Letters to the editor

Dear maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to your service. 

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

This post is to share my current travel plans and projects over the coming months.

1.      HDG Bhaktisvaurpa Damodara Swami Maharaja vyasapuja and possible education symposium, Radha Kunda November 29^th 2022. 

I have booked travel tickets and accommodation to arrive in Radha Kund evening of 26^th November and return to Mayapur 1^st December 2022.

The assignment you gave me for this symposium was put forward some ideas on how the NIOS and the Bhaktivedanta Research Centre (BRC) along with other affiliates can expand the kirtan of Sri Krishna Caitanya. I interviewd HG Hari Suari prabhu and learnt the amazing history of the BRC. I have some ideas, most of which others are probably also having. Maybe hearing them from me, this wild, youthful outsider, might kickstart something.

If symposium is no longer viable, I will cancel/postpone the above plans. 

ASA -- HK//HHR. Always welcome, but if you can save some money then maybe cancel this trip because S. Rudra broke leg and cannot come.

Also, if do come think you could stay with us.

We can talk on phone.

2.      My family and I will travel to Vrindavan for your Vyasapuja 19^th – 27^th December. 

3.      January 2023, my tickets are booked. I will meet you at Mumbai airport morning of the 11^th after which we spend the next few days at Govardhan Eco Village until we fly together to Imphal, Manipur. Programs in Manipur and Assam until the 24^thwhen we return to Delhi. 

ASA - Awwwk. We checked with Vistara, and our flight is Tuesday 10th, not 11th! Flight 927 (?) arrives 11.35am Mumbai.

I hope we didn't publish this incorrectly. We make mistakes, so best to confirm general info specifically with us.

4.      26^th January 2023, we fly to Madrid, Spain together. I am developing some ideas to contribute and research with HH Yadhunandan Swami.

ASA - Yes, flight for both of us was changed from 25th to 26th January.

There are more plans for February-March, but I will leave it at this for the blog for now. 

Your servant

Dhruvaananda Das

HpS/ASA - Many thanks!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada,

All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga

All glories to the sankirtan of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:

Please accept my humble obeisances dear Gurudev, I have not written to you for a while, I have been involved with cultivation and construction.

At home there is a thorny tree with small purple flowers. A beautiful red hummingbird always comes to drink the nectar from these flowers, and I think of Hanumat Presaka Swami, no matter how hard the wood is and how thorny the wood is, the hummingbird finds the like little flowers and absorbs the nectar.

HpS - AGTSP! We still have a tendency to enjoy some of the flowers of Tama and Raja guna.... but it seems to be under control and diminishing!

Likewise with us, no matter how hard-hearted we have been by time, you are an expert in searching for nectar. I have been a bit perplexed by the actions of some devotees, but is it Kali Yuga? I too have had unfortunate attitudes.

HpS - Could be many things. Ie. Doctor sees that a man is coughing. Could be many causes. NoI 6 talks about how even a pure devotee may seem to have material faults from an external, material, point of view.

I tell him [you] that I am building the dining hall with an altar for Jaganath, Baladeva and Subhadra. Gopal gets up every morning and goes to hug Jaganath who is currently in the half-finished workshop, and honestly it is the best motivation in Krsna consciousness, seeing my son developing spontaneous love for Jaganatha makes me very happy, really You're going to need it because this world is getting darker and harsher.

HpS - Yes, it is Krsna's kindness to SQUEEZE us out of our material mess.

I want to tell you that I cultivated Tulasi Devi, and little by little they are germinating, and it makes me happy to see the magic of Krsna in each episode of my life, what more can you ask for in life? May a pure devotee of the Lord manifest in my humble home? I have neglected my rounds a bit, that's why I'm going to put the batteries, because I feel that the rounds and the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, they are the only thing that will take care of my mental and emotional health. Radha JPJ, she almost left her body in a bus accident near home too, so I feel that Krsna warns us about the harshness of this world. We were listening with Gopal to some of His [your, Srila P'pada] classes in Spain, the last one about Abhimanyu, and it is a mystery how Krsna tested his pure devotees like Arjuna, how his sons were killed, his mother Devaki and his father Vasudeva, it is really a mystery. In general terms I continue working at home and soon I will have the workshop in a decent state to be able to work and collect a little better.

I also want to finish Jaganatha's dining room and altar to make some nice mangalartiks and maybe invite devotees, I always fondly remember mangalartiks with Gunagrahi das Goswami, or with you and I feel it was a gift to the heart and great fortune. have shared that bliss. I feel very lucky, the truth is, as His Holiness Bhakti Tirtha Swami Maharaja says, Krsna consciousness is the greatest adventure... I feel like I don't have much to tell. My life is a bit routine and simple, but happy. PRIVATE Gurudev, if it were possible, I ask that what follows be only for you.

HpS/ASA - O.K. unless you are confessing to robbing a bank or something. Ha! Ha! Ha!

. . .

HpS - Your comments are something that I experience precisely in my spiritual life also.

NoI 5 is so, so nice. It helped me so much when the NoI was published and I could read that text.

Hare Krishna!

Please forgive any offense committed in this letter inadvertently.

My best wishes for you, eternally grateful: bhakta frank

Dear Maharaj,

PAMHO AGTSP

Yes Maharaj. At that time I was taking guidance under the one ISKCON Guru's Sanga-siksa system. He told me to follow my parents. For consultation with Sadhu, I spoke to my parents and siksha guru (arranged by them and disciple of HH RNS), all told to jump on this marriage opportunity brought by my siksha guru despite everything. And sastra says only Kshatriya women can choose their own husband/parents have right to decide spouse.

I sensed many problematic situations will come from this marriage or maybe my fear manifested them. But I also knew being vowed to solve them will result in much spiritual growth. My friends, intuition and astrologers said don’t do it: His affairs will give you sanyas life. I put my hands up and said if this is what you want Krsna, so be it.

I definitely have grown. 4yrs ago I couldn’t imagine tolerating this. I had to face a lot of internal demons: pride, inferiority complex of cowife, loneliness, attachment to conventional grhasta life, insecurity, uncertainity, anxiety, false shelter etc. I am working to mold my life closer to SP’s discipline and thus becoming more internally satiated with my personal, spiritual and material goals.

Earlier, every interaction with my husband would bite me like this many hooded serpant and I’d get fevers, and insomnia. But since you gave us shelter, we have developed some immunity to this poison and this have better sadhana. And most importantly this problem has brought our heart so much closer to yours 🙏. Serendipity. And perhaps the good is slowly revealing itself.

Your servant,

Yajnaseni DD

HpS - ASA - Thank you for giving some lucid explanation of your experiences. I think that others are getting perspectives on their own lives.

Madhyama Adhikari

1. Loves Krsna.
2. Makes friends with devotees.
3. Preaches to the innocent.
4. Avoids the demons.

Of course, most of us are a mixture of qualities 2-4.

So, best thing in our stage is to become expert at avoiding being bitten. See the neurotic attachment of people kicking in and overwhelming their intelligence, and jumping out of their line of fire.

Eg. "Thanks, Prabhu, love to talk about that. I'll be right back!"

Maharaj, PAMHO AGTSP!

After more than a dozen years of suffering, I’ve come to realise that I will never ever neglect what my intuition is telling me again, no matter what kind of authority is standing in front of me. I will not be intimidated into doing things I can see will end up going wrong because maybe most guides we have currently in ISKCON don’t know the abilities of their second generation. Krsna has given us a certain level of insight, understanding, vision, intellect, perception which a lay beginner devotee may not have and their preaching modules can’t be copy pasted onto us.

We aren’t as clueless; maybe we too can see through things. And depending on this inner insight instead of accepting ‘you don’t know anything’, ‘you’re just a little girl’ propaganda. And when you follow, being told ‘you should’ve known better’, ‘we can tell you, but it’s up to you to follow it’.

ASA - Yes, as soon as we come to the mode of goodness, by birth or spiritual culture, we can begin to trust our insight.

Of course, one of most prominent insights is to accurately evaluate our insights.

Eg. 'That is very practical evaluation of the situation, but my intelligence is also telling me to talk to a couple of people to clarify the idea'.

Whatever inspiration we have should be confirmed by Guru, Sadhu and Sastra - Rupa Goswami.

Get to work!

Create a revolution.

Maharaj,

PAMHO AGTSP!

Bhrigu Nadi informed me one woman from your husbands family is causing problems between your husband and you. I have a feeling my husbands girlfriend has been doing black magic on me. She comes from a part of India where this is very common. Fevers, nightmares, insomnia, loss of home, husband, all enthusiasm to live, inauspicious right eye flickering a lot repeatedly over this year etc. have been a constant part of this year. She’s sitting in my home with my husband and I’m out. Will we loose to a woman using black magic? She has access to all my personal items. Is there a way to stop black magic?

In august my husband was still agreeing to take marriage counselling, But everytime I book tickets to go, I’d get extremely sick.

I feel until my husband hears from legal authorities, he won’t stop. I need to file an FIR to get new passport. Should I pursue legal help at this point?

your aspiring servant,

Yajnaseni DD

HpS - ASA -- AGTSP! Paoho. Again, we, HpS, Tom Brown, Buck White, are 97% incompetent to handle this kind of stuff.

In general, it does exist. Story of Bhaktivinode Thakura and big Tantric is there.

Yet, as Sannyasis we only take shelter of Radha Krsna within our heart of hearts.

Our external Deity worship is very simple, but our internal is more developed than Grhastha.

Let us see if some Grhastha reads this and can give advice.

Legal things again are very individual. Sometimes it is good, sometimes it is bad.

Advice would be better from your father, brothers et al.

Every tiny step you take in improving your Hari Kirtan, Japa, is an permament step forward against subtle influences.

PERMANENT.

Dear Maharaj,

PAMHO AGTSP!

You asked us to read: https://vedabase.io/en/library/noi/preface/#bb5771. The direction I’m getting in my heart after trying my best to follow SP’s discipline is I should try to not stir or provoke situation of police involvement/court as that will bring us near the divorce process. However, I also feel if we do not have any presence there, he will get more settled and so will she in the illusion that this marriage is over. I tried to nicely deal with him, he’s arguing, we will kill him. So if I try to peacefully obtain this house key/access, I should maybe just show up there. If I fail, perhaps I should embrace it like Krsna accepted rejection as Shanti doot by Duryodhana. If he attacks then I will have to act to protect, again not endangering the marriage. This might get tricky to keep everyone peaceful and prevent eruptions. Both my father and my husband’s family and gf all want a boil down. I’m close, but I feel better to postpone inauspicious acts.

I have a follow up question to your answer that Yudhisthira’s desire to uphold dharma also lost to Duryodhana: doesn't Krsna protect vow of His devotees? Bhakta Vatsala?

ASA - Hare Krsna. The greatest asset that we can have is an enlightened service attitude. If Krsna can protect that and augment it then we have to greatest gift.

If we have a service attitude toward belicose family members then we are satisfied in any situation. We have come to help everyone.

Follow up for: ‘should not argue with fool’: he turns a simple request for house key into argument. In favour of not accelerating divorce, I’m considering postponing asking for my rights to my things and house key to a later point of higher clarity. Maybe for now I can compromise having my dance dress and order new documents and book tickets.

Ys,

Yajnaseni DD

ASA - As Sannyasis and B'caris we don't get involved in the details of these things, so we can't give detailed advice.

Chant Hare Krsna and try to do things with the company of several family members and responsible people.

Draupadi won.