Letters to the editor

Namaste  Maharaja,  Jaya  Srila  Prabhupada!

1. Reference is made to my last post on this subject made July 2nd, 2012 (Posted 6:16 PM -0900 by saranga-das).

2. In final preparation to bring this subject to a higher level inside Iskcon GBC, I discovered that only six (6) full moons actually fall definitively inside the 12 signs of the Hindu sidereal (stars) zodiac. The remaining six (6) fall between 2 signs of the zodiac.  Of  those  in this  category, Gaura  Purnima  is one of them (nakshatra Pūrvaphalgunī in the actual time of Mahaprabhu's  birth).  In the other 2  years of the 3 year lunar  cycle,  Guara  Purnima  falls in the sideral zodiac of  Virgo and only in the final  year  falls in the zodiac of Leo.

3. However, if one looks at  the  constellations  in the night sky all of them fall in  Leo!  Don't be confused by this. Constellations   DO  NOT = Signs of the sidereal zodiac. The signs of the sidereal zodiac are defined in 30 degree portions of the celestial  equator  which totals 360 degrees. As an astronomer, I had to learn  this  fact  of Hindu  astrology. Good thing I carefully researched this. Therefore, as far  as  Gaura  Purnima  dates go, everything is  OK.

4. However, I did definitively discover  that  the method used to determine the lunar intercalation (adhika masa) was only right once from the period of Gaurabda  513 to 526. This  is  an  important discovery because from the time the GBC version of the Vaisnava  Gaurabda  calendar calculates the adhika masa (extra month) till the correct one, all the holidays of the lunar calendar are wrong! There is one partial exception and that has to do with Ekadasi. I say partial  because  the Ekadasi  is  OK except  for the named  Ekadasi.

5. For this  year, the  calculation  was  off only one month and as October 16, 2012  the lunar months  are as they should be.  In  other  years, the error is  greater but  never affected Gaura  Purnima  but 4 affected  Janmastami.  More on this  in a later post.

6. I hope this  clarifies  issues with the GBC  Vaisnava  calendar  thus  far examined.

Ys,  Saranga  Thakura  das

          HpS - ASA --  AGTSP   paoho.  It's interesting to hear your words. But we lack the general background to put too much action juice into them. If I told you that we have to meet with Laksmana agra Ja in about 45 minutes you wouldn't know if Laksmana was a man or a women, if it was in Lima or Chosika and what the topic was.
         See what I mean?  Your investigation is honestly very interesting and your reports of conversations with Sri-kara Das interesting!   There are non-ISKCON Hindu panditas who also calculate the Adhik mas, no?
          For example, we are now celebrating Vijaya-dasami, tommorrow. So I guess we could all agree that it is Dasami, but your conclusion is that this is a different month of the lunar calendar, no????

All Glories to Sri Sri Gaura Nitai
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
All Glories to your lotus feet
All glories to devotees

Please acept my humble obeisances.

Gurudeva I send you a e-mail the oct 15 to j[email protected] from [email protected].
The title is Instruction it sent with copy to Madhavendra Puri.
Please read it when you can. I wait for your reply full of wisdom.

Om ajñana.timirandhasya jñanañjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yeja tasai sri-gurave namah

surrender to your holy lotus feet
Bhaktina Romi

HpS -  AGTSP   pamho.   Ahhh!   I saw it with some spam, and I looked at it, but I seem to remember that it was corrupted??!  And I couldn't answer. I thought it was you!!   Can you send again??!!

Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaja.
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

By some recent (and not se recent) circumstances happening in Pula Yatra, I am thinking about this instruction by Srila Prabhupada:
"Now we have got so many students and so many temples but I am fearful that if we expand too much in this way that we shall become weakened and gradually the whole thing will become lost. Just like milk. We may thin it more and more with water for cheating the customer, but in the end it will cease to be any longer milk. Better to boil the milk now very vigorously and make it thick and sweet, that is the best process. So let us concentrate on training our devotees very thoroughly in the knowledge of Krishna Consciousness from our books, from tapes, by discussing always, and in so many ways instruct them in the right propositions."  (Srila Prabhupada's letter June 22, 1972)

I wonder, when is proper time to "Boil the milk"? Should we stop trying to preach (doing public programs, prison programs and similar activities) and find out how to at least try to solve our inner problematics.
When I say "stop the preaching", I mean not in a rude way. Of course, we can try and will give Krsna to others, but for time being, concentrate in which way the yatra should function, and concentrate to develop programs (and do them) for training our devotees.

The idea behind the scene is that we, as devotees, associate seldom, and when together, try to fix the house for future temple, or discuss different preaching activities. That seems nice, but actually, there are misunderstandings, arguing on different points that we do not address, specially not in an organized and mature way. Also, what happens is that  new people come and after some time leave. There are many causes why they leave, but among them is the not-nice situation/relationship between devotees.

Guru Maharaja, I hope I succeed to convey my message. Surely, if needed, I will give more details.

Thank you!

Your servant Namacarya das
 

HpS -  AGTSP   paoho.  This is very nice topic.  I think a  simple answer is that Srila Prabhupada set a standard of full morning and evening program for internal, milk boiling, and then we can go out with confidence.  Do you find this?  The lack of internal adjustment follows when there is no basic full moringnig and evening program (of course more basic 16 rounds and 4 principles with devotion).

FROM: HpSwami, ASA.

In response to a letter about ladies becoming Diksa gurus in ISKCON from Basu Gosh Das in India we wrote the following.

 = = = =  = = = =

AGTSP. Pamho

I seem to think like you. We feel very happy to hear ISKCON news from you. Whatever we are writing here is not at all confidential and our names can be used.

As far as Matajis becoming Diksa gurus we intuitively feel that it is a very bad move. Then there is the citation from SB 4.12.32. You know it, no?

"...Sunīti, however, being a woman, and specifically his mother, could not become Dhruva Mahārāja's dīkṣā-guru. ..."

Of course, the whole Purport is a mine of information on Guru-tattva and the topic under discussion.

To me it seems that the citations, "all my disciples should become Guru" can apply to patha-pradarshika, diksa, or siksa guru. I know a very nice alcoholic devotee who always has some problem with alcohol but has sent many, many, many people to the temples. He has followed Prabhupada's order and become Guru as Prabhupada suggested, but because of his circumstance (NoI 6) he can't become a formal ISKCON Diksa Guru.

Our suggestion is that we give emphasis to these Bhaktivedanta titles and then ladies can be known as highest level Siksa gurus, qualified to take siksa disciples and then a gentleman devotee, even less advanced than they, can do this formal service of Diksa.

Ultimately it is better to relate to devotees individually and put these formalities secondary, but not without significance, no?

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Por favor acepte mis respetuosas reverencias a Sus Pies de Loto Gurudev

                ASA -  Oink!       AGTSP    paoho..

 Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja Encontre esta carta de Srila Prabhupada  en un libro de Mahanidi Swami, Pienso Usted  me puede Ayudar.Y depues puse un texto completo de Srimad Bhagavatam 

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