Letters to the editor

From: David Aguilera. Vsvambara Das - bhaktischool.org
To: HpS (HHR) <[email protected]> 
Sent: Sunday, March 26, 2017 5:25 PM

Dear Maharaja,

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

Apologies for being out of communication. You have caught me at an incredibly busy time as we prepare for our International Baccalaureate authorization visit this coming week. This is the culmination of 4 years of work that will determine if Bhaktivedanta Academy becomes an International Baccalaureate World School. 

I look forward to participating in the conference this year. The June date is much better. Let’s connect after April 1 to discuss how I can best be of service. 

I think Alachua is a natural location for the 2018 conference. Our students perform Shakespeare yearly, so we will plan on putting on a show for you. :-)

Yours in service, 
Visvambhara Dasa
Head of School
Bhaktivedanta Academy
386-462-2886 x1 (office)
===============================

HpSwami

Esteemed Visva-ambara Das et al,
Hare Krsna!!!        AgtSP!!!!     paoho.....      Thank you for the letter.     We hope the accreditation work is very successful.  The Symposium is developing very well as far as we can see.  Again, the dates are Thursday, 15th June to Sunday, 18th June, at the Seattle ISKCON.

We have a very balanced crew now with representation from Pre, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Schooling. Educational perspective of ISKCON Ministry of Education. Temple Presidents. Grhasta Vision Team. University and Government Educational Preaching. Sastric Education.

Harivilasa Das has taken the post of Anchor-man for the Seattle Temple as we start off and says that they can accomodate about 15-devotees in private homes. Also, the Temple can supply Prasada for a small fee to cover their costs, and the meeting space is perfect.

CONFIRM ACCOMODATIONS
We need to know soon who is going to be coming in their physical body (and who will be participating on line). Now, physical presence, we have confirmed:

Partha Das and Uttama Devi Dasi (Accomodate Two)
Nitya-ananda Das (Accomodate One)
Sesa Das (Accomodate One)
Kartamasan Das (Accomodate One)
Rama-giri-dari Das (One)
Hari-lila Das (One)
Subra Devi Dasi (One)
Ananda-vrndava Devi Dasi (One)
TOTAL T/D - Accomodate Nine

TRAVEL
See if you can travel with another local person. For example, Myself, Rama-giri-dhari and Hari-lila Das will all be coming on the same flight from San Jose. Maybe Ananda-vrndavana Mataji would like to join us. Temple is about 45-minutes from the Seattle-Tacoma airport.

SCHEDULE
Now we are roughly planning:

Thursday - 6-8.30PM - Supper, Reception and Orientation. Possible presenters: Sesa, Harivilasa,
Nityananda, Temple President Seattle, Rama-giri-dhari Das.

Friday/Saturday -  Full-morning Program (SB class), Breakfast, Three lecture and discussion programs each morning, lunch/rest, Workshops in individual interest areas each afternoon, supper and cultural program each evening.

Possible presenters (Theme):

1.   Partha-Uttama (Educating in VAD, Grhastha-ashrama, how it should be implemented in our Primary, Secondary schools etc.),
2.   HpSwami-Harivilasa (Philosophy, Strategy for Education),
3.   Vaisesika Das (Education for Book Distribution in Primary, Bhakti-sastri etc.),
4.   Visvambara Das-Synergy School Leader (Primary+ ISKCON Schools in North America)
5.   Sastric Education (Hari-lila Das, HpS, Srivasa Pandita Das, Govardana Das), University Level Studying and Preaching (HpS, Radhika-ramana Das).
6.   Poster Session (Many people get three minutes to introduce themselves, then can stand by their "Poster Display" which will all be up for the entire symposium so attendees can pass from display to display to ask questions.

Each Lecture Discussion Program would be about one hour with no more than 25-minutes in the first pass and then discussions. Presenters can submit Abstracts by end of April and a full document by end of May. PLEASE add subtract adjust this list, workshop list!

Sunday - Breakfast, Closure, Fixing Final Action Items, Fixing Standing Committees.

We are also expecting physical confirmation and on-line participation from Ananta-rupa Das, Boise, M. Arrudha Devi Das, Srivasa Pandita Das, educators from Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina. Maybe 75-local Seattle devotees and 85-on-line. Everything will be well recorded.

O.K. That's our news now. The result depends on everyone making personal commitment. We will be in Spain from 1-12th of April, but should have some communication. We will be in Boise and San Jose for one week each before Seattle and we expect to be working on all these themes there, so the fun starts now!   Ten weeks of communication, demonstration, integration and Spifibivication for The Witch.
ISKCON Ministry of Education, Ki Jai!    ISKCON's cutting edge Sankirtan team.
Radha-Nila-madhava, ISKCON Seattle, Ki Jai!

HpS - Mnistry of Education, Anjana Suta Academy, NIOS

P.S. Grhastha Vision Team et al: What do you think of the video of The Taming of the Shrew with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor for the Cultural Program one evening?  Let's have fun. Let's see rapid progress.

HpSwami - 209 505-3219. [We get texting even while in Spain.]
Harivilasa Das - 425 499-6408.

Todas las glorias a Srila prabhupada!

Todas las glorias a Sri Sri goura Nitay!

Todas las glorias a usted querido gurudeva! !

Muchas gracias por tomarse el tiempo de leer y responder mi carta, se que se encuentra ocupado en su servicio.

quería comentarle que estamos pensando ir a Chile para poder verlo a usted! ! Y tambien quería preguntarle que piensa sobre mi iniciación, hable con devakinandana (el director del Bhakti sastri) para ver si me puede hacer la carta de recomendación.

HpS - Hare Krsna!!   I hope we see you in Chile.  If you have been chanting 16-nice rounds and following the four principles strictly for one year and have recomendation from Temple President then most likely you can, should take initiation if you want to.  Have you read "http://www.jayarama.us/peru/archivos/guru-tattva-es.txt"?

también quería decirle que estoy consultando a Maharaja Dhanvantari Swami como mi siksa guru. Usted está de acuerdo?

HpS - Claro!   Reverencias a el. El es buen siksa, diksa, vartmana-acharya guru para todo el mundo.

espero su respuestas y le pido sus bendiciones para tener la fuerza y la inteligencia de poder seguir sirviendo a la misión que nuestro gurú Srila Prabhupada nos dejó!

Su sirvienta María Bernarda.

HpS - When does your course of study end in Brazil?

Hare krishna Guru Maharaj! !!!

 TlgaSP!!!!! Todas las glorias a usted!!!!!

 He deseado ser un buen discípulo, nunca lo he logrado.

HpS - Me, too! 

 Me esfuerzo por participar del Harinam cada semana. Así ocurre!  Vamos junto a esos maravillosos seguidores de Sri Caitanya!  Llevamos 1.500 galletas!!!

HpS - Hare Krsna!  !

Bailamos y tratamos de hacerlo para el placer de krishna! Tratamos de cantar y escuchar. 

 Por otro lado he vivido una dolorosa telenovela , de esas que influencia  cupido y solo vemos lagrimas y desolación!  Mi corazón y el de otros está roto! !!! He cometido errores,   he luchado para no sucumbir . Ha sido mi más feroz batalla.

 Quedaré con cicatrices profundas. Me refugio en usted,  con la esperanza de que no me abandone. Deseo seguir en el movimiento de Sankirtan! !! Deseo complacerlo a usted . Nos vemos en Santiago! !!

Madhu, tiene un tienda en un lindo barrio en santiago. Distribuimos mucho Prasadam !!!!

HpS - Claro, espero que pasa todos sus desafios bien!  Si, no la primera vez, esforzar para segunda vez. Nuestra principio fundamental es distinguir la realidad de la ilusion para la bienestar de todos. Vd, mi, familia, comunidad y KRSNA.  Es posible!

Va a ser exitoso satasfer a todos.

Hare Krishna dear Guru Maharaja

Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada! 

I'm happy to write you. We are trying to participate in FMP and chanting rounds at the morning. I'm giving classes of Bhagavad Gita in Wilson temple twice a month.

HpS - ASA -- Are you going through one verse after another or are there topics that you are dicussing?

At house, my mother Gauri is recovering from an illness and I'm taking care of her. My daughters are trying to serve Krishna. My father has a radio program, so we are trying to preach and introduce Krishna consciousness. We invited m. Candramukhi, m. Isvari and we are thinking of inviting more devotees. We also have a study group with m. Isvari, p. Abhinanda, m. Nitya Kishori, p. Gandharva, m. Indira Sakti, Bhakta Juan, her wife Lourdes and Bhaktin Rukmini. We study twice a month.

HpS - Judo, Real Estate Marketing???

Trying to mantein sadhu sanga with friendship, knowing each other and sharing realizations. In the next report, I will send you some photos of the group. I'm reading again the Upadesamrta and inviting devotees to read it with enthusiasm.

HpS - Are you going out for work during the day??

I will try to write you more frecuently. May Sri Nrisimha always protects you. Please, if you could give me instructions and mercy for continue in this service. 

Trying to serve, 

Tarangaksi Devi Dasi

HpS - ASA -- Thank you. We will see you in like 11-weeks!    Become a great devotee!!

Dear Maharaja,

PAMHO. AGTSP. All glories to your service.

HpS - ASA -- Radhika says enough. (With regards to you not appearing in the YouTube video)

I think everyone here will agree we can never have enough HPS.

HpS - ASA -- Durga Puja is Sept 26th.
Rama-vijaya is 30th.
Bengal is on holiday until 30th, I think.
So, 29th August, Radhastami in Hawaii, 3rd September in Australia, Vamana-dvadasi and three more BIG holidays.    Hmmmm?????  Any comments from anyone????

The 3^rd is good. What’s your current itinerary/preferences if any? Last time you visited Brisbane/Gold Coast/Murwillumbah, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Are you planning same again? How long would you like to stay in each location? As soon as we have an idea of locations and dates we can fix dates for programs.

_{HpS-ASA -- If possible just meet some people personally and introduce yourself, and then give them the link to the Peru conference and then if they want more we can have a conference call etc.}

Yes certainly. I can arrange everything in regards to university programs from here “no worries mate” (maharaja). I’m currently touching base with Bhakti clubs at Universities in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. I already know most of the devotees personally so no small talk needed. Actually the only devotee I don’t know already personally says he has assisted you before in Houston. Radha Vinod prabhu(Ravi Jadhaw). He is managing the Bhakti club at University of New South Wales (top university) and is very eager to have you visit.

So if you are comfortable with Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne I will go ahead and arrange the university programs there. If you require any assistance in corresponding with local temples for accommodation, programs etc. I can certainly help there also. I’m not sure how arrangements were made for your last visit as Raktak Ji was still here making rotis then. At this point I haven’t been considering Perth in regards to University programs. Western Australia is practically another country for me so I’m not sure who or what goes on over there but if you need any assistance for Perth I can certainly try help.

Jai Hanuman!!

Ys

Dhruvananda Das

Australia

HpS - AGTSP, Mate!!!    Paoho....    Thank you so much for the letter.  We have been looking for tickets. Seems best flight to Hawaii is from San Francisco and from Hawaii to Sidney via Jetstar.  Is it and O.K?  airlines? Preaching programs will depend on our contacts there also. Like last time Dr. Samaresh arranged a strong program with Dr. Mabbett.

Recollecting Raktaka
We mentioned his recollections of being young fellow and begging at Hanuman Temple.  Another experience was when we were traveling with Nadia-rasa puri. I knew here and here parents when she was like four years old, then I met here maybe 18-years later when she was 22-years old. She wanted to go to India so her mother asked if she could go with us. Her father had left her mother and I guess here also many years earlier.

I said it was O.K. as long as we had other devotess in the party. There were several and Raktaka Das was one of them. There was interesting experience in Naimisaranya, but I will just tell what happend in Fazilka, Raktaka's home town.
We were visiting there. His family had a very, very small, house packed in on one street with other very lower class residences. During the day everyone just moved out into the street shuck peas, talk, live. Acros the street was Mr. Khuranna. He was a lawyer and landowner.

One day he took us all, maybe 8-devotees, to go the Flag Down ceremony at the Pakistan-India frontier. I think M. Rohini and Ananga-manajari and some others were with us??

Anyway, it was only like a 20-minute drive from Fazilka to the border and on the road we passed a de-militarized zone that was full of land mines, and bunker for immiate troop occupation. There was a double fence at the border and the road came down to a  big gate in the fence that could be opened up to allow traffic to go between India and Pakisthan, but never was.

On both sides of the borders there were little military barracks. Maybe twenty five Pakistani and 25-Indian soldiers on both sides.

This was a real case of Mano dharma, because even though they were ready to shoot at each other they probably were even cousins from just the other side of a chain link fence, what to speak of all spirit souls, servants of Krsna.

Well, we got there on time and the sun was setting and the Indian Captain put us in kind of a formal observation place on the roof where we could watch the ceremony and VIPS. Then they stood at attention on both sides and blew trumpets and saluted and marched and took down this flag, then that flag and then folded them in a coordinated effort.

Then we were going to go and Raktaka Das, who had been in the military, told me, "Really impressive sight, no?", and I said, "Yes", and he said, "It was a really impressive how they honor their respective countries, but, 18-25 year old soliders. Alone out here day after day, and a 22-year old chaste, pretty white girl is sitting looking at them. What do you think every single one of them is thinking about and trying to catch a glimpse of out of the corner of their eye?"

I laugher at the wisdom of Raktaka Das.   He was on the level of Jnana-maya by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada.

Hare Krishna, dear Gurumaharaj. Pamho, AGTSP!

I'm in Chosica again doing my service on education.

I wrote to you before asking for permition to continue my service under ASA due to the necesity of helping devotees in that area and you asnwered "cool". So I started several study groups. I think you forgot due to your several services etc.

HpS - ASA --- I remember in general and I think I indicated that it was O.K. to work as a member of ASA BUT if there were going to be specific details we had to work those out. We don't even have those for Nimsar to this point. The money we gave for legalizing Nimsar went to Baladeva's visit, no? We never got system worked out for even the Bh.Sastri diplomas with the National Council, but, to quote Bh. Vijna Swami of Russia, we are not fruitive workers. We want to teach even if there is not a formal system.

Some people got upset when you ask if I'm teaching despite NIMSAR suspension. I'm teaching as ASA teacher. Please, write about it, and confirm that if necesary, or tell me stop the programs. I'm just trying to cover a lackness in the area. I'm doing it for service. This makes me look that I'm cheating. Well. may be I'm. I think you know me well enough. If I don't do this I'll probably be watching movies and having chocote icecream all day long and eventually acompany that with some pot cause I'm a rascal.

I'm sorry for these stupid commentaries.

My paper work went wrong so I'll probably start my master degree in Agost if I still have the enthusiasm.

your stupid disciple.

(I don't know why I'm getting touchy lately).

LAD

HpS -  Again, we certainly agree that anyone can teach from Srila Prabhupada's books, especially if they are an ISKCON Brahmana.  So, I don't see that you are doing anything wrong in doing that, go ahead!   But, and also again, if we want to give formal diplomas: Guru-disciple, Bh. Sastri, Bh. Vaibhava, then we have to work those out with the Ministry of Education according to their rules. Nimsar was never approved for the Bh. Vaibhava diplomas, we all know that, and told everyone very clearly that I was stopping to be the Examiner for the Bh. Sastri diplomas.
What do you want to do?
What is your service to Krsna and Prabhupada even if everyone else falls away?
I want to join you in that!    I hope we are finding the answers to the above two questions for ourself and communicating it here in the Blog, Kapi-dhvaja, person contact, Twitter, etc.

If you want to give ASA approved courses, O.K.   Present them to us and we will work on it.  We are doing TLC now and maybe give and ASA certificate in the end. It would not be a Ministry certificate.  If you want to do the Bh. Vai./ Bh.Sastri then like Nimsar, it has to be approved.

Do you want to do that??    It would be very nice.  I am struggling to continue and advance those certificates and programs in both North American [and South America [and India [and everywhere]]].

What do you say?

Go ahead teaching the subject matter for sure if you can!  ASA approves that as we always have.

For Ministry approved certificates we will have to make some plan, work?   Maybe Bolivia could become an approved Bh. Vaibhava Center????
Eagerly awaiting your replies, even though you are "touched" (Means Crazy in American English).