Comments on Dwapara Yuga: Dwapara Yuga: Gender Gap

That's a great story, I had not heard that one...

2009-09-06T23:59:55.188-05:00

That's a great story, I had not heard that one about Valmiki...

Interesting story, "Anonymous." After all of our Western efforts to break out of Kali Yuga restrictive rules and expectations of women, we have unfortunately also forgotten the value of marriage and families. Ancient, successful civilizations such as India place high value on marriage at a young age and family life. Young men were to live in celibacy in their gurus' ashrams during adolescence, safe from the temptations of women. Then they would go out and marry, thus avoiding the sexual problems we have in the West today.

Sex and the city - the story of three prostitutes ...

2009-06-07T09:57:04.056-05:00

Sex and the city - the story of three prostitutes and their mother - as the old joke has it!

Perhaps the strongest of all spiritual stories are those of going from bad to good, like Saint Augustine in the brothels of Alexandria saying "Grant me chastity and continence, but not yet", or Valmiki the writer of the Ramayana.

In his youth he was a highway robber. Young and strong, he attacked travelers going by lonely roads and stole their money and valuables. He knew this was wrong, but he thought it was the only way he could make his livelihood. Moreover, his father, mother and wife were there at home, depending on him.

One day the robber caught hold of a traveler who had nothing. Angry, he asked him how he could wander around like that. "I am the sage Narada," said he. "I travel freely even between heaven and earth. I am one of the 'immortals'." Narada asked this man whether his family would share in his sins. The man said they would, but did not sound too sure of himself. Narada asked him to go to them and find out. So the robber tied Narada securely and went to his family.

His father, his mother and even his wife refused to share his sins. They were aghast that all these years they were being nourished with evil. They denounced him and renounced him. The robber's eyes were opened. Going back to the tree where Narada was tied, he told the sage what had happened. He begged forgiveness and asked Narada how he may atone for his sins. Narada taught the young man to worship and told him to go into the forest. He went into solitude and began to practice meditation and prayer. He kept this up for many years, living at first on fruits and roots. Eventually he became totally absorbed in meditation and forgot himself, losing awareness of his body. As a result, ants even came and made anthills around him, heaped up high, so that he looked like a mountain of ants.

After many years a divine voice came to him. "Arise, O Sage, your guilt has been erased; you have had a new birth, and you now have a new name: Valmiki -- meaning, he that was born in an ant-hill."

I happen to personally know many women who have pu...

2009-06-06T20:20:57.064-05:00

I happen to personally know many women who have put much time and energy into persuing a career, who now at 30+ are wondering why it is so hard to find a good man. College campuses are full of young men who expect sex for nothing, and young women who are expected to perform sexual favors at increasingly early ages. The over correction you are speaking of and the abuse of the creative force is creating a degenerate society void of God or Godly thoughts. And has been the ruin of many would be yogi saints.