from Back to Godhead, March-April 1997 In more than twenty-five years of coming to India, I'd never seen the Taj Mahal—never had a desire to or a reason to. But when my mother came on her first-ever trip to India, how could she go back home to America and say she hadn't seen the Taj Mahal? So I brought her. And I confess to being pleased with her when she found the Taj "rather a disappointment." At first view, it was "breathtaking," she said. But the closer you get, the less impressive it looks. Though it majestically fills a picture postcard, really the place is fairly … [Read more...] about The Taj Mahal: Enduring Monument to Love
The Evil Computer
from Back to Godhead, September-October 1995 Yes, I've got one. Use it all the time. And I’ve been close to them for more than twenty years, since the days when we first computerized our typesetting. They save lots of work, and make the impossible possible. But they’re dangerous, devilish machines, and we use them at our peril. I’m not talking about low-level radiation, or the computer’s role in weapons of mass destruction. What I have in mind is its role in mass distraction. Here I am with a short human lifetime, and somehow, by good fortune, I’ve discovered it’s … [Read more...] about The Evil Computer
The Myth of Old Age
from Back to Godhead, March-April 1995 Bradley Stinkbrain, 73, is in the prime of his life. . . and having the time of his life. Now, you can too! Thanks to the amazing, new "anti-aging" discoveries, enclosed. . . Not long ago, someone in our community passed along to me a magazine pitch she'd received in the mail. On the front of the oversize envelope, a headline announced—blue type on a bright green background—"Old Age Isn't Natural." And there, bursting with good health, shone Living Proof, our man Bradley, strong, relaxed, his smile radiant, his hair a rich grey crown, … [Read more...] about The Myth of Old Age
Who’s in the Doghouse Now?
from Back to Godhead, May 1984 Iceland’s minister of finance may soon face a hard decision—his country or his dog. In Reykjavik, the capital, a 62-year-old law bans dogs from the city on health grounds. Yet the minister, Mr. Albert Gudmundsson, lives in Reykjavik with a dog (the family pet), a 13-year-old mongrel named Lucy. “Lucy is a dear member of our family, as dear to us as a child,” he said. This family has now been unsettled by a journalist at the state radio, who has reported Lucy’s illegal presence to the police. If prosecuted, Mr. Gudmundsson may be fined, and … [Read more...] about Who’s in the Doghouse Now?
Are You More than Green, Righteous, and Dead?
from Back to Godhead, September-October 1992 Twenty years ago, no one gave a damn. You could gum up a river with factory sludge, chop down rain forests wholesale, spray fluorocarbons into the air like a kid sprinkling confetti, and no one would say boo. No longer. Grade-school kids want to grow up to be ecologists. New York tycoons sort their trash to recycle. Rock singers play concerts to save prairies and wetlands. Political candidates tell us they’re worried about the fate of the three-toed baboon. Caring about the environment helps you feel good about yourself. At the … [Read more...] about Are You More than Green, Righteous, and Dead?
Do We Live More Than Once?
from Back to Godhead, 18/6, June 1983 The case history of a little girl from West Bengal suggests she remembered a life she had lived before The Story of Sukla The theory of reincarnation More about Minu Scientific inquiries Sukla visits her “former family” Fraud? Hidden memories? Not just information but behavior Super ESP? Reincarnation revisited: a puzzle for science A different way of understanding Changing from one body to the next Liberation from persistent lifetimes Before it all fades Suggested reading The Story of Sukla When Sukla Gupta was a year and a half old and barely able to … [Read more...] about Do We Live More Than Once?
Why Chant Hare Krishna?
from Back to Godhead, May-June 1994 Here's a page full of reasons. I'll spare you the footnotes, but each reason is fully upheld by evidence from Vedic writings like Bhagavad-gita, the Upanisads, and the Puranas. Chanting Hare Krishna awakens love of God. Chanting Hare Krishna brings liberation as a side benefit along the way. When you chant Hare Krishna, you automatically develop knowledge and detachment. Chanting Hare Krishna gets you out of the endless cycle of birth and death. It is the most effective means of self-realization in the present Age of Quarrel. … [Read more...] about Why Chant Hare Krishna?
Arch Enemy: Mc-Cow-Killer Comes to India
from Back to Godhead, January-February 1997 The people who’ve served cow flesh to billions, beneath golden arches around the world, have now come to the land where the cow is sacred. And they’re being ever so careful to be Indian. No Big Macs here, no indeed. No cow flesh, no pig fat, lest Hindus or Muslims be offended. In India, it’s the Maharaja Mac. The menu is full of veggies spiced just for the Indian palate, and the slaughter of choice is chickens and sheep. And trendy Indians, it seems, are lining up to swallow it. When the doors opened in Delhi in early October, … [Read more...] about Arch Enemy: Mc-Cow-Killer Comes to India
Mars Bars: Why Mars? Why Indeed?
from Back to Godhead, September-October 1997 So now we’re headed for Mars. Forget the moon. Mars is the place to go. But why? Hey, we’re exploring, we’re questing for knowledge, we’re searching for signs of life out there. It’s science—get it? So every twenty-six months between now and the year 2005 we’re going to send machines up there. And 2012 is the target date for landing the first man on Mars. But I have a question: What happened to the moon? When I was a kid, back in the sixties, the place to go was the moon. It was the same story: We were exploring, we … [Read more...] about Mars Bars: Why Mars? Why Indeed?
From Master to Disciple
from Back to Godhead, July-August 1995 In the pages of Back to Godhead you may often come across the term "disciplic succession." It's an English rendering of the Sanskrit word parampara. The meaning of the word is simple yet important. The parampara is the chain of spiritual masters and disciples through which Krishna consciousness is taught and received. In Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, "I taught this ancient science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvan. Vivasvan taught it to his son Manu. And Manu taught it to his son Iksvaku. In this way, through the system of parampara, … [Read more...] about From Master to Disciple
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