Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna Gurumaharaja 🙏

Please, accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet!!

HpS - Wooof! Woof! More likely pies de lobo que pies de loto.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

HpS - !

I am here, trying to make a little report about my activities.

Thank you very much for your sacrifice, austerity and patience in order to help us to get free from this material illusión. 🙏

HpS - 99.999% of our contribution is done by Srila Prabhupada.

Vedabase.io service: We just finished to correct the typing mistakes that Néctar of Devotión had. It had many many misspelled words, you have noticed some of them during our reading on FMP. Prahlada Nrsimha prabhu told me that I could fix the errors while NOD was already on line, because fix errors would take me more time.

HpS - Also some punctuation errors, no? Also, the original English had mistakes in the verses cited. Sometimes they were not the right verse number. Hmmm? Such nice, nice, nice service. Maybe you will be correcting the spelling mistakes of the gopis in Vraja!

My brother, Jorge (musician) helped me a lot to correct the text. He studied written journalism and he has a good knowledge of orthography and words. He really likes Srila Prabhupada's books.

HpS - We were wondering about him!!! Please say hello.

I hope NOD is properly corrected, in any case, the reading that you are doing on FMP every day will be the last filter to notice if there are still some errors. It is always possible to go to the edit page and correct them.

SADHANA: Since the last time that I wrote to you about this topic, by your mercy and Krishna's mercy my sadhana has improved by 20%.

HpS - Ours is about the same! Maybe it is a general effort by God and the Gopis!

Gurudeva, I have realized that CHANTING ROUNDS BEFORE MANGALA ARTIK is the BEST THING I CAN EVER DO ! Even 4 enthusiastic rounds before mangala artik turns it into a very different experience.....in comparison with mangala artik without chanting any round. I realized that this time of day (sadhana-Brahma muhurta) is the time that I am happiest. It is the time of day that I can be really happy. I want to internalize this realization so that it can be part of myself in order to be able to do it every day, always!! Please, bless me!! 🙏

ASA - Guru-mukha Swam told us that SP said four times in one lecture that the best time to chant your rounds is before Mangala-arati! Of course, we also heard him say that for Grhastha this might not be practical.

Gurudeva, I want to improve! Still I am struggling with "ilicit eating" (grains made by non devotees), but those falls are less and less frequent. I am just learning to eat in a proper way, to take care of my body, to have a proper rest, so that I can perform a nice and healthy vaidhi sadhana bhakti.

ASA - It is related to cooking grains for Krsna, no? You can do the austerity of cooking cakes, pies, cookies, laddus, bread for Krsna and then there is room for EVIL KARMI GRAINS.

Every day, I am attending Srimad Bhagavatam class on GoToMeeting or/and I am reading one or two verses of Srimad Bhagavatam in the morning.

Yesterday at night I started to read KRISHNA BOOK before go to sleep. I am going to keep this reading every night.

HpS - Read it and Tweet our questions of comments?

By your mercy I am understanding a little more that this life is actually an OPPORTUNITY that KRISHNA is giving me to purify myself, that is the only reason of my existence, not to gratify my senses.

Thank you very much for your patience and mercy!

Your aspiring servant: Mitravinda dd.

ASA - Is Jorge playing guitar in public? On line? Heavy metal!?

HpS - ASA --- Thank you so, so much Srima ART Das! We have read and made little corrections to the English version of this dialog.

It seems to me that we can move ahead to the next object of discussion: Srimad Bhagavatam, https://vedabase.io/es/library/sb/1/9/ Verses 25-29. Maybe Anandamaya Das can give a summary of who is Bhisma deva for Hector??!

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ART Das - Although the communication by phone was choppy, here is a summary of the dialogue:

At the beginning of the dialogue, Hanumat Presaka Swami gave a brief historical summary of the Gaudiya Vaisnavism and the Acintya-bheda-abheda-tattva philosophy (simultaneous and different identities). Then he explained who Srila Prabhupada was and introduced him as the author of the 'Srimad Bhagavatam’s' Preface, written in India in 1962. That is to say, 3 years before his arrival to America.

At the end of this first intervention, Hanumat Presaka Swami also talked about Bismarck, the Ottoman Empire, Alexander the Great and Arnold Toynbee. (Gurudeva, do you remember the reason? I think it was about the strategy about how to do things).

HpS - It could have been. We certainly want to take advantage of the lessons of history in trying to communicate the message of Krsna and the Bhagavata.

In turn, Héctor started his participation by mentioning that the author uses the human society category at the beginning of the Preface. This is important because the term human society refers not only to people but also to their communication systems, languages, gestures, etc. He mentioned that the human being is the most communicative of all animals in the world and that in order to understand and improve the world, it is correct to speak about human society so that we can be able to understand the reason why a person in the Amazon forest laughs or cries and the reason why another one in London does same.

Then he explained that it is Srila Prabhupada’s success to use the term spiritual brotherhood and to pose the ideal of a common cause. Hector Bejar criticized the Christian and Muslim churches since they assume that their religion is the only true one and that the others are false, so they divide people into 2 groups: The faithful and unfaithful ones: The selected ones -superior beings- and the rest -the inferior beings-.

For him it is correct to talk about spiritual brotherhood, that is to say that this process is for the whole humanity, for the whole spiritual brotherhood without any exception.

The second part of the dialogue was taken up by Héctor Bejar. He mentioned that Srila Prabhupada proposed in this Preface, the re-spiritualization of all humanity, and that in order to do this, we must understand that re-spiritualizing means returning to the spiritual, to include everything that communicates a universal message. Then professor Behar criticized the current society that privileges the material aspects, in a way that for this society, commerce is the most important thing. This is the reason why something is judged to be qualified as good for its possibility to be sold. That material kind of mentality in which the more goods you have the more you are valuable is widely spread in all the media (TV, movies, newspapers, radios, etc.) This mentality generates a society depending on many unnecessary things.

Héctor ended by stating that the spiritual aspect is an inner wealth that we all have.

On his second intervention, Hanumat Presaka Swami mentioned that A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami was a person who came from a spiritual culture. Then he explained how the universal language is the way to re-spiritualize the whole humanity by sacred dancing and chanting. 

The sound was not good during the conversation, so the dialogue ended. Afterwards, I spoke to Héctor Bejar and he manifested agree to discuss about Bhismadeva's instructions next time.

Thank you very much Gurudeva for building bridges to connect to academic people so that through dialogue they can be able to reconnect to the spiritual life.. 

Hare Krishna GURUDEVA, your insignificant servant, Abhiram Thakur das

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Dialogo entre SS Hanumatpresaka Swami y el Profesor Hévtor Béjar

Aunque la comunicacion por telefono fue entrecortada, a continuación, un resumen del dialogo.

Iniciando el diálogo el profesor Hanumatpresaka Swami hizo un breve resumen histórico del Gaudiya vaisnavismo y de la filosofía acintya-bheda-abheda-tattva (identidad y diferencia simultáneas) luego explicó quién es Srila Prabhupada, que el prefacio del Srimad Bhagavatam lo escribió en la India el año 1962, 3 años antes de venir a América, al final de esta primera intervención también hablo de Bismark, el imperio otomano, Alejandro el magno y Arnold Toynbee, Gurudeva recuerda el motivo? Creo que era sobre la estrategia de como hacer las cosas

A su turno Héctor comenzó su participación mencionando que el autor al inicio del prefacio emplea la categoría sociedad humana esto es importante porque sociedad humana no sólo se refiere a las personas sino también a los sistemas de comunicación, a los idiomas, a los gestos,… el mencionó que el ser humano es el más comunicativo de todos los animales de este mundo y que para poder entender y mejorar el mundo es correcto hablar de sociedad humana y así entender porque ríe o llora una persona en el Amazonas o porque ríe y llora una persona en Londres. Seguidamente mencionó qué es un acierto (de Srila Prabhupada) emplear el termino hermandad espiritual para luego plantear el ideal de una causa común, Héctor crítico a las iglesias cristianas y a musulmanas ya que asumen que su religión es la única verdadera y que las otras son falsas entonces separan a las personas entre fieles e infieles, entre los elegidos o seres superiores y el resto, los seres inferiores entonces a él le parece correcto hablar de hermandad espiritual, es decir que este proceso es para toda la humanidad, para toda la hermandad espiritual sin excepciones.

La segunda parte del dialogo la retomo Héctor, él menciono que en el prefacio se plantea la reespiritualización de toda la humanidad entonces dijo que para hacer esto debemos entender que reespiritualizar significa retornar a lo espiritual, es decir retomar todo lo que comunica un mensaje universal. Luego critico a la sociedad actual que privilegia lo material por eso para esta sociedad lo principal es el comercio, por eso, se califica que algo es bueno cuando se vende más, esa mentalidad de “más cosas tienes” “más vales” se difunde en todos los medios (Tv, cine, periódicos, radios,…) esto genera una sociedad con muchas necesidades innecesarias. Héctor termino manifestando que lo espiritual es una riqueza interior que todos tenemos.

En su segunda intervención el profesor Hanumatpresaka Swami comenzó mencionando que A.C. Bhaktivendanta Swami está presentando que él es una persona que proviene de una cultura espiritual. Luego menciono que el lenguaje universal para reespiritualizar a toda la humanidad es el canto y la danza espiritual.

Como durante toda la conversación el sonido estuvo entrecortado ahí termino este dialogo, luego hable con Héctor y manifestó su deseo de seguir dialogando esta vez sobre las instrucciones de Bhismadeva.

Muchas gracias Gurudeva por tender puentes con los académicos para que a través del dialogo se reconecten a la vida espiritual.

Hare Krishna GURUDEVA, su insignificante sirviente, Abhiram Thakur das

Please accept my humble obeisances, All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thank you for your thoughtful response to my previous letter.

If it is at all possible to keep the next section private, may I humbly ask that it not be posted to the blog? If you think it is important for others to hear the issue and see your response however, please publicly respond.

I also understand that these topics are not necessarily appropriate for a sannyasi. If they are, would it be possible for you to direct me towards a person with whom I can discuss these issues and then report back to you?

ASA - Censored by ASA Board of Confidentiality (PG-13)

Thus ends the confidential portion of my letter.

There is a general lack of guidance throughout the movement on how to negotiate ashrama dharma with the added complication of same-sex attraction (none of the four ashrams, except perhaps vanaprasta, seem to be acceptable). Would it be possible to find a way to either ask you for guidance in negotiating these difficulties or to be referred to someone with whom I can have a mature conversation about this matter and receive sound guidance?

I apologize for the nature of my inquiries. As this has all been a major barrier to my spiritual life, especially to my association with the devotees, I feel a desperate need to find some way forward.

Your servant,

Nityananda-rama dasa

HpS-ASA - AGTSP. Paoho. The 'Confidential' part of this nice letter was not anything that I can give much detailed advice about. !!! We are all in strange situations in Kali-yuga.

"Kalau dose nidhe rajan...", this Kali-yuga is an OCEAN of faults.

How many?

An OCEAN!

The weather is bad, the society is bad, the mind and body are bad....

So, there is not too much detailed knowledge about Varna-ashrama-dharma because it is not possible. It is like there is not detailed knowledge about Astanga-yoga, because it is not possible etc.

So... please send me a phone number where I can text you and I will try to give a few details. I won't publish your phone number so that unwanted swimming pool salesmen are not bothering you.

Of course, there is lots of info on VAD in the SB etc. eg Preganancy of Diti in the Evening, but these are all in co-operation with VAD! Other than that, with the direct help of Vaisnava neighbors, non-devotees can make progress. Gotta have friends in San Diego Temple community to help you.

Daya-nidhi Das?

Sugar and Sexual Relations in Grhastha Ashrama are considered manageable for initiated devotees,

but heroine and necrophilia are not.

In any circumstance if chant Sri Krsna Caitanya, Prabhu Nitayananda... and follow it with HK/HR will will make progess... (to becoming an initiated devotee)!!!

Get to work! You have plenty of opportunity to advance.

Thank you!

ENGLISH FOLLOWS

Hare Krsna

Dear Gurudeva

Por favor acepta mis humildes reverencias.

Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Esta es la segunda carta, discúlpeme por favor si resulta un poco extensa.

Hace un tiempo, Usted me dijo que ya era momento para establecer mí relación con Srila Prabhupada, desde entonces lo he intentado a través de la lectura de sus libros o del guru puja diario, pero me siento muy, muy lejos. He querido contarle todo esto, pero me ha tomado algunas semanas poder hacerlo.

A principios de la cuarentena dimos un seminario de Etiqueta Vaisnava... y en medio del taller, cuando estaba hablando de la asociación entre devotos, me di cuenta que yo no había aprovechado bien mi tiempo en asociación, especialmente con devotos mayores. Ejemplo de ello es que no he podido establecer en mi vida espiritual a otros devotos como siksha, y el único ha sido Usted. Repetimos siempre en los seminarios que “Asociación es más importante que el proceso” pero creo que he estado haciendo lo contrario. Me siento un poco avergonzado para dar clases ahora, asi es que, me he dedicado solo a escuchar.

Ahora tengo esta pregunta en mi corazón: ¿Antes de establecer mi relación con Srila Prabhupada, tendría que establecer primero una relación profunda con quien me lleva a Srila Prabhupada?

Considerando que eso fuera cierto... como podría establecer esa relación con mi Guru, en la práctica? Incluso si logrará algún día llegar a tomar refugio en Srila Prabhupada.. Sin la asociación con Usted, no sé cómo podría sentirme.

No sé si tengo una relación profunda con Usted, o si le tengo tanto amor como otros de mis hermanos. Estoy un poco triste porque siento que no he podido hacer más o ser mejor, siento que seguir mis votos no es suficiente, que quizás podría haber hecho algo más. Por mucho tiempo he resistido a ese sentimiento con lo vivido en Gurukula, pero gran cosa no fue, y las veces que le pedí hacer algo más... me dijo que me concentrará en mi familia, y me he sentido inútil todo este tiempo.

Ahora me asusta mucho pedirle un servicio o preguntarle qué puedo hacer por Usted?, ya que ha mencionado Sannyasa.. en broma a nosotros, pero me asusta el hecho que lo diga en serio, algunos hermanos saben de esto, yo quería hablarlo en privado, ya que aún estoy superando el duelo de la partida de los hijos independientes, y estoy tratando de asumir vanaprastha, y necesito hablar más de eso con Usted, no sabía que me podía afectar tanto ese tema.

Por favor perdóneme por todas las ofensas que he cometido consiente e inconscientemente, perdone mis ideas distintas y mi humor independiente. Qué puedo hacer por Usted? Por favor permítame servirle.

Su aspirante a sirviente AmD

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Hare Krsna

Dear Gurudeva

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

This is the second letter, please excuse me if it is a bit long.

Some time ago, you told me that it was time to establish my relationship with Srila Prabhupada, since then I have tried through reading his books or daily guru puja, but I feel very, very far away. I wanted to tell you all this, but it has taken me a few weeks to do it.

HpS - That is O.K. I feel that my major service is to help anyone in making that connection, to be like a lens, window, not a picture. Keep chanting in front of Srila Prabhupada's picture. Talk with him.

At the beginning of the quarantine we gave a Vaisnava etiquette seminar ... and in the middle of the workshop, when I was talking about the association between devotees, I realized that I had not made the most of my time in association, especially with older devotees. An example of this is that I have not been able to establish other devotees as Siksha in my spiritual life, and the only one has been You. We always repeat in the seminars that "Association is more important than the process" but I think I have been doing the opposite. I feel a little embarrassed to teach classes now, so I have dedicated myself only to listening.

HpS - You will have this realization again and again, but each time deeper. Do you like Bh. Bhusana Swami? Probably yes. Then that is a Siksa relationship. Just expanding, deeper.

Now I have this question in my heart: Before I establish my relationship with Srila Prabhupada, should I first establish a deep relationship with who brings me to Srila Prabhupada?

HpS - Before you look at the moon through the telescope, should you look at the first lens in the telescope better? Yes, but what is the meaning of improving the look at the first lens unless it gives you better view of the second?

Also, more than one telescope. Diksa guru is one telescope. Diksa guru will probably also be a prominent Siksa guru also.

Considering that was true ... how could I establish that relationship with my Guru, in practice? Even if you will ever get to take refuge in Srila Prabhupada .. Without association with you, I don't know how I could feel.

HpS - Whatever relations we have in KC are eternal. If I get some KC through one person and they falldown, the KC connection is eternal. They may forget in their current fallen condition but we don't forget. We just keep adding more people in the relationship in a proper way. Trnad api.... everyone is our Guru. How to put them in place.

I do not know if I have a deep relationship with you, or if I have as much love for you as other of my brothers. I am a little sad because I feel that I could not do more or be better, I feel that following my vows is not enough, that perhaps I could have done something more. For a long time I have resisted that feeling with what I lived in Gurukula, but it was not a big thing, and the times I asked him to do something else ... he told me that he will focus on my family, and I have felt useless all this time.

Now it scares me a lot to ask you for a service or to ask you what I can do for you? Since Sannyasa has mentioned ... as a joke to us, but I am scared of the fact that he is serious, some brothers know about this, I wanted to speak privately , since I am still overcoming the grief of the departure of the independent children, and I am trying to assume vanaprastha, and I need to talk more about that with you, I did not know that this issue could affect me so much.

Please forgive me for all the offenses I have consciously and unconsciously committed, forgive my different ideas and my independent humor. What can I do for you? Please allow me to serve you.

Your aspiring servant AmD

HpS - Please us for talking Spanish like a donkey. I think that you and Mataji have done a very, good job. I think that Srila Prabhupada would look at you both, evaluate your Ghrstha efforts and then nod and smile and make a "thumbs up". 👍

"First phase, well done. Now we go to phase two".

You are miles and miles and miles ahead of other devotees, but of course others are ahead of us.

In general terms, now Vanaprastha. It is natural.

I am not the Supreme Friend, "bhoktarama yajna...". I must realize that my family are all intimate lovers of Krsna, then I also begin to realize that so am I. We don't lose our personal relations, no, they transform. They become deeper and real.

Again, talk with other devotees, but for us, travel (physical or viritual) for preaching is natural, needed by the world, from you both now. Organize festivals (physical or virtual). Money will come naturally if you just make a little effort.

Send cookies by mail!

O.K. Waiting for next report.

English Follows:

Hare Krsna Dear Gurudeva

Por favor acepta nuestras humildes reverencias.

Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Esperamos que estés mejor de tus alergias de primavera. Nosotros estamos bien, cantando a veces un poco más de nuestros votos, y siguiendo 4 principios. Tambien estamos tomando Dióxido de cloro, gracias a los consejos de Ramacandra Prabhu, Pandaveja Prabhu y otros. Y nos está yendo muy bien... Karuna tenía un dolor en su rodilla, por más de 20 años, después de su operación y se le ha pasado, parece ser un buen producto.

Todos los días participamos de FMP en GTM, y a las 6am. mientras voy bañando simple a todos en el altar (los sábados son más elaborados) Karuna viste a Krsna y Balarama, les hace unos bonitos turbantes, y también prepara la ofrenda de la mañana, de medio día, y hace ropas nuevas en lo que resta del día, además la veo muy entusiasta en leer nuevamente el BG, yo estoy leyendo el Vaisnava Ke.

Al inicio de la cuarentena a pedido de unos amigos hicimos unos seminarios de Etiqueta Vaisnava. Habíamos programado hacer más seminarios pero en un momento del curso nos dimos cuenta de algo importante, que se lo contare en otra carta, luego hemos decidido dejar de hablar y nos hemos dedicado solo a escuchar y participar de todas sus clases, y de otros Vaisnavas.

También empecé a subir mis archivos visuales (videos) a mi canal de youtube, porque no sé cuánto duraran con vida mis discos duros, y no quiero perderlos. Y hay muchas clases de Usted en ese canal, en principio estaba pensando en pedirle permiso a Usted para abrir un canal oficial de youtube con su nombre, pero luego me entere que ya había uno “Asa visual” donde Ambarish prabhu sube sus clases editadas, asi es que yo le dije que él podía bajar todas las clases que hay en mi canal, editarlas tan expertamente como él lo hace y subirlas mejor presentadas a canal de ASA Visual. Aún tengo muchas clases en video y audio que voy a subir. Ojala sirva de algo.

También nos hemos comunicado con Prahlad Nrishimha para poder apoyarlo con los libros en español, y él se ha puesto muy contento y me dijo que va a esperar a que envíen más archivos y que me comunicara con Mitravinda mataji, así que estamos en eso.

Quisiéramos hacer un servicio tangible a Srila Prabhupada, o poder apoyar en el estudio del Srimad Bhagavatam, pero de eso le comentare en la siguiente carta.

Sus aspirantes a sirvientes AmD y KMDD.

Hare Krsna Dear Gurudeva

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

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We hope you are better off your spring allergies.

HpS - AGTSP!!! Better. Using Yoga! Ayur-veda. Less lust in eating.

We are fine, sometimes singing a little more of our vows, and following 4 principles. We are also taking Chlorine Dioxide, thanks to the advice of Ramacandra Prabhu, Pandaveja Prabhu and others. And we are doing very well ... Karuna had a pain in her knee, for more than 20 years, after her operation, and it has passed, it seems to be a good product.

HpS - Jaya!

Every day we participate in FMP at GTM, and at 6am. While I am simply bathing everyone on the altar (Saturdays are more elaborate) Karuna dresses Krsna and Balarama, makes them beautiful turbans, and also prepares the morning offering, half day, and makes new clothes in the rest of the day, I also see her very enthusiastic to read the BG again, I am reading Vaisnava Ke.

HpS - Hope photos attached!

At the beginning of the quarantine, at the request of some friends we did some Vaisnava etiquette seminars. We had planned to do more seminars but at one point in the course we realized something important, that I will tell you about it in another letter, then we decided to stop talking and we dedicated ourselves only to listening and participating in all of his classes, and other Vaisnavas .

ASA - Ahhh! A great suspense!!

I also started uploading my visual files (videos) to my youtube channel, because I don't know how long my hard drives will live, and I don't want to lose them. And there are many classes of You on that channel, at first I was thinking of asking You for permission to open an official YouTube channel with your name, but then I found out that there was already a “visual loop” where Ambarish prabhu uploads his edited classes, So I told him that he could download all the classes on my channel, edit them as expertly as he does, and upload them better presented to the ASA Visual channel. I still have many video and audio classes that I will upload. Hopefully it will do some good.

HpS - We feel that we have a little to say to help people to Srila Prabhupada, but we don't want to be anything other than that. 🙂

We have also contacted Prahlad Nrishimha to be able to support him with the books in Spanish, and he has been very happy and told me that he is going to wait for more files to be sent and to contact Mitravinda Mataji, so we are working on that.

HpS - Super! Yes, if you all can work together it is great. So many things can go up in Spanish. Srinivasa Das was going to write to him to maybe include a link that would tell you the proper meter for pronouncing each verse.

We would like to do a tangible service to Srila Prabhupada, or to be able to support the study of Srimad Bhagavatam, but I will comment on that in the next letter.

Your aspiring servants AmD and KMDD.

HpS - Super, but you both have so much more potential. So much more to teach Bibatsu Arjuna and Sita-lalita and their families.

Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja,

PAMHO. AGTSP.

As you know, our son is going to start University in Crimea and we will have to move with him.

Just got confirmation from my upper management that they can let me work remotely from Crimea for two years. I may need to come back to Botswania for a week or two, once or twice a year. I also have an offer from Titan Insurance company in Crimea. Financially they are looking same but with 3M, Botswania, I get to save travel time and still join our SB classes. In CRM I have to drive for an hour to work to Titan Insurance.

I am leaning to stick with Mac and pass the opportunity from TI. Does this seem OK to you Maharaja?

ASA - AGTSP paoho.

1. There are no perfect situations in the material world. Even MPariksit was disturbed, by Krsna, so he would not get attached.
2. Seems good to us from what I know of your family, travel at this time would be good. See things from a different perspective.
3. Chanakya Pandita says, "Victory comes from good advice, and good advice comes from many counselors", so you've asked us and we have given our, broad perspective and our intuitive opinion, but then talk with as many others as necessary to get a good perspective and you will win. Eg. others who have done the same with 3M.

O.K?