Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna, Maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances; all glories to his divine grace, Srila Prabhupada, our founder acharya; all glories to your good self, you have extended Srila Prabhupada's mercy to useless souls like myself.

HpS/ASA - Hare Krsna!!!!

We just want your Dhira association.

I was trying to focus on my mangala arotika this morning, and as ususal my mind was running away with other thoughts. But this time I was wondering about what it means to have a personal relationship with Krishna because of engaging in Deity worship. I began to chastize myself mentally for not focusing on the actual business of Deity worship, and for trying to imagine what it's like to have a relationship with Krishna whilst trying to perform arotika. My mind recalled an incident from the Lilamrita, in which Srila Prabhupada chastized one disciple for the nature of his question, by saying "you have no right to ask such a question." I mentally applied this chastizement to myself, thinking "what right do I have to think about what my relationship is with Krishna? I can't get even momentarily put aside my material desires and attachments whilst performing artotika!"

And yet, I can't help but feel that there is a relationship between me and Krishna, even now, although my heart is plagued with worldly desires and attachments: some of them down right sinful. I began thinking of where would I be if suddenly I was to no longer have any Deity service. How empty my life would suddenly become, how lost and lonely I would feel if I didn't have something as simple and as tangible as Deity worship in my life. Practically speaking my entire devotional career has hinged on such a simple practice as Deity worship. Isn't this proof in itself that a relationship between Krishna and me is already there? The very thought of suddenly losing it would leave a blank and empty space in my life: like a huge hole that suddenly opened up as if in an earthquake.

HpS/ASA - Yeah! I was having exactly the same thoughts and realizations. We have a cordial friendship with our Deities. They are so kind. We just sit together and do simple things. If someone stole my Deities I would not be able to really live!

I guess I'm much more attached to the process and comfort of Deity worship itself, rather than its purpose of trying to please Krishna. I would like to think that Krishna is pleased with me, but given all of the sinful desires lingering in my heart, and given how I have to force myself to get up in the morning, instead of looking forward to my service, I can only pretend that Krishna is pleased with me.

HpS - One Peru devotee was a novice monk in Catholic order for several years and one of his classmates who was by nature very sexually agitated asked their spiritual master in anguish if the sex desires ever went away. The S. M. looked at him thoughtfully and said, "Yes, ten minutes after you die." SP said something similar. We are not sinful because we have sinful thoughts. That is natural from our birth. We are sinful if we don't respond to them with the proper intelligence that we have, no?

Furthermore, I haven't enough courage or good faith to surrender. Without surrender what kind of reciprocation can I possibly hope to receive from Krishna or even your good self? I need to close here, so that I don't embarrass myself further with more foolishness.

Your lowly servant,

BbD

HpS - Thank you. The Gopis are more surrendered than Mother Yasoda. We've surrendered smoking and drinking! What little surrender can we make today? Each little step is eternal!!!

Thank you. Your thoughts are very stimulating.

URGENTE

PLEASE GURU MAJARAJA I BEG YOU NOT TO SHARE THIS LETTER WITH PUBLIC BECAUSE ITS VERY CONFIDENTIAL. . .

HpS/ASA --- 🙈 🙊 🙉 Then, according to the Standards of Communication for the Blog, which we have to repeat again and again and again and again, we, HpS, TB, BW, UG et cannot read it.

😮

Hare Krsna!!!!

Awww!

We are Brahmacaris and Sannyasis here and cannot have private discussions with members of the fair sex.

Yet, we are very enthusiastic to help if there is a responsible Grhasta in the dialogs.

So, please send us the name and Whatsapp phone number of such a one and we can make a group chat in Whatsapp. [Of course, these are maybe $5/word. (Financial grants available)]

We will not publish the number of Such-A-One.

JAYA SRI SRI GURU AND GAURANGA !!

ALL GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA !! And his dedicated disciples, like you, who carry his message of Krishna consciousness to all parts of this world.

By the mercy of Sri Nityananda, we are with ARTd, since March 10, in Monterrey-Mexico. Then, from the 24th, we will be in Mexico City for a few more days. We hope to be useful to the devotees and contribute to the academic sankirtana of NIOS.

Here is our report:

1.     The DTC-UT/USA edition is over, the final version of the film is already on VIMEO. Now we are focused on the details for the Avant Premier, in April, in Houston.

2.     DTC-UT/Peru is also being subtitled in Spanish, we hope to have it ready as an offering for the appearance of Sri Ramanuja-acarya on March 25.

3.     SOLARIS 7 has already entered its final stage, only the edition of the Cultural Portal is missing, this time it is dedicated to Dr Samaresh Bandyopadhyay and its content is based on the tribute paid to him in Calcutta-India, in September 2022.

HpS - ASA - The editing of this Asiatic Award Ceremony Article has been great, great, stress for all of us and is still not done. Thanks to everyone involved.

4.     We have participated with ARTd in the academic programs that were carried out at the TEC de Monterrey, on the 15th and the Universidad de Monterrey-UDEM, on the 16th. These programs turned out quite well, especially due to the contacts that are beginning to be cultivated.

Also Dr. Valencia is connecting ARTd with important people from the government, all these seeds are growing by the inspiration of HpS and show the potential that there is in Mexico for the development of the academic sankirtana of NIOS.

That's all for now, thank you very much for everything, HARIBOL!!

Bh. Manuel

Hari bool TLGASP Reverencias

Esta carta sera corta, Voy a Mexico para estar en la ceremonia y verlo una ultima vez, asi que ojala Krishna me permita verlo allá, estoy emocionado, todo lo del viaje ocurrio muy rapido y por arreglo de Krishna.

Hari bol :D

This letter will be short, im going To Mexico to be in the ceremony and see you a last time, so I wish Krishna let me see you there, im excited, all the idea of travel travel happend really fast and for Krishna's will.

Hari bol :D

HpS - AgtSP. Very nice to see you, but "be in the ceremony". What does that mean? To be initiated?

Have you been a Candidate for six months? We forget. We are getting too old to initiate.

Hare Krsna, Gurumaharaja

PAOHO

AGTSP!

I hope that you are in good health and that your sankirtan is flowing smoothly over the rough surface of these bewildering times.

HpS - At best our health, energy, bodily operation is manageable, for producing some results.

We feel our Sankirtan is like throwing rocks at the Raksasas who have all military equipment but have some real confidence that the little we do will have a practical effect by Krsna's mercy!

As I told you before, I was given the service of proofreading the Waves of Devotion (WOD), so I am giving you this technical report:

• As it was done by five different devotees, the translation results differ greatly from each other, which is why we are doing a scrupulous job of syntax to homologate the text in Spanish in the best possible way.

• Most of the devotees involved have delivered the assigned chapters with the exception of one that did not and also cut off all communication with the coordinator, which has stalled the flow of the service.

• This devotee should have used a previous translation of the first 19 chapters, but when reviewing it, I realized that it is an earlier edition than the one given to us by Maharaja, so the texts do not completely match. In addition, the previous translator allowed himself many licenses by altering the structure of some chapters. In this case, I will translate them again personally.

HpS - Super, super, super service. Really feel that this book has the chance of making extreme progress in the KC of the Hispanic community.

We all thank you and have nothing we can offer you for this great selfless service!

• A not minor difficulty is that the PDF that was given to us does not allow the direct copy (copy/paste) of the Sanskrit words, which would have greatly lightened the work (there are almost 500 pages!!). The coordinator contacted the disciple of Dhanurdhara Swami requesting the original file and the fonts used in the book, but unfortunately they replied that the original was lost.

The solution is to copy and paste from the vedabase each word with diacritics in the translated text and, in case of not finding them (as has already happened), build them using the Windows Character Map. This process is long and practically handmade.

HpS - Incredible. I will forward the report to H. H. Danurdhara Swami

• Finally, let me tell you that Indira Sakti dd will be in charge of the layout of the book and the elaboration of the graphics. My communication with her is better than with any other devotee who could do the same service. Artd have accepted in giving technical support and a final review of the book previous to its printing and publication.

• Despite the afore mentioned difficulties, I am enthusiastic about doing this service. I am glad to serve you directly and through a lonely academic seva (🙃!!!). But it's going to take me time to finish it, because of the issues I'm telling you about and because I divide my time between some other quite demanding activities. I will keep you informed about the service process.

On the other hand, I would like to tell you that I am still studying Bhakti Vaibhava finishing the third Canto. The course is demanding but the partnership with fellow students and our instructor is top notch. Smart people, receptive to the book, but also with a critical sense. I'm happy. It is wonderful that a text like the Bhagavatam has such a sounding board, this class is like a well tuned guitar.

HpS - Who are these students and teacher(s)?

Seems you are very fixed in chanting enthusiatic Japa and must have good association?

Wh are they?

Thanks for everything Gurudeva

Your servant

Gandharva das

AgtSP !

Dear guru maharaja, hoping that you are in very good health and everything else. I am stopping by just to greet and offer my obeisances to you. Have a great Vaisnava New Year and as always a wonderful Sankirtan.

Y.s. madhumangala das

HpS - ASA - Very nice to hear from you! We are thinking of you! More news????