Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeiscances.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

On 23rd March, a public curfew was announced by Hon. Prime Minister of India, which was extended further as Lockdown and is still continuing today- on 16th May. Tomorrow, further notices are expected regarding it. Till now as many as 85,940 Corona cases have been registered officially while death toll stands at 2,752. No transportation is allowed with exception of some necessary items like – grocery, vegetables, milks etc. Almost all industries, commercial firms, trains, airplanes are closed. In order to facilitate the students and labours locked down in others state 15 special trains are running since 1st May. So, overall life is standstill for most of the people.

In temples, visitors are not allowed. However, devotees are utilizing this opportunity for outreach. Famous ex-Indian Cricket Team Captain Mr. Saurav Ganguly is supporting ISKCON Kolkata to feed 10,000 people prasadam every day.

Link- https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cricket/coronavirus-covid19-relief-sourav-ganguly-iskcon-kolkata/article31257030.ece

Similarly, ISKCON Delhi has been supporting government by providing prasadam for lacks of people everyday. Delhi Chief Minister appreciated his work of ISKCON.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/divine-service/article31384031.ece

Devotees in general are utilizing this time for increasing their sadhana and also conducting online classes practically everyday and discussing Krishna-katha. Now, in this lockdown, no one is able to put excuses like- ‘I am busy’, and hence participation has increased. Also, regular devotees are becoming more fixed up in their individual sadhana, since there is no travelling. From devotees point of view, I feel this lockdown has helped many to become more serious in their individual sadhana. Also there are ample opportunity to undergo different e-cources being conducted by different temples and thus deepen their understanding of bhakti.

Devotees are taking this opportunity in positive spirit. Of course amongst most miserable are those who are addicted to intoxication and not getting anything in this tough situation. The crime has reduced to practically nil in India while ‘in-house’ quarrels are in rise than ever.

I have been in Haldia since last 2 months. It’s a small village near the oil-refinary factory of Haldia. These days have offered me wonderful opportunity to go deeper in my own sadhana. I am able to regularize my sadhana and increase it. Devotees here organized a yagya on Sri Nrisimha Chaturdashi for protection from Lord. It’s just unimaginable to be in such a situation. 

Your servant,

Purushottam Keshav Das

HpS - Jaya!!! Please send an update like this here!

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and your great service unto him.

Yes, Maharaj, I can continue as the corresponding secretary. Yes, I saw the webpage, and my information is given correctly there on the web page.

I apologize I could not communicate with you over the email and monkeywarrior blog, but I will again keep in communication with you over that blog. Life has changed so much after the COVID-19 epidemic. All the classes shifted to online. We thought that might reduce work load, but it actually increased it because now all submissions are emailed to us and we have to grade them all from home. Now, we can get no help from teaching assistants.

As you asked, what I teach, I am doing research and teaching artificial intelligence and machine learning because I am in computer science department. At one point, I am interested in showing to the world that all artificial intelligence programs and robots are actually just programs running and being executed, but they do not have a will power of their own. Thus they are not actually living. I know because this is what I do for a profession.

For now, I feel so overwhelmed with all the work and I hope and pray to again perform more service unto you Guru Maharaj and obtain your holy association once more in ISKCON Houston.

Your servant,

Aja Govinda das

HpS - AGTSP!!!!! As we said in the Yahoo letter, Krsna will never, never, never, punish us for putting our Japa first. If we die because we are chanting 16-good rounds, lose our job, then that is because Krsna wants it for us! He has better plan of us.

More and more tests, changes, will come in life. Every time put your 16/4 first and you will become more and more potent, alive, in every aspect, life after life!!

Take birth in Nabadvipa with Nimai!

Your help in NIOS is super essential.

Hare Krishna Maharaja

le ofrezco mis humildes reverencias,

todas las glorias sean para Srila Prabhupada,

le saludo de la comodidad de una casa en pandemia,

esperando que se encuentre libre de todo mal que pueda afligir su cuerpo,

HpS - TlgaSP. Gran honor oir de Vd!!! El cuerpo es mal!

le quería informar que estoy siguiendo los 4 principios y cantando 8 rondas diarias, aprovechando este informe me gustaría pedirle alguna instrucción para aumentar mi conciencia espiritual en estos días de cuarentena, sin mas que agregar y esperando que se encuentre bien me despido, Hari Bol.

HpS - Hare Krsna, Hare Rama. Basicamente canta Hare Krsna, mas y mas. Muy simple. Esta Vd. estudiando en la escuela secular???????

AGTSP, PAMHR

Dear Guru Mahajaraja, here Madhu from Chile.

I hope you are doing very well in these days of a Pandemic.

I will try to report my last 10 years:

I had to abruptly leave ISKCON about 10 years ago more or less.

After the JPS Stroke I was left without protection from GBC, RGB and TP attitude towards me, even came a point where I even received physical violence in the form of kicks from an very senior administrator.

Many spiritual leaders publicly cut me off from verbal and social association in a systematic way from Chile, even using Photoshop, invented that I drugged myself and bathed naked with many women.

We were with Panchali for very lonely and sad years, but it was an incredible training for what was to come.

Five years ago we officially started our activity in Krishna West together with HDG, who has given us a lot of confidence and inspiration.

Today we manage many KW programs in Sudamerica together with Panchali, KW Mexico, and KW Chile.

We call our KW program in Chile Bhakti yoga Club. In this project that we started completely alone, Panchali and I have already made 120 new bhaktas in the last year of which about 20 chant 16 rounds or more and many several people chant a few rounds daily.

To summarize here is a list of the programs we run and maintain:

• 6 BV cells
• morning japa 5 am every day
• Bhagavatam 8 am every day
• Bhagavad gita in the evenings 3 days a week
• YouTube TV channel
• International distribution magazine, "Ekadasi Times"
• Home Schooling Education Program for children. "Without Blackboard"
• Sadhana program for the afternoon 20 hrs. Monday through Thursday, this includes Kirtan, Japa, and reading.
• Workshops every Saturday on a Vaisnava topic
• Open talks for the society on spirituality issues every Sunday.
• Bhakti Yoga Club for Universities
• Member Care Mentoring Program
• Abuse prevention department inside and outside the community
• Active distribution of Prabhupada Books, this month alone we delivered 5 Bhagavatam collections and more than 40 BG within our community.
• Leadership training once a week

We are also promoting our future sustainable ecological project outside of Santiago.

I am also developing together with Param Padam Prabhu and other Vaisnavas, a Magister in theology to introduce in the universities.

In a future letter I will report the activities we are doing at the South American level.

S.s Madhu

HpS - Wow! Srila Prabhupada, Ki Jai! It is very nice to hear from you. You letter came to our Yahoo account, which we can't answer too much. We only use it for private discussions after we deal with things generally here in the Blog.

Please write here using the protocal mentioned in the Kapi Dhvaja.

There are many "ISKCONs", no? One is the institution with Temple President, GBC structure. If that is not correct then write to me, us here! Then there is the ISKCON that is the community of friends, and also the ISKCON that is our personal relationship with Srila Prabhupada.

Krsna West as far as I know is a part of the ISKCON Institution in Latin America.

In Kali-yuga Institutions are always with problems, but Sankirtan partys can be great.

How can we serve you??

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to you!

HpS - AGTSP!!!

In relation to this reply from you in my previous letter, https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/11216/, I have asked the temple authorities for a recommendation letter for initiation and they have stipulated a few conditions that i need to satisfy before issuing the letter.

I have to serve the temple for a few months with their digital initiatives like Newsletters and quizzes and also attend the weekly bhakti vriksha program close to me.

I have been doing both for the last month or so and hopefully, i get the letter soon.

I have also been doing the disciple course and i am about 20% in. Will try to finish it soon, maharaj.

HpS - Very nice. I heard from Srila Prabhupada in the beginning when things for me seemed to face so many obstacles, that "in the beginning there may be obstacle in advancing in devotional service, but one should go ahead with enthusiasm." I did it! Fall down, get up, fall down, get up!! Make progress.

I also got Tulsi Maharani from the Dallas temple, when i was visiting my brother in May, maharaj and i have been taking care of her.

HpS - and She will take care of us!

I have been chanting 16 rounds and following the regulative principles, although i have missed completing my rounds a few days in between as work has been crazy maharaj. Have been working 12 and 14 hour days regularly for the last 4 weeks. I will definitely try to make up the missed rounds.

HpS - Keep account. Krsna will NEVER punish us for taking the time and strength to chant 16-good rounds. He will be able then to link us to material as well as spiritual success!

I need some advice, guru maharaj. My parents have started talking about getting me married in earnest and i would be grateful for some clarity on it maharaj. I don't want to get married. I was talking to my brother, Srinath and he says that if i don't want to get married, then i have to go to an ashram and live full time as a brahmachari. But i don't think i am ready for that too. So, i am kind of stuck in the middle where i don't want to marry and also not ready to completely leave material life and live in an ashram.

HpS - Living in an Ashrama can also be material life. Mayavadis are materialists and they live in Ashrama. Spritual life is chanting and dancing, even while you are at work. Fingers dance on the adding machine keys as yoiu make monery for Krsna.

Get married, go to the university. These are practical decisions. Go to war and try to kill people and not be killed also. So we give a little attention to them and make decision.

Maybe good to get married with a good person. Give you both stability in life. Maybe not.

Real thing is to focus on 1st intiation under authority of Srila Prabhupada, and then can make practical decisions about the other things.

Maybe tell you parents that Srila Prabhupada never suggested marriage before Hari-nama Diksa.

Thank you. Nice to hear from you.

I need some guidance on how to proceed on this, guru maharaj. I will take your words to heart and follow whatever you say.

Your Servant

Sriram

Hare Krsna beloved Gurudeva AGTSP PAMHO:

Gurudeva, today we were invited to a meeting for the "bendita Junta Legal".

I am not going to enter in details here. Nevertheless, there are some steps that they are avoiding. So we declined to join the meeting. LAD and Caitanya Candra d and me. I talked to LAD and both do not want to be in this entanglement. Basically if the things are not done in a proper way. The new board may even go to jail for others' faults

Honestly, I feel that even if I present all the evidence to them. They have their own thoughts. Mathuresh Prabhu approved that I start the restoration of Gaura Nitai. But then after talking with Yamunesvara d they changed the plan. They are going to bring new deities from India and Gaura Nitai will go to Yamunesvara's house. For me that is without sense. They take decisions without any consideration to anyone.

I sent pictures in which we can see that Wilson is having trouble with cleanliness. We hope the administration can do something.

I just want to inform you my reasons. Haridas Caitanya d (JPS's personal servant) called me this morning because he did not understand what happened. I tried to explain, LAD also talked to him. Due to JPS did not understand why we refused to join the meeting.

I prefer to serve teaching but as you now we had many obstacles in the past. I have the feeling that others have more facilities than we do. BURROCRACIA.

In my job there is a lady haha it is a burden to work with her. I can feel her envy, etc. But still I can teach.

Thanks for the FMP. In there I can find good association.

Janmastami is coming. Krsna and Balaram kill demons.

Thanks again Gurudeva

Trying to be your disciple

CMDD

HpS - Hare Krsna. Mataji. In this letter you sound very tired. I feel the same many times.

Sometimes it is a great effort to chant 16-nice rounds. Follow four principles strictly, but then we can see exactly what is our service. Of course, it may not be completely clear, even to Krsna either, because people have free will, but we will see that, "Nobody knows, or is in control, of these certain things!".

O. K. Now we know, so we don't spend much time on them. Just see if we can help with them as things change. We focus on what we can do. We accept that in the end (sooner or later) EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE is going to die, except improving our eternal service.

If we come to the material world in next birth or later our ETERNAL SERVICE will be better. We will be able to serve Krsna better.

Be a big hero, like Draupadi.

He, Govinda!

So, if you do not join the meetings, are you resigning from the Junta Legal?

Thank you.