Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna Maharaja! 

I still haven't set a fixed number of rounds, but I have been chanting atleast 2 hours everyday or more and reading the Bhagvatam carefully. I got hooked on getting intoxicated last summer on the warped tour but finally quit. Soberiety feels good, and has helped alot of my other problems go away. I started associating with my ex-partner again, the attachment is so deep, it seems dangerous, is it possible there is any good that can come from exploring this relationship. I feel there has been some benefit and balance brought by associating together again. Part of me wants to remain single for life, this seems difficult but worthwhile and natural. Other part of me feels lonely and wishes to have a partner.  

I wish to become Srimati Radharani's maidservant, the service they perform is so beautiful and feels natural to me. Please guide me in the right direction. I am trying to mature and correct my disharmonic consciousness, I want to please you and God. 

I think I will take a bus to you very soon, like tomorrow or in the next few days.

HpS - ASA --- Hare Krsna.  Of course, you arrived like five days ago and are sitting in the little room with morning sun at the East end of our Hillcrest prefab home as I write this letter.

Also, we have discussed some of these things directly.

It's very nice having your association.  You can see that we have our own attachments, conditioning and then make good analysis of how we can help you in your fight with The Witch. You have to win this battle by yourself. Of course, how you get help is also your responsibility, and in the ultimate issue Radha-rani, Krsna's compassion, is stronger than His justice, Durga.

In general, as we discussed: Spend six months, one-year, on answering this question: Am I a servant of God? Is Lord Caitanya, Srila Prabhupada, manifestation of God that I will specficically follow.

O.K. Then first initiation. It's like matriculating into a University that has a general curriculum. Then after one, two more years, Bh. Sastri, you can see how to relate your VAD to Krsna. Now you can be a Grhastha, Vanaprstha, Sannyasi, Brahmana, Vaisya, husband of none, one, six, wives etc.  You can concentrate in the University in Engineering, Medicine, Law...

Then third initiation, Goswami, you have gone to Paramatma. You can actually feel the hand of God in your life...

So, now, keep your association with any Ladies public, in the association of Siksa gurus, Prabhupada, your Japa torched conscience, and it will be O.K.

5.00PM.   --    More letters. Correct some Tests. Bath then off to pick up Madhava and go to NGD program.

AGTSP paoho. We got the following letter from Manonatha Das and then wrote the following answer. Whatever is the situation we refuse to think of either Cakori-radha Devi nor Manoantha Das' as anything other than our friends, and are sure as Lord Rama told Laksmana, there is not mistake you can make that you cannot correct:

================

Hare Krsna,
Esteemed Manonatha Das et al,
Thank you for the following letter. The English construction in some places is a little unclear, but in general it is sufficiently clear to present your ideas. We have had some substantial dealings with Cakori Mataji and her good husband since her initiation in Chile and later in Mayapura and then in Vraja. 

In practical dealings with her and her friends, we have not had any problems in terms of acquiring accomodations in the MVT building and other places for ourselves and professors we brought there etc. Nor have we ever had any other complaint from Temple or private people.

She has expressed to me that she has been under tremendous economic pressure for her family maintenance, and has had to do business for that purpose.

Specifically what happened with the apartment purchase I do not know. Do you remember the auto that Nandulal Das gave you in Houston?  He felt very disturbed that he had given you an excellent auto and then you had sold it for half of what it was worth. Then you told me, as I remember, that it had serious problems as soon as you got it and you did something like invest in repairs and then sold it for some little profit to get another car.

So, I do not know the details of this transaction. She may communicate that your investment was as a share holder and then project fell through and she and all the shareholders lost their money or...

... I could accomodate that as a women trying to protect her family she may have panicked and kept money that was not proper in some business with intention of adjusting later, but I just don't know the details, and in our small, small perspective on the situation she has never given us cause to believe that she is a calculating robber or lying about sexual exploits.

I feel that there is NOTHING wrong with your letter and the tone of the letter, just that now she should possible state her perspective on the situation, and we should move to correct any mistakes that anyone has made.

       O.K?

Very nice to hear from you.
Our Sankirtan is going on through www.jayarama.us
At your service.

HpSwami

From: Manonatha Dasa (ACBSP) <manonatha@...
To: Hanumat Presak Swami <jayarama108-largbc@...
Sent: Friday, December 2, 2016 3:13 AM
Subject: Regarding Cakori Radha
 

Dear Maharaja

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

You find below a letter that is in the process of being sent to authorities and being translated in Spanish to be put public.

I am sending it to you first since it concerns one of your disciple.

Your servant
Manonatha Dasa (ACBSP)

PS: 
Site: www.isvara.org

==============================================

Dear Vaisnavas,

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

I am writing this letter to protect my reputation and caution devotees about a lady devotee who goes by the name of Cakori Radha (Carolina Madera), a chilean born and a disciple of Hanumat Presak Swami. She presently lives between Vrindavan and Delhi.

For those who do not know me, I am a Prabhupada's disciple, an Iskcon initiating spiritual master and I am engaged in service in Latin America.

These are the facts.

In Febrary 2016, thanks to a inheritance and a loan, I came to Vrindavan with the idea to buy an apartment for our old age. 

Here I was presented with this lady Cakori Radha who brought me to the "Russian Building". For this she asked me 1,600 dollars, including registration and help in following the building of the same, as the apartment was still in construction.

At that time I had come to India alone, without my wife and in a precarious health condition, so she offered me some extra help by sending prasadam trough her son and help with some purchasing. I really appreciated that.

Before leaving Vrindavan I left with her 18,000 rupies to buy few things when the apartment was finished.

Final result, she did not finish the work she was paid for nor bought anything. 

Throught some devotees who are her friends we tried many times to retrieve the money or to get her to finish the job but we kept being lied.

When I was informed that other devotees had fallen victim of her, in my heart I accepted to have been swindled of several hundreds dollars and kept quiet. 

On one hand I have been lucky because I tried to send her more money but fortunately the Xoom transfer didn't succeed. 

But just few days ago some devotees reported to me her saying that I "took advantage of her". In spanish the word is "aprovecharse", that could be also be taken as sexual exploitation. I have been told that some devotees interpreted it in that way. 

While I can accept to be cheated of money, I can't accept of being cheated of reputation, which is most important for a preacher.

There never was any sexual exploitation and I accepted some service from her only because she offered it. 

Also I feel the duty to caution devotees about this lady.

Your servant<img data-id="d94ca0b9-399e-1d31-7c2a-ada4df1bd617" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif" />

Manonatha Dasa (ACBSP)

Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada!!!

Hare Krsna,

Guru Maharaj, reciba mis respetuosas reverencias.

Gurudeva, sigo con mi reporte: 16 rondas 5 de la mañana ,4 principios, 2 ofrendas al día,Vrinda viernes y domingo...

HpS - Super, super, super.  Su mente y corazon tienen que ser mucho, mucho mas tranquilo. Mas en apreciacion como Krsna tiene plan y control de su vida.

Gurudeva no me es posible hacer servicio activo en Vrinda, pues interfiere con mi colecta y también es lejos de casa....

HpS - Esta bien.

La salud bien, embarazo casi  5 meses.

HpS - Krsna, protegerá en esta gran servicio!  Envia buen bebe!

Mi mente mas tranquila, canto de japa mejorando, mas estable los horarios...

HpS - Pienso va a ver gran cambios por misericordia de Krsna, pronto.

Bhaktin Amparo...

All Glories to Sri Guru and Gouranga
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Please Maharaj accept my most humble obeisances.

I thank you once again for your commitment, concern and dedication to read one more of my reports. After the storm the sun always shines,

ASA - Well not always, sometimes after the storm there is a plague!  Ha!   Ha!   Ha!

. . . today I find myself enjoying those warm rays and thanking day by day the mercy of Prabhupada and Sri Krsna for keeping me at His feet and in the service of devotees.

HpS -  !! ! ! ! ! 

Devotees are like trees of desires, and I am actually living it; Thanks to the prayers of the devotees I have been able to stand again to follow the course.
From all bad experience there is learning.

HpS - Hmm!  Look at the first verse of NoI.  A fourth class man even having all bad experience, still does not learn.  I feel like that many times, but maybe we are sincere enough to get a slow education by being hit on the head again and again.

Learning, is to glorify Krsna, through the chanting of His Holy Names. The chanting of japa has become something nectareal, and my attachment to it is my motor of life. It is beautiful as the heart is purified, the mind is quieted, and material desires are gradually stopped, the meaning of life becomes high.

HpS - ASA -- Wow!
 

The last time I lived very beautiful events, such as knowing and sharing through harinama sankirtana, to Maharaj Maha Visnu Swami & Harinama Ruci. I also lived my first Ratha Yatra, through congregational singing, dragging Lord Jagannatha's chariot and seeing people's interest in Krishna Consciousness.

One of the challenges that I have imposed during the last days has been to develop tolerance. Just as you mentioned in the previous report, intelligence is the weapon that Krsna gave to Arjuna to face the battle. Tolerance is also intelligence, be understood through association and choice of devotees with whom to perform devotional service. Through it, I need to ask you about the constant contact with people that cause us to reject; How to eliminate those anarthas by singing, and if they are too visible, how to avoid generating an unfriendly coexistence among devotees, relatives, friends, etc.

HpS - Hmm.  Cannot understand the exact question?  How to can Hari-nam eliminate the bad effect of depressing people?

I often relate tolerance, not deepen in subjects that will not be positive in my spiritual life, in order to avoid offenses. While the process is individual, association with devotees (as Prabhupada mentions in his books) is essential to have that drive toward an improvement of loving service to the Lord.

HpS - Tolerance is in Text-3 of the NoI, Upadesamrta. Dhairyat. It is essential but should follow, Utsahan, Enthuusiam as mentioned in the same Text. For example, if we are enthusiastic to inspire depressing devotees, people, to see Krsna and be inspired to love Him, then automatically we will add tolerance as a necessary item to achieve our enthused goal.

Then another question arises, how to choose and determine with what devotees to relate?

HpS - ASA --  !!  NoI-4 and 5 !!   Perfect, great, practical details!  They will change your life.

I am happy to return to the practice of sankirtan, it revitalizes me. And so, we are preparing engines with the devotees resident of the temple, the December marathon. Haribol!

Dear Maharaj, I am very grateful for your association through these reports, so it is essential for me to read your words, instructions and feel that Prabhupada and Sri Krsna manifest in your person. Thank you very much for having me in your prayers.

I believe that I have never sent you a photograph of me, so I sometimes speculate that you should not remember much of my appearance. Attached some pictures.

I hope to serve you in the not too distant future.

Your would-be servant.

Bhakta Miguel Ángel. Hare Krsna!

HpS - Nice hat!!!   You seem to be in the right path!!!!   Are you living in a Temple?  Peru?   Chile?????

Hare Krsna Dear Maharaja,

PAMHO. AGTSP.

I hope you are well.

Yes, I read the letter of Karuna Krsna d and your answer too.

We are peaceful. Something to inform  with respect to this is:

1.- Nimsar have  not given courses to ashrama devotees, becuase  there is not ashrama devotees.

HpS - Yes. The letter from the National Council was a little inclear to us in that regard, so we decided to just try to clarify the basic question we asked first.
We also talked with Karuna-krsna Das today for about 20-minutes and nice exchange of letters with Mathuresa Das. We hope things can get discussed by all with Jayapataka Swami and we can get our Regional Representative clarified.
 

All students are Devotees of Congregation.

2.-I spok about this with KKD, and I said to him: "If the temple of Chosica wants to give courses of Bhakti Yoga introduction it is okay,"

 this course is basic for everybody , but who wilil give courses as Bhakti sastri?

Then, he said: " Nimsar can to give courses but not Seminars, training of devotees we take care (Board of Chosica).

3.-The principal problem in Chosica Temple is, There is not devotees for service (specifically pujaris), then in all areas.

And this is for many reasons, specifically there is not a compromise community. I think so that if Board of Chosica wants quick solution they will have to mediaty with community, hear his (needs, concers, interests). It is a social problem.

4.-Nimsar can help, but first we need to function as a team and our help is for medium and long time. Sincerely I do not think that we could change the mind of many devotees already forming according a their understanding.

In other side, there is a generational change, people of now, need more attention, affecting and understanding.

The time of years 7o or 80 is different to those of now.

5.-In other side, is true the mission educational of nimsar have a broad field  and we needs to do contingency plans (we have already begun to think about this).

6.-Abhinanda send to you soon a economic report.

Thank you very much for you time

Sri Nrsimhadeva protect you

with affection

ys and spiritual niece

Isvari dd

HpS - Is there a Minute Book of the Actions of the Board of Directors of NIMSAR?  Libro de Actos?  This is why we have been trying to become formal Peru entity like Abhirama Das' Sattva, so there is a standard structure.

From: Luis De La - Bhadra rupa Das

To: HpSwami

Cc: Ramanan Nagarajan Sent: Thursday, December 1, 2016 4:20 AM
Subject: Importante

Dear Maharaj Hanuman Presaka Swami,

My obesiances

Jay Srila prabhupada!

Thank you very much for your message and your wonderful association!

Your paper of education helped me a lot Maharaj . Thank you very much! 

I will wait for your reply about Radhika Raman Prabhu. statements.

HpS - Hare Krsna.   I sent him a text about our trip to India and he has not yet responded to that, so I suspect he is very busy and do not want to push him, but this weekend I will call him by the grace of God and ask him for some statement about the Harvard Symposium.

Ah!  Ha!    I just thought to Google "ISKCON 50 Harvard" and there it is. Is that enough for you?

1.- Would you have some written information about the process to attain knowledge within the vaishnava perspective in comparison with the western approach? i would like to explain it in my speech.

HpS - Again, the Introduction to the Sri Isopanisad: Iso Introduction, is a fantastic summary of our epistemology. In turn it is a summary of Jiva Goswami's 'Tattva sandarbha", as far as I know, which, as far as I know, is our definitive statement on epistemology. The only thing I might add is that it goes through induction, deduction, deduction based upon Vedas and stops there, but then there is knowledge gained by 'insight', 'intuition', the super soul. for that you can see BG 10.10-11. O.K?

Maharaj the university asked me yesterday to include in my speech at the parliament about the contributions from music.

2.- Could you please send me your verbal statements or something you have written about the gifts to practice music for the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual levels?

Will this do?
In Indian, Vedic tradtion, the word Veda can be taken to mean 'wisdom'. Vastu-veda is then the path to wisdom though architecture, city, planning etc; Danda-veda the same through political science; Ayur-veda through medicine; and Gandharva-veda through music, dance and drama.
In the West the tradition of drama comes through Aristotle who saw the plot as the essence of the drama. This passes down through a long history of theory and practice to such recent authorities as Constantin Stanislavskii and later Paul Sills, whose influence we see see pervasive in the way cinema is now produced.

This can be read in the Britannica, Stanislavskii's autobiography, "My Life in Art", and "Improvisation for the Theater" by Viola Spolin.

In Indian the tradition starts Bharata Muni about 500 B.C., and this is wonderfully described by Prof. David Haberman in the Introduction to his translation of  "Bhakti-rasa-amrta-sindhu", a most prominent work on Gandharva-veda in the modern times.
Bharata-munis idea was that music, dance, opera, drama, was not just about the story, but more about changing the perspective that the audience had. In Sanskrit this would be Bhava or Buddhi. We act. We think. We understand.

This ability of music, which if it is good, automatically results in a desire to dance, and then act out the meaning of the song, is its real glory. In the BRS Rupa Goswami presents all the elements of music, opera, spiritual opera, from the time of Bharat to the very prominent Saint Sri Krsna Caitanya, who showed how music can drag us to the lower centers of our body or lift us to the higher ones, then beyond the body to the functions of the mind and then finally take us to the non-material ecstacies in love of God which is rich in the history of all religions traditions.
 

Thank you very much Maharaj!

Your servant,

Bhadra Rupa das