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Comments Posted By scooty.ram

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Ironing T-Shirts With Spiritual Images On Them

Few more points to ponder :

1. Can we enter toilets and other unclean places with picture of deities and acharyas on the shirt?
2 Can we eat while wearing those those shirts- when there are chances that some food items may fall from the mouth on the picture ?
3. Can we let the pictures get soaked in our sweat ?

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 25.11.2012 @ 05:08

Preaching With Half Humility

Thank you for the beautiful anecdote. It was a nice srila prabhupada smarana.

“It indicated that he was willing to change or adapt to preaching challenges if necessary, and indeed he was flexible. He still continued to preach. ” I dont see any indication/change in the way Srila Prabhupada spoke in future.

Rajagopal

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 08.11.2012 @ 17:24

Could you please elaborate on “Srila Prabhupada lectured at the local university there. The rowdy students were not impressed with the combination of supposed spirituality and yukta-vairagya. On the way out from the hall some students began to kick at the luxury car he was travelling in. Srila Prabhupada remarked that henceforth he should not conduct ‘open’ programs like that.”
Did Srila Prabhupada meant to say He will not speak such way and change the way/tone He spoke or He will not address a certain crowd?

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 06.11.2012 @ 23:33

FOOD YOGA book and DVD for sale

I went through www.FoodYogi.org . the books seems to have a holistic apporach to food and it does have chapters for offering the food. It does seem to talk about spirituality.I hope the method of offering is bonafied and true to the teaching of Srila Prabhupada.I am not sure if that section is also non-secular.In short this seems to be a big area for preaching that one can leverage.

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If my direct preaching of speaking about Krishna to a person wont work in making him/her a devotee , how would the food prepared by me work ? The consciousness of the cook and the food prepared go together. If we say the food prepared is tasted by krishna and has better potency than myself , the same rule applies to preaching as well. It is krishna who is transforming the heart . He makes one speak in such a way that it reaches the heart of the listener and transforms him/her.

Also Krishna accepts food from a devotee with devotion. Only the devotee, who accepts Kṛṣṇa as He describes Himself, WITHOUT INTERPRETATION, can understand that the Supreme Absolute Truth can eat food and enjoy it.http://vedabase.net/bg/9/26/en

Hence in my humble opinion, the effort should be in making oneself more stronger in krishna consciousness than diluting/interpreting the preaching methods.
If we expand the activities of eating , clothing , housing etc under the ban of KC, we are only devising methods to get ourselves rid of the guilt of being materialistic.We eventually will end up treating Krishna as a “sin-remover’ machine and use it to our personal motive.

One obviously will have large number of people to eat a free food than sit and listen to Hari Katha. However the success is measured not by the number in the prasadam hall but by the number present in hari katha. If there is no room for hari katha , then we have lost the purpose.

Lets be innovative in preparing foods for Krishna but not show innovation in the way we offer , to whom we offer and the reason we offer. They are already present in Srila Prabhupada’s books.We just have to say it aloud to the people we meet. If we hide them then we have not yet developed the potency of ‘Krishna’s name’ and we rely more on our own intellectual adjustment and interpretation.

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 22.10.2012 @ 20:52

To Be Heavy, Without The Weight

Real humility is in speaking the truth. To speak the truth in a pleasant way is an art.
However the moment one tries to sugar coat the truth, it has already started to lose its potency/strength. The bitterness of the truth is the real medicine that works and if we attempt to hide it , we have made the medicine lose its capacity to heal.

Main reasons for not speaking the truth are
1. One is guilty of oneself not abiding the truth today or in future.
2. One has not yet understood and accepted the truth.

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 17.10.2012 @ 17:03

Thank you Akruranatha prabhu for your comments on “On Speaking Strongly in Srila Prabhupada’s Service” book and encouraging everyone to read it.To be honest , I was waiting for your review and I was sure you would have read it.

Seeing your comments , I hope to get myself a copy and read it . Its so interesting to see how the author has addressed the whole issue through a book with lot of thoughtful into it. This way we dont get personal or on a confrontational mode.Books convey the idea but does not embarrass the readers. If all seniors of the movement like this book, it might as well become a good source of reference for next generation and leaders.

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 12.10.2012 @ 21:51

I am thinking if disciples had discussed this topic (soft preaching methods) while srila prabhupada was present . If so, those information can also be shared. i am sure some disciples might have felt srila prabhupada was too harsh with someone or Srila Prabhupada might have himself justified for his behavior. Those situations can be a guidance at this moment.

But it is pretty evident that Srila Prabhupada followed the style of Srila Bhakti siddhanta Thankur to some extent. Infact during pre-independence time in india, there was high pressure to support the freedom fighting movement and Srila Bhakti Siddhanta thakur had denied such efforts in the most needed time. This is definitely unexpected and it was a golden opportunity to advertise one’s mission but the acharya did not yield to these methods.

During flood in Andhra pradesh , ministers approached Srila Prabhupada for help. They were denied. These are cases where the need was immediate and highly critical. The decision the spiritual leaders took at those moments appear inhuman.Had they yielded to the AP government, iskcon must definitely have been on news paper headlines with a lot of appreciation. It surely appears to be a best means to preach. But it appears the acharyas did not compromise the philosophy even a bit.

Hence if the current situation of the world is aiming towards humanitarian principles (being spiritual and not religious etc), i think this is probably the best time to express the core Gaudiya siddhantic opinions of what real altruism, humanitarian welfare is. Feeding the parrot inside the cage , not painting the cage. Saving the drowning man and not the dress of a drowning man.

It very much needs a very advanced self realised soul to take such non conventional decisions. Even a small compromise of the core principles can bring a huge effect few decades down the line. Infact this what seems to have happened to ramakrishna mutts.

“Māyā is very strong. In the name of philanthropy, altruism and communism, people are feeling compassion for suffering humanity throughout the world. Philanthropists and altruists do not realize that it is impossible to improve people’s material conditions. Material conditions are already established by the superior administration according to one’s karma. They cannot be changed. The only benefit we can render to suffering beings is to try to raise them to spiritual consciousness.”http://vedabase.net/sb/5/8/10/en

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 09.10.2012 @ 22:15

Sriman Ramakeli das Passed Away

All Glories to Sri Ramakeli das for his service.
All glories to the hospice team and other devotees helping devotees in the most needed time.

Thank you for the information.

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 27.09.2012 @ 18:15

Srila Prabhupada’s Memorial Bhajan Kutir Demolished, Bhubaneswar, Orissa, India

I signed the online petition. Is there any other way to raise the priority of this issue?
Is this published in all iskcon websites?

Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 21.08.2012 @ 21:27

Srila Prabhupada’s Appearance Predicted in the Scriptures

I appreciate your faith and commitment to Srila Prabhupada. I am sorry to have put you in position where it appears you have to defend for Srila Prabhupada.Per your statement , it is astonishing to know that even Lord caitanya did not fit this poem since he did not “cross the sea”. Even though imperfectly composed, praises on Lord and his devotees are still worshippable. However please note that this pasuram is ear marked to sripad Ramanuja since Sri Nathamunis period.
As mentioned, along with this poem Sripad Ramanujas deity was also made years before His birth and this stands as proof to the words of Sri Nammalwar indicating Sripad Ramanujacharya.

Finally if number and seas crossed is the yard stick to measure , I am sure current pioneers/sanyasis/preachers of Iskcon movement better fit this poem since they have made more disciples than srila prabhupada,they have traveled to new cities and made disciples in those cities where srila prabhupada did not travel,they have opened more centers than srila prabhupada.

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Comment Posted By scooty.ram On 10.08.2012 @ 07:51