Only the english could have invented this language-Sounds interesting!-Good to read

Posted by dinesh

Only The English Could Have Invented This Language

... We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes, But the plural of ox becomes oxen, not oxes. One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, Yet the plural of moose should never be meese. You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice, Yet the plural of house is houses, not hice. If the plural of man is always called men, Then shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen? If I speak of my foot and show you my feet, And I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet? If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth? Then one may be that, and three would be those, Yet hah in the plural would never be hose, And the plural of cat is cats, not cose. We speak of a brother and also of brethren, But though we say mother, we never say methren. Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him, But imagine the feminine: she, shis and shim! Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England .. We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, ... See More and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the folks who grew up speaking English should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane . In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? We ship by truck but send cargo by ship. We have noses that run and feet that smell. We park in a driveway and drive in a parkway. And how can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which an alarm goes off by going on. And, in closing, if Father is Pop, how come Mother's not Mop? I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT IF PEOPLE FROM POLAND ARE CALLED POLES THEN PEOPLE FROM HOLLAND SHOULD BE HOLES AND THE GERMANS GERMS!!!

Source:Bhagavat Purana Das

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Work Phone Bill-Ice Breaker!!

Posted by dinesh

The phone bill was exceptionally high and the man of the house called a family meeting... on a Saturday morning... after breakfast...

Dad: People this is unacceptable. You have to limit the use of the phone. I do not use this phone, I use the one at the office.

Mum: Same here, I hardly use this home telephone as I use my work telephone.

Son: Me too, I never use the home phone. I always use my company mobile.

Maid: So - what is the problem? We all use our work telephones !

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Krishna Knows!

Posted by dinesh

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Dr Satish Gosain (Sri Krishna Hari Das) <sri.krishna.hari@gmail.com>

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Joshi, Milind <milind.joshi@se1.bp.com>

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,

Please accept my dandavat pranams. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.

Recently I came across an interesting story. A person once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an Archavigraha of Krishna. Suddenly he noticed a similar Archavigraha kept nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same Deity?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the Deity and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the Deity." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the Deity?"

The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high.. "If the Deity is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "Any one knows it or not, Krishna knows it."

This is the realization required when we are involved in any activity in our life when we are physically awake. Krishna is present in our heart in the form of Paramatma as He is present in everything around us. This has been explained in Srimad Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagvatam in various shlokas. One of these important shlokas is Srimad Bhagavad Gita 6.30.

yo maam pashyati sarvatra / sarvam ca mayi pashyati
tasyaaham na pranashyaami / sa ca me na pranashyati

For one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.

In his wonderful purport to the above verse, Srila Prabhupada has guided us to clear our understanding on this subject - A person in Krishna consciousness certainly sees Lord Krishna everywhere, and he sees everything in Krishna. Such a person may appear to see all separate manifestations of the material nature, but in each and every instance he is conscious of Krishna, knowing that everything is a manifestation of Krishna's energy. Nothing can exist without Krishna, and Krishna is the Lord of everything — this is the basic principle of Krishna consciousness.

We are many times under illusion that no one is watching us when we are involved in certain activities, but Krishna is all pervading and everywhere. He is omni-present and omniscient. He is with us even in our thoughts and our dreams since He is situated in our hearts as Paramatma. We are never alone or left un-noticed. All our good and bad deeds are being watched out by Him and the CID agents appointed by Him. In Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.1.42 the list of CIDs is explained very nicely.

suryo'gnih kham marud devah / somah sandhya ahani disah
kam kuh svayam dharma iti / hy ete daihasya saksinah

(Yamadutas to Vishnudutas) "The sun, fire, sky, air, demigods, moon, evening, day, night, directions, water, land and Supersoul Himself witness all the activities of the living entity."

So we need to understand and realise that every moment of our life is with Him. When we think of Him all the time, He will reciprocate in the same way by helping us to remember Him constantly. Let us therefore sincerely pray to the Supreme Lord, Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev to bestow their mercy upon us, so that we remain conscious of His existence and use this rare opportunity of human life for remembering Him all the time and stay in continuous devotional service.

Thank you very much.
Your humble servant in service of Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev,
Milind Joshi,
Singapore.

Moderator's Note : Milind Prabhuji is a serious and very good natured devotee from Mumbai. Prabhuji has started fortnightly Bhagavad Gita discussion programmes with Gurudev's blessings and is bringing many new families in touch with Srila Prabhupada. Prabhuji has two daughters and his wife, Sampada Mataji nicely assists him in the preaching and also sings very nicely.

__._,_.___

__,_._,___-

Yours Servant

Sri Krishna Hari Das
(Dr Satish Gosain MBBS DNB i Med)
Congregational Preacher, ISKCON, Delhi, NCR & Gurgaon.
+91-97170-55006, +91-98913-86194 +91-11-2512-5595, +91-11-2512-8754

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

A Message To the Disciples

Posted by dinesh

A Message To the Disciples

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Mahat-tattva Dasa

By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

- A message to disciples.

(Excerpted from the book "Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur" by Mandala Publishing Group. Eugene, Oregon. 1997. Page 42)

Please preach the kirtan of the Supreme Lord, even if in doing so you have to incur debt; then in order to pay off that debt, you will have to be even more engaged in seva. When your creditors put pressure on you, you will be forced to beg more for alms. Again, as the pious householders will not give you alms unless your character and conduct are pure, you will be forced to preserve a pure lifestyle with great determination and care. I will not leave one penny for you, and in that way in the future you won't be able to indulge in laziness and you won't be able to give up your devotional lives full of hari-kirtan and hari-seva.

The matha (temple) is the center of hari-kirtan, and hari-kirtan is life and consciousness. To ensure that there is no place for laziness, bad conduct, trivial thought, gossip, or vulgar desire in the matha, you have to go from door to door, where your hari-kirtan will be tested by the public. When the public will think that they are the givers of alms and you are the receivers of alms , in other words, that their status is higher than yours, they will criticize you in many ways, thinking you are objects of their mercy. Perhaps some of them will also be ready to kick you out. Then, on one hand, you will be able to become trinad api sunicha, humbler than a blade of grass, and manada, respectful to others, and on the other hand you will take great care to make your lives and characters pure and exemplary.

Furthermore, what will be beneficial for you is this: as you will correct the mistakes of the common people by citing the message of sadhu, sastra, and guru-varga, you will not make those same mistakes.

Please do not be upset if someone criticizes you personally. But your guru-varga, sastra, and mahajans are completely faultless, supremely liberated, and eternal associates of the Lord. If, due to ignorance, someone criticizes them, then you should correct that person's mistakes by telling them the real truth. This will be very beneficial for both you and the ignorant people.

If you become lazy about begging for alms from door to door to collect ingredients for hari-kirtan, and if you indulge in laziness and bad habits, preferring reclusive bhajan so you can escape others' criticism, then your character will not be purified. You will not have the life of devotional practice. I will never give you any opportunity to become deceitful in the path of devotion in the privacy of your own home; I will never give you any opportunity to live in a reclusive place so that you can become undisciplined in your heart, thinking no one will come to see or hear you there.

You are my dearmost friends. I will never allow you to get into trouble. I will never allow you to give up the path of pleasing the senses of the Lord so that you can please the senses of the people of the world, as well as your own, because you received some temporary position or you could not tolerate some temporary criticism.

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.

Qualifications for a bona-fide disciple-Must Read!!!!

Posted by dinesh

|| Hare Kṛṣṇa ||

All Glories to Śrī Guru & Gaurānga!
All Glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!
Nitāi Gaura Premānande, HARI HARI BOL!

Patitānām Pāvanebhyo Vaiśṇavebhyo Namo Namaḥ!

Hari-Bhakti-Vilaasa lists the following qualifications for a bona fide disciple:

1) He should be devoted to the lotus feet of the spiritual master.

2) He should be fully capable of upholding the vows made to the spiritual master.

3) He should be engaged day and night in the Lord's service with body, mind and words.

4) He should be desirous of knowing the Absolute Truth.

5) He should be spotless in character, truthful,gentle and polite, pleasing in appearance and intelligent.

6) He should show proper respect to elders, to initiated Vaisnavas and to the Lord; he should observe silence concerning material subjects and should have control of his senses.

7) He should have no attraction for committing sinful activities.

The bona fide disciple should not possess the following characteristics:

1) He should not be lazy, dirty, sickly, continually afflicted or lamenting, angry, proud, lusty or coveting material desires.

2) He should not show the enjoying mood; he should not indulge in
sinful activities such as taking meat, intoxication, gambling or illicit sex;

3) He should not earn a living by unjust means.

4) He should not use vulgar or coarse language, should not be critical of others, and should not be miserly, malicious, devious or envious; he should not give pain to others or be addicted to cruel activities.

5) He should not be ignorant, nor should he be proud of material learning.

6) He should not indulge in non-Vaisnava philosophies

7) He should not be addicted to over-eating.

The following rules of etiquette should be observed by the bona fide disciple in relation to his spiritual master:

1) He should fall down like an uprooted tree (dandavat) on seeing the guru. When the guru approaches he should face him and when he leaves, he
should follow him.

2) He should not leave the guru's presence without asking permission.

3) He should not utter the guru's name inattentively, but always with respect. He should address him as om sri ............Visnupada, and bow his head and fold his hands in respect.

4) He should not imitate the gait, activities or voice of the guru.

5) He should always hold the guru's words in great respect. Though he may be
punished by the guru, he should not take it unkindly.

6) He should not bear to hear criticism of the guru, the scriptures or the
Lord, but should leave the place immediately.

7) He should not step on the guru's garland, bed, shoes, aasana, shadow
or eating table.

8) He should not spread his legs before the guru, nor should
he yawn, laugh or make disrespectful noises before the guru.

9) He should not sit on an aasana or bed before the guru.

10) He should not worship others in preference to the guru. He should not give diksaa, give scriptural explanations or show superiority in front of the guru.

11) He should not give orders to the guru, but obey him.

12) He should treat the guru's guru with similar respect and he should treat the wife, son and relatives of the guru as the guru, but he should not clean the body of the son, take his remnants or wash his feet.