Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna
Please accept our humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Gurudeva, I am happy to read this blog. It is very nice to have your association through the blog, and to know you are in the beautiful Dham.

Gurudeva I am still too much in maya, my mind is not very much focus on the priorities.

My 16 rounds are surviving; I wish to be very sincere, because Krsna can see everything, I feel I am not taking care properly of my bhakti creaper. It is very unfair because I have many facilities. I am very ashamed, and I am sorry to not being a good devotee, and aspirant disciple.

But I wish to really change my heart one day, so I would like to be very sincere, and better ask for help, because I need it. I am not feeling good with myself in some ways (my offenses with Gopa). But at the same time my hope is to learn of all my mistakes to build some stronger understanding about myself, about my duties.

Gurudeva, I respect you so much, so I would like to inform you that I am not very enthuciastic these months. I am some times more inclined to my duty with my studies than with my spiritual practice. But this is not something I like, is only a sad tendency I am not correcting.

I think I would like to be living with devotees, to have a good sadhana, and forget everything else. In a practical way I can also appreciate that I like (not too too much, but is nice) what I am doing (the graphic design), but without Krsna there is no sense for anything!! So I hope my plan to go with devotees next year will save me of myself.

Gurudeva, I don’t have the good quality to balance my duties in the material world and my spiritual life. If I feel that I will not please you, and I will not be your initiated disciple, this will help me to become more serious. Excuse me…

Hare Krsna

Your aspirant servant,

b.Natalia

HpS - ASA - AGTSP   pamho   I have the same problems but little different after trying to follow the process and Acharya for 20 years.  Even Srila Prabhupada was complaining about his efforts. Even Srimati Radharani was complaining.   Just get up early and get your rounds done (with proper meaning)!   Focus on that and we will wait for the next report!

Hare Krsna
Please accept our humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

1. We are studying the light of Bhagavata during the meetings. Prabhu Abhirama is directing the study of this book.
2. The SB classes by skype are becoming regular on Sunday at 6am.
3. Sadhana: Lourdes make the vow to chant 8 rounds, Juan is chanting 16 rounds, Prabhu Abhirama, Jagat Pavitram and Natalia are chanting 16 ronuds.
4. Sattva will participate on the Govardhan festival in Chosica.
5. Damodar mataji is sending a summary of each meeting to the whole team,  with details.

Your servants, SATTVA

ASA -  Jaya!   AGTSP    paoho.  So nice report. It is actually on the spiritual platform.   We can go on like this FOREVER.   We are struggling with Internet and advancing.   We sent the manuscript of Dr. Samaresh's book to him by Speed Post last Monday last week and it just arrived this Monday.   One week!!!        A lot of association with senior devotees, here.  Many many devotees here. We are fixing a practical schedule, like you all and then we can see what is our ignorance and what is the ignorance that we can't avoid.  We slept an hour longer today, but seems like essential because of the stress from doing the Parikrama of Kamyavan yesterday. There were 2000 devotees walking. Taking prasadam in an open field with dust sun, no water..  Jaya! Radhe!
O.K.   We answer more letters and send the Kapi Dhavaja tommorrow.  Thank you so much.  Continue as you are!   Jaya Giri Govardhana!

Dear Gurudev,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

These days i am reflecting on a point of view in regard to doing a study that i took several years back. I took from Srila Prabhupada then the notion that there is no need to get a degree, because there is no need to improve our material situation, but to become KC. With my diploma i just can't seem to find a decent job, that allows me to combine my KC life together with work in which i can use my God-given intelligence. Of course, he did inspire others to continue their studies to get their degree.

I heard you say that every 7 years people out there need to update their diploma's. Not to draw that out of context, but i am forced to update my old point of view of doing studies. Technically, it would be a karmayoga type of approach i figure, to do what i want, which is get a degree after all, and offer the results to Krsna, because i can't seem to find the firm faith, nor the peace of mind, in just accepting my current struggle with work and having jobs far below my intelligence and abilities, and to just become KC, as i've understood it earlier. I think at the time it was a conclusion drawn on poor understanding.

What do you think of this matter? If it would be worth the effort at 35 years of age, i suppose the best kind of study would be something to serve Iskcon with, not just to get good mental fulfillment and salary. If my reasoning is correct, would you give me your blessing on finding and succesfully executing a university study?

Further, to get up early and get my rounds done, i am happily working on it with satisfying outcome. It's like magic how life is satisfying being that simple, chanting, reading, doing some kirtan, and doing my job. Having said this, it contradicts my earlier statement that i am not satisfied with how my life is regarding my work, and therefore i can understand Srila Prabhupada's remark intellectually, but just can't seem to live up to it. Therefore i need some advice.

Thanks for your inspiration, and i wish you receive Braja's darshan, if that is correct in saying.

A foolish but somewhat sincerely trying aspiring servant,

Richard van Dijck, Netherlands

HpS - ASA -  Jaya AGTSP   Paoho.  3AM.    We have to run to catch the bus to Kamyavan.   I don't remember saying evey seven years,   but is seems O.K.    In general chant Hare Krsna and get good inteligence, confirm and clarify that with devotees and books and then make your plan.   Formal studies can be O.K.  Just talk with lots of good people and then make your decision.

Is NICE to hear from you.  Gives us strength.

O.K.   We bath and run to the ISKCON shuttle bus to Kamyavan!

2.57AM   - Vraja.

Oink Oinnk!      Internet USB drive is not good, but Blog is working.  Hare Krsna.   Must be exactly what Krsna wants.   This is Vraja!!!!!    Jaya Srila Prabhuapda, Nitai Gaura Radhe Shyama, Jaya Krsna Balarama.

We got six rounds left from our 25/day from yesterday.  Our Bhakti Vaibava program is about as spaced out as our internet, but we are pretty much on schedule with out calendar.  This week we start SB 2.3

We put a lot of stuff in the letter to Rasmin Mata about cows and SB 2.2.

O.K.  Let's chant more Japa and go to the temple, and see what Monkey write on his scrap pages!

Dear Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

All glories to you!

HpS - ASA - Hare Krsna!    Hare Rama!   AgtSP   paoho.  Oooof!    Mataji, we have been trying to contact you for weeks!    You wanted to have little individual discussion about initiation, no?       Our regular Yahoo account is working like 15% of the time here in Vrndavana. So please write to us at our old address.  [email protected] with copy to one of your protectors, father, uncle, big brother... nice devotee guy.

Maharaj, I just recently had a very intense discussion with one of my mentors about cow protection. Basically it started with a comment I made about being anti-vegan. Since our preaching centre advocates veganism as a form of cow protection, I got somewhat reprimanded. Anyways, until then I didn't really know the full details of how cows are treated in the farms and it really had an effect in my consciousness. Of course, living in the temple gives me some difficulty in practicing veganism although when I cook I don't use milk. And I don't know what I'll do when I get to cook the morning breakfast for the deities because I must cook for the devotees as well. 

All of this gave me inspiration to get a farm here in Ontario for our temple. I mean, as soon as I voiced this desire to my mentor I was told to not act on something based on a strong emotion. So instead, I came home and started to listen to other senior devotees about the subject matter. From the sounds of it, maintaining cows on a farm is a lot of work! But it's a desire I have aquired and what I can do about it for now is to educate to the best of my ability the few people I know. It's funny though, another point brought out in the discussion was that Prabhupada, of course put a lot of emphasis on cow protection and he said that one should either preach or produce. Since my ability in book distribution is almost non existent I got so happy from hearing these words. I think I would be more happy with the "producing" half of our movement. It's still Sankirtan, however, a diffent form of it. 

So, I guess I just want some advice on this subject and if it would be something that can be focused on in the near future. When I feel like I'm about to give up, Krishna swoops in with a rush of inspiration. I really needed it.

Thank you so much and how are you by the way?

HpS - ASA - Hare Krsna!    We are trying to find our little, little, place in Vraja.  We get up early. Chant Japa. Try to access internet with our thumb drive, which has been 90% failure, but then this Blog is working, so we answer the letters here as a priority, and then try to go on with our American Bhagavata Curriculum, Bhakti-vaibhava studies.  Our Group starts Canto Two, Chapter Three today.

Our health is O.K.   Fighting little alergy (in Vrndavana (Ha! Ha! Ha!)).

Cows.   So many purports. I think if you go to the ASA Archives, www.jayarama.us, then you will find a ABC Index, and there you will find a few citations on cows, milk.   Vegan diet is O.K. if you don't do preaching or give administratvie advice to the King, but if youi need psychological power then you have to drink milk.   Best use of a bad bargain:   Find the nnicest dairy you can, some are worse to their cows than others.  If you can support a Vedic place, then do it!    We use the milk to fight for better life for the cows. Like the example of the $100 bill from the Upadesamrta.   I think it is text three.

We think nice way to start is to get the devotees to co-operate to buy and orchard.   Then they can visit it at times to prune, pick etc.  Some local Dude can keep an eye on it. Different trees for different seasons.  If it is left alone for even a few years it will spring back.  Then as soon as we are accostomed to the country somebody who has lived there for some time can start with cows for the community.

At 20 cows the number of deaths equals the number of births.  If half are ladies, and cow gives milk naturally 1/3 of her life, so there will be 3-1/3 cows giving milk, which is easily enough for 20 families (of 4), so every family has to watch out for one cow.   Practical, but takes time to develope, starting with apples!

That's our ASA Opinion!     Makes us smile.   O.K.   Back to Japa and look for you letter at [email protected]

I see you are in India!!! I recently got a book by Bhakti Vikasa Swami. I have not read it yet but it is about Vamshidasa Babaji. His samadi is in Majitpur, Bangladesh. This is very random info but very interesting!! Hare Krishna.

your aspiring servant,

bhaktin Rashmin

HpS - ASA - AGTSP!   Yes, is SUPER book!

Ashrama of Pranava Das
Krsna-nagar Delhi
3.55AM

AGTSP!        paoho......    We just finished answering all, two, of the Letters to the Blog.    this Blog is very much our natural priority.      We get so many comments from devotees about how they read it and apreciate it.    That inspires us to take the time to answer the letters in much, much more detail than we can for private letters.  We know that six or more people are reading and getting some advice.

We like to do it in the afternoon just before the evening program.

Each day after the search for Sita Devi, Sankirtana, the monkeys on Hanuman's party would regroup and exchange news of the days search!

If not possible then we do it like this in the morning.  Also, we will leave Pranava Ji's house at 5AM to drop The Gaura-gadadhara Dasi at the The Airport in Delhi and then she will go to Kolkatta and then to Mayapura!   We, Raktaka, Harsh, HpS, Baboo, Monkey, Piggy, will continue on to Vrndavana Dhama.

Srila Prabhupada Ki Jai.

The GBC, Ministry of Education, meetings in Mumbai were wonderful. We estimated them 70% successful, which for administative efforts is super, super, super.    We were exposed as the fool that we are (and also as the genius that we are (Ha! Ha! Ha! Hare!!!)))))))     We will try to sort out the results and publish a report for this Blog.

O.K.   Some Japa!

We have to adjust our Calendar (Priorities) little bit to improve our ABC, Bhakti-vaibhava, work!

See you all soon.  Hare Krsna.   We expect to chant lots of rounds on the 3-1/2 hour trip to Vraja.   (It is a spiritual trip, not material)..

Srila Prabhupada, Ki Jai!     Iskcon Vrndavana, Ki Jai!