Letters to the editor

Dear Maharaj,

PAMHO AGTSP!

Thank you for your response. We can definitely work with our audiences for an Odissi Manipuri collaboration from Sundara Kanda. However, my primary desire is to find a part in this fortunate opportunity to serve in your mission: promote your cherished project, this film. If I need to learn western theatre techniques to do this, I am very happy to do so too and use whatever training I have 🙏.

your aspiring servant,

SMDD

HpS - Thank you! So nice traveling with you and Dhruva Das in the Northeast.

Actually, DTC - The Ultimate Trip, is not a cherished project. 😎

A lot of it is "Duty" Rasa, though it definitely is very important to us to make the effort to consolidate a record of our Sankirtan for everyone.

I don't know if the Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe is still active, but see if they have some videos on line to look at. I think they might give nice idea of Western dance drama, and of course Peter Brook Mahabharata seems to be nice way to put Indian stuff in American format.

Thank you.

Hare Krishna Maharaja!

PAMHO AGTSP!

I've read your "Kapi Dhvaja" dated January 6th, thank you for sharing your travel itinerary; I'm waiting for a chance that I have got to visit you in Mexico City, if is Krishna´s will. 

How amazing for me it's to imagine you doing the daily parikrama for the Radha-Kunda! Right now it's a cold time in and around Vrindavan, I think it's a short season, a microclimate. My obeisances to you and all your visitors and associates! Right now in Chile is summer time, but some days have been little cold and some strong rains in the big mountain Cordillera de los Andes.

I recently spoke to Maha Anandini Devi Dasi to request a service that will grant me credits so that I can move forward to get initiated with you, please Gurudeva. Mataji is currently in charge of coordinating this management and authorizing the service performed as valid, along together with the administrative commission. And they gave me service in the area of making garlands for the deities. The beginning is 5 induction classes where one is accompanied and directed by an expert mataji in the service, after those 5 sessions, that are also practical service because one is making the garlands under supervision, they will set me a day of the week in wich I'll be in charge of doing the service that day, which consists of making the garlands for Their Lordships one day before They use it. It's quite a challenge for me and I love it, it's a very artistic activity that requires a lot of creativity and sensitivity and neatness, and at the same time you can enjoy appreciating the beautiful shapes and the extraordinary combinations of colors and shades that the Supreme Artist, Krishna, puts in His flowers. I'm attaching photos with the first garlands I made this Monday and was used on Tuesday by Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada.

Buck White - Aaaacha! Very professional. GN must feel very proud to wear them.

This work will capture Chile.

At Iskcon Chile a few weeks ago, your disciple Jagad-Guru Das took over as President. The other time I told him "I didn't vote for you, but, Oh yes! you are my President!"; and I made myself available to him to support him in whatever he need.

I haven't smoked cannabis for 4 months now; with the other 3 principles it's been much longer, a few years.

ASA - On behalf of your lungs, we thank you!

Since 2015 I have been reading Srila Prabhupada's books every day, even if it's only 2 pages every night. A few days ago I completed reading Srila Prabhupada's 3-volume extended version biography written by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. Srila Prabhupada's life is amazing, extraordinary, He is the most important man of the 20th Century and for the next thousands of years, ¡all glories to Srila Prabhupada! Now I'm reading "The Nectar of Instruction", and I want to highlight a quote from Srila Prabhupada that appears in the purport of text 1: "The frustration of material desires produces anger." And my comment is that knowing this one should raise one's desires towards Krishna and abandon material desires to be happy, and I think that achieving it's the most difficult, even being devotees of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna we will always have some desire that binds us to the material world, while we are in this conditioned existence.

HpS - When I heard this I could immediately apply it in so many situations and get free from anger.

Since December 24th I'm renting an apartment 4 blocks from the temple, it belongs to your disciple Arjuna Das. You and Bhakti Bushan Swami and only devotees and families of devotees have lived in this apartment, so it's the best place to live where I can be today, Krishna is very merciful to me and His devotees are also very good to me; all glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to H.H. Hanumatpresaka Swami!

During the last few weeks I've improved my sadhana a bit and I'm chanting at least 8-10 rounds daily and several days I've been able to complete all the 16 rounds of good quality.

I bid farewell eternally grateful for the shelter that you have given to me at your lotus feet, I hope to be able to advance a little more every day and someday to be able to do something useful for you and for Srila Prabhupada's movement, if is Krishna´s will.

Your aspiring servant,

Carlos Rold

PAMHO

AGTSP

HARE KRISHNA!

HpS - Jaya! Are you still growing Marajuana as a commercial crop?

How is Rodrigo's family?

How is your family?

How is your career in Journalism?

Hare Krsna Master,

PAMCHO (please accept my careful humble obeisances)

AGTSP

We have problem in reading? When we read we keep on analysing/inferring from diff angle the part to our best level.

and we have to volunatrily stop ourself from reading due to hours/minute we can devote in it.

ASA - Hmmm. Mother Yasoda stopped giving breast milk to Krsna to save his cow's milk on the stove.

on the second hand, we do systematic/timely studies , then we finish the task, but are not able to go in depth , hence feel hollow or guiltful.

HpS - It's a problem. Hope you can make some progress in solving it!

😬

It seems to us that above is debate between Raga and vaidhi and which again ABAT ( acintya bhed abhed tattva)

how do we balance or integrate them?

HpS/ASA - For us now, we can get a real feel of what is balanced, wholesome service in KC most of the time, and when we are confused it reminds us to chant HK, and the Holy Names inform us how to relate to our requirements in Karma, Jnana in serving little Gopal's interest.

Stopping and Chan Ting until you know what to do is always a great solution.

Hare Krsna Gurudeva

PAMHO, careful obeisances.

AGTSP

Service:

You were searching for 6 chakras in class online from Radhakund to Nitaigaurasundra.

Here are some references where SP mentions 6 Chakra.

SB 2.2.20

SB 3.28.6

SB 4.4.25 ( I think you were trying to quote this)

Question:

What does sincere mean in the context of "sincere inquiry"?

are all insincere inquiries absurd inquiries

HpS - I understand it to mean, enquiries that lead to some practical improvement in Krsna's service, rather than mental gratification like mixing different Fruti flovors to serve the whims of our tongue.

Thank for being a transparent consciousness.

Ys

Hayagriva Avatar Das

little snippet in class https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7Q5eaCGAno

All species communicate thats the basis of life

transmit/receive

hearing / chanting,

question/answers,

perspiring/smelling

HpS - Jaya!!!

Hare Krishna Maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances; all glories to his divine grace, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada-our founder acharya.

I had tried to access your blog here on a number of occasions in the recent past, but something kept popping up on my computer that said "sight not secure," and it wouldn't let me access your sight. By her kindness, Mother Kama Gayatri helped me to correct the issue, and so now I can once again reach out to you with my thoughts.

I did write some things in the black composition book that you had distributed and listed it on the "Special Categories" of your blog, but after a couple of months the site said that you still hadn't read it, which I thought strange. I chose to delete the both of the offerings, thinking that it would seem out of place due to untimeliness.

However, I do still have the compositions, if you feel it appropriate for me to submit my writings at any time.

HpS - It is very nice to hear from you! We are trekking through the jungle of north east india with Simba the lion and Boo Boo the baboon and 40-other devotees.

Sorry you had trouble with the BLog. Some times we can't answer everythng but we communicate that and ask everyone to send again!

Yes,, lobve to see hard copies. Back in USA like 24th.

Calendar in the Kapi Dhvaja.

At present I am cooking one day a week for the Deities at the temple. That means going on the altar to make the offering and then putting Their Lordships to rest each Thursday. My wife and I are able to maintain some sadhana with regular morning program, but my online classes came to a standstill. However, I am trying to revive them, beginning with a Srimad Bhagavatam class in the morning,at least 3 times a week. Japa is poor as usual, and my offenses seem to persist no matter what. I have had to come out of full retirement and return to work due to recently incurred dental costs running into the thousands on my part. Not wanting to return to work as a caregiver I have taken up driving for Uber, as it allows me to work when I want, quit when I want, and create whatever schedule I want. This makes it possible for me to structure my worldly realities around my devoitional practices.

HpS - 'ey, Mate, you seem to be hav'n some really good opportinities. Also Uber lets you meet a lot of people. Join'n the Jayananda Das sampradaya.

I still have a great struggle with my material desires. Consciously I am not motivated by these desires, but inwardly they never leave me alone. I guess it's very much like being haunted by ghosts. When I was younger I used to think that in my retirement years it would be easier to focus more clearly on my spiritual goals and practices due to years of accumulated wisdom in Krishna consciusness. But the reality is that I have come to sense how there really isn't any improvement in my character when it comes to rising above my material desires. I am just as sinful as ever, just as attached as ever and just as ignorant. The only thing that has changed is that I am older, and I am still not at all Krishna conscious. How it is that I am able to at all maintain any sadhana throughout all these years as a pretentious devotee is beyond me, especially given my ongoing offenses. I can only say that it by the causeless of your good self, Srila Prabhupada and all the acharyas, and the causelss mercy of Lord Krishna that I am still allowed to maintain some sadhana. And I wonder what sort of consciousness I will be in when it comes to die: an incident that I ponder more regularly as I continue to get older

although there is so much more that I have been wanting to share with you, I think I shall close here, as I have already taken up so much of your time. I wish to close by begging for your forgiveness for being so incompetent in my devotional service. I did try and reach out to you at the time of your Vyasapuja, but as I explained earlier, I didn't know how to access your blog. Fortunately I can once again reach out to you: thank God!

Your lowly servant,

Balabhadra dasa

HpS - So, good to hear from you! I feel like you in many ways. My K.C. in a large degree is finally seeing my material attachments clearly, and having the determination by Guruu kripa to take up the task of removing them by "HK/HR" even if it takes several life times.

Please tell us of your Deity service at home?

Maharaj

PAMHO AGTSP!

Govinda Mataji and I have been discussing an ICCR sponsorship from Indian embassy in Mexico for an evening length production (tentatively for August) (14 artists 45min) collaboration with Manipuri dancers on the topic of reuniting Sita Ram. Here are some tentative scene ideas we are brainstorming to convey the mood of our film nicely and promote it (we are trying to collaborate with the Manipuri group as in your film)? 

1) Sita Ram wedding celebration (invocation, mangalacharan)

2) Vanvas (pure dance, Pallavi)

3) Sita kidnapped, Jatayu slayed (emotive piece, Abhinaya)

4) Ravana slayed (emotive/pure dance)

5) Sita Agni Pariksha leading to Ram and Sita reuniting in end (intense pure dance or Moksa)

We are reaching out to the Manipuri school to discuss if they are open to collaborate like this.

Ys,

SM DD

HpS - AgtSP!!!!! paoho. Of course, we discussed this yesterday or the day before and it seems like a very big project.

It seems different from our current effort if you want to take advantage of that and the resouces, audience and staff that it is developing.

As we discussed, it seems that classical dance from Orissa or Manipur would be to esoteric for world or Western audience.

You would need dances gestures etc. that would communicate to them.

One thing we suggested was look at the Sundar Kanda of the Ramayana, Hanumatpresaka, and then think about breaking that into pieces that lend themselves to dance drama.

Then organize one eg. Hanuma flys to Lanka, and then circulate it amongst your audience and possible collaborators in USA or Imphal.