Letters to the editor

Dear Gurudeva, How are you ? I am very  thankful for being able to talk to you in BS. I am writing to ask you a question about deities. First i  want to  ask  you  if recommend me  worshiping Gaura Nitai  at home. Another question I want to ask you  is about the material of the deities,  several devotees have recommended metal, but here in bs a few  devotees make deities  of resin and a type of  marble. what do u think about that? I hope you are well.  Bktn Lali

HpS - ASA - AGTSP Paoho.  Metal is fine. Resin is fine, but may not be so durable. Maybe more warm.
Picture of Pancha-tattva is also fine. Hmmm.   Is very personal.  What attracts you?

Some folks worship Their Japa Beads: Squeeze Them, feed Them, take them for walks, give Them a sunbath every day.

Hare Krishna dear maharaja!

pamho! AgtSP

Thank you so much for your answer!

I wish Lord Nrsimhadeva always protect you. Thank you for all your effort to preach Krishna Consciousness even with the nuisance and issues produced by the body. You inspire me a lot!

I regret the issue about prasadam, maybe it could have been avoided.

His Grace is grhastha and the name of his wife is Jahnava devi. They live in Mayapur with their daughter. 

I understand what you are saying to me. He knows about my status but maybe I should talk with him deeper about it. Anyway I don’t know if it’s the most important. Is it? I Just wanted to know your thinking about it.

HpS - ASA -- AGTSP.  Seems to our bewildered intelligence that first thing is to just have fun in ISKCON: Go to the Sunday Feast. Chant when you walk to work...  Then start to chant regularly: 16-rounds, 4-principles, SP's morning program. If you do that you get Hari-nama Diksa. That's realization that you are servant of Krsna. Sambandha. If you go on with that then you start to understand what is your service in terms of your lifetime VAD: Woman, Ksatrini.... So it would seem now the center is getting first initiation.

Then the VAD, you need a mirror. We always need a mirror. Krsna is the greatest mirror. What is your VAD? Great mirror is a devotee like Mahatma Das. A guru is fixed in his Hari-nama rasa, his VAD position. What is next? A guru's wife is natural mirror for guru's lady disciples. Ask Mahatma Prabhu if you could write to her to introduce yourself???? Maybe she is very shy person and doesn't serve her husband so much in that way.  Maybe she does. Get know your VAD gradually as you get to know the VAD situation of your gurus, no?

 I don’t understand  when you tell me that If I want to clarify my ashram I have to know my guru’s ashrams status. Should be my status related to his status?. Most of his disciples are ghrasthas, but not all. 

HpS - Above, no?

So If I don’t live in the temple for at least 6 month, I can’t take hari-nam diksa? There’s no way?

HpS - No, just have practical relation with Sri Hari, Temple President, so that he can recommend that you have told him that you are following Temple program practically at home and he trusts you.

Yes I’m following the principles about a year ago but I don’t think to live in the temple now. I have many responsibilities with my current service that I can’t just give them up. 

Thank you for your advices about relationships with men and with senior devotees. I will implement it.

All glories to you for inspires us with your steadiness, wisdom and humility.

Thank your for YOUR precious association!

Hare Krishna,

your servant,

Belen. 

HpS - AGTSP. Thank you. You really seem to have been a Sannyasi in your last lifetime but . . . .   Oooops!!!!   ... <img alt="devil" height="23" src="http://www.hps.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/devil_smile.png" title="devil" width="23" /> . . .  [Back on track. One more mile to Goloka]

HARE KRSNA DEAR GM

PAMHO AGTSP

THAT CONGRESS OF EDUCATION IN CHILE WAS VERY INSPIRING GURUDEVA THANKS FOR ALL YOUR EFFORT,

HpS - ASA - AGTSP paoho. It was wonderful. We almost had a brain stroke, but it is just the beginning. More in todays Kapi-dhvaja!  Very nice to hear from you all.

NOW WE ARE IN COLOMBIA WITH SANKIRTAN GROUP OF DSAL , JUST PASSING 105 BOXES OF BOOKS OF VENEZUELA, A LITTLE DIFFICULT MISSION FOR THE  ACTUAL SITUATION IN   VENEZUELA .

HpS - ASA - - -  !!!! HK / HR...  Krsna killed 17-auksahinis of Jarasandha's warriors!

WE ARE TRAVELING BY SEVERAL CITIES,  THE IDEA IS dISTRIBUTED 80 BOXES, IN THESE TWO WEEKS DISTRIBUTE 36 BOXES OF BOOKS AND IN THE NEXT TWO WEEK WAIT YOUR BLESSINGS TO DISTRIBUTE 40  BOXES OF BOOKS.

HpS - Blessing is in the Mantra!  We bless you, please bless us!  May Srila Prabhupada bless us all!!

IN COLOMBIA HAVE SEEN MY DEVOTION HAS BECOME AN EXTERNAL STANDARD NOTHING MORE, SEE THE DEVOTION OF THESE COLOMBIAN DEVOTES;  STRONGLY HOLDING SRLA PRABHUPADA'S BOOKS , AND ALTHOUGH NOT HAVE THE HIGHEST STANDARDS , FEEL MUCH LOVE FOR KRSNA AND DEVOTEES, THAT INSPIRES ME A LOT. 

I humbly pray you to tell me which is the meaning of devotion ?  HOW I INCREASE MY INNER AWARENESS ?

 MY LIFE IS DELIVERED TO YOUR SERVICE PLEASE TELL ME I CAN DO TO HELP YOU IN YOUR SERVICE TO RADHA KRSNA

TRYING TO BE HIS DISCIPLE

Vrajendra Kumara DAS ( B. BURRO )

HpS - More news in the DTC for today, but was very nice to get your personal association during the events in Chile with Jagad-guru Das, Arjuna, Rodrigo et al!
What is devotion: "anyabhilasita sunyam..." - BRS 1.1.11... Cited in NOI, no?  Purport in Text Three of NOI. It means activity. Activity for whom? For Krsna. For Krsna's devotee, Srila Prabhupada, Krsna's Deity, Name, Movement.

In NOI 7 - SP discusses Raganuga bhakti. Then we try to follow the Raga of Srila Prabhupada. Do you read the Lila-amrta? Are you hearing Prabhupada's words in his books as personally written for you?

AGTSP

paoho & bw.
5.42PM, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
Sunset is at 5.30PM, but you sure can't see it. It has been so cold here that we can't even drive over to NGD house. We went yesterday evening and it took us 10-minutes to get the ice off so we coulds open the door and start the motor, heater. Then another 20-minutes of breaking the rest of the ice off so we could drive.

It was dark.

It was quiet.

It was spooky!    Only a few other cars on the road and had to travel really, really slow on the icey roads. Today was about the same. Sun came out for some time and began to melt stuff. Tommorrow night it is supposed to be -20 degreed Farenheit, or -25 C!    Good, God!   What will happen then. At -30 C your spit freezes in the air and exposed flesh freezes in like 90-seconds.

Oooof.  Our little cave in the mobile home is stay warm with one electric heater and we got another in the bathroom. For cooking we have to put on shoes and a jacket and move rather fast. So far no water pipes have broken.

This is not normal. In Boston it is worse. Kill cows get killed.

Our body is still exhausted. We try to do light work but after 6-days our liver still seems 65% depleted. If we even think about eating p-nut butter we feel an intense pain in our waiste etc.

Our heart is happy. How about you.

Now we are just sleeping, but we did a lot of work today: 1-hour 40-minutes on Skype with Rama-giridhari Das. All very useful. Then 30-minutes with Abhirama Das, also super. Eduardo G. and his wife Gida have agreed to try writing a book together, alternating chapters. He was president of the psychiatric society of Peru etc.

Hare Krsna. We can't write this. Krsna gives fantastic suggestions.

15-minutes with everyone's old friend Visala Das. He's 77-tomorrow. Tonight is Siva-ratri. Gana-gamya Das left his body in Delhi. Has a great wife, son, was the chief designer for the Dehli animated museum. 15-minutes with Nandulal from Houston. 10-minutes with NGD and Abhiseka.

Now it is 5.55PM and the sky is closing in. The last cars scurry for the shelter of their garages, only about 10% of normal traffic by our front window today, no commercial traffic, NO AMBULANCES (usually about 14/day).

We read about Lal Bahudar Sastri, second Prime Minister of India, after Nehru and Miguel Cervantes. Of a recent survey of world classical literature by about 75-writers/scholars from 54 countries the Ramayan and Mahabharata were in the top one. They listed them alphabetically by author without rating any as 25th, 26th, 27th etc. but they did note that Don Quixote got 50% more votes than any other book on the list.

Take a look at the winners to see why they win. Use their success for Nanda-gopal and all of his little friends.

We also reviewes Monkey/Piggy's Trash writings from 1,000 - 10,000. They seemed quite amazing.

Monkey / Piggy - HpS, you a work'n fool!!!!!   You call this light work????

O.K. 6.02, then letter is off just for you? How is Laksmana, Candra-munkhi's in Spain? Dandva and Jayanta were in Mangala arati, gave great pleasure to our briain. Jagad Guru, BVD + Sananda, Mitravinda and more. To quote Carl Jung, the psychologist has to be very careful of all the emotional dependence and adoration of his patients. He has to be who he is. An instrument of the Real Doctor. We worse devotees than any of our readers and by your mercy we can contribute a little bit to Srila Prabhupada's movement.

Hare Krishna dear maharaja,

Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada

How is your health?

HpS - ASA -- AGTSP. Paoho. The temperature right now, 3.32PM, Sunday, 15 February, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is -3 celsius. Our cottage is not well heated so that puts a lot of stree on our body and it is hard to offer and honor Prasadam properly. So, our health is pretty good. Recovering from the stress of our South American travel, but still 30% weak from that.
We have already got a LOT of work done here.
Because we could not eat so properly we ate too much salad and so we feel like our stomach is going to explode. Prabhupada had the same problems. Sometimes he would vomit from improper Prasadam, but like him we do our best in this crazy material world and use whatever health we have for Sankirtan.

I was in Mar del Plata with my guru maharaja when you were here. Anyway I could take some association from you for two days. Better than nothing. Hope you come soon again! Thank you again for bring the camera and please forgive us to all the issues that you had because of that. 

I’m still learning how is it work. Anyway I filmed a looooooot of videos! 

Well about my sadhana, I’m trying to improve it again and learning “the art of delegate service”.

Reading “Teaching of Lord Caitanya” and some verses of BG or SB every day.  I really needed to read because I really enjoy it a lot!!! 

I feel very strong keeping 4 principles strictly and chanting 16 rounds, trying to focus more in Krishna and if he wants I will go to Mayapur at the end of this year. H.G. Mahatma wants me there to help him with service and I want to study also. What do you think? 

HpS - Very nice! Is Mahatma Prabhu in Vanaprastha or Ghrastha ashrama???  What is name of his esteemed wife?

Well now that I know you said: “"No existen preguntas tontas, hay tontos que no preguntan”. I will ask some questions! ha!

I was thinking about my ashram also.. It’s a new kind of ashram: “The hidden ashram of the West” ja! it’s like bramacarini but outside the temple. How Prabhupada would see it?  What would he think about it? It’s right or wrong?  I remember when you said me: "now you can understand that attraction to opposite sex for sense gratification described in flowery language is "a real drag” I get it and If association with somebody means "don’t following principles", I really don’t want to do it and I’m sure and decided about it. So what lies ahead for me in the future? For now I have the shelter of my spiritual father but he is India. Maybe I have to learn self-defense!

HpS - That is why I asked the above question about Mahatma Prabhus Ashrama. If you want to clarify your Ashrama then obviously you have to know your Guru's ahsrama status.

Related with this, how can we preach to new men in order to get them near to Krishna Consciousness without generate confusion in them? Because sometimes it becomes uncomfortable to me. I don’t want to be so serious because I’m preaching love through teachings of Lord Caitanya, but I’m not so loving because of that and sometimes I feel that I’m very impolite. So I don’t know how can I deal with this. I think bramacaris have the same issue with girls when they go to distribute books.

HpS - Prabhupada says that devotees are allowed short term association with the opposite sex for preaching purposes. So you can talk a little bit to orient the men and then connect them with a male devotee (which of course includes Prabhupada.   [0:)  ).

About service: How can I deal with seniors devotees when I have to share service? For example if we are not agree about how to do something..

HpS - Discuss it resepctfully.  If they are really 'senior' then they will be better at handling the relation than you. If they are older but not senior, then you have to discuss like with a friend or if they are less advanced but older you have to help them like a child, appreciating their blind-spots being confused and thinking they are more advanced with they are not.

About diksa: Everybody is asking to me when I will take diksa!! I don’t want to be pressured, What is the rush? I think the most important is to follow the instructions and develop the relationship between guru and disciple and diksa is just a formality. Anyway I've already talken with my guru maharaja about it because I’m committed with him in the same way than if I was taken diksa and I feel ready to do the formality. He is agree and wants some recommendation. What do you think about it? Do yo think I should do it or wait more? For me there’s no difference.. 

HpS - Hari-nama Diksa by Srila Prabhupada's standard was for anybody who followed the principles for six months in full cooperation with the temple (living in the temple). If you have been doing that, then you can take Hari-nama Diksa as far as I would understand, for second initiation there must be more consideration.

Maharaja, I feel very very happy with my spiritual life and all the time I'm trying to improve myself. Krishna is giving to me too much mercy and I feel very enthusiastic and encouraged all the time. I need more hours per day because 24 it’s not enough!

I wish to see you again very soon!

My all respect to you dear maharaja

My obeisances at your lotus feet!

your servant,

Belen.

HpS - AGTSP.....  Thank you for your association. If you are feeling big enthusiasm, don't be surprised to get big tests also.<img alt="smiley" height="23" src="http://www.hps.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png" title="smiley" width="23" />

Waiting for your next letters.

Hare Krishna Gurudeva
Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

I am writing to thank you for your asociation during this time. You taught through many details, so many that it is sometimes difficult to remember them all. Anyway, I will try to be Gandharva dasa with enthusiasm someday, I thank you for your great kindness to me.
I would ask permission to worship Jagannatha Baladeva Subhadra at home. My wife and I have much affection for them, since the beginning of our devotional life. It has presented an opportunity to have this home deities and I wonder if you allow us to worship them.

I trully hope  this year it's magnificent for your preaching,  Gurudeva

With love

Your  servant

Gandharva das

HpS - Thank you for all of your help. It was worth thousands of dollars.... Yes, it is very nice for you to start worshipping, J-B-S!!!  Ask Gaura-gadadhara Dasi for details, no?
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