon replied: "If you're so cosmic, you'll know why." Disillusionment emerged in "Sexy Sadie", a satirical White Album track initially titled "Maharishi" before being renamed by lawyers. Its lyrics - You made a fool of everyone . . . You'll get yours yet, however big you think you are - were -withering.
  The loss of the support of his best-known disciples did little to dent the Maharishi's business empire. In 1971, he moved into the lucrative field of "consciousness-based education", founding the Maharishi University of Management, now located on a sprawling 272-acre campus in Fairfield, Iowa.
  Author of about 16 books and with a fortune reputed to be $2bn, the guru claimed to have taught the art of meditation to more than 6m people and sought a trademark for TM, the marketing package in which he sold the ancient Vedic tradition to stressed-out corporate executives in 130 countries across the world.
  A skilled self-publicist, he organised for 7,000 people to gather in Fairfield in 1984 to validate his prediction that if the square root of 1 per cent of the world's population congregated to practise Yogic Flying, the entire population would experience a sharp drop in crime, disease and poverty.
  Although scientists dismissed the organisation's claims as bogus, Maharishi was undaunted, later calling for the creation of a "prevention wing" of Yogic Flyers in the military of every country, a suggestion no government has admitted to heeding.
  He also set up the Natural Law Party, which has campaigned in dozens of countries, to promote Yogic Flying.
  Maharishi moved to a former Franciscan monastery in Vlodrop in 1990, communicating increasingly by video-link. On January 8, he retreated into silence and handed over control of his business empire to his aides. A spokesman said his death appeared to have been due to "natural causes, his age".
  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8c7dd91c-d51f-11dc-9af1-0000779fd2ac.html

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/11/news/India-Maharishi.php

ALLAHABAD, INDIA, February 11, 2008: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was cremated Monday in a tumultuous ceremony at one of Hinduism's holiest sites. His funeral, on the banks of the Ganges in Allahabad, saw his foreign following outnumbering Indians. The funeral was a mix of ancient Vedic tradition, modern Indian chaos and Hollywood-style theatrics. Thousands of flag-waving followers beating drums, clanging cymbals and chanting hymns carried the flower-covered body from the Maharishi's ashram to a hilltop. Baton-wielding police couldn't stop a surge of followers who broke through their cordon while the body was being carried. A helicopter swooped in low, stirring up huge dust clouds and scattering posters of the guru as it dropped a scarlet cloud of rose petals. The body was cremated on a pyre, sitting in a lotus position. Contrary to Hindu tradition, the Maharishi's ashes were not immersed in the Ganges, but will be kept at a memorial to be built at the cremation site. Today, TM has more than 5 million practitioners. Maharishi's successor is Maharaj Raja Ram, a Lebanese-born follower.

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

TEXT & AUDIO LINK:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17134270

AUDIO DURATION: 14 mins

TEXT (ABSTRACT):

 National Public Radio reported: New scientific evidence supports the claim that water flowing in India's holy Ganges river -- where millions of people bathe daily -- has special self-purifying properties, which act as a disinfectant that kills bacteria, and prevents disease. In the fourth installment of a six-part series recorded for NPR, independent film producer Julian Crandall Hollick investigated the claim that the Ganges had something special in its water, which he called the 'mysterious X factor'.

The report stated, 'Hindus have always believed that water from India's Ganges River has extraordinary powers. The Indian emperor Akbar called it the 'water of immortality' and always traveled with a supply. The British East India Co. used only Ganges water on its ships during the three-month journey back to England, because it stayed 'sweet and fresh'.' Hollick found a retired professor of hydrology, DS Bhargava, who has been investigating water samples from various parts of the river. He says that the oxygen levels in the Ganges' are '25 times higher than any other river in the world', which gives it its self-purifying quality. Hollick also interviewed Jay Ramachandran, a Molecular biologist and entrepreneur in Bangalore, who explained why the Ganges doesn't spread disease among its bathers. The high amount of oxygen in the water helps assimilate organic materials, and helpful bacteria destroys harmful bacteria Large amounts of people bathing in the river seems to stimulate the helpful bacteria to act upon the bacteria that is harmful to humans.

The Ganges alone out of all of the world's rivers is a self-purifying system.
 

Mystery Factor Gives Ganges a Clean Reputation

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17134270
by Julian Crandall Hollick

Listen Now [14 min 19 sec] (click on the web-site)

The fourth report in a six-part series

Weekend Edition Sunday, December 16, 2007 · Hindus have always believed that water from India's Ganges River has extraordinary powers. The Indian emperor Akbar called it the "water of immortality" and always traveled with a supply. The British East India Co. used only Ganges water on its ships during the three-month journey back to England, because it stayed "sweet and fresh."

Indians have always claimed it prevents diseases, but are the claims wives' tales or do they have scientific substance?

In the fourth installment of a six-part series, independent producer Julian Crandall Hollick searched for the "mysterious X factor" that gives Ganges water its mythical reputation.

He starts his investigation looking for the water's special properties at the river's source in the Himalayas. There, wild plants, radioactive rocks, and unusually cold, fast-running water combine to form the river. But since 1854, almost all of the Ganges' water has been siphoned off for irrigation as it leaves the Himalayas.

Hollick speaks with DS Bhargava, a retired professor of hydrology, who has spent a lifetime performing experiments up and down Ganges in the plains of India. In most rivers, Bhargava says, organic material usually exhausts a river's available oxygen and starts putrefying. But in the Ganges, an unknown substance, or "X factor" that Indians refer to as a "disinfectant," acts on organic materials and bacteria and kills them. Bhargava says that the Ganges' self-purifying quality leads to oxygen levels 25 times higher than any other river in the world.

Hollick's search for a scientific explanation for the X factor leads him to a spiritual leader at an ashram and a biologist in Kanpur. But his best answer for the Ganges' mysterious substance comes from Jay Ramachandran, a molecular biologist and entrepreneur in Bangalore.

In a short science lesson, Ramachandran explains why the Ganges doesn't spread disease among the millions of Indians who bathe in it. But he can't explain why the river alone has this extraordinary ability to retain oxygen.

In Himalayas, Ganges Began with Divine Help
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16467150

Pollution, Indifference Taint India's Sacred River
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16709008

Ganges' Most Sacred Stretch Rich with Tradition
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16889596

See our pages on Ganga Sagara mela http://www.hknet.org.nz/parishad85.htm
Ganga puja http://www.hknet.org.nz/parishad98.htm
Kumbha Mela http://www.hknet.org.nz/parishad135km.html

READ MORE on Environmental Issues HERE

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/004200801131907.htm

ALLAHABAD, INDIA, January 14, 2008: As the Ardh-Mela (half-Mela) festival approaches, arrangements have been made by the government to ensure the safety of the thousands expected to pilgrimage to Allahabad for this holy event. The Mela will begin with the Makar Sankranti bathing on January 15.

The Mela administration is expecting a congregation of five hundred thousand devotees bathing at the same time, according to to District Magistrate Ashish Kumar Goyal. Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure safety of the devotees; all employees and officials of different departments have been provided with identity cards. Traffic restrictions have also been imposed in the town. The Magh Mela is a month long festival and will go on untill February 10.

The important bathing dates according to astrology are January 15 (Makar Sankranti), January 19 (Mauni Amavasya), January 23 (Basant Panchami) and February 2 (Magh Purnima).

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

Swami Lakshamananda Is Interviewed About Recent Religious Clashes in Orissa

mailto:indiamediabias@gmail.com

NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 10, 2008: Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati, Hindu leader of Orissa, was attacked in his car on December 24th by a group of locals who allegedly were religious extremists. Lakshmananda has been leading an anti-conversion movement in the area and several clashes followed his hospitalization. What follows is an interview where Swami explains his view of the events reported by HPI on January 3rd, here.

Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati: "I can well understand the wounded psyche of Hindus against the Christian evangelists. There was no problem when Christians were not here in Paikia. With their numbers increasing, they forcefully took away Hindu girls, forced the neo-converts to eat beef. They set several temples on fire. They threw mortal remains of cows on mandirs. Kondh tribal's Goddess Dharani Mata's places of worship in several villages were dishonored. The sacred sword at a temple at Bramhanigaon was forcibly taken away by the converts who melted it in public and prepared weapons with that looted material. What was the need to do so?"

"World Vision (a US-based humanitarian organization) is notorious for pumping money into India for religious conversion and their mischievous conversions in the aftermath of the tsunami are well-known but equally well hidden from public discourse. World Vision is one of the top donors to NGOs in India I am therefore not at all surprised that the Hindus of Orissa are now beginning to summon the will to react to their forceful influence."

"Christians in India must understand, and understand fast, that they cannot be protected by the US state department writing its annual vituperative anti-Hindu reports on religious freedom and human rights. Christians can be protected only by the good will of the majority Hindus in whose midst they have to live. Christians have to earn the good will of the Hindus instead of demanding special protection and special rights."

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

    Date: Fri Jan 11, 2008 12:28 pm ((PST))

          India’s Scientific Heritage-XVII

The British ploy

By Suresh Soni

  The shipping magnates of Britain could not tolerate the Indian art of ship manufacturing and they started compelling the East India Company not to use Indian ships. Investigations were frequently carried out in this regard. In 1811, Col. Walker gave statistics to prove that it was much cheaper to make Indian ships and that they were very sturdy. If only Indian ships were included in the British fleet, it would lead to great savings. This pinched the British ship-builders and the traders. Dr Taylor writes “When the Indian ships laden with Indian goods reached the port of London, it created such a panic amongst the British traders as would not have been created, had they seen the enemy fleet of ships on the River Thames, ready for attack.”

The workers at the London Port were among the first to make hue and cry and said that “all our work will be ruined and our families will starve to death.” The Board of Directors of the East India Company wrote that “all the fear and respect that the Indian seamen had towards European behaviour was lost when they saw our social life once they came here. When they return to their country, they will propagate bad things about us amongst the Asians and we will lose our superiority and the effect will be harmful. “At this, the British Parliament set up a committee under the chairmanship of Sir Robert Peel.

Black Law: Despite disagreement amongst the members of the committee on the basis of this report, a law was passed in 1814 according to which the Indians lost the right to become British sailors and it became compulsory to employ at least three-fourth British sailors on British ships. No ship, which did not have a British master, was allowed to enter London Port and a rule was made that only ships made by the British in England could bring goods to England. For many reasons, there was laxity in enforcing these rules but from 1863, they were observed strictly. Such rules which would end the ancient art of ship-building, were formulated in India also. Tax on goods brought in Indian ships was raised and efforts were made to isolate them from trade. Sir William Digby has rightly written, “This way the Queen of the western world killed the Queen of the eastern oceans.”

In short, this is the story about the destruction of the Indian art of ship-building.

Garment Industry
In an article written in Bhumiputra on June 16, 1986, Vinoba Bhave has described how clothes started being made. The basis of the garment industry is thread which is made from cotton. The Vedas say that Sage Gritsmad was the first to sow cotton and obtained 10 sers (1 ser =0.8 kg) of cotton wool. With this, he made thread. Then he had a problem of how to make cloth. He made a wooden bobbin and with the tantu (raw thread), he made cloth. Thus, the process of making cloth from thread was started by Sage Gritsmad.

Later, with progress and development, cloth started to be made from silk, kosa etc. and clothes and sarees thus made, began to be coloured and embroidered with gold, silver, etc. Clothes were dyed with natural colours. At one time, Indian cloth was exported to virtually all the countries of the world. Traders from ancient Greece, Egypt and Arabia started ordering cotton cloth from India, especially the mulmul from Bengal, which became famous throughout the world as Dacca mulmul. These traders used to sell this cloth in the various provinces and cities of their countries.

With respect to the speciality of Indian clothes, Pramod Kumar Dutt gives observations of various people and writes:-

“Two Arab travellers came here in the 9th century. They wrote that the Indian clothes were so extraordinary, that one could not find such clothes anywhere. The cloth is so fine and beautiful that an entire length can be passed through a ring.”

Marco Polo, who came in the 13th century, made a unique announcement that “Coromandal and Macchalipattanam coasts were the places of production for all types of beautiful, fine clothes found in any corner of the world.”

Various interesting stories about fineness and clarity of the cloth are famous. Once, Aurangzeb’s daughter went to court (Darbar). Aurangzeb was very angry to see her clothes and said, “Have you lost all sense of shame that you are showing your body to the whole world?” At this, his daughter said, “What can I do, father! I have folded the cloth seven times over and then worn it.”

The French traveller and trader, Tavernier, who came to visit central India in the 17th century, while describing cotton clothes, writes, “They are so light and beautiful that you cannot even feel them with your hands and the delicate embroidery is hardly visible.” He adds, “The cotton manufactured in Sikanj ( in Malwa province), like the one in Calicut, is so fine that the wearer’s body is visible as if he is naked.” He writes in another edition, “A Persian Ambassador went back from India and gifted a coconut to his Sultan. The courtiers were amazed at this petty gift. But more amazing was the fact that when the coconut was opened, a roll of 30 yards of mulmul came out of it.” M. Wilkins gave a piece of Dacca mulmul to Sir Joseph Bake who said that it was an excellent sample of the fineness of cloth in the recent past. He measured the sample himself and sent his analysis to India House. It was as follows-

Mr Bake says that the piece of cloth given by Wilkins weighed 34.3 grains (7000 grains = 1 pound and 15.5 grains = 1 gm.). Its length was 5 yards 7 inches and it had 198 threads. This meant that the total length of the thread was 1,028.5 yards, and that 29.98 yards of thread were made from 1 grain and that the thread was of 2,425 counts. In modern technology too, a thread is not finer than 500-600 counts.

On the request of the Secretary of State of India, Sir G. Birdwood had written a book entitled The Industrial Arts of India. On page 83 of this book, he writes that “it is said that during Jehangir’s reign, 15 yards long and 1yard wide Dacca mulmul weighed only 100 grains.”

On page 95 of the same book, it is written, “The British and the European authors have made poetic similes of the mulmul, the cotton and the silk cloth to a ‘bulbul’s eye’, the throat of a peacock’, ‘the moon and the stars’, Bafte Hava (The stars of the wind), ‘Flowing water’ and ‘Evening dew’. Production of cotton cloth and mulmul started in England in 1772 and 1781 respectively.

(This book is available with Ocean Books (P) Ltd, 4/19 Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi-110 002)

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=194&page=17

US Military Base, Iraq, January 20, 2008 – My name is Partha Sarathi Dasa, and I'm an ISKCON devotee and US army sergeant. I've been on active duty in Iraq since 2003.

Last night, as we prepared for a mission, one of my soldiers went crazy. He loaded his M4 assault rifle, pointed it at my head, and yelled, "If I have to leave this base one more time,  I will kill you, and then kill myself!"

He was serious. The selector lever was on "fire," the barrel two inches from my face.

I was sure I was done for, and started chanting Hare Krishna in my mind. Externally, however, I tried to reason with him and diffuse the situation. As soon as I managed to distract him for a moment, I tackled him with the help of another soldier and detained him.

We brought him to Combat Stress, and I stayed next to his bed all night chanting japa and reading Caitanya Caritamrita to him. I have failed you, Srila Prabhupada, I thought. I was not able to give this boy Krishna, and as a result he was overcome by the material energy. I thought about how fortunate I was to have Krishna, and to experience real loving exchanges. But had I given enough thought to those who didn't? Had I not felt enough compassion for them?

This morning, the boy awoke and looked at me and apologized. He wanted to know what I had been reading, because it soothed his soul. So for nearly 3 hours, I told him about Krishna, the nature of the soul, and about unconditional loving exchanges with the Lord.

Now this boy has a second chance. I think that in this life, we must endeavor to bring everyone to Krishna. We owe it to humanity. I saw in this kid's eyes the fear of birth, disease, old age and death.

I saw the fear of not knowing Krishna.

Read more on Chanting Hare Krishna HERE:

Reincarnation, according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is "rebirth in new bodies or forms of life; especially: a rebirth of a soul in a new human body." This ancient belief, a core belief of more than 800 million Hindus, has been in the news, most recently because of allegations in Andrew Morton's new book, "Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography."

In his book, Morton says some Scientologists hoped that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes's gorgeous daughter, Suri, would be the reincarnation of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, a man who died more than 20 years ago. The Church of Scientology denies this in a statement: "The church does not and never has believed any newborn is the reincarnation of its Founder, Mr. Hubbard-never, never, never."

Whatever some Scientologists think of Suri's soul, reincarnation is an increasingly mainstream belief. Madonna has said she's a believer. So has Kate Hudson. According to a 2003 Harris poll, 40 percent of people aged 25 to 29 believed they would return to earth in a different body after they die. Popular New Age movements such as Scientology and Kabbalah teach some version of reincarnation, and best-selling books, notably by the Yale-trained psychiatrist Brian Weiss and by the therapist Carol Bowman, have brought the concept into the mainstream. Weiss and Bowman each argue that people can find happiness and peace through "regression therapy," in which they learn about the problems faced by their former selves. (Weiss is also teaching a controversial new therapy he calls "progression therapy," in which he helps people see their future selves as well.)

Stephen Prothero, religion professor at Boston University and a student of Hinduism, has an interesting theory about Americans' interest in reincarnation. As life in America gets better and better, as people become more prosperous and more educated, the idea of leaving the earth forever-even with a mitigating belief in heaven-has less appeal than the idea of coming back. "We all want the here and now, and reincarnation is about the here and now," Prothero writes in an e-mail. "Reincarnation is fueled because now people want to come back and live again."

Reincarnation would seem to be at odds with mainstream Christianity, the majority religion in the United States. Traditionally, Christians have believed that, after death, their body and soul separate temporarily only to be reunited, at the end of time, in the general resurrection of the dead. Belief in reincarnation presents logistical-not to mention theological-problems. If souls keep cycling back to earth, which body is theirs at the resurrection? What happens to all the other bodies they've inhabited? Prothero argues that the popularity of reincarnation correlates to a waning of belief in physical resurrection among Christians. That's why a third of Americans choose to be cremated these days, up from virtually none 30 years ago: they believe their souls are eternal, not their bodies. "Americans," Prothero says, "are becoming more Hindu."

Traditional Christians are urgently trying to reclaim Christianity from encroaching Eastern and New Age beliefs. Jeffrey Burton Russell, a Christian theologian and emeritus professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has spent his career trying to formulate ideas of the afterlife that jibe with Christian tradition but remain appealing to contemporary believers. These do not include, he says, either "reincarnation or an afterlife where people eat Hershey bars." As for Suri Cruise, she's much cuter than Hubbard-and as any parent will tell you, all children come straight from heaven.

Read more on Reincarnation HERE:

http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-31465420080118

BANGALORE, INDIA, January 18, 2008: A Hindu monk who ignored a taboo against travelling abroad was anointed on Friday as the head priest of a popular temple in the pilgrim town of Udipi in Karnataka, despite opposition by conservative religious leaders. Sugunendra Teertha had travelled to the United States and Europe to promote Hinduism.

This upset some orthodox Brahmins in Udipi who believe that travelling overseas defiles a Brahmin's purity. They wanted him barred from priesthood. But their argument left a local court unconvinced and Teertha was anointed in a ceremony attended by thousands of devotees at a temple dedicated to Krishna.

"It is Lord Krishna's wish," Teertha said after taking control of the temple.

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

David Tyree may have been the star of the Super Bowl, helping the New York Giants beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots, but in my eyes, Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez is the biggest NFL champion. His team may not have made the Super Bowl, but as The Wall Street Journal recently reported, Gonzalez proved that a football player can be powerful without eating heaping helpings of meat, eggs, and dairy products. Gonzalez has acknowledged that the meat-heavy diet typically eaten by football players can lead to serious health problems, including heart disease and cancer, and is promoting plant-based foods.

A number of other professional athletes and Olympic superstars have touted the benefits of vegetarian and vegan diets. Four-time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl, powerlifting champion Bill Mannetti, 1951 Mr. America Roy Hilligenn, Stan Price, the world-record holder in bench press, and football player and Heisman Trophy-winner Desmond Howard all reportedly did not eat meat. These powerhouses aren't alone—some of the strongest animals, such as apes, elephants, and giraffes, are herbivores.

International Natural Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation and International Natural Bodybuilding Association bodybuilder Robert Cheeke is perhaps the world's most recognized vegan bodybuilder and popular strength trainer Mike Mahler says that "Becoming a vegan had a profound effect on my training. … [M]y bench press excelled past 315 pounds, and I noticed that I recovered much faster. My body fat also went down, and I put on 10 pounds of lean muscle in a few months."

Other vegetarian athletes, including tennis superstar Martina Navratilova and Dave Scott, a six-time winner of the Ironman triathlon, have repeatedly beaten their carnivorous competitors. Swimmer Murray Rose, a vegetarian since birth, has six Olympic medals. Debbie Lawrence is an Olympic racewalking champ, and discus thrower Al Oerter has won at least four Olympic gold medals. A healthy vegetarian diet helped propel two-time Olympic gold medalist Edwin Moses over the hurdles, and Olympian Carl Lewis has said that his best year of track competition was the first year that he ate a vegan diet.

Famed Argentinian soccer goalkeeper Carlos Roa, was nicknamed, "La Lechuga," meaning "The Lettuce," because of his strict vegetarian diet. Bill Walton and Robert Parish, two of the greatest basketball players of all time, were vegetarians, and John Salley, another professional basketball star, is a vegan. So is ultra-marathon man Dom Repta, who has run 100 miles in just under 20 hours.

Australian Cricket superstar Greg Chappel also abstains from animal flesh and animal by-products and fellow cricket superstar Anil Kumble has posed for a PETA advertisement promoting vegetarianism. Says Anil, "Vegetarianism saves animals' lives and can't be beat for maintaining a muscular body and building endurance. Vegetarian food contains all the vitamins and protein you need to be at your best and is free of all the fat, cholesterol and toxins found in meat."

    Date: Fri Jan 11, 2008 11:58 pm ((PST))

It's the British Empire, Stupid!  [PDF version of this article]

  In modern legend, the global British Empire disappeared in the late 19th Century, or at least at the end of World War II. It was replaced by the two superpowers—the Soviet Union and the United States—and now, with the demise of the Soviet Union, with the "hyperpower" the United States.
  A more dangerous delusion could not be held. For, as the LaRouche movement has documented extensively, especially in the 1994 to 1997 period,[1] the "new" British Empire has never been so powerful, nor so close to implementing its schemes for global chaos and destruction. This empire is not to be confused with the United Kingdom, nor even the British Monarchy per se. Its model is that of the older Venetian oligarchy, which functions as a financial oligarchic system of families, foundations, and other institutions dedicated to preserving their power in perpetuum, and destroying all systems and forces, most especially the nation-state, which stand in their way.
  We summarily provide a review of three major areas of ongoing British imperial power here. First, there's the economic/financial role played by leading Anglo-Dutch financial institutions, who exercise an astonishingly substantial control over the physical necessities of life, such as food and energy. Second, there's the military role of British Imperial forces, both visible and invisible, regular and irregular. Third, there's the British Empire's cultural warfare apparatus, the most aggressive force for the destruction of pro-human scientific culture globally.
  The World's Largest Economic Power  "Now, that empire, which the British effectively control, except for dissident nations that don't like it, represents about one-fifth of the world's land area; it represents about 30% of the world's population. It controls 48-50% of the world's financial turnover, including the $3.5 trillion a day derivatives turnover. It controls the majority of the world's international trade in what are called strategic metals, such as the metals that are required for most industry. It controls the majority of the international trade in petroleum.... These interests, the Anglo-Dutch-Swiss, Cargill et al. complex, control the majority of the international food trade, in a time of grave food crisis worldwide."
  That is how Lyndon LaRouche summarized the financial power of the British Empire back in March 1996. If anything, the share of world power wielded economically by the "Empire" has increased over the last 10 years.
  Much of the control is, admittedly, not on the surface. It is exercised through the London Stock Exchange, through the London International Financial Futures Exchange, through the London Metal Exchange, and the International Petroleum Exchange. These are the institutions where the actual disposition of the physical assets being traded is determined, not to mention the layers upon layers of speculative financial instruments created, that are now in full collapse, and threatening to bring the physical economy down with it. Exemplary of the raw material control is the role of two corporations, Anglo-American and Rio Tinto Zinc, which controlled from 10 to 24% of the Western world's crucial minerals output in 1995.
  A British Military Empire  Those forced to admit British imperial power in the financial sphere, would surely object to the assertion that the Empire still wields enormous, often decisive military power today, as it did in launching World War I and II. Again, they would be wrong.
  Her Majesty's military forces are not large, but they are strategically placed to control, and instigate, conflicts in dozens of sensitive locations throughout the world. Take the British role in the Iraq wars, for example, or in the Balkan disaster. Look at the disposition of British forces throughout the African continent, or Asia. From these locations the British have let loose with "intelligence," or provocations, that have exacerbated local conflicts, even toward the point of threatening "superpower" confrontation.
  Even more significant, as befits the Venetian "East India Company" nature of the modern British Empire, is the role of the "privatized" or irregular forces deployed globally. As EIR's 1997 report The True Story Behind the Fall of the House of Windsor documents, and later EIR feature series further elaborated, London is the home base for dozens, if not hundreds, of private mercenary armies, some of them explicitly terrorist, others simply "contract" employees, who are deployed "in Her Majesty's Service" globally. Utilizing the longstanding ties which the imperial center has with different peoples and tribes around the world, London has created and manipulated ethnic groups, and even small armies, in its own strategic interest of destroying nation-states. It's not for nothing that many nations have dubbed London "Londonistan," for its role in support of Khalistan, Balochistan, Kurdistan, and dozens more breakaway movements.
  Empire of the Mind  As EIR's 1997 study emphasized, however, the most dangerous means of control exercised by the new British Empire is not financial, or military, but cultural. It is in this sphere that Britain's "invisible empire" takes the most prisoners of all. The empire works through various media.
  Perhaps most ubiquitous is the use of the mass media, epitomized by the British Broadcasting Company. BBC is by far the most widely disseminated broadcasting network globally, and it is heard in dozens of languages other than English. Touting a reputation as "objective," the service's political role on behalf of the Queen's government, to which it is responsible, can be indicated by its role in such incidents as the misrepresentation and then "suicide" of Dr. David Kelly, critic of the Blair government's lies against Iraq, in the summer of 2003.
  More hidden, and equally nefarious, is the role of the British Empire through institutions of the United Nations, including the ever-expanding network of so-called non-governmental organizations. NGOs, chartered by the UN, are often run by wealthy families, and there is an astounding number of them in Great Britain itself. (over half a million in 1996) But most destructive is the imperial ideology of the institution, which defines these advocates for "civil society" as ranking above governments, and as instruments for destroying governments which do not kowtow to their demands. One need only look at the role of the NGOs rampant in the countries of the former Soviet bloc to see the transparent anti-nation role they are crafted to play.
  No account of the cultural warfare being run by the British Empire against the human race would be complete without reference to its role in advancing the Genocide movement associated with the World Wildlife Fund's radical population control drive, and its spinoff, the Global Warming Movement of today. While Lord Bertrand Russell and other representatives of the "old" British empire carried the flag for this ideology in the 19th century, the flag was well taken up by Queen Elizabeth's Royal Consort, Prince Philip and his son Charles, in the 20th and now 21st. The totally brutal, and false, idea behind this "environmentalism," was exposed by Philip himself, when he told the Deutsche Press Agentur in August 1988 that "in the event that I am reincarnated, I would like to return as a deadly virus, in order to contribute something to solve overpopulation."
  That may seem extreme, but note that in our daily press, globally, headlines are given to the danger man represents to gorilla species (and others, even bugs!), even as millions of children die daily for lack of clean water, electricity, and sufficient food. British Malthusian ideology is indeed controlling our institutions, and behavior, without our even recognizing it.
  It's time to unleash those chains!
    
  [1] The True Story Behind the Fall of the House of Windsor, Reprints of EIR's 1994-97 groundbreaking exposés, September 1997, available as EIR 97-004.
  http://www.larouchepub.com/other/2008/3502brit_empire_stupid.html

Vedic World Heritage links:

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

New York City ­ The folks at Saveur, an award-winning international dining magazine, are self-proclaimed fanatics when it comes to helping readers “savor a world of authentic cuisine.” Like a trusted friend who can’t resist sharing a good recipe with you, they pride themselves on preaching the glories of the best food and drink wherever they find it. And they pack their most zealous and fervent recommendations into their popular Saveur 100 issue ­ an annual list of “favorite restaurants, food, drink, people, places and things.” This year that list included the cuisine of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) ­ under the heading “A Faith that Nourishes,” the magazine deemed Hare Krishna temple dining halls “one of the best restaurant chains in the world.”

The entire entry, reproduced below, has much praise for the Krishna consciousness movement’s kitchen skills. “We always seek out the nearest [Hare Krishna temple] for a satisfying, meatless meal,” the magazine reports, adding that the “Hare Krishna brand of Westernized Indian food renews our spirits every time.” The magazine especially recommends attending the Sunday Feast program held at ISKCON temples worldwide.

The culinary kudos came after a Saveur reporter ­ who had apparently been introduced to ISKCON in his youth through “Krishna-core” bands like Shelter and 108, and had eaten prasadam (sanctified vegetarian food) at temples and Govinda’s restaurants­ contacted the ISKCON temple in Brooklyn, New York. He stopped by, sampled the regular menu, and was so impressed that he decided to use the New York temple as the model for Hare Krishna dining halls around the world. He set up a photographer to visit as well.

The Saveur’s piece includes a color picture of Satya Devi Dasi, Vice President of the temple and resident catering mastermind, in traditional devotional attire and holding a bowl of cabbage subji.

For the devotees at the temple, home to Sri Sri Radha Govinda deities, the media attention confirmed the need to re-focus on prasadam distribution. After a six-year hiatus, the devotees have resumed their successful Govinda’s lunch club program, serving a full menu from 11:30 am to 3:00pm daily. In addition, the devotees provide a wide array of catering services.

Temple president Ramabhadra Dasa feels that the Saveur article has already started to make a positive impact. “Catering orders have increased,” he said, “and the potential success for a [full-scale] restaurant is apparent…. The food must be good, and the atmosphere and customer relations must be good. If those elements are there then lack of the best location is less likely to make or break you.”

ISKCON Founder-Acarya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada placed great emphasis on prasadam as a part of spiritual life ­ so much so that he is believed to have light-heartedly referred to the Hare Krishna movement as “the kitchen religion.” Prabhupada also famously prophesized that New York City could be “conquered by prasadam distribution.”

An interesting post-script: the Saveur magazine which includes the Hare Krishna write-up is, appropriately enough, issue number 108.

With reporting from Caitanyananda Dasa

22. A Faith That Nourishes
Dressed in saffron saris and sporting their signature ponytails, Hare Krishna devotees—who subscribe to a spiritual system, based on Hindu practices, that was imported to the United States from India in the 1960s—strike many Americans as relics of our country's counterculture past. The truth is, the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, as the religious group is officially known, is still going strong, operating more than 400 temples worldwide. Here's another little-known fact: Hare Krishna adherents run one of the best restaurant chains in the world. Called Govinda’s, these Hare Krishna TEMPLE DINING HALLS serve inexpensive, freshly prepared Indian-style vegetarian food to believers and nonbelievers alike. Whether we're in Dallas or Dublin, Brooklyn or Budapest, we always seek out the nearest one for a satisfying, meatless meal. Sundays are the best time to go; the buffet-style meal on that day, still referred to by some old-timers as the Sunday love feast, is free. From potato-stuffed samosas and paneer subji (soft cheese with peas and potatoes) to spiced cabbage with peas and tofu, the Hare Krishna brand of Westernized Indian food renews our spirits every time.

Source: Saveur magazine http://www.saveur.com/back-issue/miscellaneous/2008-saveur-100-21046800.html#temple

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

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THE CAT IN THE BASKET

When it was time for her daughter's marriage, one woman made many elaborate arrangements for a smooth wedding ceremony. However, in the middle of the proceedings a cat ran out into the middle of the assembly.
"Oh no!" thought the mother. "What to do?" She spied a basket and promptly grabbed it, trapping the cat underneath. Relieved, they carried on the marriage ceremony undisturbed.
Some years later, when the bride was grown up and had her own family, it was time for her daughter's marriage ceremony. All elaborate arrangements were made, but the mother still felt something amiss. Then she remembered, "Ah, I remember that at my wedding my mother had a cat in a basket placed there." So she fetched a cat, put a basket on it and carried on the proceedings. And it became a tradition in that family.

MORAL: Due to a poor fund of knowledge, people accept certain theories as truth, but never stop to question why those theories exist. This story criticises the tendency to follow blindly.

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

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

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

Written by HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami

Dear Maharaj/ Prabujis/ Matajis,

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

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

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

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

For further information contact

Bhakti Purusottama Swami

Phone: ++ 91 9434506434

E mail: bps@pamho.net

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World Vegetarian Awareness Month of October yearly
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World Smoke Free Day
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