Welcome to BHAKTI CAMBODIA

Siem Reap ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ April 2011 )

Welcome to the April edition of the ANGKOR BULLETIN. This will serve as a supplement to our website www.bhakticambodia.com. Devotees serving in the Kingdom of Cambodia would like to provide various information to our viewers to solicit their interest and participation, however that may be. We plan to make available literatures in the local Khmer language both those of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT) and those of the Varnasrama Book Trust (VBT).
We are looking for interested persons from the Kingdom of Cambodia who can help in various activities, including translation and printing of literatures into Khmer.

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“This is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering.
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta (SN 56.11), trans. Bodhi (2000), pp. 1843-47

“Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world.”

The different manifestations of body and senses among the living entities are due to material nature. There are 8,400,000 different species of life, and these varieties are creations of the material nature. They arise from the different sensual pleasures of the living entity, who thus desires to live in this body or that. When he is put into different bodies, he enjoys different kinds of happiness and distress. His material happiness and distress are due to his body, and not to himself as he is. In his original state there is no doubt of enjoyment; therefore that is his real state. Because of the desire to lord it over material nature, he is in the material world. In the spiritual world there is no such thing. The spiritual world is pure, but in the material world everyone is struggling hard to acquire different kinds of pleasures for the body. It might be more clear to state that this body is the effect of the senses. The senses are instruments for gratifying desire. Now, the sum total—body and instrument senses—are offered by material nature, and as will be clear in the next verse, the living entity is blessed or damned with circumstances according to his past desire and activity. According to one’s desires and activities, material nature places one in various residential quarters. The being himself is the cause of his attaining such residential quarters and his attendant enjoyment or suffering. Once placed in some particular kind of body, he comes under the control of nature because the body, being matter, acts according to the laws of nature. At that time, the living entity has no power to change that law. Suppose an entity is put into the body of a dog. As soon as he is put into the body of a dog, he must act like a dog. He cannot act otherwise. And if the living entity is put into the body of a hog, then he is forced to eat stool and act like a hog. Similarly, if the living entity is put into the body of a demigod, he must act according to his body. This is the law of nature. ...
Bhagavad Gita 13.21 Purport

Get out from suffering, via Varnasrama Dharma
In the material world, living entities suffer because of the result of his - fruitive activities(karma). But Bhagavad-gita explain that karma can be changed to akarma (no result of action), only if someone act for Visnu. In that condition he can be freed from suffering, even when he/she is in material world which is influenced by three modes of material nature..

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, is worshipped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varna and asrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varna s and asramas”. All of human society is meant to worship Lord Vishnu.”Srimad Bhagavatam 5.1.1 purport

Compiled by Guna Avatara Dasa
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Bharatavarsa
During the reign of Maharaja Yudhistira, the clouds showered all the water that people needed, and the earth produced all the necessities of man in profusion. Due to its fatty milk bag and cheerful attitude, the cow used to moisten the grazing ground with milk.
Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.4

During the regime of Maharaja Yudhistira, all over the world there were regulated rainfalls. Rainfalls are not in the control of the human being. The heavenly King Indradeva is the controller of rains, and he is the servant of the Lord. When the Lord is obeyed by the king and the people under the king’s administration, there are regulated rains from the horizon, and these rains are the causes of all varieties of production on the land. Not only do regulated rains help ample production of grains and fruits, but when they combine with astronomical influences there is ample production of valuable stones and pearls. Grains and vegetables can sumptuously feed a man and animals, and a fatty cow delivers enough milk to supply a man sumptuously with vigor and vitality. If there is enough milk, enough grains, enough fruit, enough cotton, enough silk and enough jewels,

Angkor
In ancient time, Angkor Empire was ruled using the varnasrama system under the King Suryavarman II. In this era, the community performing simple living of village style. They depend on the product of land and cows. Citizen make Angkor Wat as the center of their religious activity. They offer the products as a sacrifice to Lord Visnu. So they get regulated rain to again cultivated the land.

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For the Indian villager with his agrarian life, the conservation of natural resources is an integral part of daily existence. He is expert in using nature’s gifts to manufacture all his requirements, from his mud hut to his homespun clothes. And protecting cows has always been the most important feature of the village conservation program; every homestead has at least one cow.
The cow and bull are indispensable in rural India, where about eighty percent of the population lives. The cow, eating only grass, happily supplies milk, which provides virtually all of the nutrients our bodies need. From milk we get cheese, curd, butter, ghee (clarified butter), whey, cream, yogurt, and an endless variety of milk-based preparations well known to experts in traditional Indian cookery. Because the cow supplies milk, she is accepted in the Vedas as our mother.
In India it is well known that cow dung has antiseptic properties, and in any Indian village one will see cow-dung patties drying in the sun to provide an excellent fuel for cooking fires. The urine of the cow is prescribed as a medicine for the liver by the Ayur-veda, the Vedic scripture on the science of healing.
The bull is also an invaluable asset to the small farmer. The strong bull enjoys working all day pulling a plow through the fields. How quaint, you may say, but not very efficient or practical these days. Well, the use of the bull may be slower than machinery, but it does not compact the soil and reduce its productivity as does heavy modern machinery. There are other problems with machinery in India, such as its inability to cope with seasonal changes and monsoons. (What to speak of the problems of finding spare parts or a mechanic.) Because the bull provides for food. He is considered our father.
In Vedic society it was recognized that a symbiotic relationship exists between man and cow. The cow produces far more milk than her calf requires. If the calf is allowed unrestricted access to the udder, mastitis will develop, which could lead to the cow’s death. When the cow is done calving, she will peacefully continue to produce milk. Of course, if she’s not milked, she will feel pain.

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This picture is one the of bas relief in Angkor Wat. The relief show the picture of Sri Rama( and His wife Sita Devi in the great story of Ramayana. In Cambodia this story is known as Reamker.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead incarnated Himself as Sri Rama accepting the sonhood of His pure devotee Maharaj Dasarath the King of Ayodhya. Lord Rama descended along with His plenary-portions and all of them appeared as His younger brothers. In the month of Chaitra on the 9th day of growing moon in the Treta Yuga the Lord appeared, as usual, to establish the principles of religion and to annihilate the disturbing elements. When He was just a young boy, He helped the great sage Viswamitra by killing Subahu and striking Marichi the she demon who were disturbing the sages in their daily discharge of duties. The Brahmins and the Kshatriyas are meant for cooperation for welfare of the mass of people. The Brahmins who were all sages do endeavour to enlighten the people of the world by perfect knowledge and the Kshatiyas are meant for their protection. Lord Rama Chandra is the ideal king for maintaining and protecting the highest culture of humanity known as Brahmanya Dharma. The Lord is specifically the protector of the cows and the Brahmins and by doing so He enhances the prosperity of the world. He rewarded the administrative demigods by effective weapons for conquering over the demons through the agency of Viswamitra. He was present in the bow-sacrifice of King Janaka and by breaking the invincible bow of Shiva, He married Sita Devi daughter of Maharaj Janaka.

After His marriage He accepted exile in the forest for fourteen years by the order of His father Maharaj Dasarath. To help the administration of the demigods He killed fourteen thousands of demons and by the intrigues of the demons His wife Sita Devi was kidnapped by Ravana. He made friendship with Sugriva who was helped by the Lord for killing Vali brother of Sugriva. By the help of Lord Rama, Sugriva became the king of the Vanars (a race of gorillas) He built a floating bridge of stones on the Indian ocean and reached Lanka the kingdom of Ravan who kidnapped Sita. Later on Ravana was killed by Him and Ravan’s brother Bibhisana was installed on the throne of Lanka. Vibhisan was one of the brothers of Ravana a demon but Lord Rama made him immortal by His blessings. On the expiry of fourteen years and settling up the affairs at Lanka, He came back to His kingdom Ayodhya by flower plane. He instructed His brother Satrughna to attack Labanasura who reigned at Mathura and the demon was killed. He performed ten Aswamedha sacrifices and later on He disappsared while taking bath in the Sarayu river. The great Ramayana Epic is the history of Lord Rama’s activities in the world and the authoritative Ramayana is made by the great poet Valmiki.
SB 1.12.19 Purport

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