Scholarly Recommendation of Bhakti Ananda Goswami’s Research

A Personal Academic Reference Letter Regarding Bhakti Ananda Goswami’s Academic Accomplishments and Qualifications in 1983…

The following is a quote from Professor Janet Bennett, the Department Chairperson of the Catholic Marylhurst College (University) where I received my Bachelor’s Degree. It is from a master’s degree program recommendation letter that she wrote for me in 1983.

So, while Satyaraja Dasa and other scholar-Disciples of Srila Prabhupada’s have received encouragement, promotion and support from ISKCON, my own contributions have been completely suppressed and censored by the fanatical ISKCON Aryanist Leadership that cannot tolerate hearing or reading the historical truth about the primal Radha-Krishna and Baladeva worship of ALL of Humanity. Somehow these Leaders apparently feel that they must suppress the truth that the AFRICANS, Biblical SEMITES, ‘degraded Yavana’ EUROPEANS, ASIANS and other ‘non-Aryan races’ originally worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Radha-Shakti. These ISKCON Leaders will apparently only admit that some RACIAL Class of “ARYANS” once worshiped their Vedic God. Of course not all ISKCON Leaders are Aryanist Racists, but SOME ARE, and these have succeeded in suppressing the truth that Radha-Krishna and Baladeva were originally worshiped by ALL of the Tribes of HUMANITY.

Thus I am deeply grateful to Gauragopala Dasa for continuing to allow me to post here on his Facebook Page.

A Quotation From Prof. Bennett’s 1983 Letter regarding David Sherman (Bhakti Ananda Goswami) as a “doctoral level ability” expert scholar:

“To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is an endorsement of David Sherman’s application to the graduate program at Goddard. I have known Dave for three years in the capacity of teacher, advisor and academic evaluator for his prior learning experience portfolio. I have spent countless hours with him discussing his academic interests, professional and personal aspirations and ethical concerns.

My conclusion is that David is unique. Never in my experience have I encountered a student at the undergraduate level with the scholarly discipline and curiosity that this man has. His knowledge of eastern religions, literature and philosophy is stunning, and has been largely completed through personal research and independent study. His single-minded diligence to his work is astonishing and the results are unassailable: Dave is an expert, operating with doctoral level ability at the undergraduate level. He has taught himself Sanskrit, and can sing, read and write it, and even teach it to others; he has acquired an ability to trace various scriptural threads through Greek and Latin as well as Sanskrit Documents. He has traveled on invitational speaking tours through India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, speaking on theistic unity. His knowledge of Asian philosophy and world religions is scholarly; he focuses frequently on developing complex interrelationships through art, symbolism, religious philosophy and iconography among various religions, referring to assorted pantheons of gods with remarkable familiarity.

In short, for those of us who believe in self-taught learners and nontraditional education, Dave is the epitome of the quality that can be achieved. ”

…

Read this whole letter at:https://www.facebook.com/275018329827/photos/a.10150444672004828.386239.275018329827/10150444741424828/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/275018329827/photos/a.10150444672004828.386239.275018329827/10150444744844828/?type=3&theater

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Closer US-India Ties are Something to Celebrate

Divide and conquer has been the strategy that militant atheistic Communism as a global force has used to back Islamists in India and elsewhere to agitate and destabilize the free theistic and non-Islamic Nations that it wanted to overthrow. Communism and its hidden support for the Islamists and atheistic Sri Lankan Theravadin Buddhists in India has been disasterous for India. That this occult alliance between militantly atheistic Communism, militant Islam and Atheistic Theravadin Buddhism exists may amaze some, but the fact is that one of the first rules in warfare is that ‘My enemy’s enemy is my friend’. Both Communism and Sri Lankan Theravadin Buddhism are militantly atheistic. Militant Islam is violently iconoclastic and thus more compatible with atheism and extreme iconoclastic ‘Hindu’ Impersonalism than it is with any form of INCARNATIONAL or Icon-venerating Bhakti Tradition Hinduism, Mahayana Buddhism or cCatholic Apostolic Christianity.

Thus Communism, Atheistic so-called ‘Hinduism’, Atheistic Buddhism and fanatical Iconoclastic Islam are natural allies against all of the Great Bhakti Traditions of Humanity that all “Love the Lord’s Appearing”. That these anti-Incarnation groups all historically have utter disdain and contempt for the Bhakti Traditions that all have various doctrines of INCARNATION and PRASADAM, should not surprise anyone. The 5th of these aggressive Global Hostile Forces attacking the Great Bhakti Incarnational Traditions is far-right ICONOCLASTIC ‘Idol-Smashing’ anti-cCatholic Protestantism. ALL of these groups, the ‘Idol’ hating Protestants and Muslims, the atheistic Communists and Buddhists and yes the Atheistic ‘idol hating’ ‘Hindus’ too, are the historical Global Adversaries of their hated ‘idol-worshiping’ Enemies which are the Incarnation-Loving Great Bhakti Traditions, including those of ‘Hindu’ India and elsewhere.

About Srila Prabhupada’s Original Books

Original 1962-1964 Delhi Srimad Bhagavatam

Due to the transcendental activity of Srila Prabhupada, I was blessed to have the association of Dr. Acharya Prabhakar Mishra, who was un-rivaled as a great academically honored Sanskritist and Vaishnava Acharya of the Sanskrit Bhakti Shastras. Dr. Mishra was Srila Prabhupada’s intimate friend and devoted first Disciple and Srila Prabhupada’s Sanskrit Guru. They lived together in Jhansi for over 5 years, and after Srila Prabhupada moved away from Jhansi, Dr. Mishra continued to try to help him, and supported him at various times, for years. Once, when I asked Hansadutta ‘Swami’ if Srila Prabhupada ever said anything about Dr. Mishra, he replied that Srila Prabhupada said that “He is the best”.
When I was in Sri Lanka, India and Nepal, in the association of both Hindu academic and government leaders, I personally saw for myself the profound esteem which these leaders had for Dr. Mishra as possibly the World’s greatest living Master of the Sanskrit Bhakti Shastras and a Great Saintly Vaishnava.
Why should this be of any significance to the other disciples of Srila Prabhupada? Why should we care about Dr. Mishra’s extraordinary academic credentials or his personal character, or what Dr. Mishra had to say to me about Srila Prabhupada’s Books?
We should care, because there can be NO comparison between the Sanskrit mastery of any other of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and that of Dr. Mishra. However when I questioned him about Srila Prabhupada’s Books, Dr. Mishra immediately took the humble position of refusing to make ANY mundane criticism of them! In fact when we discussed the years that Srila Prabhupada studied Sanskrit under Dr. Mishra’s guidance, Dr. Mishra again took a most humble position, saying only that he was only helping Srila Prabhupada with some of the finer points of Sanskrit grammar, not not with the root meanings of the words.
Non-linguists often do not realize that in a language like Sanskrit, the same word root can have various meanings. It is the Tradition of Guru, Shastra and Sadhu that INSURES that the correct meanings are passed-down from generation to generation through what Srila Prabhupada rightly called the ‘disciplic succession’. Note that he used the ‘improper’ word DISCIPLIC, but that his use of this grammatically ‘incorrect’ word WAS more importantly historically and theologically accurate!
In this way, I could give HUNDREDS of examples of how Srila Prabhupada’s profound knowledge and realization of the Sanskrit and Bengali Vaishnava Bhakti Shastra, and his unique ability to translate this into Modern English OPENED UP these Shastras to the Global English reading and speaking peoples, and through the international language of English to the rest of Humanity. NO merely accurate but un-inspired Sanskritist could ever have done what Srila Prabhupada did, which was of an entirely OTHER ORDER of divinely inspired genius! To therefore make some mundane criticism of his Books, or to even insult them as being “full of warts” is certainly to miss the point of his Divinely Inspired Contribution entirely.
If ANYONE was academically qualified to criticize Srila Prabhupada’s Books from a mundane academic perspective, it would have been Dr. Mishra, who was the HEAD of the Sanskrit Department of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mumbai, India. However, he chose NOT TO CRITICIZE THEM. I saw for myself that within the Native Indian Academic Community among Vaishnava DEVOTEES this non-critical stance of Dr. Mishra was RESPECTED because Srila Prabhupada’s Spiritual Genius, ‘Realization’ and Divine Empowerment was his supreme qualification, NOT his strict adherence to the academic grammatical rules of Sanskrit word-jugglery.
By refusing to insult his Spiritual Master over the so-called defects in his Books, Acharyaji (Dr. Mishra) honored BOTH Srila Prabhupada and himself, showing by his own humble behavior the proper way to treat someone who is both one’s SPIRITUAL SUPERIOR and DISCIPLIC TRADITION MASTER.
DISCIPLE: See root of DIKSHA in Sanskrit.
A DOCtor DISCiplines DISCiples, teaching them DOCtrine from a DOCument, and inDOCtrinating them in the DOCtrines of their “DISCIplic succession”!
Given the choice of a grammatically (etc.) perfect manuscript edited by a non-saint and a transcendentally inspired one written and edited by a true SAINT, I will chose the inspired one approved by the self-realized Saint, every time!
All glories to our spotless Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada, whose Divinely Inspired Books can deliver humanity from the Modern Era plague of atheistic impersonalism and voidism!

Rama’s wounding Crown of Arrows in relation to the Crown of Thorns of Jesus Christ

Ravana Gives Rama a ‘Crown of Thorns’

“Then Ravana, who caused people to cry, used his hands to shoot a wreath of steel arrows into Rama’s forehead. Rama bore on His head that wreath released from Ravana’s dreadful bow. It shone like a blue lotus flower and Rama was undisturbed by it.” Valmiki Ramayana Yuddha Kanda, Ch 99

Above Vrndavan Brannon Parker has made a Post about a Vaishnava Scriptural Source for HARI as Rama being depicted as having a crown of arrows. In light of the MANY Eastern Vaishnavism related Scriptural and Iconographic Traditions in the Mediterranean Bhakti Traditions, a connection between this description of RAMA with a wounding Crown of Arrows shot by His Adversary SHOULD be studied in relationship to the Crown of Thorns on Jesus Christ’s Head.

In fact there are several traditions regarding Jesus Christ’s Crown of Thorns that I have already researched (decades ago) and written about in depth (elsewhere). In one His Crown of Thorns is made of Acacias or pseudo-Acacius thorns and in another it is made of Bram-Bolos. Both of these plants are very sacred to Krishna-Vishnu! Elsewhere I have written a lot about the family of the SAL TREE being very sacred to Krishna-Vishnu and the Buddha of the Pure Land Buddhist Tradition, WHO IS HARI, BHAGAVAN, ADI PURUSHA, PUROSOTTAMA etc.

Helios / HERU-AUSU / HARI-VASU with His Radiant Crown, on the Rhodon coin of RHODA / RADHA of Rhodes.

I have also written extensively about the family of the BRAM-BOLOS or ‘Brambles’, the BLACKBERRIES that were used to DYE THE SKIN OF THE CHOSEN YOUTH or ANOINTED KING REPRESENTING THE SUPREME LORD HELIOS KOUROS IN ANCIENT FESTIVALS. By some Ancients the Bramble BLACKBERRY BUSH was considered TABOO in Europe. By Jews it was thought to be the Burning Bush of EXODUS that the Supreme Lord chose for His OWN Revelation! In the East it has been called the KRISHNA berry, because it is the BLACK berry Bush sacred to HARI as KRISHNA.

A third ‘Crown of Thorns’ Tradition is due to HARI’s Icon or Murti wearing His RADIANT CROWN. This RADIANT Crown is uniquely HIS and was generally not seen on ANY OTHER ‘DEITY’ except HARI-VASU / HELI-OS / HERU-AUSU or ELI-YAHU. The ‘Solar’ SURYAS / SOLEUS is a Variant Form of HELIOS / HR-AUS ‘HORUS’. The RAYS of the Radiant Crown were drawn or actually molded or cast of golden metal and sometimes inserted into the Head of the Stone Murti of the Lord. Murti’s of HELIOS have been found with the holes where His Golden Rays projected from His Head. Whatever metal His Rays were made of in such Murtis, iconoclasts or just robbers have removed from these ancient Murtis. However because of His picture on coins, amulets and in stone reliefs and paintings, we know what His Radiant Crowns looked like. Perhaps to someone these might have even looked like a ring of arrows around His Head!

None Come to the Father Hari Except thru the Grace of Balarama – Bal-Yahu

Prabhupad says that Maha-Visnu comes from Baladev/Balarama in TLC Introduction:

“[…]The manifestations of the Supreme are also explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. After offering respects to Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja next offers them to Nityānanda. He explains that Nityānanda is a manifestation of Saṅkarṣaṇa, who is the origin of the Mahā-Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa’s first manifestation is as Balarāma and then Saṅkarṣaṇa, and after Saṅkarṣaṇa He is manifest as Pradyumna. In this way so many expansions take place. Although there are many expansions, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the origin, as confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā. […]”http://causelessmercy.com/?P=TLCIntoduction

Thankyou Bhakta Peter for this Quote. Although Lord Balarama was originally worshiped by all of Humanity, with the onset of Kali Yuga (Age = Yuga) proper information and realization of His Self Revelation became distorted and then forgotten by much of the Human family. However, the ancient Sanskrit Vedic-Vaishnava Shastras (Scriptures) and Their AUTHORIZED COMMENTARIES are like a ‘time machine’ that can take us all of the way back to the Original Revelation, to MEET the Divine Revelator and Master of Mysteries, Lord Balarama HIMSELF!

Although the revelatory theology of Lord Balarama, Sri Krishna’s Second Self, is spread throughout ALL of the Vedic-Vaishnava Scriptures, in the Gaudiya Vaishnava Tradition of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the traditional ancient Brahma Lineage Theology of Lord Balarama is especially preserved and elaborated-on in the context of describing the attributes, activities and theology of Sri Nityanananda-Balarama, Who is considered to be Lord Balarama’s Avatara in the Divine Lila of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai.

Thus to understand Lord Balarama from the Gaudiya-related perspective of the Brahma Sampradaya (Lineage) of Vaishnavism, which is historically and theologically related to the Afro-Helleno-Semitic Judeo-cCatholic Tradition of the ancient Mediterranean, one should carefully study the Vaishnava Scriptural Translations and Traditional Gaudiya Vaishnava Commentaries of the Modern Era Gaudiya Vaishnava Master, Srila Prabhupada.

Shastric References for Charaka being Balarama

Throughout the East, Lord Balarama in His various Forms is associated with the Life Sciences of preventative medicine, physical culture (various yogic and martial arts disciplines), pharmacopia and healing. The wandering mendicant healers known a CARAKAS may have been associated with the Atharva Veda and Ayur Veda long before the Era of the Court Physician Charaka. In any event, Lord Baladeva is known to be the Serpentine Mount of God called Sesha. Since Baladeva IS SESHA, and SESHA IS CHARAKA, then BALADEVA is CHARAKA. If A=B and B=C then A=C.

http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/monier/

citation: caraka

चरक
(H2) चरक [p= 389,2] [L=72210] m. a wanderer , wandering religious student S3Br. xiv Pa1n2. 5-1 , 11 Lalit. i , 28
[L=72211] a spy Naish. iv , 116
[L=72212] a kind of ascetic VarBr2. xv , 1
[L=72213] a kind of medicinal plant L.
[L=72214] N. of a मुनि and physician (the Serpent-king शेष , who was the recipient of the आयुर्-वेद ; once on visiting the earth and finding it full of sickness he became moved with pity and determined to become incarnate as the son of a मुनि for alleviating disease ; he was called चरक because he had visited the earth as a kind of spy or चर ; he then composed a new book on medicine , based on older works of अग्नि-वेश and other pupils of आत्रेय Bhpr. )
[L=72215] N. of a lexicographer
(H2B) चरक [L=72216] m. pl. (cf. Pa1n2. 4-3 , 107) N. of a branch of the black यजुर्-वेद (the practises and rites-enjoined by which are different in some respects from those in S3Br. ) S3Br. iv La1t2y. v , 4 , 20 Sch. on VS. and S3Br. Va1yuP. i , 61 , 10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charaka

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayurveda

The oldest known Ayurvedic texts are the Suśrutha Saṃhitā and the Charaka Saṃhitā. These Classical Sanskrit texts are among the foundational and formally compiled works of Ayurveda.

Balarama, Khonsu and the Moon

To begin to understand this complicated subject, we can start with what is mentioned in this wiki article.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khonsu

“Khonsu (alternately Chonsu, Khensu, Khons, Chons or Khonshu) is an Ancient Egyptian god whose main role was associated with the moon. His name means “traveller” and this may relate to the nightly travel of the moon across the sky. Along with Thoth he marked the passage of time. Khonsu was instrumental in the creation of new life in all living creatures. At Thebes he formed part of a family triad with Mut as his mother and Amun his father. At Kom Ombo he was worshipped as son of Sobek and Hathor.[1]”

The Lunar-related regional CHN or KHN Name of the Supreme Lord YAHU-SM/N YAHU-SOMA (Egyptian IAH, Sumerian EA, Vedic-Vaishnava YA, AH, AS, VAS, VISH, USH etc.) was cognate with the CHANdra of the East. The words CANDLE and CHANDRA are linguistically related or ‘cognates’. As the Golden SUN HARI lights up the external world of the DAY, the White or Silver MOON lights up the otherwise dark Night and the INTERNAL WORLD of the MIND. Thus BL-YAHU-SM/N (Baladeva Vasudeva as SOMA) is both the Lord Who Lights up the Dark Night of the external World, and He is also the Lord Who ENLIGHTENS THE INTERNAL MIND AND SOUL-SELF OF HUMANITY. In this capacity HE is the Original and only Internal Enlightener and Spiritual Master of Humanity. It is HE Who gives us INTERNAL VISION and WISDOM, behind our eyelids, inside of our minds where the light of the SUN cannot shine! He is thus the Lord of memory and imagination, of reason and of all mental processes.

For some of His other attributes, let us consider His Icon above…

He is FIRST the Eternally KOUROS ‘HUMAN’ YOUTH. Thus He has His Youthful Form with His long KOUROS sidelock of hair. See my Tonsure Album here on facebook for more on this ‘Side lock of Youth’. The tied-on symbolic Beard that He is wearing identifies Him with the ‘Ancient of Days’ and Prajapati FATHER of Creation. The Lunar Determinative ‘crown’ on His Head is the Bouvine ‘Horns of the Moon’ that identifies Him with YAHU-BL as the BL-SOMA Lunar Lord of Jericho, and the Egyptian HAP-AUSAR-PTAH APIS BULL of Heliopolis and Memphis. This Lunar Crown also identifies Him with His Lunar-related Shakti (HEXAD / Hekate / Sekhet / SHEKINAH) as HET-HERU (HAT-HOR / Hathor) as BETH-EL (Mary as the ‘House of God’). His Green, Blue or Blackish etc. Bodily Colors variously identify Him with His Water, Day and Night Sky, Vegetal and Earth Manifestations. His decorated HERU Eyes often invoke His EKA / ECHAD ‘Uchat’ Eye Symbols of Oneness and Emanation. To understand these Symbols, see how the Symbol for EKA is incorporated into the IMMANENT OMNIPRESENT ALL-SEEING EYES of HARI as AVALOKITESHVARA in Pure Land and related Tantric Buddhism in Nepal and Tibet (See my photos of the famous Swyambhunatha and Bodhinatha Stupas in Nepal).