Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

If he follows the meat regulations (kosher, halal; although the ideal diet in those traditions is meat-free) given by the Lord and chants the Holy Names purely (Psalm 150), then yes.

I shall lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the LORD. (Psalm 116:13)

>Will he take birth in some Hindu family to continue his spiritual progress?

Why would he take birth in Hindu family. Hindus eat meat too. May be not beef but all other types of meat. Is hindu meat eating less sinful than christian or muslim meat eating? Swami Vivekananda used to consume fish. Hindu saint Ramkrishna Paramhamsa ate fish his whole life. They were already born in Hindu family so in which family they will take birth now?

These religions are kaitava dharma....cheating religions.Which means they are situated within the modes of material nature and are actually conditioned by modes as a consequence .Eating meat is allowed if sanctioned by their prophets or dieties to enable gradually elevation over several lifetimes....while acheiving their heavenly planet destinations.However eating cows will seriously inhibit their proggressive devotional service because their conciousness will indeed remain clouded and hence bewildered.

I asked my muslim freind if he new what god looked like? he replied god is impersonal.Formless...He is meant to save us from the eternal fire... he replied.So they are very rudimentary...sometimes the teachings are sub-human....Mohammed once slaughtered hundreds of soldiers after they had surrendered in battle....hardly mode of goodness compassion .Once srila Prabhupada commented to bhavananda that there is a planet where pious muslims go to in the heavenly planets.Meat eaters are not pious...though.

"It is the same: love of God. But who is a Christian? Who follows? The Bible teaches, Thou shalt not kill, but all over the world, Christians are expert in killing. Do you know that? I believe the Christians say that Jesus Christ died for our sins-so why are you still sinning?"

Basically it is also not sufficient JUST to follow your scripture to go back to Godhead in this lifetime. It is not even expected for all the Vaisnavas, certainly not for all Hindus. It is a real treasure that you can not take for granted. Well how to explain:

Unless one is fully situated in unalloyed devotional service, there is no guarantee of liberation, even if one is elevated to the heavenly planets or to the impersonal Brahman effulgence. A devotees achievement, however, is never lost by the influence of time. Even if a devotee cannot completely execute devotional service, in his next life he begins from the point where he left off. Such an opportunity is not given to the karmis and jnanis, whose achievements are destroyed...

So karmis or jnanis (even Hindus) will not even get the credit carried forward to the next life, if you are not unalloyed - there is no guarantee. If however you are unnaloyed devotee, u do ur devotional duties without material attachment. Then ur liberation is guaranteed. But then again liberation is not to be desired or taken for granted.

bhaktis tvayi sthiratara bhagavan yadi syad
daivena nah phalati divya-kisora-murtih
muktih svayam mukulitanjali sevate sman
dharmartha-kama-gatayah samaya-pratiksah

This is the experience of Bilvamangala Thakura. He was a South Indian brahmana, very rich brahmana. But by bad association or something like that... Oh, you are so much attracted by this skin. If this much attraction you would have to Krsna, how it would have been nice for you." So immediately he left the prostitutes house and went to Vrndavana.

The fact is in his previous life he executed devotional service up to bhava-bhakti. So his Cintamani, that prostitute, became his guru, remind that "You are so much fond of prostitute. If this attraction would have been to Krsna, how much successful you would have..." So it acted, and he left to Vrndavana and lived for seven hundred years. So he has a book, Krsna-karnamrta, Bilvamangala Thakura. That is recommended by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu for reading, Krsna-karnamrta. So in that book he writes, bhaktis tvayi sthiratara bhagavan yadi syat: "If we have got fixed-up devotion unto You, my Lord, Bhagavan," then daivena nah phalati divya-kisora-murtih, "then very easily we can see Your form," divya-kisora-murtih, "Your divine form," kisora-murtih, "very young boy." Krsna is always kisora. Krsnas another name is Kisora. Kisora-murtih. Kisora means kaisora, before marriage, before..., eleventh to sixteenth year. This is called kisora age. So kisora-murtih. Krsna is always kisora-murtih. So by devotional service, one can see the kisora-murtih of Krsna very easily. Bhaktis tvayi sthiratara bhagavan yadi syat: "If it is possible, then very easily we can see You."

When Bilvamangala Thakura was in Vrndavana he voluntarily plucked out his eyes. Because he was very much fond of seeing beauty of woman, so he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." So he personally plucked out his eyes. When he was going to Vrndavana, still he became attracted by a woman, and therefore... That woman, of course, was a very rich merchants wife. So she told her husband that "This man is coming after me. What to do?" So that merchant received him. "Oh, hes saintly person. All right, you serve him." So Bilvamangala Thakura came to his senses. He said, "Mother, you give me the pins of your hair. So I am so much after the beauty of woman, so let me pluck out the eyes." So he made voluntarily blind. So he could not see, but still, Krsna was coming in Vrndavana. Krsna is always in Vrndavana. So He was supplying milk. So divya-kisora-murtih, he practically realized through bhakti. Therefore he wrote by his personal experience, bhaktis tvayi sthiratara bhagavan yadi syad daivena nah phalati divya-kisora-murtih. And so far dharmartha-kama-moksa [SB 4.8.41], moksa, muktih svayam mukulitanjali sevate asman: "Mukti is not very important thing. She is always standing at my service," mukulitanjali, "with folded hands, Mukti: My dear sir, what can I do for you? " This is muktis position.

So a devotee is not very much anxious for mukti because a devotee is always mukta. He is already mukta. Why should he... Suppose if you have got millions of dollars, why should you hanker after ten rupees? So bhakti is such a nice thing. But what is that bhakti? That bhakti is animitta bhagavati. That bhakti should be animitta, not with a motive that "I shall go to the temple and serve Krsna for this purpose."

In bhagavad gita it is described, 12 th chapter verse 5 that those who are inclined to the formless conception of god are more troubled than those who inteligently conceive of the personal form.Generally it is a gradual elevation ....but unfortunately they are not apart of vedic culture therefore their destinations are not assured ...because of polluted unclear conciousness.Symtomatic of those in the mode of ignorance.....until they receive mercy of their guru,in which case there is some elevation.But you need superior information of the personality of godhead....transcendental information from the bonifide sampradaya authority.