Letter # 109: "Bewildered by Sex"

After Lord Shiva’s benevolent action of drinking the posion (see Letter 108: "Pollution") the Demigods and the Demons resumed the churning of the Ocean of Milk, and produced many wonderful things. The ultimate was the creation of the wonderful physician Dhanvantri, who came out of the Ocean of Milk carrying a jug of nectar - the elixir of eternal life. This nectar was to be shared but in their selfishness, the Demons cheated the Demigods by immediatlely snatching the whole jug by force. The Demigods complained to the Supreme Lord who, being always kind to his devotees, offered to bewilder the Demons by creating a quarrel among them and then recapturing the necatr. The demons began to fight amongst themselves for the nectar, shouting, “Me first, not you!” (perhaps this is the most ancient reference to the divide and rule policy”). The physically weaker Demons used their intelligence to forbid the stronger ones from taking all of it by saying that the Demigods have a share in it also.
In this commotion, the Supreme Lord assumed the form of an extremely beautiful woman, Mohini-Murti [SB 8.9: The Lord Incarnates as Mohinī-Mūrti].
She had a youthful luster, beautiful eyebrows, eyes, cheeks, breasts, waist, hips and legs, and a lovely aroma, and was decorated with earrings, bangles, necklace, ankle bells, and was dressed in a beautiful sari. Every one of the Demons was filled with lusty desires to possess her.
The Demons, mesmerized by her beauty, told her about their dispute over the nectar, and asked her to setlle it. Smiling and making feminine gestures, she asked them how they could put their trust in a prostitute, seeming to be joking. They laughed and handed the over the jug of nectar to her. She replied that she would only do what they wanted her to if they would accept whatever she did, honest or dishonest. Her sweet nature made them give a resounding yes.
Then the Demigods and Demons freshened up and sat in two camps. Mohini-Murti, with her resttless eyes, breasts like water jugs, walked around, swaying her big hips, her ankle bells tinkling, and with her sari’s border slipping slightly on her breasts. The Demigods and Demons were fully enchanted by her.
She first approached the demons but only sweet-talked them Then she went to the Demigods. Mohini-Murti fed all the nectar to the demigods, making them free from invaildity, old age and death.
The Demons stayed silent for they had promised to accept her decision, fair or unfair, and they did not want to lose her affection. One Demon, Rahu, realized what she was up to and he used his powers to quickly take on the garb of a Demigod and go sit with them. He got some nectar but was detected. As Rahu began drinking it, the Supreme Lord cut off Rahu’s head. As the nectar was still in Rahu’s throat the head remained alive but his body died.
After the nectar was distributed, Mohini-Murti disclosed her true form as the Supreme Lord. Although the Demigods and Demons were doing the same activities, in the same time, and for the same purpose, only the Demigods, the devotees of the Supreme Lord, got the ultimate benefit. The Demons, being selfish, were baffled by their selfishness and lustiness.
Actions done for personal material gratification are ultimately unfruitful, and actions done for the service of the Lord benefit everyone.
The Demons weren’t happy with the outcome and a mighty battle ensued. That’s another story.


God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2008
References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.

Letter # 108: "Pollution"

A friend told me that just recently he took in some fresh air at sunset while strolling along the beach at Ioco, Vancouver, BC. Vancouver might be relatively clean and low in pollution but it’s still in my country, Canada, that shamefully takes second place as a leading polluter, per capita. But the worst affected in our polluted world are Azerbaijan, China, India, Peru, Ukraine and Zambia.
We churn out industries that pollute the air, the waters, and soil with chemicals, and burden our planet with unwanted noise, heat, and light that all harm living forms, including us.
If you think that there is no ancient wisdom to guide us in this matter you'd be wrong. There is. Here is a spiritual story, probably 5,00 years old, from another place and culture that talks about Demigods and Demons toiling together to churn nectar from the Ocean of Milk. They churned and churned but first produced only poison that disturbed other living creatures:
“SB 8.7.18: The fish, sharks, tortoises and snakes were most agitated and perturbed. The entire ocean became turbulent, and even the large aquatic animals like whales, water elephants, crocodiles and timińgila fish [large whales that can swallow small whales] came to the surface. While the ocean was being churned in this way, it first produced a fiercely dangerous poison called hālahala.
SB 8.7.19: O King, when that uncontrollable poison was forcefully spreading up and down in all directions, all the demigods, along with the Lord Himself, approached Lord Śiva [Sadāśiva]. Feeling unsheltered and very much afraid, they sought shelter of him.”
Lord Shiva, the benevolent Lord of Destruction, helped out by drinking the poison and holding it in his throat. Doing that gave Him a blue line on His throat but no other harm. [Please, dont' try this at home!]. Only after this were the nectar and other good thing produced.
The lesson is that we have to control the pollution and stop the harm. Only after we do this can we truly benefit (enjoy the nectar) from our industrial activities.
Pollution is an old word. In 1340 CE, this English word, having come from the Latin polluere "to soil, defile, contaminate," [por before, luere to smear], meant "discharge of semen other than during sex." By 1382, the word came to mean "desecration, defilement".
Desecration of the environment is tragic but defilement of the mind is even more so, for the latter worsens the former. And how to control that pollution within? The body does it's own job of churning its metabolism and ridding itself of impurities through the liver and kidneys but what of the mind? How to rid the impurities of the mind? How to avoid becoming a “demon”?
An anonymous author said, “Hate pollutes the mind.” The Bible has many references to defilement. The psalmist sings “Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” 51:2.
Guru Nanak sings that when the body or clothes become soiled we can wash them with soap and water, but the defilement of the mind can only be purified by the constant recitation of Naam, God’s name.
So, as you stroll along and watch the sun bleach, the rain wash the plants and ground, and feel the breeze cleanse the air, give some thought to how to sanitize the mind.

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2008References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.

Letter # 107: "The Third Step"

March, named after Mars, the Roman god of war, was the first month of the year for the Romans.
For them, Spring brought with it a time for action and war. For us, March is the third month and a time for planning our gardens, or getting seriously ready for the summer. For those of us suffering from alcoholism or other detrimental habits this third month is a good time to reflect on the Third Step of the 12-Step Program. (See Letter # 56: “The First Step” and Letter # 90: "The Second Step" for the previous two steps).
Wikipedia describes the Third Step: “We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
There are several interesting words in this sentence. The word decision comes first for it is so important in curbing any habit. Decision comes from the Latin word decidere "to decide," literally "to cut off," from de- "off" + cædere "to cut". Thus the decree of the third step is to cut off the old habit.
When it comes to the question of will and willpower, if Jesus can turn over his care into God’s hands, cannot we follow his example? Jesus said in submission: “Yet not as I will, but as you will." [Matthew 26:39].
The word God comes from the Proto-Indo-European *ghut- meaning "that which is invoked". Here, Third Step is alluding to the need to invoke a new power, a power above and beyond the frail mortal mind, a third party beyond the two principals of the habit and the person.
Finally, the word understand comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *nter- meaning "between, among"; compare this to the Sanskrit word antar meaning "among, between." Here, the Third Step's use of the word understand hints at an inner realization, a new intuition, the third eye so to speak.
Lord Krishna speaks of the misery that is generally in store for those who can’t move their minds into a new way of thinking: “But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the revealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness; they fall down. For the doubting soul there is happiness neither in this world nor in the next.” BG 4.40.
Surrender has its benefits. The very word Islam means surrender to God. Muslims generally surrender to the ideals and laws of the Koran, and thus Muslim societies generally don’t suffer the ill consequences of addictions.
But support is needed to combat bad habits. Guru Nanak sings a super simile: “Jio mandar kau thamai thanman(u); Tio gur ka sabad(u) maneh asthanman(u), “As the pillar supports the roof of a house; So the word of God supports the mind” [SS Asht. 15 P153].
March brings in Spring with the return of the sun. Likewise, the Third Step brings in support and hope with the rising of a Higher Power.

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2008
References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.