Book: Perfect Questions Perfect Answers

Book: Perfect Questions Perfect Answers

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

· A man is important when he is attractive. Unless you are powerful, how can you be all-attractive?

· Our formula of God is that He is the source of everything.

· Everyone is hankering after someone because he realizes some mellow (taste, pleasure) in it.

· What is your body? This external body – that is your energy. Do you know that? Your body is made out of your energy. For example, I am eating, so I am creating some energy and therefore my body is maintained. If your energy supply is not proper, then your body becomes weak and unhealthy. Your body is made out of your energy. Similarly, this gigantic cosmic body – the universe – is made of Krsna’s energy. How can you deny it? As your body is made out of your energy, similarly the universal body must be made by somebody’s energy. That is Krsna.

· Maya – another meaning is “illusion”. So foolish persons accept the energy as the energetic. That is Maya. Just like sunshine. Sunshine enters your room. Sunshine is the energy of the sun. But because the sunshine enters your room, you cannot say that the sun has entered. You cannot say that sunshine is not the sun. Without the sun, where is the sunshine? So you cannot say that sunshine is not the sun. But at the same time, it is not the sun. It is the sun and not the sun – both. That is our philosophy.

· Man is attached to woman, and woman is attached to man. Not only in human society – in animal society also. That attachment is the basic principle of material life.

· Sex life increases the bodily concept of life.

· ISKCON movement is especially meant to enable a human being to reach the real goal of life; to go back home, back to Godhead. That is the real goal of life. Same like the water that comes from the sea forms clouds, the clouds fall down as rain, and the actual goa is to flow down the river and again enter the sea.

· No! Some knowledge will not do. You must have perfect knowledge.

· You are covered by a dress, by a shirt. When this shirt is unusable, you change it. Similarly, this body is just like a shirt and coat. When it is no longer workable, we have to change it.

· God is there in everyone’s heart. God is also within every atom. So this is the first information. And then, by the yogic process, you have to realize it.

· There are three kinds of charities – good, passionate and ignorant. Goodness is giving charity where charity must be given. And if one gives charity for some return, that is passion. And if somebody gives in charity in an improper place and time, without respect and to an unworthy person, that is ignorance.

· Devotees are neither in goodness, passion nor ignorance. They are transcendental to all these qualities.

· First make your life perfect. Then try to teach others.

· If you always keep yourself spiritually engaged, your body will act spiritually, although it is material.

· People do not know how to become happy. They do not take the standard path to become happy. They manufacture their own way. That is the difficulty.

· Don’t manufacture your ways of pleasing god.

· Material life means – when you desire to gratify your senses that is material life. And when you desire to serve God that is spiritual life.

· Suppose you are trying to do something. Due to your inexperience if you sometimes fail, that is not a fault. You are trying. There is a verse in the Bhagavatam – that if a devotee is trying his best but due to his incapability he sometimes fails, Krsna excuses him.

· The whole human life is meant for purification. A human being is not meant to labor like an ass and enjoy like a dog. Purification means coming to a higher level of consciousness.

For more information and guidance, visit http://www.iskconbangalore.org or www.folknet.in

Note – The above points are notes I have scrubbed down while reading the book “Perfect Questions Perfect Answers” written by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. I am blogging this material only to encourage the readers who see my blog to read the book and is not meant for any commercial purpose. It is just sharing information about a good book.

Regards,

Tirumalanath

tirumalanath@gmail.com

Why should anyone read Bhagavad Gita daily: Beautiful Moral Story by Niskinchana Bhakta Dasa, ISKCON, Bangalore

Story:
An old Farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Bhagavad Gita. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could. One day the grandson asked, "Grandpa! Why do you read the Gita? What good does reading the Bhagavad Gita do? I try to read the Bhagavad Gita just like you but I don't understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. “The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, "Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water."The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, "You'll have to move a little faster next time," and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told hisgrandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead. The old man said, "I don't want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You're just not trying hard enough," and he went out the door to watch the boy try again.At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, "See Grandpa, it's useless!" "So you think it is useless?" The old mansaid, "Look at the basket." The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out. "Son, that's what happens when you read the Bhagavad Gita. Youmight not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out. That is the work of Krishna in our lives. the cleansing process.

Please Chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare HareAnd be happy

Your's in service of Lord Krishna,
Niskinchana Bhakta Dasa
9341331074.ISKCON, Bangalore

This message is posted on my blog only to spread the message of Krishna Consciousness to the people who see my blog. I got the above story in my inbox from “Niskinchana Bhakta Dasa”, ISKCON, Bangalore. U can register on www.iskconbangalore.org for regular spiritual mails.
For spiritual guidance, Pls. contact ISKCON ashrams.

Regards,
Tirumalanath
tirumalanath.neelaiagari@gmail.com

ISKCON - Akshaya Patra in Limca Book of Records

The Akshaya Patra Foundation has found a place in the Limca Book of Records for being the largest NGO-run school meal programme. Under the programme, over 9.7 lakh children studying in over 5,700 government, government-aided schools and day care centres in 16 locations in India are fed on any given day. The programme is run by the Akshay Patra Foundation in partnership with central and respective state governments, a release said here today.
"The entry into the Limca Book of Records, comes as a recognition of Akshaya Patra& achievement in enabling needy children to receive education even as they are fed at least one wholesome meal a day,"said Madhu Pandita Das of the Foundation. Under the programme, mid-day meals are provided in Bangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Bellary, Mangalore and Mysore in Karnataka, Jaipur, Nathdwara and Baran in Rajasthan, Vrindavan and Mathura district in UP, Puri and Nayagarh in Orissa, Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The programme uses centralised, automated kitchens for cooking food which is then distributed to schools. The kitchens can cook about 100,000 meals in less than five hours with least human intervention.

WHY ISCKON STARTED AKSHAYA PATRA

Every year, 2.5 million children die in India, accounting for one in five deaths in the world. More than half of these deaths could be prevented if children were well nourished. India's progress in reducing child malnutrition is very slow. The proven path to helping the poor, is by educating them. Providing food works as an important factor that encourages education; this in turn enables overall development transforming lives and communities. A hungry child cannot be expected to have an urge for education. We provide nutritious meals to about 1 million children - with a vision to encourage education amongst the poor.
Many impoverished children performed poorly in school due to short attention spans associated with extreme hunger. Other children either did not enroll in school, or dropped out at a young age choosing to seek work during the school day to earn money to feed themselves and their families. Earlier, school meals was irregular and in many places non-existent. Responding to pressure from the people, the Supreme Court of India passed an order on November 28, 2001 which mandated: "Cooked midday meal is to be provided in all the government and government-aided primary schools in all the states." Akshaya patra partakes this responsibility.

HOW MUCH A MEAL COSTS

The Akshaya Patra program is conducted in partnership with the various State Governments and Central Government. All of these governments provide a subsidy to support about 50% of the running cost of the Akshaya Patra program. The Central Government support is routed through the respective State Governments. The summary of subsidies in different states, as on November 2008, are listed below:

Karnataka Rs.1.80 for students in class 1 to 7 + 100 gms of rice per day per student.Rs.2.20 for students in class 8 to 10 + 150 gms of rice per day per student
Uttar Pradesh Rs.2.00 for students in class 1 to 5Rs.2.50 for students in class 6 to 9
Rajasthan Rs.2.00 for students in class 1 to 5 + 100 gms grainsRs.2.50 for students in class 6 to 8 + 150 gms grains
Orissa Rs.2.38 for students in class 1 to 5 + 100 gms grainsRs.2.74 for students in class 6 to 8 + 150 gms grains
Gujarat Rs.2.00 for students in class 1 to 7 + 50 gms of rice + 50 gms of wheat
Andhra Pradesh Rs.3.00 for students in class 6 to 10 + 150 gms of rice

This program is also supported by industry houses, foundations, individuals and philanthropists for the balance of the running costs (about 50%) and for setting up and maintenance of the centralized kitchen infrastructure.

If anyone are interested in helping the poor children to get nutritious food and education, pls. contact ISKCON at your place or mail to infodesk@akshayapatra.org or call the toll free number 1800 425 8622.

Note: U can personal check the quality of food and its preparation by visiting the ISKCON.


Regards,
Tirumalanath
tirumalanath.neelaiagari@gmail.com
For more information, visit www.akshayapatra.org