DOZENS KILLED IN US STORMS

DEADLY TORNADOES TEAR
THROUGH US KILLING DOZENS

www.abc.net.au - Tornadoes, storms and flash floods have battered no fewer than eight US states and left more than 40 people dead. They’ve also damaged hundreds of homes.  North Carolina was hardest hit with more than 20 people confirmed dead.  As residents start to pick through the debris rescue workers are warning that the death toll could still rise.  The severe storm system began wreaking havoc in Oklahoma and worked its way through Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Virginia and finally on day three North Carolina.  In all the National Weather Center received more than 240 tornado reports.  Residents of the states worst affected saw the storms coming but were still taken aback at the force of the tornadoes, flash floods and massive hailstones.  NBC TV reported that at least 45 people had died as a result of the tornados.

In South Carolina, a church collapsed in Berkeley County due to tornado winds.  Two dozen tornados were reported in the southern states of Mississippi and Alabama on Friday, a day after 15 twisters struck in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas, the National Weather Service said.  Alabama Governor declared a state of emergency for all the state’s counties as a result of tornados, severe thunderstorms, hail and high winds.  Tornado season typically runs from March to early July in the US, moving from south to north as the year progresses. Such storms kill an average of 70 people a year.

At least 44 people are said to have died after a powerful storm whipped up tornados across parts of the southern and central United States over three days.  Tornados and thunderstorms hit North Carolina on Saturday, knocking out power, flooding streets and uprooting trees. A state of emergency has been put in place for the state.  Day after day, Mother Nature shows that we are not doing things correctly, and therefore in different parts of the world receive some degree of suffering and misfortune.  Our only shelter from the calamities are the lotus feet of Bhagavan Śrī Krishna.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

By the order and wrath of Indra, the master of all the higher subtle elements, heavy rain began to fall. ... So the helpless - the women, children, and animals of Vrndavana - had no alternative but to take refuge of Krishna. They all came to Krishna for relief. They cried, “O Krishna! Now what are we to do?”… Seeing this, Krishna had much pity for them. … At that time, with only one hand Krishna lifted up the Govardhana Mountain. For Him, it was a very easy thing; with only one hand, He uprooted the hill and lifted it up as a child lifts a toy ball. And holding up that great mountain, Krishna gave protection to all those who were living in Gokula. The men, women, and children of Vrndavana brought the cows and all their worldly goods and took shelter beneath Govardhana Hill.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
“The Loving Search for the Lost Servant”
Fourth Chapter: ‘Lord of the Cows’
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library -  www.bvml.org/SBRSM
http://www.prema.bplaced.net/guardian/books/books.htm

YEMENI WOMEN: “PRESIDENT IS DEGRADING US”

WOMEN IRATE AT REMARKS
BY PRESIDENT OF YEMEN SALEH

SANA, Yemen (Reuters) - Thousands of Yemeni women protested in Sana and other cities on Saturday, enraged by President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s remarks that it was against Islam for women to join men in the demonstrations aimed at toppling him.  The women, many in black Islamic dress with full face veils, said their role in protests was religiously sound and called, again, on the president to step down.  “It seems that President Saleh failed in all his efforts to employ tribes and security to strike at those seeking his exit, and so he resorted to using religion, especially after he saw that thousands of women were taking part in protests,” said Samia al-Aghbari, a leader in the protest movement.

Mr. Saleh, who has warned of civil war and the breakup of Yemen if he is forced out before organizing an orderly transition, urged the opposition on Friday to reconsider its refusal to join talks to resolve the political crisis.  But he also struck a defiant tone, calling members of the opposition liars and appealing to religious sensitivities in this conservative Muslim country by criticizing the mixing of men and women in protests in Sana.  “If Saleh read the Koran, he wouldn’t have made this accusation,” said one protester, who gave her name only as Majda. “We ask he be tried according to Islamic law.”  Around 5,000 women demonstrated against Saleh in Sana on Saturday, with similar numbers in the industrial city of Taiz, south of the capital.

Thousands of Yemeni women marched in the capital Saturday protesting for what they called President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s attacks on their morality due their participated in demonstrations against him.   International political analysts fear that this chaos would benefit an active Al Qaeda wing operating in this poor Arabian Peninsula country.  The material world is only a reflection of the spiritual world.  The conditioned jiva must destroy his material identity as “man” or “woman”, and establish his spiritual identity - free from matter - by performing spiritual activities.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Each individual soul residing in the material world has an original spiritual form that manifests one of the five rasas (relationships with Lord Krishna).  Four of these rasas, namely, dasya (servitorship), sakhya (friendship), vatsalya (parental love) and madhurya (conjugal love) are present among the people of Vraja.  In Vraja, males participate in the rasas of dasya (servitorship), sakhya (friendship) and the fatherhood portion of vatsalya (parental love).  In these three rasas males engage in direct service to Lord Krishna.  However, it is only females who serve the Lord in madhurya (conjugal love) and in the motherhood portion of vatsalya.  Among both liberated souls and beginners engaged in sadhana bhakti, many souls with external male material bodies have original spiritual forms that are female.

Śrīla Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thākura :
“Jaiva-dharma” (The Universal Religion)
Chapter 21 : Eternal Religion - Sambandha, Abhidheya and Prayojana
Bhaktivedanta Memorial Library  -  http://bvml.org/SBTP/JD/index2.html#21

RELIGION IS NEVER IRRELEVANT

POPE BENEDICT COMPLAINS RELIGION 
IS MARGINALIZED AND DENIGRATED

Vatican City (EFE) - Respect for religious freedom in general and for the Catholic Church in particular, defense of the family, and formation for young people so as not to marginalize the values of faith.  These are the main contents of an address given this morning by Pope Benedict XVI to the new Spanish ambassador to the Holy See, Mrs. María Jesús Figa López-Palop. The purpose of diplomatic relations, said the Pope is to always move forward “in mutual respect and cooperation”, within the legitimate autonomy of respective fields, including the expression of their faith and their conscience, “whether in public or in private”.  However, there are now “more sophisticated forms of hostility to religion which, in Western countries, occasionally find expression in a denial of history and the rejection of religious symbols which reflect the identity and the culture of the majority of citizens”.  The Pope spoke of certain circles which tend to treat religion as socially irrelevant, and even annoying factor, and do not excuse the fact that they want to sideline faith.

He said the values of faith are sometimes maginalized by those circles “through denigration, ridicule, discrimination, including a clear indifference to incidents of desecration, that violate the fundamental right to religious freedom inherent in the dignity of the human person”, which “is a real weapon of peace, because it can change and improve the world”.  Pope Benedict claimed education should integrate moral and religious values according to the convictions of parents.

Yesterday, Benedict XVI complained about the “sophisticated forms of hostility against faith” expressed “denying history and religious symbols, often by denigration and making fun of them”; the Pope also regretted that in certain environments religion tend to be viewed as a “socially insignificant and even annoying” factor.  On the contrary, religion is “a real weapon of peace, because it can change and improve the world.”, said the Pope.  Many people say that they don't believe in any religion. However, on taking a closer look, we can see that there is no one in this world who does not believe in the eternal religion.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

To those who say that they don’t believe in any religion, I would like to ask, don’t they believe in the body’s religion of eating, drinking, sleeping and evacuating?  Don’t they believe in the religion of the mind?  They may say that they don’t believe in the religion of the soul. How can they believe in it?  They don’t even know what it is. However, don’t they want to live forever?  Do they want to remain fools?  Don’t they want knowledge? Don’t they want happiness?  This is called sat, cit and ananda in the language of the scriptures.  To desire sat-cit-ananda and to serve Him is the religion of the soul. Living beings, parts of the marginal potency of the all-powerful Supreme Lord, are also atomic sat-cit-ananda while the Supreme Lord is infinite sat-cit-ananda.  So, whether directly or indirectly, everyone desires the sat-cit-ananda Supreme Lord.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
“Sat-Cit-Ananda”
Article posted on Jan 10, 2003  -  www.sreecgmath.org
http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/hare-krishna-forum/479242-sat-cit-anand.html

INDIA: CABINET NOD FOR BLACK MAGIC BILL

STATE TO RE-INTRODUCE MAHARASHTRA
 ERADICATION OF BLACK MAGIC BLACK BILL

INDIA - www.indianexpress.com - The state Cabinet on Friday accorded sanction for preparing and introducing the controversial Black Magic Bill in the state legislature.  The Bill aims at curbing the exploitation of people at the hands of Tantriks and fake sadhus.  The state government has been struggling with pioneering the legislation against such faith since 2005.  The previous bill, the Maharashtra Eradication of Black Magic, Evil and Aghori Practices Bill had been passed by the Assembly but got stuck in the council as Shiv Sena members termed it as being anti-Hindu.  It was then referred to a joint select committee of legislature. Ultimately, it lapsed as elections were held in 2009 and the previous Assembly completed its tenure.  Sources said the bill might either be introduced in the ongoing session of the legislature or an ordinance would be issued after the session concludes.   After the ordinance, the bill would then be introduced in the monsoon session of the legislature.  

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said in the Assembly on Thursday, “We are in the 21st century and still such things (human sacrifices) are happening. We’ll try to introduce the Bill during the ongoing session, or else we’ll issue an ordinance and introduce the Bill in the Monsoon session.”  On the other hand, the Editor of Hindu Press International says: “The danger lies in leaving it up to the government to decide who the charlatans are and who the real practicioners of ancient Tantric and Aghoric arts are, most of them traditional and many benign.  Who is qualified to judge?  This can be an unsettling precedent”. 

In India, the Maharashtra state government is all set to revive the Maharashtra Eradication of Black Magic, Evil and Aghori Practices Bill.  The proposed legislation, which received the cabinet nod on Friday, is aimed at curbing Tantric practices of black magic and human sacrifice.  Some of the Tantric followers practice magic and alchemy in their techniques, using mantras for the deliberate manipulation of the material energy for their own purpose.   It is well known that Tantric sorcerers, particularly those in the Left-hand path - who know the art of magic - can possess amazing but dark powers.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

There are sixty-four Tantra texts, which were written in the middle part of the first millennium and later.  These texts are devoted to many techniques, which have been formulated to invoke spirituality and divinity in man.  The Tantra techniques deal with the arousing of the dormant spiritual energy of the body by the divine spark of meditations and other methods. Some of these Tantra techniques, like Kriya yoga and Kundalini yoga, have gained popularity in many different parts of the world, apart from India. The other aspect of the Tantra philosophy, however, in which the primordial energy is aroused by the practice of sexual techniques, partaking of meat and wine, and dubious methods of black magic, has been seriously questioned by many and has now become taboo in most places.

Dr. Hiro Badlani:
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 5: “Ancient Hindu Scriptures: An Ever-flowing River Of Knowledge”
http://hinduismpath.com/
http://hinduismpath.com/book-contents/chapter-5/

MUSIC AND SEX AT ‘EUROPE’S BIGGEST PARTY

WILD NIGHTS IN UKRAINE AT 
‘EUROPE’S BIGGEST PARTY’ - KAZANTIP

http://articles.cnn.com - Kazantip is the biggest music festival you’ve never heard of - a month-long celebration of dance music and debauchery on Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.  Each summer the sleepy seaside village of Popovka is overrun by thousands of techno-loving hedonists who become a self-contained community devoted to vodka-fueled beach partying. But for its organizers, Kazantip is not a music festival - it is an independent “republic.”  Nikita Marshunok is the event’s founder, and the self-proclaimed president the “Republic of Kazantip.”  “What makes Kazantip different from other music events is that music for us is not the main event,” says Marshunok.  “We’re not a festival, but the great Kazantipian nation.”

Kazantip is certainly different. It was created in the dying days of the Soviet Union to meet Russian and Ukrainian young people’s desire to emulate rave-style parties becoming increasingly popular in Western Europe.  The event was originally held at an abandoned nuclear power station building site on the Black Sea shore.  While the DJs performing at the event are announced in advance, there is no fixed schedule. DJs often play unannounced, where and when the organizers decide. For some, the lack of structure is part of the appeal.   It’s not to everyone’s taste though. Some visiting Kazantip have described a surreal mix of glitzy hedonism, open-air sex, relentless music and increasing commercialization, all contrasting sharply with the economically-struggling local community.

The wildest party of the world is called Kazantip and it is held in the Crimean peninsula every year since 1992.  Partiers relax on the shores of the Black Sea during the day and dance at night.  Kazantip is known for its dazzling mix of hedonism, sex outdoors, vodka consumption, marketing and its continuing bone-shaking techno, trance and house music.  As Kali yuga advances, we are more prone to illicit sexual activity, laziness, use of drugs and alcohol.  All of these activities only reinforce the illusion that we are these bodies and cause us to be more attached to the material world.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

According to Vedic philosophy, we are all spirit souls, who are part and parcel of God.   We have entered the material world due to our desire to enjoy it and to think of ourselves as God.  ...  Sex life is the highest material pleasure and also the root cause of most of our grief.  ...  Intoxication is one of the more obvious sinful activities because so many people develop addictions to it.  Whether it be alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, or caffeine, addiction to intoxication is very common.   Considering the fact that our senses are impossible to satisfy, it is no surprise that many take to intoxication in an attempt to break free of the senses.   Instead of trying to escape the senses, the Vedas tell us to purify them through practicing devotional service to God, or Bhakti Yoga.

Krishna’s Mercy - Jai Shri Krishna :
“The Four Regulative Principles” - Published by: keshava - Feb. 15 2009
http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/
http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/News/Blog/tabid/57/EntryId/9/The-Four-Regulative-Principles.aspx

INDONESIA: MP RESIGNS AFTER SEX WEBSITE SCANDAL

INDONESIAN ANTI-PORNOGRAPHY LAWMAKER
CAUGHT WATCHING PORN WEBSITES, RESIGNS

AP - An Indonesian lawmaker who helped pass a tough anti-pornography law resigned Monday after he got caught watching sexually explicit videos on his computer during a parliamentary debate.  The scandal has transfixed this predominantly Muslim nation since a local photojournalist filmed Arifinto, a member of the staunchly Islamic Prosperous Justice Party, gazing at the downloaded porn sites Friday.  The blurred images have been published on the front pages of newspapers almost daily, and reaction has set alight social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  Some commenters said Arifinto should be prosecuted under the anti-pornography law that took effect in 2008 despite opposition from the public.  Fifty-year-old Arifinto, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, was an outspoken supporter of the pornography law.

The law calls for prison terms of up to 15 years and fines for everything from kissing in public and exposure of a woman’s “sensual” body parts to displaying “erotic” artworks.  Broadcasting, possessing and storing pornographic material also is prohibited.  Arifinto apologized to his constituents Monday and told reporters he was stepping down from Parliament immediately.  “It’s my decision,” said the father of five, insisting he was not acting on the orders of his party. “Nobody tried to coerce me.”  Indonesia, a secular country of 237 million people, has more Muslims than any other country in the world. Though most are moderate, they have pushed through several controversial laws - including the pornography law.

Indonesian parliament member from Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) Arifinto who helped pass a controversial anti-pornography law resigned Monday after he was caught watching explicit videos at sex websites on his computer during a parliamentary session.  The legislator was watching a porn video on his tablet computer as fellow legislators debated plans to build a new parliament building.   This is a typical characteristic of Kali yuga.  We behave hypocritically, with deceitfulness, displaying mere social etiquette.  Sincerity can only be find in a suddha bhakta, a pure devotee, who is one in his words and heart.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

We should follow the teachings of the sadhu. We are not to place importance merely on external behavior. We must see the purpose for which sadhus are acting: for the service of Sri Krsna and the devotees. We should behave like the sadhu only when we understand the purpose of their behavior. We should follow, not imitate. ... We think that we have become civilized in this world. How is this civilized? The so-called civilization of this world is a mere hypocrisy. If one acts in a hypocritical manner, exhibiting grand external behavior, then, in the Kali-yuga, that is considered to be civilized. What is this civilization of Kali-yuga? We have something inside. Our behavior shows one thing but in the heart dwells something else. Outwardly, we shake a person’s hand, but inwardly we want to kill that person. You will now find this sort of “civilization” in Kali-yuga.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
Lecture: “The Qualities of a Sadhu”
http://bvml.org/SBBTM/tqoas.htm
http://www.sreecgmath.org

TODAY BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF LORD RAM

INDIA: PM GREET PEOPLE
ON RAM NAVAMI FESTIVAL

www.hindustantimes.com - With prayers and rituals, Hindus on Tuesday celebrated the festival of Ram Navami, the birth anniversary of Lord Ram, a day that also marked an end to nine days of fasting for some. Across temples and in many homes, devotees sang ‘bhajans’, or devotional songs.  On the morning of Ram Navami, the youngest girl in the family applies ‘tika’ to the men and women of the household.  Everyone participates in a ritual by first sprinkling water and putting ‘roli’ (red powder) on the idols and showering handfuls of rice on the deities.  Then everybody stands up to perform the ‘aarti’ at the end of which water, ideally Gangajal (Ganges water), which is considered holy, is sprinkled over the gathering.
 
President Pratibha Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday greeted the people on the occasion of Ram Navami, saying it “reinforces the belief that a life of morality is not easy but can be achieved through commitment and compassion.” Extending her greetings, the President hoped that the noble example of love, compassion and humanism of Lord Rama would inspire the people to follow the highest moral and ethical values.  “Let us strive to spread his message of devotion to duty, due restraint and selfless commitment to the well-being of the people,” she said.  Vice President Hamid Ansari asked the people to rededicate themselves to the enlightened teachings of Lord Rama for establishing a peaceful and harmonious society. 

The Hindu world is now celebrating the Sri Ram Navami festival which commemorates the birth of Lord Rama to King Dasharatha and Queen Kausalya of Ayodhya.  In his message, the India Prime Minister said the festival commemorates the prosperous and righteous reign of Lord Rama-the Maryada Purushottam.  Besides, the Minister also hoped that the festival would strengthen people’s faith in the goodness of mankind and inspire one and all to lead a virtuous life.  Telling the story of Rama today, during Rama-Navami or Navaratri, bears a special significance.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Dasharatha was the king of Kosala, an ancient kingdom that was located in present day Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya was its capital.  The childless Dasharatha was advised by his family priest Vashishtha to perform a fire sacrifice ceremony to seek the blessings of God for children.  While performing the fire worship ceremony, a majestic figure rose from the sacrificial fire and handed to Dasharatha a bowl of rice pudding, saying, “God is pleased with you and has asked you to distribute this rice pudding (payasa) to your wives - they will soon bear your children.”  The king received the gift joyfully and distributed the payasa to his three queens, Kausalya, Kaikeyi, and Sumitra. Kausalya, the eldest queen, gave birth to the eldest son Rama.  Bharata, the second son was born to Kaikeyi and Sumitra gave birth to the twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna.  Rama’s birthday is celebrated now as “Ramanavami”.

Stephen Knapp (Śrīpad Nandanandana dasa) :
“The Ramayana Summarized”
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/ramayana_summarized.htm
http://www.stephen-knapp.com  -  http://www.stephenknapp.info/

MEDITATION HELPS RELIEVE PAIN

MEDITATION CAN PROVIDE GREATER
PAIN RELIEF THAN POWERFUL MEDICATION

www.healthnews.com - Practicing meditation can ease pain better than powerful drugs such as morphine, according to researchers from North Carolina and Wisconsin.  Findings showed that just 80 minutes of meditation training could provide fast and effective pain relief.  Meditation involves a cessation of the thought process. It can be described as a state of consciousness in which the mind is free of scattered thoughts and various patterns, providing for a heightened awareness.  “This is the first study to show that only a little over an hour of meditation training can dramatically reduce both the experience of pain and pain-related brain activation,” said Fadel Zeidan, research fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre, who led the study.  For the study, a group of healthy volunteers who had never meditated attended four, 20-minute classes to learn a meditation technique known as focused attention, which is a form of mindfulness meditation where people are taught to attend to the breath and let go of distracting thoughts and emotions. 

In the study, the researchers used a heated probe that was pressed against one leg of fifteen male and female participants both before and after providing meditation training. The probe gradually raised the skin temperature to a painful 32C (120F).  In addition, brain scans with a special type of imaging were taken during the procedure.  

“We found a big effect - about a 40 percent reduction in pain intensity and a 57 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness,” added Zeidan.  “Meditation produced a greater reduction in pain than even morphine or other pain-relieving drugs, which typically reduce pain ratings by about 25 percent.”  The details of the new research were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Researchers at Wake Forest University, USA, have found that meditating can reduce pain intensity by almost twice as much as morphine or other pain-relieving drugs.  Dr. Fadel Zeidan says that meditation affects parts of the brain that are related to the way we react to pain and the way we experience pain in our bodies. The sages from the ancient Vedic times practiced meditation techniques and gradually identified themselves more with the soul, atman, than with the pains of the body.  Intense and sustained mental concentration on higher spiritual thoughts liberated them from any physical afflictions.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

The ancient yogis and saints of India practiced these techniques by doing deep meditations and finally merging themselves into the Divine.  They would fix their attention on the Divine and become completely unaware of their own bodies and senses. ... Modern medicine has endorsed the beneficial effects of many of these meditation techniques in countering the harmful effects of stress on the human system.  Many leading medical authorities now recognize that through the practice of meditation and yoga, one can regulate heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital phenomenon, hitherto considered as beyond the influence of voluntary control. ... There are even reports of brain changes, as observed by MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) techniques, after meditation.  Scientists have discovered palpable thickening of some critical areas of the brain cortex in monks who perform meditation over prolonged periods.

Dr. Hiro Badlani:
“Hinduism - Path of the Ancient Wisdom”
Chapter 14 - “Consciousness: Cosmic Intelligence of the Divine”
Chapter 44 - “Meditation: The Spiritual Practice”
http://hinduismpath.com/

COME BACK, VEGGIE BURGER, ALL IS FORGIVEN

MEATLESS FOOD, THE BLOSSOMING  
OF THE AMERICAN VEGGIE BURGER 

http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com - They were the four syllables that used to have the power to make both carnivores and vegetarians cringe: veggie burger.  Across the country, chefs and restaurateurs have been taking on the erstwhile health-food punch line with a kind of experimental brio, using it as a noble excuse to fool around with flavor and texture and hue.  As a result, veggie burgers haven’t merely become good.  They have exploded into countless variations of good, and in doing so they’ve begun to look like a bellwether for the American appetite.  If the growing passion for plant-based diets is here to stay, chefs are paying attention.  Food critic Jeff Gordinier says: “Last week I found myself in a situation that many a cheeseburger die-hard might have scoffed at.” 
 
“There I was, standing in a kitchen in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, with Lukas Volger, 29, the author of ‘Veggie Burgers Every Which Way,’ a cookbook that came out last year.  To open my palate to the vast spectrum of veggie options, the exceedingly gracious Mr. Volger had decided to cook me three of his favorite recipes: one with mushrooms and barley, another with tofu and chard, and a touch-of-peanut Thai-style rendition with carrots.  He showed me why it’s important to fry the patties in an oiled pan, first, to get that crucial crispness, but then to finish them off in the oven so that they firm up without blackening.  They weren’t trying too hard to act like beef.   ‘This isn’t just an approximation of a meat burger,’ Mr Volger told me as I bit into one. ‘It’s an expression of a vegetable’.”

Gone are the days, it seems, when the veggie burger was almost a source of shame.  “It gives you a lot of room to create,” said David Burke, the chef behind New York restaurants like Fishtail and David Burke Kitchen.  He eventually prepared a portobello mushroom with roasted peppers, basil mayo and mozzarella. “We treat it like an Italian sandwich without the meat,” he said.  Apart from the fact that vegetarian foods contribute to our health and happiness - while other kinds of food cause suffering and disease - a vegetarian diet is a part of the Vedic system for making spiritual advancement.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

Dear friends of Sanatan Dharma, stop the spreading of meat, fish and egg eating in holy India (Bharat Varsa).  It is very shameful that in the land of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna the amount of people eating dead animals is increasing, while in other parts of the world vegetarianism is increasing and more and more people are actually eating pure vegetarian, Maha Prasad, from the many new Krishna temples which distribute large amounts of food to the people.  Help today to reverse the killing of animals in India including our Mother Cow, Go Mata.  Let us act now and start a chapter of the ‘Go Veg Again’ campaign of the Original Kingdom of the Spoon Revolution in your office or home.  We need all of you. Let our joined voices be heard in every town of india. Become an activist today.

Bharat Go Raksya - Cow Protection - Go Veg Again
Omi (Original Mercy Identity) 0104.
http://bharatgovegagain.blogspot.com/ 
http://bharatgovegagain.blogspot.com/2009/08/omi-0104.html

KIMBANDA MEMBERS SENTENCED TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT

ARGENTINA, LIFE SENTENCE TO KIMBANDA
MEMBERS FOR RITUAL MURDER OF A CHILD

Argentina (Clarín) - Last week, seven members of a sect Kimbanda were sentenced to life imprisonment by Argentina justice for being found them guilty of kidnapping, rape, torture and murder of a 12-year-old homeless boy who was offered during a satanic ceremony in October 2006 in Corrientes, Argentina.  The investigation will now continue with the search for the masterminds and financiers of the group, among which is a well known businessman and political leader of the province of Corrientes.  The victim of terrible crime was Ramon Ignacio Gonzalez, known as “Mona” or “Ramoncito”, a child who lived from selling religious cards and artifacts during a satanic ritual in October 2006.  The sentence also included the acquittal of the rite Pai Kimbanda Reynaldo Fermín Sánchez and nurse Patricia Mabel Lopez, for lack of evidence.  However, authorities are still looking for Daniel Alegre, accused of being the perpetrator of the death of Ramon who killed him by separating the head from the body. 

The crime was the culmination of a satanic ritual Kimbanda which had Ramon as the “gift” offered by the sect.  His mutilated body was abandoned a few blocks from the center of the city of Mercedes, Corrientes.  
During the ritual, the boy was drugged, raped several times, tortured by cutting and burning with cigarettes, decapitated while still alive, and then all the blood was drained from his body.  Several of the defendants said that the sect that killed Ramoncito acted on the orders of political leaders.  “Ramon and other children were sexually exploited. Behind this there is a larger organization, which may have involved political leaders,” the judges said.

The seven members of the sect Kimbanda were sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Ramon Gonzalez, 12 years old, during a satanic ritual held in October 2006 in the town of Mercedes, Corrientes, Argentina.  Those people who are in the mode of ignorance, in darkness, worship dead spirits, and this kind of worship is not actually God worship.  One must be careful, because according to what you adore (yajña) will be directed to that destination.  “Those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me.” (Bg. 9. 25).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?  

One can attain the Pitā planets by performing a specific yajña.  Similarly, one can go to many ghostly planets and become a Yaksha, Raksha or Piśāca.  Piśāca worship is called “black arts” or “black magic.” There are many men who practice this black art, and they think that it is spiritualism, but such activities are completely materialistic. ... It is very easy to understand through this important verse that if by simply worshiping the demigods one can achieve the heavenly planets, or by worshiping the Pitās achieve the Pitā planets, or by practicing the black arts achieve the ghostly planets, why can the pure devotee not achieve the planet of Krishna or Vishnu? Unfortunately many people have no information of these sublime planets where Krishna and Vishnu live, and because they do not know of them they fall down.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is  - Chapter 9
“The Most Confidential Knowledge”  - Verse 25
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase
 

SCHOOL MASSACRE ROCKS BRAZIL

12 CHILDREN KILLED IN 
BRAZIL SCHOOL SHOOTING

Rio de Janeiro - A gunman roamed the halls of an elementary school in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and killed 12 children, lining them up against a wall and shooting them in the head at point-blank range as he shouted, “I’m going to kill you all!”.  Other 18 students were injured and taken to hospitals.  It was the worst school shooting in Brazil - and would have been deadlier if the gunman had not been shot in the legs by a police officer, who said the man then fell down some stairs and shot himself in the head.  The dead included 10 girls and two boys, plus the gunman. Those killed were between the ages of 12 and 15. One of the boys died at a hospital about 12 hours after the shooting.  The gunman was identified as 23-year-old Wellington Oliveira, who had once attended the Tasso da Silveira school in a working-class neighborhood in western Rio.
 
The shooter left a rambling and mostly incoherent letter at the scene indicating he wanted to kill himself.  The letter also explained in detail how Oliveira wanted his corpse to be cared for - bathed and wrapped in a white sheet that he left in a bag in the first room where he said he would start shooting. The letter also states that the gunman should not be touched by anyone who is “impure” unless they wear gloves.  “If possible I want to be buried next to my mother. A follower of God must visit my grave at least once. He must pray before my grave and ask God to forgive me for what I have done,” read the letter.  Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, attending an event in the capital, Brasilia, lamented the deaths of “defenseless children.”

A 23-year-old gunman killed 12 children and wounded 18 others before turning the gun on himself Thursday at a school on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.  The massacre, the first incident of this type in Brazil, has rocked a country whose cities are plagued by high crime levels and where murders are very common.  Individuals with personal grudges or mental illness cause violence on innocent people; every mind which is disturbed by desires and hatreds can find peace and love through hearing a guru speak the nectarean pastimes of Sri Krishna.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Our mundane feelings of attraction and aversion for material objects light the fire of envy, egoism, and hatred so much so that it seems they have the ability to destroy this world. If even a drop of pure affection arises in our hearts for the incarnation of Mahaprabhu’s magnanimity, then no place will remain for these animal propensities like hatred, jealousy, or violence to others. ... How can any attachment or hatred for material objects find a place in the heart where attachment to the guru, the eternal associate of Srimati Radharani, has awakened? In such a heart, there is constant awareness of the absolute necessity of attaining the supreme goal of life, loving service to Śrī Krishna.  This alone is the ultimate purpose of life for every single living entity.

Śrīla Bhakti Promode Puri Mahārāja :
“The True Spirit of Separation”
http://bvml.org/SBPPG/ttsos.html
http://www.gosai.com/krishna-talk/spirit-of-separation.html

SEARCH CONTINUES FOR SURVIVORS OF BOAT WRECK

ITALY RESUMES SEARCH FOR
SURVIVORS OF MIGRANT SHIPWRECK

Milan, Italy (CNN) - Rescue crews continued their search Thursday for more than 200 people after the boat they were in capsized in the Mediterranean Sea.  The boat was carrying about 300 people, survivors told rescue officials, according to Italian Coast Guard authorities.  It sank Tuesday about 62 kilometers (39 miles) west off Lampedusa in Maltese waters, the Italian Coast Guard said.  By Thursday, officials had rescued 53 people, and recovered 15 to 20 bodies, he said.  Many of the survivors came from African countries, such as Eritrea, Somalia and Niger, and many others were fleeing the war in Libya.  Italy’s foreign minister has estimated as many as 300,000 Libyans could try to leave and could potentially end up in his country.

Wednesday’s incident was the most dramatic of its kind for some time but many smaller boats carrying migrants have sunk while attempting to reach southern Europe from Africa, killing unknown numbers of refugees and migrants. The incident is the latest in a number of tragic ends in what has become a steady flow of people who set sail from Africa - especially Tunisia - to the Italian island of Lampedusa.  More than 22,000 migrants have landed on Lampedusa in the past few weeks. Though owned by Italy, Lampedusa’s closest shore is Tunisia.  According to International Organization for Migration, the majority of unauthorized immigrants arriving in Lampedusa are Tunisian.  Some 2,000 other African migrants have arrived on the island after sailing from the Libyan coast, the agency said.

Italian rescue vessels resumed their search in the early hours of Thursday for survivors from the boat carrying 370 refugees from Libya which sank south of Sicily a day earlier.  The small boat capsized off the Italian island of Lampedusa. The search is continuing but hopes of finding anyone still alive grow weaker by the hour.  This material world is full of dangers, and there is no guarantee that next we shall get human birth, so now we have wasting no time and quickly take shelter under the Lotus Feets of the Guru and Krishna.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

After eight million births we have got this precious human birth, Supreme Lord is pleased by creating human beings because human beings have got the discriminating power between eternal and non-eternal, good deeds and bad deeds, they have got the capability to worship Lord. But other living beings have got no such conscience, discriminating power. ... There is no guarantee that next we shall get human birth. ... By serving Him (Krishna) we serve all.  If we pour water at the root of the tree, all parts of the tree will be nourished; if we give food to the stomach, all parts of the body will be nourished; like that we should have firm faith- by serving Him we serve all.  Without serving Him, Who is the Prime Cause of all causes, we can neither do any good to ourselves nor to others, but only the valuable time of precious human birth will be unnecessarily wasted.

Śrīla Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha Mahārāja :
“Process of Initiation”
http://nandafalva.hu/cikkek/tanitasok/felavatas_en.htm
http://www.sreecgmath.org

INTERFAITH DIALOGUE IN TEXAS

CHRISTIANS, HINDUS AND JEWS  
TO UNITE FOR DIALOGUE TOMORROW

Midland, Texas - The religions are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old, but the conversation is all new. Three religions will unite in dialogue for the Permian Basin’s first interfaith event, tomorrow Thursday, April 7, at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church.  The discussion will feature leaders of the Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu and Episcopal faiths.  The event was initiated by Dr. Padmaja Patel, who said she wanted to create a discussion of a different sort between the religions.  “I wanted to do it for quite some time, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it,” Patel said.  She asked the religious leaders to each submit one question regarding contemporary issues. The possible topics range from political discourse to philosophical ideas, like how a religion interprets pain or suffering.
 
The purpose of the questions is to see how different faith groups analyze and confront situations based on their philosophies and doctrines.  “The idea is to understand how our faith allows us to understand,” Patel said.  The Rev. James Bridges of St. Stephen’s Catholic Church said the talk will help in getting to know the non-Christian populations that are making West Texas their new home. “For the first time we’ve had Hindus migrate over here to help with our diocese and in the medical profession, and we’re finding mosques,” Bridges said. “We’re finding people who worship God sincerely but do not have any connection with Christ and are not Christian.”  Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of the magazine “Hinduism Today”, will represent Hinduism at the panel.

Leaders from Christianity, Judaism and Hinduism will unite tomorrow in dialogue during an interfaith event at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Midland, Texas, USA, to discuss contemporary issues and understand how our faith allows us to understand and confront present day matters.  “We are not really trying to prove that one faith is better than the other or criticize another religion,” Dr. Padmaja Patel said. “It is a foundation where we can come together and learn something from each other.”  The interfaith event will encourage tolerance and reduce misconceptions of unfamiliar religions and traditions.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

A sense of common interest can be fostered among individuals, if they know that they are inter-connected, are parts of one Organic System and are the sons and daughters of one Father.  Here is the task of all religions; to teach people that all beings of the world are closely inter-related.   Although steadfastness or firm belief in God (Nistha) according to some particular faith and eligibility of the individual is congenial for healthy spiritual growth of every individual, religious bigotry which begets enmity is condemnable, as it is against the real interest of the individual and society.  Real religion teaches love for one another.  Lord Śrī Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu propagated the cult of all-embracing Divine Love which brings universal brotherhood on a transcendental plane.

Śrīla Bhakti Dayita Madhava Mahārāja :
“Realistic Solution for Diverse Humanity”
Speech at a ‘Spiritual Summit Conference’ - 1968 Calcutta.
Sree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math -  http://www.sreecgmath.org/scgmtimes/scgmsbdm.php