Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna Dear Guru Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Dear Gurumaharaja I didn't write long time as I was waiting when my Mangala Arati Sadhana will be fixed. I am happy to tell you, that my mangala arati is by your mercy stable now.

HpS - We suffer the same thing. Don't want to talk about our problems until we solve them, but a lot of solving them, is to talk about them.   Very nice that your are doing the Cha Cha Cha in Mangala Arati for Radha Madhava! 

We recently came back from Europe where we visited devotees and family to Sridham Mayapur. Before leaving I was able to upload 22 new books in 6 languages and made good work on new engine for Vedabase. Preparing for early access followed by public beta. It is taking time, but should be robust and nice to use.

HpS - Everywhere people report using Vedabase.com.  What happened to the Share Line, Tweet, button that was on each page. We used it. If it is too much of a problem that is o.k.    Also, as you get more and more languages it seems that you are going to have to put them in a Pull Down List, no?    Do you get Book Distribution Points for every hit?

In Europe I attended one programming course. And after we both attended Hare Krishna camp in Czech. Both were big inspiration. Programming course inspired me as there were people with similar interests, inteligence/logic and skills with whom I could speak knowing they will understand me. I realized that I was missing such association, although they are not devotees. And Hare Krishna camp was big insipiration for meeting all different devotees which we didn't see long time.

Just after you left Mayapur we went to Thailand. It was amazing. Huge relieve after West Bengal, people are polite there, streets are clean and they have culture. On airport they even have Visnu with demigods how they churn ocean. 

First few days we were on south in Krabi. There is nice devotee community there. (Recently we have seen photos how Sudama Sakha Prabhu recently opened Govinda there) After that we went to one small place in half way to Bangkok and stayed for 3 weeks. We rented house from one devotee Russian couple who rents houses.

There are many buddhist temples. We visited two of them in place where we stayed and local monks feels pure and sincere.

From our beach we could see on mountain huge sitting Buddha. Went there for trip and chanted few rounds in the temple there. Architecture and all paintings which they have are very beautiful. It was very peaceful and after the visit we felt very enlightened.

Some photos: http://hps.monkeywarrior.com/sites/default/files/pnd/thailand-retreat/

Your servant Prahlad Nrsimha das

HpS - Very nice!!!   We were hoping to hear from you!   So, you settled back in Sridama Mayapura?    We read that some devotees got a public apology and cash, but you didn't get any cash. (Ha! Ha! Ha!)
Can you send your annual financial report for NIOS.  Where the money came from and where it went to?
Our respects to your good wife.  Are you going to live as Vanaprastha couple??

Dear Swamiji,

PAMHO, AGTSP. Devotees Jeremy are hoping that Krishna Will inspire you tO come. WE can send you a ticket form India, and arrange for you tO stay in Jaganatha  Gaurangga temple, or even Maha Laxmi hotel which is were Ramai Swami stays.

When you are Heri we can arrange numerous HOME programs. Aghastya Muni prabhu golf me that hE World like tO arrange a program fo4 you. There are 4 Vera Nick ISKCON temples Heri., Jaganatha Gauranga here in Denpasar, Radha Gopinatha and Radha Raseswaranear Nitai Gauracandara oN the northern coast in Singaraja, and Radha Madhava in  Gianyar. There is Aldo a new temple being built in east Bali.

Radha Raseswara has a goshalla that produces and sells milk. Here in Denpasar we have BDS primary school and The BA secondary school. There Two schools serve Devoteed from Jaganatha Gaurangga and Radha Raseswara.

Bhakti Rhagava Swami otentik visits Radha Madhava temple in Gianyar and is developing a small community of Devoteed There. So far there are 25 familier living around The temple.

Near Bali is The island of Lombok. There is a small ISKCON TEmple there. Kavicandra Swami petenis visits Lombok, The temple has a small goshalla with two bulls. If you are interested I Can arrange with Krishna Prema prabhu for you tO visit New Gita Nagari, Bhakti Rhagava Swami's farm community oN The island of Sumatra in western Indonesia. There are 35 families there and they have a Very nice school.

If you can come tO Bali there are many devotees who would like hour association and many nice programs that can be arranged.

your servant,

Ken

HpS - Very nice orthography!    We are still trying to get to India, right now it would mean taking time from the 6-weeks we are there. 1 January - 15 February. We could go for like two days!     Is that practical????  Doesn't seem like it?  Best we can send fotos or plan for next year!!

Dear Swamiji,

AGTSP, PAMHO. We are praying to Krishna for your appearance in Bali, even Abhimanyu Prabhu is asking that you come. India is a short trip from Bali. We can easily send you a ticket to come. Abhimanyu and Aghastya Muni will help to arrange some academic programs for you to speak at as well as giving class at the various ISKCON temples here in Bali. Devotees here are always asking why don't you come to Bali and give them their association.

Radhastami was a very nice festival. I made Simply. Wonderfuls for Srimati Radharani and all the children loved them so much. Aghastya Muni's wife asked me to make 1008 for Govardhana Puja. Tomorrow I go to Singaraja on the north side of Bali. I will take Krishna book in English for devotees to study and learn English.

Your servant,

Ken.

HpS - Let us look at your other letter>>>>>>

Hare Krsna Beloved Gurudeva

AGTSP

PAMHO

Thank U for your daily association .. for encouraging us to have always Krsna in the center.

This is the new schedule for FMP

Mon: HH HpS

Tue: Bhadra vardana & Sananda dd

Wed: YKD

Thurs: CMDD

Fri; Abhinanda d

Saturday: Isvari dd

Sun: MVdd

Thank U Gurudeva. 

Note: If someone wants to share the day please contact me

Thank U Gurudeva

Trying to be useful

CMDD

HpS - ASA --- Thank you.  Like 90% of our strength comes from this FMP on line.  Thank you all.  Thanks to Srila Prabhupada for giving us this authentic service.
NORMS
Chant with like one to two red dots in the volume indicator. Then Chant softly with just green dot.
Keep some rhythm with clapping hands or something else.
Chant with LOVE.

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada! I just wanted to add a few details to the last letter for your consideration.

When I had the idea to attempt a gallery exhibition back east, an old friend came to mind who I asked for help. Blake is a painter and performance artist who is favorable to Krishna Consciousness and fairly well-connected with the Charleston "Avant-Garde."

She went to the trouble of finding a gallery to show my work and a few other artists who were interested to contribute to a group show based on the theme "Body, Mind and Soul." I was under the impression that the gallery would take care of production for us, but as it turns out they're just providing a space, and we have to curate the exhibit ourselves.

This places me in an awkward position because I'm fairly obliged to co-curate an art show with someone who happens to be in a female body and I don't see that as remotely feasible without free communication and probably transporting stuff in a car together, which I should not do as a brahmacari.

Moreover, here in LA I'm helping to organize these college Bhakti yoga clubs which require us to commute some distance to meet my partner Marvin. Neither of us are very competent to work a crowd with kirtan, so we take help from the congregation. Currently, practically all the other men who were helping us now have other engagement, so that means at some point I'll probably be stuck with just one or two desperately needed kirtaniyas in female bodies with no way to get them on site.

So I find myself in a predicament where the kind of service I want to do is already, and will subsequently, place me in a situation which is incompatible with the brahmacari ashram. In the past I simply would have avoided these situations to take advantage of monastic life, but now I'm really trying to serve full on in these types of projects which require me to engage all kinds of people.

By your grace it's not that I'm particularly agitated at the moment, and it's not that I don't value vedic culture; but I am deeply convinced that before westerners will accept the form of Vedic civilization, they must first accept the substance. I feel like sooner or later somebody is going to have to take some personal risks in order to convince people of the value of our philosophy before we have the luxury of preaching very widely in the comfort of our own lifestyle. 

Currently I'm enthusiastic to follow all my vows and to serve Krishna in the most dynamic way possible, but I'm anxious to re-establish my integrity. To me the most natural way seems to be to just change ashrams and carry on with what I'm doing but I would be willing to drop everything and try to redirect my energy if it pleases you.

Your monkey soldier,

Ekāśma Dās

HpS - We gave our thoughts about this a lot in the last letter. If you have to Speak French to do some preaching program then you can take a French course for two years and then do the program. It is just a practical consideration, or you can do other kinds of programs that don't rquire you to speak French.
If the only reason that you want to get married is so that you won't be socially criticised for transporting representative members of the opposite sex to different Sankirtan sites, then it seems that it would be better to jut find some other way to do it than get married.

Look at James Bond!    He's not married, and he does so much good for society.    (Haw!   Haw!   Hare!).   See my point.  You don't have to be an ideal Grhastha to attract people to Krsna consciousness.  There is so much appreciation of Brahmacari life in the world. It has always been that way and always will be that way.
You should get married if you feel a strong compulsion to have someone who will laugh at your jokes.
Talk with a lot of people who have more immediate contact with your than us.   We give our opinions, but we are Sannyasis.

Waiting to hear from you (We will laugh at your jokes if you laugh at ours).

Nice art.

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada! Happy Radhastami! I hope Srimati Radharani is being extra kind to you today.

HpS - Yes, we got a side long glance from Her, and it was full of disatisfaction. We have to improve our character and work.

This morning Brghupati prabhu lead us all in Sri Radhika Stava by Rupa Goswami. I think it's my favorite bhajan.

I've been busy as usual out here on the left coast; just a week or two ago I managed to procure my very own sankirtan van to utilize as a transcendental art studio! So lately I've been running around trying to take care of registration, insurance, AAA membership etc etc, and now I'm about 95% complete.

I had to ask my parents to cosign on a loan since I had zero credit, and they obliged to the extent that they even told me I don't have to pay them back. Of course I intend to ASAP, but in the meantime I find myself in a situation where I have total freedom and no expenses for at least a year! I managed to also get practically all the equipment needed for displaying my art in markets and art fairs until I'm prepared to directly approach galleries and art dealers. For now, all I have to do is just chant Hare Krishna, study, paint, do some internet marketing, and practice Kirtan. My sadhana was suffering when I had to do yard work all day and then stay up late to work on stuff but now that I can set my own schedule I'm able to make up for lost time. Since moving into "Vrnda-van" I've been able to attend full morning program in temple daily, chant about 48 rounds, read at least a couple hours etc so I'm just thrilled to be gradually getting back on track.

Just the other day I sent out an email trying to organize some grassroots preaching initiative here in LA and I've been getting an enthusiastic response. I'm trying to at least get  a decent group together to help my friend Marvin with his Bhakti yoga college clubs before I head out to visit the east coast. It looks like I'll be back east a bit longer than usual this year because I'm going a little early to help Your Holiness with Rathayatra,

HpS - Our "Rathayatra" has always been a little part of the Celebrate Nashville Festival. It has been cancelled this year and last year.

...and staying a bit later because we had to push back the date of our exhibition until the end of November. Looks like Krishna is arranging a crash course for me in art curation! My mantra lately is, "if you're not scared, you're not thinking big enough!"

On a related topic I had an opportunity to visit Tukaram prabhu recently and ask his advice about some of the stuff I'm going through. Practically right away he brought up the question of ashram. I think I've already mentioned that I feel uneasy about going into art as a brahmacari mainly because of the social etiquette I'm supposed to follow. If I was just sitting in a temple doing BBT illustrations that would be one thing, but as someone trying to actively engage with the world of contemporary art, I'm realizing more and more that it will be problematic. In addition, Tukaram prabhu pointed out that sociological elements notwithstanding, my whole orientation towards life right now is not really consistent with brahmacari ashram. Because I'm bold and independent and ambitious rather than meek and dependent and aloof. He said it's not necessarily a bad thing, but it has a certain time and place. It's true that I'm not exactly eager for a relationship or a family at this point, but in the meantime at least the type of sacrifice I'm engaged in (embracing the world and offering sense objects into the fire of the senses) seems more aligned with the grhastha ashram. The way I see it is, if I go down the path of grhastha ashram, in the course of performing devotional service either I'll eventually meet someone who is equally invested in the things I'm interested in, in which case a partnership may actually be useful, or I'll just be too busy to even bother and after a few years I'll just go directly into vanaprastha ashram. I guess I find it important to discuss this because I do actually have respect for the ashram of brahmacarya, and I don't want to misrepresent it if I don't find it worthwhile at this stage to follow all the rules and regulations in detail.

I'm actually starting to think that unless one is doing tksp, grhastha ashram might actually be advantageous in some ways for preaching in the modern west. I feel like as a monk, social interactions are limited more or less to an official capacity of giving direct guidance or instructions. But if people don't already appreciate or accept the value system or the authority behind monastic life they are less likely to value or apply those instructions. So if I can befriend people, and set a public example and aesthetic portraying the value system of Vedic thought as attractive and beneficial, I hope that people will come of their own volition to submissively inquire about philosophy. What do you think? Does any of that make sense or am I just trying to justify my maya?

HpS - As you say, it seems like the best approach is to just go ahead with your service and then if you need to make a change, it will become obvious. In general, there is 100% opportunity to preach in the current social system as a Brahmacari. Women respect monks and are very, very greedy to have that kind of association in the proper perspective, as brother, father, son. It has always been that way ans always will be that way.
Prabhupada acted as the "Father" to so many girls. They didn't want him in any other relationship.

I look forward to catching up with you in Nashville soon to serve you personally and find out more about your Art and the Sacred presentation. I'm about to buy plane tickets so I just want to confirm the date. You mentioned before that the parade is the first weekend of October, so does that mean Saturday October 1st?

Your fallen servant,

Ekāśma Dās

HpS - You can always call us or put URGENT in these letters. Again, the Festival here is cancelled. We are just absorbed in writing for the most part now, but it is going on.  We have no particular bodily conception of life. Only "personal service" we can conceive is when people are serving the Supreme Person!
Go ahead!   Lets look at your next letter!

P.S. I think you mentioned me on your recent guru Tattva post. I don't recall bringing up guru Tattva recently, could you remind me what it's in reference to? Thank you : D