Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna dear Hanumat Presaka Swami!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Please accept my humble obeisances.

It's Bhaktin Marta, Jara Mara Hari Das's wife.

How are you? Hope you are feeling fine in all aspects.

HpS - ASA -- We have had the same question in the last three letters. Ha!    Ha!!    Ha!!!!  There must be a lot of doubt.  We are little soldiers in a big army, mostly fighting our little battle directly with you association!

Today we have a great issue to celebrate and I want to share it with you and all:

Today it's been 20 years since Jara Mara took initiation from you (it was January 25, 1998, in Madrid)

So thank you very, very much!!!

HpS - Happy anniversary to him!      Happy anniversary to him!   Happy anniversary to himmmm!  Thanks to him!!!

What to say. I feel so grateful and so happy for this, for him and also for myself...

Jara Mara is such a wonderful person and devotee, and I am so fortunate to be his wife and to have received such a knowledge and mercy through him.

We are thanking and celebrating with nice Prasadam made with veggies from our beautiful veg garden, a piece is for you, Hare Krsna!

Your eternal servant,

Bhaktin Marta.

HpS - ASA -- Are you going to get fornally initiated. It is like the 'boda'. It is a formality but not a meaningless formality.
Ask The Jara-mara Das to send a little bio-graphy here!

Thank you so so much for this letter.

T.L.G.A.S.P.

Nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale srimate Hanumatpresaka-svamin iti namine.

Querido Gurudeva:

A solicitud vuestra, me permito adjuntar las fotografias de la inauguracion del centro de predica en pleno centro de la ciudad de Cochabamba.

Atte. Su eterno sirviente Jiyada Nrsmha Dasa.

ASA - !   Super fotros. Por favor envíe un plano de su centro!

T.L.G.A.S.P.

Nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale srimate Hanumatpresaka-svamin iti namine.
Querido Gurudeva:

Dando respuesta a sus interrogantes, paso a dar respuesta

1.- Los programas de nuestro nuevo centro de predica son de lunes a viernes de 7:30 p.m a 9:30 pm.

2.- Nuestra direccion es en la Galeria España piso 2 oficina 12 c, calle Colombia esquina España

Atte. Su eterno sirviente Jiyada Nrsmha Dasa.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada's  lotus feet.  All glories to you dear Gurudeva Hare Krishna, please accept my humble obeisances to your exalted personality.

ASA - We hope we can lose some fat!  Started putting on weight as soon as we entered Jupiter.

Congratulations Gurudeva for your Vyasa Puja, I hope you have been very happy.

HpS - Ha!!  Ha!   HAre!     Some thoughts in the other letters today. Have you read them? We feel happy sometimes, but mostly we just feel selfish or duty. Duty is like Santa or Dasya-rasa. We don't want to feel happy. We want to know Krsna with Prabhupada and see what He needs and arrange it and then feel happy when we see it was useful. Thank you for the question, wish!

Here in Mumbai, the family makes a small  celebration trying  to glorify his person,  read some of his writings, and remember some pastimes that we have lived or heard  about you.  It was very emotional  and filled with a lot of inspiration and it also we fell ashamed to see that we making nothing to compared with everything you have done and continue to do for Prabhupada's mission,  his service is so perfect that it motivates us more and more . 

Then 2017, was a year with many stories, extraordinary moments and others with hards distractions. For the month of February it was 9 months of a home school where my daughters developed many skills and knowledge, developing attraction in Krishna consciousness,  studying together the Srimad Bhagavatam, different classes, with many expert advice, good time to sing the rounds and wake up early, was very well. But, in another hand, also I was one year like married woman, and yes, we had some problems in the marriage,  disagreements, but finally, thanks to a good devotees association and advice, the difficulties are overcome :)  

In March we traveled to Moscow, Russia for 2 months, to meet my husband's family,  because of the compromises, trips and new things that can must learned, the home school and the Sadhana paused and then stopped doing . I had a depression time,  maybe because  of the cold, or I don't know why, I didn't have much energy, it was a very complicated time. So, I pray much more to Krishna and Srila Prabhupada,  that if we were already so close to India, that please he permit to live there with my family for a while, and that's how it happened, after that,  the year improved for me and my family. 

Already for May we arrived in Mumbai and it was absolutly better, everything else,  it's easier to wake up early in India,  maybe by the heat,  or the pious energy, I'm not sure, So, I'm worship the deity, chanting the rounds, reading books is something that  I could not achieve very well,  very little, I want to improve that. My daughters enter to a school, to learn English,  seems that everything  is going well. We adapt very well to living in India, even with its austerities such as pollution and traffic. 

In September, for the first time, we were able to visit Sri Vrindavan dham, Gurudeva is true that as you once told us, Vrindavan is not India, Vrindavan is the embassy of the spiritual world, nothing is equal to what is felt, heard or seen before, Well, I probably forgot it and I remember it again, even though we could only visit a week, It felt like a year, we tried to take advantage of every second of that trip, visit as many temples as possible, absorb ourselves in hearing the holy name and observe the beautiful form of Radha and Krishna. My favorite time and place was to visit Radha Damodar temple, upon entering Srila Prabhupada's room, I felt as if i was state in the center of the universe,  where ISKCON began, remembered his biography and the time he lived there. so emotional, Sorry I am so sentimentalist that although I still don't understand a drop of the ocean that is the holy dham. Every day I remember it,  want to return to one day to Vrindavan dham, I thank you very much for giving me your blessings, your protection and a family to accompany me on this journey to back to God, I felt really protected. 

 The last blessing of that year was his visit to India, melancholy of don't see see you in Vrindavan, and then my heart stopped when I saw that you was in the city where we live, Navi Mumbai. My husband and I want to thank you very much for the invaluable time you allowed us to accompany you, the words are insuficient over and it is now with facts with which we must respond to so much mercy.  Thinking a lot about past, it gives affliction, thinking a lot about the future, gives anxiety, right?. Gurudeva, how would be the proper way in which a devotee plan for the future without anxiety.

We promise put more effort, at least try be not so stupid and slow, and put ourselves entirely to service to you for Srila Prabhupada and to finish our rounds every day.  Please consider us if we can serve Gurudeva in something one day.   please forgive my offenses. 

Hare Krishna 

Your aspiring servant, Satyabhama devi dasi

HpS - We remember meeting you in Navi Mumbai in Rama-giri-dhari Das' building.

Plans [memories] are another way we look at our present moment. Make plans are to improve your Bhava, attitude toward the present moment. We are living the future, plan, right now. Hare Krsna.    Say this I remember. Everyone can see my 'secret' thoughts and actions if Krsna wants them too. When you stop being absorbed in the movie you can see what everyone around you is wearing.

First priority, always love Krsna, smaranam. First daily priority, chant 16-enthusiastic rounds.

Such nice pictures!

Good rounds, good moring program, good Sankirtan.

Hare Krsna Dear Gurudev,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All glories to Guru parampara.

Thank you so much for information about Vastu Dosh & Remedies, URL : http://www.hps.monkeywarrior.com/node/9013

Found very interesting, would explore furthe. while, we get to know that Mayapur TOVP  as per Vastu.

While you have already provided absolute remedy - "one of the best efforts would be to chant HK/HR all the time".

Thank you so much Gurudev.

your fallen servant,
Girivaradhari-Gopal Das

HpS - Thank you!!  Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna!!!    Hope Krsna sends some interesting books or teachers for you. Vastu can be directly connected with our Sankirtan.

Dear Guru Maharaja:

All the glories to Sri Sri Radha Krishna

All the glories to Srila Prabhupada

All glories to you

Please accept my humble obeisances

I am going through a very introspective moment,

ASA-HpS - So was Balabhadra Das in the last letter!

I have noticed some bad behaviors in my mind, some more gross and others more subtle, in the principle for me they were imperceptible and now I see them as anarthas, I try to be very attentive to detect the moment when Maya wants wrap me up and see how I can get out of that situation in a favorable way, sometimes I can realize when it's starting to happen, other times when it's already happening, others when it's already happened, dealing with the mind is exhausting and I do not always have the intelligence to beat it, but I'm trying, day after day.

HpS - Wow, this is exactly how I live. I seem to have little intelligence to make progress, but it seems possible!    To make great progress everyday, for three days.

It's hard to recognize that there are undesirable qualities in my way of being, it hits my false ego a lot, but it's okay, because it reminds me that it's there, sometimes my mind hits me so hard that I think I will not be able to stand it.

HpS - Maybe God does not show me what rascal I am. Knows I am not as sincere as are you. We can always smile and go ahead.

Recently I realized that I have small explosions of anger, I say explosions because it's something that escapes and makes a puffffff, it's only a few seconds, I do not know what to do with that.

Once you told me two things that are really meaningful to me: Put sankirtan first! Chant your rounds directing to our Guru, Srila Prabhupada. I'm giving baby steps, sometimes I think I'm being negligent because I'm not giving everything, other days I think I have to be patient with myself, every day I keep these instructions in mind, I do not go out to distribute books, but every time I can I speak about Krishna and I give books as gifts. To be honest, it makes me a little scared to go out and distribute books to the street, my mind tells me that no one is going to want them, that someone might treat me badly. I'm going to improve, I want to improve, I want to give everything, I feel I need to be just a little braver. With respect to singing my rounds to Srila Prabhupada, it is something that helps me, inspires me in the service, and above all I feel that my love for him grew a lot. I dare to say that I love Prabhupada. Years ago I did not understand that love that the devotees feel for him and it made me very sad, because I wanted to know how it was. Sometimes I get very distracted in my singing but I always remember going back to Prabhupada.

I am trying not to get involved in conversations where devotees speak badly about devotees, it is difficult, sometimes I want to do it, my mind wants to be satisfied, but I try to focus on what I really want, Krsna Prema, criticizing someone is not going to give me it, so I see it as an obstacle and a waste of time.

I have a question: If I feel that someone as close as a friend is a bad association, what should I do?

HpS - Of course, the general answer is to try to help them, but the situations are full of details. That is why we have 18,000 verses in the SB and then other books. What should I do if a friend is sick? Answer that question and you have the answer to your question.
Send us this question and then you thoughts.

I have read and hearded about Srimati Radharani, who is she, her qualities, her pastimes, her relationship with Krisna, I know that I receive her mercy because of the beautiful services that I have, which for me are very special, like to sew beautiful clothes, wash and iron towels and gamsas for the Temple's Deities. I feel blessed because those services connect me with the deities, I think in the deities every day, thanks to that. But there is something that hurts me and is not feeling the same love for her that I feel for Sri Krsna, first of all, the intensity is less, and secondly is that the relationship is not the same, I do not know how to relate with her, and I need to know.

HpS - One very good way is to become conscious of the the Name "Hare", "Oh, Hara", in the Maha-mantra. Say it sincerely and She will let you know what is Her situation.

Last question: The Rasa that one has with Krsna, whether as a friend, father, mother, brother, lover, is it something that I can choose? Or is it something that is already determined and I have to discover what is our rasa?

HpS - Seems a very subtle, but common, question to us. We are, no choice, Sat Cit Ananda, the essence of these is free will. Up to Sakhya rasa, even a little higher kind of Sakhya-rasa, we belong to Krsna. Then Krsna belongs to us, Mamata. We start to make decisions about Krsna's future etc. Krsna likes that.

Nitya siddha krsna prema.... look for it in NOI and then follow the link to CC and read on both. We have to wake up!  Then we can go on growing. Discovering newer and newer qualities in ourselves, that even Krsna doesn't know. Krsna is growing, He needs different thngs, so we decide to serve in different ways. It is a big question, like three year olds trying to understand play and work. In our current stage there are many chances for choices even now. We just try to see what Krsna needs. What Radha and the Gopis, Srila Prabhupada, help us to see that Krsna needs.

We are so happy you came to Buenos Aires soon, we miss you, and we are waiting for you.

Your aspirant servant

Bhaktin Carol

HpS - We are just one little devotee. We feel that you are our Guru is the happy light of Krsna and Srila Prabhpupada. We act as Diksa-guru in ISKCON as a service. We hope we can be of some use to you with advice and we advice that you take advantage of so many Siksa gurus besides us. Tell us about the good guidance that you find in other ISKCON devotees, other Vaisnavas, even in nature.

Nice fotos.

Have you read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Interior_Castle  ?