Recent I learned that the sound "Alleluia" (Christian for 'praise the Lord') takes its origins from the Hebrew word "Hallelujah". "Hallelu" basically means "glorify" and "Jah" (as Rastafarians can attest) is a shortened form of the Hebrew name for God: "Jahweh" or "Yahweh".

This just came into the inbox. If everyone chips in a little then we can help them pay for medical costs.

If you want to use a credit card, or avoid costly international fees, you can make a donation into my PayPal account and, as Gopala is my witness, every penny will go to Braja and Jahnu (except for the small percentage PayPal takes as a transaction fee.)

Click here:

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Dear Friends of Braja Sevaki and Jahnudvipa Prabhus,

Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

For now the general news about Braja and Jahnu is good. As you may well know, Braja is back in Mayapur and, for the time being, recuperating at my house. She’s still very sore all over but her face is improving every day. And today she wanted cheese and tomato toast for breakfast so things are looking up :0)

Jahnu was moved to a private room yesterday and will have a 24 hour attendant with him as Braja is not able to be there. He still has one chest drain in and was sedated again because of agitation. The doctors say this is normal in these situations. But hopefully, being in a private room will be more peaceful for him and he can make speedy progress. He still needs many of your prayers.

The cost of the medical treatment so far has been upwards of $20,000 and Jahnu is not out of there yet. So it could be as much as $30,000 by the end. Many of you have enquired as to how you may offer some financial assistance for the medical expenses. After discussing it here and understanding that some of you may be concerned as to where the money might go, we decided it would be best for donors to send the money for Braja and Jahnu directly to Braja’s personal account.

Account name: Bonnie A Stewart
Account number: 5000 1040 6355
Bank name: Commonwealth Bank Of Australia
Branch: Adelaide
Swift code: CTBAAU 2S500

Anybody sending a donation should let me know by email as to when and how much you have sent so we can keep track of it.

There will be separate information for donations to help the driver but I haven’t been given them yet. I’ll send them out as soon as I can.

Braja and Jahnu are so grateful for all the love being sent their way. They feel that their recoveries have been expedited by all your love and prayers. Thank you on their behalf.

"And big licks from the cow shed!" said Braja!!

Your servant Ramadevi dasi

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

Text PAMHO:16301400 (82 lines)
From: (Bhakti Bhrnga) Govinda Swami
Date: 11-Oct-08 04:55 -0400 (12:55 +0400)
To: X (Broadcasts) [581]
Subject: Kazakhstan
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Dear Devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

We have continued our efforts in Kazakhstan and it seems that the saga is nearing an unfavorable conclusion.

In 2001 the Kazakh government issued a decree that our temple building and barn were suitable for usage. This summer they annulled that decree.

Now they have called our members to court. The case will focus on the "demolition of illegal temple building and barn and forced eviction from the property."

As a final effort we have started a letter campaign to the President of Kazakhstan. We did this in the beginning of the crisis and we are still on the property four years later.

We are humbly requesting you to take a moment to fax this letter to two offices of the Kazakhstan government:

1.To the Kazakhstan Embassy in your country.

If there is no Kazakhstan Embassy in your country, please fax it to the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington DC or in London, UK.

Kazakhstan Embassy Washington
+12022325845

Kazakhstan Embassy London
+442075848481

2. To the Administration of the President of Kazakhstan, Mr. NA Nazarbayev

+77172745631

I was just in Warsaw at the OSCE meeting. Kazakhstan is presently under strong international criticism for their failure at democratic reform in light of their 2010 Chairmanship of OSCE. Our issue was consistently raised by the United States, the Holy See (Vatican), and numerous respected human rights organizations.

In the midst of international criticism there is a ray of hope that if protest reaches Kazakhstan at this moment the government may act differently in this issue.

Thank you very much for taking a moment to help and for the support you have all given us during this crisis.

Your servant,

BB Govinda Swami

SEND TEXT BELOW

October 12, 2008

Dear President Nazarbayev,

We would like to acknowledge your leadership of the great nation of Kazakhstan since independence. Your country has become a place of inter-ethnic peace and religious tolerance.

We find it troubling that in your nation the Krishna Religion has faced many difficulties.

Presently, the Karasai District Court of Almaty Province is initiating court procedures that will result in the demolition of the only Krishna Religion temple in the nation of Kazakhstan.

If this demolition takes place it will be a blemish on the face of your beautiful nation.

We are requesting Your Excellency to uphold the dignity of your nation by ordering the closure of the current legal procedures.

We also request that the various departments of your government will work fairly to establish an equitable resolve to this crisis.

We thank you for your consideration.

With respect,

Embedding is disabled but here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQMTWAMNt3Y&feature=related

The Hare Krishna connection is about 1/2 way through.

It is hard to follow every world news issue but there are some that I keep up with. In the mid 90's one of the most grotesque massacres of our times of over 800,000 men, women and children took place in Rwanda, Africa. The degree of human brutality that was exercised during this period of genocide is riveting for even the most war-hardened heart. The Hutu militia had a shortage of resources for equipment such as ammunition so they used machetes to slay Tutsi families in the street. They didn't even limit their angst to the Tutsi social class, but any of their own class who were even considered sympathetic to the Tutsi were similarly bled.

The UN troops who were stationed there were limited in their ability to help due to lack of support or public sympathy for the situation. The politicians simply wouldn't send them sufficient money and manpower so they could only set up refugee camps for the fortunate citizens who could escape the capitol of Kigali.

The French troops who were also stationed in Rwanda were also criticized for not helping the cause. Up until today I considered this a poignant example of what Srila Prabhupada described as "violence by negligence". This news, released today, reports that the French may not have been as uninvolved as previously believed.

"French forces directly assassinated Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis... French forces committed several rapes on Tutsi survivors," said a justice ministry statement released after the report was presented in Kigali.

The entire article is here. I think this is significant because, if true, it could mandate a significant shift in the way that the French government is appraised.

 

I lifted this from the excellent Krishna Kathamrita Bindu eMag:

by Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami

Maharaja Srila Gour Kishore Das Babaji Maharaja had a follower whose name was Shambhu Babu. He later accepted a wife and married. Then he came to see Gour Kishore Das Babaji Maharaja, and offered his obeisances. Seeing him, one of the devotees said, “Maharaja, Shambhu Babu has come and he is now married”. “O, bhālo helā, bhālo helā!” Gour Kishore Das Babaji said. “It is very good that Shambhu Babu is married now”. Then he gave an instruction to him. “Shambhu, you should understand that your wife is Krishna’s maidservant. She will give pleasure to the senses of Krishna, not to your senses.” You should see her as Krishna’s maidservant, a vaisnavī, and that she is meant to give pleasure to the senses of Krishna. So every day you should offer obeisances to her and take her remnants because she is a vaisnavī.” This is the system for vaisnava family. Early in the morning, both the husband and wife will get up and offer each other obeisances:

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca krpā-sindhubhya eva ca
patitānām pāvanebhyo vaisnavebhyo namo namah

We have a similar system in our process of vaisnava marriage. When the ceremony is finished then the husband and wife accept prasāda together for the first time. They sit together and they will take remnants of each other. The husband takes the remnants of the wife, and the wife takes the remnants of husband. This is our marriage system. There is no question of giving pleasure or enjoyment to one’s own senses — everything is meant for Krishna’s pleasure and enjoyment. That is very good.

That is Krishna’s sambandha, Krishna’s family. Husband and wife relationship should be based on a relationship with Krishna, not on a temporary bodily relationship. Then there will be all happiness, all ānanda, blissfulness. Otherwise, material relationships mean unlimited suffering, distress, frictions, quarrelling and divorce. Someone divorces their husband and marries another man. A man divorces his wife and marries another woman. What is this? Like dogs and hogs! How can you expect happiness, peacefulness, and bliss?

— From a lecture in Bristol, England. 11 August 1994.

Yes. I grew up in this kind of environment.

Now that I'm an expatriate for over a decade I can see the oddity of the Texan way. I could imagine this kind of thing being a hit on local radio there. I do agree with most of the message in this video, but rather then treat gays as if they are freaks I try to show them respect even though that may be from a distance sometimes.

I'm just posting this here for analytical purposes and because it's a little funny. I hope I don't offend anyone. Please feel free to comment even if you just want to call me a homophobic redneck. I just finished a big project and could do with some purposeful discussion.

** update - in case it isn't obvious, this is an image of Jesus Christ with Obama's (US Presidential candidate) face superimposed.