Dear Guru Maharaja,
PAMHO AGTSP AGTY!
Its my great fortune that by Krishna's mercy I have become your disciple Gurudev. You are my Captain on the boat to cross over this material world. I pray that Lord Krishna will bless me that I become a capable deckhand on your ship.
HpS - We are also just trying to do some service on deck or in the crow's nest! Srila Prabhupada is the Captain!!
I have many things to tell you about, Gurudev, but instead of writing a book I will keep this to just a chapter and write to you more frequently :). It seems it is quite long anyways.
Radha-Kalachandji Dham Dallas, Texas - To Cowboy or not to Cowboy, that is the Question.
Your last visit here to Boise we spoke about moving. You had given your blessing for us to move if we use our intelligence to make a reasonable choice. We talked to devotees and ended up getting in touch with Dallas TKG Academy. It seems like a good situation. However, TKG wasn't sure if this year they would have High School. They didn't know if they had enough students to have High School... ugh.
A big part of why to move of course would be that Lila could attend High School. We waited for a month, a month and half, 2 months without an answer. I was having a tough time with if we should move or not. Alicia not so much, she was committed, but I was having difficulty.
We just got here to Boise last August by Gopal Krishna Maharajas instruction. Without coming here I really don't believe I would have taken initiation yet.
Our friends here mean a lot, all of them. Srinivas Prabhu and family have become very dear to us. My mom just moved here to Boise from Oregon. To top it off Sadhu Sanga Prabhu, who was my first remembered contact with devotees and distributed me my first Bhagavad Gita when he was a brahmacari in Portland, he and his family just moved here from Bellingham, WA this week.
My service here cooking Sunday feast every Sunday with Anantarupa Prabhu has become something I look forward to each week. Also as you know the temple is going through some changes that I thought I might be able to help with that, maybe. As you say boiling milk or feed baby Krsna????
Alicia and I decided that if they had High School at TKG Academy we would move and if not we would stay here and my mom said she would help the kids with school. Then last week we got word that TKG would make a decision soon. We got word from Nityananda Chandra and Krishna Mangala that there happened to be a devotee who was renting a house a few blocks away from the Temple. I was able to contact him and said he would hold off renting the house until we heard from TKG. Wow! However, he started getting a bit restless as he was getting some inquire about the house and needed to know if we would be moving.
Our friends Nityanda Chandra and Krishna Mangala told us they received word that TKG Academy would be making a decision Friday (this past Friday). But... No word came Friday. Ugh. Then Saturday my wife got in touch with Nrtya Kishori Mataji of TKG Academy and yes, they are going to have High School. Great news! But even after hearing this I was still having some trouble, I wasn't satisfied, still unsettled about moving.
That same morning I missed a call from both Nityananda Chandra and Krishna Managla. I thought they were calling to tell us that there would be High School but since we had heard already I wasn't in to much of a hurry to call them back. That afternoon I got in touch with Nityananda and he was very excited. He said the house right next door to them, a devotee just purchased it and it is going up for rent. Nityananda Chandra and Krishna Mangala live right across the street from Radha-Kalachanaji dham! Houses like this don't become available in Radha-Kalachandaji dham they say. This house that is up for rent, off the front porch you look directly at Tamal Krishna Goswami's Samadhi. Nityananda said to call him right now and ask.
I called the devotee and sure enough he is just about to put the house up for rent, he needed to close with the bank and he said he would let us rent it. What?? No way! Right across the street from the temple, right across the street from the school so our kids can walk and we live right next door to our friends of 15+ years. OK OK OK, now I was not only satisfied but I was threw the roof happy. Just too amazing.
I let the other devotee who's house was for rent a few blocks away know the situation and he was understanding.
Then a couple days later, Monday, I heard from the devotee land lord of the new house. He texted me that they won't have things ready as soon as they thought (paper work) because the bank is slow due to Corona virus. No big deal but then he texts that Nityananda Prabhu, the temple president, would be coming over Thursday to take a look and let them know the plan for the place. Huh? Plan? What? I replied to him that I was hoping that the plan included us living there because we had let the other devotee who's house was for rent know we are going to be moving into his places. No reply..
I text back I understood that Nityanada Prabhu's blessing were most important and please let us know. No reply... Well this gave me time to think and I thought, yea this makes since. A house becomes available in an area that houses just don't become available. Is the TP going to let a family move in that he knows nothing about? If I was the TP I would think I would want to make sure also. Understandable, scary for us but understandable. Maybe we aren't supposed to move? I don't know.
I then texted messaged Nityananda Chandra the text I received from Prem Chandra (the land lord). He said he would call Nityananda Prabhu the next day. I didn't know but at that time Nityananda Chandra and his wife where in the hosptial. I saw this on Facebook. Their son, Ramanada, was sick. So sick he ended up being put in the ICU. They didn't know what was wrong. It wasn't corona, it wasn't appendicitis, maybe an infection? They didn't know. I felt really bad that I was bothering them during that time.
So I sent him another text telling him I am sorry, I didn't know and don't worry about it. He then texted me the next day. It said: I talked to him. That's it, that was the whole text. Now we wait, 3 days until Thursday, the day Nityananda Prabhu is going to check out the house and give his plan. 3 days that will seem like 12 years....
Well the next day in the evening I received a message from Prem Chandra. Nityananda Prabhu has checked the place, he has given his blessing and we may rent the place! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!!!
ASA - Allahu Akbar!!
August 1st we move to Radha-Kalachandaji dham. I am a fool (this goes without saying but I say it still and that's how foolish I am) that deserves nothing, this mercy is only because of your blessing Gurudev. I pray to Radha-Kalachanaji that I may become a worthy deckhand on your boat. I pray I may do some nice service for you. I pray I may do some nice service for your Guru, our admiral, founder Archaya of ISCKON A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupda. Take me to Boise, take me to Dallas, take me any where as long as I can become more attached to your lotus feet. Maybe it can be practice for Sanyasa? Guruedev, May I take Sanyasa at age 50 and keep moving where ever you and Krsna send me?
AGTSP! AGTY!
Yours,
Nanda-braja Das
Picture below
Heart = Radha-Kalachandaji Dham
Circle = Nityananda Chandra and Krishna Mangala's house
Square = our house!
HpS - Jaya!!!!! It is like a Soap Opera? Who is the Real Mother of Baby Krsna!!!!
Krsna!!!
