Letters to the editor

asa[e] - Science and the Veda; Preaching and making devotees from a scientific/academic community

Dear Guru Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!

HpS - AgtSP. Paoho.... I started putting obeisances to Prabhupada first, because I thought that I cannot even actually offer obeisances to devotees without his mercy!!!

I vaguely remember that you once mentioned a statement—perhaps by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Ṭhākura or possibly by Tamāla Kṛṣṇa Goswami—regarding preaching to the scientific or academic community.

The idea was that preaching to such persons requires great effort and energy, but if one of them becomes a devotee, he or she becomes a very valuable devotee.

Could you kindly elaborate on this?

HpS - I remember that it was one of the many letters and comments by Srila Prabhupada to H. H. B. S. Damodara Swami that I saw while I was working with the Bhaktivedanta Institute.

Srila Prabhupada told him that every scientist that you made a devotee was worth a thousand ordinary people.

I think SP made similar comments about high court judges et al. I think he said, preaching to these "sresthas", social leaders, was like shifting the preaching into second gear. Whereas preaching to common people was like 1st gear.

Yet, our experience has been that it takes about 1,000 times more effort to make one scientist a devotee, so whether you want preach, PREACH, P R E A C H,.... to one scientist for 1,000 days or you rather go out on the street and preach to a thousand different people, is a matter of choice.

Need Officers. Need Foot soldiers. No small parts in the drama, just small actors.

O. K.

Find your style of preaching, develop it and go out!!

Thank you very much for your time and kindness. I am aware that I have written several letters with questions recently, and I am grateful for your patience.

Your servant,

Namacarya Dās

Hare Gurudeva. PAMHO, AGTSP

I am doing very well. I am trying to adjust to the hip and femur prosthesis I recently had implanted. I am improving rapidly. The doctor said my recovery is miraculous, and my scar is healing very well.

HpS - Spiritual Body!

Thanks to my insurance, I didn't have to spend much. Such an operation costs around $12,000. I wouldn't have been able to afford it. I would have just had to wait to leave my body.

HpS - ... or use a cane made of nima wood?

I resumed my teaching duties immediately.

Of course, my wife, Raman reti dd, is a great help, as is my family. I am very fortunate. Through the prayers of the devotees and the protection of Lord Nrsimhadeva, I will be able to resume my other services at the temple and in the kitchen of our Deities.

ASA - 🍠 🍠 🍠 Sweet potatoes for Radha and Madana.

Prabhu Puspa Gopal of Chosica is very excited about your visit and advises you to stay in Chosica, as the ashram is well-equipped.

Furthermore, we will have more opportunities to have dharsana with you.

I completely agree. Furthermore, the program in Chile seems quite intensive, and in Peru, there might be more internal programs with devotees, classes, festivals, etc.

HpS - Wrote all about that in the Blog Posts to Govinda Carana Das and The President of ISKCON Santiago de Chile! 🙂

🎠

P. Puspa also asks about M. Aruddha's book on programs for children. How could he obtain it?

HpS - You have Prof. Ravi Gupta's Whats App? He can ship it, I think. Maybe it is an e-book on Amazon by now.

May Krishna grant us the mercy of having you here once again. We truly miss your illuminating presence, which fills us with enthusiasm to continue our sankirtan and improve it more and more.

One of my students, Annie Albitres, a wonderful person and a great devotee, is very enthusiastic about your association. Please keep her in mind.

HpS - She joins our Japa Joe and FMS program daily. She sent, nice bio-data!

Blessings, dear gurudeva, to continue serving despite my ailing body.

Thank you so much for your programs that keep us Krishna conscious.

ssLAD

HpS - If we all take birth in Nadiya with Nimai in our next lifetime who will you be? Who will others be? Will someone be Chand Kazi!!!

Others dogs, boy friends, Murari Gupta, Sacci mata?

Hare Krishna, Dear Guru Maharaja,

At the Hare Krishna Fair, sponsored by Municipalidad de Quilicura, we distributed more than 300 USD in books, Guru Maharaja! They gave us 18 stands to sell prasadam and books. Chandramukha Swami was our guest.

HpS/ASA 🐵

🐒

🐒 🐒 Super!!! All respects to Maharaja and all the Sankirtaneros.

All the video: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/p/DPjKJutDQuk/

And pictures here: The Embassy of India in Chile https://web.facebook.com/IndiaInChile/posts/pfbid0XEhkC7HnaNrgfDwjVRkikdBJ1SQcLQkw48vCzSFxGcttq5A7TrKWx7QXutjozL6Cl

We had a spiritual retreat with 16 people in Puerto Varas, south of Chile (12 hours in bus, 1,5 h. plane). Most of them are complete newcomers. There, the preaching is led by Bhaktin Monica Ramirez and her husband, Matias Valiente are doing a very good job preaching and cultivating new people. They are inspired by Kamalanandini, our senior preacher in Coyaique, because this young couple adopt el bhakti there in Coyaique. They invited me to their first retreat to introduce everyone to mangala arati and Bhagavatam. The main topic was Upadesamrta. I talked for 6 hours in two days. I was exhausted, but it seems that everyone was happy, according to their final feedback. But eveyrhing is good seeing the Llanquihue lake there, the second largest of Chile.

ASA - It must be a reflection of a lake in Vaikuntha. Ayodhya. Lanka[?].

The Ratha Yatra was organised by Dina Dayal and his team. It was just two days ago, so there are no details yet about how many books and everything, but it was a very successful effort.

HpS - Here they had their second Rathayatra in the neighborhood park. Very intense!

Here are some pictures. Mahavisnu Swami Maharaja is here with us. He came because of this:

https://www.instagram.com/p/DQytgzNETVS/?img_index=1

What's next

Also, the Indian Embassy invested more than 2000 USD in buying 200 Bhagavad Gitas to distribute in an event next Friday here in the temple. We are inviting mayors, congressmen, dignitaries and leaders of society to this event:

• We have had this invitation to a school this 21st November where children since 7 to 17 years old will be there. We visited several times because they organised this event about different religions. We used to do kirtana and distribute and give for free some books. We also have a conversatorio with the teacher and students, and a general presentation on the stage with most of the students there.

Finally, the November 23rd, we are participating in a program called Yoga para Todos led by a friend of devotees Fran Kirtidev in San Miguel. We went once and we distributed a lot of books, but now more people will attend.

I have two more reports waiting. They are about the Spiritual Intelligence project and 3rd Latin American Congress on Education with ISKCON - Santiago, Chile.

HpS - Thank you! For us we kind of feel like Nashville was our office, Lima our Home and Santiago our Sankirtan spot.

All the pictures of Rama lila were there on the windows.

The picture of Hanumatpresaka Hanuman was right by the door, go out to preach!!

Govinda carana Das is sending Blog Posts about fixing dates for our ASA visit to Lima:

https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/15926/

Yadu Swami is pushing his travel agent for good tickets from Marid to Stg. for the two (or more) of us.

You also have Radhika-ramana Das's dates now, too, no?

Seems like we can fix some dates and buy the tickets pretty soon, no?

Try to keep ourselves pure, then KRSNA will send innocent people, and they must remain patient to hear the situation of this material world and its contrast with the spiritual world. One, Two, Three.

We really hope we can fit into this movement and these events.

1. Why are you (me [readers]) personally involved in The Congress etc.
2. Who are our partners, who have answered 1 above.
3. Base upon 1 and 2 then... making plans.
4. Based up 3 acquire resources eg. venue.

Given 'em a book! Straight to the heart!!!!!

📚



All Glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitay

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Krishna Gurudeva, please accept my sincere and respectful obeisances.

We were in Vrindavan with my father for the month of Kartik. It was a beautiful adventure traveling with my father. I think Krishna blessed my father for all the preaching he did to me, my family, and friends. He is not initiated, but he chants some rounds, and a few weeks before coming to Vrindavan, he prepared himself.

We arrived at the holy dhama without any problems, and my father didn't have any difficulties in Vrindavan whatsoever. His health was very good. We ate every day at the goshala, and even though it's not pleasant for Western devotees to eat at the goshala, my father humbly accepted everything, from eating there to walking around Vrindavan, tolerating the monkeys, rickshaws, the noise, and the transcendental chaos of Vrindavan. He was very happy. He accepted all the austerities.

HpS/ASA - 😮

Ready to die. Ready to fly. Back home to, the spiritual sky!

Even though my father is not initiated into ISKCON, he possesses great humility, and he sees all the energy of Vrindavan with eyes of love and purity. Truly, every day I learned from him in Vrindavan. One anecdote: one day, while walking, my father found a champa flower, smelled it, and placed it on his heart, saying, "All of this is spiritual energy." I was very impressed by his devotion.

We continue chanting 16 rounds, following the four regulative principles, chanting the Gayatri mantras, and performing deity and Tulasi worship. We also cook for our deities. If there is anything else you would like me to do to advance in my spiritual life, I would be grateful.

HpS - Keep improving your service to Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan Party. Of course, that is His ISKCON, which includes GBC, Temple, Presidents, but is especially focused on creating an atmosphere were like minded people can chant Hare Krsna.

This is my 5th year of observing Bhishma Panchaka, and I feel happy; it's one of my favorite fasts.

Returning to Peru very soon with beautiful memories and realizations, Hare Krishna Gurudeva.

Nadiya Nivasi Dasi

HpS - Thank you.

Hope Krsna gives you more and more stimulating Sankirtan position in the material world.

Of course, He gave such a benediction to Queen Kunti. All respects to your father. What is his name? Is he retired? Working? 😆

Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna.

AgtSP.

Paoho.

9.06PM

Answered all the wonderful posts up until 4-days ago. Unanswered post form Nadiya, Laksmana etc.

Should take some water, Heart medicine and take rest.

Up again at 12.40AM and get our 16-rounds done with as much enthusiasm as we can before Mangala Arati.

So, so, so much practical purification and development of mind, body and spirit can be accomplished from 1AM to 5.30AM.

Hare Krsna.

Good night.

Repair your body while it rests.

Did not listen to SB class today or read VDM!

Ratha yatra was a lot of very, very hard work for us.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Please accept my humble obeisances, dear Gurudeva. 🙏

I hope you are doing very well.

HpS - It is 8.54PM.

We have pretty nice Ashrama space in Houston Temple. Nice community. Very, very, very intense Rathayatra program for last two days.

Our body is 81% functional.

Many good doctors!!

In general, we feel that life is a battle of Kuruksetra. You get defeated in damaged in encounters with Prasadam and association with people, media, but you win some very strategic fights like Sixteen Rounds early, four princely pals, Full Morning Service, different Sankirtan service, and every victory is eternal!

We were almost dead after the Rathayatra fair grounds and parade!!!!!! Honored Prasada pretty well. Rested and then we look at our priority list, schedule the next few hours and get some results!

Answer mail.

I wanted to share that we recently had the Deity Worship Course organized by the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry, led by Prabhu Nrishimha Kavaca and his team here in New Vrindaban. Rohini, Gopi Radha, and around thirty devotees participated, including some from New York, Houston, Canada, and other places. Today was the final day of the exams, and we are very happy to have completed it.

HpS - Super! My old friend.

Personally, I realized that over the years I have tried to maintain service in deity worship, but much of it may have been mechanical, sometimes a little better. Now, everything seems to make sense—the mantras, the items, the cleaning, the concentration—but most importantly, the inner transformation that must happen within ourselves. How can we demonstrate external cleanliness if our minds and hearts are not clean? Everything we are is reflected in our deity worship. Our values, our efforts, everything we cultivate within ourselves can be seen there.

It was very inspiring to see the devotees with their different natures, showing love, gentleness, sweetness, and dedication to the deities, despite any limitations they might have. It is not easy to see my own faults, but Krishna always shows me that not everything is wrong.

I am still learning to speak English, Gurudeva, but I try every day to speak and understand as best I can. I sincerely wish to learn more from so many devotees and their vast experience in deity service.

HpS - One level is that you know enough to write things so that Google will be able to translate them well and your can see any big mistakes in the translation!

Thank you very much, Gurudeva, for all the facilities and blessings you give us, thanks to which we can now be in this place and learn from wonderful devotees. May Lord Nishimhadeva grant you His protection under the shade of His lotus feet.

Your servant,

Gopi Radha DD

HpS - I think 25-people with find your news like nectar on the tongue of a thirsty man!!!

Any photos?

We cannot see until we post the letter.

Who are your regular associates.

Family?