Letters to the editor

asa[e] sankirtan, sannyasa

How to question a Goswami: Old Lady, Old Man?

Mangala ananda Das, from Chile, told us that after being our disciple for 11-years he had finally figured out that he should use us as his spiritual master and not his psychologist.

It was a strong point for us!

As we have discussed...:> So many times devotees try to get advice from us in solving specific problems. but as we get older, and as you get older, you will know so many nice people. For example, today, we are trying to help families who have gone through very complicated pregnancies and are thinking about having another child, ISKCON national political conflicts. We just got off a 33' 33''call with Sriman Upendra Das to organize the Saturday morning classes, so in our old age, and you in your old age, we have to see what kind of work we can do and should do, and the Blog is super.

Think about your situation, are there any general principles that you need to clarify, specific points that have general relevance and are not too embarrassing. Discussing those will benefit many people.

It may not give you a final plan of action, but it will make, making the Action Plan very simple.

For the specific details, Hp Swami cannot really give any good advice unless it happens to be something that he is specifically involved in, like organizing Nrsmha deva festival in the park in Murfreesboro where he is actually residing and knows where the sound system is located.

🙂  🙂   💥 🐒🐒🦍  🤖

We were celebrating Earth Day at the 6^th Annual, ECO Teaching Farm Festival, at the new Raman Reti farm in Alachua, Florida.

HpS/ASA - "Whole Earth Day" originated at my Alma Mater, UC Davis! 😇 Maybe 1968.

This year’s workshops highlighted even more reasons to appreciate the gifts of Mother Nature.

There were demonstrations on making banana fiber baskets, natural dyes from backyard blooms and kitchen scraps, incense making, essential oils, homemade paper, and mozzarella cheese.

In addition, there were herb walks, talks on using the biogas digester, tips on soil improvement, growing herbs, and much more.

I especially enjoyed the mozzarella cheese-making class with Mother Rucira. She used fresh organic milk from their cows to make the cheese.

Below are some photos from the event!!!! 

HpS - Super! Super! "A devotee lives very happily in this world seeing everything as a reflection of the spiritual world" - LOB

It is like watching a good movie of the Sunday Feast!

Ha! Ha! Hare!

Of course, chanting HK and visiting the spiritual world even while you are in the material world is even better than just watching the movie.

One foot in this world.

One foot in the other.

More. More. More.

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you for your response to my letter. I would love to visit you at your base camp and help with symposium, kids drama, movie etc. I am also very interested in channeling even a tiny tiny drop of the great Bhaktivinode Thakura through guitar music like you had mentioned. How can I do this? Only with your mercy.

With the devotee baby coming in late May or early June and many music and temple projects. I wouldn’t be able to come to Murfreesboro until July most likely. I will keep in touch with you to see when a good time for you would be of course. Please keep in mind that I can do sudra work if that is needed in any way.

We are very much looking forward to seeing the second movie you have made!

Your aspiring servant,

Nitisara das

P.S. here is a silly little poem I wanted to offer to you that was definitely inspired by you:

A Truly Positive Affirmation #1; ode to my lower lowly self

Make a space for Gods grace in your little life starting early in the morning. Let Him help you help Him. For He is both the benevolent king and the shepherd. He takes very good care of His servants as the best king would and He plays hard with His friends as any good farm boy should. So work hard in the darkness before the dawn. Walk in His sunlight embrace. Take shelter in that great fear of losing Him. That sweet smiling face. Losing track of Him, His divine reality and losing touch with the freedom you feel with Him. Chanting His names. This is the greatest tragedy but hope is always waiting for you in your bag of beads. Magic beads. Let Him help you help Him help you help Him. Take shelter in His friends. Serve Him by serving them. 

HpS - Pretty damn fine!! Thank you. When it goes to a song, it gets changed, no?

Do you have Gitavali or Saranagati by Bh. V. Thakura? I think they are on the interenet, like at ISKCON Desire Tree. Of course, we already have a few of his songs in our regular song books. I especially (!!!) like 'Udilo aruna'. Maybe the best song I know for introducing KC in the modern world.

It is in Bengali, so it is charming for new audiences to hear a little of the language.

It introduces Lord Caitanya.

It presents the basic fundamentals of our philosophy nicely.

In preaching we are look for innocent people and avoiding the demons.

What we present should be entertaining, but it is also going to have that aspect of being like an educational video, so people expect have to use some of their own patience and deterimation to get the message. The student has work. Can't expect singer, teacher to do all the work.

O.K.?

Thank you!

Ananta rupa Das sent nice message to us also.

Hare Krishna!

Please accept my humble obeisances!!

All glories to You!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Maharaja thank you so much!!

I would love to be there for Jayanandas' day and Narasimhadeva too!

Whatever you want!

Ys,

Jaya Hari Das

3 - Disapp. Jayananda Das.

4 - App. Lord Nrmsmha Deva.

5 - Purnima.

6 - NIOS Nashville Festival (Poster just now coming).

See you soon!

HpS - Very nice! Please call!

Hare Krishna Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances, and all glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I just wanted to send a message thanking you for your enlivening association and classes you gave while you were recently visiting the ISKCON Houston community.

I have had the chance to read through some of your short stories on Jayarama.us, they are very wonderful and seem to capture the mind. Grateful to you for those.

Also your Japa Joe slide shows and “Get Up Early and Get Your Rounds Done” presentations have been very inspiring..

Especially the practical tips for waking up and simply chanting, despite the mind’s objections.

To keep it short and simple I just wanted to say thank you kindly, Maharaja.

And if you have any other advice or thoughts on getting fixed in up rising early and chanting, please do share..

Hare Krishna,

your servant, Abhaya dasa

HpS - AgtSP! Thank you for your association! We really feel that the overwhelming majority of any good actions or qualities that we have are a result of Srila Prabhupada's mercy, sacrifice! Please, please, regularly be in personal touch with him through your Hari Kirtan, Japa, and his books!!

Jaya!

Send us more news as it happens!

Hare Krsna, Beloved Gurudeva:

AGTSP, AGTU, PAMHO

Sadhana - Gurudeva I was not present all days in FMP due to on April 12th I have a surgery in my eyes the technical name is eye iridotomy (the thing is that I had I inherited from my father the narrow angle in the eyes and if I did not have an operation there could be the possibility of going blind). The surgery was a sucess Hurray Krsna. ¡¡¡¡ Now I can cross that off my list.

ASA - ... and the Black Witch will add two more things to the list. 😟

Jambavan, before submitting his resignation letter of Miraflores asked me to be in charge of pujari. I was very honor with his offer, nevertheless, I told him that I am busy but my desire is always serve the deities so I was going to be part of the pujari team.

I am not going to enter in details here, but then all the situation started to turn unbelievable, the same authority supports the same "lady " to be part of the junta in Miraflores and all her family involved in the service including the treasure hahah (very subtle). Anyway. Jambavan wrote a very complete, concise and chronological explanation about all the things that happened.

Some devotees including me denounce these facts and some authority replies in one paragraph of his letter and I am quoting " this handful of devotees that are pushing these accusations do not have the right to talk about morals and ethics."

I was shocked when I read this. Palika dd, for instance You know her SHE IS A LADY. Anyway Gurudeva, I am pretty disappointed about this whole situation. We as devotees, we were just requesting something fair and sane for ISKCON Peru and then this authority threatens us

I quote again: " in relation to disturbing the peaceful conduct of the affairs of ISKCON and that they are taking the risk of being restricted of participating in ISKCON:

Well, I can say that I have Krsna, SP's ISKCON, You, some really good friends devotees in my heart and I treasure within it, all the unforgettable things that I experienced being a devotee. I have my deities, my japa, gayatri. And that "the authority" can not take those away from me.

HpS - Sometimes there is lack of communication and "authorities" are acting on that. Sometimes they have been captured by The Witch, as we all can be, like Jayatirtha Das' situation and we have to work sincerely to keep our little part of ISKCON sane and work to keep the International Society sane.

One time the big temple in Berkeley, San Francisco, was going into the hands of Kritana ananda Swami when we was leaving ISKCON. President, local GBC, GBC Executive Committee had all given up on it. Six city lots big in very prosperous part of Berkeley, but we decided to do what we could and that rallied everyone and then they said, "thank you, we can do it from here"!

It is very painful and the level of corruption and impudence has already exceeded my tolerance limit

HpS - NoI 3 ... Niscayena. How much tolerance? Unlimited

How much? UNLIMITED.

??? U N L I M I T E D ???? This is Srila Prabhupada's movement and we will struggle with proper, healthy, happy, proportion to do our share to see it a good institution.

On the other hand, Karuna Krsna das called Janapavana das to request that some of the furniture that you left in the ashrama be stored some place else due to he is going to rent the asram. So in my house I have your bed, one altar, one cabinet (this one is locked I do not know if you have valuable things in there), one desk. I am attaching the pictures. So, Gurudeva what do I do with these things?

Patraka das is requesting if he can have the altar for his gorgeous silas and deities.

HpS - ASA --- None of the things "belong" to us. We bought the bunk-bed for the Ashrama. There is another top part. The table, the altar are just part of the room.

The cabinet has some stuff.

LoB bi-lingual hard copies etc.

Some nice stuff.

It can all be distributed to proper persons.

Gandharva Das had the keys?

Is there a combination lock?

I think I have the combination.

Well Gurudeva this is all I have to inform

See you tomorrow in FMP

Your eternal servant

Candramukhi dd

HpS - Thank you for the news. Which is crazier? ISKCON Peru politics or Peru National politics?

😎