Letters to the editor

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale 

śrīmate hanumatpreśaka-svāmin iti nāmine

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ 

titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām

ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ

The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime. (SB 3.25.21)

mūkaṁ karoti vācālaṁ paṅguṁ laṅghayate girim

yat-kṛpā tam ahaṁ vande paramānanda-mādhavam

I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, the deliverer of the fallen souls. His mercy turns the dumb into eloquent speakers and enables the lame to cross mountains. (CC Madhya 17.80)

Dhyana Mulam Guru Murti Puja Mulam Gurur Padam

Mantra Mulam Gurur Vakyam Moksha Mulam Guru Kripa

The Guru's form is the best to meditate upon; the Guru's feet are the best for worship; the Guru's word is the mantra; the Guru's Grace is the root of liberation.     [Guru Gita - Skanda Purana Dialogue between Shiva and Uma (Shakti)]

Dear Gurumaharaja Please accept my humble obeisances. 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to you on this auspicious day of your vyasapuja.

The time of year has come when have to write a vyasa puja offering.  The words and sentences just stop.  How difficult it becomes to put the thoughts into words? ‘cakṣu-dāna dila yei, janme janme prabhu sei’, You are my master, birth after birth. still We are unable to glorify you. Each and every moment of your life, you teach us by example. You never lose a single moment to glorify your spiritual master A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Anytime anyone credits you with the wonderful service you are doing, you attribute it to Srila Prabhupada’s mercy.

GuruMaharaja, you have made all arrangements not only for your disciples but for humanity at large through your many innovative ways of getting your association through your lectures, live internet broadcasts, activity reports, DTC, KDh  etc. In every activity of yours, you never fail to strengthen our commitment and conviction to Srila Prabhupada and his ISKCON. In a very exemplary way, you teach us the mood of becoming an eternal disciple by displaying your unconditional pure love for Srila Prabhupada. Please GuruMaharaja, instill in our hearts a drop of that mood of servitorship for your divine grace as you have for Srila Prabhupada.

Since, we have initiated we have been tried to follow your instruction to the best extend. Srila Gurudeva, as you mention preaching is the mood of spiritual master we try our best to preach every chance we get. I have completely depended on your mercy on this. By your mercy only we can perform devotional service without any difficulties and can be success also.

Your most valuable guidance has given us great courage and enthusiasm to manage our spiritual life. Your blessing and encouragement has given us great strength to render devotional service and to serve the mission of Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu by spreading the holy name and message of the supreme lord. Please accept our heartily gratitude by accepting and guiding us by taking us through the path of divine knowledge (Krishna Consciousness).

Last but not the least; your health is very important for our tender spiritual life. We beg the mercy of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krsna and Sri Sri Krsna Balaram to keep you in best health for preaching KC all over the world – apratihata.

For now We pray at your divine lotus feet to always have your shelter despite my entire shortfall. Thank you for being there when We need you. Thank you for always answering questions and clearing my doubts. Thank you for everything you gave us this year. We look forward to serve you more and more. Please bless us so that We can follow your instructions and become a worthy servant of yours.

A.S.N.F. (A Son Never Forgets)

Your eternal servant 

Patrak Das

HpS - ASA ==  Thank you for using your very, very disturbed body to serve Krsna! We hope to see you in Lima, Chosica, in a few days!!!

My dear guruji:

I read in Sri Harinama Cintamani the following: “The achievement of any success in this world requires the help of a guru’s instructions. How, then, can one obtain perfection in the best of all subjects, spiritual science, without the aid of the guru?”.

Also, in the purport of verse7.72 of Cc Adi Lila it says: “… only fools give up the service of the spiritual master ad think themselves advanced in spiritual knowledge…, Every disciple must consider himself completely unaware of the science of Krsna and must always be ready to carry out the orders of the spiritual master to become competent in Krsna consciousness”.

Sometimes, I have become proud of myself because I have the chance of living in Radhakunda, but then I remember your instructions before coming here:

1. You are going to Radhakunda to enhance your sadhana, not for prestige or to make social relationship with the devotees living there.

2. You have to grow in your spiritual life and develop your relationship with Radha-Krsna.

3. You have to be as humble as you can.

But sometimes I fail in all this and become puffed up, but this kartika, Radharani helped me to put my feet on the floor in a very funny way. I was trying to keep on cleaning the kunda every day, so I went the first day of the month in the evening and when I got there I prayed to Radharani: “Radharani, please, if I get proud, throw me to the water, ok?” so, I started cleaning and suddenly one person came and told me “hey, haribol, you are doing the best seva in the world” and I said to myself “oh yes, I am doing it”, and what happened: at that moment I fell into the water, I really could not believe it but I confess, that made me proud, so I realized, one more time, that in this place They, Radha and Krsna really hear everything, after that, Radharani, who is so merciful, arranged the scenario so I could make the seva without hearing any other comment, with all the things we had to do at home, the only time I could go to the kunda was after 8:00 o’clock at night, at that hour, the kunda was almost empty, so I could work very quietly, only to please them and without pride.

Before kartika, as every year, I made a list of the things I WANTED to do to please Radha-Kunja Bihari, these things included to chant more rounds, to read more books, to memorize more prayers, to do more parikramas to Govardhan, but this year all this was a complete failure. I once heard “if you want to make Krsna laugh, tell him your plans” and that was I did, but Krsna had another plans for all of us (my family and I) and since the first day of kartik, fortunately, we had a lot of people coming home, so all my plans came to the ground because I could not chant more or read more or doing parikramas or anything, but giving us, on the other hand, the opportunity to make another seva, vaisnava seva and all along the month, we were doing this, vaisnava seva. The day of Bahulastami, for example, we had the chance to celebrate the vyasa-puja of HH Guru Prasad Swami here at home, one of his disciples ask us to make it here since maharaja did not want to make a big party this year, and so we did, and had kirtan, offerings, prasadam and maharaja was very happy, and we also were happy because we participated doing again vaisnava seva, haribol.

After all this, I decided that this new year I won’t make any more list, I will only adjust what I am doing now, and will also make what Radharani wants me to do, so, this is my offering: This year, I won’t chant more rounds, but the rounds I chant, I will try to chant them more attentively; I won’t read more books, but the books I read, I will try to read them more careful and submissively so I can assimilate better the instructions given in those books, I will not memorize more prayers, but to analyze them better to learn their meaning, I won’t look for doing more seva here and there, but the seva I do, I will try to make it more selfless and only for the pleasure of my Gurudev and the Divine Couple.

To accomplish all these I only need three things: Radha-Kunja Bihari krpa, to follow your instructions, and to ask you to give me your mercy and blessings so I would be able to be a little better devotee and person, dedicated only to satisfy you and as a consequence, to satisfy Bhagavan.

And as you can see, the failure in my kartika vrata became a success because I did what Radharani wanted me to do, instead of what I wanted to do, realizing one more time that we are not the doers, but Their instruments.

So, my dear guruji, I want to thank you again and again because without your causeless mercy, I could not be here in this beautiful Radhakunda, full of sweetness and festivals and holy names and I could not be trying to be a servant of the servant of the servant.

Your (trying to be humble) servant

Tungavidya devi dasi

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HpS - ASA - AGTSP!   Paoho.   So, Krsna personally pushed you into Radha-kunda. Or was it one of the Monkeys. In any case it seems so refereshing. You can see we are in here in South America. You can see our Itinerary, no?    Ooof.  I think we will be able to see you very soon with Professor and everyone.

Thank you so much for your offering and the association of your family.

Let us go to another letter.

Let us all see that Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan is always intimately related to Radha kunda!!!!!

AGTSP

Esteemed Bloggers;

Follows are current India Intinerary. We are seeing what Raktaka Das and Prof. Samaresh's ideas are but things are pretty fixed. We hope The Raktaka Das can co-ordinate the travel and then we are looking forward to the association of Girivaradhari Das, Harsh Swami, Cakori, TUNGAVIDYA DD, et al in route. (PND))))   >

Please write with your opinions.

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

Hare Krsna,

Esteemed Professor, Raktaka Das,
Here we are in Buenos Aires.     Thank you Professor for your conversation today.
1. Our itinerary for India, now it:

Feb
18/Thu, Arrive Delhi 10.45PM.  Go to ISKCON Temple and stay until 21/Sun.
21/Sun, Del to CCU.  We have this ticket. Spend the night. Raktaka Das, can you book a room for two for the nights of 18th to 20th at the Guest House. We can both stay there.  Prof. is there any work that we should do while in Delhi???
22/Mon, Kolkat to Mayapur via the Huzaar Duaari. Our thought is that Professor and Mataji can travel with us, HpS - Raktaka Das, and then stay in Mayapura for four days. Raktaka Das - Train tickets? Accomodations in Mayapura for you and Professor and Mataji? We will stay with the ILS quota. The ISKCON Leadership Sanga will be from 24th February to 2nd March. Then we were thinking to spend one more day, 3rd, to finish any work with the Ministry of Education et al, then..

Mar
4/Fri, Mayapura to CCU airport and fly to Manipur.
7-8/Mon-Tue, back to CCU from Imphal.  This will be just a personal counseling and formal religious tour as far as I know. May also go to Agaartala etc. So, would sem to be waste of Professor's time, but we will keep both of your good selves informed as we receive letters from Manipur. Returning to Kolkata we have no plans, except those that Professor suggests. Then..
18/Fri, We are programmed to go to BBY, but we don't have any ticket yet, if Professor wants us to to travel from CCU to some other place. In Bombay we would be with Rama-giridhari and the Goloka Education work. Of course, the Raktak et al are can travel with us, but again, I think that it would be a waste of Professor's time unless Rama-giridhari Das et al, get some specific program or Professor sees some need.
25/Fri, we have ticket from BBY to DEL (AI 864). Then we would go directly from the airport (With Professor and Mataji) to Vrndavana and stay until,
29/Tue. when we would go to the Delhi airport at as late as possible because our flight is on the 30th at 2.30AM.

O.K?  It is a head-ache trying to do all this travel planning, but this seems to be the most efficient way.

Rakataka Das, what is your plan? You are with us all the way? You can make the above reservations?

Professor, we apologize for any disturbance we are causing by these travel plans and sincerely hope to hear from you with any suggestions we have. Of course, we are 87% available for any NIOS work that you have for us in Delhi, Kolkatta or Bombay!

Namah Om Vishnu Padaya Krishna Preshthaya Bhutale

Srimate Hanumat Preshak Swamin iti Namine

I pay my respectful obeisances to His Divine Grace Srila Hanumat Preshak Swami Maharaj-who is very dear to Lord Shri Krishna, having taken shelter at His feet.

Please accept my best wishes on the occasion of your 68th Divine Appearance Day.

When Karmi people celebrate their birth-days, it does not make any sense, since they have no spiritual inclination and thus they implicate their existense more and more in material complexities, but in your case, please believe me that you should be proud of your devotional attainments, so celebrating your birth-day is a must thing, it gives to us, to the disciples, an opportunity to glorify the whole parampara through your transparent via medium, All Glories to your pure service to your guru Srila Prabhupad, kindly bless us that we may serve you with the same spirit.

When we say that you are our savior, it is not out of sentiments, it is real. Here is the reason:-We have the tendency to commit sinful activities because of our past conditioning, but always, either out of fear of chastisement from your side, or out of respect for you or for the fear of public blasphemy-they would say shame on you, what are you doing? disciple of such a nice Sadhu and look at your degraded actions, so you are always saving us, directly or indirectly.  A disciple can never pay to his guru for the gifts he receives from him, if he thinks so he is fool number one.

You are a very genuine Vaishnav and you are situated in your own glories, may the light of your pure character always be upon us, and thus we may aspire to follow you properly.

yours servant,

Raktak Das

HPS - AGTSP. paoho. we have very little  ability. we are in argentina with a machine that is 90% inefficient. thank you for your thoughts. we follow the four principles, chant our rounds and try to minimize our acts of stupidity. we have more purification before we can really be bhava bhaktas. the more we purify ourselves, the more others have the opportunity of pure association.

Hare Krsna reverencias maharaja En realidad NO , sus curriculums son buenos pero no los conosco a todos. Me gustaria cambiar la Filosofía por el Derecho, es fácil el cambio. Me siento inquieta ya que no sé si sea momento para pasar un tiempo en el templo quizá seis meses o un año.