IS God into football? and 26 good qualities of a devotee

[Paramananda das]

dear devotees
Please accept my humble obaisences
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
There is a nice drama done by devotees in ISKCON Coventry ,UK
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe0z3x_drama-world-cup-2010-is-god...

Is God into foot "ball" (soccer in US) or Hari" bol" ?So many people all over the world has their hearts crushed every 4 years when their team
looses,Football (soccer ) is the biggest sport in the world, and estimated of at least 1 billion people watch it ,this drama from ISKCON Coventry is funny and gives basic KC education .It is about chanting (bol ) Gods holy names, the( foot)ball is not God, God is God.God is Krishna

The good news is in Goloka Vrindavan Krishna also play with balls with his Cowhered boyfriends, everyone wants a good game of playing with
a ball, it is because it is in Krishna, it is reflected in to the material world
in an "imitation fashion" so you please joins Krsnas team and never loose again..one of the places where Krsna plays ball is in Baelvan one of the 12 forest of Vrndavan, it is also known as Srivana, often a Bael fruit is used for ball ,as they are round like a ball.So please join Krsna and the Sakhas.

During the Kaliya lila ,Krsna and the sakhas where also playing ball, according to some Puranas and one ball fell in the water
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kāliyā

.and even if you loose in the spiritual world playing ball with Krishna since their will also be two opposing teams,you will still be in bliss (ananda)
unlimited bliss. Mostly it will be the team of Krsna and one of Balarama,no fixed team there also, all based on unlimited fun playing eternally with Krishna.Just imagine serving God while you have so much fun!Serving Krishna in fraternal love and playing ball, what is more fun than that?

In the material world a soccer game once caused a small war between two small countries in central America.There has been lot of
drunkenness ,fighting brawl, as often the Sudras are fully into this game.For some exercise maybe not to bad, but generally strict devotees avoid sports and games (sadly also often they have serious health problems in middleage).Now adays there is much politics even in soccer, all nations wants to prove they are the best .Wheras FIFA the international soccer association , talks about there should be no racism the sport has often gotten more ugly over the years, as was seen in the finals this year between Spain and Netherlands .Mode of ignorance and passions often prevails this game, that is supposed to be a sport for fun.When people get killed like a coach that returns home or a player that missed a penalty kick, it becomes demoniac.In KC we avoid such demoniac tendency .I used to play lots of soccer when I was a child and young, and one of my friends became a professional soccer player, played for national and international teams .Often it gets ugly and is no fun, due to foul plays.In Vrindavan Gurukula the children play soccer in Ramanreti and have lots of fun and excersisce.I see no harm in that, better than no excersice.At Raman Reti Krsna and Balarama eternally plays many games, the sand is nice and soft.
May we eternally enter Krishna Balaramas lilas.Even Srila Prabhupada played soccer as a kid, now he is playing with Krishna in Vrindavan, ball games and so many games.
September 13 1965 on board the Jaladutta:
O dear friend, in Your company I will experience great joy once again. In the early morning I will wander about the cowherd pastures and fields. Running and frolicking in the many forests of Vraja, I will roll on the ground in spiritual ecstacy. O when will that day be mine?
your servant
Payonidhi das


SB 4.20.16, Translation and Purport: My dear King, I am very captivated by your elevated qualities and excellent behavior, and thus I am very favorably inclined toward you. You may therefore ask from Me any benediction you like. One who does not possess elevated qualities and behavior cannot possibly achieve My favor simply by performance of sacrifices, severe austerities or mystic yoga. But I always remain equipoised in the heart of one who is also equipoised in all circumstances.
purport
Lord Viṣṇu was very pleased with Mahārāja Pṛthu's good character and behavior and offered him a benediction. The Lord openly says that performing great sacrifices or undergoing the austerities of mystic yoga practice cannot satisfy Him. He is pleased only by elevated character and behavior. But these cannot develop unless one becomes a pure devotee of the Lord. Anyone who has developed unalloyed, unflinching devotional service unto the Lord develops his original good qualities as spirit soul. The spirit soul, as part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has all the good qualities of the Lord. When the spirit soul is contaminated by the material modes of nature, one is considered good or bad with reference to the material qualities. But when one is transcendental to all material qualities, all the good qualities come out.
These qualities of a devotee, twenty-six in number, are listed as follows: (1) kind to everyone, (2) does not quarrel with anyone, (3) fixed in the Absolute Truth, (4) equal to everyone, (5) faultless, (6) charitable, (7) mild, (8) clean, (9) simple, (10) benevolent, (11) peaceful, (12) completely attached to Kṛṣṇa, (13) has no material hankering, (14) meek, (15) steady, (16) self-controlled, (17) does not eat more than required, (18) sane, (19) respectful, (20) humble, (21) grave, (22) compassionate, (23) friendly, (24) poetic, (25) expert, (26) silent. The Lord is satisfied by development of the transcendental qualities of the living entity and not by artificial performance of sacrifices and mystic yoga. In other words, unless one is fully qualified to become a pure devotee of the Lord, one cannot expect to be liberated from material entanglement



You have to test yourself, "Out of the twenty-six qualities, how much I have developed?" If I am lacking, then you must know that you are not developing. This is the test.
Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.119-121 -- New York, November 24, 1966:
Prabhupāda: Oh, not with you? It is in the book. "Oh, my knowledge is in the book." No. You should learn. Everyone is missing. So how you can become saintly person? So those qualities, twenty-six qualities, they are called saintly person. Devotee means to become fully qualified with all the noble qualities. Devotee does not mean a rascal, at the same time, a devotee. No. As soon as you become devotee, the test is that all those twenty-six qualities will develop. You have to test yourself, "Out of the twenty-six qualities, how much I have developed?" If I am lacking, then you must know that you are not developing. This is the test. What are the qualities? Paul, you have got the copy?
Paul: Yes.
Prabhupāda: What are the qualities?
Paul: "Kind to everyone."
Prabhupāda: Kind to everyone. Yes. Then, go on.
Paul: "Does not quarrel with anyone. Fixed up in the Absolute Truth."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Paul: "Equal to everyone."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Paul: "Spotless, faultless, charitable, mild, clean, simple, benevolent, peaceful, completely attached to Kṛṣṇa, no material hankerings, meek, steady, self-controlled, does not eat more than required..."
Prabhupāda: Does not eat more than required. Yes.
Paul: "...sane, respectful, humble, grave, compassionate, friendly, poetic, expert..."
Prabhupāda: Poetic, expert and silent. One who is too much talkative, that means he's lacking in devotion. He should simply talk about Kṛṣṇa, nothing more. And when he, when one is actually absorbed in Kṛṣṇa thought, he cannot talk nonsense. He has no time. He does not waste time. So these are the qualities. Here, he's called sādhu. Sādhu means these are the qualifications. Of course, not that we may develop all these qualities immediately, but sādhu means this. Sādhu means, what is called, pious man. These are the qualities of pious man, sādhu. And śāstra. Śāstra means the scripture. By study of scripture, you can develop these qualities. That is called scripture. That is authorized scripture. Just like you study some book, and you develop some quality after reading that book, similarly, when you actually have scripture, then you develop all these qualities. And guru, spiritual master, means who teaches you all these things. So you have to make your progress—sādhu-śāstra-guru vākya. You have to corroborate whether guru, what guru is speaking, whether it is there in the scripture; what scripture is speaking, whether that is in the character of guru, or in the sādhu, saintly persons, or spiritual master. So you have to always make comparison with three things: sādhu, śāstra, guru. Nobody can become a spiritual master who has no reference to the scriptures and these qualities. Nobody can be accepted as a qualified man, he has not..., if one has not developed his character through the scripture under the instruction of guru.