HANUMAN FIGURINE IS PRESIDENT OBAMA’S LUCKY CHARM

BARACK OBAMA ALWAYS CARRIES 
HANUMAN STATUETTE IN POCKET

www.indiadivine.org - A statuette of Lord Hanuman is among few items that US President Barack Obama always carries in his pocket and seeks inspiration from whenever he feels tired or discouraged. President Obama disclosed this on a YouTube interview which the White House scheduled as a way to reach younger audiences as it promotes Obama’s final State of the Union address on last Tuesday. 
Asked to show off an item of personal significance during the interview with YouTube personality Nilsen, 54-year-old Obama pulled from his pockets a series of small totems, each of which he said reminded him “of all the different people I’ve met along the way.” It included rosary beads given to him from Pope Francis, who he met at the White House this fall and a tiny Buddha statue procured upon him by a monk.

The other items that US President Obama always carries in his pocket are a silver poker chip that was once the lucky charm of a bald, mustachioed biker in Iowa; a figurine of the Hindu monkey God Hanuman; and a Coptic cross from Ethiopia, where he visited in July. “I carry these around all the time. I’m not that superstitious, so it’s not like I think I necessarily have to have them on me at all times,” Obama said. 
But he said they do provide some reminders of the long path of his presidency. “If I feel tired, or I feel discouraged sometimes, I can kind of reach into my pocket and say yeah, that’s something I can overcome, because somebody gave me the privilege to work on these issues that are going to effect them,” he said. Obama, whose father was a Kenyan and mother a white woman from Kansas, spent initial days of his life in Indonesia where Hinduism is a popular religion. Nowadays, there are about three million Hindus in USA.

A figurine of Lord Hanuman is among the few items that Barack Obama always carries around in his pocket and seeks inspiration whenever he feels discouraged, the U.S. President revealed in an interview, CNN reported. In a live post-State of the Union interview with Ingrid Nilsen, American YouTube personality, from the East Room of the White House on January 15, Obama showed things he carried around all the time and took out from his pocket which he described as: "This is Hindu little statuette of monkey god Hanuman that a woman gave me." This video-interview is posted on The White House website. In Mahabharata war, the flag on Arjuna’s chariot, driven by Lord Krishna himself, displayed Lord Hanuman; therefore to achieve success in battle it is not  surprising that President Obama also reportedly carried small Hanuman figurine as a lucky charm during electioneering. Hanuman, son of wind-god, besides incredible strength and changing shape at will and flying, is a perfect grammarian, great scholar and excelled in all the sciences. According to a legend, even while he was still an infant, he intimidated the sun. Apart from all of this, Hanuman’s only desire was to go on serving his Lord Rama; and thus, from the devotee's point of view, Hanuman perfectly exemplifies ‘dasyabhava’ devotion - one type of devotional disposition - that lovingly bonds the master and the servant. Servitude [dāsya], friendship [sakhya], parental affection [vātsalya] and conjugal love [śrińgāra] are the four transcendental mellows [rasas]. These are the transcendental modes of loving service to the Lord. By the devotees who cherish these four mellows, the Supreme Lord is subdued. Our spiritual masters have taught us that our practice should be focused on culturing a specific service that takes the shape of any of the loving sentiments, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya or madhurya / śrińgāra. Our hearing and chanting will become focused on those lilas which will help us to promote our particular serving identity to the Lord. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The bhāva stage is the final division before one reaches love of Godhead. The word sarva-bhāva means that one can love the Supreme Personality of Godhead in different transcendental modes of mellows, beginning with dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya and mādhurya. In the śānta stage, one is on the border of loving service to the Lord. Pure love of Godhead begins from dāsya and develops to sakhya, vātsalya and then mādhurya. Still, in any of these five mellows one can render loving service to the Supreme Lord. Since our main business is to love the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one can render service from any of the above-mentioned platforms of love.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam - Canto 7: "The Science of God"
Chapter 9: "Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nrisimhadeva with Prayers" - Verso 54

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

PARAMADVAITI SWAMI SPEAKS IN COLOMBIA'S CONGRESS

SRILA PARAMADVAITI SWAMI REQUESTS 
LEGISLATORS OF COLOMBIA TO CARE PLANET

www.youtube.com - Days ago, on August 20, the Vaishnava spiritual master, Srila Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti, direct disciple of Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, spoke at the plenary of the House of Representatives of Republic Congress in Colombia. He asked the representatives of the Colombian people, to promote peace in a constructive way. He spoke about the importance of being a ruler or legislator; and reminded them, that traditionally, according to Vedic wisdom, the king was the representative of God, and he had to account for their actions towards the people; the King must took upon himself 25% of the reactions of sins that were committed by people under his reign; and today this 25% is distributed among the elected members, as they are responsible for their country can obtain peace, love, health and safety. “On one hand, as regards your responsibilities you are God’s representatives, but on the other hand, this also means a big commitment,” said Paramadvaiti. 
He also explained that “The world is behind the progress; but this progress is poorly understood in most cases, as we see the state of the environment; more opencast mines, more deforestation, more, more, more; but less security, less happiness and less health, particularly in connection to the environmental pollution and waters’ pollution.”

“The solution is not that there should not be progress; but these solutions need not be through more factories and industrialization, but in having an education which allows you to know and feel that you can be happier with less. Global competition wants the mines of gold and also cut down all the trees of the Chocó and the Amazon to put other things there; but that is not for the welfare of Colombians, the indigenous groups or those beautiful children of yours, who will be the future of Colombia and the world. 
Therefore, you should consider the great responsibility you have and evaluate that the progress of our planet does not depend on the bank figures, but on the degree of happiness and enlightenment that can be achieved with non-violence, meditation, and respecting women, who today are victims of a completely male-dominated society that just wants to enjoy the woman. So, we need a shift towards a more simple life but with higher thoughts; that is the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, who with it has had made great impact on India, Burma and the Himalayas.” 

In his annual tour visiting different countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas, the Vaishnava spiritual master Srila B. A. Paramadvaiti Swami, founder of the “Vrinda Family”, spoke in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Colombia and delivered his message of protecting the planet by building a sustainable society that respects nature. His call to be more aware of the great damage which is being done to the planet was broadcast live across the country by the national chain of Colombia. Paramadvaiti Swami spoke to lawmakers about "Permaculture", the revolutionary new way to cultivate which is basically done by creating food forests which function as a natural ecosystem that regulates itself. This new form of agriculture could eliminate hunger across the globe at the expense of the mafia responsible for the shameful and corrupt food industry. Paramadvaiti said: “Today, the farming system is called “monoculture”, there are giant fields where one product is grown and there is a single owner; and all the families have no place to cultivate. Permaculture should be supported by you gentlemen, thus in this way we will have a healthy society and a true health; health is not in hospitals but in good nutrition, health is to allow people to grow back all their stuff and naturally respect the rights of others.” In conclusion, Paramadaviti Swami asked the legislators to reflect about their responsibility as Colombian Congressmen: “I ask you, in the name of the infinite God, to take this responsibility and save the national resources of Colombia from the international interests of the multinationals; who are interested in Colombia’s gold, but not in Colombia’s water. As I learned in Tolima, we want water, not gold; because with water we live, but gold is taken by others and we will never see it. And the only thing that remains with us is a wasteland, a devastated land, with undrinkable waters.” At the end, Srila Paramadvaiti thanked for being allowed to speak in the Congress, and did it on behalf of “our Infinite Well-wisher and Mother Nature, who is so great, so kind that she has given us this Colombia, which is the most amazing multi-diversity you can see so far, and hopefully it stays that way.” (Editor's note).

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc59Wie9BfM

http://vrindaenlosmedios.blogspot.com.ar/2014/08/srila-bhakti-aloka-paramadvaiti.html

http://www.frequency.com/video/srila-paramadvaiti-swami-en-el-congreso/188552317

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Today we see the condition of the world. Never before in history has the world been in a more dangerous situation. We have made progress through technology and science. We have cured diseases such as small pox. We made vaccinations for polio and breakthrough in open heart surgeries to keep people living after major heart attacks. These are good things. But at the same time, what are we doing on the other side. We are creating other diseases due to pollution and other unnatural styles. … And with all the toxic chemicals in the soil, in the ocean, in the rivers and in the air, if you look at it realistically the world is in a hopeless state. Politicians don’t want to tell you and we don’t want to hear about it, because we are just caught up in our petty pursuance of fulfilling our greed. It is a big problem.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja : 
“The Real Significance of Bhumi Puja”
Lecture at Govardhan Farm, Wada - 2nd October 2009
http://www.radhanathmaharaj.net/node/80
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/  -  http://radhanathswami.info/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

NELSON MANDELA DIES AT 95

NELSON MANDELA DIES; FORMER 
PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA WAS 95

- Nelson Mandela, the former political prisoner who became the first president of a post-apartheid South Africa and whose heroic life and towering moral stature made him one of history’s most influential statesmen, died Dec. 5. He was 95. To a country torn apart by racial divisions, Mr. Mandela became its most potent symbol of national unity, using the power of forgiveness and reconciliation to heal deep-rooted wounds and usher in a new era of peace after decades of conflict between blacks and whites. 
To a continent rife with leaders who cling to power for life, Mr. Mandela became a role model for democracy, stepping down from the presidency after one term and holding out the promise of a new Africa. And to a world roiled by war, poverty and oppression, Mr. Mandela became its conscience, fighting to overcome some of its most vexing problems.

He was a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who spent 27 years in prison as part of his lifelong struggle against racial oppression. Throughout this moral and political fight, Mr. Mandela evoked a steely resolve, discipline and quiet dignity, coupled with a trademark big, charismatic smile. He ultimately carried them into office as South Africa’s first democratically elected and black president. His victory capped decades of epic struggle by the African National Congress and other liberation groups against South Africa’s brutal white rulers, first under British colonialism and then under a white-run system called “apartheid,” or racial separation. 
Under Mr. Mandela’s leadership, South Africa slowly began eradicating racism from its legal canon, governmental institutions and school textbooks. A new Constitutional Court was inaugurated in 1995 as the highest court in the land.

Nelson Mandela dies at age 95. In an extraordinary life that spanned the rural hills where he was groomed for tribal leadership, anti-apartheid activism, guerrilla warfare, 27 years of political imprisonment and, ultimately, the South African presidency, Nelson Mandela held a unique leadership cachet that engendered respect and awe in capitals around the globe. The world remembers a great leader who fought to establish equality among human beings. Obviously, the lack of spiritual knowledge is the main cause of the constant competition between individuals, social groups, races and nations to control the wealth, power and prestige. The true platform for social equality and cooperation is not to declare that “we are all equal”, because although from a spiritual vision we all have the same Heavenly Father, in the material world there are many differences. Some have good qualities of life, health, education, intelligence, while others lack even the basic minimum resources to survive. Knowing that the Supersoul ( Paramatma ) is present in every soul and every material body, we must be aware of the true spiritual nature and also help all to achieve an appropriate balance between the material and spiritual life goals. It is not enough to proclaim that we are equal. We must take a step beyond that and accept that differences exist and therefore we are responsible for caring for those with less facilities. True compassion means that anyone who has more qualities or resources has to use them to protect those who do not have and also strive to give the best of all: help others awaken spiritual awareness. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Universal brotherhood is spontaneously manifested in the heart when we know our father and mother. So we find the great saints of great traditions throughout history offering respect, love, and compassion to all living beings. Social equality is only real when it’s actually from the spiritual platform. On the spiritual platform there is total equality because we are not these bodies. We are not black, white or yellow; we are not Indian, Pakistani, American, Russian, African or Chinese; we are not men or women, rich or poor; we are not brahmans, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras or untouchables. We understand these to be temporary designations. Through political or philanthropic propaganda, to try to create equality has many limitations. In his famous address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, Martin Luther King proclaimed, “I have a dream that one day people will be judged, not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” He was a religious man.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“Is it possible to achieve social equality through bhakti?”
http://leadershipandspirituality.com/
http://www.radhanath-swami.info/
http://www.radhanathswamionline.com/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

ISRAEL'S INFLUENTIAL RABBI OVADIA YOSEF DEAD AT 93

RABBI OVADIA YOSEF, INFLUENTIAL
ISRAELI SPIRITUAL LEADER, DIES AT 93

http://edition.cnn.com - Hundreds of Israelis on Monday bid an emotional farewell to Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, 93, the former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel. The spiritual leader died at Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital after medical complications from a stroke he suffered at the beginning of the year. Yosef was considered the leading authority in religious rulings in the realm of Jewish law.
He was revered by many Israelis, both secular and religious, in particular those of Eastern origin. This popularity led him to play a unique role in Israel's nation-building. He will be remembered for his pivotal influence in Israeli politics after he formed the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party in 1984.

Since its founding, the party has almost always been part of the governing coalition, and the rabbi had been a confidant of Israel's prime ministers. In September 1993, Shas, under Yosef's leadership, played an integral role in Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's peace initiative that led to the forming of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Gaza.
He interpreted the Halakhic, or Jewish religious law, principle of Pikuach Nefesh to mean that lives that are endangered by the Arab-Israeli conflict can be saved by overruling the commandment to settle the land. His interpretation was taken as the religious endorsement of the two-state solution, which calls for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. Today, Shas' political influence wanes as it sits in the political opposition.

The influential spiritual leader of Israel's Sephardic Jewish community and the ultra-Orthodox Shas party died Monday at a Jerusalem hospital. He was 93. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, wielded enormous influence among Israeli Jews of Middle Eastern and North African ancestry but courted controversy with his outspoken views. Despite the rabbi's often sharp-tongued outbursts, he had for many years been an advocate of peace talks with the Palestinians based on his respect for the sanctity of life. We must follow the footsteps of the great saints and devotees. Within this material world one may become a brilliant intellectual, a powerful politician, a philanthropist, a great businessman or an admired pop star. But ultimately all of this is useless and one has to return to birth and death in these material realms. Even those engage in the spiritual paths, have to understand about the higher purpose in life. It doesn't matter whether one is a karmi, jnani, yogi, or whatever; spiritual search will not be successful unless one has developed love for the lotus feet of the Lord. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Real spiritual life is not necessarily about changing our position in society. It is about transforming our hearts. One can be in business, in education, a mother or father, a farmer, a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, a politician. One can even be a swami. But when we overcome selfishness and learn the beauty and art of selflessness - seva or selfless service - spirituality is meant to transform arrogance into humility, greed into generosity, vengeance into forgiveness, hate into love, criticism into appreciation, hopeless into hopefulness - it is meant to transform us into becoming instruments of the inner peace that is in our heart with God. That is the real journey home. The journey of transformation, of understanding that there is a power beyond our own, the power of God that can enthuse us, inspire us and empower us to be real instruments of change.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“Interview with Joshua Greene”
http://www.radhanathswami.com/2010/07/interview/
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/  
http://radhanathswami.info/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

MUJICA FOCUSES ON CLIMATE CHANGE IN UN ASSEMBLY SPEECH

URUGUAYAN PRESIDENT BLASTED
CONSUMERISM IN UN ASSEMBLY SPEECH

http://www.un.org - In his address to the United Nations General Assembly, the President of Uruguay today urged the international community to strengthen efforts to preserve the planet for future generations. Speaking to world leaders gathered at the General Debate of the Assembly’s 68th session, President José Mujica said that “the world cries out for global rules that respect the achievements of science.” 
He noted that “with talent and teamwork” man can green the deserts, farm the sea and devise methods to use salt water for farming, among other innovations. “A world with better humanity is possible, but maybe today the first priority is to save lives,” the Uruguayan President said.

In his speech, Mr. Mujica highlighted the power of the financial systems and the economic fallout which has the greatest impact on ordinary people. He urged a return to simplicity, with lives founded on human relationships, love, friendship, adventure, solidarity and family, instead of ones with people shackled to the economy and the markets.
Later, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with Mr. Mujica in a bilateral meeting in which the two officials discussed several issues on the global agenda, according to a UN spokesperson. In particular, Mr. Ban welcomed Uruguay work in support of UN peace efforts, being one of the highest per-capita contributors to UN peacekeeping operations worldwide.

We agree with Uruguayan president Jose Mujica who in a fiery speech before the UN General Assembly, criticized consumerism and waste, electronic surveillance which ‘poisons’ relations among nations, called for a true globalization and blasted individual greed which has “far outstripped the superior greed of the human specie”. He also said that politics had succumbed to economics and has become a mere administrator of what the financial system does not control and criticized the ‘bureaucratization’ of the UN because it lacks of truly power and autonomy. Human civilization must be attached to the natural rhythm of production that nature dictates, without attempting artificial economic development which has led the world into a chaos of greed and illusory power, seeking the goal of enjoying petty luxuries and only satisfy the senses. This is no more than the life of dogs and pigs. Economic development based on our own tools and equipment, is not everything. We must take refuge under the protection of the Supreme Lord because without His sanction, and despite all the great technological development, society will continue going towards failure. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

How could we live in this society in collapse? Practically we rely on an economy of disaster, the one which is happening today in the world: monopolization, centralization, state indifference, which is leading us to a disaster. It's like monoculture agriculture; people take more money when they poison the land and cultivate using a giant tractor, but when they use pesticides not only pests die but new and more resistant pests are appearing; land is sick, it becomes sterile and this forces the use of more venom and chemical fertilizers. ... We can not see very clearly this scenario because we are being informed by a totally biased media, who have their own participation and only serve the interests of the industry, not the interest of the general population. The media are very crooked, and a citizen scarcely can have access to information of the real consequences that this chaos is going to take.

Śrīla Bhakti Aloka Paramadvaiti Mahārāja :
“Ecology and Meditation
Body, Mind and Soul
In Harmony with Nature”
http://www.vedic-wisdom.org/
http://gurumaharaj.net/vani/ecologia_y_meditacion.html 
http://pancatattwa.blogspot.com.ar/2007/09/libros-escritos-por-swami-ba.html 

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

THE EGYPTIAN CRISIS

EGYPT IN CRISIS: 
VOICES FROM THE STREETS

www.bbc.co.uk - Egyptians are reacting to the fast-moving developments in their country, after the army ousted President Mohammed Morsi and put him under house arrest. The top judge of Egypt's Constitutional Court, Adly Mahmud Mansour, has been sworn in as interim leader, saying that fresh elections were “the only way” forward, but gave no indication of when they would be held. Here, Egyptian readers give their reaction to Mr Morsi's removal.
Reem Shalan, Cairo: “There were so many people out on the streets on Wednesday night and the atmosphere was so patriotic. There were patriotic songs and fireworks. There were small kids, old men and women, people of all ages and from all backgrounds. A couple of months ago, people were skeptical of the army. However, we have now seen our faith restored. This is not a military coup, as many are saying. Muslims, Coptic Christians, the rebel movement - we all wanted Morsi removed.”

Islam Hawala, Giza: “This is a full-blown military coup. The military are using the people as an excuse to remove a democratically elected president. They have pushed the people to the streets so that they can gain power. I can't accept it. I can't live in a country where my voice is not heard because of the military. I will continue to protest against this. We don't have a democracy anymore. I have been to many pro-Morsi protests over the past few days. There were many people there and they have been peaceful. The people who wanted Morsi removed have their right to protest too, but protesting doesn't mean overthrowing the president. This is not democracy. 
It is anti-democratic to fight the system. When Morsi came to power I thought he would be able to change many things, but he didn't. But what we need to remember is that he was elected democratically.”

Egypt woke up to yet another new ruler today after President Mohamed Morsi, the democratically-elected Islamist president, was ousted in a military-led coup. After days of growing protests across Egypt, the military has removed embattled President Morsi and suspended the country's constitution, paving the way for an interim government ahead of early presidential elections. Mr Mansour, Egypt's new interim head of state, has promised fresh elections and he has offered an olive branch to the Muslim Brotherhood, saying that “nobody will be excluded” from building the nation again. In our pursuit to attain peace, the real struggle is to find a harmonious relationship between enjoyment and renunciation.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Though the vocation of each individual is different, everyone’s goal is the same - the attainment of peace. If we ignore the Emperor of Peace and simply devote ourselves to worldly duties or to our work, thinking that peace will come to us through material learning, wealth or riches, then we are destined to fall into the pit of misery. The consequences of this attitude are clear - people are becoming more and more selfishly oriented and thus actually ignoring the interests of their society and country. They have forgotten that the struggle for enjoyment or renunciation is not the essential struggle in life. We achieve real enjoyment by renouncing our own selfish interest in favor of higher purposes like society, country and God.

Śrīla Bhakti Bibudha Bodhayan Mahārāja :
“Sanatan Hindu Dharma - The Way to Harmony”
http://www.gopinathmath.com/book/export/html/53
http://www.gopinathmath.ru/katha/Sanatana%20Hindu%20Dharma%20way%20to%20harmony.pdf

 

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

A MILLION PROTESTERS TAKE TO STREETS IN BRAZIL

BRAZIL: 1 MILLION PROTESTERS
FLOOD STREETS, VIOLENCE GROWS

www.foxnews.com - Brazil awoke Friday to city centers still smoldering after a night that shocked the nation: 1 million protesters took to the streets in scores of cities, with clusters clashing violently with police during anti-government demonstrations. President Dilma Rousseff, a standoffish leader who has been virtually mute in the face of the most violent protests in recent memory, called a meeting with top Cabinet members. She faced sharp criticism in Brazil's media for what many called her lack of any leadership.
It was not clear what action her government might take or if she would appear before the nation to give an address. There were growing calls on social media and in emails for a general strike next week.

Despite the violence, the majority of protesters have been peaceful. In massive demonstrations through this week, as small groups began to vandalize, crowds would often turn and start to chant, "No violence! No violence!" But the pattern in cities across this continent-sized nation has been that once night falls, the violence begins. Protesters and police clashed in several cities into the early hours Friday, as people vented anger over a litany of complaints, from high taxes to corruption to rising prices.
At least one protester was killed in Sao Paulo state when a car rammed into a crowd of demonstrators after the driver apparently became enraged about being unable to drive along a street. In Rio de Janeiro, where an estimated 300,000 demonstrators poured into the seaside city's central area.

A young man and a woman died as more than a million people took to the streets in Brazil's biggest protests for two decades. The 18-year-old man was killed when a Jeep smashed through a barricade during latest wave of anti-government rallies. The woman died of a heart attack after the explosion of a bomb in a protest in Belem, in northern Brazil. The demonstrations began more than a week ago over high transport fares, but they have broadened out to highlight corruption and the cost of next year's soccer World Cup. Riot police was firing tear gas at groups of protesters. TV images also showed looting in Rio de Janeiro, where police sealed off government buildings including the state legislature and the governor’s office.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

If people are disturbed in this way, both ways, from the state side and from the rogue side, then how they will live peacefully? Just like we sometimes say that if the politicians and the statesmen they are so irresponsible, fighting amongst themselves to capture the power, where is the time for them to think of people's welfare? They cannot. It is not possible. ... But because they are simply busy to keep their position in the political power ... Actually at the present moment, people are disturbed by unnecessary taxes, at the same time bad elements. So without proper king, without nice state, everyone is unhappy. And that is going on nowadays. In the Kali-yuga, it will go on continual, and more and more people will be unhappy.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
"Room Conversation, Jaipur, January 18, 1972
Discussion on SB 4.13.48 to SB 4.14.11"
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

PALESTINIANS MARK 65 YEARS SINCE DISPLACEMENT

THOUSANDS OF PALESTINIANS MARK
'NAKBA DAY' IN GAZA, WEST BANK

www.reuters.com - Palestinians clashed with Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday during demonstrations to mark 65 years since what they call the Nakba (Catastrophe) when Israel's creation caused many to lose their homes and become refugees. A shell fired from Gaza, which is ruled by the Islamist movement Hamas, exploded in an open area of Israel but caused no injuries, according to an Israeli military spokesman. There was no immediate claim of responsibility from militants in Gaza.
Protesters skirmished with Israeli forces outside a refugee camp near the West Bank city of Hebron and at a prison near Ramallah, leaving several Palestinians injured. Israeli police in Jerusalem scuffled with Palestinian protesters, tossing stun grenades and making several arrests.

Thousands also rallied in the main square of Ramallah, the Palestinians' de facto capital while Jerusalem remains under Israeli control, holding up placards with the names of villages depopulated in 1948 and old keys, symbols of lost homes. Arab states failed in a 1948 war to stop the Jews settling in Palestine, who cited biblical ties to the land and a need for a Jewish state, which up to that time was under British colonial control. 
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is to return to the region on Tuesday in another bid to revive peace talks frozen since 2010. But a resolution remains elusive and many Palestinians cling to a desire for refugees and descendants to return to ancestral lands now in Israel - an idea Israel rejects, saying it would spell the end of the Jewish state.

The 65th anniversary of Nakba Day was commemorated today by Palestinians throughout Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian diaspora. The “Nakba (the catastrophe) Day” marks the day Israel was founded. In Palestinian towns, at exactly noon a memorial siren was sounded, its length 65 seconds, one second for every year Israel has existed. In the afternoon hours, Palestinian youths began clashing with IDF soldiers. They hurled stones at security forces who returned fire with riot dispersing equipment. Clashes are taking place among people and nations due to our mistaken sense of propriety; in fact we are not the owners of anything in this world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Śrīla Prabhupāda said we must teach all over the world that Lord Krishna is the Owner and the Supreme Enjoyer.  The sense of ownership is extremely dangerous since it confuses us in our relationship with God.  When we believe to be the owners of something, we believe to be the enjoyers of that, for this reason to believe that something belongs to me is a great illusion; nothing is ours, not even our own body, that to say of others, or the things related to the body, such as children, family, money, facilities, etc.. Krishna often repeats in the Bhagavad-Gita that we must understand that nothing is ours, everything belongs to Him. ... Krishna says: “When you understand that I am the owner of all, everything belongs to Me and I am the enjoyer, then even you'll be My owner and enjoyer.”

Śrīla Atulananda Ācārya :
“Sense of Ownership”
“Words of Gurudeva”
http://www.atulanandadas.cl/
http://www.atulanandadas.cl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=50
 

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

MAY 1 or MAY DAY

FROM BANGLADESH TO EUROPE ANGRY
WORKERS RALLY IN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS

www.csmonitor.com - In Dhaka, Bangladesh, a raucous crowd descended on the city center with signs and drums, chanting and waving banners demanding the death penalty for the owner of a factory where more than 400 people died in a building collapse last week.In Jakarta, Indonesia, some of the tens of thousands of demonstrators marching through the city came dressed as ants - complete with bright red outfits and antennae - to depict the exploitation of workers. And in Greece, trains, buses, and ferries sat vacant and hospitals nearly empty as thousands of public sector employees walked off the job in a one-day strike.
Each year, May 1, better known as May Day, is marked with labor rallies and strikes around the world. And this year's holiday came at a particularly prescient moment in many parts of the world. 

From Europe, where the bite of austerity has left many facing down unemployment and reduced benefits, to South and Southeast Asia, a region cluttered with precariously-built factories similar to the one that collapsed last week in Bangladesh, demonstrators gathered to vent outrage and demand reform. In Phnom Pehn, Cambodia, workers rallied for higher wages and safer working conditions. In Manila, Philipines, where labor unions are banned, workers marched to demand the right to organize. And in Hong Kong, thousands turned out in support of striking dock workers, calling for wages that would help close the income gap between the country’s rich and its poor. 
In Greece, where the government recently announced that it would lay off 180,000 civil servants over the next two years a strike shut down public transit across Athens.  And in France, which saw unemployment rose again last month, marchers carried banners reading, “Where are the real socialists in our government?”

Ryan Lenora Brown, correspondent from CSMonitor, explains that May 1 is a national holiday in some 80 countries around the world, and its ties to labor advocacy date back to 1886, when American police killed 10 protestors at a rally for an eight-hour workday in Chicago’s Haymarket Square. International socialist organizations and labor unions declared it a day of commemoration and action soon after. "Ironically, however, May Day is not celebrated in the United States. In the early 1890s, fearing the “socialist” overtones of the holiday, President Grover Cleveland quickly declared an alternate holiday, beginning the American tradition of celebrating Labor Day on the first Monday of September," Miss Brown adds. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Sri Krishna described very clearly karma, akarma and vikarma. 

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

The living entity has to work for his livelihood because that is the law of material nature, and if he does not act according to his prescribed duties, he transgresses the law of nature and binds himself more and more to the cycle of birth and death. ... Actions that free one from the cycle of birth and death are called akarma. ... Ordinary men wish to perform good work in order to be recognized and achieve some higher status of life in this world or in heaven, but more advanced men want to be free altogether from the actions and reactions of work. Intelligent men well know that both good and bad work equally bind one to the material miseries. Consequently they seek that work which will free them from the reactions of both good and bad work. 

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Śrī Īśopaniṣad
Iso mantra 2
http://vedabase.com/en/iso
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/