Letters to the editor

asa[e] sankirtan; world classical literature; sophocles.

Hare Krsna, Gurudeva

My respected Gurudeva, please accept my most humble and respectful obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I always wish you the best for your health.

¡Om namo Bhagavate Narasimhaya!

Today I watched the movie Edipo Rey by Sophocles. On this topic I only had remembered The Edipo Complex seen according to Freud.

In Greece, the arts were greatly promoted, theater was a very efficient means to educate, to transmit the necessary messages, the principles that lead man to become a human being.

Bg 1.39-45 came to mind, that family tradition that knows its lineage, so that when a new family is formed, it is known where it comes from, avoiding so many social misfortunes.

Considering each woman as if she is his mother, has a deep meaning. Consulting all relatives and respectable older people about the origin of the gentleman or the lady is so fundamental, for people, for the family, society and the world.

Education is very deficient, currently the basic principles that make a good family are unknown. We are governed by the instinctive-motor and sexuality without giving way to reflection.

There are many important contents in this tragedy, another is Karma, it is necessary to know WHO I AM, to accept ourselves and direct ourselves along the right path, where we will suffer less and cause less suffering to others.

Knowing that each being comes from Krsna is a great solution; If Krsna really guides our lives, with every breath we will keep Him in mind for small and big decisions, if we associate our breathing with the Mantra Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, it would be beautiful, right?

HpS/ASA - Right! So right it reminds me that should be chanting while I am reading! Who am I to read and write without the association of the Holy Names? 🐵

Thank you very much for your attention Gurudeva, your time and mercy.

His disciple

Rohini dd.

HpS - Thank you! Did you read Sophocles as part of a broader educational program? We like the Phaedo? Have you read that?

We will put this letter in the ASA Encyclopedia.

Hope to be more involved with your Sankirtan!!!

Hare Krishna Maharaj Ji,

I offer my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.

As per your inquiry in my last post, I confirm my willingness to discuss my concerns with proper Grhastha devotees and yourself.

Understanding that the ongoing Kartik month likely brings additional responsibilities upon you, I will patiently await your response, Maharaj Ji.

Following your instructions, I have included my email and WhatsApp details:

WhatsApp: +91 637xxx

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

HpS - Thank you Milan.

AgtSP.

We get many letters about similar situations and it is not that it is Kartika. You can see that we answered your other letter.

Usually it takes us about three days minimum to answer Blog Posts. Sometimes longer, and of course, unless there is WiFi connection in the womb of our next mother we won't be answering at all.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Thank you again!

Respected Maharaj Ji,

Hare Krishna. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I offer my humble obeisances at your lotus feet, Maharaj Ji.

I am Milan. My heart was in constant pain. The situation in which that devotee placed me was beyond my threshold. Out of desperation, I wrote to you whatever came to my mind. Later, I realized that the format of my message was not proper. I also acknowledge that I could have conveyed the context more politely. However, at that emotional moment, I couldn't control what I was expressing. If any part of my text seemed disrespectful, I beg sincere apology.

HpS - AgtSP!!! Thank you. We certainly do not know that we are any better in our dealings. We are fortunate to have the association of such an Acharya as Srila Prabhupada.

Perhaps my approach was not the best way to convey my message. But I felt there was no other option for me, Maharaj Ji. . . . .

Men's mental health is in crisis, leading to many suicides. I, too, am a victim, and I felt it was Krishna's will for me to inform you.

....

Maharaj Ji, as in my previous post, you requested my email. Here it is. I would be immensely pleased to personally communicate with you.

WhatsApp: +91 637xxx

Sincerely, Milan

HpS - Thank you Milan. From what we have heard from about five different devotees involved in this situation, there is distress amongst many people involved.

We will make a discussion group on WhatsApp to see if we can help a little.

Right now, 7.46PM we are having strong headaches and should not really be doing this work, but of course we will try to do a little.

Hope to see you in WhatsApp, but again, the best help we can give, have received and tested is chant Hare Krsna continuously until Krsna gives us intelligence like He did in BG!

Jaya!

🙂

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada,

Hare Krishna Dear Guru Maharaja,

I have been far from this blog for a long time, practically since I accepted the temple president service here in Chile, maybe because of my time management problems, which are being addressed now little by little.

I came here today to share this quote from Mark Twain. My thought is that Mark Twain is American. NIOS is North American. And he travelled to India. NIOS travelled to India but it was established in the USA.

The year when those writings came to Twain's mind is interesting too.

“India is the cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of tradition”

In the original paragraph, he makes even more valuable statements. I have the ebook with me, so I will share with you the whole original paragraph too here:

“This is indeed India! the land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendor and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence, of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps, of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of a hundred nations and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech, mother of history, grandmother of legend, great-grandmother of tradition, whose yesterdays bear date with the mouldering antiquities of the rest of the nations—the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest for alien prince and alien peasant, for lettered and ignorant, wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free, the one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for the shows of all the rest of the globe combined.”

Source: Book ”Following The Equator: A Journey Around the World” , Chapter 38. First published in 1897. Author: Mark Twain. His travel to India was in 1896 for more than two months. A special year to ISKCON devotees because it when Srila Prabhupada took birth in this planet and Bhaktivinoda Thakur sent his books to the western world. Where we were that year?

Second quote but from Srila Prabhupada now

Another quote that I would like to share with you Guru Maharaja, heard today from Guru Prasada Swami in a meeting with regional leaders about the following Marathon, is from Srila Prabhupada and maybe you can use it in classes.

Maharaja mentioned that he was trained on how to react to nuclear bombs in his school. So, with that feeling a devotee asked Srila Prabhupada once, What we can do if they drop the bomb above us, Srila Prabhupada?

-         If you start to hear the bombs falling, you can start a kirtan… and then, you can continue it in Vaikuntha. – Prabhupada replied.

Hare Krishna Dear Guru Maharaj,

You are my main inspiration in spiritual life, and I try to become a better disciple every day. I’m not being successful in that effort, but the goal is clear at least.

HpS - We consider, agtSP, that we have not been capable of making Krsna and Srila Prabhupada main inspirations in your spiritual life. Hmmm.

We are a greedy mail man.

We seem to be making a little progress, but 99.999% the result of Srila Prabhupada holding our hand. Tolerating our offenses.

We saw Mark Twain's India comments also. We did not read all of his experiences. Many year ago we made a banner of part of the quote above for our festivals.

Yes, we have used Mark Twain in our NIOS work!!!

Also, Walt Whitman, Thoreau, Emerson!

Continue with your own personal Sankirtan, in the perspective of your family, nation, church, Sanga!

If you have no personal spiritual wealth, what can you offer your community.

A community is great, great tool for acquiring personal spiritual wealth.

Hare Krishna, Dear Guru maharaja!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and All glories to you.

Please accept our humble obeisances. (PAOHO)

As of every two weeks:

* Bulletin is now upload on Facebook (English & Spanish), it is also in Google Groups (English & Spanish) as listed at: http://www.jayarama.us/hello.htm

Hare Krishna!!! I read all your post on Twitter and Blog. I really hope You are doing ok.

Forgive for not writing before and answer your last request. This topic (death) is very hard for me. It took me a few days to recover from this shock.

My aunt left her body on my birthday and as soon as I heard about it, my only thought was : I didn't finish all my rounds!!! That made me realize a lot of things such as I am not serious about my Sadhana, death is near us all the time and only Krsna knows when, where and how, I am not ready to past this difficult test (death). I am too attached to this body.

Then I read about Parasurama Prabhu and his father's departure and made me remembered a lot about my father's death. Many times I have talked with some friends and tried to explain and help them to endure their situation but I still cannot overcome mine.

Do you have any advice?? It will help us a lot

HpS - It seems pretty simple, no? We are afraid of water, then we learn how to swim. We are afraid of not having a cigarette then we let the addiction leave our body (and mind) then we are not afraid. We are happy.

The report from so many people such as Buddha, Jesus, Socrates, Prabhupada, is that we are in an unnatural attraction. When people see something frightening in the cinema they rise up three inches out of shock. I saw it in the theater when I was in college. The movie was, "Wait Until Dark".

So, we go on with our education. Trying different experiments directed by our teacher, Professor Prabhupada, and we see that we don't need this body. That we can look away from the TV screen and there is a real world around us of even better things.

We not only can see ripe mangos, but we can actually offer one to Krsna and take His Prasad.

Some people can not even let the thought enter there mind. So much fear and ignorance.

You can listen and consider.

You are not conditioned to your body by sex, drugs and rock and roll.

More work.

More advancement in Yoga!!

🙂

Thank you so much.

EDT (Patrak das & Antuanette)

Hare Krishna Dear Gurumaharaja

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and the Vaishnavas empowered by the grace of the Guru-parampara like you.

HpS/ASA - And you, and all of our Vaisnava readers!

I sincerely hope you are well, as much as this world can allow us. You are always in my thoughts, even though I do not express it so much. I try to compensate for my distancing by always hearing your recorded classes, SP classes, or inspiring Vaishnavas like Bhurijana Prabhu or Amarendra Prabhu.

HpS - Who is Amarendra? Is he from Los Angeles?

I have always felt fulfilled in KC, but since the second initiation in Govardhan, all has become more clear that my contribution to the Sankirtan Movement should be in a more steady manner. However, I’m still fighting to find a way of doing it.

Since your last visit to Mexico, many great ideas developed, but we tried to work on getting a key team, it didn’t succeed. Ricardo was helping at the beginning, but his intentions were not pure. A couple of devotees are there, but I have to be honest, I had felt a fade in my energy to continue pursuing Academic/Preaching efforts, I was worried I could be an offender of devotees or disturb their efforts instead of helping.

Raj Bhoga every Sunday to Sri Sri Radha Madhan Gopal, cooking for festivals, or organizing Drama or Kids activities has been our service to ISKCON Mexico.

The last September we attended the Sadhu Sanga Festival here in Mexico. 30 Tava Pache Paches provided by Srinath Krishna Das and Abhiram Thakur were distributed (15 TPP in Spanish ($150 USD collection sent to AbhTD, 15 TPP in English, Collection $150 USD in NIOS Mexico). All devotees were quite happy to have the Spanish version. Also 1 Bhagavatam Set sponsorship and 3 NOIs were distributed.

Ranchor Krishna Prabhu has been in Bhaktivedhanta Ashram Govardhan/India since August assisting Asita Krishna Swami, and will be back on December 1^st. He has been actively working with the Indian Communities in Mexico and preaching programs have been quite successful .. I send you photos from Asita Krishna Swami visit and Janmastami Festival in Cueramaro Community (Nueva Bahulavana).

Nueva Bahulavana is located in Guanajuato Mexico a very cultural state, the families there have worked hard to have an amazing Cathedral Temple, the workers supposed to travel during COVID pandemic to Rome, but Krishna arranged for them to serve in the construction of the temple.

BBT Latinamerica office and ILAEV School are also based on its premises, an ashram for students, Devotee houses, a Hostel, and recently the cows. A very nice community.

HpS/ASA - We visited several times over the years!

For the month of Karthik, I will be staying in a small cabin in Nueva Bahulavan, since is away from big cities, but still within one hour from the city of Leon.

Mexico City feels heavy on me, the traffic, people rushing, pollution, and all the constant rush sicken my body easily, so we are considering moving to a calmer community like Nueva Bahulavan. But of course, we would like to read your thoughts on this.

Actually, you visited the farm in the 90s when there was nothing but the desire to create a community, Trilokanath Prabhu (The founder and owner of the property) showed me the photographs, and since then your wise instruction to devotees has been to acquire land to develop communities under the principles of KC and Srila Prabhupada teachings.

Since this year I was unable to visit physically Vrindavan, I'm reading Ananda Vrindavan Champu with my dear friend Premarani from Canada via Zoom to try to keep our minds there, obviously is very advanced for me, but is just so so beautifully poetic that I have enjoyed grasping at least a millimetric surface of it. We are currently reading about the seasons in Vrindavan. So we hope to stay engaged during Karthik.

HpS - Jiva Goswami, no?

Gurudeva, please keep accepting our small efforts of Japa, and keep engaging us in your sankirtan because we are weak by ourselves. As every day grihastha struggles, we try to balance work, finances, sadhana, and personal relationships… so forgive us if we are attached to our individual pursuits.

In one of your recent classes, you mentioned that Houston Nilamadhava Dham is planning seminars in Spanish, which sounds very exciting, please let us know if is any opportunities for service.

Also, as the trend in the letters, many disciples are enthusiastic to know where your Vyasa Puja will be held. We are drops in the petal flower, so any of your association on such auspicious occasion is very dear to us.

 Writing this letter with some melancholy (Joep Beving https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qQ5OLwg5f4 ) that I have not written you often and when we communicate, we speak about the secrets of food. Don’t want to let pass another day without telling you that, I feel in real debt to you and Srila Prabhupada, and that I love you deeply. We are learning to kiss the feet of the master.

Your aspiring disciple

Govinda Pramodini Dasi

HpS - Thank you. Sorry little slow to answer.

You can see our response to The Ranchor Krsna Das, no?

Chant as much as possible.

Chant out loud so others can hear.

Read Prabhupada's books to others.

Hare Krsna. Hare Rama.

Thank you.