Letters to the editor

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada! 

I have heard you've been doing quite a bit of traveling. Is it true that you will be reducing your travel before long and staying in India?

It's been very busy around here with Rathayatra going on, so it's been difficult for me to really do much else. Then, I was maybe a little too excited to get back to normal over here and I woke up with a killer toothache. I couldn't eat or sleep and I've been going all over town trying to sort it out and just this morning someone finally yanked out my wisdom tooth. I feel a little more wise now about this material world. Maybe next time I won't neglect to write Lord Jagannath a get well card.

ASA - We are all sinners in the hands of an angry God!

About your proposal I would be thrilled and honored to contribute to your project. I actually went through art therapy for about a year with one psychologist who studied Carl Jung, it really changed my life because I could tell she really cared about me. She told me nothing could help unless I found spiritual meaning in life. At the end of our time together she told me "I don't usually say this to patients but actually there's nothing wrong with you. It's everybody else that's crazy." Then she retired and went back to teaching art to kids.

ASA - Wow!!

Maybe we can discuss the details of my involvement when I come in the fall. In the meantime, there's a great opportunity to get the community in LA fired up for preaching and cultivation projects.

There is one group trying to bring the Gurukulis together, there's another group interested in art, another group restarted a weekly meeting for young people, there's a few interested in doing home programs or Bhakti Vrksha and there's one new sannyasi (H.H. B.R. Sagara Maharaj) who has ambitious plans for a huge interfaith festival here. So I'm involved in all of these things on some level, so I'm trying to organize some kind of grassroots co-op to bring all these devotees together so that we have a team in place to collate all these different kinds of outreach. So far local management seems agreeable so long as we don't make extra work for them.

Right now I'm trying to be as productive as possible while working over the phone to curate this group exhibition I have planned on the east coast in November. I'm going to try selling art in a few flea markets to buy time and make money until I can get in with local galleries. The temple is making me a great offer on a fully outfitted sankirtan van they're not using so I want to buy it ASAP and use it as my urban cottage on wheels. That will be of great use for transporting work, engaging in different areas etc etc etc. I'm just going to stay here, but it will be great to have my own space so I can put all my time and energy into making some real progress on these projects.

If you could pass along any more info about your project I would be excited to see it. Hare Krishna!

your servant,

Ekāśma Dās

HpS - We are always doing updates in the DTC and other notes. Look at the DTC today with something just for you!!

                 HARE KRSNA GURUDEVA,

                 PAOHO, AGTSP!

                 YES!! , PREMA MURTI EVERY YEAR DOES A NICE GARDEN WITH MANY FLOWERS AND VEGETABLES

                FOR SRI SRI RADHA GOVINDA CANDRA (G&N, L&N AND SP). WE GET PUMPKINS ALL WINTER  THANKS TO HIS WORK,

                HE IS  AMAZING.  ALSO SOME DEVOTEES WORK IN LITTLE PIECES OF LAND.

                WE ARE NOT SO GOOD AT TAKING CARE OF PLANTS. CITY RATS, WE ARE STILL...MAYBE WE LEARN AT SOME POINT.

ASA - We will go to the local garden store, run by Amish people, Monday and see what we can plant. We are thinking of gardening in pots, because we are traveling.

                ALMENDRO´S E-MAIL: xxx

                AND SKYPE: xxx

ASA - Aaaah!    Thank you!  What shall be the content of the next Solaris, so that you can give it to a lot of people???

                THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING

                ASPIRING TO SERVE YOU

                SANANDA DD AND BHADRA VD

Hare Krsna Dear Gurudev,
    Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.

HpS - ASA -- Apple flower feet, maybe.  We still eat improperly, but progressing.

    All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
    All glories to Guru parampara.

    Gurudev, We hope you are good in health and doing well.

    I am thinking to do PhD (through correspondence). what you would advise?
    
your fallen servant,
Girivaradhari-Gopal Das

HpS - Hmmm!   It is a big question.  It is like I am thinking of buying some land.   What is your personal motivation for doing it?    Who inspires you to do it?    Who would be your associates if you did it?   Who would benefit if you did it???

COpy of Letter to Vais, Srivasa and HLD:

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

Hare Krsna, Prabhu,
Distributed one NOI yesterday and working on transcribing Prabhupada's dialog on Carl Jung in "Dialectic Spiritualism" for wide distribution.

What about Lecture Three and Mee-ee-ee Teeing with
The Srivasa Pandita and Hari-lila Das on administrative issues like we mentioned in the the previous broadcast??  Any time???

Jaya Sri Krsna!

Esteemed Prof. Samaresh Bandyopadhyay, Anjana Suta Academy,
Here it is Thursday, night, 7.48PM and we are seated in the living room of Dr. Ravi Singh. It is very cool here, but in our cave and outside it is about 30* and 85% humidity. It makes it very hard for us to work, but we did get a small air-conditioner installed in one room of our mobile-home and it brings it down to a workeable level in that room.

Again, we tried to call last weekend but could not get through. We got your letter and will try again on Saturday with Dr. Ravi.

This week we were supposed to have a conference call with Rama-giri-dhari  Das about the NIOS work, and the ISKCON Ministry of Education, but he Skyped us apologizing that he was caught in travel, so we have not met so far.

Ramon Mujica, who was Director of the National Library in Peru for five years, and our staunch supporter and friend, has not yet been chosen by the new Minister of Cultural to retain the position, but he has been asked by the new President himself to take up the responsibility, directly under him, of Director for the Centennary Celebrations of Peru's Independence from the Spanish colonial powers. He has asked Abhirama Das that anyone of our community who would like to do anything in this regard then please present it to him. For your good self and Prof. Kalyankumar it seems like there would be excellent opportunity to make very practical comments about colonial independence in comparison of India and Peru and modern development of national identities and missions.

Solaris is going out and we are already getting new friends from it in Spain. I downloaded the English files today and I can start work on them and as discussed we were hoping that you can review the articles and then write the Foreword for this first number and the whole Journal.

Personally, between battles with lust, spiders, local projects etc, I have ordered Prof. Gerald Larson's translation of Isvara Krsna Das' Sankhya Karika, as recomended by Prof. Ravi Gupta and Miguel Polo, and hope to use it in developing our efforts in adjudicating  Sankhya with the world models of the West from such philosophers as Carl Jung, Marshal McLuhan and E. T. Hall. Is it the proper book?

Finally, our Calendar seems to be settling down and we would come to the all glorious land of Bharata on January 1st for an ISKCON-Christian dialog in Tirupati and Radhika's developing Bhagvatam syposium at Madras University about the 7th. Then we are at the disposal of your good selves until about 10th-17th February when the is a Guru, Sannyasi, GBC Sanga in Mayapura. After that we were thinking to head by the USA with a quick stop in Spain.

Well this letter sounds half-way sane and we hope to talk with you this Saturday.

HpSwami - ASA

All Glories to A.C. Prabhupada and Sripada

Dandavat Pranam,

Please accept my humble obeisaces unto Guruji's padamacharan that after getting Gurujis amirtabany - reply of my previous letter I am so happy and clear all my darkness. Actually, I am not suitable  for any position or level whichever Guruji mentioned. Simply I am enquiring to Guruji Maharaja the system of Manipuri Goudiya Sampradaya. In the book Prema-vilas translated into Manipuri some quotations are enclosing whichever I have read. The question and answer between Lokanatha Gosvami and Narotama Das about bhakti, seva, sakhi, manjuri, kunja etc.

Lokanatha Gosvami told Narotama Das “ Radha-Krsna should be worship by Sidhi (Manasik). We should imitate the systems which Lokanatha Gosvami taught to Narotama Dasa that we should worship the human form of Krsna two handed and the age of 15 or16 and Radharani the age of 14. Lalita and Bishakha are the closes among the shakhis and shakhis called Radharani as friends but Manjaris did the closes works  (seva) of confidential both for Radharani and Krsna. We should try to worship Jugala Rupa in all the eight times (asta kala). According to asta kala the sites also eight places they are Nandisvara, Javata, Sangket Kunja, Barsan, Srikunda, Nirvita Kunda, Rasmandal. If we do not see the exact lila played by Radha-Krsna how we will serve Them. According to Their lilas, kalas, and places I should join and serve Them by my manasik sakhi and manjari through the head sakhi and manjari of the Yutha. We should wait the sign and signal of the sakhi and follow the manjari head of the site. 

After hearing all these instructions from his Guruji Lokanatha, Sri Narotama Dasa enquire further that in which kala, kunja and by which mantra – Krsna-Mantra, Radha-Mantra, Yugal Mantra, Kama-vija, Kama-gaitri we will worship pujah?  Guruji replied, it is a very confidential rasa and it is unavoidable.

All such systems are calling Ragatamika. We have so many systems to be taught through the Spiritual Master, but we have missed everything due to distance and unavailability of sitting together with the disciples.

We should follow the Parkiya bhaba, following sakhis, thinking the sakhi bhaba, imagining the rupa of Raha-Krsna by manasika.

HpS - ASA -- Hare Krsna!   In NOD - Chapter 15  from  Bhakti-rasa-amrta-sindhu 1.2.270-287, Rupa Goswami explains the process of Raganuga Bhakti. First we have to become competent at Vaidhi bhakti. That means we follow the four principles: No meat, fish or egg; no illicit sexual relations... and do Japa vrata, 16-malas daily, nicely... Brahma-muhurta seva such as Mangala arati etc. Then we become purified and these things become spontaneous. Then we can start Raganuga Bhakti, to follow a Ragatmika devotee in Vraja. At that point the attraction is spontaneous. It is not something that someone has to tell you. At that point we must already be Goswami and, "BG-chapter six: Jitatmana prasantasya, paramatma samahita", if we are Goswami the Paramatma, clear inspiration from Krsna, is there. Our relation with Guru, Sampradaya, is also spontaneous. We can tangible feel the presence of Narottama Das while we are chanting his songs.
So you must see if you have perfected Vaidhi-bhakti. Are you always up for Brahma-muhurta, sixteen nice rounds daily???

Another question is who is Srimati Chandrabali? What is her role in Vrndaban lila? Please highlight me the story.

HpS - She is described in Rupa Goswami's literature, no?   She is like Radharani's cousin. They love each other like anything, but they fight over how to please Krsna best. This is fight like two best friends. They fight because that is good way to get things straight. She is very submissive and cries with Krsna talks to other girls. Radharani is aggressive and chastises Krsna.
In Dvaraka she id Rukmini and Radha is Satyabhama. See the difference?  In the feast we like sweets and spicey things.

I want to follow some steps for advancement of spiritual knowledge. Please guide me.

Your fallen servant

Yamunesvara Das

HpS - Managala arati, rounds... regular, good??