Letters to the editor

As per requested...

(This is an excerpt from the book "Appreciating Navadvipa Dhama" by HH Mahanidhi Swami)

The following popular story explains the appearance of the mridanga in Gaura-lilä: Before coming to this world as the Golden Avatära, Lord Krsna said to His flute, “My dear flute, I am descending again to the material world but not in this form. You should stay here with Rädharani to pacify Her. I promised Rädhä that I would not take you with Me.”

On hearing this, the flute began to cry and said, “My dear Lord Krsna, how can You leave me here alone. I have always been by Your side, but now You are neglecting me. What have I done to deserve this?”

Krsnaa replied compassionately that He would bring him along but in a different form. The flute did not mind changing his form, as long as he could remain engaged in Krsna’s personal service. In this way the flute transformed into a mridanga, and descended to this world with Sri Caitanya Mahäprabhu. 

            ASA -  Uncle Gismo:    Hmmmm!    Popular story.       Not very scientific. (But cute... :O})       Lord Caitany doesn't play Kartals of Mrdanga in His lila. Rama has a bow, Krsna has his flute.            Hmmm...   Thank you for the news.   We have some more ideas to send....    Soon!

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Todas las glorias al Señor Caitanya y sus Asociados

Querido Maharaja, por favor acepte mis respetuosas reverencias postrado a sus extraordinarios Pies de loto que son refugio y esperanza para las almas tan caidas como quien le escribe .

      HpS - ASA -   TlgaSP!     Descr. de nuestras glorias son un poco exaderados.

Disculpe que lo moleste y le quite su valioso tiempo , es para contarle que estoy estudiando para el examen de primera iniciacion  para este sabado proximo y le pido su bendicion para poder rendirla con exito. Si Usted y el Señor KRISHNA lo permiten estare viajando a Santiago aunque sea 3 o 4 dias .

Esperando que se encuentre bien de salud y siempre esperando sus bendiciones su inutil aspirante a sirviente Bhakta Francisco de Buenos Aires  

          HpS - ASA -  Jaya.  TlgaSP!   Somos sus servientes.   Espamos muy bien resulatdo por la examinacion, que puede ser un experiencia bueno en su vida espiritual.            Entonces esperamos ver te en Chile...  ...  Muy bien!!!

Dear Guru maharaj,

Please accept my dandavat pranams, All glories to Srila Prabhupad. How is your health maharaj?

I am not very good with my communication skills, so, please forgive me if I make any mistake in communication.Thank you for remembering me and for sending the nice book. As soon I read the letter, I was overwhelmed with gratitude.  I wanted to respond back immediatly, but I postponed it for couple of hours as I had to go out. Sorry for the delay in responding back. 

It was my pleasure to see you in Dallas and I was feeling bad that the trip was very short. I wish I could assocaite more with you.  I am doing my 16 rounds loudly and waking in the morning before 4AM and taking shower, then do mangalarathi, then I chant around 9-10 rounds in the morning before 5:45 and leave to work. Rest of them, I am doing them in the evening. I have not been very successfull in my endeavours for avoiding onion garlic or coffee. When I listen to your lectures or when I remember your words, I make a determination to avoid coffee, onion and garlic. After couple of hours, I go back to normal.  I wanted to write to you that I was successfull in following all the principles for 6 months, but I have failed so many times. although I feel hopeless about it, I will keep trying.  

Part of the problem is, I am so ingrained to go with the crowd that, I sometimes bend too much and I lack that determination to say no.  When I say no to others and avoid all the things for couple of days, then suddently I just go to restaurent and eat all the food with onion and garlic.  That makes me feel like a hypocrite. Hopefully by Guru and Krishna's mercy I can follow all the principles.

Thank you again for your kindness in remembering me.

your aspiring servant

Nataraj

           HpS -  ASA --  Jaya!        AGTSP!!!        Paoho.     Why do you take the onion and garlic. I or somebody else may have a chocolate addiction.  Why?   Chant Hare Krsna why you are taking them and see what it is that makes you addicted. Is it a social need?  Is it a fundamental way of avoiding Krsna?    Is it a physical need of your body or mind?

         Include reading from Caitanya-caritamrta in your morning program?

         You are defnitely on the right path.  Success is guaranteed.  Just go ahead and work on your problems.  Solve them.    There is such important mission that Krsna has for you as soon as you can escape.

               A G T S P !             (paoho)       Here we are in Chosika. 1.11AM in the morning. Brother Ass has an itch, infection, on his right arm. His poison ivy allergy seems finished. Where one disease finishes another starts.

             We will read the Blog letters next.  Yesterday was like hell and a half!  Up for Japa Joe, bath in one cup of water (there is no water from the city supply for a few days), to the Temple for Madana-bihari's Mangala arati, Japa, prepare for Sunday SB class, class (100 devotees), beautiful Hari-nama in the sun for about three hours (one-hundred devotees), back for Gayatri and meeting with Prof. Polo, his wife and two little teenage sons, Abhirama and Laksmana. Was kind of a chaos in the temple canteen. We are kind of starving but that is Krsna's arrangement. He is following Rupanuga's instructions that we eat less, sleep more and have less passion.

         3-4.00PM - BhVai Curriculum Development meeting with Laksmana and Srinivasa Das. We didn't even finish reviewing the chapter, what to speak of doing it well. 4.30 - Take rest (back in the Ashrama) and just got up a while ago and bathed in another cup of water.

          All in all, things are pretty good. We get eight rounds done before Mangala arati. We have time to contemplate our plans for Sankirtans. Krsna is sending Prasadam. We have to be more careful to honor it properly.

          The meeting with Miguel was worth $1,000. We discussed writing strategy. It is still not clear, but it is a lot clearer.  What would you like us to write?

       !
   ~ovo~
       -

All Glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
All Glories to your lotus feet
All glories to devotees

Please acept my humble obeisances.

Gurudeva I send you a e-mail the oct 15 to j[email protected] from [email protected].
The title is Instruction it sent with copy to Madhavendra Puri.
Please read it when you can. I wait for your reply full of wisdom.

Om ajñana.timirandhasya jñanañjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yeja tasai sri-gurave namah

surrender to your holy lotus feet
Bhaktina Romi

HpS -  AGTSP   pamho.   Ahhh!   I saw it with some spam, and I looked at it, but I seem to remember that it was corrupted??!  And I couldn't answer. I thought it was you!!   Can you send again??!!

Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaja.
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

By some recent (and not se recent) circumstances happening in Pula Yatra, I am thinking about this instruction by Srila Prabhupada:
"Now we have got so many students and so many temples but I am fearful that if we expand too much in this way that we shall become weakened and gradually the whole thing will become lost. Just like milk. We may thin it more and more with water for cheating the customer, but in the end it will cease to be any longer milk. Better to boil the milk now very vigorously and make it thick and sweet, that is the best process. So let us concentrate on training our devotees very thoroughly in the knowledge of Krishna Consciousness from our books, from tapes, by discussing always, and in so many ways instruct them in the right propositions."  (Srila Prabhupada's letter June 22, 1972)

I wonder, when is proper time to "Boil the milk"? Should we stop trying to preach (doing public programs, prison programs and similar activities) and find out how to at least try to solve our inner problematics.
When I say "stop the preaching", I mean not in a rude way. Of course, we can try and will give Krsna to others, but for time being, concentrate in which way the yatra should function, and concentrate to develop programs (and do them) for training our devotees.

The idea behind the scene is that we, as devotees, associate seldom, and when together, try to fix the house for future temple, or discuss different preaching activities. That seems nice, but actually, there are misunderstandings, arguing on different points that we do not address, specially not in an organized and mature way. Also, what happens is that  new people come and after some time leave. There are many causes why they leave, but among them is the not-nice situation/relationship between devotees.

Guru Maharaja, I hope I succeed to convey my message. Surely, if needed, I will give more details.

Thank you!

Your servant Namacarya das
 

HpS -  AGTSP   paoho.  This is very nice topic.  I think a  simple answer is that Srila Prabhupada set a standard of full morning and evening program for internal, milk boiling, and then we can go out with confidence.  Do you find this?  The lack of internal adjustment follows when there is no basic full moringnig and evening program (of course more basic 16 rounds and 4 principles with devotion).