Letters to the editor

Dear Maharaj hanuman Presaka Swami y devotos,

Mis reverencias desde la helada Ginebra.

Jay Srila Prabhupad!

Estoy probando con este mensaje si reciben este mensaje.

Muchas gracias.

Su sirviente,

Bhadra Rupa d

Hare Krsna, Hare Rama.

Still in room 404, ISKCON Kolkata, Guest House.
Yesterday, Monday, we left the temple at 6.30AM in the company of Raja-gopal Agrawaal or someone of a similar name. Uber driver from Indianapolis 500.

Went to where was Prabhupada's birth place. Five story walk up to 25 university students living in ISKCON Student's ashrama. About 400-students in different ISKCON Kolkata University Ashramas.

Kirtan, class, discussion about NIOS.   Fight to get to Asutosh College, 100-years old. Hall was full: 120 students and 5-professors, 75% girls (!).

Wanted to lecture for 45-minutes and then Q & A, but they kept pushing so was 1-1/2-hours, and now planning for more programs, even writing for 'Solaris'.

Back to the Temple!  6.30AM - 2.30PM.    Aaaaaaargh!    Had to rest Brother Ass.

Sunday was the same. SB, Sunday Feast Lecture, sold 41-LOBs, every day working on next book with Dr. Samaresh, promoting NIOS.

Now, tomorrow we fly... Zoom!   Zoom!  Zoom! to Agartala, North East, Jungle, Head-hunters, followers of Lord Caitanya for 300-years. Temples of straw. Hari Bolo!

We just look at the mail, for any URGENT letters and hope to get to it later.

Lot of stress, but we rest.

As long as we get up early and get good rounds done, then we always can help a little with the Sankirtan.

7.28PM
We just saw Dr. Samaresh off. He had to go back to the Asiatic Society and then home.

Chest pains are like 93% reduced.

Hare Krsna, Hare Rama

AGTSP   paoho.  and. BW.
Here we are in Room 404. It is 7.07PM. It is chilly and dark outside. The population density of India is like six times that of Mexico and most other places also, probably. Lots of people. Arati each night is not too crowded. The Temple room is about half full. We can dance for Radharani and Govinda.

We have some aching in our chest, but it does not seem to be getting worse. Some aarhythmia. We eat Kitri, Chapati, Subji for breakfast. Little maha-fruit later and then hot milk at night.

Hmmm.   Seems to be the best cure for everything: Chant, Dancing and Feasting.

Our central work is posting Dr. Samaresh's edits to the hard copies of the articles for the book on Vedic education. It is very satisfying work. They are good books. They are Sankirtan books.

We have other stuff connected in the periphery: Peru, Bhadra-rupa, North East tour, Vraja . . . 

Nitai-gaurasundara Das texts us.

Hare Krsna....   The sun goes up, the sun goes down. This world reflects our real home-town.

Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Todas las Glorias al movimiento de sankirtana de Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Todas las glorias a Ud. Guru Maharaja

ASA - Hare Krsna. This is not "URGENTE", but thank you for the letter!!   We will try to read it as we get time from this travel!!!

Por favor acepte mis humildes reverencias

nama om visnu-padaya krsna- presthaya bhutale
srimate hanumatpresaka -svamin iti namine

Ofrezco mis respetuosas reverencias a SS. Hanumatpresaka Swami quien es muy querido por el Señor Krsna debido a que ha tomado refugio a Sus pies de loto

om ajñana- timirandhasya jñanañjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri-gurave namah

Nací en la más oscura ignorancia, y mi maestro espiritual
abrió mis ojos con la antorcha del conocimiento. A Él le
ofrezco mis más humildes y respetuosas reverencias.

Querido Guru Maharaja

Solo tengo palabras de agradecimiento hacia Ud. Siempre que intento escribir una ofrenda hacia ud me remito a canciones de los acaryas vaisnavas. En esas canciones se glorifica al maestro espiritual de una forma muy amorosa y profunda. Y leyéndolas, veo que cada una de ellas describe perfectamente su carácter.

mahapraboh kirtana-nritya-gita-

vaditra-madyan-manaso rasena

romancha-kampashru-taranga-bhajo

vande guroh sri-charanaravindam

Recitando el santo nombre, danzando en éxtasis, cantando y tocando instrumentos musicales, el maestro espiritual está siempre absorto en el movimiento de sankirtana de Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Debido a que está saboreando la melosidad de la devoción pura, a veces sus cabellos se erizan, su cuerpo se

estremece y lágrimas fluyen de sus ojos como olas. Yo ofrezco mis respetuosas reverencias a los pies de loto de tal maestro espiritual. ( Sri Guru astakam - Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Este verso me recuerda a Ud. en varios mangalaratik verlo danzar, cantar y tocar su flauta, extático, incluso antes de que el altar se abra, y las deidades nos den su darshan. Sin duda,  Ud., tiene ese darshan  de Gouranga y Nityananda en todo momento, y toda la atmosfera se vuelve espiritual y trascendental cuando Ud. esta presente.

sri-guru-carana-padma,
kevala-bhakati-sadma,
bando mui savadhana mate
jahara prasade bhai, e bhava toriya jai,
krsna-prapti hoy jaha ha’te

Los pies de loto del maestro espiritual son el único medio por el cual podemos alcanzar el servicio devocional puro. Yo me postro ante sus pies de loto con gran respeto y veneración. Por su gracia uno puede cruzar el océano del sufrimiento material y alcanzar así la misericordia de Krishna. ( Sri Guru Vandana -  Srila Narottama das thakura)

Guru maharaja, su misericordia sin causa es el único medio por el cual puedo trascender todas las desavenencias de este mundo y alcanzar el amor a la divina pareja. En momentos en donde este mundo me pone pruebas difíciles, y cuando la mente me predica erradamente, haciendo relucir mis anarthas, en ese momento, Ud. Aparece; sus instrucciones, su ejemplo,  sus palabras, como las armas necesarias para que pueda salir adelante. Su gracia y misericordia incluso en los sueños, aparece en el momento justo. Todo avance que yo pueda tener no es más que su divina misericordia. Simplemente debo ser fiel a sus instrucciones y las de Srila Prabhupada, ese es el refugio.

Sin duda alguna, respetuosamente me postro a la misericordia divina de sus pies de loto.

ekākī āmāra, nāhi pāya bala,
hari-nāma-sańkīrtane
tumi kṛpā kori', śraddhā-bindu diyā,
deho' kṛṣṇa-nāma-dhane

kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dīte pāro,

tomāra śakati āche

āmi to' kāńgāla, 'kṛṣṇa' 'kṛṣṇa' boli',

dhāi tava pāche pāche

¨No encuentro la fuerza para seguir solo el sankirtana del santo nombre de Hari. Por favor, bendíceme dándome sólo una gota de fe para obtener el gran tesoro del santo nombre de Krsna.¨

Krsna es tuyo. Tienes el poder para darmelo. Simplemente soy tu sirviente corriendo detrás de ti gritando: "¡Krsna, Krsna!" (Ohe Vaisnava Thakura – Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

Guru Maharaja, Ud. tiene ese poder. Ud. me da el néctar del santo nombre. Con solo recordar su carácter y personalidad, Ud. es mi inspiración para el Hari nama.

Por favor perdone mis ofensas, y disculpe mi poco criterio para escribirle esta ofrenda.

En Ud. y Srila Prabhupada encuentro el ejemplo a seguir en la vida.

Espero este año tener mas comunicación con Ud.

Muchas gracias Guru Maharaja

Feliz Vyasa Puja!!

Su sirviente (aspirante a servirlo mejor)

Devarsi Narada das

HPS: Do you know one devotee, Hrvoje Cargonja, I forgot his initiated name, he is PhD, Assitant professor in University of Zagreb, his Mobile is +385 91 547 o863. He is very nice, friendly. If you can please contact him and find out about his projects.

I do not know him, will contact him. Do you have any specific what should I inquire?

HPS:We are planning on making a strong contribution to the Sannyasi Guru GBC Sanga in Mayapura the 10-13th of February. Is there a collection of instuctions (guess mostly letters) that Prabhupada gave on the topic, especially the instruction that the GBC position could be for life?

I am not aware of such a collection, not even a collection of general instructions to and about GBC. I could try going through Vedabase Folio and look for such topic, but am not sure how long that would take. Do you want me to do that?

Your servant Namacarya das

HpS - Just introduce yourself. I mentioned your good self to him and he said he would try to contact you. I think his preaching work might interest you.

I will ask Prahladananda Swami about the collection.

Dear Your Holiness Hanumat Presaka Swami Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances (PAMHO).

All glories to Srila Prabhupada (AGTSP).

I’m writing to thank you because I now know who created those acronyms (pamho & agtsp) and that the word “acronym” is itself in fact an acronym.

I have listened to a few of your classes in the past, mainly in person when we’ve seen you in Vrindavan, Mayapur and Australia and of course been impressed with your humility, devotion, compassion and wit but I’m starting to realise now that my lack of qualification has only let me scratch the surface in understanding your position. I once visited a top university in Melbourne with you and you spoke to the professors and heads of faculty about sankhya philosophy (I think that was the topic), but myself, at the time not even having an academic education above 10^th grade, could not see how much you understand these people. I could not appreciate your depth of knowledge from the academic world and therefor I could not appreciate the effort you have gone to in order to offer Krishna to them. Now that I have had some little university education for the past few years I have been moved to a whole new level by your knowledge, realisation and ability to connect dots for Krishna.  

My little study of the sciences and philosophy over the past 3 years, through course work and hobby, has exposed me more and more to the ideas developed in the West since the time of the Greeks until now. Growing up in ISKCON has given me a rather backward or even top down progression. I was exposed to, and studied, a little of the Vedic view first (through Gurukula in early years and then temple ashram as a young adult) and then developed a curiosity in the Western view later. Any devotee who learns from mainstream institutions will know that there is a major neglect and even “un-coolness” to considering anything that’s not empirical and therefore the wisdom from the East remains hidden to most people. Also, as you mention in your talks, theology is the only field that a scholar is not respected for if he actually practices his particular “expertise”. Unfortunately, with the wisdom of the East kept in quarantine by subtle forces of Maya, any theistically inclined persons looking for a formal education must first “run the gauntlet” of pop-science-gladiators, with their goal of bashing you into capitalistic conformity. And, if they do make it through with their faith in tact, they must hide it or they will risk losing facilities. At times faith can be challenged in these environments, especially with little vaisnava association. Different complex forms of illusion creep in. Even if faith is not challenged, a devotee with academic propensities can still get caught up in the pursuit of economic development, which can be detrimental to the engagement in sankirtan and thereby generates the risk of making less spiritual advancement in this life then he would if these propensities were addressed in a devotional education and social setting.  I hear you inviting people into this devotional education and social setting in your talks.

Some devotees choose to just preach their knowledge of Bhagavata philosophy and don’t concern themselves with any other ideas or views and that is fine and effective in some circles but you Sir (Maharaja) have an uncanny ability to align various concepts with the teachings of Krishna, even those seemingly very distant from Bhagavata philosophy. I started on Soundcloud, working through your “ISKCON Education” type talks and “Psychology and the Sacred”, then the whole Sri Isopanisad seminars from Mayapur Institute and once I could not find anymore on Soundcloud I moved onto the ISKCON Desire Tree stock of your lectures and have worked my way through at least 15 lectures and this is all in the past two weeks! I just can’t get enough. I was fortunate enough to get the job of painting one house of a vaisnava and Krishna’s timing is perfect as I’ve already booked tickets to India for my family. The great thing about house painting is one can spend the day listening to whatever he pleases.

ASA - And breathing toxic paint fumes too, no!?

Your talks are so satisfying and have such a profound awakening affect on me that I can now hardly bare listening to mainstream podcasts on science and philosophy while I’m working. It is all available in your talks! You have this incredible ability to lift the curtain on both the philosophies of the Bhagavata and the West to reveal Krishna in a way that invites the audience to understand that ultimately everything is Krishna, that we are the best at a unique service to Krishna and Krishna needs to receive it from us, and that Krishna Consciousness truly is a choice with growth sanctioned by mercy.

We are very grateful for your ongoing service to Srila Prabhupada as it pulls us closer to Krishna and we are very much looking forward to seeing you in India Jan-Feb 2017.

Aspiring to be your shiksha disciple,

Dhruvananda Das

Disciple of  HH Devamrita Swami

Son of Atul Krishna Prabhu

Husband of your disciple Dhanesvari Devi Dasi

Father of Suryani Dayalu O’Shea

HpS - Eiii, Mate,  'aven't you got a dog too yet!?    [eg. Master of Bowser, the Dog].       We are a little doubtful about the full perfection of our Science and the Vedas work, but certainly hope that Dudes like you can give us some perspective on the topic.  The presentation we just did in Chennai and the Oxford Center program was a  big challenge. We learned a lot and got some very good feedback. We hope to see you soon.

Our India number is +91 96 4343 1330 !!