October is World Vegetarian month, and I look back at my pre-vegetarian days when I perceived myself as an animal lover. I could not tolerate cruelty in any form, and cared for my pets lovingly. I felt compassion for any suffering animal, nursing sick ones and crying beside them as they suffered. I marvel at how I see things today after I so fortunately came across Srila Prabhupada’s writing.
  Now that my eyes have been opened, I fail to understand how I could ever have eaten meat. Carving up some poor defenceless animal or bird on my kitchen bench, letting blood, flesh and mucus contaminate the work area and utensils, which I used to prepare what went into my mouth. I never considered for one moment the agony suffered by the poor creature, and that the consciousness of fear and suffering which is then left in the meat, is transferred to me upon eating this flesh.  Did I think that slaughterhouses were like a hospital or a lovely big barn where the animals were taken, and were lovingly and kindly ‘put to sleep’?  Did I think that I did not play a part in the crime of brutal murder, because I didn’t wield the knife?
 I woke up from the illusion that I had been under for many years and realised that, no, I was not going to die because of a lack of protein from meat.  I learned to change my habits, my thinking and ways of preparing meals and to respect all living entities.  My health improved, my mentality became more peaceful and the guilt deep down in my gut, which I had ignored for so long, has gone.  I enjoy my food more than ever before, and thank Srila Prabhupada for saving me from being an accomplice to the heinous act of animal slaughter, and the ensuing karmic reaction.

Did You Know?
By Tiffany McAbee

What is homogenization?

Homogenization is an unnatural process that breaks down butterfat globules so they do not rise to the top of your milk. By doing so the structure of the milk is damaged, so that our bodies have great difficulty in digesting it. Homogenized milk has been linked to heart disease, malabsorption and lactose intolerance. Always try to avoid homogenized milk. Organic pasteurized milk is healthy, easier to digest and better for you!

Weaning baby
By Sonia Millikin

My husband Corey and I began to eliminate meat and meat products from our diet about two years ago.  We have a six month old daughter who has now started the weaning process, and as responsible parents we want to ensure that she has all the necessary nutrients, to continue growing normally and healthily.
One particular concern I have is providing the optimum amount of iron, as babies’ iron stores start to deplete at around six months old, and their need for iron rich foods increases.  All the nutritional guidelines and pamphlets from Ministry of Health via Plunket advise giving meat at this stage,  so I have been sourcing information through the internet, books and through the Vegetarian Society in New Zealand.
Iron rich foods suitable from six months include prune juice, pureed apricots, molasses, and some green vegetables.  Refined lentils, beans, chickpeas, ground pumpkin seeds, silverbeet and spinach can be given around eight to nine months.  A number of commercial baby cereals have added iron and seem to be a good breakfast food or can be added to fruit and vegetable purees.  Foods rich in Vitamin C help the absorption of iron, so include fruit at mealtimes.
The Vegetarian Society provides   information on nutrition, including iron requirements, weaning babies, and raising vegetarian and vegan babies. Their website is also useful with an emailing facility for questions,.  vegsoc.wellington.net.nz
Karicare also have a website which has specific guidelines for feeding vegetarian babies and also about the weaning process. They have an 0800 number, postal and an email facility for contacting their dieticians, www.babytimes.co.nz
 Carol Timperley’s book “Baby & Child Vegetarian Recipes” is very helpful as it has menu charts and some great recipes for all the weaning stages.
For further information, or if anyone has any tips or recipes please emailto: amrtapani@xtra.co.nz.
 

The 2004 Janmastami cake (right), an artistic replica of the Radha Giridhari Temple was bought at auction by Nimananda das of Food for Life Restaurant and       was distributed to devotees and patrons.
 The cake was created by Ananda Bhakti devi dasi and Rama Priya.

In the quest for fresh, youthful and hydrated skin, stop and read the label before rubbing that cream on your body.  It is possible that it contains Phenol Carbolic Acid, which has been connected to circulatory collapse, paralysis, and convulsions.     Some products contain an ingredient called PEG-40 which contains dangerous levels of dioxin and propylene glycol. Studies show it can negatively alter brain waves, and cause liver and kidney disorders.  Interestingly, this last chemical is the main ingredient of a well known product called “Regaine”, which is used to stimulate the growth of hair in male baldness sufferers.
There are many alternative companies that do not use these chemicals, and the “Eco Store” is one example.
If you suffer from dry skin, carrots consumed orally, are beneficial in alleviating this condition, as is flax seed oil.  Dehydration is a major cause of most skin problems, so make sure you drink plenty of purified water.
Most commercial anti-perspirants contain aluminium. Spray-on forms of commercial anti-perspirants are more toxic (due to aluminium being absorbed into the body through the Olfactory System, via residue vapours from sprays). Aluminium is absorbed into the body more efficiently via the olfactory system than via the skin. The toxic affects of this heavy metal is strongly implicated in Alzheimer's disease.  When the brains of dead Alzheimer's patients are dissected, researchers have found an accumulation of aluminium.  More recently it has also been linked to breast cancer.  Some brands of deodorants that do not contain this substance are, “Thursday's Plantation” which is available in most supermarkets, and the “Weleda” brand.
If you are wondering if these poisons can really be absorbed through the skin, I challenge you to get a clove of garlic, cut it open, rub it on the bottom of your foot and see how long it takes for you to taste it in your mouth....about 3 seconds!

We have lessons to learn even from geese:
(From an email from Padmasambhava das)

 Lesson 1. When each goose flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird following.  By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent more to their flying range than as if each bird flew alone.  Those who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and more easily, because they are travelling on the strength of each other.

 Lesson 2. When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone, and quickly gets back into formation, to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds immediately in front.  If we have as much sense as geese have, we will join in formation and be willing to accept help when we need it, and give help when it is needed.

 Lesson 3. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies at the point position. It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and – with people, as with geese – to share leadership with each other and without resentment.

 Lesson 4. Geese in formation, work from behind (by honking) to encourage those up front, to keep up their speed. We need to make sure that our honking from behind, is encouraging – not something less helpful – like screeching.

 Lesson 5. When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese will drop out of the formation and follow their member down to help with protection.  If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times, just as they do.
 

Leo Tolstoy wrote "man suppresses in himself, unnecessarily, the highest spiritual capacity - that of sympathy and pity towards living creatures like himself - and by violating his own feelings becomes cruel". The quality of compassion is to express sympathy and pity towards all living entities.  Human beings are not the only ones that suffer. Our friends in the animal kingdom also suffer, needlessly
There are beautiful cows at New Varshan (The Hare Krsna Temple in Auckland). They have been given the chance to live a full life, and have even been given names. Visitors to the farm are often surprised at the size of the cows, often commenting that they did not know that cows grew so big.  Most cows are killed before they have a chance to grow and live to old age.  All creatures have the right to live without their lives being prematurely shortened.
 His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada stated: "All living entities have to fulfil a certain duration for being encaged in a particular type of material body.  They have to finish the duration alotted in a particular body before being promoted or evolved to another body.  Killing an animal or any other living being simply places an impediment in the way of his completing his term of imprisonment in a certain body.  One should therefore not kill bodies for one’s sense gratification, for this will implicate one in sinful activity"
The act of compassion is summed up in the Mahabharata (the greatest spiritual epic of all time): " A person who does not disturb or cause painful action in the mind of any living entity, who treats everyone just like a loving father does his children, whose heart is so pure, certainly very soon becomes favoured by the Supreme Personality of Godhead"  Prabhupada comments further in Nectar of Devotion on this subject " In so-called civilized society there is sometimes agitation against cruelty to animals, but at the same time regular slaughter houses are always maintained.  A Vaisnava (devotee of Krsna) is not like that.  A Vaisnava can never support animal slaughter or even give pain to any living entity."
People that kill animals, sometimes justify their actions by saying that the human race is more evolved than the animals, so they are declaring that humans are superior and should reign supreme. They also say they have the right to murder the innocent for fun, food and sport.  How can we take lives if we don't have the power to create the very lives we are taking?  How can we have true compassion if this is our mentality? We have been given the gift of conscious thought, therefore we simply must act compassionately toward every living being, be it beast, bird or human!
  In the Srimad Bhagavatam 7.14.9 (ancient scriptures) it is stated: "One should treat animals, such as deer, camels, asses, monkeys, mice, snakes, birds and flies exactly like one's own son.  How little difference there actually is between children and these innocent animals"
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada stated: “No one can create a living being despite all advancement of material science, and therefore no one has the right to kill a living being by one's independent whims.  The material world is itself a place of anxieties, and by encouraging animal slaughter the whole atmosphere becomes polluted more and more by war, pestilence, famine and many unwanted calamities.”
Every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme, so how can we express the quality of compassion when we support, or take part in the killing of innocent animals.

Above:  His Holiness Mukunda Goswami with calf while in India recently

“It is not that national leaders should be concerned only with human beings. The definition of native is “one who takes birth in a particular nation.” So the cow is also a native. Then why should the cow be slaughtered? The cow is giving milk and the bull is working for you, and then you slaughter them? What is this philosophy? In the Christian religion it is clearly stated, “Thou shalt not kill.” Yet most of the slaughterhouses are in the Christian countries.
(From The Quest for Enlightenment, “The Mercy of Lord Caitanya”)

Day dawned in the great forest. The sage, Narada, made his way softly strumming his transendental vina, his mind thinking constantly of his beloved Lord, Krsna.
A low moan broke his meditation. Narada saw in his path the bodies of wounded animals, twitching and rolling in agony. A dark menacing figure emerged from behind a nearby tree. "What do you want?" demanded the voice.
"Why do you disturb my hunting - do you want a deer skin for your meditation?"
Narada smiled calmly. "Dear Hunter, I have not come to beg, but to ask you a question. Why do you torture these poor animals. Why do you half-kill them - why not kill them properly?"
The hunter gave a short, bitter laugh. "I am Mrigari, the hunter. My father taught me to kill in this way. I see no wrong. Besides it amuses me to watch these foolish creatures as they suffer."
The smile left the sage's face. "Mrigari, this is a great sin and you will have to suffer much for it. All the pain you give to others will return to you many times over. This is nature's law."
The hunter scoffed at Narada's words. "Leave me sage, your words fall upon deaf ears for I have no faith in what you say." With this the hunter walked away. But the words of Narada followed him. They swam round and round in his head filling him with dread. "Oh, let the sage's words prove false," he mumbled as he headed home that evening.
That same night the hunter had a strange and terrible dream. All the animals that he had killed were now attacking him. "Oh no...please no!" he screamed in terror. The animals laughed harshly. They pierced him with sharp teeth and tore at him with their pointed claws. He woke up sweating and shivering in great fear. It was then he realized that this was not just a bad dream - it was a warning.
The next day it was a different Mrigari who entered the forest hoping to meet the sage. He waited all day until he finally saw the sage coming slowly down the path. Narada was playing on his vina and his sweet singing filled the air. Mrigari fell flat at the sage's feet and clutching them he pleaded, "Oh great saint, I now know your words are true. I am a great sinner.  Please save me and tell me what to do."
Narada smiled at the hunter and said firmly, "Dear Mrigari, first you must throw away your bow and arrows," Mrigari was puzzled.  "Sir, I am a hunter. If I do as you say, how shall I live? How shall I provide for my family?" Narada blessed the hunter assuring him, "Do not worry, I promise that if you do as I say you will always have more than enough of everything."
With great faith Mrigari followed the words of Narada. He cast away his weapons and did as the sage ordered.  Narada told him, "Now go to the banks of the Ganges and chant the holy names of Krsna before the sacred Tulasi plant. This will cleanse your heart and soon it will become soft and pure."
The hunter touched the sage's feet and immediately left to start his new life. Meanwhile, Narada went to the nearest village announcing to the people, "Dear friends, a great saint now resides on the bank of the Ganges, please go and visit him."
When the simple villagers saw that the 'great saint' was the wicked hunter they knew as Mrigari, they were very much surprised. At first they observed the hunter at a distance, not daring to go too close. But soon they realized that Mrigari really had changed and they began to visit him, bringing him gifts. Some gave rice and grains, others brought, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables. Soon Mrigari had more than he could use.
Mrigari was amazed. "It is just as the sage predicted," he thought. "I ask for nothing, but the Lord is supplying all my needs.  "Mrgari and his wife then began to make wonderful prasadam to offer to all who came by. Thus gradually, the once cruel hunter became a great devotee. His once stone-like heart melted, filling with love for Krsna.
Sometime later Narada happened to pass that way with his friend Parvata Muni. "I have a disciple nearby who was once a fierce and wicked hunter," said the sage. Parvata agreed and the two friends made their way to Mrgari's humble cottage.
When Mrigari saw his spiritual master approaching he became very joyful.  In great happiness he ran to meet him.  As He fell at Narada's feet, he noticed many tiny ants covering the ground. Very gently with the edge of his cloth he carefully brushed the ants aside so as not to crush them. Seeing the act of his disciple, Narada was very pleased and said, "Dear Parvata, just see this man. Before he took pleasure in torturing animals, and now he does not wish to harm even a tiny ant. This is the nature of a devotee of the Lord."
Parvata Muni smiled. "It is by your mercy, Narada. You are like a touchstone. Whoever you touch turns to gold."
And so ends the story of Mrigari. The animals of the forest roamed freely once more, their happy sounds filling the air. From a small hut on the banks of the Ganges one could hear the sweet vibration of a timeless mantra.
It was Mrigari, the gentle saint, chanting with great love...

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
 

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada -
Part II of an extraordinary story
by Amrta Pani dd

After his arduous boat trip from India, Bhaktivedanta Swami arrived in New York on September 19, 1965 and travelled to Butler Pennsylvania, to stay with Gopal and Sally Agarwal.  Sally remembers that he was never any trouble and was always chanting.  While in Butler the Swami lectured to different groups and on October 18 1965 he headed for New York. Sally said she really loved the Swami.
 In the huge metropolis of New York, Bhaktivedanta Swami resided with Dr Ramamurti Mishra in his apartment on the fourteenth floor, later moving to Dr Mishra’s hatha yoga studio near Central Park which was small and windowless.  During this time Bhaktivedanta Swami wrote to his God-brother Tirtha Maharaja to open a centre in New York but received an unfavourable reply.  Not a day went by that he did not write, offer food to Krishna and speak on Krsna’s philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita.  Forced to live in very austere conditions he was also subjected to the disappointment of having his typewriter and tape recorder stolen.
 A move to the Bowery with a boy, named David, was then necessary.  The area, known as ‘skid row,” was inhabited by drunks and vagrants and he told how this was “no place for a gentleman.  It was the most corrupt place in the world”.  Undaunted by the hundreds of derelicts in the same city block, Bhaktivedanta Swami continued his work of translating Srimad-Bhagavatam (ancient scriptures) into English.  His duty was to establish Krsna consciousness as the prime necessity for all humanity.  A number of people were attracted to the Swami especially coming for the kirtanas (musical chanting of the Hare Krsna Mantra).
 Bhaktivedanta Swami soon had to move again because David went mad on LSD, and the Swami fearing for his safety, moved in with Carl Yeargens for a week.   Bhaktivedanta Swami suggested that he and Carl take a walk to Michael Grant’s house. Michael (now His Holiness Mukunda Goswami) had shown some inquisitiveness, and helped the Swami to find a place. The Swami moved once again, to 26 Second Avenue, a storefront property which had previously been called “Matchless Gifts”.  At the rear of the building was a courtyard with trees and an apartment building.  The second floor served as Bhaktivedanta Swami’s living quarters.
 In 1966 thousands of disillusioned hippies converged on the Lower East Side in search of life’s answers.   They doubted their parents, teachers, clergy, and public leaders, and were against the Vietnam War.  Some were attracted to the Swami’s kirtana and simple lectures.  At this time Bhaktivedanta Swami incorporated the International Society for Krsna Consciousness (ISKCON)..
 After teaching and feeding the young American boys for some time, the boys decided to secretly decorate the place to surprise the Swami.
 “The secret was well kept, and the boys waited to see Swamiji’s response. That night, when he walked in to begin the kirtana, he looked at the newly decorated temple (there was even incense burning), and he raised his eyebrows in satisfaction. “You are advancing,” he said as he looked around the room, smiling broadly. “Yes,” he added, “this is Krsna consciousness.” His sudden, happy mood seemed almost like their reward for their earnest
labours. He then stepped up onto the platform – while the boys held their breaths, hoping it would be sturdy – and he sat, looking out at the devotees and the decorations.
 They had pleased him. But he now assumed a feature of extreme gravity, and though they knew he was certainly the same Swamiji, their titterings stuck in their throats, and their happy glances to each other suddenly abated in uncertainty and nervousness. As they regarded Swamiji’s gravity, their joy of a few moments before seemed suddenly childish. As a cloud quickly covers the sun like a dark shade, Prabhupada changed his mood from jolly to grave – and they spontaneously resolved to become equally grave and sober. He picked up the karatalas (cymbals) and again smiled a ray of appreciation, and their hearts beamed back........Now guests who entered were suddenly in a little Indian temple.”
 An historic date was September 8, 1966 the date of the very first initiations, and eleven initiates sat in front of Prabhupada as head priest of the Vedic rite.  In the back ground the continual drone of the chanting of the Hare Krsna Maha-mantra, (Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare), accompanied the purification rituals and mantras.  Suddenly Prabhupada raised a hand and in the ensuing silence he began his lecture.
 After the lecture the chanting resumed and each initiate was summoned, shown how to chant on beads and Prabhupada announced the initiate’s spiritual name.
The disciple then took the beads, and bowed to the floor reciting the mantra in glorification of his spiritual master.
 With fixed attention the Swami’s congregation watched as the fire ritual proceeded and Sanskrit prayers were recited. The room was smoke filled, and the fire still smouldered.  Prabhupada rose from his seat and began clapping his hands and chanting Hare Krsna.  Placing one foot before the other and swaying from side to side he began to dance before the fire. His disciples joined him in chanting and dancing.  In this auspicious atmosphere prasadam (food offered to Krsna) was distributed to all the devotees and guests.  The first initiates were Wally (Umapati), Howard (Hayagriva), Bill (Ravindra Svarupa), Carl (Karlapati), James (Jagannatha), Mike (Mukunda), Jan (Janaki), Roy (Raya Rama), Stanley (Stryadhisa), another Stanley (Satyavrat), and Janos (Janardana).

Sources:Planting the Seed (Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta Volume 2 by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami, Your ever well-wisher by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami