Letters to the editor

Dear Gurudeva,
Please accept my obeisances, all the glories to Srila Prabhupada!
It's been so long since I wrote to you, but I'm still so happy I got to see you in Lima and Mayapur early this year, but as you requested a while ago, here goes a short report. 

As I told you before and by your suggestion I'm at university studying a Bachelor of Commerce and will be majoring in Accounting, I'm almost half way through doing it part time.

HpS - Ooof, ever since there has been money and bags of grain there has been need of accountants.

We were living in Brisbane, but have recently bought a house in Murwilumbah, it is the town where most devotees live and it's only 10 minutes drive to New Govardhan Farm and Gurukula. We decided to buy our house here because we would like Suryani to spend time with other kids her age that will attend Gurukula with her. She will start attending pre-kindy (2 days a week) next year. We have many friends here too, friends Dhruvananda grew up with, and hope our kids grow up together as well.

The community is just amazing! The new generation of Kulis are just too sweet, no dramas, no worries! Just a big group of friends that get together to do kirtan, eat prasadam and be there for each other when need to.

I just love it here!. I'm hoping that once settled into our new place, I can get some service at the temple, already been invited to do service for the deities...

By Krsna's mercy my father-in-law Atul Krsna Prabhu has given us a flat in Sri Mayapur Dham, and lovingly has furnished it for us. We hope to visit every year for 3 months and are very grateful you gave us your blessings to do so. Suryani is growing too fast, she is 3 years old already, very sweet little girl that brighten our lives and learns very quickly whatever is taught.

She mentions you often and ever time she sees your picture in our altar she remembers you and sweetly says: this is Tickle tickle Maharaja, (she remembers that you tickled her).

We are hoping to visit India in mid January and stay until early march. We are really looking forward to seeing you as it is one of the main reasons of our trip.

HpS - Hare Krsna. Yes, we are fixing our Calendar now, but won't be in Mayapura except for a few days. Maybe you will travel to Delhi or something.

I've noticed in your calendar, that you will only be in Mayapur for 3 days! Do you think we could join you for any of your other trips around India? We will try our best not to be a burden and to be helpful where we can.

HpS - Ha!!!  Great minds think the same way. Where we will be going might be of special interest to you all also. Maybe even visiting the North East. It is like visiting Narottama Das Thakura in the 16th century.

I suppose this is all for now, hoping I didn't took much of your precious time.
Looking forward to hearing from you.

Trying to be helpful 
Dhanesvari Devi Dasi

HpS - Of course, your letter was written before Raktak Das departed for Gokula... Thank you for your communication in that perspective. Please write more often as practical. Dhruva's preaching activities are wonderful and we con go on expanding our co-operation eternally in Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan movement, no?!!  Respects to your Father and Mother, Brothers.

All Glories to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada
All Glories to His Holiness Hanumatpresak Swami

Hare Krsna dear Maharaja, please accept my most humble and respectful obeisances.

How is your health condition today?

HpS/ASA - We follow four principles, so it is relatively good. Of course, we have a terminal condition. We will get old, get diseased and die. Eyes ache a little, respiration is shallow, little kneck and back ache, little stomach ache. Cooking breakfast (lunch and dinner) for Lord Nrsmha deva. 7.18AM

The main reason for this letter is I want to request your permission to sing the pranam mantra with your name every day, I would sometimes sing it reciting but I would like to have your consent.

HpS - In ISKCON the fomal arrangment is that first we chant Srila Prabhupada's Pranama Mantras, then when someone is a formal Refugee, after six months of following and letter of recomendation from Temple President, then they can chant a Pranam Mantra to their ISKCON diksa guru.  You have not been recommened as a Refugee yet, no?

I also want to thank for all the mercy that pours on me, to always rescue me from my own thoughts every time I want to leave the temple and desert the mission, for being my friend and for the opportunity that is giving me to be his servant.

HpS - All the 'mercy' we are giving is a fraction of what Srila Prabhupada is giving to us. We are a slow, selfish media hoping we can pass something along, if only an appreciation for Srila Prabhupada's personal presence in his books.

Maharaja I have a doubt I am confused. Can I go to Ratha Yatra of Guadalajara on November 24 and 25 or would it be preferable for me to stay in the temple to fulfill the service inside the temple?

HpS - I guess it would be O.K., no?  Many devotees from DF will go, no?

I do not feel good because I feel like I acted as a girl. How can I improve my attitude in service and not act capriciously?

HpS - Become a very chaste daughter of Srila Prabhupada!

Pd: I am happy because my parents came to a kirtan and take maha prasad continuously.

Bhaktin Diana Thank you.
 

HpS - What do your parents do?  Any other family members?   Thank you for your news and your strong service. Guess we see you in less than four weeks.

                     HARE KRSNA, DEAR GURUDEVA,

                     PAOHO, AGTSP!!

                     HOW ARE YOU?

HpS - ASA -  Aaaaaaa!   Suffering like anything.   I guess anyone in this world in suffering. Maybe some think that things aren't so bad because they have very limited vision, but then when the enevitable destructions (of work, wife, family, society) happen they suffer much, much more than we are suffering.
Also, we are reducing our suffering at the root. We learn better and better how to deal with the problems. We guess this will develop into skills that will go to our next lifetime. Same for you?

                      WE HAVE MOVED LIKE FIVE TIMES SINCE BHADRA QUITTED HIS JOB, NOW WE ARE FINALLY STAYING HERE.

                      THE IDEA HERE IN ALMERÍA IS TO FIND A PLACE TO HOLD A MONTHLY PROGRAM, SIMPLE,

                       SOMETHING WE CAN KEEP UP WITH OVER MONTHS, YEARS MAYBE.

HpS - That is nice.  We have little bit of a Monthly program, but our stonger rhythm is our bi-monthly program with the Kapi Dhvaja at the heart. Then we have some pretty regular weekly program and of course daily program.

                      AT THE MOMENT WE ARE CHECKING DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES.

                      NARANJO RECEIVED SOLARIS MAGAZINE FROM HECTOR, RODRIGO´S FRIEND. WE JUST SEND

                      ONE TO MANUEL ALMENDRO AND ANOTHER TO ENRIQUE GALÁN.

                      GANDHA MANJARI AND ALFONSO WILL CONTACT NACHO BAÑERAS AND GIVE IT TO HIM ALSO.

                      I ASKED ALMENDRO WHAT  HAPPENED ABOUT THE INTERVIEW YOU WERE SUPPOSED

                      TO HAVE, HE SAID HE IS BUSY AT THE MOMENT WRITTING A BOOK. HE ALSO SENT

                      ME AN ARTICLE I JUST SHARED WITH KALYAN CHAKRAVARTY, TO WHICH E-MAIL  ADDRESS CAN

                      I SEND IT TO YOU?

HpS - [email protected]

                      I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE BRIDGE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST AND I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION

                      THAT MY BRIDGE IT´S BEING MYSELF, DOING WHAT I LOVE ACCORDING TO MY NATURE AND SHARE.

HpS - !!!!!!

                      KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS FROM THERE (I AM A THERASPIST, I CAN´T HELP IT).  

                      I BELIEVE NIOS AND SOLARIS INCLUDES THERAPY SO I FEEL IT COULD ALSO BE MY BRIDGE, IF

                      YOU AGREE, OF COURSE. I HAVE FOUND A NEW THERAPY I WISH TO STUDY  FOR MENTAL AND

                      EMOTIONAL HEALTH "DECODIFICACIÓN BIOLÓGICA ", I HAVE EXPERIENCE IT AND IT HAS BEEN HELP-FULL.

HpS - Yes, yes, yes.... we are always looking for new places to do Sankirtan and how to improve the old one is exciting new ways as we have them!!   That is what Goloka means.    Keep your feet on the ground with Brahma-muhurta, Mangala-arati, Kirtan, SB, Good Early Rounds, Strong Four Principles, Good Association, and then go Hog-wild in looking for new preaching areas where you can "be your self".   Everyone is SUFFERING. Share your medicine.

                      I WAS ALSO THINKING A LOT ABOUT STUDYING IN USA WITH YOU, BUT FOUND NO REALISTIC WAY TO

                      DO IT (BHADRA CAN´T LEAVE SPAIN AT THE MOMENT AND I CAN´T LEAVE ON MY OWN), SNIFF!!!

HpS - The Tirupati conference was just cancelled. Maybe we stop over in Spain from 31st Dec - 4th January? We want to teach someplace. We only plan on two more years based in USA, then three in South America, then Three in India, then >>>>  Next Body (Buddy).

We are trying, trying, trying to get English Solaris out. Making progress. Is difficult to do something good, but when you do it it lasts.

                      I AM SORRY TO MAKE THIS LETTER SO LONG, I WANTED TO WRITTE YOU FROM SOME TIME AGO...

                      WE THANK YOU FOR MAKING YOUR ASSOCIATION AVAILABLE EVERYDAY.

                     ASPIRING TO SERVE YOU BHADRA VARDHANA DAS AND SANANDA DEVI DASI

HpS - What happened to Yasodananadana and family??   Your letter is very nice!!!   What is Bhadra-vardhana Das' Mission in Life (which of course will drag in his wife)

 Paoho.  We are giving classes every Thursday for the Hawaii Temple at e-sanga.org. It is a very interesting arrangment. There are many senior devotees there, so it is good peer association for us. They make it accesible for anyone from around the world and I think archive them well.

Here is a letter from Ramananda Das, Director, and our answer:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Ramananda ACBSP
To: HpSwami
Sent: Saturday, November 26, 2016 10:53 AM
Subject: lots of verses

Maharaja,
I hope you don't mind me giving you a lot of verses.  None of them have a purport that is more than one or two sentences if any.

Hare Krsna.

---------------------------------

HpS - AGTSP.

Hare Krsna!!!

Before we got the link to the verse. Now your letter just has an unopenable file.    Hmmmm???    We like getting your association in any way.   We just go to the e-sang.org page and then look up what you have posted for us.

Then we plop the basics into a pptx.,post it to our cell-phone calendar and work on it through the week.

I hope that our classes are contributing to the Sankirtan of Srila Prabhupada and specifically your Hawaii Temple.

What is the demographics of the Hawaii Yatra?  Where are the ISKCON Temples?  Is there a Temple on the Big Island?   Do you live there?    Do you live next to a volcanoe???

Can you join our Blog and put our letters there?!!!   That would broadcast these classes 600-times more effectively - www.hps.monkeywarrior.com

Hare Krsna.

We found a website with Srila Prabhupada's letters. Then we found our initiation letter:

Letter to: Bhakta dasa
—
Bombay
24 November, 1974

74-11-24

San Francisco

My Dear Bhakta dasa:

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated November 10, 1974 with enclosed photographs of the Hare Krishna Restaurant. It is very nice. I had been there to Stanford University. So you can get Mr. Malkani in New York to help you in the restaurant. He went there to start a restaurant, but now he is cooking in the New York temple, so you arrange for him to help you. Are books being sold also in the restaurant?

Regarding the Ratha Yatra Festival, keep it always gorgeously alive, but do not change the principle. The principle should go on as usual. Yes, it is all right to make something in the park as you have suggested. Why you want to change the wheels? This is unnecessary. Don't do this. Keep the old system strong, and if necessary repair it. Don't change from this to that. That is your American disease. This is very serious that you always want to change everything. Spoked wheels will never be as strong and hard as the old way. Never do this. Neither there should be any separate float as you have suggested for me.

Regarding having the crowds come forward to touch Lord Jagannatha's feet, that will also be impossible to manage. So for the time being this program may not be taken.

Regarding the devotees you have recommended, I am pleased to accept them as my disciples and their names are as follows: Marilyn—Manini devi; Jamie—Janjapukandhi devi; Carol Hansen—Kelilalita devi; Carol Tungate—Kalpalatika devi; Huber—Hanumatpresaka dasa; Steve—Satkrta dasa; Lou—Lankesa das; Kirk—Kalanidhi dasa. Also I accept the following as twice born initiated brahmanas: Vatsala dasa; Sasikhala devi; and Vaisesikha dasa. The sanctified threads and the mantra sheets are enclosed. Hold a fire sacrifice, and the gayatri mantra should be heard through the right ear from my tape recording. I am glad to see that you are taking these initiations seriously.

I hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well wisher
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/bs

According to G-cal, 24 November 1974, was Dasami, the day before the disappearance of Gaura-kishora Das Babaji, during Kartika. Interesting.

Hare Krsna!

Another ordinary day in hell/heaven.   First we got up a little late, 3.24AM from fasting, nirjal, ekadasi. Then wonderful, wonderful, FMP. Then call from Australia: Raktaka Das has found his place in the heavens.
Then some preaching left and right by the phone.

We worked hard on correcting our Bh. Vai., Pada-padma tests and it is a lot of work. It forces us to refresh our own memory of the First Two Cantos. It is like waking up your heart to real life again. I guess it won't be an academic exercise in the future, it will just be a part of our home town.

Hair cutting (every dvadasi only).

Now it is 7.01PM. We recorded another song. We Tweet the links. It is essential for us. We are alone here in Murfreesboro. It is an extremely depressing, grey, light industrial, low-income shopping mall area and the surrounding houses for lower income people.

It is very, very good in some ways. There is no stimulation for material enjoyment. Usually Dr. Desai, Visnu-carana's family, NGD, are all here, but they start coming back on Sunday. Even still that doesn't solve the onological loneliness. Having nice house, car etc. only stimulates the mind and senses in crazy ways unless either the poverty or opulence is related to Krsna.

The only reason to do austerity is to get closer to Krsna. He is the only person who is an independent enjoyer.