Dear Prabhujis/Matajis,
Please help me out with this confusion. Im a Staunch follower of Krishna And Iskcon but I want some answer so i could explain it to my wife especially.She is a Shiva follower, Dad a Staunch Durga. So itsa cocktail at our home.My wife says all God are equal,you are just discriminating and making special favours to Krishna if not then why God took so many forms. You like it so don't force others also to believe the same. Bhagavat Gita must be manipulated by someone and presented that he is supreme how will you come to know.
Secondly she asks followers of christanity and islam who dont follow regulative principle like meat eating will never reach god even if they are sincere in their Prayers,only Krishnaites will reach god?????
Thirdly Dad being a staunch Durga devotee what will hapen to him elaborately like when he will reach the ultimate realisation about Krishna?
I know a bit that in BG its there those who worship Demigods they will go to that planet.But wht about other sects also could u elaborate.
Replies
Dear Prabhuji,
Hare Krishna !
It is mentioned in the Bhavishya Puran that Mohammed was Tripurasura and that he and his followers will spread a great havoc in the world. (If you want scriptural evidence, I can provide it to you). You can understand now what will be the fate of followers of Islam. Their cruelty is well known to the world.
Christianity is a peaceful religion and Jesus is generally considered not an avatar of Krishna but just a 'duta' (i.e a prophet sent by Lord to establish the principles of religion.) There are several abodes. The obedient followers of Christianity will get an abode specially meant for them. There are not much references in our sciptures regarding Christianity so we can not say for sure which abode will Christians get.
As regards faith of your wife is concerned , I would rather advise you not to force upon her your views. It is a fact that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead but only fortunate few can understand this, others can not. The more you force upon her your views, the more she will rebel. If you want her to get attracted towards Krishna consciousness, you should yourself try to become an ideal Vaishnava, only then she will develop some good feelings towards Vaishnavism.
Your servant in serving Krishna !
Harshikesh Bhattacharya
Excerpt from the Bhavishya Purana saying that Mohammed was Tripurasura ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shri Suta Gosvami said: In the dynasty of king Shalivahana, there were ten kings who went to the heavenly planets after ruling for over 500 years. Then gradually the morality declined on the earth. At that time Bhojaraja was the tenth of the kings on the earth. When he saw that the moral law of conduct was declining he went to conquer all the directions of his country with ten-thousand soldiers commanded by Kalidasa. He crossed the river Sindhu and conquered over the gandharas, mlecchas, shakas, kasmiris, naravas and sathas. He punished them and collected a large ammount of wealth. Then the king went along with Mahamada (Muhammad), the preceptor of mleccha-dharma, and his followers to the great god, Lord Shiva, situated in the desert. He bathed Lord Shiva with Ganges water and worshipped him in his mind with pancagavya (milk, ghee, yoghurt, cow dung, and cow urine) and sandalwood paste, etc. After he offered some prayers and pleased him.
Suta Goswami said: After hearing the king’s prayers, Lord Shiva said: O king Bhojaraja, you should go to the place called Mahakakshvara, that land is called Vahika and now is being contaminated by the mlecchas. In that terrible country there no longer exists dharma. There was a mystic demon named Tripura(Tripurasura), whom I have already burnt to ashes, he has come again by the order of Bali. He has no origin but he achieved a benediction from me. His name is Mahamada(Muhammad) and his deeds are like that of a ghost. Therefore, O king, you should not go to this land of the evil ghost. By my mercy your intelligence will be purified.Hearing this the king came back to his country and Mahamada(Muhammad) came with them to the bank of the river Sindhu. He was expert in expanding illusion, so he said to the king very pleasingly: O great king, your god has become my servant. Just see, as he eats my remnants, so I will show you. The king became surprised when he saw this just before them. Then in anger Kalidasa rebuked Mahamada(Muhammad) “O rascal, you have created an illusion to bewilder the king, I will kill you, you are the lowest..."
That city is known as their site of pilgrimage, a place which was Madina or free from intoxication. Having a form of a ghost (Bhuta), the expert illusionist Mahamada(Muhammad) appeared at night in front of king Bhojaraja and said: O king, your religion is of course known as the best religion among all. Still I am going to establish a terrible and demoniac religion by the order of the Lord . The symptoms of my followers will be that they first of all will cut their genitals, have no shikha, but having beard, be wicked, make noise loudly and eat everything. They should eat animals without performing any rituals. This is my opinion. They will perform purificatory act with the musala or a pestle as you purify your things with kusha. Therefore, they will be known as musalman, the corrupters of religion. Thus the demoniac religion will be founded by me. After having heard all this the king came back to his palace and that ghost(Muhammad) went back to his place.
The intelligent king, Bhojaraj established the language of Sanskrit in three varnas - the brahmanas, kshatriyas and vaisyas - and for the shudras he established prakrita-bhasha, the ordinary language spoken by common men. After ruling his kingdom for 50 years, he went to the heavenly planet. The moral laws established by him were honored even by the demigods. The arya-varta, the pious land is situated between Vindhyacala and Himacala or the mountains known as Vindhya and Himalaya. The Aryans reside there, but varna-sankaras reside on the lower part of Vindhya. The musalman people were kept on the other side of the river Sindhu.
On the island of Barbara, Tusha and many others also the followers of Isamsiha were also situated as they were managed by a king or demigods.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note This
Lord Shiva said: O king Bhojaraja, you should go to the place called Mahakakshvara, that land is called Vahika and now is being contaminated by the mlecchas. In that terriblecountry there no longer exists dharma. There was a mystic demon named Tripura(Tripurasur), whom I have already burnt to ashes, he has come again by the order of Bali. He has no origin but he achieved a benediction from me. His name is Mahamada(Muhammad) and his deeds are like that of a ghost.
According to Bhavishya Purana Muhammad was the rebirth of Tripurasura the Demon.
Tripurasura was killed by Shiva in his(Tripurasura’s) past life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tripurasura's Past life (Mythology[not from bhavishya purana])
Tripurasur was the son of Sage Gritsamad. One day the sage sneezed and from this was created a young boy who the Sage brought up as his own son. The sage taught the boy the Ganana Twam, Ganesh Mantra. Equipped with this mantra the boy meditated intensely on Lord Ganesh who ultimately blessed him. He was given three pura-s of gold silver and iron. Since he was the owner of these three pura-s he was given the name Tripur. Ganesh also bestowed on Tripur to be the most powerful, who none but Lord Shiva himself could destroy and after being destroyed by Lord Shiva he would attain mukti-salvation.
This boon made Tripur proud and he brought havoc in the entire world. He conquered the Nether world and then proceeded to takeover Heaven. He defeated Indra the king of heaven. His aggression made Lord Brahma hide in a lotus and Lord Vishnu in the Shirsagar. He soon also took over Lord Shiva’s Kailash Parvat and thus became the King of all the three worlds. The gods wondered on how to vanquish Tripurasur. Lord Narada told them that, since he had been granted a boon by Lord Ganesh himself it would be very difficult to vanquish him. He advised them to meditate on Lord Ganesh. Pleased Lord Ganesh decided to help the Gods.
Disguised as brahmin he visited Tripurasur and told him that he was a very enlightened Brahmin and could make for him three flying planes. Riding these he woud be able to go anywhere he wished within minutes. The planes could only be destroyed by Shiva.In return Lord Ganesh asked him to get him the statue of Chintamani which was at the Kailash Mountain. Lord Shiva refused to give the statue to Tripurasur’s messenger. The angry Tripurasur himself went to get the statue. A fierce battle started between him and Lord Shiva. He destroyed everything that belonged to the Lord Shiva who too retired to the Girikandar.
Lord Shiva too realized that he was unable to destroy Tripurasur because he had not paid his respects to Lord Ganesh. He recited the Shadaakshar Mantra to invoke Ganesh. On doing so from his mouth emerged Gajanan to grant Shiva a boon. Shiva continued his invocation of Ganesh who ultimately directed him on how Tripurasur could be killed. Lord Shiva was asked to recite the Sahastranam and then direct an arrow at the three pura-s of Tripurasur.
Lord Shiva followed these instructions and finally vanquished Tripurasur.
The place where Lord Shiva invoked Lord Ganesh he also created a temple for him. The town surrounding this temple was called Manipur. The village Ranjangaon is considered to be the place where Lord Shiva himself sought the blessings of Ganesh and ultimately destroyed Tripurasur.
Exact sanskrit text has been attached for your reference :
bhavishya-puran-muhammad-tripurasur.jpg
hare krsna
i strongly dis agree with you prabhu ji
in this expplanation u have not given refernce of bhagvatam...so it is not aunthetic..
and in other way you are creating negative image of islam dharma and prophet mohmmad..
so kindly read bhagvatam there you will can know about mohmmad...who is also servent of lord krsna...just came to propagate message of krsna in a different way..to different set of mentality people..
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Paṇḍita, paṇḍita means one who knows. Generally, in India the learned brāhmaṇas are called "Panditji." Brāhmaṇa's honorable, I mean to say title is "Panditji". And vaiśya's honorable title: "Sethji." Panditji, Sethji. Even the śūdras, they are given some honor, "Choudhuri." This is Indian system. Everyone is given some honor. Especially in upper India, the brāhmaṇas, even at the present moment, they are addressed as Panditji. And the kṣatriyas, they are addressed as "Thakur Saheb". And vaiśyas, they are addressed as Sethji, and the śūdras, they're addressed as Choudhuriji. They're also given some honor.
This was the system of Indian life. Hindus, Mohammedans, they used to live very peacefully. It is not a fact that Mohammedans were always aggressive. Otherwise, how they could rule over India for eight hundred years? The Britishers could not rule even two hundred years. But they ruled over India eight hundred years. Only due to Aurangzeb's policy, the Mogul empire dismantled.
Anyway, so, yasya sarve samārambhāḥ. Samārambhāḥ means all attempts. Yasya sarve samārambhāḥ kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ. We want to do something to enjoy the fruit. We do some business with a desire, "The profit I shall enjoy." We live in family life. The desire is that... Everyone is trying to satisfy his senses, especially in this age. Dāmpatye ratir eva hi. In the śāstra it is said, dāmpatye, means husband and wife relationship will exist in this age of Kali only on the point of sex life. If there is disturbance in sex life, there is divorce. So kāma is there. In every samārambhāḥ, in every attempt, the lust, lusty desire is there.
In agreement, businessmen doing some business, the agreement, everyone is thinking, each party is thinking, "How much favorable it has become in my side." That is.... I want to cheat you. You want to cheat me. I am dictating, "The agreement should be like this." That means most favorable for my sense gratification. And you are dictating, "It should be like this." We are talking also on that spirit, "my sense gratification."
Kṛṣṇa says something. That is not wanted. My so-called teacher or ācārya... "There are different ācāryas." No. There cannot be different ācāryas. Ācārya is one. As Kṛṣṇa said in this chapter,
Ācārya means one who is speaking exactly the same instruction as Kṛṣṇa has given. That is ācārya. Not ācārya, everyone becomes ācārya. "In my opinion it is like..." Who are you? If you have got any opinion, then you write your own book. Why do you touch Bhagavad-gītā? Because Bhagavad-gītā is very well-known book all over the world, these rascals take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā and interpret it in their own way. That is not ācārya. Ācārya means, as Kṛṣṇa says, that "Millions of years ago I spoke this Bhagavad-gītā..." Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam, vivasvān (BG 4.1). "I spoke to the sun-god millions and millions of years ago." Vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt. Manu... If you simply calculate the age of Manu, it becomes millions and trillions of years. So before that. Because Vivasvān spoke to Manu. So Manu's age we cannot calculate. Before that.
Correspondence
1973 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 30 and am very pleased by the report.
Many students from America will very soon go there to learn the art of doll making as desired by you. It is better to go there and learn the art instead of the teacher coming here. Mayapur is already wonderful being the transcendental birthplace of Lord Caitanya. By utilizing western talents to develop this place certainly it will be unique in the world. As in Vrndavana we have named the temple Krsna-Balarama Temple, similarly I suggest that our Mayapur temple be know as Mayapur Candra temple or Mayapur Candrodaya. Whichever sounds better we should advertise from now.
I know there are many weavers who daily go from this side of the river to Navadvipa side for working in handweaving enterprise. So if we can employ some of them along with our own men for manufacturing first class saris we can purchase all these saris produced by you. Such small scale industries are also supported by the Bengal Government. Tarundada is in charge of such industry. I have consulted with Karandhara that we can purchase the saris and the government will be glad to cooperate with us for exporting Indian goods to outside of India. Similarly we can import nice dolls here. Gradually as our men become expert they can manufacture the same thing here. So Mayapur inhabitants can be engaged in such a small manufacturing enterprise as well as farming to become self sufficient. Side by side increase our spiritual consciousness by attending to the temple routine work, Deity worship sankirtana, attending class. The idea is we must have the necessities of our life as far as possible independently. But we should not be business minded. Our main business is to develop our dormant Krsna Consciousness. Side by side we may take to such enterprises as will maintain us very nicely. There is no need of sending the artisan to U.S.A. better send our disciples from here and learn the art there. In this connection manufacturing the mrdanga shells as well as the skin work on it is very essential. If possible our men may learn how to make karatalas also. At Navadvipa, there are many artisans for this purpose.
The summary is that our men must learn these four things: doll making, mrdanga making, karatala making and if possible making saris.
We want to display doll exhibitions in every center of our society depicting some narration from Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Caitanya Caritamrta, Bhagavad-gita like that. Just like the picture that Arjuna's chariot is placed by Krsna between the groups of 2 soldiers. The Pictures are already there in our books and they are to be demonstrated by doll exhibition. The Krsna-Balarama Deities if it is very successful you can send one photograph to Yamuna in Vrndavana and if needed they may be sent to Jaipur as a model for carving our Krsna-Balarama Deities to be installed at Vrndavana. If possible you can send me some photographs of the dolls already manufactured and I shall give you further suggestions in this connection. To learn how to prepare mrdanga shell is very essential. Regarding land I had already given Jayapataka Maharaja direction to purchase as much land as possible if it is offered at cheap price. But the present law is if the land is not properly utilized any outsider may occupy the land even as trespasser and the land belongs to him as a tenant or owner. I do not know what is the legal implication otherwise I wanted to purchase lands as much as possible in that quarter. Sometimes you consulted the district magistrate who came to see me and he said we may keep maximum 60 bighas of land. So my idea is that I want to purchase all the lands there for developing into a spiritual city but it may be utopian at the present moment.
Regarding keeping the Mohammedans in our temple I have no objection provided they follow or rules and regulations. Our philosophy is that we are not this body, outer tabernacle, but one must stick to our principles and live with us like other devotees. The difficulty will be the Mohammadans will not agree to shave their heads and beards. Our principle is anyone can live with us provided he becomes clean shaved, dresses like us, follows the regulative principles and chants the beads regularly. So you can let me know what is the reaction on the Mohammedan side to these conditions. Most of my students are coming from the Christian and Jewish groups but because they agreed to follow our principles there was no difficulty to organize the society. Similarly Mohammedan or anyone else who has no objection to our principles is welcome.
I'm so glad that prasadam distribution is going well, the cows are healthy and agriculture products are coming out nicely. So go on with the regular temple worship method and attract more persons. That will engladden me. You have said that the building construction work is finished but you have not written how many stories beside the plinth floor. Mr. Daga wanted to pay 10,000 Rs for one story more. Has it be executed accordingly? Please keep in constant touch with me by sending report at least once in a fortnight. At last I may inform you that I am very much interested to purchase more land.
The Lord accepted Srila Haridasa Thakura, a veteran devotee of the Lord coming from a Mohammedan family. And there are many other great devotees of the Lord who came from different communities, sects and castes
Expressions researched:
"the Lord accepted Srila Haridasa Thakura, a veteran devotee of the Lord coming from a Mohammedan family. And there are many other great devotees of the Lord who came from different communities, sects and castes"
Contents
[hide]Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Preface and Introduction
Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was a self-realized soul, although outwardly he belonged to a caste lower than the brāhmaṇa in social status. He was not in the renounced order of life, and besides that he was a high government servant in the state. Still, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted him as a liberated soul on the strength of the high order of his realization of transcendental knowledge. Similarly, the Lord accepted Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura, a veteran devotee of the Lord coming from a Mohammedan family. And there are many other great devotees of the Lord who came from different communities, sects and castes. The Lord's only criterion was the standard of devotional service of the particular person. He was not concerned with the outward dress of a man; He was concerned only with the inner soul and its activities. Therefore all the missionary activities of the Lord are to be understood to be on the spiritual plane, and as such the cult of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, or the cult of Bhāgavata-dharma, has nothing to do with mundane affairs, sociology, politics, economic development or any such sphere of life. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the purely transcendental urge of the soul.
When He met Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya on the bank of the Godāvarī, the varṇāśrama-dharma followed by the Hindus was mentioned by the Lord. Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya said that by following the principles of varṇāśrama-dharma, the system of four castes and four orders of human life, everyone could realize Transcendence. In the opinion of the Lord, the system of varṇāśrama-dharma is superficial only, and it has very little to do with the highest realization of spiritual values. The highest perfection of life is to get detached from the material attachment and proportionately realize the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The Personality of Godhead recognizes a living being who is progressing in that line. Devotional service, therefore, is the culmination of the culture of all knowledge. When Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appeared for the deliverance of all fallen souls, He advised the deliverance of all living entities as follows. The Supreme Absolute Personality of Godhead, from whom all living entities have emanated, must be worshiped by all their respective engagements, because everything that we see is also the expansion of His energy. That is the way of real perfection, and it is approved by all bona fide ācāryas past and present. The system of varṇāśrama is more or less based on moral and ethical principles. There is very little realization of the Transcendence as such, and Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejected it as superficial and asked Rāmānanda Rāya to go further into the matter.
There is no need to turn from Hindu to Mohammedan to Christian or some other faith and thus become a renegade and not follow the principles of religion. The Bhagavatam religion urges following the principles of religion
Expressions researched:
"There is no need to turn from Hindu to Mohammedan to Christian or some other faith and thus become a renegade and not follow the principles of religion. The Bhagavatam religion urges following the principles of religion"
Contents
[hide]Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
If the personality of Kali, irreligion, is allowed to act as a man-god or an executive head, certainly irreligious principles like greed, falsehood, robbery, incivility, treachery, misfortune, cheating, quarrel and vanity will abound.
The principles of religion, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, as we have already discussed, may be followed by the follower of any faith. There is no need to turn from Hindu to Mohammedan to Christian or some other faith and thus become a renegade and not follow the principles of religion. The Bhāgavatam religion urges following the principles of religion. The principles of religion are not the dogmas or regulative principles of a certain faith. Such regulative principles may be different in terms of the time and place concerned. One has to see whether the aims of religion have been achieved. Sticking to the dogmas and formulas without attaining the real principles is not good. A secular state may be impartial to any particular type of faith, but the state cannot be indifferent to the principles of religion as above-mentioned. But in the age of Kali, the executive heads of state will be indifferent to such religious principles, and therefore under their patronage the opponents of religious principles, such as greed, falsehood, cheating and pilfery, will naturally follow, and so there will be no meaning to propaganda crying to stop corruption in the state.
THIS IS KALIYUGA. ONLY RELIGION OF MAJORITY OF SO-CALLED THEISTS IS SERVICE OF BELLY AND GENITALS. HUMAN SOCIETY HAS ALREADY DEGRADED. HOW MUCH THEIST IS PARESH RAVAL IN OH MY GOD MOVIE? HOW MUCH THEIST AND DEVOTEE ARE ACTORS, ACTRESSES AND POLITICIANS WHO DO NOT FOLLOW PRINCIPLES OF RELIGION? WHY WE FIGHT? JUST BECAUSE OUR BODY IS BORN IN A PARTICULAR RELIGION. BUT VAISHNAVISM IS ORIGINAL RELIGION OF EVERY SOUL. TO REVIVE IT THERE ARE MANY SMALL STEPS WHICH INCLUDE FOLLOWING RELIGION OF OTHER COUNTRIES. IN REALITY, WHY WE HATE MUSLIMS ? BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT HINDUS OR WE ARE NOT MUSLIMS.
ALSO, MAJORITTY OF PEOPLE IN ANY RELIGION ARE JUST GIVING LIP SERVICE. THEY INDULGE IN MEAT EATING, KILLING, ILLICIT SEX. IS THERE NO HINDU OR SIKH OR MUSLIM IN JAILS? ACTUALLY VERY FEW PEOPLE FOLLOW VEDAS AND OTHER SCRIPTURES REALLY.
SO, YES THESE SO-CALLED MUSLIMS ARE REALLY DEMONS JUST LIKE MANY CRIMINALS WHO ARE BORN IN HINDU FAMILIES. BUT A FOLLOWER OF MUHAMMAD IS LIKELY TO PROGRESS TOWARDS VAISHNAVISM AFTER MANY LIVES.
HARE KRISHNA NITYANANDA GAUARANGA
JAI AACHARYAS, VAISHANVAJAN
You'll find those who are animal killers, the so-called Christians and Mohammedans, they cannot understand. They (are) simply fanatics. Cannot understand what is soul, what is God
Expressions researched:
"You'll find those who are animal killers, the so-called Christians and Mohammedans, they cannot understand. They (are) simply fanatics. Cannot understand what is soul, what is God"
Contents
[hide]Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Parīkṣit Mahārāja. He said that God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, cannot be understood by the animal killer. Vinā paśughnāt (SB 10.1.4). Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. You'll find those who are animal killers, the so-called Christians and Mohammedans, they cannot understand. They (are) simply fanatics. Cannot understand what is soul, what is God. They have got some theories and they are thinking we are religionists. What is sin, what is pious activities, these things are not understood by them because they are animal killers. It is not possible. Therefore Lord Buddha propagated ahiṁsā. Ahiṁsā. Because he saw the whole human race is going to hell by this animal killing. "Let me stop them so that they may, in future, they may become sober." Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita: Two sides. First of all he was very much compassionate, that poor animals, they are being killed. And another side, he saw "The whole human race is going to hell. So let me do something." Therefore he had to deny the existence of the soul because their brain will not tolerate such things. Therefore he did not say anything about the soul or God. He said that "You stop animal killing." If I pinch you, you feel pain. So why should you give pain to others? Never mind he has no soul; that's all right. He did not talk anything about soul. So these people say the animals have no soul. But that's all right, but he's feeling pain when you are killing the animal. So you also feel pain. So why should you give pain to others? That is Lord Buddha's theory. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam. He denied that: "I don't accept Vedas." Because in the Vedas there is sometimes recommendation, not for killing, but for giving rejuvenation to an animal. But killing, in that sense, is there for sacrifice. But Lord Buddha did not accept even animal killing in sacrifice. Therefore, nindasi. Nindasi means he was criticizing. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaṁ sadaya-hṛdaya darśita. Why? He was so kind and compassionate. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. God is very kind, very compassionate. He does not like. But when there is necessity, He can kill. But His killing and our killing is different. He's all good. Anyone killed by Kṛṣṇa, he immediately gets salvation. So these thing are there.
So, immeasurable. You cannot measure what is the soul, but the soul is there, and the body is perishable. "If you, even if you do not fight, you save the bodies of your grandfather and teacher and others as you are so much overwhelmed, so they are perishable. Antavanta means today or tomorrow. Suppose your grandfather is already old. So you do not kill him just now or, say, after one year or six months, he may die because he's already old. These are the arguments put forward. The main point is Kṛṣṇa wants Arjuna that he must fight. He must, he must not deviate from his duty as a kṣatriya. He should not be overwhelmed by the bodily destruction. Therefore He is giving instruction: "The body is different from the soul. So don't think that the soul will be killed. You stand up and fight." This is the instruction.
It is my personal opinion that at the present moment except for a few persons, practically there is no man in the world who is strictly religionist, Hindu, Moslem, Christian, Buddhist
Expressions researched:
"It is my personal opinion that at the present moment except for a few persons, practically there is no man in the world who is strictly religionist, Hindu, Moslem, Christian, Buddhist"
Contents
[hide]Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 31, 1968 along with the letter from the Methodist Church. I suspected in the beginning that they would not allow us to work with freedom and, therefore, in spite of their promise to enter into lease agreement I wanted to clear up the situation. Now they have shown their real face so don't feel sorry for this. We know very well what is the world situation. It is my personal opinion that at the present moment except for a few persons, practically there is no man in the world who is strictly religionist, Hindu, Moslem, Christian, Buddhist.
In the ten commandments of the Bible it is clearly stated that, "Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not indulge in adultery, thou shalt not covet their servant or animals," but practically we see the so-called Christian world is full of the killing process reflected with adultery in every state encroaching upon other's property very organizedly. Similarly we find in India the so-called Hindu are doing all sorts of nonsense. So practically the whole world is without religion. Officially they claim some sectarian identification. Therefore, it is a fact that the religious principles of Krishna Consciousness which we are trying to preach under the direction of Lord Caitanya inducing people to chant HARE KRISHNA is the only panacea for the animalistic human society at the present moment. A man without religion is nothing but an animal and being every man is irreligious, therefore, the whole human society is certainly animalistic.
We do not mind because we could not get any place in the Church Center and there is no cause for your being sorry for this. You have tried your best in the service of Lord Caitanya. This is sufficient. We do not calculate the so-called success or failure we are simply to discharge our duties in Krishna Consciousness and chant HARE KRISHNA loudly.
Now as you are free you can come and join me here. When I was in Montreal you went there to join me but because you were negotiating with Church Center affairs I sent you back to New York. I was also calculating if that center is obtainable I shall make my Headquarters in New York. Now that chance being lost you are welcome to come to join me here.
Your ever well-wisher
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
P.S. Two original letters, returned herewith.
THE PROPHECY OF MOHAMMED
One of the unique things about the Vedic literature, as illustrated by the prophecy of Mohammed, is that it describes prophets and saintly people who will appear not only in the general region of India, but also beyond it, even on other planets. It may also mention significant personalities who follow traditions outside of Vedic culture, rather than focusing only on its own traditions like most other religious texts. This demonstrates the universal view in the Vedic historical or prophetic descriptions. For example, the Bhavishya Purana (Parva 3, Khand 3, Adhya 3, texts 5-6) states: "An illiterate teacher will appear, Mohammed is his name, and he will give religion to his fifth-class companions." This does not describe much in regard to Mohammed's life, but it does mention Mohammed by name and what he was expected to do. And indeed, Mohammed, born between 570 and 580 A.D., seriously turned to religion after his fortieth birthday He preached in the area of Mecca for more than ten years and, although he was mostly ignored, he formed a small sect from the lower classes of people in the region. Later, he and his followers entered the place of Yathrib/Medina, which is the event known as the beginning of the Muslim faith. Thus, the Vedic texts predicted the appearance of Mohammed.
Jaiva Dharma
Chapter 2 Excerpt
Sannyasi Thakura understood the deep significance of this discussion,
and made no further suggestion about changing his outer
dress. Folding his hands he said, "Prabhu, since I am now your
disciple, and I have taken shelter at your lotus feet, I will bear upon
my head whatever instructions you give, without any argument. I
have understood from your instructions that unadulterated krishnaprema
constitutes the only vaishnava-dharma. This love for Krishna
is the nitya-dharma of the jivas, and it is complete, pure, and natural.
But what of the various dharmas that are prevalent in different
countries-how should I regard these different religions?"
Babaji Mahasaya said, "O Mahatma, dharma is only one, not two
or many. The jivas have only one dharma, and it is known as
vaishnava-dharma. Differences of language, country, or race cannot
create differences in dharma. Jaiva-dharma is the constitutional
function of the jiva. People may give it different names, but they
cannot create a different constitutional function. Jaiva-dharma is
the unadulterated spiritual love that the infinitesimal entity has
for the Infinite Entity. It appears to become distorted into various
mundane forms because the jivas possess different material natures.
That is why the name vaishnava-dharma has been given to identify
the pure form of jaiva-dharma. The degree of vaishnava-dharma in
any religion or dharma is a measure of its purity.
"Some time ago, in Shri Vraja-dhama, I submitted a question at
the lotus feet of Shriman Mahaprabhu's confidential associate, Shri
Sanatana Gosvami. I asked him whether the word ishqh in the Islamic
religious tradition means unadulterated love, or something
else. Sanatana Gosvami was a learned scholar of all the sastras,
and his erudition in the Arabic and Farsi languages in particular
knew no bounds. Shri Rupa Gosvami, Shri Jiva Gosvami, and other
exalted spiritual preceptors were present in that assembly. Shri
Sanatana Gosvami kindly answered my question as follows:
" 'Yes, the word ishqh means love. Adherents of Islam do use the
word ishqh in relation to the worship of Isvara, but the word generally
means love in the ordinary worldly sense. Islamic religious
teachers have not been able to understand the true conception of
the pure spiritual entity, or suddha-cid-vastu. This is evident from
the poetical account of the devoted lovers Laila and Majnun and
from the literary descriptions of ishqh by the great poet Hafiz. They
have referred to ishqh either as physical love pertaining to the gross
body, or as emotional love in relation to the subtle body. Thus they
cannot have had any experience of unadulterated divine love or
prema towards Bhagavan. I have never seen this type of prema described
in any religious texts of the Muslim teachers; I have only
seen it in the Vaishnava sastras. The same is true of the Muslim word
ruh, which means soul or spirit. It does not seem that Muslim teachers
have used the word ruh to mean the suddha-jiva (the liberated
soul); rather, they have used the word ruh in the sense of the
baddha-jiva, the soul bound by matter.
" 'I have not seen unadulterated love for Krishna taught in any
other religion, whereas descriptions of krishna-prema are common
throughout the teachings of vaishnava-dharma. In the second sloka
of Shrimad-Bhagavatam, krishna-prema has been lucidly described in
the statement, projjhita-kaitava-dharma: 'This Shrimad-Bhagavatam
propounds the highest truth from which all pretentious religiosity
has been rejected.' Nonetheless, I have full faith that Shri Krishna
Chaitanya was the first to give full instructions on the religion of
unalloyed krishna-prema. If you have faith in my words, you may accept
this conclusion.' Having heard these instructions, I offered
prostrated obeisances to Sanatana Gosvami again and again."
When Sannyasi Thakura heard this explanation from Babaji
Maharaja, he immediately offered dandavat-pranama to him.
Paramahamsa Babaji then said, "O best of the bhaktas, I will now
answer your second question. Please listen attentively. The words
'creation' and 'formation', when applied to the jiva, are used in a
material context. The speech of this world functions by drawing
from the experience of material phenomena. The time that we experience
is divided into the three phases of past, present and future.
This is material time (jadiya-kala), which is connected with
the material energy, maya. In the spiritual domain, there is spiritual
time, cit-kala, which eternally exists in the present, with no
divisions of past and future. The jivas and Krishna exist in that spiritual
time, so the jiva is eternal and ever-existing.
"The functions of creation, formation and falling take place
under the influence of material time, and they are used to describe
the jiva after he is bound in this material world. However, even
though the jiva is infinitesimal, he is an eternal, spiritual entity,
and his fundamental constitution existed before he entered this
material world. Since past and future do not exist in the spiritual
world, whatever occurs within that spiritual time frame is eternally
present. Therefore, in reality, the jiva and his constitutional
function are both ever-present and eternal.
"I have explained all this to you in words, but you can only understand
their true meaning to the extent that you have realized
and experienced the unalloyed spiritual realm. I have just given
you a glimpse; you should try to realize the meaning of what I have
said through cit-samadhi, spiritual meditation. You will not be able
to understand these topics through mundane logic or by debate.
The more you can free your faculty of experience from material
bondage, the more you will be able to experience the spiritual
domain.
"First you should cultivate the realization of your pure spiritual
identity and practice chanting shri-krishna-nama purely, then your
spiritual function known as jaiva-dharma will be clearly revealed.
Spiritual realization and experience cannot be fully purified by
the eightfold yoga system known as astanga-yoga or brahma-jnana
by cultivating knowledge of the all-pervading, featureless brahma.
The jiva can only manifest his nitya-siddha-dharma or eternal spiritual
function, by constantly cultivating activities directly meant
for Krishna's pleasure.
"You should constantly practice chanting hari-nama with great
enthusiasm. Such practice is true spiritual culture. By chanting
hari-nama regularly, you will develop unprecedented attachment
for shri-krishna-nama within a short time, and you will directly experience
the spiritual realm. Chanting shri-hari-nama is the foremost
of all the different limbs of bhakti, and it yields the quickest results.
This is confirmed by Shri Mahaprabhu's instructions in Shri
Krishnadasa Kaviraja's magnificent work, Shri Chaitanya-charitamrita
(Antya 4.70-71):
bhajanera madhye srestha nava-vidha bhakti
'krishna-prema', 'krishna' dite dhare maha-sakti
tara madhye sarva-srestha nama-sankirtana
niraparadhe nama laile paya prema-dhana
Of all the different types of spiritual practice, the nine forms
of bhakti (sravanam, kirtanam, etc.) are the best because they
have tremendous power to deliver Krishna and krishna-prema.
Of these nine practices, nama-sankirtana is the best. By
chanting shri-krishna-nama without offense, one obtains the
priceless treasure of prema.
"Mahatma, if you ask how to recognize a Vaishnava, I will tell you
that a Vaishnava is someone who has given up all offenses, and who
chants shri-krishna-nama with great feeling. There are three categories
of Vaishnavas: the kanistha (neophyte), the madhyama (intermediate),
and the uttama (most exalted). A kanistha Vaishnava
chants the name of Krishna occasionally, a madhyama Vaishnava
chants the name of Krishna constantly, and an uttama Vaishnava
causes others to chant shri-nama by his very presence. According
to Mahaprabhu's instructions, we do not need any other criteria
to discern who is a Vaishnava."
Sannyasi Thakura was deeply immersed in the nectar of Babaji
Maharaja's instructions, and he began to dance as he chanted shrikrishna-
nama: 'Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare /
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare'. On that day, he
experienced ruci, a natural taste, for hari-nama. Offering prostrated
obeisances unto the lotus feet of his guru, he prayed, "Prabhu! O
friend of the destitute! Please bestow your mercy upon this
wretched soul."
THUS ENDS THE SECOND CHAPTER OF JAIVA-DHARMA,
ENTITLED
"THE NITYA-DHARMA OF THE JIVA IS PURE AND ETERNAL"
JAIVA DHARMA CHAPTER 5 EXCERPT
Devidasa: But shri-vigraha that is worshiped is fashioned by a human
being, so how can it be eternal?
Lahiri: The vigraha worshiped by the Vaishnavas is not like that.
Bhagavan is not formless like brahma. On the contrary, He is the
all-powerful, concentrated embodiment of eternity, knowledge, and
bliss. It is that sac-cid-ananda-ghana-vigraha that is the worshipable
Deity of the Vaishnavas. Bhagavan's transcendental form of eternity,
bliss, and knowledge is first revealed in the pure consciousness
of the jiva, and then it is reflected in the mind. The external
form of the Deity is fashioned according to this transcendental
form revealed in the mind, and by the power of bhakti-yoga, the
sac-cid-ananda form of Bhagavan then manifests in the Deity.
When the devotee takes darsana of the Deity, that Deity unites
with the transcendental form of Bhagavan that the devotee sees
in his heart.
The Deity that the jnanis worship, however, is not like that.
They think that the Deity is a statue made of material elements,
but that the state of brahma is present in it while they are conducting
their worship, and that it becomes a mere material statue
again after they have finished their worship. Now you should
consider the difference between these two conceptions of the
Deity and their respective methods of worship. When you obtain
Vaishnava diksa by the mercy of a genuine guru, you will be
able to correctly understand this difference by observing the results
of both.
Devidasa: Yes, now this all makes more sense to me. Now I see that
the Vaishnavas are not just fanatics driven by blind faith; rather, they
are endowed with subtle and discriminating insight. There is a major
difference between the worship of the shri-murti and the temporary
worship of an imaginary form of the Lord that has been imposed on
a material object. There is no difference in the external procedures
of worship, but there is a vast difference in the faith of the two worshipers.
I will think about this for some days. Father, today my greatest
doubt has been dispelled. Now I can say emphatically that the
jnanis' worship is merely an attempt to cheat Shri Bhagavan. I will
submit this topic at your feet again at a later time.
After saying this, Devi Vidyaratna and Sambhu departed for
their residential quarters. They returned to Lahiri Mahasaya's
kutira in the late afternoon, but there was no opportunity to discuss
these topics further, for at that time everyone was immersed
in hari-nama-sankirtana.
The following afternoon, everyone seated themselves in
Paramahamsa Babaji's bower, Devi Vidyaratna and Sambhu sat
next to Lahiri Mahasaya. Just then, the Kazi from the village of
Brahmana-Puskarini arrived. When the Vaishnavas saw him, they
all stood up to offer him respect, and the Kazi also greeted the
Vaishnavas with great pleasure and then sat in the assembly.
Paramahamsa Babaji said, "You are blessed, for you are a descendant
of Chand Kazi‚ who was an object of the mercy of Shri
Mahaprabhu. Please kindly bestow your mercy upon us."
The Kazi said, "By the mercy of Shri Mahaprabhu, we have become
the objects of mercy of the Vaishnavas. Gauranga is the Lord
of our life. We do not do anything without first offering our
dandavat-pranama to Him."
Lahiri Mahasaya was a learned scholar of the Farsi language, and
he had studied the thirty sepharas of the Qur'an, and many books
of the Sufis. He asked the Kazi, "According to your ideology, what
is meant by mukti?"
The Kazi replied, "What you refer to as the jiva, individual soul,
we call ruh. This ruh is found in two conditions: ruh-mujarrad, the
conscious or liberated soul; and ruh-tarkibi, the conditioned soul.
What you refer to as spirit (cit) we call mujarrad, and what you
refer to as matter (acit) we call jism. Mujarrad is beyond the limitations
of time and space, whereas jism is subordinate to time and
space. The ruh-tarkibi, or baddha-jiva, has a material mind and is
full of ignorance (malphut) and desires. The ruh-mujarrad are pure
and aloof from all these contaminations, and they reside in the
spiritual abode, which is known as alam al-mashal.
"The ruh becomes pure through the gradual development of ishqh
or prema. There is no influence of jism, or matter, in that abode
where Khoda (God) brought the prophet Paigambar Sahib. Yet
even there, the ruh remains as a servitor (banda), and the Lord is
the master. Therefore the relationship between the banda and
Khoda is eternal, and mukti is actually the attainment of this relationship
in its pure form. The Qur'an and the literature of the Sufis
explain these conclusions, but not everyone can understand them.
Gauranga Mahaprabhu mercifully taught Chand Kazi all these
points, and since that time we have become His unalloyed bhaktas."
Lahiri: What is the primary teaching of the Qur'an?
Kazi: According to the Qur'an, the Lord's personal abode, which
is the highest attainment in the spiritual world, is known as
behesht. It is a fact that there is no formal worship there, yet life
itself is worship (ibada). The residents of that abode are immersed
in transcendental bliss simply by seeing the Lord. This is the very
same teaching that has been presented by Shri Gaurangadeva.
Lahiri: Does the Qur'an accept that the Lord has a transcendental
form?
Kazi: The Qur'an states that the Lord has no form. But Shri
Gaurangadeva told Chand Kazi that this teaching of the Qur'an
means that the Lord cannot have a material form. It does not preclude
the existence of His pure spiritual form. Paigambar Sahib saw
the divine loving form of the Lord in accordance with his level of
eligibility. The transcendental moods and sentiments that are characteristic
of the other rasas remained hidden from him.
Lahiri: What is the opinion of the Sufis in this regard?
Kazi: They adhere to the doctrine of ana al-haqq, which means "I
am Khoda." The Sufi (aswaph) doctrine of Islam is exactly the same
as the advaita-vada doctrine.
Lahiri: Are you a Sufi?
Kazi: No, we are unadulterated devotees. Gauranga is our very life.
The discussion went on for a long time, and finally Kazi Sahib
offered his respects to the Vaishnavas and departed. Hari-namasankirtana
followed, after which the assembly dispersed.
THUS ENDS THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF JAIVA-DHARMA,
ENTITLED
"VAIDHI-BHAKTI IS NITYA NOT NAIMITTIKA"
ISLAM AS A TRUE RELIGION IS A PATH TOWARDS OUR ETERNAL RELIGION- VAISHNAVISM. BUT BY INFLUENCE OF KALIYUGA AND NOT FOLLOWING SCRIPTURES, SO-CALLED MUSLIMS ARE CREATING HAVOC.
SOULTION LIES IN ABANDON ALL RELIGIONS, SURRENDER UNTO SUPREME LORD KRSNA OR SLOWLY ELEVATE BY FOLLOWING YOUR OWN SCRIPTURES AND ACHARYA. BUT SECOND ONE IS DIFFICULT AND RISKY IN KALIYUGA.
Quran has specially laid down what is a forbidden food. Beef i.e cow meat has not been forbidden in Quran. That is why they slaughter cows. In this way, they commit go-hatya. Still, would you call them fellow Vaishnavas ? While eating meat, they don't perform Vedic sacrifices. Would you call them fellow Vaishnavas ? In Swarga loka (heaven), the king is Indra. You say that Muslims will get heaven. For obtaining swarga (heaven), one needs to perform Vedic sacrifices and propitiate deities. Muslims don't even respect demigods, how will they get an entry in Swarga ?
Prabhuji, please give your own reply. I don't want any copy-paste reply.
Abhimanyu Prabhuji, Muhammed has been clearly mentioned in Bhavishya Purana as 'Tripurasura'. He established a religion where idol worship is considered as a sin. They don't even believe in the authenticity of Vedas. If he indeed was a servant of Krishna, then he should have propagated a Bhagwat dharma. Quran also describes Allaha as formless. In Shrimad Bhagwatam, there is no reference of Muhammad. If he was a servant of Krishna, then he should have propagated a dharma which was in consonance with Bhagwat Dharma. But this is not the case. If you claim that Muhammada has been referred in Bhagwat as a Param Vaishnava, then kindly prove this by any sanskrit verse of Srimad Bhagvatam.
Agreed that Prabhupad has said that Islam is a Vaishnav dharma, but that was an attempt to create a mutual repect among faiths. It was an attempt to create an atmosphere of goodwill and brotherhood.
Do you know that recently in Bangladesh, muslims severed heads of all the deities in a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple ? The picture is circulating on the internet. They have been doing such abominable acts since the conception of Islam. Just go to an Islamic country with your Krishna deity, they will confiscate this idol and destroy it and also punish you severely. You will be dubbed as a 'sinful' person and a 'kafir' i.e a 'non believer'. Would you still call them 'Vaishnavas' ?
-
1
-
2
of 2 Next