Letters to the editor

All Glories be to Your Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitay!

All glories be to Srila Prabhupada!

Please Maharaj, accept my most respectful obeisances!

My name is María de los Ángeles, from Iskcon Santiago, Chile, I am writing to tell you a little about what I feel and what I have been doing during this last time, as I said in my previous letter, I remain enthusiastic in my service. Garlands for your Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitay. I feel very fortunate to have such beautiful service.

I must add that by blessings of Krishna and devotees it will almost be a month and a half that I am living in the temple, it has been a magnificent and extremely inspiring experience for me, every day take darshan of the deity, have association of Great devotees, feel support and concern for me, from older devotees, I feel happy.

ASA - Jaya!

 I am reading the teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu as you suggested to me through your instruction, it is an extremely powerful book.

I try to strive to be more sincere day by day, concentrate on services, always think about Radha Krishna and his servants, I am very happy when I knew that it [you] will be at the end of June here Krishna.

My obeisances

Bhaktina María de los Ángeles

HpS - ASA --- Thank you for this news. Send a Report on the Temple. Who, when, where, why, what!!!   Six strange things that happened there.

Close-up foto of Lord Nityananda for three days in a row!

Dear Maharaja: 

All the glories to Sri Sri Radha Krishna
All the glories Srila Prabhupada
All the glories to you
Please accept my humble obeisanced

This is the second time I write, the first time I didn't receive an answer, so here a copy of that letter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Maharaja:    
How are you?!  
This is the first time I write. I´m Carol, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm 25 years old, I'm dressmaker.
I have many questions, but I’m going to leave them to another opportunity. The main cause for this letter is to telling you about a delicate situation that I´m going through, because of this reason I need your wisdom.
A friend is very ill, she is going to leave the body soon, during this illness, I asked myself: How would I live if I had short time?
So I said myself, I would chant Hare Krishna everyday, I would spend time with devotees, I would eat a lot of prasadam. In that time I wasn´t chanting 16 rounds neither going to the temple regularly.
Then another question appeared: why would I wait to the end to live like this? I can do it now.
Now i´m chanting 16 rounds, following the four principles, and doing service every time I have the chance.
My association got better, I made awesome friends who help me so much in my spiritual path, my life is sweeter, but I still having sadness for losing a beloved friend, I can´t explain how much I love her nor the pain that makes me feel.
I don´t know how to deal with this and I need a guide. 
I promise to write about prettier things soon.

HpS - ASA --- Thank you for your letter. The one that did not get a response probably came while we were traveling in India.
We just got back from traveling in Spain so letters are also a little delayed because of that also.

We also lose the association of people we like. We always give the example of one comment that we heard from Srila Prabhupada. Maybe it is like 1925. Your father is going to go from your home in San Francisco to work in China for 15-months. It is a very lucrative and important work. Everyone goes down to the big steam ship to say good bye. You and your brothers and sisters, mother, aunts, uncles, cousins...  are all there.  Of course, you feel separation, but it does not mean that there will not be letters, phone calls and eventually you will meet again with many presents exchange, many prizes that you won to show your daddy etc.

Losing a friend is a good lesson. Do you really want to get closer to your friend?  Then you are going to have to get out of this superficial view of life. Death tells you that, "Learn how to love people, not just their bodies and things".

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm happily doing service, I'm going to Harinama every Friday, and to the Temple's Kitchen on Sunday. I really enjoy it.
I was thinking I always dreamt about love, at the beginning I only had a romantic idea about that, I think the society's concept of love is wrong. Now for Srila Prabhupada's mercy I know love is service, is on our eternal relationship with Krishna.
I read that Lord Krishna only can be conquered by devotees's love, and at the same time the devotees can be conquered by Krishna's love. I want to be conquered for him in such way that I can't think in anyone else, can you help me with that?

HpS - ASA -- By directing you to our Guru, Srila Prabhupada...   Chant your rounds for him.

Thanks Maharaja for your mercy
To serve you
Bhaktin Carol

ASA - So nice to meet you. Send pictures!

Querido Gurumaharaja:

Por favor acepte nuestras respetuosas reverencias!

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada! 

Leimos el Kapi Dhvaja pero no supimos leer bien el calendario.

Ya encontré los datos

June 21^st – July 26^th – Mexico, Peru, Chile, Bolivia,

21[We] – IAH – MEX (6.00AM – 8.30AM), MEX – LIM [5.00PM – 10.45PM] In Mexico City for at least six hours.

Muchisimas gracias por la corrección!!

En días pasados platicamos con los hermanos espirituales, si Usted esta de acuerdo podemos ir a la casa de Saranagati.

ASA - Por que no, casa del Presidente?   Enrique Peña Nieto?    Cual es el humor de la gente en esta estacion?   Todas han ido a la playa??    Programas culturales, artisticos?  Professores, alumnos, politicos, abogados disponible para un almuerzo Miercoles?

Alguna instrucción para nosotros?

HpS - Glorifica Srila Prabhupada mejor! 

Algún vaisnava que requiera ver en particular ese día?

HpS - Todos que podemos, no?

Japitas para Perú?

HpS - Ya hay suficiente. Esperamos pasar por migraciones, aduana rapido. Solamente equipaje de mono.

Disculpe nuestras ofensas por favor.

HpS - ASA -- No es posible. Tiene que pagar una gran multa de tamales para Sr. Nrsmhadeva!

Vuestra eterna servidora 

Asta Sakhi dd. 

HpS - ASA --- Reverencias a todos!    Esperamos sus respuestas!

Hare Krishna Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Following is the summary of 1.2.22 and 1.2.29 as discussed on Sunday.

The theme of this section is “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and one should only worship Him”

Verse summaries:

V22:

• Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the svayaṁ-rūpa Personality of Godhead, and all other forms of Godhead are Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s plenary portions and integrated parts.

V23:

• From Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the next manifestation is Baladeva. From Baladeva is Saṅkarṣaṇa, from Saṅkarṣaṇa is Nārāyaṇa, from Nārāyaṇa there is the second Saṅkarṣaṇa, and from this Saṅkarṣaṇa the Viṣṇu puruṣa-avatāras.
• Purusa Avataras : Maha Vishnu, Garbhodaka Sayi Vishnu, Ksirodakasayi Visnu
• Guna Avataras : Brahma(can be a living entity), Vishnu(Supreme Lord), Siva( No Living entity can occupy this post)

V24:

• Fire wood – ignorance, Smoke – Passion, Fire – Goodness
• one has to rise to the platform of the mode of goodness (sattva) so that one can be eligible for the devotional service of the Lord. 
• Even from the platform of tamas, can gradually rise to the sattva platform by the expert direction of the spiritual master.

V25:

• Except for the mahājanas, or the authorized agents of the Lord, no one knows the purpose of religion. 
• Mahajanas: Brahma, Narada, Siva, Four Kumaras, Kapila, Vyasa, Bali, Sukadeva Goswami, Bhishma, Yamaraja, Prahlada and Janaka

V26:

• One should never classify the Vishnu Tattvas, or the plenary portions of Narayana, the Personality of Godhead, in the same categories with the parts and parcels.
• Kala Bhairava, Smashana Bhairava, Chandi, Sani – worshipped in the mode of ignorance
• Brahma, Siva, Surya, Ganesha – worshipped in the mode of passion
• Vishnu Tattvas - worshipped in the mode of goodness
• Highly qualified Brahmanas don’t worship any forms other than Vishnu Tattvas but they respect them.

V27:

• Material enjoyment should be accepted only up to the point of the bare necessities of life and not more or less than that.
• One should work hard and worship the Supreme Lord by the fruits of one’s hard labor for existence, and that should be the motto of life.

V 28-V 29:

vāsudeva-parā vedā
 vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ
vāsudeva-parā yogā
 vāsudeva-parāḥ kriyāḥ

vāsudeva-paraṁ jñānaṁ
 vāsudeva-paraṁ tapaḥ
vāsudeva-paro dharmo
 vāsudeva-parā gatiḥ

• One should accept voluntary bodily inconvenience for the sake of knowing Vāsudeva because that is the way of real austerities. Otherwise all forms of austerities are classified as modes of passion and ignorance. 
• No one should bother himself with fruitive activities or dry speculation about transcendental knowledge. Everyone should at once engage himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
• The Lord is always transcendental to the laws of the material world

Next week’s syllabus is 1.2.30 – 1.2.34. Sorry Maharaj, it was a lot of time crunch resulting in my confusion when I called you.

Your servant,

Sundari Radhika dd.

HpS - ASA -- These summaries are so nice. We noticed many of the same points. It is 6.23AM here in the Castle in Spain. Our clothes are almost dry. We have 10-rounds done. Now we will pack and at 7AM wwe leave for Madrid and the airport. Then Atlanta we change planes and guess we get to our cave in Murfreesboro at 5PM, which will be 12AM midnight here, so we will be traveling fromm 7AM to 12-midnight.

The technical stuff is getting adjusted very well also.

When does our Leader, Ananta-rupa Das, return?

HpS - ASA

Hare Krsna Dear Gurudev,
    Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
    All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
    All glories to Guru parampara.

    Very happy to hear from you. True, we can see that you are at Rural Castle in Spain.
    Do you like rural area? Like - village or small town?

HpS - They have like six cows here, lots of fresh milk, beautiful deities. About 10-minutes from small town of Brihuega by auto. Agriculture is not so good because of the soil and the weather. Village and town are both nice for Sankirtan.   Our pear tree that we planted has survived the Winter and is beginning to have flowers!

    No, did not received the key (to your room) to back to the Temple. I convey the message to HG RGD.
    He will send soon.

HpS - Oooof!     We will try to be better guests!

    You are always inspiration for all of us. When we think about you we get energy, hope and path.
    You are light for us in 'bad times'.

    i feel very bad, when my regular schedule for spiritual activates get affected by material schedule.

HpS - Perfecting Vaidhi bhakti means learning how to adjust the program in terms of different schedules, no?  Jayananda Das would leave for the vegetable market very early, when they were doing most of their business, so he would not be in Mangala arati in the temple, but he would take two Bhaktas with him and sing the Gurvastakam and Kirtan while driving.
    Then i think about you and get path. You always travel across the globe but your spiritual schedule don't get
    affected by anything.

    Because of you Krsan helps us, guide us if we are honest about our Sadhna, otherwise we are far from Krsna.

    Do you have plan to come in India in Karthik ? in Vrndavan?

HpS - We mentioned this in the last Kapi Dhavaja.  We are still investigating. We get back from South America the 26th of July, then one plan is that we should leave the 26th of August for Hawaii and Australia and then go on to India. That gives us only one month without travel!   We are investigating.

your fallen servant,
Girivaradhari-Gopal Das

HpS - AGTSP!!!   Paoho.  Thank you for the news.   Please also write about your Deity seva!

 Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances on this auspicious, beautiful day of Ram Navami.

I wish to inform you that after receiving Harinam diksha at Radha Damodara temple at Toubul,the birth place of Sripad Maharaj, every Sunday after Srimad Bhagavatam class, we go for Nagar Sankirtan and it is  a real exalting experience for me.

HpS - ASA -- For everyone, no?!!

I wish to seek your blessings to make this programme more attractive and more meaningful . How best can we go about spreading the sweet Lord's  name through these kirtans? We are a small group of devotees attending Srimad Bhagavatam classes regularly. The response has been indescribably sweet and blissful.

Ardently seeking Your forgiveness always,

Your humble servant,

Sarada Gaurangi Devi Dasi

Manipur

HpS - In Manipur they already have so many nice elements in their Nagar Sankirtan, no?  Many colorful flags is very important. Devotees chanting with pure heart (following four principles). Devotees dressed nicely, some maybe in costumes. Very nice flyers, booklets to hand out. Prasadam in bags. Stop and do some short dramas some times: Scholar and the Boatman, Bird in the Cage...

O.K?   Send some fotos.