Letter from a Devotee

Dear Kanva prabhu, please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
When I read your letter I felt impelled to offer another perspective.
Although I fully agree that management as well as any relationship, will
blossom if handled with love, care and simplicity, but I do not agree with
the assumption that "ISKCON" is run based on politics, diplomacy, power and
envy.
ISKCON is a huge organization comprising of thousands of individuals,
temples and communities in many countries around the world. To make a
blanket statement about ISKCON is unrealistic. We also have a choice on how
to look at a situation (the glass being half-full or half empty).
Personally, in my 19 years experience being in ISKCON, I have been, in
countless occasions, the recipient of many devotees love and care. I have
visited and stayed in temples, in Canada, US, Hong Kong, Taiwan, France,
Ireland and India, and I  only remember the sweetness, kindness and
dedication of the devotees involved in those yatras.
I have yet to meet a devotee who is solely driven by politics, diplomacy,
power, and envy. I have only met devotees who were sincerely trying their
best to serve Srila Prabhupada and his mission, there might have been some
shortcomings due to their past, to stress, being overworked, under pressure
or not particularly skilled in interpersonal communication. But at the core,
they are sincerely serving Srila Prabhupada’s movement, they have love for
their guru, Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
To give you a specific example, when my little 21 month old son, back in
2001, was diagnosed with cancer along with a debilitating auto-immune
disorder, the Dallas temple community, offered us varieties of support;
financial, prasadam, house cleaning, a loan of 8 months rent, prayers etc.
The temple president, Nityananda prabhu would monthly give some of his blood
to be kept for my son, if need would arise, his wife kept my son alive with
her iddlis, which was his sole prasadam while undergoing chemotherapy, as he
couldn’t keep anything else down. Tamal Krishna Maharaja, who had just met
us a few months earlier, wrote us regularly beautiful, heartfelt letters and
even once, he quickly responded to my letter, from a train, while travelling
extensively in the Philippines.
Devotees from different parts of the world prayed for my son’s well-being,
over his 7 years of chronic health conditions. Once when he almost died, the
whole Dallas community came together in the temple to chant and pray to
Radha Kalachand’ji for his protection. The Alachua community, where we are
now residing, have also been there for us whenever we were in need. I am
convinced that by the power of the devotees love and prayers, my son has
survived a Neuroblastoma (the most aggressive type of childhood cancer), OMS
(an extremely rare auto-immune disorder) and CVID (a severe immune
deficiency). As for my husband and I, we would have never been able to pull
through all this without the love, care and sincere prayers of the
vaishnavas.
Here in Alachua, they started a community service called Ashraya, to provide
different services to its community members in times of need.
Another example is when Syamasundhar prabhu needed a liver transplant and
they couldn’t find a suitable donor. Mother Malati announced it on "pamho"
and shortly after, about 10 devotees, who had never met Syamasundhar prabhu
offered to donate part of their liver; which is an extremely painful and
dangerous procedure. The hospital staff were amazed, they said that this
never happened before, they were wondering what kind of movement is this,
where its members would exhibit such selfless love for one another. They
selected one devotee and the surgery was successful. That is not ordinary!
There are so many examples of extremely loving, selfless and compassionate
devotees in our movement, I wish I could name all of them but this letter
would become too extensive, it would be such a beautiful meditation though.
This movement is no ordinary movement, it is Lord Chaitanya’s movement and
the vaishnavas aren’t ordinary either, it is sometimes so easy to judge by
the externals, but once someone sincerely chants the Holy Names, he or she
comes under the direct protection of the Lord.
Devotees are very special and very dear to the Lord and we should be very
careful how we talk about them, especially when it is written and
broadcasted.
I am not saying that there is no need for improvement but each issue must be
addressed individually and specifically, as every situation is unique.
Radhanath Swami and the Radha Gopinath temple’s spiritual counselor system,
as been successful in achieving what you have described as a temple
community which is based on love, care, simplicity and a high spiritual
standard. As ISKCON is expanding more and more, we can see the need for such
models, to provide the level of care each devotee requires.
Instead of demanding from our leaders, who are already spreading themselves
so thin that they are ruining their health, if we all offered them
assistance by extending ourselves in caring for 5 or 10 devotees in our
local community, or taking on some responsibility in our temple, or offering
some financial support, or some training, counseling, using whatever talents
we have in service or to BE the servant who would greet Krishna’s guests in
His temple with genuine love, care and a beautiful smile.
Recently I read a quote from Gandhi which said: "Be in the world what you
want to see in the world."
It’s quite simple but it works, if we treat others with genuine respect,
love and care, they will open their heart to us. And especially, if we look
for a devotee’s unique qualities instead of their shortcomings, we will soon
find ourselves surrounded by exalted, jewel like, vaishnavas and we will
thank the Lord everyday with tears in our eyes and a grateful heart for the
unbelievable great fortune that has been bestowed upon us.
The Association of Krishna’s devotees! It is very rare!!!
Your servant,
Vaishnavi Devi dasi.
# – Prahladananda Swami – 12/5/09; 10:24:11 PM

The Best Doctor in the Universe

To All Vaishnavas,
         On 18th March,2008,Sri Maheshbhai Dhokia ,congregation member from
London called me and told me that His wife,Srimati Jayshree Dhokia is
suffering from acute uterine cancer and she is being flown to Frankfurt for
the last time.Maheshbhai asked me if the devotees in mayapur could do some
prayers for his wife. Doctors in London had given up the hope and claimed
that she may not last more then 3 months as the cancer had spread to most
parts of lower body that is Abdominal and pelvic area..
        The following morning,I humbly requested HG Pankajanghri prabhu and
explained him the whole situation.We were both in the pujari room near Radha
Madhav Altar.I was dressing mahaprabhu at that time of the year and HG
Pankajanghri prabhu was making his final preparations for all the abhisekha
of Lord Nrisimadeva.HG Pankajaghri prabhu asked what is the name of the
mataji.I just gave the name of the mataji writing on the piece of paper.
       Now in Germany,just during the same time the operation was going on
to save Srimati Jayshree mataji.After she gained her consciousness she told
her husband that she dream’t of lord Nrisimhadev of Mayapur.Bhakta Pralad
maharaj was there  to tell her the glories of lord Nrisimhadev.She also told
her husband that she completely feels like a new person and something evil
has left her body.
      Now back in London,She was taken back to Doctors for a check up.During
the PET Scan,The Radiologist were shocked to discover that there was no sign
of cancer at all.They called up the hospital in Germany to confirm about the
the medical details of the patient.The German surgeons, who operated on her
could not believe what they were just hearing from the radiologist in
London.The German Surgeons were shocked to hear that there was no sign of
cancer at all.The German research medical unit is now deeply studying the
entire case.Now little do these Doctors know, that there is somebody by the
name of Lord Nrimimhadeva,Who protect his devotees.
     While both HG Maheshbhai and his good wife Srimati Jayshree came back
to Mayapur to really have a close darshan of Lord Nrisimhadeva and come to
their senses and understand  as to just what had happen .
    Srimati Jayshreeben just cried and cried in front of lord Nrishmdeva.HG
Jananivas prabhu summed up the whole transcendental episode,While blessing
both the couples,HG Jananivas prabhu said " Lord Nrisimhadeva performs
operation with his transcendendal nails and the devotees just feel
blissful".
    Jayshreeben now chants 16  good rounds and with this new Krishna
Consiousness life,She thanks all the devotees of ISKCON and she feels very
proud to join the real spritual family of Srila Prabhupada.She vows to come
to Mayapur every year and be near Lord Nrisimhadeva.
     She also thanks Both HG Jananivas prabhu and HG Pankajanghri prabhu for
having saved her life through powerful prayers to Lord Nrisimdeva .
           ALL GLORIES TO LORD NRISIMHADEVA !!!!!!!!!!!
Ys
Nandkishore das # – Prahladananda Swami – 28/12/08; 6:17:12 PM

BBC NEWS
Hygiene horror in commuter study
More than one in four commuters have bacteria which come from faeces on
their hands, an investigation finds.
Scientists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine swabbed
409 people at bus and train stations in five major cities around the UK.
The further north they went, the more often they found commuters with faecal
bacteria on their hands – men in Newcastle were the worst offenders.
Experts stressed the importance of hand hygiene for preventing illness.
The bacteria found suggested people were not washing their hands properly
after using the toilet, said the researchers.
Toilet hands
In Newcastle and Liverpool, men were more likely than women to show
contamination – 53% of men compared to 30% of women in Newcastle and 36% of
men compared to 31% of women in Liverpool.
    We were flabbergasted by the finding that so many people had faecal
bugs on their hands
Dr Val Curtis, director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
In the other three cities – London, Cardiff and Birmingham – the women’s
hands were dirtier.
People who had used the bus had higher rates of hand contamination than
those who had used the train.
Manual workers had cleaner hands than other professionals, students, retired
people or the unemployed.
Dr Val Curtis, director of the Hygiene Centre at the London School of
Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said: "We were flabbergasted by the finding
that so many people had faecal bugs on their hands.
"The figures were far higher than we had anticipated, and suggest that there
is a real problem with people washing their hands in the UK.
DIRTY HANDS
Newcastle – men 53%, women 30%
Liverpool – men 36%, women 31%
Birmingham – men 21%, women 26%
Cardiff – men 15%, women 29%
Euston (London) – men 6%, women 21%
"If any of these people had been suffering from a diarrhoeal disease, the
potential for it to be passed around would be greatly increased by their
failure to wash their hands after going to the toilet."
Professor Mike Catchpole, director of the Health Protection Agency’s Centre
for Infections, said: "These results are startling and should be enough to
make anyone reach for the soap.
"It is well known that hand washing is one of the most important ways of
controlling the spread of infections, especially those that cause diarrhoea
and vomiting, colds and flu.
"People should always wash their hands after using the toilet, before eating
or handling food, and after handling animals. And remember to cover all cuts
and scratches with a waterproof dressing."
Winter vomiting
The HPA’s monitoring of infections over recent weeks suggests that cases of
norovirus – the winter vomiting bug – are rising and that the annual
norovirus season is likely to have begun.
Norovirus is the most common cause of gastrointestinal disease in the UK
with peak activity in terms of numbers of cases and outbreaks during the
winter months, from October to March.
It has been estimated that between 600,000 and a million people in the UK
are affected each year.
Professor Catchpole said: "Norovirus is highly infectious and easily spread
in settings where people are in close contact with one another so good
hygiene, including frequent handwashing, is really important."
The study was part of the world’s first Global Handwashing Day, dedicated to
raising awareness about the importance hand hygiene plays in public health.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/7667499.stm # – Prahladananda Swami – 16/10/08

Are you one of those individuals who works through the night? Do you spend
too much time hooked to the computer or the television till the wee hours,
compromising on your sleep?
Beware — apart from leaving you red-eyed, weary and dozing off in the
middle of an office meeting, lack of adequate sleep can also result in heart
disease, obesity, diabetes and other stress-related disorders.
"As our lives get busier and we try to cram more and more activities into
our already-packed schedules, we sacrifice our sleeping hours," says
consulting dietician Priti Apte.
The amount of necessary sleep varies from person to person, with some
breezing through their days on just a few hours’ slumber and others needing
10 hours of sound rest. "If you feel fresh after five hours of sleep and
complete your tasks with ease throughout the day, five hours is enough for
you,’ she explains. "But most people need around seven to nine hours of
sleep and it’s necessary that the person meet this quota for a healthy
life."
"Regular sleep keeps the mind alert and the body healthy, so that one can
complete one’s daily tasks. It also ensures proper distribution and
digestion of all nutrients in the body," says Priti.
Apart from the fact that lack of sleep has a dire effect on general
wellbeing and health, creativity and mental alertness, people who are unable
to sleep properly at night tend to be weary most of the time and lack the
ability to concentrate.
Housewife Kunika Malhotra, 32, complains that she has problems coping with
minor hassles, gets irritated easily and cannot tolerate noise. Kunika has
been trying to juggle her husband’s late working hours and her children’s
early morning school preparations for some time now and can barely squeeze
in five hours of sleep every night.
"I always think that I will catch up on my sleep over the weekend, but that
has never happened," she says.
According to general practitioner Dr Manoj Bhise, this is not the solution.
He explains, "What one needs is regular, consistent sleep — over-sleeping
once in a while to reduce the backlog won’t help."
Apart from psychological effects, lack of sleep also has an adverse effect
on one’s physical health. Dr Bhise informs us that a sleep deficit may put
the body into a state of high alert, increasing the production of stress
hormones and driving up blood pressure, a major risk factor behind heart
attacks and strokes.
The newest study on obesity, conducted by Columbia University, is the latest
to find that adults who sleep the least appear to be the most likely to gain
weight and to become obese. Says Priti, "Researchers have found that even
mild sleep deprivation quickly disrupts normal levels of the
recently-discovered hormones ghrelin and leptin, which regulate appetite.
Adds Dr Bhise, "Patients who do not get their daily dose of sleep also
complain about aching muscles and hand tremors, apart from drowsiness during
the daytime."
Other health problems brought on by sleep-deprivation include, dizziness,
hypertension, memory loss, nausea, fatigue, dramatic weight loss or gain.
Erratic sleep schedules also throw the digestive system for a toss, often
leading to constipation.
Says software engineer Mandar Bhave, "I have a US-based client and I was
working through the night most of the week. As a result, I started suffering
bouts of severe headaches and then one day I just collapsed in the office
due to heartburn. The doctors also diagnosed the formation of an ulcer in my
stomach. My body clock was all erratic thanks to irregular, inconsistent
rest. The first thing my doctor advised was to get eight hours of regular
sleep."
Though most of us know well enough that our bodies need sleep to rest and
recuperate, we continue to reduce our rest time so that we can squeeze in
the increasing demands of our lifestyle.
It’s about time we started listening to our bodies and turning in for a good
night’s sleep everyday. # – Prahladananda Swami – 22/9/08

A prominent cancer researcher’s warning to limit cell phone use has
rekindled anew the longstanding question over mobile-phone health risks.
The media is abuzz with news of the memo from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman,
director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He sent it to
faculty and staff Wednesday, saying, among other things, that children
should use cell phones only for emergencies, since their developing organs
are the most likely to be sensitive to possible effects of exposure to
electromagnetic fields. Dr. Ronald B. Herberman
In his 10-point advisory (see below), Herberman also urges adults to keep
phones away from their heads and use speakerphones or wireless headsets.
He suggests that people try to avoid constantly carrying their cell phones
on their bodies and also try not to keep the devices nearby at night under
the pillow or on a nightstand. He even warns against using cell phones in
public places like buses because it exposes others to the phone’s
electromagnetic fields.
Herberman notes that the precautions have been reviewed by UPCI experts in
neuro-oncology, epidemiology, and neurosurgery, as well as the Center for
Environmental Oncology.
The tumor immunologist’s words are grabbing widespread attention both
because of his professional position and because they contradict numerous
studies that don’t find a link between cancer and cell phone use.
Herberman said his warning was based on early findings from unpublished
data.
"Recently, I have become aware of the growing body of literature linking
long-term cell phone use to possible adverse health effects including
cancer," he says. "Although the evidence is still controversial, I am
convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to
share some precautionary advice on cell phone use."
For anyone concerned about possible health repercussions of cell phone
use, many of Herberman’s suggestions are easy enough to implement and
minimally disruptive at most. Still, the topic can prove daunting to
consumers.
Read the New York Times article.
Practical Advice to Limit Exposure to Electromagnetic Radiation Emitted
from Cell Phones
01 Do not allow children to use a cell phone, except for emergencies. The
developing organs of a fetus or child are the most likely to be sensitive
to any possible effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields.
02.While communicating using your cell phone, try to keep the cell phone
away from the body as much as possible. The amplitude of the
electromagnetic field is one fourth the strength at a distance of two
inches and fifty times lower at three feet.
03.Whenever possible, use the speaker-phone mode or a wireless Bluetooth
headset, which has less than 1/100th of the electromagnetic emission of a
normal cell phone. Use of a hands-free ear piece attachment may also
reduce exposures.
04.Avoid using your cell phone in places, like a bus, where you can
passively expose others to your phone’s electromagnetic fields.
05.Avoid carrying your cell phone on your body at all times. Do not keep it
near your body at night such as under the pillow or on a bedside table,
particularly if pregnant. You can also put it on "flight" or "off-line"
mode, which stops electromagnetic emissions.
06.If you must carry your cell phone on you, make sure that the keypad is
positioned toward your body and the back is positioned toward the outside
so that the transmitted electromagnetic fields move away from your rather
than through you.
07.Only use your cell phone to establish contact or for conversations
lasting a few minutes, as the biological effects are directly related to
the duration of exposure. For longer conversations, use a land line with a
corded phone, not a cordless phone, which uses electromagnetic emitting
technology similar to that of cell phones.
08.Switch sides regularly while communicating on your cell phone to spread
out your exposure. Before putting your cell phone to the ear, wait until
your correspondent has picked up. This limits the power of the
electromagnetic field emitted near your ear and the duration of your
exposure.
09.Avoid using your cell phone when the signal is weak or when moving at
high speed, such as in a car or train, as this automatically increases
power to a maximum as the phone repeatedly attempts to connect to a new
relay antenna.
10.When possible, communicate via text messaging rather than making a call,
limiting the duration of exposure and the proximity to the body.
11.Choose a device with the lowest SAR possible (SAR = Specific Absorption
Rate, which is a measure of the strength of the magnetic field absorbed by
the body). SAR ratings of contemporary phones by different manufacturers
are available by searching for "sar ratings cell phones" on the internet.
# – Prahladananda Swami – 10/8/08