Letters to the editor

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

    Gurudev, in my previous letter, URL : http://hps.monkeywarrior.com/node/6949
    we had asked, can we perform "Agnihotra"?

    we means to say, can we learn & perform "Agnihotra", other then what we (ISKCON temples)
    do Agnihotra for Initiations, Weddings etc. Except these, can we learn & perform other
    Agnihotra  also? If so what those should be?
    
your fallen servant,
Girivaradhari-Gopal Das

HpS - ASA --- Ahhh!   I don't know much about this. It is not the work of a Sannyasi, more for Grhastha.  There are devotees in ISKCON who do this for these different Sanskaras.  I think Mukunda Das, the Head Pujari in Vrndavana would know about this and of course there must be Brahmanas in your Yatra who do this. For example there is the Hari Cutting Ceremony and others, no?

Do you have any photos from the book-release in Delhi??? Or do you know anyone who does?   We are planning on fixing our India schedule three months in advance. We arrive 31st December so we will start buying the tickets 31st September. Actually we have the tickets and program up until the 10th of January with Delhi, Tirupati, Madras.

Hare Krsna!

Dear Swamiji

AGTSP, PAMHO. Any amount of time that you can come would be great! Please let me know by the dates. You will be flying from. Calcutta? Devotees will be happy to have you here for any amount of time.

Your servant,

Ken

HpS - What is the airport near you??   Denspar?    From where in India is it best to come?    Delhi - Denspar is only serviced by Jet Airways as far as we can tell.  ~ $650

Hare Krsna Guru Maharaj.

Dandavat Pranaam unto your lotus feet.

HpS - All glories to Srila Prabhupada (AGTSP!). We feel that we still have like "lettuce" feet. We still have material desires mixed with our desires to serve Krsna.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

PAMHO.

Guru Maharaj, I am inspired by your kind reply and spiritual instruction. As material profession, I am Divisional forest officer and I work in Guwahati. I have to be in this stupid profession every week Monday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm.

Although  few, I have got the association of some disciples of His Holiness Bhaktiswarupa Damodar Maharaj and His Holiness Subhag Swami Maharaj, at Guwahati. We have regular Bhagavad Gita discussions on Sunday evenings where we exchange thoughts and concepts on Vedanta.

HpS - Very, very, very nice!  Expand it to include new people. Expand it to once more a week like Wednesday evening. It does not have to be everyone, maybe just one or two people who live closer to you during the week. Sunday and then once during the week makes a very strong program. Then Krsna can inform us how to make more adjustments (BG 10.10-11)

Guru Maharaj, please grace me to make myself render unalloyed service to your lotus feet through Kapi Dhvaja this  time onwards.

I am very pleased to learn about your kind India visit. I am eagerly waiting to have the darshan of your lotus feet. Therefore, I shall certainly come to Mayapur during your period of stay there. So kindly let me know. Also, Guru Maharaj, we have most humbly requested Haridas prabhu to make arrangements for your North East visit.

Again Dandavat Pranam unto your lotus feet.

Your most fallen servant

Krsna Swarup Das

Silchar

HpS - What are you discussing in your Sunday programs?    We mentioned to Yamunesvara Das in another Blog letter answered today that we are going to fix start fixing our India tickets with the next few weeks.  We have exchanged two letters recently with Hari das Das from Nigeria.

All Glories to Sri Guruji Maharaja and Gouranga Mahaprabhu

Radha Krsna Ki Jay, Goura Bhakta Ki Jay,

Dandavat Pranam,

Please accept my humble obeisanses unto Sri Guruji's padmacharan that in checking in the block (Blog) recently I found one letter heading After India written by Abhimanu Prabhu who is working in Bali in the  Bhaktivedanta Academy and Bhaktivedanta Dharma School.  I had met one Abhimanu Prabhu who is also an Amirican during my Bali tour. He knew Guruji also very well. Is this the same Abhimanu or another one? I had written letters and send some photos also but he did not communicate me in future. In future, if Guruji reply his letter please mentioned my name as reminder. His mail address also might change or not, but no reply.

HpS - Yes, he is the same person. We were serving together in San Francisco and on many projects for B. S. Damodara Maharaja. We will tell him to contact you as we are in contact with him.

Guruji, I had already mentioned that we are eagerly waiting  Guruji's tentative time table of North East India, specially for Silchar, Agartala, Guwahati and Imphal for taking arrangement and air tickets. I think, now Haridas Prabhu also might be  in Nigeria so no telephonic conversation and mail.

Not only that,  I am eagerly waiting Guruji's final suggestion for going to our Mandir or Not. After Guruji's reply I would arrange a meeting for all the initiated bhaktas for discussion and taking final decision about the  modalities Gurujis visit in Manipur.

Yours fallen servant

Yamunesvara Das

HpS - I answered two letters from Haridas Das that he sent from Nigeria. He suggested a schedule that did not leave any time for visits to Bombay, Kolkatta or Vraja. We are taking little time to get opinion of Bombay (Rama-giri-dhari Das), ISKCON Ministry of Education, Kolkatta devotees, so that we can do the best during our six weeks in India.

It is three months until we arrive in India, so it seems that we still have a little time to hear from anybody about their requests, but yes, we should start buying tickets within the next few weeks.

About going to the Mandir, do you mean Thoubal Mandir? As I understand they are keeping an old standard that is not inline with Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON method. Is that correct?

Of course, we would want to ask Banamali Das about his opinion. If he says it is alright and gives suggestions about how to adjust the details, that would be alright. Other wise you can origanize your own programs in your own homes to start with, no?

In any case you can invite people to your home and accept invitations from them and have Kirtan, Lecture (Reading and Discussion), Kirtan, Prasad. Then BG 10.10-11, Krsna will give  us intelligence how to expand more and more.

In NOI Text Seven, in the paragraph beginning, "The conclusion is...", Srila Prabhupada paraphrases the Bhakti-rasa-amrta-sindhu verse, "Adau sraddha...". The exact Sanskrit is in BG As It Is Purport to Text 4.10.

This verse describes the different levels of spiritual development. Look at the translation in BG and then the more detailed explanation in NOI and tell us where you see your level of development. Let us discuss this in some detail and you can also discuss it with the devotees there.

We need to become Uttama adhikari devotees as soon as possible so that we can help others!!!

Dear Swamiji,

PAMHO, AGTSP. Devotees Jeremy are hoping that Krishna Will inspire you tO come. WE can send you a ticket form India, and arrange for you tO stay in Jaganatha  Gaurangga temple, or even Maha Laxmi hotel which is were Ramai Swami stays.

When you are Heri we can arrange numerous HOME programs. Aghastya Muni prabhu golf me that hE World like tO arrange a program fo4 you. There are 4 Vera Nick ISKCON temples Heri., Jaganatha Gauranga here in Denpasar, Radha Gopinatha and Radha Raseswaranear Nitai Gauracandara oN the northern coast in Singaraja, and Radha Madhava in  Gianyar. There is Aldo a new temple being built in east Bali.

Radha Raseswara has a goshalla that produces and sells milk. Here in Denpasar we have BDS primary school and The BA secondary school. There Two schools serve Devoteed from Jaganatha Gaurangga and Radha Raseswara.

Bhakti Rhagava Swami otentik visits Radha Madhava temple in Gianyar and is developing a small community of Devoteed There. So far there are 25 familier living around The temple.

Near Bali is The island of Lombok. There is a small ISKCON TEmple there. Kavicandra Swami petenis visits Lombok, The temple has a small goshalla with two bulls. If you are interested I Can arrange with Krishna Prema prabhu for you tO visit New Gita Nagari, Bhakti Rhagava Swami's farm community oN The island of Sumatra in western Indonesia. There are 35 families there and they have a Very nice school.

If you can come tO Bali there are many devotees who would like hour association and many nice programs that can be arranged.

your servant,

Ken

HpS - Very nice orthography!    We are still trying to get to India, right now it would mean taking time from the 6-weeks we are there. 1 January - 15 February. We could go for like two days!     Is that practical????  Doesn't seem like it?  Best we can send fotos or plan for next year!!

Dear Swamiji,

AGTSP, PAMHO. We are praying to Krishna for your appearance in Bali, even Abhimanyu Prabhu is asking that you come. India is a short trip from Bali. We can easily send you a ticket to come. Abhimanyu and Aghastya Muni will help to arrange some academic programs for you to speak at as well as giving class at the various ISKCON temples here in Bali. Devotees here are always asking why don't you come to Bali and give them their association.

Radhastami was a very nice festival. I made Simply. Wonderfuls for Srimati Radharani and all the children loved them so much. Aghastya Muni's wife asked me to make 1008 for Govardhana Puja. Tomorrow I go to Singaraja on the north side of Bali. I will take Krishna book in English for devotees to study and learn English.

Your servant,

Ken.

HpS - Let us look at your other letter>>>>>>