The Next step to success

Dear friends,

Thank you so much for your support, encouragement and inspiration!

As our time for this Kickstarter campaign is nearly complete, we've decided to continue our efforts along with you from our own site http://www.vedicuniverse.org

We've devised a way to produce The Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe in phases, which combined will form the complete work as originally intended!
These smaller phase books will be more affordable and expedient to produce and will be fun and intriguing all on their own!
We'll be beginning with The Illustrated Guide to the Bhagavad-Gita, detailing the many characters throughout that great classic, many famous heros and saintly kings, and some most readers have known no more than by a passing name.

The pledges you've made on Kickstarter will not be charged, but if you would like to see this project happen, you can quickly and easily continue your support and receive your gifts by clicking here.

Thank you again for all the love and blessings you've given. We are deeply moved by this great opportunity to serve.

Sincerely
your servants
Rasikananda Das
Jagannatha Das

Article about our book on ISKCON NEWS website

New Illustrated Guide Promises Detailed Look at The Vedic Universe

By Madhava Smullen for ISKCON News on 6 Aug 2011

The book`s cover

Two second generation ISKCON devotees—Rasikananda Fitch and Jagannath Cassidy—are following in the footsteps of their parents and engaging their friends to create brand new devotional art for a modern age.
They’ve begun work on a fascinating series of books entitled The Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe, which will be presented in a similar format to existing popular guides on the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter universes, with a twist—the world portrayed in their books will be real.
And that’s not the only unique angle. The series is intended as the framework for all the pop media dream projects that gurukulis and devotees all over the world hope to either see or create themselves.
“To make a major production, you need to have source material to work from,” explains Rasikananda. “You need to know the scripturally accurate physical descriptions of your characters, information about what they wear and where they live, etc. So we decided to do the research which will enable ourselves and others to realize our dream projects, and put it in a series of books. They will be the spin-off point for anyone who wants to see a Mahabharata movie, or a Ramayan video game, or a Broadway Bhagavad-Gita, or cool children’s toys of famous figures like Krishna, Arjuna, and Bhima.”
In fact, it was Rasikananda and Jagannath’s own work on such an exciting project, that led them to the decision to create The Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe.
Inspired by his parents’ sculpture work at the ISKCON Los Angeles FATE museum, and a self-taught 3D animator at sixteen, Rasikananda received a call in 2005 inviting him to Ujjain, India, to work on a Mahabharata video-game concept funded by ISKCON guru Bhakti Charu Swami.
There, Rasikananda met Jagannatha, who was working as a research consultant on the project.
“We worked for one year developing the spiritual epic for the X-Box, PlayStation 2, and PC, and received interest from companies like Microsoft Games, Atari, and Capcom,” says Rasikananda. “But eventually the project was put on hold when our main investor decided to go with a company that had an existing track record instead. So I decided that the best way to go was to start with something small, such as this series of books, and build up. Then, by the time I was ready to start a major project again, I’d have excellent source material for it as well as a strong portfolio.”
In 2007, Rasikananda began collaborating on the Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe book series with Jagannath, who had garnered somewhat of a reputation for himself as a scholar of the Mahabharata. Jagannath had also already done around a thousand hours worth of research on the epic while working on his video game project.

Concept art by Dridha Vrata Dasa of the Pandava warrior Arjuna, according to the traditional Shilpa Sastra proportions
“I studied several versions of the Mahabharata in depth, beginning with Krishna Dharma’s edition, and going on to Kisari Mohan Ganguli’s, and then M.N. Dutt’s, which includes the authoritative Sanskrit verses as well as the English,” he says. “Finally, I studied the Vaishnava saint Madhavacharya’s 2,000 verse commentary the Mahabharata-Tatparya-Nirnaya, which the Mahabharata’s author Veda-Vyasa personally asked him to write.”
The result—The Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe will be packed with plenty of fascinating information many haven’t heard before.
The work will be divided into four sections, beginning with Places. “All the key locations in the Vedic Universe, such as Indra’s capital Amaravati, Brahma’s planet Brahmaloka, and the heavenly Nanda-nandana Gardens in the planet Svarga will be included in alphabetical order, so they’re easy to find,” Jagannath says. “There’ll be three to five pages giving you every detail you need to know about the place in question—such as what it looks like, what kind of architecture it has, who lives there, what the inhabitants look like, and how long they live.”

Concept art by Dridha Vrata Dasa of the Pandava warrior Arjuna, according to the traditional Shilpa Sastra proportions
The second section of the work will discuss the different species of the Vedic Universe, such as Kinaras, Kimpurushas, Rakshasas, Yakshas, Gandharvas, and Manushas.
The third section will feature hundreds of prime characters from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Puranas, with juicy yet scripturally accurate details about each one.
Bhima, the might Pandava hero from the Mahabharata, for instance, is described as wearing black and gold armor, a red and yellow sash, and a half black and half white dhoti.
“He had a huge sword that was fifteen finger-widths wide, which looked like a spinning wheel when he swung it around,” says Jagannath. “And on the end of his signature weapon, the mace, he had a silk rope. This enabled him to swing the mace around like a whirlwind, throw it, destroy a chariot or elephant, and then pull it back by yanking on the rope!”
The fourth and last section of the work will cover the many named items, plants, or otherworldly animals mentioned in the Vedic scriptures. There’s the Shyamantaka jewel, which protected the land it rested in from natural disasters, and gave its owner 1.5 tons of gold every day. There’s Arjuna’s bow, the mighty Gandiva, which had a string that would regrow whenever it was cut. And there’s the sacred Tulasi plant, a form of one of Krishna’s greatest devotees.
“There’s also the sacred cow Kamadhenu, who appeared from the ocean of milk when the demigods and demons churned it millennia ago,” says Rasikananda. “In the Shanti-Parva of the Mahabharata, she’s described as sometimes taking on an anthropomorphic form, with a human head, a cow’s body, a peacock’s tail, and the wings of a parrot.”
The Kamadhenu, it is said, was stolen from her owner Vasistha Muni by the Mahabharata warrior Bhishma, in a previous life as one of the heavenly Vasus. As punishment for this, Vasistha cursed the Vasu to take birth on earth and be killed by his wife, on whose request he had stolen Kamadhenu. Thus the Vasu’s wife became Amba, who was slighted by Bhisma and brought about his death.

Art by Dridha Vrata Dasa depicting the sacred Kamadhenu, an anthropomorphic creature described in the Mahabharata.
Rasikananda and Jagannath expect The Illustrated Guide of the Vedic Universe to appear as a series of separate volumes, the first dealing with the places, species, items and especially characters described in the Bhagavad-gita.
“We hope it will give people who read the Bhagavad-gita a better understanding of the context,” Jagannath says. “They’ll know who everybody is, what their history is, what their relationships are, what they looked like, where they served, and where they fought. For instance, the beginning of the Bhagavad-gita mentions Yudhamanyu and Uttamaujas. Most people don’t know who they are, and probably don’t give them a second thought.”
But they were important characters, Jagannath explains. “They were cousins of Drupada, the Panchala king whose daughter Draupadi married Arjuna,” he says.
“They liked Arjuna a lot, and would visit him and his brothers regularly in their kingdom of Indraprastha. They were tough, powerful warriors, and served in the battle of Kurukshetra as Arjuna’s wheel-guards. Every Maharathi general had warriors like this protecting the wheels of his chariot.”
Every one of the characters featured in the Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe will be accompanied by side, front and perspective drawings showing their likeness according to traditional Shilpa-Sastra proportions. Still-existing locations, such as Kurukshetra and the castle at the Kingdom of Virat, where the Pandavas stayed in hiding, will be illustrated with photos.
Meanwhile some characters and species will be further illustrated with historical paintings or photos of sculptures located in ancient Indian temples, to add authenticity. Finally, in-house artists will render full-color paintings showing the events of the stories.
Rasikananda and Jagannath are already working on concept artwork with second generation artist Dridha Vrata, who studied traditional iconography, iconometry and painting according to the Shilpa Shastras in Mahabalipuram, South India. They also hope to work with BBT artists trained by Srila Prabhupada in the future.
“As well as being an attractive, informative resource, it’s also very important to us that The Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe is extremely accurate and authoritative, and can be used in schools, universities, libraries and museums as a reference book,” says Rasikananda. “So all the information in it will be annotated and referenced, so that you can see where we got it from, and check the original work yourself.”
Rasikananda and Jagannath hope to release the first volume of The Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe, focused on the Bhagavad-gita, by fall 2012. The book, which they are funding by themselves and with donations, is expected to come in at around 200 pages, and will be coffe-table sized at around 16” x 10”.
“There’s been a bit of a devotional art drought since the 1980s, and this project is about us gurukulis stepping up and continuing the tradition that our parents started,” Rasikananda says. “Our spiritual guides and the rest of the devotee community have encouraged us to do so, and in turn, we encourage others to use our books as a framework, and launch their own dream projects.”
To find out more about The Illustrated Guide to the Vedic Universe, or to donate, please visit http://vedicuniverse.org/

Read more: http://news.iskcon.com/node/3819#ixzz1ULdk7Tcr

New Update

We have placed a sample of our work on Kickstarter so please look

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/142439212/the-illustrated-guide-to-the-vedic-universe/posts

Bhima and Narayan Astra

Dronacarya was killed on the battlefield on the 15th day. Dhristadyumna jumped on the chariot, grabbed him by the dreadlocks and cut his head right off. He grabbed his severed head by the thick dreadlocks spun it around and slam-dunked it right there on the ground of the battlefield. When Dhristadyumna did that to Drona who was so strong, all the Kurus who saw it ran. They just started running for there lives.

Aswathama started walking towards Duryodhana because he wanted to know what had happend. He wanted to know why everyone was running because his father was the general and if everyone was running than that meant that something bad had happend. When he met Duryodhana, Duryodhana couldnt even look him in the eye.

Now I have to explain something about Aswathama. He was very vicious. He was very tall. He was tall like Bhima tall. Very thick bodied. He was a Brahmin but he was like a bull. They said in three ways he was like a bull: His deep voice, His tread, and his neck. He wore red because he was a Brahmachari which was what Bhramacharis wore at that time. He covered his body with red sandal paste, had three tilak lines of red on his forehead and massive dreadlocks on his head. His eyes glowed from his potency. People didn't even want his shadow to touch them.

So this grim figure was standing there before Duryodhana and demanded “What happend.” The great king of Hastinipura could not even look at him so he said “Kripacarya, you tell him.”  So Kripacarya was his uncle because Drona had married Kripi who was the sister of Kripa. Kripa said, “They tricked Drona, they told him that you were killed, so he decided to quit the battle and seeing your father in that depressed state Dhristadyumna leapt upon his chariot and cut his head off, so now the whole army has run away."

Aswathama started roaring and the whole fleeing army stopped because his roar was so loud. He jumped off his chariot and started pounding his feet on the ground. He started leaping and dancing like a mad man roaring louder and louder like a lion. All the warriors immediatly stopped running because they realized that here is this great hero who has so much mystic power and who has been enraged by the death of his father.

Raising his bow and standing before the assembled heroes Aswathama spoke with a voice like thunder, “My father has given me a very special weapon in case of emergency called the Narayanastra and this weapon has the potency as Narayan. If I unleash this upon the enemy then they are all destroyed.”  To a chorus of raised cheers Aswathama chanted the mantras for the weapon and unleashed it at the Pandavas.

All of a sudden big black clouds formed on the battlefield which began raining hot coals and severe winds began to swirl. A giant wave of fire formed on the horizon which sped at the Pandava host like a giant tsunami of fiery doom.

All the generals came before Krishna and asked him what had happened.

Krishna said “Aswathama has used the Narayanastra which will certainly kill us all. However I know a secret to this weapon which will nullify it. We must all cast aside our weapons and armor and lay on the ground prone. In this way the weapon will pass right over us.”

The whole army began to dismount and discard their arms and armor. However one person stood firm at the head of the army dressed for war; Bhima.

Bhima stood at the head of the army with his club on his shoulder.

Arjuna came forward and said “Hey! Hey Bhima get down! Take off your armor and throw down your club!”

Bhima looked out across the battlefield at this tidal wave of flaming weapons and then looked back at Arjuna and said. “Look, I will tell you three reasons I am not going to do that. The first is that this weapon is called Narayanastra and it has the same potency as Narayana. So I am not worried because if it kills me I will get moksa. The second reason is that Krishna is my friend. Here is Krishna.” He pointed to Krishna who was broadly grinning the whole time. “In case you did not know, he is all powerful and the cause of all causes. So I have no fear because he is my friend and he will not let me be hurt.” He had such firm faith. “The main concern is, you see Duryodhana is standing over there and I’ll be damned if I am going to lay down on the ground like some coward in front of him. So younger brother I am afraid I cannot do that.”

So this terrible weapon started speeding at him. This tsunami of flaming weapons came racing at Bhima, its total power concentrated on him alone. And he is just staring it down with the club on his shoulder and his arms crossed. His total faith that no harm would come to him. The flames started to singe his eyebrows and he snorted "Hummf" then all of a sudden it was gone!

You see the thing is, his faith in the protection of Supreme Lord was so strong that it couldn’t touch him.

Anyone who hears this story will also gain complete faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna.

Swayambara of Drupadi

The Pandavas had been staying in Ekachara were they killed Bakasura and they decided they wanted to leave and started traveling around and met bhramins. They sat with them around there evening fires and they started talking. The Bhramins were all talking about the latest event they could go. The king of Panchala was going to marry his daughter away and he called all the kings in attendance. He built giant marble guest houses for all the kings. He also built a giant arena so people can test there skill. He will be giving profuse charity throughout the day to all brahmins. Giving charity giving cows giving gold, all these things. Everyone talked as this being the place they needed to go,the mood was  kind of like how these days there is some big deity installation or 24 hour kirtan or rathyatra.

The Pandavas began to inquire since they were not aware of Drupada having a daughter

The assembled priests explained that Drupada had a sacrafice because he had wanted a daughter who would marry Arjuna so he could obtain the Pandavas as allies. He also wanted a son who could kill Drona. Hearing this Pandavas all looked at each other in surprise. one sage continued. " However now since the Pandavas have been killed in the house of lack he holds a swayambara with a test  which only a hero who is the equal of Arjuna could win."

Arjuna spoke up and said. "yes we will go with you to this swayambara."

They traveled to Panchala to a great arena which was always packed with people. For many days there was different entertainment while they waited for all the participants to arrive. Wrestlers mimes and dancers.In the center of the arena was placed a bow and arrows. There was a spinning target which was placed above a pool of water. Santoor and flute played to calm down the crowd and Dristadyumna entered the arena and spoke to the crowd. Whoever can lift and string that bow and hit the target may have Drupadi as his wife. All the kings sat on thrones which were placed along the edge of the arena. In the sky the demigods crowded the sky with there airplanes to see the event. Drupadi entered the arena carrying a gold plate with a flower garland of roses. All kings had herd of her beauty but the words could not come close. There was one ancient king named Bhagadatta ( not the same as the son of Narakasura king of progjotish) and he was a great great grandfather. He was so old that the only way he could keep his eyes open was attaching the eyelashes to the eyebrow with bowstring. He had come to see how his great grandchildren would do in the contest, and when he saw Drupadi he picked up his bow and entered the arena.

All the kings became agitated and began bragging and saying. "She is mine." "You are all weak and I will win her." and other such words

All the great kings from all over the world had come to win the hand of Drupadi and many could not even lift the bow. Still others could lift the bow but could not string it and of those who could string it none could hit the target. Karna, Duryodhana, and others attempted to hit the target but missed. This is the version given by the Acharya and not the Karna Fan boy sympathy cult. Krishna and Balaram were present and they comanded the Yadus not to participate since they new the Pandavas were there and they wanted them to win.

When none of the kings had hit the Target Arjuna dressed as a Bhramin adressed Dristadyumna and asked if he could try.

Dhristadyumna said "It does not matter the cast. he that strings this bow and hits the target be he a Bhramin, Shudra, Vaisya or other he may win her hand." (-;

Arjuna stood up and walked before the crowd. Some Bhramins tried to stop him and they thought that he would make a fool of their cast. Others could tell that he was very powerful since he had the power of the God of Thunder and convinced the others to let him go.

Arjuna walked to the great Alter and raised the bow with one hand. All the crowd was amazed. He then strung the bow and placed an arrow on it in the blink on an eye.

Arjuna walked to the Target and before anyone knew what was happening the target was hit.

He walked before Drupadi and stared into her eyes. She looked down very shyly and she placed the garland around his neck.

All the kings were outraged and they said that Arjuna was not fit to marry her since he was simple Bhramin and a princess needed a man of more worth.They said that Drupada had offended them and they planned to punish him and kill this upstart Bhramin so that things like this would not happen in the future. (Most Swayambara would end up in a fight even ones with certain events. It was a way of making sure only the strong would get to have children.)

The kings Gathered and Arjuna stood to face them. Yudhistera Nakula and Sahadeva escorted Drupadi from the scene while Arjuna stared down the assembled kings. At this point the Bhramins lifted there dandas and water pots and stood next to Arjuna. The Kings looked at each other and laughed.

All at once a huge black shadow descended upon the arena which grew smaller and smaller and then the kings beheld bhima landing on the grounds of the arena a huge salla tree in his arms. Then ripped off all the branches and tossed them about like a child taking the pedals off a flower. Standing next to Arjuna he gripped the tree as if it was some giant mace his stern face and fire like eye glaring at his foe. All the kings stood back save Shallya king of Madra who was a mighty man himself with arms like wale bone and steel cable. Bhima charged with the Giant tree like some hideous rod of death. Shallya stood arms crossed and a slight mocking grin on his face. All the other kings fled and jumped back when bhima swung the tree crashing it into Shallya. A giant dust cloud was raised and when it cleared Shallya stood with his arms still crossed and the tree splintered.

Bhima and Shallya then began to wrestle like two giant bull elephants in rut.

Drupada ordered a large stock of arrows be supplied to Arjuna and he began a great duel with Karna. They fired arrows across the arena breaking each-others arrows and causing huge piles of broken arrows to fill the arena. They both shot at the speed of mind and none could mark any time from when they reached for their quiver and when they strung the bow and fired. It was all I a great blur. The arrows sped out of their bows hissing fire caused by the friction of the air.

At this time Sri Krishna stepped in and began to lecture the kings. I find it significant that he waited for the Pandavas to show their prowess some before he did this. It was the Ksatria Dharma to fight at Swayambara and he allowed them to do that since he is the upholder of Dharma.

Krishna told the kings that their was no shame in a Bhramin winning the contest since they were of higher cast. He made many other philosophical points along these lines. The kings agreed since they felt that these two priests must be gods or some other beings in disguise.

With that The kings gave there ascent  Arjuna was declared victor and he and Bhima walked out of the arena to catch up with Yudhistera and Drupadi

Mighty Jarasanda (Dictation of storys I tell)

Yudhistera sat within his throne room; dressed in a ruby red cloth, a bright golden crown atop his head. He was surrounded by 20 armed guards dressed in the same color of clothing.  His mood was grim and this was nothing anybody wanted to see. (especially since his father was yamaraj) He bent over in his throne his hand on his chin his eyes slits of bale-fire. He was deeply contemplating how he might preform the rajasurya yajna. His father Pandu sent Narada risi to ask him to preform it. He hardly ate, or slept. Music did not pacify him and he smiled such a smile as if to mock all those who ever did compel him thus.

 
He was the thinker and visionary of the group. he scanned the room and looked at his brothers.

 
First Bhima. How could you miss him? He sat like a giant mountain on his golden throne. His bronze complesion and amber colored eyes contrasting his raven black hair and dark almost black blue clothing. Bhima was strong, firm like the earth. He was as dependable as sunrise and his loyalty was without question. He was also practical and managed all internal affairs within the kingdom.

 
Arjuna was flashy and as handsome and flirtatious as cupid and was also an unmatched general and could conjure up a strategy at the drop of a hat. He was the face of the empire and was sent on all missions to foreign kingdoms.

 
It was Yudhistera who was the visionary. The eldest but also it was he who they turned to when they needed a direction. Deep did his visions and contemplations go. To realms almost beyond mortal conception. But the Rajasurya yajna presented a unique challenge. That challenge came in the form of Jarasanda.

 
Jarasanda the despot, the tyrant, the mighty ruler of one of the largest armies in the world.  How could he preform the Rajasurya with Jarasanda on the throne of Maghada? An open war might be declared and open conflict joined but his large army would overwhelm them. Bhima and Arjuna were mighty champions but he could not risk losing a single one of them.

 
Yudhistera turned to his last hope; Krishna. Krishna was the greatest political genius he had ever known. He was a master of policy and diplomacy and he always seemed to know what everyone was thinking before they even said it. His voice was deep yet soft and resonant and all those who herd it were almost hypnotized into doing whatever he asked.

 
Krishna entered the meeting hall, before all the assembled kings and in trumpet voice declared to yudhistera "You cannot preform the Rajasurya yajna without killing Jarasanda."

Krishna entered the assembly like a stately lion full of confidence, his large lotus pedal eyes glancing at the Pandava brothers.

 
Yudhistera dressed in ruby red his expression worn yet cheerful at seeing krishna spoke up. "Who Oh Lord is this Jarasanda and what is his power that he does not burn to ashes by opposing you?"

 
Krishna replied. "Once the king of Maghada Vrihadratha; who was very powerful yet had no son was visited by a wise and mighty sage named Chandakausika. The king served the sage like a menial servant and gratified him greatly. The sage asked if there was any benediction he desired and the king requested a son.  A mango fell from the tree and the sage foretold that if the king gave to one of his wives she would bare him a son. The king not wanting to cause jealousy cut the mango in half and gave one half to each wife. As a result each wife gave birth to half a baby. The baby was thrown in the woods and a mighty witch named Jara put the two halves together. Thus his name is Jarasanda(put together by Jara) He recieved many benedictions by utilizing his wealth and power to always serve the Bhramins. His ambition is great and he desires to sacrifice 100 kings to shiva in a great yajna. With the power he thus acquires he would rule the entire world. After Kamsa was killed he whirled about a huge iron club and threw it through the sky 100 yojanas all the way to mathura. Oh king his army is mighty and had hamsa and dimvaka who were matchless warriors they have now been slain and the time has come to attack Jarasanda. If you know my heart and wish to please me, hand over to me Bhima and Arjuna as a pledge without loss of time!"

 
Yudhistera almost fainted and then stared at his brothers who both grinned from ear to ear. he swallowed hard and then said in a choked whisper. "Achuta, Achuta say not so. You are the lord of the Pandavas and you never attend to any whom laxmi has turned her back. If you say to me Jarasanda will be defeated then I can consider him slain and the Rajasurya complete, but how can I give up Bhima and Arjuna who are like my eyes and limbs?"

Arjuna gripping his gandiva bow and standing from his seat, dressed in black armor embossed in gold leaf with various patterns, his eyes large with enthusiasim now addressed Yudhishthira and said, "I have obtained, O king, a bow and divine weapons mystic energy and allies and dominions and fame and strength. Those are always difficult of acquisition, however much they may be desired. Learned men of repute always praise in good society nobleness of descent. But nothing is equal to might. Indeed, O monarch, there is nothing I like more than prowess. Born in a race noted for its valour, one that is without valour is scarcely worthy of regard.  One, however, possessed of valour, that is born in a race not noted for it, is much superior to the former. He, O king, is a Kshatriya in every thing who increases his fame and possessions by the subjugation of his enemies. He that is possessed of valour, though destitute of all other merits, will vanquish his foes. One, however, that is destitute of valour, though possessed of every other merit, can scarcely accomplish anything! Every merit exists by the side of valour in an incipient state. Concentration of attention, exertion and destiny exist as the three causes of victory. One, however, that is possessed of valor does not yet deserve success if he acts carelessly. It is for this that an enemy endued with strength sometimes suffers death at the hands of his foes. As meanness overtakes the weak, so folly sometimes overtakes the strong. A king, therefore, that is desirous of victory, should avoid both these causes of destruction. If, for the purpose of our sacrifice, we endeavour to slay Jarasandha and rescue the kings kept by him for a cruel purpose, there is no higher act which we could employ ourselves in. If, however, we do not undertake the task, the world will always think us incompetent. We have certainly the competence, O king! Why should you, therefore, regard us as incompetent? So if we vanquish the foe, the imperial dignity will easily be ours. We shall, therefore fight the foe."

 
Krishna's eyes brightened and a large smile came across his face. he clapped his hands and gestured towards Arjuna saying " He is a worthy son of the Bharata dynasty and  has indicated what the inclination should be of one that is born in the Bharata race, especially of one who is the son of Kunti. We know not when death will overtake us, in the night or in the day. Nor have we ever heard that immortality hath been achieved by desisting from anything This, therefore, is the duty of men, viz., to attack all enemies in accordance with the principles laid down in the Vedas. This always gives satisfaction to the heart. Aided by good policy, if not frustrated by Destiny, an undertaking becomes crowned with success. If both parties aided by such means encounter each other, one must obtain ascendency over the other, for both cannot win or lose. A battle. When such is the case, why should we not, aided by good policy, directly approach the foe; and destroy him, like the current of the river uprooting a tree? If, disguising our own faults, we attack the enemy taking advantage of his loopholes, why should we not succeed? Indeed, the policy of intelligent men, is that one should not fight openly with foes that are exceedingly powerful and are at the head of their well-arrayed forces. This too is my opinion. If, however, we accomplish our purpose secretly entering the abode of our foe and attacking his person, we shall never earn disgrace. That bull among men--Jarasandha--alone enjoys unfading glory. But I see his destruction before me. Desirous of protecting our relatives we will either slay him in battle or shall ascend to heaven being ourselves slain in the end by him."

 
Yudhistera thought deeply and said " What can Bhima and Arjuna not accomplish? However the wise have said that an army without a commander is useless. However without luck nothing may be accomplished. With Bhima we have strength, with Krishna wise policy and with Arjuna luck. With these three we shall certainly have victory

 
Thus addressed by Yudhishthira, the trio Krishna, Arjuna and Bhima, glowing with enthusiasm, set out for Magadha attired in the garb of Snataka Brahmanas. As they departed they were  blessed by the agreeable speeches of friends and relatives. Possessed of superior energy and of bodies already like the Sun, Moon, and Fire, being  inflamed with wrath remembering the pitiful situation of their relatives, those bodies of theirs became much more blazing. The people, beholding Krishna and Arjuna, both of whom had never before been vanquished in battle, with Bhima leading the way all united  to achieve the same task, regarded Jarasandha as already slain.

With Bhima leading the way the three of them crossed the country between the Kurus and the empire of Maghada. They dressed in the red robes of snatakas or grown up Bhramacharis since this was unheard of in the ksatria class they were thought to be powerful brahmins.

 
When they arrived at the capitol of Jarasanda  they beheld a great mountain which the people of the city would worship. The father of Jarasanda had killed a huge Racksasha and used its hide to make a large drum. The drum was so large that if you hit it once the sound lasted for 3 hours. At the dictates of Krishna; Bhima lifted the drum and cracked it on his knee.

 
Then Bhima and Krishna both grabbed the mountain and lifting it over there head threw the peak down into a valley smashing it into pebbles.This gesture was to spit in the eye of so to speak of Jarasanda.

 
The city of Jarasanda had many roads and high walls and towers and some roads were reserved for military personal and some gates only admitted military personal so that they could move in and out of the city without normal people getting in the way. The Trio came before the gate which was only for the military and the guard told them that they had to go. Krishna smiled and kept on walking.

 
The guard said. "Where is your permission"

 
Krishna pointed to the mighty Bhima who towered several feet above the guard. With his bull like neck he shook his lion like main of raven black hair. Then he focused his large amber predatory eyes into the guards and got a stern look on his face and clenched his firsts

 
"He is our permission. If you have a problem with that, well you can take it up with him."

 
The guard ran away and Krishna and Bhima each ripped off one of the mighty Iron gates

 
At this point Krishna led them through the streets and they came upon a market and took various items from the vendors without paying. This was all done because Jarasanda was there enemy and they had to follow this procedure in order to enter his city

 
They soon came to the pallace of Jarasanda and entered and he recieved them as Bhramins. They turned there backs to him and then krishna said. "We have taken a vow of silence till midnight then we will speak to you"

As midnight approached Jarasanda got word of all the activities of the three Snatakas. He puzzled at their might and bold deeds and wondered why they were so hostile towards his empire.

 
The mighty king entered there chambers and bowed before them. They all proclaimed with thunder like voices "May you soon attain liberation." When he stood he looked at them closely. One who seemed to be the spokesmen for the group was a very strange hue which seemed familiar and the others had broad muscular chests and necks as thick as tree trunks.

 
Jarassanda replied "You are welcome.... Please be seated."

 
The trio sat down on the ground and the way they sit looked like 3 resplendent gods sitting at some blazing sacrifice. They had large flower garlands and sandal paste smeared on there bodies and were adorned with many ornaments they had stolen from the street vendors in the city.

 
Jarasanada said. "I have never herd of those Bhramins who have taken the Snataka vow wearing garlands and sandal paste.Who are you who look like Gods and who have arms which are scarred with battle? I have herd that you have ripped up the great mountain and broken the drum and done many other feats. Tell me your purpose for truth is even a virtue of warriors."

 
Krishna said. "You should not be mistaken O king. Any of the Dvija classes may take Snataka vows and each class has its own rules and regulations for observing that vow. Further more the warrior class is known by its actions and not its words unlike the Bhramins and so therefore all can be revealed of our purpose with you by our actions. "

 
Jarasanda said. "I cannot recall ever causing you any harm so why do you treat me like a foe."

 
Krishna said. There is one noble person who your actions have offended and taking up his cause we have ventured to your city to challenge you. Have you not captured so many kings keeping them like animals for a sacrifice? Do you not recollect this wrong? Has it not occurred to you that you may have caused some offense by this action?

 
Jarasanda said. "I only enslave those who I have defeated in combat. There is only one rule in this world and that is might. I am the most mighty and therefore what I say is as good as religion. Non have challenged me and won.

 
Krishna said. " Those who are strong will always encounter one who is stronger. Do not become to proud of your heroism for one who can defeat you may be at your doorstep."

 
Jarasanda said."Either with armies or in single combat against one or even all three of you I shall not back down. Let us fight this instant."

 
Krishna said. "Then you should know that I am Vasudeva and this is Arjuna and this is Bhima. Pick who you would fight against"

 
Jarasanda said. "I should have known a coward like you Krishna would come in this dress. I will not fight you or Arjuna for you are not strong enough. The only one who will give me a challenge is Bhima."

On the morning of the Day Bhima and Jarasanda faced each other in a simple arena outside the city. They both wore simple lower clothes which girdled there loins and fought bare chested and bare legged. They fought with there bare hands and elbows and knees and feet.

 
The Fight started on the first day of the holy month of Kartik

 
A huge crowd gathered from around the countryside and were so tightly packed that you could hardly distinguish between the people and they seemed like one large mass of flesh. Some to get a better vantage stood on the back of elephants some on the back of Chariots or horses and others on the shoulders of there friends.

 
Bhima and Jarasanda fought so hard that even within the middle of the city there strikes could be herd above the general noise. When they hit each other it sounded like the splitting of rocks or the crash of lightning bolts.

 
They fought that way man to man punching kicking and wrestling for a total of 15 days. Both of them were the foremost of mighty men and took delight in the battle. The fighting went on during the day and at night they would be hosted by Jarasanda who would feed them and arranged for there lodging. On the 15th Day (the day we celebrate Go-Puja or when Krishna lifted the mountain) seeing the sheer might of Jarasanda and wanting a quick end to the fight Krishna got the attention of Bhima by waving his hands and then split a leaf. Krishna and Bhima were so in tune that by this gesture a message was sent to Bhima which conveyed that Jarasanda was weak in the middle and that he should be split in half.

 
Bhima grabbed Jarasanda and threw him down and then placing both his feet on one leg grabbed the other with his hand and with all his might and uttering a leonine roar which mixed with the death knell of Jarasanda, Mighty Bhima split Jarasanda down the middle and spilled his guts and internal organs all over the ground.

 
This Deed was done before the Gaze of Sri Krishna and he was greatly pleased by this seva which Bhima had done. Mhadvacarya says that Krishna enjoys doing heroic feats but when his pure Bhaktas do great feats for his pleasure his enjoyment is even greater

New Cover

Editorial (how far down the rabbit hole do you want to go?)

here is a constant flux of power between the gods and demons. They are always in conflict with each other similar to the cycle of day and night. It is actually a natural phenomenon which cannot, nor should not be stopped. This conflict between good and evil causes the revolution of time and events and the churning of history.

The current war however is somewhat different than any in history and the demons plan to make a lasting effect with the current scheme.

Since time immemorial the key has been the earth realm. The demons suffered a great deal as a result because the earth realm happens to be inhabited by humans.

Humans are descendants of the gods themselves and as a result are inclined to worship them.

When yajna (sacrifice/worship) is performed on the earth planet the Devas are empowered and able to keep the delicate balance of nature intact.

When that is not allowed and Dharma is not followed then the demons gain more and more sway.

Cows and priests are always the target because those two things are vital. The cow gives dung and ghee which are both used as fuel in sacred fire.

Therefore demons endorse cow slaughter as a means to put an end to this. They also try their best to corrupt and disrupt the works of devotees.

Hiranyakashipu and other demons have always thought that Vishnu was like the other Devas and if they could kill all the Vaishnavas they could weaken him to the point of killing Him.

This is why he killed many Vaishnavas and would disturb sacrifice.

Whatever force in this world which has an aim to destroy temples and the worship of Vishnu ultimately has its agenda being directed by demons.

Other more vague concepts of "God" make no explicit attack, rather they attack by trying to corrupt the truth of Personalism.

Here are some examples from Srimad Bhagavatam from the lips of Hiranyakasipu himself, spelling it out in black and white:

SB 7.2.10

While I am engaged in the business of killing Lord Vishnu, go down to the planet earth, which is flourishing due to brahminical culture and a kshatriya government. These people engage in austerity, sacrifice, Vedic study, regulative vows, and charity. Destroy all the people thus engaged!


PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada:

Hiranyakasipu's main purpose was to disturb the demigods. He planned first to kill Lord Vishnu so that with Lord Vishnu's death the demigods would automatically weaken and die.

Another of his plans was to disturb the residents of the planet earth. The peace and prosperity of the residents of earth, and all the other planets, were maintained by the brahmanas and kshatriyas.

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gita (4.13),
catur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagasah:

"According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me."

On all the planets there are different types of residents, but the Lord recommends, referring especially to the planet earth, which is inhabited by human beings, that society be divided into four varnas -- brahmana, kshatriya, vaisya and sudra.

Before the advent of Lord Krishna on this earth, it is understood that the earth was managed by the brahmanas and kshatriyas.

The duty of the brahmanas is to cultivate samah (peacefulness), damah (self-control), titiksha (tolerance), satyam (truthfulness), saucam (cleanliness) and arjavam (simplicity), and then to advise the kshatriya kings how to rule the country or planet.

Following the instructions of the brahmanas, the kshatriyas should engage the populace in austerity, sacrifices, Vedic study and adherence to the rules and regulations established by Vedic principles.

They should also arrange for charity to be given to the brahmanas, sannyasis and temples. This is the godly arrangement of brahminical culture.

People are inclined to offer yajna because unless sacrifices are offered there will be insufficient rain (yajnad bhavati parjanyah [Bg. 3.14]), which will hamper agricultural activities (parjanyad anna-sambhavah).

By introducing brahminical culture, therefore, a kshatriya government should engage people in performing yajna, studying the Vedas and giving charity.

Thus the people will receive their necessities for life very easily, and there will be no disturbances in society.

In this regard, Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita (3.12):

ishtan bhogan hi vo deva
dasyante yajna-bhavitah
tair dattan apradayaibhyo
yo bhunkte stena eva sah

"In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being satisfied by the performance of yajna [sacrifice], supply all necessities to man. But he who enjoys these gifts, without offering them to the demigods in return, is certainly a thief."

The demigods are authorized supplying agents who act on behalf of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. Therefore, they must be satisfied by the performance of prescribed yajnas.

In the Vedas, there are different kinds of yajnas prescribed for different kinds of demigods, but all are ultimately offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

For one who cannot understand what the Personality of Godhead is, sacrifice to the demigods is recommended. According to the different material qualities of the persons concerned, different types of yajnas are recommended in the Vedas.

Worship of different demigods is also on the same basis -- namely, according to different qualities. For example, the meat-eaters are recommended to worship the goddess Kali, the ghastly form of material nature, and before the goddess the sacrifice of animals is recommended.

But for those in the mode of goodness, the transcendental worship of Vishnu is recommended. Ultimately, all yajnas are meant for gradual promotion to the transcendental position. For ordinary men, at least five yajnas, known as panca-mahayajna, are necessary.

One should know, however, that all the necessities of life that human society requires are supplied by the demigod agents of the Lord. No one can manufacture anything.

Consider, for example, all the eatables of human society. These eatables include grains, fruits, vegetables, milk and sugar for persons in the mode of goodness, and also eatables for the nonvegetarians, such as meats, none of which can be manufactured by men.

Then again, take for example, heat, light, water and air, which are also necessities of life -- none of them can be manufactured by human society. Without the Supreme Lord, there can be no profuse sunlight, moonlight, rainfall or breeze, without which no one can live.

Obviously, our life is dependent on supplies from the Lord. Even for our manufacturing enterprises, we require so many raw materials like metal, sulphur, mercury, manganese and so many essentials -- all of which are supplied by the agents of the Lord, with the purpose that we should make proper use of them to keep ourselves fit and healthy for the purpose of self-realization, leading to the ultimate goal of life, namely, liberation from the material struggle for existence.

This aim of life is attained by performance of yajnas. If we forget the purpose of human life and simply take supplies from the agents of the Lord for sense gratification and become more and more entangled in material existence, which is not the purpose of creation, certainly we become thieves, and therefore we are punished by the laws of material nature.

A society of thieves can never be happy, for they have no aim in life. The gross materialist thieves have no ultimate goal of life. They are simply directed to sense gratification; nor do they have knowledge of how to perform yajnas.

Lord Caitanya, however, inaugurated the easiest performance of yajna, namely the sankirtana-yajna, which can be performed by anyone in the world who accepts the principles of Krishna consciousness.

Hiranyakasipu planned to kill the inhabitants of earth so that yajna would stop and the demigods, being disturbed, would die automatically when Lord Vishnu, the yajnesvara, was killed. These were the demoniac plans of Hiranyakasipu, who was expert in such activities.

SB 7.2.11 (Hiranyakasipu speaking)

The basic principle of brahminical culture is to satisfy Lord Vishnu, the personification of sacrificial and ritualistic ceremonies. Lord Vishnu is the personified reservoir of all religious principles, and He is the shelter of all the demigods, the great pitas, and the people in general. When the brahmanas are killed, no one will exist to encourage the kshatriyas to perform yajnas, and thus the demigods, not being appeased by yajna, will automatically die.


PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada:

Since Vishnu is the central point of brahminical culture, Hiranyakasipu's plan was to kill Vishnu, for if Vishnu were killed, naturally the brahminical culture would also be lost.

With brahminical culture lost, yajna would no longer be performed, and for want of yajna the regular distribution of rainfall would cease (yajnad bhavati parjanyah [Bg. 3.14]). Thus there would be disturbances all over the world, and naturally the demigods would be defeated.

From this verse we get a clear indication of how human society is disturbed when the Vedic Aryan civilization is killed and the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies performed by the brahmanas are stopped.

Kalau sudra-sambhavah: because the population of the modern world consists mostly of sudras, the brahminical culture is now lost and is extremely difficult to reestablish in a proper way.

Therefore Lord Caitanya has recommended the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, which will revive brahminical culture very easily.

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
[CC Adi 17.21]

Because of the increment in demoniac population, people have lost brahminical culture. Nor is there a kshatriya government. Instead, the government is a democracy in which any sudra can be voted into taking up the governmental reigns and capture the power to rule.

Because of the poisonous effects of Kali-yuga, the sastra (Bhag. 12.2.13) says, dasyu-prayeshu rajasu: the government will adopt the policies of dasyus, or plunderers. Thus there will be no instructions from the brahmanas, and even if there are brahminical instructions, there will be no kshatriya rulers who can follow them.

Aside from Satya-yuga, even formerly, in the days when demons were flourishing, Hiranyakasipu planned to destroy the brahminical culture and the kshatriya government and thus create chaos all over the world.

Although in Satya-yuga this plan was very difficult to execute, in Kali-yuga, which is full of sudras and demons, the brahminical culture is lost and can be revived only by the chanting of the maha-mantra.

Therefore the Krishna consciousness movement, or the Hare Krishna movement, has been inaugurated to revive brahminical culture very easily so that people may become happy and peaceful in this life and prepare for elevation in the next.

In this regard, Srila Madhvacarya quotes this verse from the Brahmanda Purana:

vipra-yajnadi-mulam tu
harir ity asuram matam
harir eva hi sarvasya
mulam samyan mato nripa

"O King, the demons think that Hari, Lord Vishnu, exists because of the brahmanas and yajna, but factually Hari is the cause of everything including the brahmanas and yajna."

Therefore, through the popularizing of hari-kirtana, or the sankirtana movement, the brahminical culture and kshatriya government will automatically come back, and people will be extremely happy

SB 7.2.12

TRANSLATION (Hiranyakasipu speaking)
Immediately go wherever there is good protection for the cows and brahmanas and wherever the Vedas are studied in terms of the varnasrama principles. Set fire to those places and cut from the roots the trees there, which are the source of life.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada
The picture of a proper human civilization is indirectly described here.

In a perfect human civilization there must be a class of men fully trained as perfect brahmanas. Similarly, there must be kshatriyas to rule the country very nicely according to the injunctions of the sastras, and there must be vaisyas who can protect the cows.

The word gavah indicates that cows should be given protection. Because the Vedic civilization is lost, cows are not protected, but instead indiscriminately killed in slaughterhouses. Such are the acts of demons. Therefore this is a demoniac civilization.

The varnasrama-dharma mentioned here is essential for human civilization. Unless there is a brahmana to guide, a kshatriya to rule perfectly, and a perfect vaisya to produce food and protect the cows, how will people live peacefully? It is impossible.

Another point is that trees also should be given protection. During its lifetime, a tree should not be cut for industrial enterprises.

In Kali-yuga, trees are indiscriminately and unnecessarily cut for industry, in particular for paper mills that manufacture a profuse quantity of paper for the publication of demoniac propaganda, nonsensical literature, huge quantities of newspapers and many other paper products. This is a sign of a demoniac civilization.

The cutting of trees is prohibited unless necessary for the service of Lord Vishnu. Yajnarthat karmano'nyatra loko'yam karma-bandhanah: [Bg. 3.9]) "work done as a sacrifice for Lord Vishnu must be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world."

But if the paper mills stop producing paper, one may argue, how can our ISKCON literature be published? The answer is that the paper mills should manufacture paper only for the publication of ISKCON literature because ISKCON literature is published for the service of Lord Vishnu.

This literature clarifies our relationship with Lord Vishnu, and therefore the publication of ISKCON literature is the performance of yajna.

Yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah [Bg. 3.9]). Yajna must be performed, as indicated by the superior authorities. The cutting of trees simply to manufacture paper for the publication of unwanted literature is the greatest sinful act.

--

The demons have tried various schemes which I shall now outlay so you get some concept of the war which has happened so far.

Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu were two brothers. The plan of Hiranyaksha was to adjust the position of the Earth itself to cause it to become influenced by negative energy in the lower regions of the universe and completely change the inhabitants of the Earth. To this end he was successful in moving the Earth but lord Vishnu killed him and put it back where it belonged.

Hiranyakashipu reasoned that if he could defeat the gods in battle he could receive the worship of mankind. He did heavy Tapasya and got the benediction of Lord Brahma. With this benediction the gods were unable to defeat him and he openly ruled the universe. He caused the human population of earth worship him as God. With this act he opened the door for his own demise. He was eventually killed by Vishnu.

The next great tyrant was Ravana and he got benedictions from Shiva and Brahma but he didn’t get worshiped as God. He only defeated the gods to become unquestioned ruler. He was a Rakshasha and they are not jealous of the gods worship. He just wanted to make sure they didn’t bother his indulgences. He offended the gods and humans and Vishnu incarnated and killed him.

It is described that Indra killed many demons in a great war and destroyed their planets and kingdoms and so they were without a home. Their subtle bodies however were still intact so they came up with a new plan. Take birth on the Earth in human bodies.

With this new plan they hoped to evade the watchful eyes of the Devas and turn the world into their own kingdom subjugating the human race in a very subtle way. They did however plunder and rape the earth who complained about their presence to Brahma.

The gods were summoned and decided to take birth on the earth and fight them looking like Humans. The history of the war was written down as the great epic Mahabharata, culminating in the battle of Kuruksetra where the Bhagavad-Gita was spoken. Once again Vishnu came and aided the gods in the destruction of the demons.

That last great war happened over 5,100 years ago. No other great war has happened since, that however doesn’t mean it won't happen again. It is said in the Vedas that the next incarnation of Vishnu will happen in over 400,000 years at the end of the current age. But there are records of many conflicts between gods and demons that happened between the incarnations of the Lord.

What happened after the Mahabharata is not known by the majority of people but it has been recorded by the Tattvavadis, the followers of Madhvacharya.

The demons were angry at being defeated once again and they realized that they needed to be extremely subtle. The problem had always been that the gods would declare war on them as soon as they made a move. So they decided they wouldn’t make any open moves again and they would only use humans as pawns in executing their schemes. It would essentially be the humans who did all the wrong and they would only make suggestions and offers to man from now on, not taking any active role in a military sort of way.

They took birth around the world making bogus philosophies which decried the performance of fire sacrifice and the worship of the gods. Men would no longer be content with the system as it had been for hundreds of thousands if not millions of years.

Instead they would become discontent with life in all respects, continually searching and never finding, always asking but never coming to any conclusion.

They took birth as “holy” men and posed as "avatars" propounding "spiritual" philosophies not based on any authoritative source and spread their false doctrines around the globe.

All of a sudden fire sacrifice which had been a staple of all religions around the world disappeared.

Hate, fear and death they preached and spread their foul corruption of truth around the globe.

Millions were slaughtered in the name of that which was holy. This was their revenge upon the holy ones, for in the name of truth, death and hatred were spread which was the most painful insult which could be launched against the masters of goodness.

With this accomplished, men began to turn away from the very concept of that which was holy and began to eat the still more poison fruit of godlessness which had been the plan of the demons all along.

Throughout history however to make their plans come to pass the demons have always had agents. At first they incarnated to preach their godless faith, however afterwards they found many willing humans who would serve them in exchange for earthly powers.

So we have now come to the current situation of modern day secret societies and can understand their real masters and master plan.

The Demons hope to turn this whole world into a godless materialistic paradise.

They would be content if it was a desert with a few hundred thousand greedy people.

They eat fear and pain like food.

Fortunately for us, the gods decided to make a counter strike and many teachers of truth have come over the ages to counteract the demonic influence.

But there is always a constant fight because the demons will stop at nothing to twist their words for their own ends.

This is the current battle of light and dark. It has evolved from open interplanetary war to the minds and hearts of mankind.

I do however get the feeling the gods are not so ignorant about what is going on and I feel if the demons can't hold themselves back and decided to try and destroy the world again, the gods will make war with them.

By covert means the demons have descended upon us and by covert means did lord Krishna himself come as the hidden Avatar Lord Gauranga.

He came to establish the sacrifice for this age, the Yuga Dharma, Harinam Sankirtan.

The demons gain their power by the spread of hate and disunion, even amongst devotees, and the only true means for all people to fight against them is by joining together in Kirtan, free from all concepts of cast and creed in order to glorify and serve the Lord.

Overview of the Vedic Universe

The Vedas are the complete body of knowledge being passed down from the dawn of time, which encompass all things both within and without the universe.

Anything you could want to know, you can find in the Vedas, in clear, direct and unambiguous terms. The only catch is you have to understand them from the perspective of the author, not by any interpretation, modern adaptation, and without ulterior motive. For that you need a guide, hence the inspiration and need for this official guidebook ;)

The structure of the universe is described by the author of the Vedas, Srila Vyasadeva, in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is the essential commentary on the Vedanta Sutra – the condensed essence of the Vedas.

The term Veda = Knowledge and the suffix anta = the conclusion

The purpose of the Vedas is to draw the attention of the audience to the ultimate conclusion of the search for knowledge: Self-Realization and simultaneous realization of the Absolute Truth, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, and the relationship between the two.

To understand who I am and how I relate to everything, I have to understand in what context I'm coming from; my family, my community, my country, my race, my religion, my belief system, my body, my mind, my consciousness, the nature and structure of this world, of the universe in which this world is situated, and what it's history and purpose are. All these contexts help me to understand myself, and define how I view, interact and experience the world around me and life itself.

To aide in that search, we aim to provide an engaging visual framework from which to approach the universal view given by the Vedas; Srimad-Bhagavatam, the Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Bhagavad-Gita, and other corollary works.

We will cover the following essential subjects:

• The nature and structure of the elements of existence
• How those elements constitute the various dimensions / planes of reality
• The function and purpose of the material dimension
• The formation of the multi-verse
• The makeup of a universe
• The creation of the planetary systems
• Classification of life by qualities
• The categories of life in the primary planetary systems
    - Divinities
    - Civilized races
    - Uncivilized races
    - Creatures
    - Animals
    - Plants
    * Each will contain:
        - Origin
        - Classification
        - Realms of Habitation
        - Special Traits
        - Physical description
        - Mental outlook
        - History
        - Historical figures
    - Items
    - Environments
• Elements of Vedic civilization
    - Purpose of civilization
    - Stages of Spiritual practice
    - Social structure
    - Economic structure
    - Overview of Vedic Sciences
        • Dharma - Integrity / virtue / duty
        • Artha - art of work
        • Kama - art of desire
        • Moksa - liberation from limitations
        • Yoga - fulfillment of ultimate purpose
        • Bhakti - love, devotion and service in spiritual relationship
        • Vastu - art of space design (City planning, architecture, work and living spaces)
        • Gurukula - Education
        • Ayurveda - Health
        • Jyotish - Astrology
        • Art / Music / Dance / Poetry - creative expression
        • Dhanurveda - Military arts
        • Agriculture
        • Wardrobe / Fashion - form and function
        • Philosophy / Literature

Weekly Update

Wed June 8th


I have been going over recordings of my story-telling sessions and typing them out. There are about 10 hours of Mahabharata stories. I think they will be good to have on hand to use for reference. I also have been going over our profile templates. What details can we cover? How detailed do we want to get?  Basically we need to ask ourselves what details do we want to cover for places, for beings and for characters. We need to lay a specific framework for all our profiles so that we can create a united presentation.  

New Video on Kickstarter

Here is a link to our latest video

The minds are beginning to meet and the pace is slow and steady which I like way more than rushed and sloppy

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/142439212/the-illustrated-guide-to-the-vedic-universe/posts

There is a need for an illustrated guide to the Vedic universe (the universal view as explained by the Vedic texts).

We are creating an illustrated reference guide depicting the People, Places, Things, and Beings mentioned in the Vedic literature.

Each section will contain full descriptions and illustrations based on authentic source material, with references and historical photographs.

For example we will list:

Places - Planets, Divine realms, Hells and everything in-between
Beings - Gods, Celestials, Demons, etc.
Persons - Heroes, Saints, Devotees, Demons, Devas, etc.
and Things - Chariots, Divine Missiles, Air Ships etc.

More than just an academically authoritative work, the book will be filled with beautiful, living, color illustrations of the subjects, as they would be in person.

This book will further function as an aid and authoritative guide to any and all derivative works (Media, Publications) which may be produced in the future by ourselves or others.

The book itself will be approx. 400 pages and contain between 800-1,000 illustrations from our pool of qualified artists.
The funds required are to cover the costs of the artists, researchers and publishing.

This is a link to our kickstarter.com project.  We will be putting a series of videos up shortly

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/142439212/the-illustrated-guide-to-the-vedic-universe?ref=live