Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna Guru Maharaja.

Por favor acepte mis respetuosas reverencias.

Todas las glorias sean para Srila Prabhupada!

Estimado Gurudev, espero que se encuentre perfectamente en Conciencia de Krsna.

Le escribo para responder a Su pregunta:

Who wrote the Madhura-astakam? Srila Prabhupada sings it?

Muchas gracias por esta pregunta. Averiguando en google, aparece que fue escrita por Vallabhacarya, fundador de la tradición Pustimarga, por lo tanto no es una canción de nuestra línea. Que bueno poder saberlo.

Sobre esto:

Some songs like Gaura Arati seem very nice to make into dances.

Es una canción tan hermosa. ¿Es una meditación de Bhaktivinoda Thakura, o está basada en un pasatiempo del Señor Caitanya y Sus asociados?

Bueno Guru Maharaja, quiero contarle que decidí no participar en "NIOS Chile" de manera formal, debido a que no creo ser realmente útil en el servicio. Estaré disponible si se presenta alguna oportunidad de servicio en el que pueda apoyar, como colaboradora.

Seguiré con mi servicio de Educación, si Krsna me lo permite, y el servicio a las deidades del templo (una vez al mes). Envío fotos. Este servicio me gusta mucho porque hay mucho que aprender y profundizar... requiere de tantos elementos; concentración, sentimiento, minuciosidad, experticia, disciplina, etc.

Muchas gracias por Su tiempo Gurudev

Su aspirante a sirviente

Priyasakhi Devi Dasi

---

Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja.

Please accept my respectful obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Dear Gurudev, I hope you are doing wonderfully in Krishna consciousness.

I am writing to answer your question:

"Who wrote the Madhura-astakam? Does Srila Prabhupada sing it?"

Thank you very much for this question. Upon checking Google, it appears that it was written by Vallabhacharya, the founder of the Pustimarga tradition; therefore, it is not a song from our lineage. It is good to know this.

Regarding this:

"Some songs like Gaura Arati seem very nice to make into dances."

It is such a beautiful song. Is it a meditation by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, or is it based on a pastime of Lord Caitanya and His associates?

HpSwami - AgtSP. Yes. Mahaprakash. In CC!

Well, Guru Maharaja, I want to let you know that I decided not to participate formally in "NIOS Chile," as I do not believe I would be truly useful in that service. I will remain available should any service opportunity arise where I can help out as a collaborator.

I will continue with my Education service, if Krishna allows, and the service to the temple Deities (once a month). I am sending photos. I really enjoy this service because there is so much to learn and delve into... it requires so many elements: concentration, feeling, attention to detail, expertise, discipline, etc.

Thank you very much for your time, Gurudev.

Your aspiring servant,

Priyasakhi Devi Dasi



HpSwami - SP Made BBT independent of ISKC0N. Other institutions like Bala Books he promoted as operated by private devotees or communities, but like you suggest, not being involved institutionally but friendly.

What news from Jaganntha Das?

last node : 16235

with the help of copilot..

Hare Krsna, AGtSP, PAMhO

Respected Old Monk,

At this early hour, I write again to share the journey of my thoughts and life. For us, you represent something beyond a body — you may appear as a guru in form, but Guru Tattva itself is not confined to any particular body. It is a complex concept, and we are trying to combine what we have heard and followed from various teachers, especially Śrīla Prabhupāda and Vrindavan Swami.

We acknowledge that we have not followed the rules as perfectly as they should be, yet the spirit of following remains intact. Venkatesh can testify that the four principles are preserved, the chanting continues, and the perspective endures. For many years, we followed the ISKCON practice of chanting sixteen rounds daily, believing Krishna would take care. But in time, we realized we had become ritualistic and harsh toward others, which was intuitively wrong.

After one great failure, life changed. Now, with our parents staying with us in their old age, I see God not only in the deity or the holy name, but also in father and mother. At seventy, my father’s body still works well, though his mind is not as strong. His attachment toward us has grown, and I see his care — driving us to hospitals, preparing medicines, standing by us in court. He never had a strong relationship with a guru; his bond was with family. Perhaps he sought that relationship with me too.

I wish to reciprocate. Yet my bodily condition is frail. Chemotherapy has peeled away the lining of the scrotum and anus, and an enema has to be taken to often in small quantity to pass stool. Litigation continues. I strive not to appear dependent or handicapped before my parents, though much effort goes into maintaining myself. Chanting is often mental, not vocal. Sometimes, watching the Mahavatar Narsimha film, the music itself becomes smaraṇam, remembrance of the divine. In those moments, it feels as if Narsimha Himself is saying: “Do not shout at my people. Do not criticize them. They are mine. Do not hurt them. Rest, I will take care.”

I regret not chanting sixteen rounds daily. In 2023, cancer struck my kidney, half of which was removed. Later, in November 2025, cancer reappeared in my back. Doctors now suggest chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy. We are taking the pills. We do not yet know which path will unfold.

This is my update, shared with reverence. I continue to write, to remember, and to serve in whatever small way I can.

With humility , trust and respect,

Harsh

HPS-ASA - AgtSP. Thank you so much.

I feel your report has given intense thought to everyone.

Kirtaniya sada harih.

As far as I know Srila Prabhupada was not chanting on beads in his final days.

He was skin and bones, yet the final purports he dictated are so, so lucid.

I have faith in the while process of Diksa that he has established for his Iskcon, but some devotees told me that they lied to their Diksa guru and were not chanting and following properly before initiation and on the day of initiation they were smoking Marijuana after the ceremony!

This is extreme case. Yet, you and I may be making milder yet specific errors in the processes that produce bad side effects.

O. K.

Yet, the whole contract with SP and his... his... ISKCON seems valid, abdolute.

I am 19 rounds behind from this flu.

Keeping accounting of my debt.

Will make it up.

If cannot chant on beads so much, then yes develop mental, even vaikuntha chanting.

Smile.

Be happy.

No problem dying soon.

Sunday, June 07, 2026, at 7.30 am, Houston time

We will start reading Madhya Lila; 19.144 onwards up to verse 19.195.

(Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu instructs Srila Rupa Goswami)

Thank you to all devotees for their dedicates service to ASA ~~ SB workshop class. H. G. Nikunja Bihari Prabhu will help us with Spanish translation seva for Maharaja's class and reading notes of CC.

H.G. Mitravinda Mataji will help us with seva of back up translator; in case there are technical difficulties.

Maharaja, thank you for engaging everyone in reading systematically books of Srila Prabhupada's.

YS

Upendra Dasa

Hare Krsna.

7.17PM here. Long day. Lots of work. Still with the flu like 63%. Nice letters from Sarad gaurangi Devi Dasi but to exhausted to think anymore.

Anantesvara Das' travel agent working on the Dallas, Madrid, India - Ayurveda Trip.

Just bought Seattle back to Houston on the 25th morning.

We are like a dead body being carried by angels.

We smile and chant.

Krsna consciousness becomes more and more and more broad and intense!!!!!!!

Thank you!!

Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja 

PAMHO

AGTSP

"When do you get up regularly? "

I wanted to reply to this letter that you sended me a long time ago but I was too ashamed to reply and say that I was waking up at 11 am or even 12… 

Nowadays it is very different, I wake up now regularly around 5 or 6 am, depending if I went to sleep early before, I want to wake up at around 4 or 3 am, I think makes my day way more productive, I chant my rounds early in the morning, after I take a shower and also eat breakfast and then I take the bus to work. 

I'm now working with my dad making bread and we have quite a few businesses going, many plans to expand and maybe, just maybe and if Krsna wants, we could earn some money with it. I really hope for it, I have many siblings to take care of if the time is needed and if they start to have children it would be good to have some money to help them with it or anything really. 

Also there is a little chance that I start working in a school, I did the Cambridge exam and I got a C1 certificate even tho I got a C2 at speaking the rest was not so good hahaha

"Can you lead the full morning program, got basic Bhakti sastri education, cook kitri and halavah?" " 

Yes, my voice is like a wild boar so maybe it will not be so pleasing to the ears of everybody but I have some good hands to cook some nice prasadam, also I actually enjoy it a lot. 

"What is happening with your career status? " 

For now not much, I'm working and saving some money, I was thinking to ask you if is a good idea to wait and do business before it, idk if I would even work at the fild of my studies and now I'm doing Bhakti Vaibhava with Param Padam Das, and I fell that maybe I could dedicate to that for the time being like study wise, and later study another things when my life is a bit more stable and sure what it would be good to do, also I would not like to get much influence from materialistic people in the university, again I don't really know, I'm a fool. 

Also after some time of chanting my rounds in the morning and reading some SB I started to have some aversion to the married life and all that is related to it, also familiar life, I don't really know if is due to that or just some other things but every day that passes it feels more like an unwise decision and more of a waste of time, maybe if I tell this thought to my dad he would go crazy and ask for an hour with the psychologist hahaha

As always hopping that your health is good and that this machine that we call "body" keeps working properly, Now I have to leave, we need to go to work with my dad in the bakery. 

Hare Krishna!!! :D

HpS - !!!! Hare Krsna. Jayananda Das said, it is not so important that you have some great service tied into some epic plan. Just always stay engaged in something. If you do some service, you can always clean, the material world in always dirty, then 'vidy vadu jivanam', know-ledge with automatically come. You will develop you intelligence more and more and more.

You will have great strategy.

Asked one devota, nice lady. Which is better, to have a husband or to have brothers. She smiled and said, Brothers.

Rise early in the morning and attend, organize, Mangala arati, Kirtan SB, the engage in other things. M-arati etc will become more and more of a spontaneous effort. Always different.

Hare Krishna, Gurumaharaja. Please accept these loving obeisances at your feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! 

We are getting very excited to have you here in New Briharvan dham on July 1st. 

Having an intense Purushotum maas so far, covering devotees services while they are at Sadhu Sanga festival. Trying to appreciate holding down the fort as much as going on a journey. I really loved what you said in a recent class about Purushotum mass..Something along the lines of: we are already doing so much so this month doesn’t have to be about adding or doing more rather it should be about clarifying our priorities. Thank you for this Gurumaharaja. It’s been a most helpful meditation and experiment. 

HpS - For me too. Home Alone!

Is it a good time to start scheduling programs for your stay here? Aside from Ratha Yatra, our Thursday program and Sunday Love Feast..I would like to know when would be a good day for us to go rafting. I was thinking the 10th or 11th of July but if we wanted it to be closer to when devotees are here for Ratha Yatra it could be the 5th or 6th of July. What do you think? 

HpS - I am not sure. It seems that there will not be a lot of people coming for the academic work on the first week end. So 5th and 6th seem nice, no?

Can you talk with Radhika about contacting some Mormons for discussions of Women and Religion - Classical and Contemporary.

Also, how long can you stay here? 2 to 3 weeks or more still? 1 year or more? Indefinitely?

HpS - Got the tickets. Also got the flu! Arrive 1st - lee - lee -leave on the 15th.... zoom zoom zoom to san jose (st. joseph) foster father of God. O.K.?????

So nice to see you back in ISKCON Houston. 

Your aspiring servant, 

-Nitisara das

Does everyone leave Boise in July? Where do they hang out??

Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna.... Krsna Krsna Hare Hare. Baby Krsna is hiding there, in the Boise, Forest.