Letters to the editor

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Please accept our humble obeisances and well wishes.

Question is, can a girl get remarried?

"Actually the qualified brāhmaṇas are meant to give direction to the kings for proper administration in terms of the scriptures like the Manu-saṁhitā and Dharma-śāstras of Parāśara." [http://vedabase.com/en/sb/1/9/27]

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"Parasara Dharma Sastra - CHAPTER IV

28. When her husband is missing, or is dead, or has renounced the world, or is impotent, or has been degraded by sin, — on any of the said five calamities befalling a woman, law has ordained another husband for her. 

29. If a woman has led a continent life, after her lord 
departed this life, she wins a region of bliss after her death, 
like to the well-known male observers of a celebate life. 

30. If a woman follows her departed lord, by burning 
herself on the same funeral pile, she will 'dwell in heaven " for as many years as there are hairs on the human frame, —
which reach the number of three crores and a half. 
31. As a snake-catcher seizes a venomous serpent by 
force, and from within its hole lifts it up; so does a wife 
deliver her lord from the torments of hell, and then rejoices 
[in heaven] with him. "       [http://bhati.org/archives/nios-pds090904.pdf]

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We read another translation where is said that 1st class is to follow her departed husband in the same fire of sacrifice. If he takes Sannyasa she becomes a Sannyasini like Visnu-priya followed Lord Caitanya. This is like 30-31 in the translation above.

2nd class is like text 29. She doesn't take sannyasa or sati, but doesn't get remarried, follows Brahmacaria.

3rd class is that she gets remarried, but in the other translation it said six years.

We went through this in our life. In some ways we basically took Sannyasa. We became Hare Krsna's. Of course, our wife could have followed us more strictly and then it would have gradually adjusted, but she got remarried instead. I don't belittle her at all. She was a VERY, VERY nice person. It was just too tough for her or me to solve the problems. I never got remarried.
But she got remarried after like six years, and intuitively before I had read this it seemed correct.
 

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SB 7.11.25-27 Srila Prabhupada gives very detailed advice. Read it all! For example:
"If her husband is fallen, it is recommended that she give up his association. Giving up the association of her husband does not mean, however, that a woman should marry again and thus indulge in prostitution. If a chaste woman unfortunately marries a husband who is fallen, she should live separately from him. Similarly, a husband can separate himself from a woman who is not chaste according to the description of the śāstra. The conclusion is that a husband should be a pure Vaiṣṇava and that a woman should be a chaste wife with all the symptoms described in this regard. Then both of them will be happy and make spiritual progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

                  So... it is a rather robust topic. The general principle is: Follow the four principles and chant 16 nice rounds daily in the association of devotees. Then practical details of Dharma will become clear.
How can we consider our actions good if they hurt anyone. We should try to do austerities for the benefit of everyone and Krsna will give a solution to our ashrama situation.

Whatever we do we should take some time to see the situtation clearly with good advice.

If a girl separates from her husband because he is chronically lax in the regulative principles, then at least give it a year of strict brahmacarini life in association of devotees before making any other decisions about looking for a new partner, no?

Any questions, comments complaints?

Hare Krsna Beloved Gurudeva:

AGTSP

PAMHO

I hope this meets U in really good health ¡¡¡

Gurudeva we want your advice and enlightment ¡¡

We are organizing Ratha Yatra 2014 and one devotee has said that our culture program is not suitable ¡¡

We include the following:

Exhibition of yoga (Gitagovinda das)

A rock band who sings covers from the beatles

A Peruvian rocker Rafo Raez his songs are related to nature etc

Obviously that we include Bhajams etc full maha mantra 

But this devotee says that SP did not want this in Ratha Yatra... I mean he says that we just to chant HK no more needs to be included ¡¡

Is that accurate ?? I was surprised because he find wrong the exhibition by GItagovinda ???

During the whole parade we will chant HK Maha mantra but when we arrive to the stage also HK MM but also culture program is that ok??

What should we do in order to please the Lord?? also Maha prasadam ... ROhini kumar das, Narayani dd (BBS) and me are working really hard alone just depending on the mercy of  Krsna our Gurus and SP, no support. so please tell us what is the most correct ¡¡¡

Thank U Gurudeva for all iur inspiration

Trying to be useful

Candramukhi dd

ASA (UG) - AGTSP!!!!     Paojo!!   ...      "In all phases of life one has to perform devotional activities under the direction of the spiritual master in order to attain perfection in bhakti-yoga. It is not that one has to confine or narrow one's activities. Kṛṣṇa is all-pervading. Therefore nothing is independent of Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa Himself states in Bhagavad-gītā (9.4):

mayā tatam idaḿ sarvaḿ

jagad avyakta-mūrtinā-

mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni

na cāhaḿ teṣv avasthitaḥ

"By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them."

Under the direction of the bona fide spiritual master, one has to make everything favorable for Kṛṣṇa's service. For example, at present we are using a dictaphone. The materialist who invented this machine intended it for businessmen or writers of mundane subject matters. He certainly never thought of using the dictaphone in God's service, but we are using this dictaphone to write Kṛṣṇa conscious literature. Of course, the manufacture of the dictaphone is wholly within the energy of Kṛṣṇa. All the parts of the instrument, including the electronic functions, are made from different combinations and interactions of the five basic types of material energy — namely, bhūmi, jala, agni, vāyu and ākāśa. The inventor used his brain to make this complicated machine, and his brain, as well as the ingredients, were supplied by Kṛṣṇa.

According to the statement of Kṛṣṇa, mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni: "Everything is depending on My energy." Thus the devotee can understand that since nothing is independent of Kṛṣṇa's energy, everything should be dovetailed in His service."

Prabhupada had Radha-Damodara BUSES in the Rathyatra Parade in NYC. He also encouraged a devotee who was playing accordion. Real thing is how they attract people to Krsna. Some general stuff, like having a Feast on Sunday in the West.

Specific stuff like, "My Sweet Lord".
Specfic, specific, stuff like Kirtan, Lecture, Kirtan, Prasad.
Stuff you are doing seems O.K. I don't know the details.

Other than that, if there is no specific instruction from Srila Prabhupada then you need to discuss it with a few good devotees and their opinion should be pretty consenual.

Have a baby stroller, kid's dress up, competition. MOre toward including whatever enthuses the devotees, friends, than being traditional. Lord Jagannatha is 75% merciful. Radha and Krsna, more traditional, strict.

hare krsna 

agtsp

all glories to the sankirtan movement

all glories to the vaisnavas

all glories to you guru dev

we are living in huerta grande, cordoba planing and designing the house where we will and recibe devotees and organize some  programs there.  we dont know is this will we the place for long time to develop our life here but i im trying to live in the present and accept what krsna manifest.

HpS - ASA - AGTSP! Paoho. Then why not plan all your development so that it will also increase the sales value of the property. Then if you move you can sell it and take the value to the next ashrama.

 we are planing and doing open  programs for people of the area and planing cultural programs for october like LOB with the film. we are visiting devotees and helping to organize the activities of preaching here cultivating the love and trust among devotees. the devotees invited me to give lectures so i feel a big responsability and the oportunity to surrender to serve them in that way and strive to be a good instrument and representative of the guru and krsna, giving to other what they gived to me.

 i have to improve a lote to serve you well. my sadhana is not so fix some days mangala arati and good japa and other days just finishing my rounds. i still have a debt of rounds that have left me. 4 principles o.k 

some body problems, but since a remember there are problems. traying to help the "burro" to not bother much

we are talking with sarad bihari, nikunja bihari, param padam and rati manjari about the organization of your visit to argentina and with Jagad guru about the symposium of education in chile.

    ASA - We talked with Abhirama Th. Das for 1-1/4 hours yesterday.. With Peru et al we can co-ordinate a continetal event, such as doing the same programs in several countrys, sharing posters, even people participating in different countries.. He says Miguel Polo has got a newer more excellent translations of C. Jung's biography and is organizing a colloquia of four parts to cover the book and then have discussions amongst the participants.

the Ratha Yatra in Cordoba in Carlos paz will be the 10 of january not the 11. 

HpS - ASA - Noted! Brother Asses birthday is January 12th. Maybe he will help pull the cart back to Vrndavana and then stay there!

 here the link of "ciencia, psique y espiritualidad C.G jung y el yoga mistico de la india"

in Bs As argentina. january 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0xOlNQy0FQ

Vrsabhanu nandini send to you these link 

HpS - Thank you!!!

thank you guru dev for your tolerance, i miss you, hope to see you soon, be complety attach to be your disciple and your instruction, follow your example and Srila Prabhupada mission. thank you your servant Ambarisa das

some pictures added

HpS - ASA - We have a little dialog with Para and Uraguay. Trying to fit them in. Any more details of the travel program for Argentina?

We did 15-minute talks on the NOI after Mangala arati for a few weeks and covered the whole thing. They are on startmeeting.com as listed below and we also downloaded them to our own computer. They were very saisfying to us, that we have said 90% of what we can say about NOI to this point. Maybe we could take the audio and put it to video, no? Put in related images etc. What do you think?

Nice photos!

ASA Afterwords to the NOI
(rev. 140919)

Dial the USA Playback Phone Number:(530) 881-1219, and give the "Meeting#", 992 055 489, and "Ref#" listed below -or- access by the internet address listed below.

NOI-9.1  Ref# 18  http://stme.in/sgL7fApEr

NOI-9.2  Ref# 19  http://stme.in/8yResAHxg

NOI-10 Ref# 20 http://stme.in/gIsviToBz

NOI-10.2  Ref# 21  http://stme.in/Lg6OjmG34

NOI-10.3 Ref#23  http://stme.in/TKAoOQUpv

NOI-11 Ref# 24  http://stme.in/M4h9og1wq

NOI-Pref  Ref# 26  http://stme.in/AwBW2mYEZ

NOI-1.1 (Vegam) Ref# 28 http://stme.in/ZhGlsgMUJ

NOI-1.2 (Vaco Vegam) Ref# 29 http://stme.in/jQG2LEIVm

NOI-1.3 (Mind/Anger) Ref# 30  http://stme.in/ipw1sYIty

NOI-1.4 (Tongue, Belly) Ref# 31  http://stme.in/Isl2mHycE

NOI-1.5 (BSS-Vaco) Ref# 32 http://stme.in/AwEodVijL

NOI-1.6 (BSS-Genitals)  Ref# 33 http://stme.in/hwEAufzgH

NOI-1.7 (Conclusion) Ref# 34 http://stme.in/64nzBW3QT

Hare Krisna beloved Gurudev,

Please accept my humble obeisances,

All glories to Srila Prabhupada,

It is so nice to participate in MA on SM every morning with you and devotees.

As you already know i catched up my rounds and now we are ok with 16 rounds a day and 4 pples striclty. We are even chanting extra rounds.

Now for me is time to think about my asram service. I feel myself in a very dangerous position, as if i had a sign which says AVAILABLE AND SEEKING.

My life is intense Gurudev, i have about 1200 patients (80% are women), i have two little kids to raise and i'm alone.

Up to this point the only thing is very clear to me is that i want to be part of this SANKIRTAN movement, be part of ISKCON life and serve under your guidance through my whole life and beyond.

My doubt is how to accomplish this, wether to marry again or jump to vanaprastha and so on.

I remember you told me to wait until second initiation to make this decision. But i feel to make the final call i have to experience get into a relation again.

I have very clear in my mind that defining my asram wont solve any problem, that we didnt born to be happy but to make austerities, so i will have to make them wether grihastha or vanaprastha. duhkhalayam asasvatam.

To be honest with you i feel myself more as a grihastha than a vanaprastha, but i'm scared. Sastra is convincing :

" Highly advanced spiritualists therefore recommend that one should not enter the gṛhastha-āśrama. It is better to prepare oneself in the brahmacarya-āśrama for austerities and remain a pure brahmacārī throughout one’s life so that one will not feel the piercing thorns of material life in the gṛhastha-āśrama." (SB 5.14.18 purport).  Also i had a bad experience before.

Lately i started talking with your beloved daughter Candramukhi dd and we get along quite well. I see her as a serious and chaste lady who really wants to serve in this ISKCON Mission, so i feel we can make a good team to serve. She helped me a lot with my sadhana and i really feel inspired to protect her and her mother and sister.

An astrologer told me that we have very good compatibility like 70% and the spiritual aspect of both is good but there is a  nakshatra ( i think is a constelation) which makes that i will suffer a lot by her (ufff!!). Anyway Krisna is stronger than billions of Rahu so for me your opinion is the most important.

So Dear and Beloved Gurudev, I have already given my life to you, so whatever you tell me i will do.

Do i have your benediction to start a formal relation according four principles with Candramukhi dd or i should remain alone until i take second initiation?

Runing to reach your lotus feet

Nikunja Bihari Das.

HpS - AGTSP! Paoho - - Hare Krsna! I think that it might possibly, maybe, perhaps have a chance of working if you have the special mercy of the Supreme Master of all the gods, time, space and destiny in all the universes combined. <img alt="angel" height="23" src="http://hps.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/angel_smile.png" title="angel" width="23" />

With those reservations, "Yeah, why not!"

Talk with a few other people, both of you write down what you plan for/from the relationship for the next few months and then after that re-evaluate things.

In general it is not such a big deal. You seem to have already realized that to a large degree so do it and everybody go on with figuring out what is their Sankirtan.

hare krsna maharaj,
pamho, AGTSP,

hope your sankirtan is going well.

we found this link,  http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/09/how-philosophy-makes-you-a-better-leader/
basically this is based on socrates.

i hope this can help strenghten NIOS.

reegards,
horse

ASA - AGTSP! Paoho, Bombay!
Thank you very much. We downloaded it an will look at it soon!
pig

All Glories to Sri Sri Radha Syamasundara
All Glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitay
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Please Dear Gurudev, accept my humble obeisances
First of all, this report with questions about the congress ends huge. I know that is no the idea, but, i'm sure that with your always essential answers we can do a service much better and we don't bother you too much after this.

·After your last reply we have had two god brothers meetings and the followers news came from it.

· The devotees here are very enthusiastic with the idea to manage this symposia. So, according with our talking with Param Padam and you, the final date for the “I Latin American Congress on Education in ISKCON” is Friday 30th January to Sunday 1st ,ie, your last weekend in Chile.

The updates now:

1) Name and Generals Points

Just for the time I thought quickly in a slogan to accompany the title, and even put the slogan larger than the original title, namely, I Latin American Congress on Education in ISKCON, and is:

“Experiencias y Propuestas en el arte de cultivar el espíritu.”

We thought that this slogan may help to give a general guideline due is the first congress, so in that way we can at least, guide this international meeting, first of all, to the details about what`s really happening right now on the education in ISKCON in this far region of the world, sharing experiences and according these experiences; what is the general proposal for improve, and everything and always in a unity spirit.

But, now I think that it could be a little ambiguous, not too much tangible. So, what do you think about the slogan idea?, Maybe you can propose other one.

HpS - ASA --- AGTSP! O.K. Date is on our Calendar. What about ISKCON and Education: The Oldest Educational System in the World, Meets the Newest Educational Challenges in America.

2) Financial Issues:

Due the enthusiasm of devotees like Priyasakhi, Sri Pati, Raga Sindhu and others, arise different good ideas to get money for bring here the suitable exhibitors and lecturers. For examples, music concert, festival, prasadam, and even, caps and t-shirts. Actually, Raga Sindhu did a budget already with the tickets of the speakers, is more or less USD 3000.

On the other hand, i'm curious with one sentence of your last reply to me: “We can even get outside participation and sponsors because Education in ISKCON is a Premier Program for Global Perspectives in Education..” With outside participation you are referring to other devotees communities or to non-devotees institutions, like enterprises and foundations???? Premier Program for Global perspectives in Education... “in the world”, you say? Excuse me gurudev, I did'n understand that part. But, I agree with the idea to get sponsors.

HpS - ASA - I am not sure exactly what I meant, but as we develop we could ask people like the GBC to suggest sponsors for some of the expenses. In Texas we charged $50 for each participant and gave Becas, Scholarships for poor people.

Finally, in relation with this point. We could see the fees in the North American Symoposio (NAS) were $51, so, our question is: We should reply this system; to ask fees and give a CD with all conferences?. May be $40 here. My other question: Is the same price to the tele-conference participants, international visitors and local devotees? The prasada were included?

HpS - ASA - Aaaah!  We are thinking the same way. Prasadam and accomodations were separate, so teleconference and gross presence were the same fees.

3) Speakers:

[Suggestions withheld until they are contacted]

In relation to speakers we have some proposals and questions:

• The titles and topics of their conferences should be suggest by us or is their decision?

• Is possible to have for this Congress some of the speakers from the last NAS in Houston? With Ambarish we talked that there is a special interest in Urmila, and his [her] experience with school children. Is possible that she can visit Chile in that time?. Or Sesa Prabhu or Prana das?

• Also, i'm starting a contact with IES (Iskcon Educational Services ies.iskcon.org) from London to other teleconference if is possible. They have a experience in formal education but, maybe the devotees from Canada also can.

• What is your opinion, considering that the topics will cover all educational level, pre-school, et al, to Invite some leader in Education from the Adventist church, famous here for their vegetarianism and to win the chorus contests and other arts. In just one presentation we can know more deeply their success experience (www.educacionadventista.cl) and some of the legal issues to install a school here.

1. Other Points

• In relation with your question: Also, so many people can attend if it is done well by tele-conferencing. Are you familiar with that in Santiago? Honestly, we are not familiar with tele-conference system here. Just webex thank Param Padam and you, Starmeeting thank you, and the new and improved hangouts from Google, and a little ustream. Is just that.

• I designed two ads. One of them is for webs, lika a banner to put in iskcondesiretree webpage, and other local ISKCON websides. The other one is bigger and include the faces of some speakers. (I'm sending the last one poster to your mail now because like I told you, we don't want post publicly the names and either pictures of the speakers yet. Also, I will send in that mail a tentative general program).

• Mainly the publicity of this event will be on internet but we are thinking other methods like to send physical invitations to the congregations from other temples in the region.

• Excuse us guru maharaj for our over dependence of you, clearly we are a third class of disciple :'( .

Finally, and on complete other hand: in relation with the external programs (between 26-29 january). It will be two, and our dear and kind Rodrigo is responsible. We had a good interchange of ideas and information in the last meeting, the last sunday. But we will notify you about that after this Congress issues.

Thank you very much for your patience, time and attention.

My eternal reverences to you dear gurudev,

Jagad Guru Das

                      HpS - AGTSP paoho. How is the Brother/Godbrother. San Carlos????
From our Experience in doing this with BSDamodara Swami, BI et al.

1. Make a formal Organizing Committee. I nominate you as the Working Chairman and local GBC as Honorary Chairman.

2. Get a responsible Communications Secretary that you can work with.

3. Get a Treasurer.

4. Get and Advisory Board. I recommend us, Param-padam and anyone else who agrees to help.

5. I would focus on the theme of a) Identifying who "we" are and "what are our personal passions in education", b) How we can communicate effectively eg. letters, blogs, web-page, periodicals, meetings and c) make a calendar for planning a better meeting next year.

We only have a little time for this first event, so we should only try to do a little: Meet each other, make ways to effectively communicate. Plan the next meeting with more details.

Friday evening - Reception. Get to know each other.

Saturday morning - lectures

Saturday Afternoon- Workshops

Saturday Evening - Entertainment

Sunday morning - Closure.   This is one model.

We can present "Philosophy of Education: Basic Goals and Methods".

Have summary of local, regional and international education realities in ISKCON.

If outside people want to come or are needed then O.K. Other wise, next time.

Next time Thurday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.

Is O.K?
In Peru Laksmana agraja Das is President of NIMSAR and Candramukhi Devi Dasi is very active. Patraka Das can get you in touch with both of them.

You need three major presenters and three workshop leaders and many people who can make short, 5-minute presentations and ask questions. Record it well. Edit it a little bit, get it out and start planning next year.