Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna Gurudeva

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Dear Gurumaharaja, according to our recent conversations, the education meeting will take place on friday the 14th of july 4:00 pm. At Wilson Mandir. During this space, devotees in charge of runnimg  programs and others with proposals and other contributions will share their ideas and agendas. After the meeting, the  main points will be communicated during the BG class. The main goals of this meeting is to have an idea of the actual situation, and to hear your opinion.

Please, confirm this information in the way to send the personal invitation to the involved devotees.

Thank you very much in advance.

Your servant

Gandharva dasa

HpS - ASA -- Hare Krsna! Hare Rama!  It is very nice to hear from you. Thank you and everyone for all the Sankirtan facility in Peru in the last few days.

We have discussed our ideas on this program and others with several devotees such as Sesa Das and Rama-giri-dhari Das from the Ministry of Education (MOE), Laksmana-agra-ja Das (LAD). I hope they can also help you organize the program.

Can we start Friday the 15th at ISKCON Wilson at 4.30PM? That means we would go from 4.30-8.00PM plus travel time, a long but good time for us.

What would be the components of the program? We could represent MOE and present a brief summary of programs and plans. We would also like a few minutes to introduce our own program, ASA.

Can we also integrate this with the Sunday the 16th children's program in Chosica, Pada-yatra. We could present MOE stuff about Sunday School, Home-schooling, Pre-school, Kinder to Secondary.

Thank you.

Please send more news as this program develops.

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON, and NIOS.

Maharaj, I would like to humbly invite you to Texas A&M University-Kingsville for launching Solaris here, opening a student chapter of NIOS here at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and organizing an interfaith dialogue at the university. I have funds. I would like to sponsor your flight tickets. My tentative estimated budget is $1500. If you are coming from Houston, we can also use the money to book a second flight ticket for Dr. Bandhopadhyay. I would like to gain the opportunity to help promote and distribute NIOS literature here at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. The fall semester starts August 22 here and that is when most students are present here. I can start advertising but I have a group of students attending yoga or familiar with me who will definitely attend the events.

Looking forward to hosting your holiness' presence. Although I am not qualified to serve you or NIOS, it would be your kind mercy to give your divine association to me and Kingsville.
Yhs,
Aja-govinda Das

HpS - It is very nice to hear from you. How easy is it to visit there from Houston?

Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaj,

Too much news and personal thoughts to tell you but for now, I want to say thank you so much for the suggestion to participate in the Congress in Seattle. Very useful. So, now the calendar in detail again, but with specific URGENT questions:

June, 28^th Wednesday: Arriving at 11.50 hrs.

June, 29^th Thursday: Yoga and Ayurveda Center Dhatri

Finally, your first lecture in Chile (this Thursday) will be at the Center of Yoga and Ayurveda: Dhatri, owned, led and managed by Visvanath Cakravarti Thakur Das and her wife Gita Vali Dasi. There will be Indian dance also. The time announced is 18:30 hrs. The title of the conference is:

“The Mind ¿Friend or Monster? Perspectives of the Bhagavad Gita”

Deśa : Centro Dhatri. 7 minutes walking from the Temple.

Kāla : 18.30 hrs.

Pātra : The audience will be mainly yoga people cultivated there, and from other places from Santiago.

June, 30^th Friday: First Prabhupāda’s Night:

Conference: "Srila Prabhupada as our Personal Guru", like you suggested. We will promote the two Friday Prabhupada's Nights in the same poster.  This talks usually take 1 hour. From 18:40 hrs. to 19:40 hrs. The questions time is until 20 hrs.  We will try to streaming this conference with Facebook page of ISKCON Chile.

Do you have some suggestion to print something specific to give the audience there? Slokas, extracts, something.?

HpS - No, but if you want to please do it.

July, 1^st Saturday: Intimate breakfast with Spiritual Family & Hindu Community in the Evening

Guru Govinda Mataji invited you to have a program in her house. You give some lectures there when the temple was closed after the earthquake,  at 2010. Now Guru Govinda manage the restaurant of the temple and she will expand her own place, so she wants to invite you there to re-inaugurate it, maybe not formally, but mystically. Is like 10 minutes from the temple, driving. I told her that your schedule is full but still I comment to her that we can arrange a breakfast like spiritual family and she’s happy with that. Are you OK with that?

HpS - Yes

On the other hand, in the evening, like I told you, Sri Nama Radha devi dasi liked the topic about the good and collaborative relationship between ISKCON and Worldwide Indian Community, in several places. But, regarding the specific title, she suggested “The Science of Krishna Consciousness”. The idea is to talk about how our bhakti yoga process is a science that never fails. How the process is perfect, and if we apply it to our life we realise how perfect it is.  Time of the lecture announced: 18:30 hrs.

Deśa : Hall for events in one the building of one Indian apartment. 30 minutes from the Temple.

Kāla : 18.00 hrs. (I don't remeber the exact timing now because my phone died, so I can't communicate with her now -over whatsapp dependence- but I will remember soon)

Pātra : Indian community living at Santiago.

HpS - Jaya!

July, 2^nd Sunday: Kirtan Yoga

This is the second Sunday Feast with the new timings, and is like this:

-13:00 hrs. Restaurant

- 14:30 hrs. 2 HK Program – Kirtan Yoga.

- 16:30 hrs. Lecture

- 18:00 hrs. Kirtan

I don’t have clear yet if they will give the second (and simple) prasādam planned in the last 30 minutes of the class or after the kirtan.

Regarding the program itself, I commented you about this Kirtan Yoga program in the last post. But I want to confirm if you are agreeing to be one the kirtaniyas there. Usually is 20-30 minutes each. I ask you because sometimes we announce the kirtaniyas also. In the case, if you’re confirmed, I need to know if you would chant just Hare Krishna Maha Mantra o do you want to sing a Vaisnava song also? If you want to sing any Vaisnava song, tell us which one, so we can print that song to make that everyone sing together also.

HpS - Both, song and kirtan. Garuanga bolite habe!!

Later, in the lecture, title: "What really means Kirtan Yoga?" (not published yet, we can change it) the idea is receive some insights from you about How we can improve our mood in the kirtan, how we can chant better when we are in a group, how we can take more advantages of this kind of opportunities, and finally the risk in just chant and dance without really fix our mind in the holy name. Do you have any proposal of title to this special lecture? We don’t have too much time for announcing it, this is another reason because this post is urgent.

HpS -Is fine.  Print!

I would like to print some papers to share with both audiences (kirtan yoga and lecture). You think that there are some extracts or slokas that we must share with them there?

HpS - Adi lila chapter 7 near the beginning. We can fix details when we arrive, no?

July, 3^rd Monday. Conference: 40 Years Teaching the Srimad Bhagavatam ( replicate  of Chennai Conference)

I knew about this conference from you in the Chennai Symposia about Bhagavatam. Due this Monday the Bhagavatam was the topic proposed, I thought that would be very interesting hearing your personal realisations teaching the Śrīmad Bhagavatam. Actually, We can arrange this lecture to the evening instead the morning. What do you think about it? 

Regarding you last questions about this day: Yes, is possible get some complete sets of Bhagavatam in Spanish directly from the BBT and sell them that day. About the study groups are possible. We can create the groups there. I can’t think of the system. Free study. Maybe a monthly review of one chapter with you online would encourage the devotees to organise themselves.

Deśa : Temple.

Kāla : 18.30 hrs.

Pātra : Devotees of the congregation.

HpS - Fine. O.K.

July, 4^th Tuesday: “Marriages from Heaven, Marriages from Hell…” Part 1.

This title was created from you last suggestion: “Marriages from Heaven, Marriages from Hell if You are both Devotees, then both of them Are Swell!". Tuesday is a program to the devotees mainly. This is the Part 1 of this program designed to grhastas devotees and the idea is to have the Part 2 the next Tuesday, your last day in Santiago.

Now, like you suggest that we can relate the "The Taming of the Shrew” to this, I’m planning that this first part of this seminar “Marriages from Heaven, Marriages from Hell…” could be you giving an introduction about this movie and what is the sastra-caksus point behind it, and then we can watch this movie all together in the main hall of the temple (the deities are not there, the restaurant is working there, actually) or in another place like the Guru Govinda’s house. Is up to you. Is a good idea to watch it with all the community invited? In any case, I already downloaded it in different languages in different qualities. Just in case  :D

Deśa : Temple.

Kāla : 18.30 hrs.

Pātra : Devotees of the congregation. Mainly, with interest in improving or start their married life.

HpS -O--.K.

July, 5^th Wednesday:  Conference: “Yogic pranayama.  The power within”

Parasurama Avatara das is organising. There is a nice poster already. He will arrange some prasādam for the audience and some booklets.

Deśa : Dojo of Judo. Near to the temple.

Kāla : 19:00 hrs.

Pātra : Main people from this dojo, in connection with the topic and other people from the martial arts. 30 people approx.

 HpS - O.K.

July, 6^th Thursday. Public Conference: Two Princes: Hamlet & Arjuna

Rodrigo and I, had a personal meeting with Raúl Zurita. He can tell you more about it. But the general thing is that he's completely agreed to join you. He said that he mainly want to go to listen to you, however, he could make his contribution. And agreed put his name on the poster like with the participation of the poet Raúl Zurita. He doesn’t like so much to mention his awards. He’s very humble person but very powerful too. I could notice that despite I could understand the 75% what he was saying. Very interested in the Mahabharata.  He put clear that he’s not good talking in public, and his disease doesn’t help to that, but Rodrigo emphasis that his reading in public is too much powerfull. So he said that he can read some extracts after your presentation and previous your final conclusions.

Despite everything, He asked us if is possible to have a lunch with you the same day of the conference (he will arrive in Chile just one day before). He recommended a vegetarian restaurant near to everywhere; Biblioteca, his house and temple, called “El Huerto”. Abhimanyu Das worked there and he said that he will reserve the whole second floor for us with the condition to have to bring 6 people there. And they allow that you can bring your own food.

Deśa : Biblioteca Nacional. Teleconferencing is difficult here. The place is very old and they don’t give all the facilities. Is the biggest hall, so “ with that is enough”  but Rodrigo will ask them anyway.

Kāla : 18:45 hrs.

Pātra : Literature world, VIP contacts from previous events like Raúl Zurita and people registered formally trough Facebook, with a form that we made.

HpS - O.K. We already wrote to him and hope that we can do a very USEFUL program together!!

In connection to your last questions. No movement to get the Cine Arte Alameda this year to show "The Taming of the Shrew" there, but good idea to the next year. Another thing, We need to do somethings special to make this a part of the "Art and the Sacred" Symposium, Lima 2018?

July, 7^th Friday. Conference: Prof. C. G. Jung and the Bhagavata, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Conference: "Prof. C. G. Jung and the Bhagavata, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami" like you suggested, and like a series of classes about Prabhupāda in the two Fridays. 

How can we sell the books this night? Can you sign some of them?

Deśa : Temple

Kāla : 18:30 hrs.

Pātra : Devotees of the congregation and students of psychology near to the temple.

July, 8^th Saturday: Co-Inspiration Meeting

We had troubles with the place for this Co-Inspiration program  (Before Reconciliation and some devotees convinced me to transform in something more friendly).  Check the whole thing doesn’t allow me to focus just on one thing.

But the general idea is:

First part: One Workshop to introduce everybody in a relaxed way and then, divided into groups, to share their feelings about the diagnosis of us like a community.

Second part: Talk by Hanumatpresaka Swami about the importance to have a pro-active view of our movement and that, despite the problems, always there is space to make our humble contribution to the Prabhupada’s movement and organisation.

Third Part: Always in the same groups, chose the main problem among they identified, and create a project to resolve it with the agile technics and tools that the professionals use currently in the innovation field.

Fourth Part: Lunch.

Fifth Parts: Presentation of Final Projects with elevator pitch structure.

Do you have a suggestion to print something?

July, 9^th Sunday: Sunday Feast

You asked us what is the topic that Arjuna Das wanted to this Sunday Feast, and he suggested: “The importance of the children in our movement”.

Im not connected to know what is happening with the initations with the local authorities. But if there are initiations, this is the day scheduled for.

July, 10^th Monday. Public Conference: Carl Jung and Mystic India.

Bhakta Carlos Rauld is part of the team now and he’s very active. He’s trying to get some interviews for you on the TV and he got this place. “La Corporación” is a very honoured place located in one of the little rich neighbourhoods in Santiago. Krishna Sambandha has played there several times.

Deśa : Corporación Cultural de Las Condes.

Kāla : 18:45 hrs.

Pātra : We have 100 tickets that they give us and we will use an online form on the Dharma Comunicaciones web page also, and we will invite people from the Psychology world. The corporation distributes the other 67 tickets. Abhimanyu and Soledad got a database and they help with that.

July, 11^th Tuesday: “Marriages from Heaven, Marriages from Hell…” Part 2.

This is the last lecture and second and last part of the seminarian to the grhastas devotees. You suggested that we can get connected with the Grhastha Vision Team and integrate with the Seattle Symposium results. Maybe we can get some of the material and translate to Spanish to the devotees who attend this second part of this seminarian. You think that is possible?

July, 12^th Wednesday: Good bye!

----------------------------

Please, Gurudev, excuse the extension of this calendar again but I couldn’t be more concise. I prefer to give you details and make specific question because we are not first class servants yet, so we depend absolutely on your feedback and opinions.

I hope that you bring accurate clothes to the Chilean winter. You know always is bad, but is a little harder this year. We can get special clothes if you need. Please, let us know.

Thank you very much for your effort and visit us.

Your aspirant to servant,

Jagad Guru Dāsa.

HpS - We did not give comments on the last part because seems fine in general and it will better to talk about it in person when we arrive!  Leaving now with National Library.  Super Sankirtan, Chile!

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Querido Gurudeva

Por favor acepte mis humildes reverencias

Acá bhakta Rodrigo de Santiago de Chile. Esta carta es un reporte que debí enviar hace bastante tiempo. Le pido disculpas por mi torpeza.

Lo importante de esta carta es que:

Estamos felices por su visita, estamos felices por estos 12 días que usted estará con nosotros.

En cuanto al servicio para usted:

Se han realizado muchas reuniones grupales para intentar ver cómo podemos servir de mejor manera a usted y a su prédica.

Muchos devotos y devotas están muy motivados y con deseos sinceros de hacer servicio, escuchar sus clases y poder estar con usted.

En las reuniones y también por email se han intercambiado muchos puntos de vistas, opiniones diversas y distintas, pero esperamos que todo salga bien con su agenda y programas.

Jagad Guru tiene el calendario oficial de toda su visita y madre Priya Sakhi tiene la lista de todos los servicios y de las personas que han tomado esta responsabilidad.

Hay un equipo especialmente integrado para trabajar directamente en sus conferencias: Madre Pundavanika dd, Prabhu Arjuna, Jagad Guru, Prabhu Parasuram, Prabhu Carlos Rold y yo.

Pensamos que este año la difusión será un poco diferente. Especialmente las conferencias “HAMLET y ARJUNA” y “CARL JUNG”.

Se ha creado una ficha de inscripción donde cada persona interesada debe enviar sus datos personales. La idea es que con esto podemos armar una muy buena base de datos, y así saber qué personas van a las conferencias, en qué trabajan y durante el año invitar a estas personas a distintas actividades y programas.

HpS - Aparece muy bien. Todos sentiendo no cvonocido en esta mundo.

Pero además pensamos para la conferencia “Hamlet y Arjuna” invitar a personas como profesores, escritores, poetas, periodistas, estudiantes, directores de editoriales y otras personas relacionadas con la cultura y la literatura en particular.

RAÚL ZURITA si va a participar con usted en la conferencia “HAMLET y ARJUNA”. Jagad Guru y yo estuvimos con Raúl. Él todavía se acuerda mucho de usted y nos dijo: “Lo que yo quiero es escuchar al maestro”.

Raúl Zurita está viajando mucho, recibe invitaciones de muchas universidades y otras instituciones a nivel internacional. Raúl Zurita llegará a Chile el día miércoles 5 de julio, un días antes de la conferencia.

Durante la reunión que Jagad Guru y yo que tuvimos con RAÚL, se agendó un almuerzo entre usted y él para el mismo 6 de julio para conversar y hablar un poco antes de la conferencia. Ya se están viendo los detalles de este almuerzo, será en un restaurant vegetariano "El Huerto".

Sería muy bueno si usted escribe a Raúl para saludarlo y tomar contacto entre ustedes: Este es el correo personal de Raúl (por favor no publicar)  xxx

HpS - Me gustaria hablar mucho con Raul format una estrategia bueno para el presentation!

De la misma manera se está trabajando en relación al público que pueda ir a la Conferencia sobre Carl Jung. Prabhu Carlos Rold ha estado haciendo muy buenas gestiones y gracias a eso, la conferencia será en el “Centro Cultural de Las Condes”, un lugar muy hermoso. Es un lugar donde Krishna Sambhanda ha dado conciertos para 200 personas aproximadamente.

Jagad Guru tiene el detalle de toda su agenda. Entedemos que usted llega este jueves, sería maravilloso que el equipo de conferencias pueda tener una reunión personal con usted.

HpS - Claro que si. Llegamos 11.50PM Miercoles.

Carolina, esposa de Jagad Guru, diseño los afiches de estas dos conferencias.

pd: Hace muy poco Jagad Guru estuvo con usted en Estados Unidos, el mismo dia de su regreso a Chile, la  madrina de Jagad Guru dejó el cuerpo, su madrina también era como su madre. Él ha estado haciendo servicio, pese a la tristeza de la partida de su madrina. Hace unos pocos años atrás dejó el cuerpo la madre de Jagad Guru.

Esperando no olvidar nada importante y con muchas ganas de verlo,

su aspirante a sirviente, Bhakta Rodrigo

HpS - Pienso Krsna tiene mucho atencion por su Vida. Tiene que accepter que todo pasando con Vd tiene una perspective profundo. Vamos a escribir a Sr. Raul.

Please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

All glories to Hanumatpresaka Swami!!

Please excuse our limitations for not going the budget before, we are trying to do our services in the modality of goodness, but given the circumstances we are more in passion-kindness than in kindness-passion, in relation to SOLARIS, for the Nitay-Gaura Sadaya mercy is already coming to print, we just made the design at 1.08 am and the number of pages this time is also 108, this year's budget for this edition is US $ 1080 (although it's a bit more, we'll try to cover it somehow, we have faith in the chanting of the Holy Names).
HARE KRISHNA GURUDEVA, his insignificant servant, Abhirama Thakura dasa.

HpS - AGTSP paoho. This world is full of problems. I need to improve. You need to improve. Everyone needs to improve. I will talk with NGD for his decision on the budget. To me it sounds reasonable. How many copies?

Hare krsna Dear Maharaja,

PAMHO. AGTSP

First of all I want to thank you for all your efforts and dedication to the educational symposium in Seattle.

You must be very very tired but happy, you remind me of Lord Siva always thinking about how to help others.

Here is briefly the following:

1.-SSBBS will be visiting Arequipa from Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 July.

SSBBS said that it is best that you take charge of the class on Friday, July 14, as the educational issue is a very important topic and you are an expert on this branch.

Already communicate this to Lad and prabhu said that then that day will be held the 3rd Educational Encounter, it would be from 5 to 8pm in Wilson.

2.-With respect to initiation of B Anka has come difficulty to find location for the ceremony.

In Chosica can not be done because they affect the feelings of Dvija dd (she does not oppose initiation only asks not to be in Chosica), and in Wilson authorities do not give an answer.

Other possible places are: Arequipa, Cusco, Callao.

3.- Day Saturday 24 june,10 am, Yamunesvara prabhu will present you 4 aspirants to refuge are: Juan Espejo, Lourdes (wife of Juan), Rukmini (daughter of Tarangaksi dd) and Miguel angel. They have given the exam of refuge and have taken the courses of Introduction to bhakti yoga and Disciples in ISKCON, at the moment the 4 are in services of: kitchen, preaching and pujari.

I asked that you send the letter of recommendation to your mail but it seems that Yamunesvara p prefers to deliver the letter to you personally.

Sri Nrsimhadeva protect you

with affection

ys and spiritual niece

Isvari dd

HpS - Thank you. AGTSP!   paoho.  We can do the ceremony most anywhere if we have the letter. Of course, it is nice with the most devotees!  We hope to spend as much time as possible with Maharaja.