Letters to the editor

Dear HPS. Hare Krishna from Sacramento, California. AGTSP.

If you remember when you were in Sacramento I did this recording link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkT5JnZufgE

HpS - AGTSP! It is always very freaky when we see ourselves in videos!

Thank you for your replies. Now I need some things clarified according to what I have read, so I am quoting your replies from the other conversation.[https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/10619/]

ASA - Yes. The Six Goswami's would meet and discuss philosophy, strategy, no?

HPS: As far as I know Jayathirtha chanted on my beads, Bhakta Das recommended me for first initiation and Nita Das chose my name. Whose disciple am I. Ha! Ha! Ha Ray!!

Question: This means that Srila Prabhupada authorized his senior disciples to do your initiation on Srila Prabhupada's behalf. Does this also mean you had a "rittik initiation" [ritvik] – representative of the acarya"?

HpS 2109 Dec 1 (191201) - The problem for us is that we have never seen Srila Prabhupada us this word Ritvik one time in any Purport, so we don't see it as a word with any depth. I am a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Anybody who is intiated by his disciple is his disciple. They are also diciples of Narottama Das Thaura and Lord Caitanya. Disciple means one who follows the discipline. Prabhupada's comment.

Who is your Diksa guru? I would say that I am the diksa guru in connection with Prabhupada. If I fall down from my connection with Srila Prabhupada or I just die at 76-yers old, there is no need to take Diksa again. You were connected to Srila Prabhupada, no?

HpS ._. Answered above, no? We are not opposed to people having as much direct relationship as they can with Srila Prabhupada. We are just trying to act as one channel. If that involves be a link in the formality of initiation. O.K. If that involves explaining the books O.K. but our only desire is to just be a transparent via media to Srila Prabhupad and Krsna.

Question: So HPS as an official ISKCON Guru, is following the same system of initiation on behalf of the Acarya? So the initiate is actually a disciple of Srila Prabhupada as per the letter below and HPS is just doing the formalities, explaining the books, inspiring, setting a good example, etc.. and most importantly connecting the initiate to Srila Prabhupada? I want to know what is the consciousness or mentality of HPS!

Or HPS thinks that person HPS is initiating on behalf of Srila Prabhupada is HPS disciple, meaning that HPS is initiating and HPS is the authority, not Srila Prabhupada? You get it..where I am going with this..very subtle.

For example: if HPS says something that contradicts Srila Prabhupada's version, we can accept Srila Prabhupada's version (error on side of caution) and neglect HPS version..

HpS - Certainly, but trnad api sunicena... we try to discuss it with HpS and so often he says, "Oh, wow, thank you!".

Srila Prabhupada uses the word my disciple over 89 times in his letters, so him being the Acarya he can claim because without him I won't be here. but the officiating person cannot claim because he has no rights, he is acting under order.

HpS - One thing, as far as I know Prabhupada never authorized the letters to be published. There is even a letter to Brahmananda where Prabhupada says not to distribute his letters unless they are specifically for wide distribution, but Hansadutta Das, one of my principal, Siksa gurus, got a hold of them and published them so I guess the BBT had to follow. I like reading letters, but I belong to the Jayadvaita Swami school which puts the in a different category from Bhaktivedanta Purports.

Then, I don't understand your reasoning very well. From one perspective we can say that Srila Prabhupada has no authority of his own either. He is just acting under the aurhority of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta.... back to Krsna is the original Guru.

I like Sridhara Swami's comment... Trnad api sunicena... amanina manadena... our goal is not have as few Guru's as possible, but as many, to see everyone as our Guru, but... the proper style.

I can be a Madhyama adhikari and accept disciples but unless I do it in connection with Srila Prabhupada it has no meaning. Of course, we only accept people as disciples, students, who have a clear idea of who is Srila Prabhupada in ISKCON and who are we. BG 10.10-11. The Paramatma is Guru... That doesn't change with the fire sacrifice.

O.K.???

Regarding Guru Nanak:

"Common man should accept the ācāryas. They must follow. Ācāryopāsanam. Just like in India the Sikhs, they follow Guru Nanak. So Guru Nanak says, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa, incarnation of God." So they should accept, that's all. Not that every Sikh is expected to be unlimited as Guru Nanak. That is not expected. But they should follow Guru Nanak. Then they will understand. Guru Nanak says, "Kṛṣṇa is incarnation of God." The all the Sikhs should accept, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is..." Then it is all right. It is not expected that every Sikh will understand Kṛṣṇa. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186]."

HpS - Thank you!!

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Letter to: All G.B.C., All Temple Presidents—

Vrindaban

9 July, 1977

77-07-09

To All G.B.C., and Temple Presidents

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Recently when all of the

GBC members were with His Divine Grace in Vrndavana, Srila Prabhupada

indicated that soon He would appoint some of His senior disciples to act as

"rittik" [ritvik] – representative of the acarya, for the purpose of performing

initiations, both first initiation and second initiation. His Divine Grace has so

far given a list of eleven disciples who will act in that capacity:

His Holiness Kirtanananda Swami

His Holiness Satsvarupa dasa Gosvami

His Holiness Jayapataka Swami

His Holiness Tamala Krsna Gosvami

His Holiness Hrdayananda Gosvami

His Holiness Bhavananda Gosvami

His Holiness Hansadutta Swami

His Holiness Ramesvara Swami

His Holiness Harikesa Swami

His Grace Bhagavan dasa Adhikari

His Grace Jayatirtha dasa Adhikari

In the past Temple Presidents have written to Srila Prabhupada

recommending a particular devotee's initiation. Now that Srila Prabhupada

has named these representatives, Temple Presidents may henceforward send

2

recommendation for first and second initiation to whichever of these eleven

representatives are nearest their temple. After considering the

recommendation, these representatives may accept the devotee as an initiated

disciple of Srila Prabhupada by giving a spiritual name, or in the case of

second initiation, by chanting on the Gayatri thread, just as Srila Prabhupada

has done. The newly initiated devotees are disciples of His Divine Grace A.C.

Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad, the above eleven senior devotees acting as

His representative. After the Temple President receives a letter from these

representatives giving the spiritual name or the thread, he can perform the

fire yajna in the temple as was being done before. The name of a newly

initiated disciple should be sent by the representative who has accepted him or

her to Srila Prabhupada, to be included in His Divine Grace's "Initiated

Disciples" book.

Hoping this finds you all well.

Your servant,

Tamala Krsna Gosvami

Secretary to Srila Prabhupada

Approved: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

HpS - Thank you again. For me it is simple. I am following Srila Prabhupada and I am going back to play with Krsna and anybody following me following Srila Prabhupada will also go back. Back to your service in the Sankirtan movment at any level and it will all become very clear.

Photo of us attached.

Hare Krsna Maharaj , PAMHO, AGTSP.

hope your "letter answering" marathon is going great, monkey and piggy must be helping you even though they are tired.

ASA -- Whoop! Whoop! Oink! Oink! agtstp..... paho...

trying to get local help, but somehow not fruitful as expected, still we are continuing.

we take your instruction very seriously [i] if we can solve our problem in particular circumstances then 10000 people will follow us.. na dhanam na sundri,, may be we want janam... anyways we hold our position with this perspective..

[ii] if you can get big position at university, that will help a lot..

we wanted to ask more elaboration on " be part of village" in

[Try to get your marriage part of a village]

what should be priorities of criteria of village selection

HpS - I don't think priorities, rather understanding the postion of the people in the village. eg. S(he)it is a vikarmi. Recomends more Ballywood and Bombay Pilsner to improve family relations. NOI 10... Then associate with them. Horses are social animals, no.

[i] local dialect\culture [ii] religious culture [iii] professional growth..

HpS - Of course, death. Unless we wake up the soul, what is the use of any of this? If they do wake up the soul then they are useful, dialect, job, religious practices!

salute,

monnkey

HpS - What is name of your new school??? Who are your associates there??

They are trying to make a Strategy for Preaching in the Region. Here are our suggestions on Strategy Development and an entry in our ASA Encyclopedia, VAD,

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The management model that we have is based on a celestial message from Lord Balarama while we were sitting at Rama/ghata during the Braja Mandala Parikarama with Lokanatha Swami and later confirmed when one disciple gave us, "From Good to Great" which was a key text that Micron was using in their management training courses. 1. Who am I?    What are my inspirations,duties, in the current situation, project.  Takes introspection, Japa to answer this question. Separate youself from the environement. What is my real nature, passion, pleasure in deeloping this project. We started the North American Mnistry of Education Meetings and agan and again we would lose our way, and then stop and get our feet on the ground with this questions.  2. Who are we?   Can you find anybody else who has answered the first question? It is rare. most people are working on the guidance of others or reacting to the environement. If you do then get a common motivation. Eg. I am a school teacher. I am a school admiistrator. I am a school building maintenance man.  Then obviously ...  3. What's the Plan?   After 1 & 2 it is easy to make 3, but now it is based on clear personal character and motivations, and clear team relations and motivations abilities.  4. What do we need?   If the plan is clear then the materials needed are clear. Eg. We are going to start a primary school in Houston. The families are a little dibursed. We need two medium size school busses and drives.  Who am I? Who are we? What is the plan? What do we need?

Hey, Prabhu, my father gave me an office and $55,000.

Great!!!  ..... what do we do???     What's the plan???

So often we start with the resources and work backwards. I saw a plan for New Vraja Mandala, the Spanish rural project that had an elaborate plan to the extent of three dimensional physical models of the property, but when questioned, not ONE of the people involved personally wanted to participate in the project, but -they thought it was a GREAT plan-?

We are pretty fixed in a Full Morning and Evening Program. Without those we have no basis for planning stuff. We check our mail to see what others want and our own motivation is to follow the inspiration we receive from chanting HK/HR at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada from as deeply as we can.   We can adjust to work with other's motivation but our own nature is to look for and produce cultural, artistic and logical expressions of Krsna consciouness and connect those with ISKCON.  For example we are connecting with Harvard University, London School of Medicine, Peruvan and India Fine Arts Academy on this issue of Jungian psychology and the Bhagavata Of course this results in them hearing the wonderful ideas of Srila Rupa Goswami and then we hope readin… I feel we will not develop an ETERNAL, UNIVERSAL strategy, but one for this Campaign, like Alexander against the Persians or Hannibal agains the Romans on their penninsula. Then another one later.

Respected Guru Maharaja,

Hare Krishna. Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you for the text message this morning. Sugopi, Sundari-radhika and I are missing your regular association and fortunate are those in the distant lands/time zones that have your association. Yet we are trying to lick the lotus feet of Krishna's literary incarnation in the morning but it's not the same as hearing your voice filled with devotion, faith, simplicity and clarity. It is very refreshing to hear you on Saturdays but the rest of the week is dull.

I some times get frustrated that I am so sinful and unfortunate to take birth in this age of Kali which robs whatever little bit of mode of goodness that exists around. So many sinful and un-sastric things are accepted as normal in this age of Kali!

Yet as it is said in https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/18/7/ Maharaja Pariksit was not envious of Kali and Srila Prabhupada points out many benefits and emphasizes chanting of the holy names and recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam. Bhagavatam recitation is not the same without your presence. My jnana is in place but dhyana is extremely poor. Even when chanting my mind races towards analyzing things, sometimes material and sometimes spiritual. I am struggling to stay focused while eating the sugar candy and the jaundice is not disappearing. I wonder how long it takes before the all attractive makes His name attractive to a fallen soul like me?

I wonder when my heart becomes a suitable place for His residence? Please give me mercy so that I will relish the holy names and Srimad Bhagavatam as the most valuable treasures of my life.

I look at this blog regularly and read the news letter. I try to catch up with the pearls on the twitter and they are great! Couple of weeks ago your tweet inspired me to read the incident of Gopinatha Pattanayaka. It was bewildering but also humbling to see how Maha Prabhu saved him due to his relationship with his exalted brothers - Vaninatha and Ramananda.

I don't see the latest news letter yet so I am using the last known code in the title. Thank you very much for your time in reading this letter.

Your insignificant servant

Srinivasacarya dasa

HpS - Letter just went out. We are struggling in the middle of the mess just like everybody else. Just as you have administrative problems in you local Yatra, there are problems just as difficult at the GBC level. Oooof. Only solution is to join Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan.

What are you studying in your daily classes?

Here is has been instructions of Bhismadeva. Is good audience. Intelligent, about 25-devotees each morning. The window on the spiritual world is there and we can enter it and get realization of the situation. When was the first time Bhisma met Krsna? How old was he when he renounced marriage? We began to get some realization of Bhisma's personal understanding of Krsna at the moment of His death.

Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada!!!

Hare Krsna Guru Maharaja, por favor reciba mis respetuosas reverencias y un cordial saludo desde Huancayo - Perú.

Aún seguimos en este cuerpo material....

HpS - AGTSP. Pienso es un cuerpo temporal espiritualizado.

Bueno, tuvimos comunicación con Prabhu Adveita Takur Dasa, vamos a ir de Sankirtan Viajero por Puno, Cusco y Arequipa, por lo pronto, esperamos que todo el plan sea un exito para que podamos seguir distribuyendo los LIBROS SAGRADOS DE SRILA PRABHUPADA.

ASA - 😊

Bueno quería comentarle sin ningún sentido de ser sajayiya que he tenido unos sentimientos extraños....preguntas extrañas...si cometí alguna falta le pido por favor me perdone...

Para mí es todo un Misterio sin resolver, el SANKIRTAN....¿como entender?... ¿como saborear ese néctar?.... ¿como meditar siempre en que los libros de Srila Prabhupada son la energía interna de Krsna?...hay tantas formas de Servicio Devocional....pero...este Sankirtan de los Libros de Srila Prabhupada es tan especial....

Cuando distribuyo los libros de Srila Prabhupada tengo esta meditación...... "Srimati Radharani" en la forma de los Libros de Srila Prabhupada se junta con las personas que dentro de sus corazones esta Paramatma "Sri Krsna"....un verdadero Misterio sin resolver....y solo para entenderlo...solo queda refugiarse en las instrucciones del Maestro Espiritual...

Lo único que me hace feliz es por lo menos saber que los Libros de Srila Prabhupada son sagrados y que tienen que ser distribuidos....y que yo sigo siendo un tonto....pero tonto o no tengo que seguir con la Misión de Sankirtan...

ASA - 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Estaré viajando para el 2 de diciembre, me encontrare en Puno con Prabhu Adveita Takur.

Huancayo es una ciudad donde los españoles, chilenos, no pudieron conquistar, tienen una tradición y costumbres bien cerradas, pero por misericordia de Srila Prabhupada se han distribuido muchos libros hace ya unos años a tras, ahora en estos tiempos la distribución es un poco menos, también la cantidad de devotos sankirtaneros es menor, pero igual no es impedimento para que se sigan distribuyendo los libros de Srila Prabhupada. Pero no todas las ciudades son iguales, las personas son diferentes, en algunos lugares se distribuye mas libros, en otras menos, es curioso pero igual los libros se distribuyen. así que solo tenemos que seguir ADELANTE!!!

Mi sadhana marcha bien, 16 rondas, 4 principios, lectura del Srimad - Bhagavatam, atendiendo como siempre a las Salagrama Silas y Govardhana Sila y Deidades.

Bueno Guru Maharaja, me despido, perdone si cometí alguna ofensa, que Nrsimha lo proteja siempre...y como usted me dijo alguna ves "NOS VEMOS EN LAS CALLES". Hare Krsna.

Gadai Gauranga Dasa

HpS - Hare Krsna. Somos esforzando seguir la misma ruta como Vd. Estamos en Peru 3-10 Deciembre en Lima. Solamente esperamos noticias de Vds..... Srila Prabhupada esta personalmente presente, viva, en su libros.

Education and the Sacred 2019-2020

2019 November 27, Santiago, Chile,

We, Hanumatpresaka Swami (Prof. H. H. Robinson) and other NIOS members, have basically rounded the corner in this 2019 Education and the Sacred tour passing through Spain, India and South America. This tour has focused on developing the 2020 event of the same name. It has been a lot of hard work and excellent results.

Of course, we always want to thank the members and institutions of ISKCON, Founder Acharya His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, for their support and active help without which this tour would have been very difficult.

We have personal confirmation of participation from:

·       Universidad Complutence (Center for the Scientific Study of Religions), Madrid,

·       Bhaktivedanta Research Center, Kolkata, Mumbai, New York,

·       San Marcos University (Center for Asian Studies), Pontifical Catholic University and Antonio Ruiz de Montoya University (Prof. Juan Dejo), Lima, Peru,

·       Waldorf and Montessori schools, Peru,

·       Universidad del Salvador and Fundacion Vocacion Humana (Prof. Bernardo Nante), Buenos Aires,

·       Pontifical Catholic University (Center for Study of Aesthetics), Santiago, Chile,

and several other excellent, decorated artists, scholars, religionists and institutions.

The events in these mentioned places during this tour have been super excellent. Very specifically in Lima, San Marcos University hosted Education and the Sacred with an exhibition-fair of one week, and three nights of formal academic and cultural presentations. During these presentations Prof. Miguel Polo presented the Papal Bulletin on Ecology, Juan Dejo on the history of learning intellectual discrimination in spiritual issues from pre-Socaratic times up to the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit), Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Prof. Hector Bejar on the apparent loss of spirituality when modern life is carefully compared to traditional cultures, ourselves on Learning Ecstasy as a goal of education and many others.

Now we will go back to Lima to begin to make final decisions for our journal, Solaris, and events in this project for next year.

We will approach Prof. Shonu Shyamdasani and the Philemon Foundation (Jungian) and Prof. Francis Clooney (Director, Harvard School of Divinity) for their participation and finish in Mexico.a