Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna Srila gurudev

Dandavat pranam at your lotus feet.

HpS - Lettuce feet.

Hope your health is good.

HpS - Functional.

Here we are struggling with the pandemic and duties of the ward . My masters in anatomy is going on OK.

Recently I made a nice devotee friend online who helps and inspires me to be good devotee .I guess all I needed is someone to talk with, be accepted and share knowledge as friends.

HpS - Super!!! If that can become self realized (I am at this level of development), build your character and preach. So later maybe you and the devotee can develop your Sankirtan.

While talking He shared that he had a small half palm size Sri Yoga narasimha deity that he has been given by some devotee but he is not worshiping him as he already has saligrams etc . After I saw the deity I felt like worshiping him . My nitai and nimai deities are very big and difficult to bath everyday and travel with . So I was thinking that as yoga narasimha is peaceful form and some say helps in improving sadhana . So I thought I will ask you .Plus in my travel I can carry him , do the upacharas as He is small in deity size.

HpS - Seems O.K. Keep everything clean, be punctual, adjust the ritual to practical level. Even unitiated devotees can keep statues of the Lord and serve Them. Of course, as we advance to first, second, third initiation the relationship changes. Riding a tricycle, a bicycle, a motor cycle a car, and airplane...

What do you think . Can I do simple worship of the yoga narasimha deity.

Plus Kartik is coming so I seek your blessings so that I can do my sadhana properly . This kartik goal is 100 percent (try my best ) waking up for mangal aarti and finishing chanting my rounds morning time . Still struggling a lot but this time I feel some degree of understanding has come regarding being mature in life .

HpS - It works, no? Chant good rounds, pronounce well, focus the mind, chant with real praying.... Then all day long you are dancing in step with Jagannatha.

Thank you .

Rturaj Krsna Das , Shillong

HpS --- So nice to hear from you. We are quite happy to get your association!! Let's answer one more letter.

Hare krishna, Guru Maharaja, PAMHO. AGTSP!

How have you been doing? I hope you are fine and with good health.

HpS - Struggling with our lower modes to be fixed in the mode of pure goodness. Don't eat at night.

I´m fine, I´ve been listening to some of your classes, not all because of my work schedule. The other day you said that Socrates, Plato, and Shakespeare would be happy to read Srila Prabhupada´s Books.

But he´s got some ideas from them, for example the allegory of the cave and the enlightenment, the allegory of the horses and the senses, those ideas are from Socrates. Besides that they were big scholars and philosophers, so, What would make them happy?

HpS - I don't know the details of the history of these allegories but I have read that Aesops Fables are a collection of previous Fables and that, yes, some probably came from the East. The senses as five horses I think is in the Vedas before Socrates. They could appreciate the clarity of the logic in the Bhagavatam, and how it presents a mono-theistic culture, God, is a very logical and poetical way if they want to go from Jnanis, Yogis, to Bhaktas.

How does a link with the guru is broken and who decides that bound to be broken? God, the guru or the disciple? Did you ever broke the link to Hamsadutta prabhu? I mean, after his fall from sannyas? Just wandering. Because if the guru fall one should take shelter or reinforce the sannyas vows right? It must be debastating but, life must continues, and there are many good devotees surrendered to the Acharya. I just have those questions in mind, nothing useful to say. Life is full of challenges, sometimes even god-brothers or god-sisters envy is dangerous.

HpS - First thing is my relationship with Srila Prabhupada. I can judge different people as Sannyasa guru, Siksa gurus, now they increase my relationship with Srila Prabhupada, through people, books. rituals, dreams. So, ISKCON GBC rule was to take shelter of another ISKCON Sannyasa Guru if you wanted to stay in Sannysa ashrama. I really didn't want to take Sannyasa in the beginning. Too many formalities, but Hansadutta Swami was pushing us and he was a very advanced person and ISKCON was pushing it. Then when his problems became manifest I was thinking, "Oh, chance to return to simple B'cari life but B. S. Damodara Swami, Trivikrama Swami, Ramesvara Swami, Tripurari Swami, Atreya-rsi Das all said, that no, you took the vows and you will be a good Sannyasi so stay in the Ashrama.

Hmmf. I did it. I don't have any less love for Hansadutta Das. He is very much in my heart. The relationship just increases. I don't think Srila Prabhupada has rejected him. He is still offering him opportunity to come to him. Probably even in the next life.

How is Hanuman and Nrisinhadeva + Prahlad?

HpS - They just went to sleep. They both have shoes and Hanuman is beside them. They are so beautiful!!

Your foolish servant,

Jagat Bandhu Jagannatha Swami dasa

HpS - Are you teaching? How is it related to spiritual life? What is going on with the Baladeva, Subhadra et al?

Hare Krishna Gurudeva! PAMHO! AGTSP!

Divya Drsti devi dasi from Cusco asked me to send you this letter:

Hare Krishna Gurumaharaja

Please, receive my humble obeisances

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Gurumaharaja, thank you very much for your last answer, It was great.

Gurudeva, I have a question

Do I get married or not?

Since I am a little girl like 11 years old I dreamed with love, now I am 44 years old and I need to solve this enigma, I have heard a few lectures of ISKCON about grihastha asram and I realised that It is not easy.

However I have the desire to get married, I do not know exactly why......maybe because I did not have enought loving care and confidence from my father when I was a child or it is simply because it is a woman natural necessity.

I have been suffering a lot because of this, of course before been a devotee I tried to have a formal relationship but It had a very painful ending.

Now that I am a devotee my mind has change totally since 11 years ago.

Although I know it is difficult to get married....knowing that maybe I will lost my freedom...I feel attracted to get married.

I saw the possibility to live with matajis because I feel alone but It is not easy to organize It, women need to have covered all their needs and need security and sometimes I think I could not stablish something like that for my friends matajis, I have the doubt.

On the other hand if I do not get married maybe I will ask myself always: "why I did not try It? maybe It would work".

Married or not married definitely I want to share my life with devotees, or live next to devotees or next to a temple.

My material family is nice but they are not devotees, as I am trying to become a better devotee sometimes It does not help to live with them, but It helps only when I have to learn to be compassionate, tolerant and patient with them....that is the advantage to live with my father, my sister and brother.

There is a page leaded by Maharaja Jayapataka disciples who make arrangements for marriage. It seems a good page, I would like to try it, I have the desire to have a husband, even despite knowing that maybe I will suffer or it would not be good.

Unless I will chek and satisfy my desire in a relative devotional way, I have this feeling of doing It putting Krishna in the center.

As you know Gurudeva I was a tour guide, I had two opportunities to have a relationship with Karmis but because I always wanted to get married with a devotee I did not took these opportunities.

I want to feel peace in my mind and my heart, I really want to feel stable to serve Krishna with art, it's been many years I have this feeling, now the time arrived to solve It.

If I would get married and suffer unless I will get purified.

Married or not married I am going to do my service of puppets and kirtan and doing preaching with art.

Of course, I would like a husband who helps me with the preaching. My idea would be to look for a devotee who would want to preach, maybe to live 6 months per year in Cusco city and Sacred Valley organizing preaching activities with art and the rest of the time maybe in his country or traveling to preach too.

Well this is my utopia.....I do not know if Krishna wants that for me.

Unless I really need to solve It and take a decision, I need to have peace in my mind and focus in my service.

If Krishna wants me to be single celibate devotee maybe the things will go in this direction, but I would like to feel peace in my heart with this, not feeling uncomfortable, dissatisfied, embittered or incomplete or that I did not married because of fear.

In one moment I felt very fear thinking: If my husband do not let me preach with art!!! No, that would be terrible!! I would prefer to be single in that case.

However the idea would be to look for a husband that would agree to help me with preaching.

Gurudeva, I am so sorry to ask you about it, but with my father I can not talk about this subject, because he does not understand me.

I have been listening HG Mahatma Das Prabhu Lectures and he says why do you generally think negative? Maybe you find a devotee that is good for you a sadhu that helps and inspire you in your spiritual life, as well I have talk with a mataji that serves in GVT grihastha visión team of ISKCON and she recommended me before jumping to marriage to know well the person.

Gurudeva, please could you give me your advice, opinion and recommendations?

Thank you very much for your help.

Your servant:

Divya Dristi DD.

HpS -ASA --- Hare Krsna! AgtSP. Please accept our humble obeisances. Your letter was a little long so I had to skim through part of it, but I think I have a good perspective.

I would say that you should try to marry Krsna. Of course, that is a very high aspiration, but if He comes as a Deity, then you might ask Radha if She will shar Him with you. Krsna can handle 16,108 Queens, why not a few more..

On the other hand, at 44-years you should probably think about a Vanaprastha relationship. It is not unnatural. It is too old to start a family with children, but there are many, many children who are looking for mothers (aunts). Maybe Krsna will send a devotee who is looking for the same thing, some emotional relation, in Vanaprastha ashrama.

So Krsna or Krsna representative.

Hare krsna

Please accept My humble obeysances at your lotus feet.

I am Saranagati s husband. I want to ask You a favor. Next November 8th we will celebrate Srila guru Prasad Swamis vyasapuja via internet. I want to give him a special gift and... If You agree, please . . . . The only point is, that will be surprise.

I remain at your service.

Thanks regards.

Your servant Amara das

HpS - Thank you. AGTSP! Paoho. If we publish it here it may not be a surprise. Please sen you address. We won't publish it.

Thank you.. We will try. Very nice.

Hare Krishna Beloved Gurudeva AGTSP

Gurudeva I have to give the class this Saturday for ISKCON Chosica.

They have requested me to talk about this glorious month.

May you be so kind and give me some insights.

Thanks in advance

Trying to be your disciple

Candramukhi dd

HpS - Has it already gone by??? What about: http://www.jayarama.us/archives/vdm.docx, and http://www.jayarama.us/archives/rkgd.pdf?

Hare Krsna Beloved Gurudeva:

AGTSP, PAMHO

Well, first of all. Thanks for this public blog in which we can express our ideas, feelings, etc

Recently, I had some misunderstandings with some "Godbrothers and sisters". And today I was contemplating those situations while I was meditating. With gem therapy we meditate a lot, plus it is good to release stress etc.

Anyway. I came to the conclusion that all of that was based on my huge false ego. Besides I am a teacher and I tend to see life and specially places of meetings and reunions like a classroom, So I have the necessity to say : "This is wrong", do it like this, do it like that. I tend to be a little controlling and forget what you always say: "If SP put up with all the things that I did, how come I can not tolerate you". So some devotees took it in a wrong way. I apologized but I guess that they need some time to process that, like everyone. Including myself.

This social media is very risky in some ways, it controls us. Another way that Maya tricks us.

HpS - Hector Behar said that it is actually more anti-social media than social media!

I have decided to stay away of all that. like Patraka, Madhumanjari dd, they are not in any groups of facebook, etc. It is pretty intense sometimes.

Even if I have more years attending your online programs I am no one to tell anybody how to behave or chant.

HpS - No, you have good advice to give. We are all learning how to preach. After each incarnation Krsna and Balarama consider how it went this time and how to improve. Of course The Evil One and The Witch also have meetings how to do their job better next time, no? 😎

I just want to do this public.

HpS - Public, semi-public, circle of friends ... you and Srila Prabhupada and God in your closet. We have to learn how to speak, teach, learn, in different environments.

I beg and ask for forgiveness if someone feel some harsh on my words and comportment.

It is better to do our sadhana, etc without being exposure. For instance, Jambavan das called me the other day, he is listening your classes, but he doesn't know how to use Gotomeeting I gave him some advices about the platform. Nevertheless, my point is that for the devotees in general he is not too fixed in devotional service, but he is doing his sadhana without telling the world, umm in one point he should communicate with you, but my point is that he is not showing off anything.

Gita govinda says today in one of his talks "When we criticize others we diminish our enthusiasm" I really liked what he said.

HpS - Unless it is as a well wisher. In BG, where?, Srila Prabhupada says that to communicate that someone is a thief with the intention that people can be protected from him and even to help him is not bad criticism. Arjuna was shooting arrows, 457-magnum bullets, at his grandfather, cousins. sifu. That is about as critical as you can get.

Thanks Gurudeva

Trying to be your disciple

Candramukhi d. d.

HpS - Thank you!!!! Any news from your father and mother? Are they gods and goddess in Indra loka? Wild bunnys in Brazil?? Our respects to your sister!