Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna!

AGTSP! Paoho.

After a 45-minute conversation with Srivasa Pandita Das from ISKCON Silicon Valley educational projects, last evening, we want to share our current views on Sastri education in ISKCON.

Of course, these are our views as one of the several blind men trying to understand the elephant. Please contribute your understanding from your point of view.

A lot of the impetus of the conversation was the SB class that we had just finished with ISKCON Boise, Idaho yesterday moring. For us it was a colossal effort involving Temple President, Ananta-rupa Das, Radhika-raman Das and many others.

It was one of the nicest experiences in our life and confirmed our idea that ISKCON Temple means a community of devotees organized around daily, morning study of Srimad Bhagavatam.

Of course, this can mean members who can physically attend the programs in the Temple Building, but with Srivasa Ji we were very much discussing (some times with great zeal and alacrity) that this can also mean Grhasthas studying the texts in their own homes in the morning and then discussing together on a weekly basis what they have studied.

From our perspective, hearing opinions of many others also, Sastric studies in the Western hemisphere, is in a very dangerous, little reliability, situation. There can be local programs promoted by local gurus that are very nice, but we feel that without a global educational network coordinating these and offering these programs to others we will always be lacking in essential features to make a healthy ISKCON educational aspect.

We need local gurus and global integration.

Our first product aim in Anjana Suta Academy, Sastric studies, is learning how to associate with teachers, fellow students and our students. Then we are concerned with didactic methods, calendars, and finally learning facts.

We feel that we are lacking in the extreme with proper association between the ISKCON Administrators and Brahmans which are the two pillars of happiness for the community in general.

This is our view and of course 60% of the problem is our fault, 20% others faults and 20% God's arrangement.

So, we propose to go ahead trying to integrate Temple President's et al with ISKCON Ministry of Education. We will go ahead with niscayena and put our heart into it but we depend 60% on your mercy.

Of course, we are certainly continuing with our own responsibility of regular, daily, SB study and how that is developing systematically you can see at our web-site, www.Jayarama.US, through our News.

Annual Report

Hanumatpresaka Swami

September 24, 2017

We traveled representing NIOS, ISKCON, Anjana Suta Academy, from September to December to Chicago, Richmond, Raleigh, Washington D. C. and Mexico. We also participated in the Gala Event in Houston.

End December to beginning March we had a very hard trip from Mexico City to Houston that was then supposed to go to Delhi, but got rebooked in route four times. Twenty-four hour trip became like 54-hours and we were have severe chest-pains by the end of the trip, but we visited the Indian Council on Philosophical Research, Prof. Kalyan Kumar Cakravary, former Director, of the Lalita-kala Academy, Indians, fine arts academy, presented a paper at a symposium on the Srimad Bhagavatam organized by the University of Madras and Oxford Center for Hindu Studies. Then in Kolkata we did programs with Presidency University and one other. We travelled through the remote North East to Assam, Tripura, Manipur and then Pune, Navi-mumbai and Mayapura. Meeting Directors of biggest NGOs et al.

With ISKCON Kolkata, Delhi et al we did extensive lecturing with hundreds of Society Member and Guests and Brahmcari Ashrams. With Dr. Samaresh Bandhyopadyay we worked on our ISKCON publications: Man Making book, Promtional Brochure, Stapathyam. We finished in Delhi with a visit to Dr. Lokeschandra and the ICCR (Indian Council on Cultural Relations). He proposed to send five scholars from India to participate in Art and the Sacred in Peru in June 2018.

Back in USA we worked with NIOS Nashville. The Peruvian National Library changed their Director three times and the Indian Ambassador for Peru, Dr. Sandip Cakravorty, was re-stationed to Washington D. C. so we could not get a firm sponsor for Art and the Sacred and lost the opportunity.

However, Abhirama thakura Das, Alejandro Salazaar, and other staunch NIOS supporters in Peru pushed ahead The Second Symposium on Psychology and the Sacred in June.

It only had one evening in the National Museum this time for the public and then with the Jesuit University and San Marcos University we organized two more days of extremely potent and informative symposia at universities.

We published the second edition of ‘Solari’ our magazine but will not post it in English.

We have a clip of the events in Peru at www.youtube.com with a keyword search for “psychology and the sacred 2017”.

Besides these massive events in Peru we then continued to Chile where we presented Arjuna and Hamlet at the National Library’s marble hall with the National Poet Laureate, Raul Zurita, and Jung and the Bhagavata at the best Community Cultural Center in Santiago. All these programs and many more were packed with excellent and influential audience members.

We also did programs in Bolivia and worked in a very concentrated effort with local ISKCON educators such as Mathuresa Das on developing education in ISKCON as a NIOS project.

We were one of the principal organizers for the Third Annual Symposim on Education with ISKCON in Seattle. It was attended by 25+ of the best educators and educational institutions in ISKCON and we are working on the editorial board of ‘Viplavah’ the newly formed ISKCON Ministry of Education Journal. The first issue has come out and many educators are asking for more.

We took advantage of NIOS facilities in Murfreesboro to revive our energy. We had traveled through 26-airports from 1 June through 1 August.

We have worked and have a Webmaster: Joshua and Grants-lady: Ambika in Houston and Corresponding Secretary: Dr. Ayus Goyal in Texas.

We are now working on this project: Art and the Sacred, with requirements that Abhirama get a signed proposal for Sept-Oct in the Ricardo Palma Cultural Center in Miraflores, Lima, Peru. They have 4-exhibition halls and guarantee 40,000 people will see displays each week. In their theater we hope to premier our move, “Art and the Sacred: A pilgrim’s progress”. Participation in this symposium and movie are from top Hispanic and International Directors, Artists and Art Historians.

Of course, many people came forward with generous donations which are reported in the Annual Financial Report.

Now we are headed for India and Australia to do interviews for Art and the Sacred, work with Dr. Samaresh and help develop Education with ISKCON.

Of course, at 70-years old this is all happening by Krsna’s will and quite seriously we can die of heart failure and any moment and plan to die of old age November 2024, God willing.

Next year, 2018, is the last year we will serve as General Secretary of the Advisory Board of NIOS.

There are other projects so please ask us questions as you wish.

Financial Report &  Reporting Prospectus

NIOS

2016 July 1 – 2017 June 30

Compiled by Hp Swami, General Secretary of Advisory Board, from Sm. Abhaya Narain, Treasurer, notes etc.

INCOME

Donations

         NIOS International – 26, 135

         NIOS Nashville – 731

         Vedabase.com – 8,374

         SUB-TOTAL – 35,240

Book Sales

         NIOS Int’l – 258.70

         NIOS Nashville – 100.00

         SUB-TOTAL – 358.70

TOTAL – $35,598.70

EXPENSES

1.   Anjana Suta Academy – 7509*

2.   India Dr. Sanaresh Bandhyopadyaya & others for printing and publication – 2,650*

3.   Car Purchase - $3,500

4.   Car Registration etc. - $639.25

5.   Meta-soft Membership – 4,995*

6.   Misc. Expenses – 205.18

7.   South America Tour Including “Psychology and the Sacred”, printing ‘Solaris’ magazine - $2,000

8.   Nashville Kirtan - $356.84

TOTAL – 30,229.27

SURPLUS

$5,369.43

BALANCES

(2017 Sep 24)

1.   NIOS International - $21,648.63

2.   NIOS Nashville - $45,211.26

3.   US Bank Visa – 0

          SUB-TOTAL - $66, 859.89

4.   Integro, Oscar Natars, Professional Cinema Services Due - $2,000

5.   Goloka Education, Ramanan Nagarajan, Sunday School Curriculum Design Services Due - ~$6,000 of $10,000 original contracted.

6.   Automobile ~ $3500

         SUB-TOTAL – 11,500

TOTAL -  78,359.89

* NOTES:

Expenses

1.   Anjana Suta Academy (Hanumatpresaka Swami) - While traveling we receive and pay NIOS funds through ASA and keep simple but usually adequate records. Any money ASA received from NIOS should have been accounted and adjusted by 30 June 2016. We will try to find out the cause of this but for certain it was NIOS printing, publication or event expenses in Europe or South America.

2.   India Dr. Samaresh – These are for publication of works such as the book Bharatiya Sanskriti and the forth coming Education in Ancient Indian and Making in Modern Times.

3.   Meta-soft Membership – Is for professional help in obtaining grants from foundations.

PROSPECTUS

To improve accounting in this fiscal year we are proposing the following Chart of Accounts (COA):

1.   Assets

1.1.                Bank Accounts

1.1.1.                   NIOS International

1.1.2.                   NIOS Nashville

1.1.3.                   USB Visa

1.1.4.                   Petty Cash

1.2.                Physical Assets

1.2.1.                   Inventory

1.2.2.                   Office Equipment

1.2.3.                   Building and Auto

1.3.                Copyrights

1.4.                Accounts Receivable

1.5.                Misc.

2.   Liabilities

2.1.                Accounts Payable

2.2.                Misc.

3.   Income

3.1.                Donations

3.1.1.                   Vedabase.com

3.1.2.                   HpS – Traveling Programs

3.1.3.                   Misc.

3.2.                Sale of Books, Videos etc.

3.3.                Misc.

4.   Expenses

4.1.                Office and Property Maintenance

4.1.1.                   Web-page

4.2.                Book, CD, Periodical Publication

4.3.                Projects

4.3.1.                   ‘Solaris’ magazine.

4.3.2.                   “Education in Ancient India and Man-making in Modern Times” book.

4.3.3.                   Vedabase.com

4.3.4.                   Art and the Sacred

4.3.4.1.  Movie

4.3.4.2.  Symposium Oct 2018, Lima, Peru.

4.3.5.                   Nashville Annual Labor Day Festival

4.4.                Misc.

Hare Krishna beloved Gurudev please accept my humble obeisances all glories to Srila Prabhupad.

You was asked me if I associate with Brahmanas.

My situation is like that, I live in Serbia far away from the Iskcon temple or asram,and here are not many initiated brahmanas I can associate with.

When I am in Norway, where is my employer based in Oslo, there is Iskcon temple and I associate with devotees and temple president who is initiated Brahmana grihasta, his name is Maha Bhavi das. that is most of time on S.F.program. When I have free day from the work. Like you know my dear Gurudev  I'm work like truck-bus driver, and driving around the Europa. Have little possibility to associate with devotees, but when I have a time I do it.

So I am thinking if second initiation can help me to be better devotee and servant of devotees, I wish to take it. I feel that Lord Krishna arranged to me to go to Vrindavan to see you and serve you my dear Gurudev. I take truck, boat and helicopter,who knows if I will get an another chance to do it again. I already have passed age of 50. Live is short. Health is not very good...

I'm accept what ever you decide, you are my beloved Gurudev. Please forgive me my offences and accept my humble obeisances again and again.

Hare Krishna

All glories to Srila Prabhupad

HpS - ASA -- Many things to discuss. No rush. We can try to arrange initiation ceremonies wherever we are. Especially second initiation can be more like a formality. Jiva Goswami explains that in the current time Hari-Nama Diksa is sufficient. Second initiation is more like a formality.

This is not an "urgent" topic, short-quick-answer. For sure let us discuss it in person in the next few days.

Thank you.

AGtSP!!! Paoho.
P.S. It is very nice to hear more about your regular life. 

Dear Guru Maharaj PAMHO AGTSP I received this mail and I am very happy and exciting to meet you soon. I was thinking for long time for my second initiation but was shy to ask you about it.

I don't know what are you decide about initiation of Sahil,nephew of Raktak Dasa,maybe we can be initiated together

I'm surrender toYour and Krishna's mercy and praying Lord Krishna and Balaram to be initiated in Vrindavan.

Your servant and disciple

Indradyumna das

Hare Krishna

HpS-ASA -- Let us discuss it here with all the devotees. Do you have any Brahmana association?

Hare Krsna Beloved Gurudeva

AGTSP PAMHO

I hope U are fine ¡¡¡

Gurudeva I have to put order in my life L. Due to I am working in 2 universities now I have to attend workshops in the  2 universities and do double work. I am really exhausted that is why I sometimes joined FMP at 5:00 am, I am delay on my rounds L.

Sundari Radhika Mataji called me¡¡¡ That was so nice. I felt supported. I will take advantage of her association¡¡

I guess that next week I will be the presenter??

I have also reduced my service in Wilson pujari just once a month, and I give BG clases once a month as well ¡¡¡ On Radhastami I made a promise to Adhoksaja Prabhu .. that on kartik I will go every Saturday to Chosik in order to do pujari for RMV

I am making now essential oils, so I am complementing my Gem Therapies with aromatherapy and meditation… The funny thing is that I do not have enough time do therapy for myself. Whenever I did it for myself in the past I felt  relaxed and energized. I will do it today

My Gem Guruji is an old argentinian lady who is Brahmacarini .. she told me “Dear candra, haven’t you noticed¡¡¡¡ Your GM and me are brahmacaris so be careful you may follow our path ¡¡¡ “ jajaj I laughed I am actually really peaceful in my current situation, I just want to make a balance with my material and spiritual life, I want to earn more money L I feel ashmed for that… I am giving it more attention

With met with Palika and The Patraka it was nice

So sorry for being too lazy

Have a nice trip to India 

Trying to be your disciple

Candramukhi dd

HpS-ASA -- AgtSP. Paolo. URGENT letters get immediate attention but short because we have to do them on our cell phone. It is so nice to hear your service. Make more money not by working more but by working better.

Enough is a feast.

 Preach and all material opulence will come to you.