Mail Archive

Hare Krishna

• Subject: Hare Krishna
• From: Dennis B
• Date: Thu Jan 25 15:50:03 1996
• Message-Id: id720

Dear Dennis



Hello! Hare Krishna!



>the way, what does Sudarsana mean?



Sudarsana is Krishna's wheel weapon, the "Sudarsana Chakra". Krishna uses it to

kill the demons.



>I'm not much for "orthodoxy,"

>"main-stream" or "credentialed" either.  I am getting to know Krishna from

>Prabhupada's books.  I'm also getting to get an understanding of Prabhupada

>too!  Prabhupada doesn't seem to be a "dead guru" to me.  He is alive in my

>visions and his books.



Yes, Prabhupada is living in his books. He said, "If you want to know me -- read

my books" so keep reading.



> However, I would like to know what that service was

>all about in Atlanta.  You know - why they do what, when they do it and how

>come they do it the way they do.



I suppose you are talking about the Aroti, the ceremony offered to the Deities. It

is a great science and there are many things, but the basic idea is Krishna is a

person and He has agreed to become visible to us in a form we can perceive and

serve with our material senses. The Deity is Krishna, not a statue. So the

devotees serve Krishna very opulently. There are seven offerings of food cooked

and prepared for the Deity each day starting from milk sweets at 4:00 am and

ending with a snack at 8:30 pm in the evening. There is a hearty breakfast, a very

substantial lunch offering, an afternoon fruit offering and an evening meal. The

devotees serve Krishna in every way, in the mornings they bath the Deities and

dress Them in new clothes, and many things are offered to the Deities as well.



> Thank you for telling me why the altar was

>closed.  Krishna takes an afternoon nap every day. Cool!  I'm going to go

>back when I get a chance.  I did feel "right" there.  I don't care if anyone

>there talks to me or not, Prabhupada says enough for all of them put

>together.  I'm sure I'll find someone to sit me down and tell me what's

>what.  The temple manager, I never did catch his name,  is a buisy black guy

>who I feel like is doing much more than fleecing the Indian flock.  He seems

>to be genuine. That's just my first impression though.  I'll just have to

>make time and find out what's happening.



Yes. Almost all the devotees are genuine. It is just a little difficult with the

politics at the moment, that is all.





>

>    I do believe what you said about our natural occupation is to please

>Krishna.  I think the reason for my anxieties was because I just got tired

>of trying to play god.  I am not God, I am a servant of God, a servant of

>Krishna.  Also, the "pleasurable" things are only momentary and really not

>satisfying.  Its so hard to release attachments to pleasureable things even

>though intellectually I know they're not what they seem to be!



Yes. We have to get a higher taste. It's only possible to give up our material so-

called "pleasures" if we are experiencing real, transcendental pleasure from

Krishna consciousness. That will come if you seriously try to chant Hare Krishna

and read Srila Prabhupada's books. It can be a little difficult in the beginning

as we may not have so much attachment to Krishna, but the only way to develop that

attachment is the follow the regulative principles [no illicit sex, no meat

eating, no gambling and no intoxication] and chant at least 16 rounds of the Hare

Krishna maha-mantra daily. We should vow to do at least this much.



>

>    I want to believe that all I have to do to end this cycle of samsara and go

>back to Godhead and serve Krishna there, is to follow Prabhupada's words and

>instructions.  I feel like it is the right thing to do but I'm not quite

>sure.  So, I'll just keep reading, chanting, regulating my life the best I

>can, writing to you once in a while, and visit the ISKCON Atlanta (when I

>can) and see what happens. What do you think?



Yes. Sounds like a good idea...



Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!



Your servant



Madhudvisa dasa

>

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