Letters to the editor

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.

Hare Krishna Maharaj

PAMHO. AGTSP!

I thought I best update you as to what is happening in my world.

I am now working with Adi Kesava Prabhu (the same Swissman from Chile) three days a week at Food for Life in Brisbane whilst looking for legal work part-time (there may be a development in that department there soon also).

We are also now doing a 'loft' style program there on Friday evenings at 18:00. You may be familiar with the location (Food for Life, 226 Brinswick St, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane). Its a simple program which we inaugerated last Friday 18 November with five visitors, consisting of kirtan, class and prasadam. We will try to get some sannyasis there soon :)

I find it a little much to stay in Brisbane the entire week so I simply commute back to Murwillumbah ISKCON on the weekend for recuperation. 

Otherwise everything is copasetic.

I am looking forward to getting married, I just work out who the bride is going to be :P

HpS - Has she also worked out that you will be the husband?

I very much would like to make it to Mayapur for your sanga but have serious financial commitments with my occupation. Perhaps Krishna will allow anyway.

Your servant,

Janardan-hari das.

HpS - Thank you for the news, thank you for the news, thank you for the news.      So nice to hear from you. Sounds like you are in the totally correct path, it is just a matter of picking ups speed.  See how high your can reach in the nation with your Kirtan. Please offer our respects to Adi-kesava Das. It has been TOO long since we had any contact with him.  We wait for more news!

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada 

Porfavor asepte nuestras humildes reverencias querido y recordado gurudeva. 

Lamentamos no haber tenido mejor comunicación sobre el nacimiento de nuestro segundo hijo, pasamos complicaciones de salud pero agradesemos su infinita misericordia para con nosotros y bendecir al nuevo integrante de la familia con un nombre para el. 

el bebe es niño,  nacio el jueves 24 Noviembre a la hora 11:34am, gracias a la infinita misericordia de krishna el bebé esta muy bien de salud pedimos sus bendiciones para poder guiar a esta alma que krishna nos dio en cuidado hacia conciencia de krishna <img alt="ángel" height="23" src="http://www.hps.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/angel_smile.png" title="ángel" width="23" />  nuestro pequeño Jay Govinda parece gustarle la idea de su nuevo hermano muy cariñoso, Jay esta muy bien ya tiene 1 año 11 meses un niño con mucha energia  y prabhu Gadadhara muy feliz él empezara la maraton de Sankirtan y tambien humildemente le pedimos sus bendiciones para el poder conectar mas almas con krishna el es una fuente de inspiración para nosotros en nuestra vida deseamos tener una pronta recuperación para poder presenciar su visita a CDMX  a finales de año gracias por la infinita misericordia <img alt="ángel" height="23" src="http://www.hps.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/angel_smile.png" title="ángel" width="23" />

porfavor perdone nuestras faltas y ofensas 

su insignifacante aspirante a sirvienta Ananda maya devi dasi.

HpS - Oooof!   Muchas gracias. Mama!     Realmente hablamos con astrologo y el puede discriminar el primero letre para el nombre. Pero no tener esta facilidad, Jiva-krsna-das es lo que aparece en nuestra mente.  Esperamos ver el nuevo Sankirtanero en una mes en DF pero no molesta si es demasiado esfuerza! 

hare krsna maharaj,
Pamho, agtsp

according to this post
https://www.facebook.com/drew.danaher/posts/1561252760568159

"Please join us in prayers for a very dear young friend of mine, Raktak Das who just left his body in Vrindavan on Ekadasi! Was only 44, but apparently had a heart attack, leaving his wife and 3 children behind! "

I am actually shocked. I just read his letter to you.

@ritu raj prabhu can you confirm this

harsh

HpS - Yes, Dhanesvari Dasi and Dhruva Das called us from Australia to tell us and then we called Param Das in Vrndavana who had all the news and was helping with all the arrangements. We then Tweeted the news and Tweeted a link to a pptx show that we put in our Archives about him.  It is named "raktak-das.pptx" as I remember. Thank you for posting this. You could have called us also if you wanted.

Of course, it is sad, shocking that we will not have his direct association. It is like going to see your father, husband, brother, brother-in-law off on a boat for China from San Francisco where he will work for 18-months before the time of air travel. You are very sad not to see him for the time, but you know you will see him again, there will be letters, little presents, telegrams, long distance phone calls once a month, and then a big reunion with big news, gifts after 20-months.

On the other hand it is one of the most glorious departures of which I have ever heard. He had just come from the Panjab where he attened the wedding of his niece, Silky, so he and his good wife and children had finished his responsibity as an uncle in this life. They were only staying in Vraja for two nights. He arrived, next morning went to see Krsna-Balarama and then had some dizziness. He asked to go see a Doctor. He was with his nephew Chunky and a very, very intense, life long, Brijabasi friend, Jaga-mohan.

They took him to see the doctor, and the doctor told him that it was not a minor thing, that he had just had a heart attack, and could have another more severe one at any moment. He apparently laughed it off, had another heart attack and died, leaving his body in Vrndavana on Ekadasi, during the month of Katyayani vrata. We were doing Nir-jal ekadasi, which we haven't done in maybe 15-years.

He loved the Vraja-vasis, they loved him. All the ISKCON devotees knew him and loved him. His real home was Vraja, not Australia or Fazilka, Panjab. When the cremation takes place the Temple President, the Temple Barber and half of Rama-reti may be there.

Of course, Priya, his good wife, can be classified as one of the most fortunate mortals on the face of the earth to have such a husband, but of course, she also has the right to go half-mad with grief, but I don't think she should worry about who will love her and take care of her and the children now. While she is in Vraja she will be surrounded by and ocean of people, then when she goes home there is her sister, mother, brother-in-law and there must be so many of her and Raktaka's friends. If Krsna took him in this way then Krsna will take personal responsibility for his family responsibilities.

In our Guru Disciple relationship he had been expressing a lot of frustration that he had not been advancing as much as he wanted for many years and that he felt he was cheating his family and the devotees by not becoming more austere. In such a state we sometimes pray repeatedly to Krsna and Balarama to FORCIBLY drag us forward. Maybe that is what has happened.

We see an incredibly auspicious, glorious, aspect to this event (trying to avoid our feelings of separation now) and expect that bigger things are yet to come from Raktaka Das.  Maybe we will see an excellent street dog lounging at Jag-mohan's house after a few months taking lots of Maha-prasada with a humorous glint in his eye.

How many days after the passing due we have the "Sraddha ceremony".  His picture can be by the altar in his Temple, any Temple, any ISKCON altar, and first Maha-prasada offered, and nice recollection of his Vaisnava qualties, at the Sunday feast, no?  We will cook for him. He once said that our cooking was very simple but completely satisfying. Purnima festival.

He has not left us, he is leading us, lets go!!!

Hare krishna querido Guru Maharaja

Por  favor acepte mis más humildes y respetuosas reverencias

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Me encuentro en  Ciudad del  Este, Paraguay viviendo en el templo de ISKCON hace tres meses, por sugerencia de Prabhu Deva Deva das, candidato a Sannyasa, quien también se encuentra aquí y ha  realizado un excelente programa de predica en la  Universidad Latinoamericana UNILA, entonces yo aquí estoy haciendo servicio de sankirtan y pujari, manteniendo sadhana diariamente muy  bien y apoyando el programa de predica . le pido entonces sus  bendiciones para permanecer un tiempo más aquí apoyando a los devotos en este  programa  .

Por favor reciba nuevamente mis más  humildes y respetuosas  reverencias

Siempre refugiado a sus pies de loto .

Vijaya govinda das

HpS - Muy bien oir de Vd. Nuestras reverencias al Deva Deva Das y todos.  Eso es el Templo de Jagajivana Das?  Aparece muy bien su programa. Si esta quedando mas tiempo por aca aparece muy bueno.  Una reportajes de lo que pasa. Universidad. Todo.  Vamos a Brazil medio de Abril.