Letters to the editor

Querido Gurumaharaja:

Por favor acepte nuestras respetuosas reverencias! 

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada!

Muchas gracias por ser una gran inspiración en la misión de Srila Prabhupada. que el Señor Nrsimhadeva siempre lo proteja.

En coordinación con los devotos del templo tenemos estas propuestas para Usted , para su pronta visita al yatra de México .

Diciembre 

SEMINARIO DE SANKIRTANA 
Sábado 24 ( día de Maha sankirtana) 
7:00 pm 

Sesión I 
"Las glorias de Sankirtana" 
SS. Hanumatpresaka Swami 

7:40 pm Entrega de premios

Martes 27  
6:30 a 7:00 am 

ASA - Media hora por la manyana? ? ? 

Sesión II 

"Técnicas de Sankirtana" 

Miércoles 28 
Sesión III 

6:30 a 7:00 am 

"Técnicas de Sankirtana" 

Domingo 25
12:00 am
Ceremonia de fuego Posible iniciaciones,  matrimonio de Saranagati y Amara Prabhu. 

4:00 pm 
Clase de Bhagavad Gita  

Lunes 26 
4:00 a 6:00 pm 
SEMINARIO ADORACIÓN A LA DEIDAD

Martes 27 
11:00 am 
Maha Harinama y distribución de libros 2:30 pm prasadam para todos en casa de un miembro de la congregación vaisnava. 

Jueves 29 
Celebración de Vyasa-Puja en el Templo

Quedamos atentos a Sus observaciones.

Disculpe nuestras ofensas por favor. 

Vuestra eterna aspirante a sirviente 

Asta Sakhi dd

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

Querido  Gurumaharaja:

Por favor acepte nuestras reverencias!

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada!

El día de hoy, en la tarde, envié una carta con las propuestas de programas para México.

No había leído Su carta del 4 de Noviembre, por favor disculpe.

Nos parece perfecto! 

Sábado 24 de Diciembre

7:00 pm

" De Cristo a Krishna" 

- relación con regalos, Sastra Dana etc. 

*cada año se organiza piñata y posada navideña, al final de la clase, buen ambiente navideño. 

Puede ser sábado 24 y Domingo 25 ? 

Quedamos atentos. 

Por favor disculpe la ofensa de no leer a tiempo Su carta. 

Vuestra eterna aspirante a sirviente 

Asta Sakhi dd.

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

ASA - Hare Krsna.    Cada Dia programa por la Tarde, no? 24-29. 25, Domingo, programa tradicional de Navidad de Mexico.  27 - Programa de Sankirtan y Hari-nam a las 11AM.   6.30AM - 7.00AM eso es un error?

Pienso no temas separadas pero solamente: Conferencias cada noche xxx - xxxx a cerca de Kristo a Krsna y Vuelta; Sankirtana y Adoracion de la Deidad..  Mas de Diksa, Matrimonio, Premios, todo.

Esta bien???

Mooo Chas Gracias las esfuerzas de todos.

Hare Krsna,

AGTSP

Paoho

Braja-bihari Das told us that Jaga-jivana Das has left his body and gone to Goloka or at least en route to Goloka.  It twists our heart to hear this and the more it sinks in the more we feel tortured. We were alone in our trip to India in 1978. Alone in traveling to Jaipur to try and arrange transport of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai from Kalakendra Murti Walla to Berkeley.

Fever, everything.

Then we saw an ISKCON devotee, Sannyasi passing on the road in a rickshaw. We hailed each other in the traffic and then talked and spent time together during the next few days. That was our first encounter with Prabhuji.

Later we began to know him during our work in South America. It seemed that he had left his Ashrama as Sannyasa, and also been removed, and moved out of GBC positions, but was still the Temple President in the little country of Uraguay. We heard that he had some problems with controling anger and had been involved in a few marriage relations, but had strong character in his preaching and administration of his Yatra.

He was an advocate for his national and other ideas on a global level with the GBC. We visited Uraguay and were with him in the programs there. We had a friendly, funny relation.

Later, Prabhuji becamed involved in Peru, and Regional Secretary for Peru and so forth, Member of the Latin American GBC Regional Council etc.

He was always a strong self-reliant person. He married a very nice, Russian devotee and visited the Peru yatra at great personal sacrifice and expense, working on the business and political level, and personal level. His good wife appeared to us to be a greatly stabalizing factor is life and service.

It also seems to us that he was able to re-establish his reputability at the GBC level by this hard and practical work and then was honored to develop a program for educating devotees world-wide in how ISKCON Law works.

Then this heart problem became very bad. He hospitalized and has now left his body.

He was a good man. We are honored that we knew him and hope that this is just one more step in his journey forward for himself and his friends.

HpSwami 2017 Nov 11

Hare Krsna Gurudeva,

Please accept my respecful obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada !

Well[,] I finished studing e[E]nglish last year and I have forgotten even more[many] things so I hope I wont [won't] make many mistakes. There is [was] always a continue [continuous] strive [strife [struggle]] to finish our good rounds at [on] time and [but] now that I came back to Chosica there is more time to chant better without homeworks [singular, no 's'] to present for the following day, everyday. As You know I left Cusco and it was like four weeks ago, before leaving I tried to leave my documents ready if I wanted to come back to Cusco and continue studing in the second semester  because I ap[p]roved [passed] all the courses of the first semester when I went to Cusco when You Gurudeva where already here in Chosica, however, everything happened so fast that I couldnt do everything, so all of this makes me think that if I come back to Cusco I could start since the begining, of course, if Krsna wants me back. The reason I came is because we are doing Harinama everyday with some devotees and then we can probably go to the Holy Dham next year ! s[S] o far, is kinda difficult to believe this is going to happen, however, we wont [won't] stop and we will give our best because Maya is very, very strong and we can clearly see that she works trying different ways and we feel so weak because we have ups and downs all the time. We hope all this three hours daily of Harinama during six months will purifies [purify] us enough to get to the Holy Dham, we know Harinama is as strong as Krsna Himself because there is no difference between Them, however, if it is not the moment  we will keep preparing ourselves to be ready when the moment comes.  Finally, we are nothing without Your and devotees blessings[,] so we are going to strive to be worthy to receive them.  Que el Señor Nrsimha Deva lo siga protegiendo.

Su aspirante a sirvienta,

Sita Lalita Devi Dasi.

HpS - ASA - Thank you for the news. As you can see your English is quite good, just some practice to correct some details.
Yes, chant Hare Krsna as much as possible and pray to Krsna to help you to advance very practically in devotional service. It should be fun and exciting, lots of progress everyday!
Send more news.

Who goes on Hari-nama?  Where do you go?  What type of people do you meet? ..

Hare krsna Gurudev Reverencias 

Estare con Vijay Govinda Das por un año y es posible que estemos con usted en Brasil y en kartika del proximo año con sus vendiciones al santo dham .

Y ojala krsna me permita servirlo mejor. ayudandole en lo que ested necesite .

Trabajare todo un año alli en paraguay , perfeccionar mi ingles y asi quizas pode asistirlo en alguno de sus viajes .

Gracias por todo Gurudev

HpS - ASA - Gracias TlgaSP!   Quien es Vijaya Govinda Das?   Esperamos encontare un gran adventura en Uraguay!

Dear Maharaja,

PAMHO  All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

My dear friend, it sounds like your Chicago visit went very well even though it was so cold.  Sounds like the Chicago devotees are doing a lot of great activities.  Our little center is struggling right now and we may be out in the cold.  The owner of the Yoga studio who generously allows us to use her facility once a week for a very low fee has moved.  She purchased and remodeled a new facility which is not working out as well as before.  We failed to keep control of the children the first night there and she is very protective of her brand new studios.  She actually saw the children acting up with her new security cameras!  So we are on a short leash.  But the rooms are smaller and I don't think the shiny new facilities are a good fit for us.  In her old rented studios she didn't care much when the children broke something.  Where ever we go it will be conciderably more expensive so we are up in the air right now.

I watched a good on line talk by Dr. B. Alan Wallace on the brain, mind, and intellegence.  Much of it was over my head.  Some things he discussed were about scientific and medical studies.  Most researchers believe the mind and the brain are the same thing (which he does not).  Many believe the only way to explore the mind is with medical instruments like brain scanners.  The extreme ones believe there is no such thing a consciousness and self examination is impossible.  I loved one of his arguments.  He said if the brain is just an amoral body organ like the liver or gallbladder than we are not responsible for our actions.  How can the scientists respond to that?

Praying Krishna continues to bless you, Dave

HpS - So nice to hear from you.  If you have to meet in people's homes or wherever it will be O.K?  No, just go on with the essence which is to get together and Kirtan, Lecture, Kirtan, Prasad more and more!!

We will look for the B. Alan Wallace lecture.   Yes, it is a very good point, no?  Once it was thought that the liver was the seat of consciousness, no?
The SB gives nice details of how the Atma contacts the visually experienced body by going through different levels.   We are going right now for "Psychology and the Sacred" at Virginia Commonwealth University. We hope to distribute a lot of  Nectar of Instructions, and then engage people in following the advice therein!

Writing anything?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B._Alan_Wallace

We will read more about him and hope to contact him!  Our video clip on the Youtube is our best propaganda now!

Term “mataji”

Hits in SP Folio.

In books there are no hits for the term mataji.

In lectures 10, conversations 11, letters 21 hits. Total 42.

~

This question was raised by Pariksit Maharaja when Sukadeva Gosvami described the rasa-lila. So that... "Krsna appeared on this material world, dharma-samsthapanarthaya, paritranaya sadhunam [Bg. 4.8], dharma-samsthapanarthaya. So why He violated these rules of dharma?" Violation because, according to Vedic civilization, nobody can mix with other's wife or other woman. Even in moral principle, as Canakya Pandita said, matrvat para-daresu. "All women should be treated just like mother." Not like the present society. Formerly, every woman should be addressed as "mother," Mataji. And now they have invented "Bahinji." No. Woman should be addressed as "mother." Matrvat para-daresu.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974

Devotee: When you address a woman do you use the word "Mataji"? Is that the right, proper word for her?

Prabhupada: Mataji. Yes, very good. "Mother." All right. Chant. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974

So senses are so strong. Balavan indriya-gramah. It is prohibited. What to speak of others. Therefore, the common moral teachings and the Vedic civilization is to accept any woman except his own wife as mother. Matrvat para-daresu. Para-daresu. Everyone is supposed to be married. Dara means wife. Para-daresu, other's wife. It doesn't matter if she is younger or older, but she should be treated as mother. Therefore it is the system in Vedic culture, as soon as one sees another woman, she (he) addresses her, "mother," Mataji. Immediately, "mother." That makes the relationship. The woman treats the unknown man as son, and the unknown man treats the unknown woman as mother. This is Vedic civilization. So we should be very careful. In our society, you are all Godbrothers, Godsisters. Or those who are married, they are like mothers. So you should be very careful. Then you will remain dhira, sober. That is brahminical qualification, brahminical culture. Not that "Because I have got facilities to intermingle with nice girls, so I shall take advantage and exploit them." Or the girls should take... No. Therefore our restriction: no illicit sex.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.13 -- Los Angeles, September 18, 1972

That is the system still in India, any unknown woman who has no introduction with you, (s)he is addressed "Mataji." Address her. She may be just like daughter or granddaughter, but one would address, as a respect to the woman, as "Mother, Mataji." This is Indian system. Now some rascals have introduced "Bhaginiji, sister." But that is not shastric. In the sastra, all the woman, except one's wife, should be addressed as "Mother."

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.10 -- Los Angeles, January 7, 1974

Except his own wife, he should treat all women outside, taking them as mother. Therefore, still in Hindu society, every woman is addressed by an unknown man, "mother." It doesn't matter if a person is unknown. He can speak with another woman, addressing him first..., addressing her first, "mother," "mataji." Then nobody will be offended. This is the etiquette.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.56-57 -- Bombay, August 14, 1975

Woman should be looked as mother. Still in India, a unknown woman should be addressed, "Mother." They have introduced now in the northern India, bahinji (?). No, this was not the etiquette. "Mataji." This is Indian culture, not bahinji (?).

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.9 -- Mayapur, February 16, 1976

Now Mataji requested me to explain one verse, so I have tried to explain.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 30, 1968

Perhaps Mataji knows this. (chuckles)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Evening -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971

Boliya mataji. Prasna boliya? There should be question. (another long silence)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Lecture Engagement at Birla House -- Bombay, December 17, 1975

No, she is different. I know one Mataji. She came to see me from Vrndavana in Los Angeles. She's in London.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 11, 1969, Columbus, Ohio

Prabhupada: Mataji?

Allen Ginsberg: Srimata Krsnaji.

Guest (1): Mathura, I think this Mataji lives so(?).

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation with Allen Ginsberg -- May 13, 1969, Columbus, Ohio

(chuckles) And that Mataji, she has taken land.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Meeting with Devotees -- June 9, 1969, New Vrindaban

In Bombay we can go to you..."Mataji we have no more money, please give me some."

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation -- July 5, 1972, London

But why a woman should be refused? This is not authentic. Why Rupa Gosvami should refuse her? They were bhiksu, madhukari. So when one goes for bhiksa, so how he can check that he will not see any woman? How it is possible? He has to go to the householder, "Mataji, a capati lijiye."(?) Or he'll stand. Generally woman comes to give capati. So how it is possible to restrict the eyes? That is, he does not...I think I cannot accept this, that Rupa Gosvami refused. Why he should refuse? Vaisnava is kind. But we must mix with women cautiously. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says yare dekha tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. He never says, "Only to the men."

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation -- December 26, 1976, Bombay

My Dear Kedar Mataji,

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Kedar Mataji -- Los Angeles 25 January, 1969

Regarding this Syama-Mataji Dasi from Vrindaban, does she sing Hare Krishna Mantra or not?

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Malati -- Los Angeles 28 January, 1969

I understand that Mataji Syama Devi is back there in London, so she will also help in your efforts.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Syamasundara -- San Francisco 5 April, 1969

And what about Mataji? When she was here she assured me so many things hopeful that she wants to work conjointly. I understand that Syamasundara. has gone to Mataji to build an altar. This means that she has already started the temple. She wanted me also to go to London, and I told her that as soon as opening of temple is assured, I shall go to London, leaving aside all other engagements here. But since she has departed she has not written me anything, although I have written her one letter forwarded through Malati, acknowledging receipt of her book, Mataji Charitavali.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Gurudasa -- Allston, Mass 27 April, 1969

If you have no place to live together immediately, ask Mataji to give you a place.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Gurudasa -- Allston, Mass 27 April, 1969

Regarding Mataji, she must have some trouble because she has done something which is nescience.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Gurudasa -- Columbus, Ohio 15 May, 1969

… as well as one letter from Mataji Syamadevi in Hindi.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Mukunda -- New Vrindaban 22 May, 1969

When Mataji Syamadevi came to see me...

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Mukunda -- New Vrindaban 22 May, 1969

On the whole, Mataji Syamadevi is ready to cooperate with me...

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Mukunda -- New Vrindaban 22 May, 1969

...either send it yourself or through Mataji, ...

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Mukunda -- New Vrindaban 22 May, 1969

Mataji Syamadevi has invited ….

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Syamasundara -- New Vrindaban 26 May, 1969

I am writing Mataji Syamadasi in Hindi,… …. on the principles of Mataji,

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Yamuna -- New Vrindaban 27 May, 1969

Regarding Mataji, I have noted your remarks...

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Syamasundara -- New Vrindaban 3 June, 1969

Regarding Mataji Syamadevi's temple ...

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Mukunda -- New Vrindaban 10 June, 1969

I understand that Mataji is going to donate one pair of Sri Murtis.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Yamuna -- New Vrindaban 21 June, 1969

I learned that Mataji has arranged for the Radha-Krishna Deities for our temple.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 29 June, 1969

Regarding Mataji Syamadevi, she cannot live there at any circumstance.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Mukunda -- Los Angeles 2 July, 1969

Regarding Mataji Syamadevi, she wanted to give us some pairs of Deities, but since she has left the USA she has not mentioned what she is going to do. … In any case, if Mataji does not contribute the Deities, I shall take with me some Deities when I go to London.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Yamuna -- Los Angeles 3 July, 1969

I am pleased to learn that you now have Radha-Krishna Murtis given to you by Mataji Syamadevi.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Yamuna -- Los Angeles 5 August, 1969

You were very much anxious to worship Radha Krsna Deity and you took one pair from Mataji. At that time I advised you to wait. Now when the pair of Deities were taken by Mataji again and you were little bit sorry...

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Yamuna, Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 16 April, 1970

Hoping this will meet you and your good wife, Mataji, in strong health and lively mood.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Hamsaduta -- Bombay 10 January, 1972

Mataji Himavati can train your wife or someone how to worship the deities nicely, and you both stay there for the time being.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Krsna dasa -- Bombay 10 January, 1972

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

HpS - We also remember where Prabhupada was talking about Narayani Devi Dasi and said, "Mother Narayani".   We feel it is just as respectable a title as Maharaja for a Sannyasi.  Of course, there is not resticition to say, Narayani Mataji, Prabhu, no?