Krishna Software Newsletter May 2000 JAYA NRSIMHADEVA!!!

Welcome to the KrishnaSoft's Electronic Newsletter.
This is the May 2000 issue entitled: "Jaya Nrsimhadeva!!!"
WEB: http://www.krishnasoft.com; EMAIL: krishna@krishnasoft.com or vdayal@castle.net

This newsletter goes to over 1100 people who either have an interest in Vedic science and/or spiritually entertaining multimedia technology.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
(1) Jaya Nrsimhadeva!!!
(2) Upgrades to Multimedia CDROMS
(3) Feedback: Miscellaneous
(4) Editorial Policy and Product List

1. JAYA NRSIMHADEVA!!!

[The following is the eighteenth of a series of articles to present to the benefits of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The Krsna CDROM and the Srimad-Bhagavatam CDROM from Krishnasoft present this great spiritual masterpiece in multimedia format.]

Once the lived Hiranyakasipu, the king of the demons. His brother, another demon who had been creating a disturbance, had been killed by Varaha, an incarnation of Lord Visnu. Hiranyakasipu also was creating a disturbance by harassing the sages and the demigods. Hiranyakasipu wanted to get revenge upon Lord Visnu for the killing of his brother so he performed severe austerities:

"Seeing Hiranyakasipu engaged in this austerity, the demigods returned to their respective homes, but while Hiranyakasipu was thus engaged, a kind of fire began blazing from his head, disturbing the entire universe and its inhabitants, including the birds, beasts and demigods. When all the higher and lower planets became too hot to live on, the demigods, being disturbed, left their abodes in the higher planets and went to see Lord Brahma, praying to him that he curtail this unnecessary heat. The demigods disclosed to Lord Brahma Hiranyakasipu's ambition to become immortal, overcoming his short duration of life, and to be the master of all the planetary systems, even Dhruvaloka." (Bhag. 7.3.intro)

Finally, Lord Brahma appeared before Hiranyakasipu but could not give him the boon of immortality for even Lord Brahma is not immortal. Therefore, Hiranyakasipu tried to ask for benedictions that would make him almost as good as immortal. Hiranyakasipu asked that he not meet death in any of the following conditions:

(a) by any living entity created by Lord Brahma
(b) within any residence or outside any residence
(c) during the daytime or at night
(d) on the ground or in the sky
(e) by any weapon, human being, or any animal
(h) by anything living or nonliving
etc.

Once having attained the powers from Lord Brahma, Hiranyakasipu began to harass all the living entities within the universe:

"All the demigods but Lord Visnu, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva came under his control and began serving him, but despite all his material power he was dissatisfied because he was always puffed up, proud of transgressing the Vedic regulations. All the brahmanas were dissatisfied with him, and they cursed him with determination. Eventually, all the living entities within the universe, represented by the demigods and sages, prayed to the Supreme Lord for relief from Hiranyakasipu's rule. Lord Visnu informed the demigods that they and the other living entities would be saved from the fearful conditions created by Hiranyakasipu. Since Hiranyakasipu was the oppressor of all the demigods, the followers of the Vedas, the cows, the brahmanas and the religious, saintly persons, and since he was envious of the Supreme Lord, he would naturally be killed very soon. Hiranyakasipu's last exploit would be to torment his own son Prahlada, who was a maha-bhagavata, an exalted Vaisnava. Then his life would end." (Bhag. 7.4.intro)

Prahlada Maharaja, the son of Hiranyakasipu, was a great devotee and he received initiation while within the womb of his mother:

"This transcendental knowledge is devotional service, and Prahlada Maharaja, while living in the womb of his mother, received instructions in devotional service from Narada Muni. Any person engaged in the service of the Lord through the instructions of a bona fide spiritual master is immediately liberated, and being free from the clutches of maya, he is relieved of all ignorance and material desires." (Bhag. 7.7.intro)

This point we have stressed throughout our newsletters that surrender to the order of the spiritual master is the only means of success in spiritual life. Devotional service is not dependent on material results or conditions; it can be practiced under any conditions as we can see from the example of Prahlada Maharaja:

"Regardless of the material condition in which one is situated, one can achieve this perfection. Devotional service is not dependent on the material activities of austerity, penance, mystic yoga or piety. EVEN WITHOUT SUCH ASSETS, one can achieve devotional service through the mercy of a pure devotee." (Bhag. 7.7.intro)

Sometimes we find so-called devotees wasting their valuable time complaining and finding faults with others instead of sticking to their own devotional service. They should take the instruction that devotional service is not dependent on the material conditions:

"Progress in spiritual life cannot be obstructed by any material condition. This is called ahaituky apratihata." (Bhag. 7.7.1)

Just see how Prahlada stayed fixed in his service despite the impediments, which were much heavier than the impediments of today:

"The assistants of Hiranyakasipu struck Prahlada with sharp weapons, threw him under the feet of elephants, subjected him to hellish conditions, threw him from the peak of a mountain and tried to kill him in thousands of other ways, but they were unsuccessful. Hiranyakasipu therefore became increasingly afraid of his son Prahlada Maharaja and arrested him. The sons of Hiranyakasipu's spiritual master, Sukracarya, began teaching Prahlada in their own way, but Prahlada Maharaja did not accept their instructions. While the teachers were absent from the classroom, Prahlada Maharaja began to preach Krsna consciousness in the school, and by his instructions all his class friends, the sons of the demons, became devotees like him." (Bhag. 7.5.intro)

The teachers of Prahlada, Sanda and Amarka, became afraid that the students would become more and more devoted to the Lord so they informed Hiranyakasipu about Prahlada's preaching. So Hiranyakasipu decided to kill his son himself. Prahlada tried to instruct him:

"Prahlada Maharaja continued: My dear father, please give up your demoniac mentality. Do not discriminate in your heart between enemies and friends; make your mind equipoised toward everyone. Except for the uncontrolled and misguided mind, there is no enemy within this world. When one sees everyone on the platform of equality, one then comes to the position of worshipping the Lord perfectly." (Bhag. 7.8.9)

Controlling the mind is essential in spiritual life and is easily accomplished by becoming fixed in one's devotional service:

"The only bona fide process for controlling the mind is to fix the mind by service to the Lord." (Bhag. 7.8.9)

Although Prahlada tried to instruct Hiranyakasipu, he was not about take the bona fide instructions because he was not interested in devotional service:

"Hiranyakasipu replied: You rascal, you are trying to minimize my value, as if you were better than me at controlling the senses. This is over-intelligent. I can therefore understand that you desire to die at my hands, for this kind of nonsensical talk is indulged in by those about to die." (Bhag. 7.8.11)

Hiranyakasipu: "WHERE IS YOUR GOD?"
Prahlada replied that He is everywhere.
Hiranyakasipu: "IS HE IN THIS PILLAR, PRAHLADA???"
Prahlada: "Yes, he's everywhere."
Hiranyakasipu struck the pillar with his fists not believing Prahlada's statement; however Lord Nrsimhadeva, half-man and half-lion incarnation of the Supreme Lord, appeared with A ROAR!
A great fight ensued and Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu with his nails.

Lord Nrsimhadeva killed Hiranyakasipu without violating any of the boons Hiranyakasipu had received from Lord Brahma:

(a) Hiranyakasipu was killed by Lord Nrsimhadeva who is not a living entity created by Lord Brahma nor anyone else for He is eternal and unborn.
(b) Hiranyakasipu was killed in the doorway which is neither within any residence nor outside any residence.
(c) Hiranyakasipu was killed in the evening which is neither daytime nor night.
(d) Hiranyakasipu was killed on the lap of Lord Nrsimhadeva which is neither on the ground nor in the sky.
(e) Hiranyakasipu was killed by a half-man and half-lion which is neither a human nor an animal.
(h) Hiranyakasipu was killed by the nails which are neither living nor dead nor count as weapons.
etc.

2 UPGRADES TO MULTIMEDIA CDROMS

There is an upgrade section for the Multimedia CDROMs at http://www.krishnasoft.com. Currently, there is an upgrade available for the Krsna CDROM and Bhagavad-gita As It Is CDROM. These are available as ZIP files which need to be decompressed into the C:\KSI\BG (for Gita CD) and C:\KSI\KB (for Krsna CD). These can be downloaded from http://www.krishnasoft.com in the FAQ/technical support area. Only the executable is upgraded; the upgrades still use the same CDROM for the text, pictures, and audio. The upgrades support the following:

(1) Support for full-screen graphics at 1024*768 w/interpolation for zooming; if you have a fast machine, you can enable interpolation and higher resolution modes from the Preferences dialog box.
(2) Diacritics can now be turned on or off for searching and extracting. This is now an item in the "Options" menu. With diacritics disabled, you can search easily; for example, to find the word "Krsna" or "Balarama", you no longer have to type "Kr.s.n.a" or "Balaraama" but just "Krsna" or "Balarama". [Typing the diacritics is optional.]
(3) There is now a F12 hot key which you can press after you exit from the program and return to Windows. This hot key resets the Windows GUI. Some video cards were not properly restoring the GUI screen so this key allows the user to do it manually for such video cards.
(4) There is now a Preview mode in GUI so you can see which verse you want to extract or print.
(5) Few other fixes and enhancements.

The Krsna CD upgrade has a "fly to" button in the Vedic Astronomy section to allow the user to fly directly to some of the planets of the universe as described in the 5th Canto. The Gita CD upgrade adds some more synchronization for the audio -> transcript.

3. FEEDBACK: MISCELLANEOUS

[Here is some feedback since the last issue:]

>PS: And about 'possesing the hellish mentality': guess who actually has
>hellish mentality - people who changed SP books, molested thousands of his
>grandchildren, forced false renunciation, preached against varnashrama
>development, lied ... and now of course are way fed
>up with these gangsters and not willing to accept their tortures, lies,
>blunders and cheating anymore?

I suggest reading our April 1999 newsletter: "Nothing Unfair Ever Happens!". Anyway, it will only backfire if you try to blame the entire organization because there are sincere devotees who are following the order of their spiritual master. And there are others who may have some deviations but are progressive and committed to the goal so that they rectify themselves in due course of time:

"Even if one commits the most abominable action, if he is engaged in devotional service he is to be considered saintly because he is properly situated in his determination." (BG 9.30)

The books are being distributed on the order of the spiritual master; the temples are maintained on the order of the spiritual master; the chanting is going on his order; etc. Anyone who comes in touch with these devotional services coming down through the disciplic succession will undoubtedly experience bhakti. So you cannot just point out the deviations without also respecting the devotional service that has been performed and is being performed. Even a small amount of devotional service can save one from the greatest danger.

We should know and preach what is devotional service and what is cheating so we can keep fixed on the goal but there's no use in exposing the deviations of someone unless you know for sure that Lord Krsna is not accepting their service:

"Sometimes, however, it may be seen that a person in Krsna consciousness commits some act which may be taken as most abominable socially or politically. But such a temporary falldown does not disqualify him. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that if a person falls down but is wholeheartedly engaged in the transcendental service of the Supreme Lord, the Lord, being situated within his heart, purifies him and excuses him from that abomination. The material contamination is so strong that even a yogi fully engaged in the service of the Lord sometimes becomes ensnared; but Krsna consciousness is so strong that such an occasional falldown is at once rectified. THEREFORE THE PROCESS OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE IS ALWAYS A SUCCESS. No one should deride a devotee for some accidental falldown from the ideal path, for, as explained in the next verse, such occasional falldowns will be stopped in due course, as soon as a devotee is completely situated in Krsna consciousness." (BG 9.30)

So the devotional service takes precedence when the person is WHOLEHEARTEDLY committed to his service.

>Think little about it, Virender, it's not so hard to understand that
>victims' screams are not to be called "hellish", and the false guruship is
>not to be called "pure". Prabhupada said that if one think Guru can fall
>down, then one posseses a hellish mentality.

I am not approving false activities, but I am saying that your exposing the organization is just making things worse for you and the rest of the world because you are not respecting the devotional service that is being performed. If the entire organization was just cheating with no devotional service, then you may have a point. However, this is clearly not the case. From the mundane point of view, you see some abominable action and you want to get even especially if it involves you or your family. You may claim this is the "truth" so let the truth be out there. However, it's not the truth; it's a relative truth of the material world. The Absolute Truth is that without engaging in devotional service everyone will be abused by material nature. Birth, death, old age, disease are things that are occurring to everyone and you cannot take material nature to court over it. The Absolute Truth is that ALL the sufferings that did occur or are occurring are JUST. The best thing you can do is to do your devotional service amidst all calamities. Because if you give up your service and start complaining, then you are also a cheater. You are just another problem that needs to be rectified by material nature to bring back into the service of the Lord. From the spiritual point of view, you have to consider all the people who have been saved by the coming in touch with devotional service not just those who may have been mistreated and you will find that the number of people saved from the greatest dangers is far greater. If you try to shut-down the organization or publicly expose it, then you are the biggest child abuser, killer, women-raper, etc. because all those that could have come in touch with devotional service are no longer able to so do you want to take responsibility for their various destinations and sufferings?

>...Right, a neophyte may fall into material activity, but not the
>acharyas.]

Right, but in both cases their devotional service should be accepted.

>...Srila Prabhupada says that one should not be a guru until he is
>uttama...

I really don't go around measuring what level people are on; I just try to do my own devotional service and accept everyone else's.

I would like to add that there are also levels of devotion as explained in the September 1999 newsletter at http://www.krishnasoft.com. There's a quality to one's devotion (dependent on faith and love for Krsna). Nonetheless that's no reason to deride someone whose devotion may be less but he is gradually progressing.

[Even the four classes of men who come to Krsna for material gain (the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and one searching for knowledge of the Absolute Truth) perform mixed devotional service and are considered magnanimous as confirmed by Gita 7.18.]

>...Good, and shastra says that these sahajiyas, those who promote
>fools as pure devotees, are demons who are drinking the deadliest
>poison. It also says that these false gurus WILL go to the lowest,
>most obnoxious places in the universe after they finish their
>spiritual master business.]

That's why generally kanishtas have to give their disciples shelter under a Mahabhagavata else their disciples won't advance very far. This is the point. It does not mean that kanishta are completely useless.

>Please quote to me from Srila Prabhupada's shastra where any gurus in
>Krishna's guru lineage are or were homosexual pedophiles? And please<
>show me which devotees mentioned in Srila Prabhupada's shastra
>supported the worship of homosexual pedophiles as Krishna's
>successors? Or indeed show us where in shastra even the worst demons
>supported the worship of homosexual pedophiles as good as God? And if
>there are no examples, perhaps you are mixing up demons who are worse
>than the Vedic demons and devotees. thanks...

Only pure devotional service is part of the guru parampara. You think that if someone performs devotional service and then leaves or deviates then he was always a demon. But this is not supported by Sastra:

"To act under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master with a motive to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead is PURE DEVOTIONAL SERVICE." (Bhag. 3.29.8)

So some disciples of Prabhupada did this and then left the movement and engaged in abominable acts; however, their service is eternally valid. In fact, even the initiations for Prabhupada were performed by some of these disciples who are no longer devotees. So they may not show up in the disciplic succession list of mahabhagavatas (infallible acaryas), but they nonetheless participated in it. Cintamani was a prostitute but she was inspired by Krsna to impart spiritual instructions to Bilvamangala Thakura. So someone strictly following the order of the spiritual master can serve as a link in the parampara although he may later stop following.

[As we proved in the August 1999 newsletter, all levels of gurus live forever through their divine instructions.]

4. EDITORIAL POLICY AND PRODUCT LIST

Krishna Software Inc. is dedicated to help people become peaceful and happy via spiritual science presented using modern multimedia technology. Our editorial policy as well as our mission is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.2.37 Purport):

"One should engage in practical service to the Lord. In our Krsna consciousness movement, *ALL* our activities are concentrated upon distributing Krsna literature. This is very important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Krsna literature so that in the future he also may become a devotee.... By fully concentrating on distributing books for Krsna, one is fully absorbed in Krsna."

Our newsletters are geared to show you the benefits of the instructions contained in the transcendental books of Srila Prabhupada so you can judge for yourself the value of these books and obtain them in book or CDROM format. We also have video demos of the Gita CDROM and Bhagavatam CDROM available for those without computers or those who want to get a glimpse into what is on the CDROM.

Krishna Software Inc. has produced some multimedia CDROMs and all the details and reviews of these CDROMs can be found at our website http://www.krishnasoft.com. Here is our current list of products:

(a) Multimedia Bhagavad-gita As It Is CD: Lord Krsna's eternal instructions to Arjuna and the rest of the world about Isvara (Supreme Lord), jiva (the soul), karma (activities), kala (time), and prakrti (nature). This is a 30-hour audio-visual CDROM. Also available on CD-R in Hindi version.

(b) Multimedia Srimad-Bhagavatam CD: An encyclopedia on the science of Krsna consciousness. This CDROM deals in detail with bhakti-yoga and covers various subjects-- the creation of the universe, Vedic astronomy, transmigration, birth-death, etc. This is about 35 hours of audio-visual presentations.

(c) Multimedia Krsna CD w/Vedic Astronomy: This is a 51-hour audio-visual presentation of the Krsna book and a Vedic Astronomy simulation based on the Srimad-Bhagavatam. All on a single CDROM. Free sample demo downloadable from our website.

(d) Multilingual Word Processor CD [version 4.00]: Type in diacritics, Hindi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, and Assamese without knowing the alphabet. This is for those who want to write articles using multiple languages. Free demo downloadable.

All of the above software was tested on various Intel 486 and Pentium processors running Windows 3.1, Windows '95, Windows '98, and Windows NT (client and server).

Latest information and secure ordering is available at our web site: http://www.krishnasoft.com. Any upgrades can be downloaded from this website as well.
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End of Newsletter- written and edited by KSI staff; (c) 1998-2000 Krishna Software Inc.
Our staff consists of: Hari Rama Dasa, Virender Dayal, Rajni Dayal, and volunteers.

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All glories to Lord Sri Krsna and His transcendental potencies! All glories to the Srimad-Bhagavatam, the literary incarnation of Lord Sri Krsna!

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