The following is found in the Kauthumiya explanation of the Vedas: "The degree to which one engages in devotional activities in this world determines his status in the next world."

The Smrti-sastra also confirms: "The extent to which one is devoted to the Supreme Personality of Godhead determines the degree of his spiritual perfection."

Note : Smrti is wisdom that sages have passed on to their disciples from memory .

Killing of a Woman

Krsna showed the nature of a small baby and closed His eyes, as if to avoid the face of Putana. This closing of the eyes is interpreted and studied in different ways by the devotees. Some say that Krsna closed His eyes because He did not like to see the face of Putana, who had killed so many children and who had now come to kill Him. Others say that something extraordinary was being dictated to her, and in order to give her assurance, Krsna closed His eyes so that she would not be frightened. And yet others interpret in this way: Krsna appeared to kill the demons and give protection to the devotees, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam. The first demon to be killed was a woman. According to Vedic rules, the killing of a woman, a brahmana, cows or, of a child is forbidden. Krsna was obliged to kill the demon Putana, and because the killing of a woman is forbidden according to Vedic Sastra, He could not help but close His eyes. Another interpretation is that Krsna closed His eyes because He simply took Putana to be His nurse. Putana came to Krsna just to offer her breast for the Lord to suck. Krsna is so merciful that even though He knew Putana was there to kill Him, He took her as His nurse or mother.

There are seven kinds of mothers according to Vedic injunction: the real mother, the wife of a teacher or spiritual master, the wife of a king, the wife of a brahmana, the cow, the nurse and the mother earth. Because Putana came to take Krsna on her lap and offer her breast's milk to be sucked by Him, she was accepted by Krsna as one of His mothers. As Yasoda was given liberation from the material world, so Putana was also given liberation. When the baby Krsna closed His eyes, Putana took Him on her lap. She did not know that she was holding death personified. If a person mistakes a snake for a rope, he dies. Similarly, Putana killed so many babies before meeting Krsna, but now she was accepting the snake that would kill her immediately.- Krsna Book Ch-6 A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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More to think about.

When Putana was called for by King Kamsa , he mentioned that he had a job for her. She had already been in the service of Kamsa for some time and was feeling very morose and ashamed of her sinful activities. When she was instructed to go to the house of Nanda and Yasoda to kill their child she refused. She was threatened again and again by Kamsa and finally submitted to his evil wishes. She smeared her breast with Arsenic and went to Gokul. When seeing baby Krsna for the first time, her maternal instincts overwhelmed her and milk began to flow profusely. She became so emotional that she forgot the instruction of Kamsa. Her only desire at that moment was to offer herself to Krsna. When Krsna was on her lap she thought to herself "my darling Krsna take from me what ever you like". She was completely surrendered to giving pleasure to Baby Krsna. The very next moment her life air passed. -AJD

ah bunch of Hot Air !

It appears to me that all the chatter about reducing green house gases, saving the environment etc. is just ah bunch of hot air. Even though it is very fashionable to talk about such things and one my appear (to a dummy) to be very educated and forth wright, the fact is they're not at all serious . If they were meat production and the addiction to it would cease.

Take some time do the research and weight the facts for yourself!

example: Chemicals used to grow the feed, the feed, the feed waste, transportation gases, oil, manure produced from animal consumption, the slaughter and transportation of the animal etc. produces massive amounts of green house gases and waste. Besides, eating meat is not really a very healthy way to live. It's rather barbaric and cruel. Not only to the animals but to the consumers body as well as to their neighbors and friends who must smell the dead flesh (gas) in the atmosphere.

Devotees of Krishna are far ahead of modern society in regards to environmental protection and reduction of the their carbon footprint. - AJD

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Animal Agriculture and Climate Change
The Mad Cowboy

Reduce the inflow

It is said in Vedic Literature, that 8,400,000 species of life can be found through-out God's Creation. The Padma Purana mentions that there are 900,000 species of life in the water, 2,000,000 species of plants, 1,100,000 species of insects and reptiles, 1,000,000 species of birds, 3,000,000 species of beasts, and only 400,000 species of human beings. So the humans are the least numerous species of all.

Here are five more general categories of embodied souls.

1. Those with five senses: heavenly beings, men, residents of the hellish planets and higher animals such as monkeys, elephants, snakes, horses, etc., come under this category. These beings possess manas which gives them varying degrees of intelligence and rationality.

2. Those with four senses: In this category the beings do not possess the sense of hearing. Many insects fall into this category.

3. Those with three senses: In this category, the beings do not possess the sense of hearing and the sense of sight. Many insects are placed under this category including the moths, because of their tendency to move towards light and fire and destroying themselves.

4. Those with two senses. In this category the beings possess only the sense of taste and the sense of touch. Many worms, leeches, shell fish fall into this category.

5. Those with only one sense: In this category the beings possess only the sense of touch. These are again divided into five sub categories: i) the plant bodies containing only one soul or a cluster of souls such as the tubers and roots, ii) earth bodies made of earth material such as coals, minerals, stones and so on, iii) water bodies made up of water such rivers, lakes, water falls, lakes, ponds and even a drop of water, iv) fire bodies made up of fire such lightning, a lamp or candle light, or the fire in the kitchen stove, and finally v) the air bodies made of wind and gases such as a breeze or a storm wind.

The entire world is an aggregate of living souls hidden in every form and every object.

The souls undergo continuous change because of the operation of the law of karma, which binds the soul to the matter and keeps it chained to the cycle of births and deaths. True liberation is when the jiva is freed from all types of association with matter. It happens only when the jiva tries to reduce the inflow of karma and purifies his heart by the process of pure devotion. The concept of non violence is therefore not just a matter of ethical value , but a real necessity for the jivas to become free. Non violence is a way of life, because injury to other jivas especially those jivas with higher number of senses attracts the worst form of bad karma into ones heart and makes liberation extremely difficult.

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Why is Sri Radha's name
not mentioned in the
Srimad Bhagavatam ?

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Sri Radha's name is not mentioned directly in Srimad Bhagavatam because Sri Sukadev Goswami, being the topmost rasika bhakta, would enter samadhi by just once hearing the divine name of Sri Radha. Such a state of unconscious bliss would last for many days. Parikshit Maharaj had just seven days before his death, thus Sukadev Goswami avoided directly uttering the name of Radha, and instead hinted about Her by the word "aradhana".

In other Puranas the descriptions of Sri Radha are given directy, especially in Sri Brahma-vaivarta Purana. The circumstances involving the recitation of these Puranas did not limit Sukadev Goswami to seven days, and thus the Rishis of Naimisharanya were able to accommodate Sri Sukadev Goswami's loosing external consciousness and entering samadhi.

Examples - Part III

Dramatic Qualities

With Examples From Vedic Literature

Part III

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Manipulative

Definition - manage to one’s own advantage, especially unfairly.

An example is found in the Toll Pastimes by Rupa Goswami.

The gopis bring milk products to be offered to the gods. Krishna and the cowherd boys block the path and demand that the gopis pay a toll in order to pass.

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Deception

Definition - to make a person believe what is false; to mislead purposely.

An example is found in Sri Vidagha-Madhava, Act three, text 46.

Mukhara: Rascal Lalita! I see Krishna tugging the edge of Radha’s clothing. Why do you try to fool me?

Lalita: (aside) At night, the old lady is almost blind. I will trick her. Blind old lady, you worry without reason. That is a tamal tree by the Jamuna. That is a golden bench by the tree roots. Moving in the wind, the branches tug at the girl’s bodice.

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Delusion

Definition - false belief or impression.

An example is found in Krishna Book Volume 2, Chapter 35.

The palaces of Dwaraka are being described. There are lakes, lotus flowers, swans, ducks cranes. “Lord Sri Krishna sometimes entered those lakes with His wives and enjoyed swimming pastimes with them in full jubilation.”

“The impersonalists would not dare to believe that in the spiritual world there are such varieties of enjoyment.”

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Arrogance

Definition - aggressively assertive or presumptions.

An example is found in Ujvala Nilamani.

One of the groups of gopis is called prakara (harsh) who speak arrogantly. One time Krishna chastised a certain gopi for picking flowers in Vrindavan forest. When that gopi became very frightened by His words, one of the yuthesvaris said to her : Do you not have a friend by your side? Why do you tremble at heart? Is it because of this Krishna? My dear friend, I am accompanied by many intelligent gopis and strength is very formidable. I shall now stand before you, and raise my arms to defend you from this Krishna.

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Vanity

Definition - conceit about one’s appearance or attainments.

An example is found in Ujvala Nilamani

Syama gopi to Krsna: My dear Krsna, whose limbs are dark like a tamala tree, why do you throw these charming sidelong glances at us? I am Syama, famous as the guru of all pious, chaste girls in all three worlds. If you try to even lightly bind these doe-like gopis with Your sidelong glance, they will become furious, surround You, and violently attack You from all directions.

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Harer Nama das (ACBSP)
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Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V

Soul Travel

As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change. - Krishna to Arjuna

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The idea here is that the spark of life (individual soul) within the material body travels from one form to the next ....birth after birth. When the soul makes an honest effort to understand the meaning of life he, by the grace of the lord (super soul) situated within his own heart, may realize his spiritual form and return back to Godhead. -AJD