Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna Maharaja!

Please accept my humble obeisances,

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Here in Dallas at RADHA KALACHANDJI DHAMA we just celebrated Kirtan 50!!

Every year it just seems to get sweeter!!

The kirtaniyas are amazing!

Gaura Vani, Kalindi DD, Akincana Krishna, Amala Harinama, Achyuta Gopi, BB Govinda Swami , and more!!

And every day the feasts are spectacular:

Quesadillas, Chinese noodles, Momo's, Waffles, and the normal Indian cuisine.

Devotees come from all over the world for this... 50 hours of kirtan spanning over three days and it ends with a puspanjali flower shower for Radha Kalachandji.

There is no better way to start off a new Year!!

The temple is not so big, but hundreds of devotees attend... So just trying to get a spot in the temple is a job in itself... I usually try to climb up on a pillar and kind of half-way hang there... But this year I barely got a spot.

I saw Yasodanandana Prabhu!! As you probably know, he designed and installed most of the beautiful stained glass installations here at Radha Kalachandji's.

It's always been one of my dreams to make stained glass art for Krishna!

I've connected with this Prabhu many times and he said he will take me as an apprentice, but he has no money to start the projects at the moment. It's fun to hear and talk about future projects though. He's a very talented artist.

And of course the Prasad is overflowing, not all of it gets served...On the waffle day (I ate my waffles plain with butter only), there were so many waffles left over. So Achyuta Govinda prabhu and I took a tray of waffles, cranberry sauce, maple syrup and butter and went door to door offering them to the local families.

It was a good chance for me to practice my Spanish and we distributed about 13 plates of double-stacked and fully loaded waffles!

Oh on Friday before the festival, Daruka Prabhu held a massive pizza party for all the devotees and visiting musicians!

He and Mother Sweta (the head cook for Kalachandji's restaurant) normally cook an offering for Radha Kalachandji every year for Sadhu Sanga that's big enough to serve the Prasad to about 3,000 devotees!! So a pizza party for 300 devotees seems like a cake walk.

Daruka had just built the wood fired pizza oven and deck. ... I'm sure this is just as good as Panca Tattva Prabhu's pizza!

They also had cauliflower pakoras with parmesan cheese, salad, and a bean soup.

It was amazing and the whole community came to party in the back yard.

There was a book distributor there needing Spanish books, so I gave him 40 small books... I'm not sure if this counts as distribution??

HpS - Una eslabon en la cadena!

On New Year's Eve, the kirtan really started to get intense and Achyuta Gopi sang sweetly for Lord Jagannatha. Kalindi Mataji prepared everyone for midnight, and then the incense started billowing as the curtains opened for Sri Sri Radha Kalachandji!!

We were so so happy to see Radha Kalachandji for the new year.

His Holiness BB Govinda Swami lead a raging kirtan until about 1:30 in the morning. He grew up with Elvis, or had some connection with him. During one of the previous years he was dancing like Elvis and doing push-ups during the kirtan.

So hilarious!!

(We made it to the mangal next day! By his mercy)

Then the kirtan was winding down on New Years Day until the flower shower for Radha Kalachandji!!

And by his mercy Maharaja I was able to sneak up there are throw some rose petals for Radha Kalachandji!! I'm eternally grateful !!!

After Radha Kalachandji and all of the other presiding deities are up to Their neck in multi-colored rose petals, then boxes and boxes of the Maha Prasad are offered to Srila Prabhupada and all of the devotees!

The crowd goes wild and prasad for everyone!!

It's a flower fight!!!

Below is a link for the kirtan!

Exactly at 1 hr : 48 minutes : 45 seconds is when HH BB Govinda Swami tells everyone that has a phone to look up the Radha Krpa (Katasksa ?) Stotram.

It's so good!!

Your aspiring servant,

Jaya Hari das

https://www.youtube.com/live/FMqamennpNU?si=4Jb0YF3bCxStF56J

And here is a link for Yasomatinandana Prabhu's video....

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1lEjmyu0cpBAXeLMCvXZ6CrOMgWRrOT7rtCJM0/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

HpS - Thank you! Such nice report!!! We can also report that it was so ecstatic that several of the devotees from Houston who went for the festival brought some of the participants back with them.

They came back with three day flu virus. 😅

Docotoress, Mother, Guru-bhati Devi Dasi is almost recovered.

I guess the Bacteria also benefits from the Prasadam!!! 💪🙂

Our Light of the Bhagavata Symposium was great and now we're headed for Vyasapuja and DTC-Spain release.!

Hare Krishna, Respected Maharaj,

Please accept our humble and respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!! All glories to your holiness!!

HpS/ASA - AgtSP. Paoho..... !. .. We feel like 'our holocastness'. 🐵

Trying to not eat peanut butter and bananas late at night.

We are writing to inform you that in our Richmond Yatra, Priya Mataji (wife of Braja Raja Krishna Prabhu) recently shared her desire and aspiration to take shelter of your Holiness. She is a sincere Vaishnavi practicing for a few years now and is serious about her spiritual life.

We would like to ask you Maharaj, what would be her next steps? Thank you very much.

We beg at your lotus feet to remain your servant, to develop taste in Chanting Holy Names, and to be protected from Vaishnava aparadha.

Your servant,

Divyanam Das

HpS - Very nice letter, thank you. We are remembering meeting at Radha kunda while you all were taking bath!!

About us acting as Diksa guru, we wrote out our perspective in a letter yesterday:

https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/14617/

In summary, we are too old to do the job.

We can act as Siksa guru, also in terms of our capacity, and we are seeing very nice devotees like Radha Krsna Das here in Houston who are taking up the work as Diksa guru very well.

Of course, the main thing is how we see everyone as Guru: trnad api sahisnuna... that is the spiritual world, and then Diksa guru, Vartmana pradarshika guru, Kula guru are all specific aspects of that.

O.K.??

agtsp

paoho / bw

tom brown here.

brother ass and hps are tired. the sun is at 8.51pm now.

sitting in the kadamba room in the sannyasi palace in iskcon houston.

very quiet.

lob spanish program was an intense, broad, profound, lasting, elegant production. Prof. Raul from the Jungian Center came with his esteemed wife. Many regular and leading Temple devotees attended.

Excellent.

Full morning program.

then 11-1pm a Bhakti vrksa program with about 40-participants.

all new devotees.

hps discussed the perspective of BG and verse 2.18.

several nice questions.

...

a little rest and off to the temple for the evening program. about five to six people: psychologists, NASA space engineers, all with questions and Krsna krpa Das and Sadhu Das leading Kirtan!

Radha Natabara 8PM Kirtan, SB/Lila-amrta!

Quick look at the Blog.

Seems people are requesting some of our, Monkey's, Diarys.

Tomorrow is Ekadasi. Fasting from Greens and Brains!

HpS gives Sunday Feast lecture and is going to talk about Epiphany, Three Kings, Interfaith Dialog.

Hari Bolo!!!

 ISKCON Educator and Mentor- His Grace Prana Das

His Grace Prana Das departed this material world (1-6-23), around 6. a.m. IST in Vrindavan Dham at the Bhaktivedanta Hospice. Many of you may know of His Grace Prana Prabhu.

He joined ISKCON in the early 80’s and has served most dedicatedly in the area of education in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., the USA, and India. He played instrumental roles as a teacher, principal, education consultant, and curriculum developer, for early, elementary, and Higher Education, was a great mentor and trainer, a Sanskrit curriculum developer, and a teacher at the Mayapur Institute of Higher Education. He assisted Mother Urmila in digitizing the Learn to Read Series. Most recently (the last 5 years), he has developed online interactive learning for children (bhaktilearning.com).

Between 2014-2018, I had the good fortune of Prabhu’s association during the startup years of establishing Goswami Academy at ISKCON Houston. He served as one of the visiting education consultants. Not only was he very knowledgeable and expert in the field of education, but Prabhu was a kind, caring, compassionate, and wonderful devotee. I feel very fortunate to have had his association. Please join me in prayers to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha Krishna for the departure of this great soul.

Below is a must-see YouTube video in-depth link that features Prabhu joining ISKCON, his early years, services, and words of wisdom in our bhakti journey…

https://youtu.be/9WOjtWFdCho?feature=shared

HpS/ASA - We can only repeat what Subra Devi Dasi has said. We were fortunate to get Prabhu's association. He was compassionate in seeking us out when we were in his Yatra and always a friendly intelligent person.

Where is he now?

Will he be in Nadiya with Nimai???

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj.

Please accept our humble obeisance. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you very much for coming to Houston and staying here and giving your association to community.

Me and wife is very thankful to you that since you gave us Brahmin diksha we are able to serve lordship more.

Now we can cook for deity we do more then couple of times in week, also we are dressing Gaur Nitaya and Radha Giridhari and Girirajji, because of your mercy and lord blessings we got opportunity to do abhishek of Radha Giridhari on Janmastami, my wife Sumitra Radha got opportunity to Aartik on Goverdhan Pooja day.

HpS/ASA - We, agtSP, feel very fortunate to be in NMDh. We are trying to contribute!

You are already in Goloka, Nabadvipa, no? You just have to wake up!!!

We are trying to keep ourselves engage in more and more active devotional service.

Both Kids also help us in serving Radha Neela Madhav.

I am planning to visit my parent in India last week of Jan.

Please always keep us in your shelter.

Your Aspiring Servant

Devendra Krishna Das

Sumitra Radha

HpS/ASA - AgtSP. Thank you!!! What are exact dates of your visit to India?

ASA[E] Guru-tattva.. Diksa guru retires.

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja

Please accept my humble obeisances

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

All Glories to your enormous service.

I hope you get much better health.

HpS - Our donkey's health is pretty good for 75-years old.

Had littel fever, probably just like you, but recovered quickly.

Hearing, sight, memory are like 40% gone. That won't come back in this life time. It is good. We want to stop watching the movie of mangos and pick real mangos for Krsna!

Would be nice if we died right after sending this letter and you died right after reading it and then we both took birth in Nabadvipa with Nimai, no!!!

We remain firm with all our vows and also with the service in the initiation committee, I wanted to apologize for my mistake in misunderstanding the words in English, I will strive to improve, in fact I am practicing English with a devotee of the Indian community 🙏.

HpS - Your English is better than my Spanish! 😄

In December we helped aspiring devotees for Hari nama initiation and brahminical initiation of Jayapataka Maharaja, we had a very good association with older devotees.

HpS/ASA - Such a nice service!

My letter is mainly addressed to you to tell you about Bhakta Carlos Rold, a devotee of many years who has always felt very enthusiastic about everything related to making your sankirtan grow.

I am a witness of how he has made an effort to qualify and prepare himself.

For a year now, he has been following the four regulative principles, maintaining his sadhana, connecting to FMP, doing practical service in the Iskcon Chile temple, singing its 16 rounds (he tells me that when he cannot finish them, he sings them the next day, adding to the corresponding ones),

he has also approved [passed] the Disciples course and is about to finish the Introduction to Bhakti yoga course.

Also Bhakta Lucciano Macchiavello would also like to formalize his entire process in a certain way, he tells me that he has known you for more than 17 years and that no one like you has understood it, he has never stopped following your institution of donating milk and butter for the deity.

Gurudeva an important question, do you think in the future granting formal Refuge and possible initiation to Bhakta Carlos Rold and perhaps formal refuge to Bhakta Lucciano Macchiavello?, Both devotees have been following his instructions for years.

Your would-be servant

Manjuali Devi Dasi

Santiago de Chile

HpS - Maybe even more than a year ago we decided that we are too old to give any more 1st initiation. The Diksa guru takes Karma. It is a job, and it is a job for a young man. Last time we did it. Few months ago. We felt really crushed.

🙂

However, that does not mean that we cannot be Guru's for Carlitos or Machaivelli.

In Srila Bhaktivinode's 'Jaiva Dharma' one fictional Sannyasi, saint, Babba Mahasai, is preaching, teaching, guiding a young man from Kolkata when he visits Nabadvipa.

Then Bobba Mahasaya tells him that he is ready for initiation, but that he, Bobba Mahasaya is 90-years old and that if he initiates him, he will die, so they should go and see Vaisnava Thakura Bobba who is only 75-years old.

Young man. 😃

VTB says that it is an honor to do the ritual if BM recommends The Young Man (35-years old).

So, that is what we feel.

Carlos and Machiavelli are our friends!

What more can we want!!?

It is an honor if we can be their friends and counselors always.

We are recommending Yadunandana Swami in Spain as a very nice Diksa guru. Radha Krsna Das in Houston.

O.K.