SHRIMADBHAGAVADGITA (Epilogue)
Dr. Jai Maharaj
Translation by Dr. Ramananda Prasad
American Gita Society
http://members.aol.com/gitaprasad
EPILOGUE The Farewell Message of Lord Krishna
Lord Krishna on the eve of His departure from the arena of this
world, after finishing the difficult task of establishing Dharma,
gave His last parting discourse to His uncle Uddhava who was also
His dearest devotee and follower. At the end of a long sermon
comprising of more than one thousand verses Uddhava said: O Lord,
I think the pursuit of yoga as You narrated (to Arjuna, and now) to
me, is very difficult, indeed, for most people, because it entails
control of the unruly senses. Please tell me a short, simple, and
easy way to God-realization. Lord Krishna upon Uddhava's request
gave the essentials of Self-realization for the modern age as
follows:
1 Do your duty, to the best of your abilities, for the Lord
without any selfish motive, and remember God at all times -- before
starting a work, at the completion of a task, and while inactive.
2 Practice to look upon all creatures as Myself in thought, word,
and deed; and mentally bow down to them.
3 Awaken your dormant Kundalini power -- by using yogic techniques
-- and perceive that the power of God is with you at all times;
through the activities of mind, senses, breathing, and emotions;
and is constantly doing all the work using you as a mere
instrument. Paramahamsa Hariharananda says: God is in everything as
well as above everything.
OM SHANTIH, SHANTIH, SHANTIH
A word for the youth from Swami Vivekananda (In Chicago, 1893):
"Whatever you are doing, put your whole mind on it. If you are
shooting, your mind should be only on the target. Then you will
never miss. If you are learning your lessons, think only of the
lesson. In India boys and girls are taught to do this."
REFERENCES
Books highly recommended for further study on your own:
We carry only publications 1 and 2 listed below; Publications #2,
3, and 4 are also available from any New Age Book Store; The
Vedanta Society, 2323 Vallejo St., San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
Telephone (415) 922-2323; or South Asia Books (SAB), P.O. Box 502,
Columbia, MO 65205 USA (314-474-0116, fax 8124) (Also, SAB sells
the Tulasi Ramaayan, and many other hard to find Indological
publications.
1 "All 700 Verses of The Bhagavad-Gita" in simple English by The
American Gita Society; 8.5"x11" 24 pages; available, free, on
Internet for you to read and copy. Please visit:
http://members.aol.com/gitaprasad
2 The "The Bhagavad-Gita" by The American Gita Society,
Translated by Dr. Ramananda Prasad, published by the American Gita
Society, printed by the largest Indological publisher, Motilal
Banarsidass; with original Sanskrit verses, English
transliteration, translation, commentary, index, and glossary of
Sanskrit words --available at amazon.com , barnesandnoble.com and
elsewhere. Author has donated seed money, copyrights as well as all
profit and royalty to the AGS.
3 The Bhagavad-Gita by Swami Cidbhavananda., Publisher: Shri
Ramakrishna Mission, (4) Bhagavad-Gita by Swami Sivananda, Divine
Life Society. ISBN 0 949971 61 8, A MEDITATION TECHNIQUE Several
meditation techniques have been mentioned in the Gita. Powerful
and sacred techniques used by the sages can be given, without any
fee or charge of any kind, to those sincere seekers who have
seriously studied these lessons or the Bhagavad-Gita; are trying to
practice Yama and Niyama by thought, word, and deed; and sincerely
request it. We have just given a glance of a three part meditation
technique in verse 6.13 for the students, in general, of this
course. The American Gita Society charges no fee for its services
and solicits no donation from the students of this course in
keeping with the beautiful Vedic tradition.
Please visit:
http://members.aol.com/gitaprasad
OM SHANTIH, SHANTIH, SHANTIH
Copyright 1988 by Dr. Ramananda Prasad - All Rights Reserved
The American Gita Society
gitap...@aol.com
http://members.aol.com/gitaprasad
Reproduction in for-sale media is prohibited.
Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jyotish
Om Shanti
Empanada
Karen Horn wrote:
> reddy (saty...@hotmail.com) wrote:
> :
> : Leonard Peikoff, who founded the Ayn Rand Institute, is the foremost
> : authority on objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand.
>
> And as William F. Buckley, Jr. says: Ayn Rand is a soulless crackpot.
> Or words to that effect. No wonder her minions would have nothing but
> contempt for the true meaning of Christmas.
>
> Karen
Ms. Londhe, who posts as "saty...@hotmail.com", will use any source at
all to express her own insecurities, envy and hatred of Christians. I
have
suggested to her previously that the considerable time she invests in
this
activity is better spent in raising her kids to live harmoniously in the
pluralistic environment of greater Philadelphia. Pearls before
swine..........
reddy
http://www.rediff.com/news/1999/dec/27us3.htm
Prakash M Swamy
His Holiness Jagadguru Shri Jayendra Saraswathi Swami has appealed to Indian
Americans not to construct more temples than what is necessary in the US. He
also said the appeal is meant for Hindus in other countries such as United
Kingdom and Canada.
Indian Americans are reportedly involved in the construction of a dozen
temples and the extension of more than 10 temples at a cost exceeding $ 25
million.
"Instead they could spend the money usefully to renovate dilapidated temples
back home -- be it in Gujarat or Tamil Nadu. Thousands of ancient temples --
big and small -- are in a state of ruin and neglect with little or no
financial support from the governments," he said.
In an exclusive interview at the Kanchi Kamakoti Math recently, the Acharya
said it has almost become "a fad" to construct more and more temples and
places of worship in the United Kingdom and United States.
"More often than not, temples are constructed to satisfy the ego and
aspirations of individuals than offering places of worship to Hindus living
abroad. There is no necessity for more than one temple in a city abroad," he
said.
"Instead, they should use their influence to collect funds to repair
dilapidated temples," he continued.
"There could be one temple in a city with all the deities than constructing
temples for different deities at different places," he added.
Starting more temples abroad is not easy. Several times, those who construct
temples find it difficult to employ qualified priests and it is not that
easy to get visas for priests from India.
NRIs, who live in places where there are no temples nearby, should cultivate
the habit of doing pujas and prayers at home daily and visit temples only on
auspicious occasions. They should not attempt to construct temples in every
small towns, he said.
Instead, he urged help for temples in India.
"There are temples with no funds even to light a diya leave alone performing
regular pujas for the presiding deity thrice a day. These temples,
constructed with great efforts by kings and saints, are very sacred and any
help in renovating them is a sure way to get heavenly blessings," he said.
Urging NRIs to contribute generously to rebuild the dilapidated temples, he
said every Hindu living abroad should take care of his family or village
deity. "It is okay to construct new temples abroad, but what is more
important is maintenance of existing temples back home."
The government may not have funds to renovate such dilapidated temples and
if they have money, they may be reluctant to help because of political
reasons.
On religious conversions, he said India was ruled by people from all
religions -- Christians, Islam and Buddhism to name a few. Yet Hinduism
survived against all onslaughts. British, Dutch, Portuguese and French all
ruled India. Though they have left the country, their legacy of conversion
is still on.
But money alone is not the prime reason for conversions, he added. There are
factors like social strata, illiteracy, and social weakness.
Can anyone convert a Sikh to any other religion? he asked.
"No, because they are dedicated to their religion unlike Hindus," he added.
"We make Hindus feel proud of their religion and if this is achieved even
million dollars can't make any impact," he said.
Mo
govt confiscates all moneys donated at temples and uses the money to
subsidise madrasas and Haj . At least the overseas Hindus have a level
playing field and should be allowed to keep Hindu culture alive..
PPT
to get a grip on this crisis just as he had done for Kargil. It seems he
just has to pick up the phone and order Mushman, the imperial wizard of
Muhamadism in Pakiland, to deliver the goods. The US distance to this is
puzzling. Well, whites first; a few browns can die.
Pradip
reddy <saty...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:84baej$qb2$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
> TERROR IN THE AIR: THE BACKGROUND
>
> An Indian Airlines aircraft on a routine flight from Kathmandu (Nepal) to
> New Delhi on Friday December 24, was hijacked and, after a traumatic
journey
> that took it to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, is currently in
> Kandahar in southern Afghanistan since the early hours of Saturday
December
> 25, where over 160 passengers and crew members continue to remain hostage
in
> rapidly deteriorating conditions. A team of officials from India is
> presently negotiating with the hijackers in Kandahar in order to secure
the
> safe and speedy release of all the hostages.
>
> The hijackers have demanded the release from jail in India of Mohammad
> Masood Azhar, whom sections of the international media have
euphemistically
> described as an Islamic cleric from Pakistan, but who is in fact the
General
> Secretary and ideologue of the Harakat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM), an
organization
> based in Pakistan which was in October 1997 designated as a Foreign
> Terrorist Organisation by the United States Department of State. The HUM
> was re-designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation by the State
> Department in its latest list released on October 8, 1999. Azhar is an
> Islamic cleric only in the sense that Sheikh Omar Abdel Rehman of the
World
> Trade Center bombing notoriety was also said to be one.
>
> In its Background Information on Foreign Terrorist Organisations released
on
> October 8 1999, the Office of Counterterrorism of the US Department of
State
> has described the Harakat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM), a.k.a. Harakat-ul-Ansar,
HUA,
> Al Hadid, Al Hadith, Al Faran as an Islamic militant group based in
Pakistan
> whose leader Fazlur Rehman Khalil has been linked to Bin Laden and signed
> his fatwa in February 1998, calling for attacks on US and Western
interests.
> Khalil, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Harakat-ul-Jehad-e-Islami
> International (HUJI), broke away from the parent organization in 1985 to
> form a separate group Harakat-ul-Mujahideen. There were subsequent
attempts
> to re-unite the two breakaway factions, and the merged group came to be
> known as the Harakat-ul-Ansar. It changed its name to
Harakat-ul-Mujahideen
> in 1997 after it was designated a terrorist organization by the United
> States. Masood Azhar, the General Secretary of the organisation, who
hails
> from Bahawa!
> !
> lpur in Pakistan, entered the state of Jammu & Kashmir in India in January
> 1994 on a false Portuguese passport and was arrested by the Indian police
> the following month because of his involvement in terrorist activities.
>
> There have been several earlier attempts by the HUM to secure the release
of
> Masood Azhar by resorting to abduction as a bargaining tool. Two British
> nationals were kidnapped on June 6, 1994 at Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir.
> Another group of three Britishers and one American was abducted in Delhi
in
> September the same year. Six foreign tourists, including two American
> nationals, were kidnapped again at Pahalgam in July 1995. One of the
> hostages, John Childs (a citizen of the USA) escaped, another (a Norwegian
> national) was beheaded by the Harakat, and four others, including an
> American national, are still missing. The recent hijacking of the Indian
> Airlines aircraft is the most brazen terrorist attempt yet by the HUM to
> secure the release of its General Secretary Masood Azhar.
>
> The United States Government has condemned in the strongest terms the
> hijacking of the Indian Airlines aircraft and the holding of 160
passengers
> as hostages. The US President has long since warned that the greatest
threat
> to the free world in the new millinnium will come from international
> terrorism.This ordeal once again strongly indicates that the United States
> and India must forge closer ties on every level and particularly in
> combating terrorism. There is an IMMEDIATE need for the international
> community, particularly the US, to rally as one to address the problem and
> to build a concerted international strategy for pre-empting and dealing
with
> such terrorist strikes in the future.
>
>
>
>
>
Jit Dutta
in this hijacking episode...
Why should the US do India's dirty work...
Besides, Indian politicians accuse the US to be an imperialist,
heartless capitalist at the drop of a hat. So it is natural for the US
to ask why should they come to India's rescue everytime...
Why can't India herself take care of the hijacking or terrorist
problem... after all India now has a govt which is supposedly led by the
people who claim to be that India's security is their top priority and
they would crush terrorism etc.
Before expecting a foreign govt to help end the misery of this hijacking
episode you ought to ask what was India govt doing when this plane
landed at Amritsar, why didn't the PM or Interior minister ordered the
plane be stopped at Amritsar. It is India's govt's incompetence that
caused this plane sitting at an enemy territory and being the pawn for
the Taleban regime. The situation reduced India to begging the very
regimes which trained and encouraged the terrorists holding 160
pasesenger hostage at an Indian aircraft.
ramk...@imap3.asu.edu
after Afghan war are not as easily controlled by anybody except their past masters, aka
the US/UK creating/strengthening a mess NW of India. That's why US owes it to India.
Oh don't give me BIlly JOel's 'we didn't start the firew" ;-) We all do know who was
significantly instrumental in the Kashmir/Palestine problem besides the natives.
Jit Dutta (ji...@home.com) wrote:
: Out of curiosity, why do you think the US owes it to India to intervene
: in this hijacking episode...
: > >
: > >
: > >
: > >
: > >
PPT
are trying to outdo him?
Any way, since you are a nice guy, I will try.
USA owes the UN a whole bunch of money and still won't pay, and yet can
claim it is the leader of the free world. So, the word "owe" is not the
operative word here.
Lately, the relations between the two countries are solidifying as never
before. Texas governor Bush (my governor), ably aided by foreign affairs
advisers such as George Schultz et all, has recognized publicly India's real
potential both short and long term, and sees India as basically a brown
America in terms of shared values and where it is headed. Clinton has
recognized that (and the trend of Indian economy eventually outgrowing the
USA's), and it will be celebrated when he comes to India. Al Gore has spoken
about India during campaigning very positively. Ameica is the biggest
foreign investor in India, and that role will expand tremendously soon in a
way that will transform India to western living standard. That is the
practical side.
The moral side is that Paki capabilities to create trouble for India went up
exponentially following the Afghan war that saw unlimited American arms
dumped there, and most unfortunately, the advanced military training of
these beasts by American warfare experts. Reagan channeled the America's
entire Afghan war efforts thr' damn crafty Pakis. As Bill Buckley puts it:
the Pakis knew us better than we knew our ownselves. My senator Phil Gram
told us in a meeting way back then that India looked vulnerable. (Things
have changed immensely since then, of course). India is paying the price of
American efforts to eliminate USSR. Now that the commonality is recognized,
and celebrated, thanks to no small part the NRIs have played (let no one
forget that), USA can step in to control its own Frankenstein. I suspect
that India does not want US intervention for some years in view of its
correct position of getting it done all by itself (what is called the
bilateral thingy).
Pradip Parekh
Jit Dutta <ji...@home.com> wrote in message
news:386A6FC2...@home.com...
Shomir
faced with some crisis. The BJP led government in India is not much different
from the previous Congress and other governments. At every instance it is
fashionable for them to oppose USA and the west, forgetting that long-term
cooperation can only take place if there is convergence of political and
economic interests. Admitted, that Jashwant Singh has been quite effective in
building bridges with the western powers, but there is a long way to go!
I understand that this mess was not self created, but at the same time, India
should have the balls to get out of this mess, given India's geopolitical claim
of a quasi super-power.
Shomir
==========================
PPT wrote:
> It seems to me that it is, or should be, within the means of Pres Clinton's
> to get a grip on this crisis just as he had done for Kargil. It seems he
> just has to pick up the phone and order Mushman, the imperial wizard of
> Muhamadism in Pakiland, to deliver the goods. The US distance to this is
> puzzling. Well, whites first; a few browns can die.
>
> Pradip
Shomir
==========================
"Success has many parents, failure is an orphan"
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Unsolicited advertising sent to this E-Mail address is
expressly prohibited under USC Title 47, Section 227.
Violators are subject to charge of up to $1,500 per
incident or treble actual costs, whichever is greater.
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ramk...@imap3.asu.edu
can and could have palyed a role in defusing the situation. Terrorism is
not just India's menace and it is suffered by US/UK and others.
There is nothing unfair in expecting US/UK/UN/NATO to help in the hijack
drama. All we got so far is Russia requesting a UN SC meeting and when
indeed they met yesterday(Wednesday) for the first time after the crisis,
they refused to discuss it due to it not being on the agenda. That is
the lamest excuse one can expect from UN SC.
True India has to take their security matters into their own hands and
not depend on others but I really wish things are/were that simple. Of
course they should be made that simple eventually.
Shomir (Sho...@My-Dejanews.com) wrote:
: It is unfair to expect the USA to come and bail India out, anytime India is
piper
>UN SC refused to discuss the issue as it is not on the agenda when they
>can and could have palyed a role in defusing the situation.
[snip]
(1) How?
(2) Did India ask them to get involved?
Michael
To reply by email, please eliminate "NOSPAM" from my address. Personal messages only!
Empanada
JoeB wrote:
> This guy reddy's only purpose of this posting seems to be to incite and to
> inflame others against the Catholic church - as he has done so on numerous
> other occasions.
"Reddy" is Sujata Londhe, a woman living in Morrisville, PA exposed by
Sid
Harth. She used to post using the e-mail id's of "slo...@erols.com" and
"alo...@erols.com", until Sid Harth revealed her identity, upon which
she
wailed about being a "poor helpless housewife" being harassed by Sid. Of
course,
the "poor helpless housewife" seems to have little else to do besides
encouraging hatred of whites, Americans and Christians, although she has
children who
probably need a full-time mother, but have to do without. She is part of
an evil
web-ring coordinated by Jai Maharaj.
> Deeply aware of the complexity of so many different situations in Asia, and
> "speaking the truth in love" (Eph 4:15), the Church proclaims the Good News
> with loving respect and esteem for her listeners. Proclamation which
> respects the rights of consciences does not violate freedom, since faith
> always demands a free response on the part of the individual.70 Respect,
> however, does not eliminate the need for the explicit proclamation of the
> Gospel in its fullness. Especially in the context of the rich array of
> cultures and religions in Asia it must be pointed out that "neither respect
> and esteem for these religions nor the complexity of the questions raised
> are an invitation to the Church to withhold from these non-Christians the
> proclamation of Jesus Christ".71 While visiting India in 1986, I stated
> clearly that "the Church's approach to other religions is one of genuine
> respect... This respect is twofold: respect for man in his quest for answers
> to the deepest questions of his life, and respect for the action of the
> Spirit in man".
>
> This is a direct quote from the Ecclesia in Asia document. Go read the
> document and see for yourself how the Pope deals with great care and respect
> for the local religions and cultures. The correct URL is
> http://seraphin.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/docum
> ents
>
> Now contracts this with this charlatan reddy's interpretation of this
> document.
> > There is one true religion (ours) all others are false, lesser,
> incomplete,
> > we are divinely ordained to convert non-Chrisitians. etc....
>
>
>
> reddy <saty...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:852pi5$3tr$1...@bob.news.rcn.net...
> > The Catholic Asian Plan
> > POPE: "Convert all Hindus"
> >
> > He issued the "Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Asia of the
> > Holy Father John Paul II to the Bishops, Priest and Deacons, Men and Women
> > in the consecrated Life and All the Lay Faithful on Jesus Christ the
> Saviour
> > and His Mission of Love and Service in Asia.
> >
> > You can find the full text here:
> >
> http://seraphin.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/docum
> > ents/hf_jp-ii_exh_0611999_ecclesia-in-asia_en.html
> >
> > The message of the text is :
> > There is one true religion (ours) all others are false, lesser,
> incomplete,
> > we are divinely ordained to convert non-Chrisitians. etc....
> >
> >
JoeB
Empanada <beef-b...@mc.donald's> wrote in message
news:s7bnkp...@corp.supernews.com...
>
> "Reddy" is Sujata Londhe, a woman living in Morrisville, PA exposed by
> Sid
> Harth. She used to post using the e-mail id's of "slo...@erols.com" and
> "alo...@erols.com", until Sid Harth revealed her identity, upon which
> she
> wailed about being a "poor helpless housewife" being harassed by Sid. Of
> course,
> the "poor helpless housewife" seems to have little else to do besides
> encouraging hatred of whites, Americans and Christians, although she has
> children who
> probably need a full-time mother, but have to do without. She is part of
> an evil
> web-ring coordinated by Jai Maharaj.
>
My heart goes out to her children.
PPT
Pradip
thok...@my-deja.com
"JoeB" <jo...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> Empanada <beef-b...@mc.donald's> wrote in message
> news:s7bnkp...@corp.supernews.com...
> >
by
> > Sid
> > Harth. She used to post using the e-mail id's of
"slo...@erols.com" and
> > "alo...@erols.com", until Sid Harth revealed her identity, upon
which
> > she
> > wailed about being a "poor helpless housewife" being harassed by
Sid. Of
> > course,
> > the "poor helpless housewife" seems to have little else to do
besides
> > encouraging hatred of whites, Americans and Christians, although
she has
> > children who
> > probably need a full-time mother, but have to do without. She is
part of
> > an evil
> > web-ring coordinated by Jai Maharaj.
> >
>
> My heart goes out to her children.
>
>>Looks like a tender and loving mother.
>>She can do with some more children.
>>Please sound her out. Thanks
>>Thoku 123
========================================================================
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Empanada
PPT wrote:
> Mighty chauvinist of you.
>
> Pradip
> Empanada <beef-b...@mc.donald's> wrote in message
> news:s7bnkp...@corp.supernews.com...
Why? Because I said children need their mother? They need their father
too, but I'm assuming that the woman's husband works or something, but
she doesn't seem to be able to do anything other than this rooting
around in the septic tank. When I was reading archived posts, someone
had mentioned that she has young children. Also, if I remember right,
she's about 43 or 44 years old, which means she likely has teenage kids.
If your in the Morrisville Mama's area, maybe you could stop by and
persuade her to take up a more meaningful and fulfilling vocation? Like
cooking lunch for the kids and helping them with homework?
PPT
JoeB <jo...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:853g21$8ol$1...@holly.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
>
> 20. .... This insistence on proclamation is prompted not by sectarian
> impulse nor the spirit of proselytism nor any sense of superiority. The
> Church evangelizes in obedience to Christ's command, in the knowledge that
> every person has the right to hear the Good News of the God who reveals
and
> gives himself in Christ. To bear witness to Jesus Christ is the supreme
> service which the Church can offer to the peoples of Asia, for it responds
> to their profound longing for the Absolute, and it unveils the truths and
> values which will ensure their integral human development.
>
> Another excerpt from the same Eccelsia in Asia document.
>
Isn't it just like them, damn missionaries, who claim they have a god given
right to screw other societies? Nagalnad has heard the Good news, have born
witness
to Christ, and they are quite convinced they are performing their supreme
duty by waging war on India.
Pradip
irgun43
PPT <p...@txcr.net> wrote in message news:s7etd3...@corp.supernews.com...
> Isn't it just like them, damn missionaries, who claim they have a god
given
> right to screw other societies? Nagalnad has heard the Good news, have
born
> witness
> to Christ, and they are quite convinced they are performing their supreme
> duty by waging war on India.
Dear Pradip,
No nationalist can tolerate the turning of one's fellow citizens into
enemies.
The Chinese, objectionable in other ways, objected to the Catholic
Church because they saw it as a foreign agent. They recently appointed theri
own "national bishops" to the dismay of the Vatican who always depended on
appointing their own men overseas.
irgun43
PPT
irgun43 <irg...@slip.net> wrote in message
news:s7evt9g...@corp.supernews.com...
Thanks, of course, for a good points. India is a country of severely limited
means, it is in no position to control the consequence of its self-conscious
liberalism. It needs to learn a little from the Chinese who put a huge
premium on substance over image building.
This JoeB guy is a defender of missionaries in India. He resorts to biblical
fundamentals of "Christ's commands" as means to screw other societies - and
thus he fits the dictionary definition of a fundamentalist perfectly. The
irony is JoeB calls those Indians who want to DEFEND their country against
missionary aggression as Hindu fundamentalists. It is Joe who is a Christian
fundamentalist born in a wrong country.
Pradip
nanafa...@my-deja.com
"irgun43" <irg...@slip.net> wrote:
>
> PPT <p...@txcr.net> wrote in message news:s7etd3...@corp.supernews.com...
> > Isn't it just like them, damn missionaries, who claim they have a god
> given
> > right to screw other societies? Nagalnad has heard the Good news, have
> born
> > witness
> > to Christ, and they are quite convinced they are performing their supreme
> > duty by waging war on India.
>
> Dear Pradip,
> No nationalist can tolerate the turning of one's fellow citizens into
> enemies.
> The Chinese, objectionable in other ways, objected to the Catholic
> Church because they saw it as a foreign agent. They recently appointed theri
> own "national bishops" to the dismay of the Vatican who always depended on
> appointing their own men overseas.
> irgun43
>
>
Of all Xtians , catholics have been the most barbaric in history.
In India, in the portuguese colony of Goa, they did inquisition on
Indian jews, hindus and Indian Orthodox Xtians.
Goa was so brutal that hindus fled to nearby muslim states for refuge
kind of like jews in spain fleeing to muslim lands to avoid catholics
I wish the pope would plant his cross on the islamic world.
ergo_co...@my-deja.com
"PPT" <p...@txcr.net> wrote:
>
> JoeB <jo...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
> news:853g21$8ol$1...@holly.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> >
> > 20. .... This insistence on proclamation is prompted not by
sectarian
> > impulse nor the spirit of proselytism nor any sense of superiority.
The
> > Church evangelizes in obedience to Christ's command, in the
knowledge that
> > every person has the right to hear the Good News of the God who
reveals
> and
> > gives himself in Christ. To bear witness to Jesus Christ is the
supreme
> > service which the Church can offer to the peoples of Asia, for it
responds
> > to their profound longing for the Absolute, and it unveils the
truths and
> > values which will ensure their integral human development.
> >
> > Another excerpt from the same Eccelsia in Asia document.
> >
The word "fundamentalist" was coined to describe a group of
Christians who sought to have the teaching of the Theory of
Evolution barred from Southern schools. These people contended
that (1) the Book stated that God created matter and life over
a period of a few days (2) the word of God as contained in
the Book was true and eternally true and (3) so who's this
upstart Darwin to contradcit that which was eternally true?
That's how the word came to be. Initially, it characterized
people who blindly believed in everything that's in the Book,
and on top of which, also advocated suspending rational
judgement in assessing whatever is there in the Book. No
questioning the fundamentals, that's the rule.
reddy
Clemente arrived in India in 1973, and between 1973 and 1978 made more than
10 trips there, immersing himself deep in India's philosophy, religion, art
and crafts.
http://www.indiaabroadonline.com/PublicAccess/ia010700/Art/ItalianBornIndoph
ile.html
By JYOTIRMOY DATTA
NEW YORK -- Italian-born, Indophile, New York artist Francesco Clemente was
born in 1952. He moved from his native Naples to Rome in 1970 to study
architecture, and then, following the upheavals and shock waves throughout
Europe resulting from the Paris student uprising of the late 1960s, traveled
to India in order to look beyond Italy, France and the Renaissance for a
pan-historical approach to the world.
He arrived in India in 1973, and between 1973 and 1978 made more than 10
trips there, immersing himself deep in India's philosophy, religion, art and
crafts. He produced an immense variety of work during these visits, some
inspired by roadside deities, others by temple sculpture. He brought back
notational drawings that would become the seeds of full-fledged works.
The comprehensive career retrospective of Clemente at the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum, which is drawing to its close after its three-month run,
is an artistic journey through many ages, lands and philosophies. "Clemente"
opened on Oct. 8 and closes this Sunday, Jan. 9.
Describing Clemente as "among the most gifted artists of the second half of
the 20th century," Guggenheim Foundation Director Thomas Krens said Clemente
is the "youngest artist ever to receive a full-museum retrospective at the
Guggenheim.
The exhibition fills the entire Rotunda and Tower Galleries 5 and 7 of
Guggenheim's revolutionary circular building with its great transparent dome
designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. (The 40th anniversary of the completion of
the completion of Wright's architectural masterpiece was celebrated by the
museum with a black-tie gala benefit on Oct. 21, which Mayor Rudolph
Giuliani proclaimed "Guggenheim Museum Day.)
"Clemente" features more than 200 works in a variety of media, including oil
and fresco paintings, watercolors, pastel drawings, sculpture and book
illustrations. As Werner Baldessarini, chairman and chief executive officer
of exhibition sponsor, Hugo Boss, states, the exhibition is "a visual poetry
composed of amusing stories, symbolic eroticism, and profound
self-revelation."
Self-revelatory? Yes. But Clemente's art is as much secretive as revelatory,
keeping back as much as it reveals.
For example, in the painting "The Four Corners" -- the map of the world on
the palm of a hand rising out of the ocean against a background of stars --
Clemente shows China as bordering Sudan and Japan as being part of mainland
Asia. The countries not in the map are Italy and India. Above the thumb
appears only a bit of the United States. The most prominent country,
occupying much of the tip of the thumb, in the world view of this
artist-cartographer is the Mongolian Republic.
The show is a milestone on the route the West has traveled since the
Victorian, Edwardian and the so-called modern era in its attitude to Indian
art.
The exhibition is organized thematically rather than chronologically. The
eight sections offer a personal narrative of Clemente's work. For example,
in the section "I," the artist depicts the self as an entity permeated by
clouds, mountains, cultures and ideas, making it ever-shifting and
changeable. It was after his Indian sojourns, his style soaked in his
eastern experience, that Clemente received international acclaim at the 1980
Venice Bienniale, where his use of the figures of humans, gods and animals
departed from the conceptualist esthetic that was prevalent in Western art
of the late 1960s and 1970s.
Drawn to the ethnic and cultural diversity of New York, Clemente and his
wife Alba moved permanently to this city in 1981. He integrated himself with
New York's community of painters, graffiti artists, composers, filmmakers,
poets and critics. But he continued to return to India and Italy regularly.
One of the series in the exhibition is titled "51 Days in Mount Abu." There
is a group of more than 100 framed pastels done in Pondicherry.
Celeste is one of the artists helping the West, used to a diet of homogenous
Greco-Roman cultural soup, to begin to appreciate the thick, mixed-up, lumpy
cultural curry of India on the eve of the virtual reality and information
technology age.
Mexico's Octavio Paz and the Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg, both of
whom visited and lived for considerable stretches in India, traveled
Clemente's path. But Paz and Ginsberg were poets, working in a medium
accessed in the isolation of the study or the silent library corner by a
only few.
Unlike the private world of poetry, the big Guggenheim show was a public
celebration of the West's rediscovery of India. The section "Amulets and
Prayers" is introduced with a quotation from Celeste: "The Gods who left
thousands of years ago in Milan are still in India" and, "In Indian
diversity there is still the memory of very refined expressions which we
have lost."
Western historians and critics, such as Vincent Smith and Albrecht Weber,
had characterized India's art as prolix, contorted, spilling over with
outrageous profusion. Some of these adjectives could well be applied to
Clemente's oeuvre.
Clemente's works feature as many hands and heads as Indian deities. In the
section "Conversions to her" Clemente explores the changing and
intermingling of sexuality that reminds the viewer of ardhanarishwar, in
which divinity is both male and female. In "Bestiary," his work is permeated
with a devotion to all forms of life that many might identify as Buddhist.
Finally, at the end of the spiral ramp comes the section "Sky," installed
directly beneath Wright's domed skylight, which suggests notions of the
cosmos far removed from the closed three-tiered heaven-earth-hell structure
of the universe of the Christian or Islamic tradition. Clemente's "Sky"
suggests the infinities of the Upanishads and Vedanta.
This is far from suggesting that India is the only presence in the Clemente
retrospective. His sponsor declares in its note of support: "The artist
Francesco Clemente is a traveler between two worlds. His paintings and
drawings combine a mysterious Eastern symbolism with elements of Western
cultural tradition. He fashions a closely woven web of the familiar and the
strange in images that ultimately defy interpretation.
"At home in Madras, Rome and New York, Clemente has explored the depths of
cultural differences like no other artist. The transcultural quality of his
work lies in his ability to forge a link between the rational currents of
Western tradition and the intuitive tendencies of Eastern culture."
During the course of his career, Clemente collaborated with and befriended
many poets, including Ginsberg, whose poetry he illustrated. Pages of
Ginsberg's poetry illuminated by Clemente form part of the exhibition.
In conjunction with "Clemente," the Guggenheim also presented poetry
readings on Oct. 19 by Gregory Corso and Patti Smith and on Oct. 26 by
Michael McClure and John Wieners.
reddy
A Thousand Year
http://www.indiaabroadonline.com/PublicAccess/ia010700/TOW/ABriefHistoryOfTi
me1.html
The idea of India is a synthesis of political, social and religious
streams of thought that crystallized over the 1000-year period that
ended last week. Arvind N. Das, historian and commentator, provides
a glimpse of events and individuals that shaped India's history
It is perhaps only coincidental that among the most important events at the
beginning and end of the millennium, which has just ended, should have been
the destruction of places of worship. If the thousand year span began with
the pillage of the Somnath temple (among other places) by Mahmud of Ghazni,
it drew to a close with the demolition of the Babri mosque in Ayodhya.
Konark temple, Orissa
However, lest this give the impression that the entire millennium was marked
by religious strife and communal conflict, it is necessary to set the record
straight in this regard. Islam had already come to Hindustan a few hundred
years before the dawn of the second millennium of the Christian era: Mosques
had been built in Kerala while the Prophet was still alive and Moplahs,
descendants of Arab traders known locally as sons-in-law, were carrying out
a flourishing trade across the seas.
Even the Arab conquest of Sind, aided by the internecine conflict between
Brahmins and Buddhists, had been accomplished some centuries earlier. And
yet the forays into India by Ghazni around 1000 AD marked a qualitatively
different phase of Indian history. Although Ghazni himself came and went,
later raider from Afghanistan and beyond made India their home and, together
with the people who were already in the subcontinent, they created a
composite culture of tremendous vitality and breath-taking beauty.
Arguably the best example of this compositeness -- manifested only a couple
of centuries later -- was Amir Khusrau, a soldier, statesman and courtier
who served many sultans of Delhi. Khusrau, who was, perhaps, the first to
almost aggressively assert an Indian identity, vis-a-vis the uncultured
Mongols for instance, was a truly remarkable man: He has left an indelible
imprint on our music, language and literature. He is credited with the
invention of sitar and tabla and the introduction of the khayal and qawwali
genres of Hindustani music.
Shore temple, Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu
It was Khusrau again who systematically propagated the use of Hindavi, a
blend of Persian and Sanskrit-based dialects -- Hindi and Urdu in their
embryonic form, into which he also incorporated many lyrics and melodies
from the folk tradition.
Khusrau was a disciple of Sheikh Nizamuddin Aulia, a Sufi saint of the
Chistia order which had been brought into India earlier by Sheikh Muinuddin,
whose dargah (memorial) in Ajmer is venerated till today by Hindus and
Muslims alike.
His teachings represented a synthesis of Islam, Buddhism, Christianity and
the various religious strands that later became known as Hinduism.
Sufism also sought to popularize this amalgam through the language of common
people. Poets like Amir Khusrau, who drew greatly from the common culture,
went a long way in bridging the divide between different communities and
encouraging the growth of a humane climate in medieval India.
Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh
Parallel to the spread of Sufism was the emergence of bhakti as a syncretic
strand among Hindus. The bhakti movement itself had two manifestations:
Nirguna (without form) and Saguna. The proponents of the former, like Kabir
and Nanak, conceptualized an abstract Supreme Being and held, like the Jews,
that in the beginning was the Word. However, they did not see the Word as
overarching -- and often overbearing -- Law but as the Love between human
beings and their Creator.
The proponents of saguna bhakti, like Mirabai, Surdas, Raskhan and others,
even anthropomorphized the Deity, giving gods and goddesses human shapes,
persona and even human failings. Both tried to do away with the mediation of
priests in the relationship between the devotee and the Deity.
The nirguna mode later developed, for instance, into Sikhism while the
saguna mode of compassion and worship was articulated by, among others,
Goswami Tulsidas who in his Ramcharitmanas chronicled a Ram who was both
divine and supremely human.
It is another matter that by the end of the millennium, some Sikhs had
sought to sectarianize themselves to such an extent that it led to the
tragic storming of the Golden Temple and some Hindus tried to create a macho
and warlike Ram in whose name they sought to destroy a mosque in the
peaceful Ayodhya of Tulsidas.
But then, religion has not only been a matter of spirituality in this
millennium -- or ever, for that matter. It has always gone hand-in-hand with
state power and pelf. This is evident in the many magnificent places of
worship built during the last thousand years.
Babri mosque, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh
Among such edifices are the literally millennial temples of Khajuraho. It
was during the 11th century, at the very beginning of the millennium that
the Chandela kings of Central India -- the most famous among them being
Vidyadhara -- conceived the magnificent temple complex at Khajuraho in the
heart of India.
This has been described as passion frozen in stone. The unusual
juxtaposition of the sensuous and the spiritual continues to intrigue a
thousand years after it was brought about.
However, what is obvious about these temples is the peace and prosperity
that the people must have enjoyed to make possible such massive and
expensive construction. Vidyadhara and other rulers of the Chandela dynasty
epitomized the spirit of India in the 11th century -- free from sexual
repression and inhibitions, exulting in sensual delight, excelling in
artistic expression.
At the very beginning of the millennium, the Tamil Cholas had sent
expeditions far and wide and their immense wealth enabled Rajendra and
Rajaraja Chola to build the soaring Brihadeshwar temple at Thanjavur.
The Cholas were the mightiest naval power and their domination of the ocean
waves was unchallenged. The Chola armada provided protection to
international traders -- with Indian merchants reaching distant shores, as
far as Cambodia and Indonesia. A lively process of cultural exchange was
initiated and its imprint can be seen in architecture, religion, language
classics and folklore till today.
Jantar Mantar, New Delhi
Great and beautiful temples were built in many other parts of the country
too. Under its Ganga dynasty, Orissa saw the coming up of Bhubaneswar with
its landscape dominated by the soaring spire of the Lingaraj temple.
Anant Varman Chodaganga celebrated his conquests from Ganga to Godavari with
the construction of the awe-inspiring Jagannath shrine at Puri, famous for
its annual chariot festival that has evolved into the metaphorical and
unstoppable juggernaut. Narasimha the first, the last great king of the
Ganga dynasty, -- commissioned the great Black Pagoda -- the fascinating Sun
Chariot at Konark that celebrates sexuality with an abandon matched only by
Khajuraho.
However, it is important to note that temples were not merely places of
worship where the faithful congregated. In course of time, they also evolved
into seats of scholarship and most valuable cultural centers. It was in
these hallowed precincts that talented artists spent their lives, dedicated
to the cultivation of dance and music.
It was precisely in such a feudal-religious temple environment that Jaidev
wrote his great love lyric Geeta Govinda in the 12th century. This retelling
of the legendary romance of Radha and Krishna has cast its magic spell
despite the passage of time. Stanzas from this work set to music form the
substantial text for the dancers in Odissi and Manipuri style.
Compositions based on its verses sung by accompanist to Odissi dancers
preserve some of the rarest ragas in Indian classical music. The mudras,
postures in dance performances, translating the narrative to body language,
have in turn been rendered into sculptural panels adorning temple walls at
Konark and elsewhere.
Besides, episodes depicted in Geeta Govinda have provided inspiration to
painters of Rajput and Pahari miniatures, typically Indian works of art.
Indeed, Jaidev represents many characteristic features of the creative
genius of India during this period: The confluence of the classical and the
folk, the capacity to innovate and improvise, blending poetry, music and
dance to conjure sublime visual images delighting millions with exuberant
energy. The missing elements are only those of science and technology.
A little recalled name from this century is that of Bhaskaracharya II.
Hardly any personal details about this great mathematician are known. His
work on mathematics, Lilavati, is an impressive achievement in a field where
India has traditionally been far ahead of the rest of the world, and yet
there was little application of the knowledge to upgrading technology.
Even the science of astronomy, developed by Bhaskaracharya among others,
fossilized into astrology. Much social wealth was squandered in
superstition. The problem was that India had immense squanderable wealth.
In Gujarat, for instance, the Solanki rulers built the famous Somnath temple
by the seashore and repeatedly undertook its reconstruction after it was
plundered by Ghazni. What made this possible was wealth generated through
the indefatigable energy of the intrepid Gujarati traders.
Their genius for enterprise and commerce took them to different lands, then
as now. And, with these merchants, Indian culture traveled to many parts of
the world -- including from the coast of Africa -- from where a Gujarati
pilot led the brutal Portuguese Vasco da Gama in the middle of the
millennium to India -- an act which changed the history, not only of the
subcontinent, but of the entire world -- to the New World discovered in
quest of the old.
Vasco da Gama and subsequent Europeans who came to India were unlike others
who had made their way into the subcontinent. The Europeans were not
interested in making India their home: their intention was to colonize the
fabulously rich land for the benefit of the "home countries."
Thus, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French and, most successfully, the
British got to exploit the wealth of India. In the process, they also added
a new dimension to sheer brutality.
pavan03
Actually, according to most scientists there is undebatable proof that
evolution did occur. The fossils suggest a gradual change in organism's
structure over time, DNA shows progressive changes from simpler to more
complex organisms, and people have also witnessed such evolution on a
smaller scale due to environmental changes(in areas covered with
industrial soot, darker organisms are favored over lighter ones).
Therefore, considering the vast amount of time that has passed since the
earth formed and all the drastic changes that have taken place &
continue to occur, organisms with favorable traits(ultraviolet radiation
causes all kinds of screw-ups in genes, and there are always chances for
"genetic mistakes") will be selected over ones without favorable traits.
Evolution does not go counter to religion; they are unrelated. Actually,
in the dashAvatArA's of viShNu, there seems to be hint of
this progressive change, from a fish, to amphibian, to half-man&beast,
to eventually a human. The Bible however makes no mention of this out of
ignorance. How can we say this is their ignorance? Come on, they don't
even have an explanation as to what kind of judgment is passed on a 1day
old child when he dies!
> That's how the word came to be. Initially, it characterized
> people who blindly believed in everything that's in the Book,
> and on top of which, also advocated suspending rational
> judgement in assessing whatever is there in the Book. No
> questioning the fundamentals, that's the rule.
Yes, it's sad how people choose to shut their eyes to reason, and
instead opt to follow someone on blind belief. However, the interesting
part of Hinduism is tarka, logical debates where one side's views are
questioned by the other. Such things don't even exist in other
religions! It would be to humanity's benefit if pratyakSha and anumAnA
(what you perceive with senses and infer by logic) is taken first, and
THEN you turn to AgamAs (such as vEdas which describe characteristics of
God that cannot be understood based on what you perceive & what you
infer based on what you perceive). Unfortunately more and more people
are turning away from using rational & towards what everyone else does.
But fortunately, there will always be people who will use their common
sense instead of plain memorization and spitting back what is in the
scriptures, at least among Hindus.
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.
>
--
Regards,
pavan03
reddy
news:85dgpm$nqg$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
Actually,
> in the dashAvatArA's of viShNu, there seems to be hint of
> this progressive change, from a fish, to amphibian, to half-man&beast,
> to eventually a human. The Bible however makes no mention of this out of
> ignorance. How can we say this is their ignorance? Come on, they don't
> even have an explanation as to what kind of judgment is passed on a 1day
> old child when he dies!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The statue of Nataraja (dance pose of Lord Shiva) is a well known example
for the artistic, scientific and philosophical significance of Hinduism. The
late scientist, Carl Sagan, in his book, "Cosmos" asserts that the Dance
of Nataraja (Tandava) signifies the cycle of evolution and destruction of
the cosmic universe (Big Bang Theory). "It is the clearest image of the
activity of God which any art or religion can boast of." Modern physics has
shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in
the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of all living creatures,
but also the very essence of inorganic matter.
For modern physicists, then, Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter.
Hundreds of years ago, Indian artist created visual images of dancing Shivas
in a beautiful series of bronzes. Today, physicist have used the most
advanced technology to portray the pattern of the cosmic dance.
The Hindus, according to Monier-Williams, were Spinozists more than 2,000
years before the advent of Spinoza, and Darwinians many centuries before
Darwin and Evolutionists many centuries before the doctrine of Evolution was
accepted by scientists of the present age.
The French historian Louis Jacolliot as quoted by Galav in the "Philosophy
of Hinduism" (ISBN 0-9642377-0-9) page 17 says, "Here to mock are conceit,
our apprehensions, and our despair, we may read what Manu said, perhaps
10,000 years before the birth of Christ about Evolution:
'The first germ of life was developed by water and heat. (Book I, sloka
8,9 )
Water ascends towards the sky in vapors; from the sun it descends in rain,
from the rains are born the plants, and from the plants, animals. (Book III,
sloka 76)
greg
reddy wrote in message <85d20d$aq9$1...@bob.news.rcn.net>...
>Celeste is one of the artists helping the West, used to a diet of
homogenous
>Greco-Roman cultural soup, to begin to appreciate the thick, mixed-up,
lumpy
>cultural curry of India on the eve of the virtual reality and information
>technology age.
I should think that if Indians feel proud of their culture only when some
overpraised and overpriced western artist tells them too, there hasn't been
much genuine change in the west after all. There's no reason to think that
someone with the affluence and connections to travel around the world and
get Guggenheim monies and fellowship is genuinely appreciative of Indian
culture. This is what the article quote his sponsors as saying:
His sponsor declares in its note of support: "The artist
Francesco Clemente is a traveler between two worlds. His paintings and
drawings combine a mysterious Eastern symbolism with elements of Western
cultural tradition."
One would have thought the "mysterious East" were some leftover of
pretentious western cultural imperialists. But apparently it's alive and
well in the mouths of New York's cultural elite.
punjab...@my-deja.com
pavan03 <pav...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> Actually, according to most scientists there is undebatable proof that
> evolution did occur. The fossils suggest a gradual change in
organism's
> structure over time, DNA shows progressive changes from simpler to
more
> complex organisms, and people have also witnessed such evolution on a
> smaller scale due to environmental changes(in areas covered with
> industrial soot, darker organisms are favored over lighter ones).
> Therefore, considering the vast amount of time that has passed since
the
> earth formed and all the drastic changes that have taken place &
> continue to occur, organisms with favorable traits(ultraviolet
radiation
> causes all kinds of screw-ups in genes, and there are always chances
for
> "genetic mistakes") will be selected over ones without favorable
traits.
>
You sound like you need to see a psychiatrist! Good luck.
Punjabi Tutty.
pavan03
punjab...@my-deja.com wrote:
> In article <85dgpm$nqg$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>,
> pavan03 <pav...@my-deja.com> wrote:
> > Actually, according to most scientists there is undebatable proof
that
> > evolution did occur. The fossils suggest a gradual change in
> You sound like you need to see a psychiatrist! Good luck.
Because I say that science supports the theory of evolution and offers
conclusive proof about it, I need to see a psychiatrist? I was merely
stating that Hinduism is one of the few religions out there that doesn't
say that God just created a bunch of animals and left them unchanged.
Instead, a sort of evolution is hinted at, this is what I was driving at
by stating how the avatars of Vishnu gradually progress from a
sea-dwelling animal to a human. If you can miscontrue my restatement of
science's explanation of evolution to mean I'm going senile or
something, I strongly suggest YOU see a psychiatrist.
>
> Punjabi Tutty.
>
> Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
> Before you buy.
>
--