Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna,

1.54 AM... AGTSP Paoho Our second day in ISKCON Delhi. Up at 12.30 AM, chanted two rounds. aswered important mail and read from KRSNA Enters Mathura! Roses and narcissus!

3.06AM ... R(10). Slow chanting with no voice. Go challenge. No voice at the time of death. Practice for passing that examination, Death. After that Diploma, there are others.

"Contributing or distributing the holy name of the Lord is a sublime example of contributing or giving charity (the dadäti principle). By the same token, one must also follow the pratigåhëäti principle and be willing and ready to receive the transcendental gift. ", NOI 4. So, if you are chanting you are offering the best thing to others. If you want to increase your Book Distribution, chant mo' rounds bettah.

Time for 6-minute nap and then Bath-Kirtan, Puja, go to Partha-sarathi Temple.

11.45AM - R(16)... Voice a little recoverd. Rest. Rest. Rest. We have to find tasks that do not require thinking or personal contact with people much more in the bodily concept of life than us (Haw! Haw!). This is like gardening, ironing clothes, going for walks. Just one class a day (every day) is intense.

The Art of Living. Do you have a PhD in The Art of Living? Bhava.... (Goals and 'practical' work follow automatically from the proper consciousness (bhava [buddhi]).

12.15PM - We answered as many letters as we could. Our eyes are starting to get strained. Now we have to bathe and shave (once every two weeks). One b'cari, Aditya narayana (and others) is assigned to help us. He is great guy. He got razor etc for us. We wash our clothes in the morning when we bathe (with Tungavidaya DD soap) but he irons them.

We posted some of the answers in the lettes to the ASA Encyclopdia. Seems like a project that might just work.

12.21PM - Whatsapp to Atul - The work in Pune was one of the highlights in my life to that time. Next Braja and we gave a two hour class for Adi-P in the VIHE.    I think this God-father Diploma might really be a good tool. It would be for giving Bhakti-sarva bhauma one time. We could get all the Senior Devotees on board eg. Roma-pada Swami, Vaisesika. Das. They could be assigned specific chapters to work on. We could get a general idea of what the character requirements etc. are for the diploma, generate good start of essay questions, standard slokas, short answer questions, and show off to the world the excellent academic quality of devotees in ISKCON. What do you think? We would be glad to work on NOI to Bh. Sarva level and Canto One + Two of Srimad Bhagavatam. It would include the work for the previous titles.

3.42AM (Monday) - Hare Krsna! We should have posted this last night but forgot. Didn't make it a priority, but Daily Sankirtan Reports, after everything, are essential.

Aditya Narayana Das brought some Maha-prasad. We wanted to take with the devotees, B'caris but not possible. We honored some nicely, napped, recovered our voice, answered and sent mail, went to Gaura-arati and danced ... one two three, and met Yuddhisthira Das and his daughter Kalindi from Ecuador. Back to Room 4 and Yuddhisthira Govinda Das was here. We discussed NIOS stuff with excellent results and then hot milk and Krsna book etc.

Up at about 1.15AM, voice better but little fever in the box.

O.K. Japa. Blog, Whatsapp, ASA-Encyclopedia and now Bath-kirtan.

We missed M. Urmilla Devi Dasi's class yesterday!

HpS - Death is going to another world. If it is better world, why stay here? 😎

NgD - But before you go Maharaj you will have to prepare us to follow you.

HpS - Since you asked. 🙂🙂🙂 The most basic lesson we have learned is get up early and get your rounds done. Early is Brahma muhurta, 1-1/2 hours before sunrise.

If we can do that then next we have to make sure that we are chanting ENTHUSIASTIC rounds. NOI Three. It's part of the contract. So we challenge everyone to turn on the recorder on your cellular and record one round. Then skip back through it and listen to the quality of the Acoustical Icon, Mantra, that you are producing.

We tend to chant unclear Names and add an extra Hare.

What about you?

Hare Krsna

All glories to Sri Sri Radha Krsna.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Dear Guru Maharaja,

Hope that you are well and that we were able to catch your flight.

I write to you after long time,

We are still in Delhi, I keep teaching 7 days a week, I have 3 classes a day of 3 hours each.

We keep a nice altar and follow the 4 principles, but I have problems chanting my rounds.

I reach home every day Past 9pm and most of the days I feel like a robot, but I like to teach, my students are good people.

We go to the temple for festivals, because most of the time I'm at work and my husband is still between USA and India, but we are seen the possibility of opening and office or something here in Delhi or in Chennai.

We have a very quiet family life.

I wanted to know if you are going to be in Delhi. It's virtually impossible for me to take a day off to go to Vrindavan, but I can try.

HpS - Ooof!! No one ever looks at the Calendar. (Smile) We are in Delhi right now. We will be here until Tuesday morning then we go to the airport.

We would really like to see you, specially Vrinda. She is a good kid and is maturing spiritually.

We are so sorry for any stress or anxiety cause to you.

I have tried to get Krsna away, but I can't.

I was angry, so angry with him.

But I cannot be a non devotee.

With bitterness one day I told Krsna that he didn't care about me, but he showed me he did.

My desk at work is facing directly towars an altar of Hanuman that it is opposite to our building. And 2 of my 3 classes are opposite toward an altar of Radha and Krsna and Saraswati, every afternoon I open the window and do classes while they do Sandhya Aarti 5 meters across....they sing the same song than in Radha Raman.

Krsna has me surrounded.

I can't go to the temple, but Krsna brought it to us.

Hope we have the opportunity to see you,

Cakori Radha Devi dasi.

HpS - Krsna will never punish you for chanting 16-good rounds. He will always reward you in every way, but if don't chance we are consciously letting go of the rope and being carried away by the waves again. How can we blame Krsna! In the Peter Brook 'Mahabharata' Dhrtarastra says, "Krsna, I tried my best to avoid this war!". Krsna says, "So did I.".

Hare Krsna dear Gurumaharaja

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

Hoping that your stay in Vrndavana is great I greet you.

According to my last letter about Chosica Mandir program (https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/9969/) I have to tell you that the ideas mentioned are not of my inspiration. These proposals were given to me by Karuna Krsna prabhu for your knowledge. Perhaps you prefer Karuna prabhu to contact you directly to discuss these points. I am only the postman ready to serve you as needed.

Your servant

Gandharva das

HpS - If he can write it is great, but if not we will have to live with whatever postal service we have in this part of the jungle.

Dear Guru Maharaj, 

Like I told you in our phone call, unfortunately, we lost the Bhakta Rodrigo Hernandez Piceros's body this morning.

HpS - AGTSP. Paoho. Prabhupada says that Death of a Close Relation is like saying goodbye to some one who is leaving on the airplane for some time. Yes, there is natural feeling of separation, but there is also certainty that we will meet again. There will be phone calls, and our 'Daddy' is going to China on the boat for 14-months so that we can have a prosperous life and help the world.

He was such a good devotee, great soul, that his next body is going to be so much more useful for his self-realization.

He had two heart attacks last night, from there his father carried him to the Hospital. He fight there for his life, but ultimately his heart couldn't resist early in the morning. It was a natural death. Some poets friends of him and Arjuna Das told me today -at the Church where were his body- that he were having problems to breathe properly and he got tired quickly after to walk, and he have said to Arjuna about a constant chest pain in the last weeks. In our walks with Carolina with him from the Temple to his bus station in the last Sunday that we did, he asked us a couple of times to walk slower.

His diabetes (a disease which double the chances to get heart attacks according medical studies) just complicated more the situation to his body.

HpS - Krsna gives us lots of warning usually, no? Old age is the general warning. Old age is a good friend to a devotee.

Ceremony

We are planning, like we have heard that is auspicious, a celebration in his honor, three days after the person leave his body, it means, Sunday morning Nityananda Trayodasi, in the temple. Yagña, Kirtan, "Soul" Talk, Prasadam. Friends and relatives are happy with the idea. Do you have a suggestion for that?

HpS - We sent them. Have his picture there and offer Kirtan and plate of Mahaprasadam. After death we are wandering around in the subtle atmosphere sometimes, but that has form, original forms. So if we populate it with good thoughts of him he can take advantage of those.

Impressed

Now, something personal: Please, help us to know what we can do for this special soul. I mean, this boy (because his mind was always like a children) had a deep effect in the Santiago community. More and more devotees, even Prabhupada disciples, are expressing their sorrow for this lost. 

I was always very impressed with him. He was much more advanced than me, much more. He used to call me me "friend" and "siksa" but it was me who learn from him, his really spiritual qualities. He impressed me every time that we talked because just to see how sweet heart he had, and the nice words that he has for everyone, no matter if they were present or no.

HpS - Dedicate your life to expanding his service then there will be no separation from him.

He, factually, REALLY, was disabled to speak something bad against someone. And I met him more than 10 years ago, and meeting him in a regular basis. Never. And this quality of him is proper of the first kind of devotee (anya-nindadi sunya hrdam). Even, sometimes I tried to test him, and every time I was defeated.  

Always he defend anyone who commit mistakes in the service, always he was merciful and compassionate. A devotee told me today how he try to justify all my fails and negligences in my service. I envied his sweet heart. Maybe because, because, before your departure of this platform, I would like to be a better offering to you, with a cleaner heart. But Rodrigo already had this kind of heart.

Responsibility Dharma

Krsna said to his parents -once that Kamsa was killed- three powerful slokas about take care the parents. The first ones are:

"With one’s body one can acquire all goals of life, and it is one’s parents who give the body birth and sustenance. Therefore no mortal man can repay his debt to his parents, even if he serves them for a full lifetime of a hundred years." ( SB 10.45.5)

 "A son who, though able to do so, fails to provide for his parents with his physical resources and wealth is forced after his death to eat his own flesh." (SB 10.45.6)

In some way or one way or another he had this knowledge, and he lives accordingly. He wasn't happy completely with that but still he fulfill it, he was always worried about his parents, their health wasn't good and stay long hours at the grocery shop was exhausting for him, however, leave them alone was never a real option for him.

To be useful

And finally, He always think about how help you, it doesn't matter if you just leave us. The entire year he was thinking how to useful for you. He really live the separation service mood. 

Actually, I'm attaching the pictures of his already published book. "visiones, sueños y mantras". He told me on January 18th (I have the audio) that this book is the major achievement in his entire life. 3 years of work. He see the book as an opportunity to improve our PR to you.

Actually, he wanted to have an event and music with Lalita and Juan Elgueda, and even asked me to stay in the table with him and other people, to speak about the book. So, now we don't know what to do about it. I think that we should organize anyway. His plan was march.

HpS - Yes...

Rodrigo is a really advanced devotee, I feel happy to know him more closely. But I have post on his facebook saying "Oh, Is the departure of my best friends". So, it seems that he was a best friend of a lot, another quality of a mahatma. 

Im crying a lot now so I think that I need to stop here. 

Thank you for your constant blessing upon all of us.

Hare Krsna.

An aspirant to be your humble servant

Jagad Guru das.

HpS - Srila Prabhupada talks about "neophyte pure devotees". Externally they are on the third class platform, not following the rules for a madhyama adhikari, but that is a result of lack of experience, strong karma from previous life, but actually they can have more faith in the Holy Names than a properly initiated second class devotee.

Will he take birth in ISKCON again?

Did you attach photos? They are not showing yet.

Hare Krsna Dear Gurudev,

   Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.

   All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

   All glories to Guru parampara.

   Gurudev, What is tough time ? How you defeated your tough times in last 40+ Years ?

   Thank you Gurudev.

your fallen servant,

Girivara

HpS - Tough times for us are moments when people close to you, who should be helping you eg. Temple President, Sankirtan Leader, turn against you and make very intimate harsh cuts into your heart. For example, as a Brahmacari in the Temple you are sacrificing so many comforts. Have to live in a dormitory situation on the floor, with many spiritually sick people, do work you do not like to do, and then your President says, "Well you're just not a sincere disciple of Prabhupada, you're just here to eat and sleep for free". Ooof, is difficult. In times like this we remember we were just like Draupadi: No personal power, she was a girl amongst warriors, no social help. All she could do was raise both hands and just chant Hare Krsna, Hare Rama!!! We have seen it works. Physically Krsna just takes charge of your body as much as needed. We have to show our helplessness in front of others. Then He gives us clear intelligence. He did not give Arjuna a Super Weapon. He gave him clear intelligence. Then we can confront the situation, reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.