Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna, Mates!
 

AGTSP! ... -[;o]/\_____   paoho / bw...
 

Here we are, Mon(k)ey/Piggy, in ISKCON Chicago. It is like a mad-house, but what is the surprise about that. Everyplace we go in this world is a madhouse.

Again, no problem, because we have [[[SECRET]]] knowledge: This is a Mad-House!

Shhhhhhhh!    Don't tell anybody else.       . . .      Unless they are ready to begin reforming themselves and going back to the real world!

It is more cold and dark here than Nashville.

Our "room" is a nicely appointed section of the conference room that is partitioned off from the rest by a few 6-foot tall panels. So, no little heater will heat our section. There is no heat in the big building for a few more days until Winter really comes. It is a gigantic four story church. We adjusted by sitting in front of a little electric fan-heater, like a Sannyasi in front of a little fire.

It works. (Pretty much). Devotees taking very, very  good care of us!

Tomorrow is Amavasya and the Kapi Dhvaja goes.

So, many programs here.

We left Nashville, rushing to pack, finishing off working with Robbie Robinson and his son, hoping that nobody breaks into the garage that they fixed and painted, and steals Abhiseka's bicycle. We left all the faucetts dripping so the pipes won't break while we're gone if it snows.

Wednesay, Arrived here and only thirty minutes after we arrived, because it took one hour to get from the airport with traffic, rather than thirty minutes that was planned, we left for a Russian Bhakta Vrksa program. They had harmonium and Kartals but no Mrdanga. Had to talk slowly. One new boy. Very nice group.

Next day, Thursday, two university programs and SB class in the morning. About 12-intense B'caris here. Temple has a Prasadam distribution program at 4-universities. About 400-full plates, packages, a day. Students make a reservation on the internet and pick it up the next day, $5.00 for a $10.00 meal. After a meal like that you think much, much better.

Friday, SB class, then Bhakta-vrksa about 45-minutes from here at 7PM. Another intense program with very practical questions about how devotees coming from India background can relate to their traditions of Varna-ashrama (I am Brahmana) and demigod worship.  One thing that came out of that was that many of the traditions are not exactly according to Vedic standard, then that has to be accepted and the concoction can be put aside, and the authorized worship can be accepted, and it is progressive, amenable to Vaisnava perspective.

Example, Halloween comes from All Hallows Evening, or All Saints Evening, because the next day is All Saints day, it is a day to honor, invite for a feast, all the departed Christians, who have be members of the Saints in heaven, from our family etc. Some USA churches even now have observances of this festival.

We are still taking Prasada once a day. Maybe save a little from these evening programs and then take Prasada once a day in the morning with the devotees. Breakfast is always easily cooked in the Temple, home. It is more in the mode of goodness.

Then we establish a rhythm.

Tonight is Interfaith Dialog from 6-8PM, so Noche Sabado Directo will be at 8PM!

Hare Krsna!

A little sample of our life.

Hare Krsna, Mates!

AGTSP ... paoho....-[;o]/\___

8.01PM...  Just putt'n the work to rest. Long day.  Our neighbor Robbie Robinson, saw the grass getting knee high here before M. Matsya had their gardener, Wayne Robinson, come and cut it. Robbie put a note on the door that he could cut it, so we called him and worked it out for $35 a visit. We were leaving for someplace and gave $35 for that day and total $108 for two more days.

He never came again and then Wayne cut it and worked out a regular deal for us.

I called Robbie's number twice and it said, "This subscriber is temporarily disconnected" or so.

Then, a week ago, after two months, he called and asked if we had any work.  I chided him that he owed us two jobs on the lawn. He apologized and asked if his sister hadn't told us he was in Rehab.

He kept calling, so  I said to come by Monday morning and we could talk about fixing garage. The paint was coming off and it was getting rotted. We talked about it Monday and he said that he had been a profession painter for 10-years and we worked out what was a reasonable price to me.

Then we went to Ferrar Brothers Hardware. They have Hardware, Equipment Rental, Repair; an old Murfreesboro family. Half the people working there knew him, his cousin was married to so-n-so's cousin who used to play Blue Grass with ol' Jeff, who went to High School with . . .

So, Monday and today I've been haggling over details of the work, making advances for buy used ladders, cigarettes, Mountain Dew and Snickers. He called his son, Mathew and he joined the work.

When I even get close to the cigarette smoke I can feel the poison in the nicotine, but eventually we talked about God, and like so many people here, he believes in God. He's had some right up-and-front experiences with Him, but it was a LOT of energy, but in the end the garage is scraped, rot-dug out and rebuilt, painted, and looks like a new building for $550 for supplys and labor for two painters for two days.

Also, talked with Dr. Samaresh while we were out today. The main thing is that we seem to be getting to a stable level of team work. He had very thoughtful comments about "Solaris".

We did Nirjala Ekadasi until noon, then offered Lord Nrsmhadeva Boiled Potato with salt and butter, Almond Butter and raw Walnuts, steamed apple and figs, fresh juice from two apples, and two bananas.

O.K.

Good night!

3-gayatris, 16-rounds, banking for HpS/NIOS, answered URGENT mail, rest up to 5-days ago.

Tomorrow we go to Chicago at noon.

Hare Krsna!

Hare Krsna

Hare Krsna

AGTSP  paoho.....   Thank you for your nice letters.  We are now caught up to 3-days.   We have controlled our stomach and tongue more and more and everything else is improving. It is like a war. Fight to get control of strategic points. Hang on to those. You don't even have to take more places. Just don't lose the ones you have. Then naturally you will expand.

Escape velocity - Wikipedia

OINK!!  (Only Idiots Neglect Krsna)

We are dog, hog, tired.   9.09PM.  Hawaii Class, Edited Miguel's 'Solaris' paper in English, 16-rounds done by 10AM.  Quick phone call to Srivasa Pandita Das, and then a ton of Texts etc for this Chicago etc tour.

Also, tried to do a little three verse extract of the LoB for distribution. We aren't the body, VAD is necessary to cultivate KC, Vraja is the ultimate goal (and NOI is the next book to read).  All in the three texts.

O.K.
Better to stop now or die.

Eating once a day is an intense austerity for our body, but also very purifying.

We are reading http://www.jayarama.us/archives/vdm.doc   Hare Krsna. Nice lunch offering for Lord Nrsmhadeva.
Whoop!

Thank you.

Hare Krsna!

It is 9.28PM.  NGD is across the room doing his computer work. Manjari, youngest daughter, has retired for the night. M. Matsya DD, wife, left for India four days ago, Dr. and Mrs. Desai, one day ago.

So much work today organizing the tour of Chicago etc. It is going ahead. Even if you do man-to-man on the street, short, one-time contact, you still develop your skill over time. So, we are developing our book distribution over time.

Took bicycle to the Good Will store to look for better brief case and better Yogi pants. Also for the exercise and to see if we could meet anybody. We got a new briefcase last week for $2.00.

Grhasthas meditate on their cars and houses, Sannyasis and B'caris on their shoes and luggage.

Listened to Bh. Prabhupada-vrata Swami give Hawaii class today, then we give tommorrow.

Our computer reached Gopinatha Das and he is starting to research the problem. This loaner is identical model, but has a free-ware version of the Office programs, so we have to struggle to make it work. Was 90-degrees today.

Main thing is this Damodara vrata of eating once a day. It has been one-million times good for our life and health and consciousness, but we get great impetous to do it because we would have to tell you all that we failed if didn't do it. Thank you?

Anybody else doing Damodara vratas?

We do authorised austerities. Then we learn from that.. Karma yoga to Jnana yoga.

Lots of NIOS, MOE, ASA work.
Letters up to 1-week, 1-day.

How much of your work is based up your belly?  How much comes from your heart?

Hare Krsna, Gurudev 

All glories to srila Prabhupada 

All glories to you gurudev

My humble dandavat pranams your lotus feet 

Hare krsna 

I am more steady in my sadhana now. Regular 16 rounds and 4 regulations are ok ( needs more work on sense control on the subtle level..first is to control my desire to taste tasty prasadam...I am trying to keep my prasadam simple and avoiding food professionally cooked even if inside the temple until or unless I am too hungry ...I feel it is helping me little bit to control my senses)

HpS - Seems that keeping regular times to honor Prasadam is a great help! Even six times a day, but regular times.

In bhaktisastri we completed bhagavat Gita till chapter 12. In 12 chapter  Prabhupada writes that krsna has already given us all the good qualities but we need to develop them from ourselves. No practical advice was given on how to do it. I mean externally do we need to act more humble , not show distress even if we feel distress, etc....what's the best solution.

HpS - SB 5.18.12, no?   Do our service and if we can't do service then, we can try to act in the mode of goodness, follow suggestions for moral behavior of Bhisma Deva, Socrates.

Krsna has also been very merciful. I got to eat \serve mahaprasad in Radha Raman Ji out of the blue. Yesterday I was praying for devotee association of my age but who is very highly realized so that I can progress and krsna sent a very sincere devotee from the 24 hour kirtan team and as I spoke I could feel that he is very realised devotee but he is only my age. He is completly dependent on krsna . I too hope I too can become like him. so much sraddha for krsna . please give me mercy. I am little stupid to understand deeper things that you say. Please guide me gurudev . And forgive me because of my stupidity.

HpS - We should be intelligent enough to explain things properly.

The last answer that you told me helped me a lot. I chant now a days thinking of the fact that I am not this body..sometimes so chanting has improved. 

Please keep me in your prayers.

Lots of love and pranams to you from Vrindavan .thank you for doing the name giving of nitai and nimai. We will have their Maha Abhishek on 14 November and formally start taking care of them from that day .H.G.Mukunda Dutta prabhu is also guiding me. I had the darshan of very very very beautiful Radha shyam in his home.

Hare krsna

Your eternal servent 

Rturaj  krsna das 

Vrindavan

HpS - Hare Krsna.  Thank you.  It is 9.22PM.  We have had a hard day.  Get criticism from some people, but Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna!   That is purifying.

We got a replacement computer from Gopinatha Das and sent our sick one back to him. Took a long time with auto breaking down, finding the Fed Ex office. Getting the new compute working. Nice 108 minutes talking with Peru devotees.

Jaya!!!

Good night!