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Re: punk?????the ongoing saga

Dear Bhakta Eric,

   Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
   
   Very pleased to hear from you. Good to see you have been making an 
   impact in alt.punk! I haven't been following it unfortunately and I just
   looked on the University of Tasmania's system and it's not there either.
   I'll follow it from now on though. 

   Srila Prabhupada once said there is a devotee on every street corner, we
   just have to find them! So it looks like you've found one. The nicest 
   thing is association with devotees. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said; sadhu 
   sanga sadhu sanga sarva shastra kaya, lava matra sadhu sanga sarva
   siddhi haya: "Even a moment's association with a pure devotee is the 
   most valuable thing in the world."

   There are three types of persons, devotees, the innocent and the demons.
   As preachers we try to associate with devotees, preach to the innocent
   and avoid the demons. It can be VERY difficult if we try to preach to
   the demons. But devotees are more merciful than Krishna, they want to
   preach to the demons as well. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was on the
   planet five hundered years ago his two of His principal assistants,
   Nityananda and Haridas Thakura would go out to the market (the local
   shopping mall...) to preach.

   "Jagai and Madhai were two brothers born in Navadvipa in a respectable
   brahmana family who later became addicted to all kinds of sinful
   activities. By the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu both Lord Nityananda
   and Haridasa Thakura used to preach Krishna consciousness door to door.
   While preaching in this way they came across Jagai and Madhi, two
   maddened drunken brothers, who, upon seeing them, begun to chase them.
   On the next day Madhai threw a clay pot a Nityananda Prabhu causing his
   head to bleed. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard of this He immediately
   rushed to the spot ready to punish the brothers, but when the
   all-merciful Lord Caitanya saw Jagai had repented, He immediately
   embraced him. By seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face
   and embracing Him both the sinful brothers were at once cleansed. Thus
   they received initiation into the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha
   mantra from the Lord and were delivered." (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita Adi
   17.17)

   So when we preach sometimes the demons get angry but what can be done
   about that? WE CAN'T STOP PREACHING!

   The straight edge movement is a difficult thing because it is not really
   very strictly following the principles of Krishna consciousness. Maya
   [the material energy] is very powerful. She is always trying to distract
   us from spiritual life. She takes advantage of any little fault. Funny
   thing the example is a "razors edge". In days gone by they used to shave
   with "cut throat" razors, they were just very sharp blades, so you had
   to be very careful shaving, the smallest distraction and you end up with
   a big cut on your face. Spiritual life is like that, the razors edge, a
   little deviation from the rules and regulations and there's a big mess.

   Really Krishna consciousness, although its for everyone. it won't be
   seriously taken up by everyone. We have to find serious people who are
   actually prepared to give it a go. To follow the regulations seriously.
   It takes a big effort. The secret is to try and please a pure devotee.
   Visvanatha Chakravati Thakura says (and we sing every morning): yasya
   prasadad bhagavat-prasado yasyaprasadan na gatih kuto 'pi, "By the mercy
   of the spiritual master one receives the mercy of Krishna. Without the
   grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any advancement." But it
   has to be a real spiritual master... There are so many cheaters today
   [even in ISKCON] so one has to be VERY careful.

   Chanting is the most important thing. We just have to decide to do it
   and stick to it. Make a vow to chant 16 rounds a day and don't go to bed
   without chanting them! It doesn't take too long, three hours at the 
   absolute maximum I think. It's well worth it. Although chanting can be 
   difficult it is still working. As we chant Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, 
   Krishna Krishna Hare Hare / Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, 
   all the dirt which has accumulated in our heart for millions of births 
   is washed off and gradually we can see ourselves. The heart is described
   as a dirty mirror and this chanting is the process that cleans the
   mirror of the heart, the more we chant the cleaner it gets and
   eventually we will be able to see our real spiritual self and our
   relationship with Krishna. Krishna is sitting in our hearts, we just
   can't see Him because of all the dirt... so keep chanting!

   Don't worry about what other people say, just chant! You will be
   purified and everyone who hears will also.

   If your chanting is good and regular everything else will automatically
   become OK. Chanting is the main thing (sorry for saying it again and
   again but it really is VERY IMPORTANT that we chant at least 16 rounds a
   day. If we don't we will loose our strength and be washed away by the
   waves of maya...)

   I will mail you my magazines next week and I am looking forward to
   reading yours.

   I saw one of your messages in arv about Lord Brahma's day.

   Looking forward to seeing your postings on the net and hearing from you
   again.

   Hare Krishna,                            



--

Madhudvisa dasa          |
                         |   S H E L T E R   I N T E R N A T I O N A L
                         |____________________________________________

      Life is temporary and we don't know where we are going after death.
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