Letters to the editor

Dear Maharaj,

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and to your service unto him.

I am very glad that Abhirama Prabhu invited me to serve by coming up with content for the Solaris magazine. I have previously written science articles for BTG and thought I can do some service by writing some articles for Solaris magazine. I am very glad to serve in this capacity with Abhirama Prabhu and am thankful that you have continued to allow me to serve in NIOS in some capacity.

I am also involved in a research project with some BI scientists on past-life memory research, where they are interviewing young children with memories of their past lives. This is a follow up to the work of Dr. Ian Stevenson, whose department at the University of Virginia, Department of Perceptual Studies is still doing academic research in this field.

I am really thankful to get some chance to serve Your Holiness and get some association of devotees in the academic field through this service even remotely through the NIOS activities. Thank you for this opportunity of association and service. It is like a rope that you have thrown to this soul in the ocean of material existence. This rope keeps me connected, and I hope to come closer and closer to the boat and one day get on the boat that takes us across the ocean of material existence.

Your humble aspiring servant,

Aja Govinda dasa

ASAHpSwami - AgtSP. Paoho. Super news.

We hace been involved in all of this.

Wonderful.

Are you visiting Nashville?

💪💪💪🦍

Hare Krishna Gurudeva

Please accept my obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

It has taken me years, but thanks to the association with very learned devotees of our Yatra through their daily classes, I am able to memorize the most important verses of the Bhagavad Gita. 

Every day I set aside a few minutes to learn and review the verses, it helps a lot in preaching and makes me feel fulfilled. 

Two questions Gurudeva: 

1.- Does the recitation of the mantra “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya” work for any Vedic scripture?

HpS - Yes.

2.- What do you think of veganism? Sometimes I get to thinking about going vegan. 

HpS - It is good for people living in the forest who may not have access to cows and milk, but for someone who must have mental strength and acuity to advise the King in all his practical affairs, it is not good. He would need cows milk to feed his instrument, brain.

Thank you very much Gurudeva

Your Servant

Piyari Mohan das

HpS/ASA - 🙂

Hare Krsna Guru Maharaj,

Please accept our most humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

vancha-kalpatarubhyash cha

kripa-sindhubhya eva cha

patitanam pavanebhyo

vaishnavebhyo namo namaha

Today was the Rathayatra, 4th of July parade [in Boise, Idaho]!!

Amidst devotee family, your presence at many festivals was remembered.

HpS/ASA - We built the first Boise Rathayatra cart along with Lokannatha Das et al.!

We were not sure how we would be able to travel an hour from the new ashram in Idaho City with deities and pull the smaller Ratha.

Krsna made arrangements and the cart was waiting.

Three sets of personal small Jaganatha family deities were in the Ratha and kids did the arati with full heart.

Jahnavi pulled the cart with her ksatriya spirit.

The congregation and community were able to be engaged and happy. The spiritual world did open up for a moment where we felt connected to everyone’s sincere efforts and paratmatmas.

The other night we watched the peacock special: Krishnas, Gurus, Karma etc. that featured Malati Prabhu, Bhagavan Prabhu, and other early Srila Prabhupada disciples discussing New Vrindavan and former Kirtananda Maharaj.

I think it’s hard to be a devotee like Malati Prabhu and you, Gurudev because you have stayed in ISKCON despite everything and seen so much.

I want to express more but I’m fearful. I think in my situation I am following the NOI principal of keeping my general distance (because I know I am at least an aspiring kanishta) so I do not not affect others.

I am finding that having a few sincere relationships with devotees and congregation mothers really is enough association.

I am working on how I associate and how I can contribute more with my association.

In small communities it’s hard to not feel very alone.

I remember when you advised your disciple that it is hard to be brahmanical and be in management.

I was candid with management last fall about disrespect I noticed that was going on towards the Vaishnavas.

Now I am pushed out and ignored and told not to approach them without a mediator (not by all management but a few individuals).

The tension is hard.

I do feel very emotional to the point of feeling physically sick when I go to the temple.

Would you suggest asking a mediator to work through these kind of issues Gurudev? I can tell my ego just wants to ignore and forget.

HpS - Thank you for this nice letter. Babies fall on their... backsides... so many times when they are beginning to walk, but they get up again and try to do it. It is so much greater to walk than crawl.

1. Gradually you learn how to walk and only fall down once every few months, rather than every few paces.
2. Maybe we are jerks and do deserve the chastisement we get from institutional managers and we need to thank Krsna for this opportunity to improve.
3. Maybe they are just projecting their fears and anger on us and we need to avoid their attacts and try to help them.
4. Maybe they were try to praise us and we just misunderstood their criticism.

When in doubt the Holy Names will sort it out!

Chant and talk with devotees close to the situation?

Thank you so much for tolerating the general way I am expressing the issue and my feelings.

Janardhan Swami said recently that our kids are our deities. Its hard to financially get by and do a lot of service right now. I am still chanting my rounds, and listening or reading/discussing scriptures with the kids. We’ve been focusing on listening to SB 9th canto Rama Lila pastimes and Lord Caitanya’s childhood pastimes the last 6 months. We will start the 10th canto and a unit on Krsna this summer. We seek your blessings with this endeavor because our body doesn’t seem to have a lot of energy to give these days. But preaching helps inspire us to do our Sadhana.

We have completed 2 project/art/drama based units on these pastimes with a general attendance of 6-10 kids in person and online. I try to stay absorbed in repeating these pastimes until I can appreciate how valuable and jewel like these Lilas are. Sometimes listening and re-listening seems to help us reflect on how we can qualify ourself to truly appreciate what is being given to us.

HpS - 👍

Such powerful medicine!

Murari Prabhu is busy tilling the land because it is a lot of river rock, and sand but he has managed to create garden areas despite desert terrain. Prabhu is chanting/doing puja and taking care of the kids while I work. I am full time taking care of the new teen in the house as well.

I’ve noticed that keeping a connection through whatever means possible with him had become an important service.

They need a lot of emotional shelter in such a confusing developmental stage.

When your well wishing gift and instruction was received 3 months ago we fully took shelter of your blessing and really tried to meditate on it.

Thank you so much Gurudev and please forgive us for not writing sooner. Moving with 6 people and acclimating to this little mountain town/forest and trying to build up our Sadhana and strength again was a lot.

Your gift made us feel like you believed in us and our ability to stay connected to Krsna.

We’ve tried our best to follow your instruction of writing about Krsna. If it’s ok, we would like to send you some disjointed prose short stories in a part two sequel to this letter.

HpS/ASA - 🐵 👍 👍

Always running behind you Gurudev eager to qualify ourself to serve you and Srila Prabhupada.

Tava pache pache!!

Your lowly servant,

Kamagayatri dd

Hare Krishna Gurudeva 

Please accept my obeisances 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada 

We have completed one year with the attempt to preach through WhatsApp. When starting out I created a broadcast list of the most interested people I met in sankirtan. A few weeks later the idea came up to make a new list for people who were at zero, and so I kept messaging them. From Monday to Saturday I send a daily message, alternating between each group, every other day. 

I also maintain a WhatsApp group where I take advantage of sharing excerpts from my readings of Prabhupada's books, both Bhagavad gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. This group is geared towards devotees. Also public from Monday to Saturday, alternating between each book. 

A few months ago I kept eating only prasadam (98%), and in extreme cases when I haven't had anything to eat, I have bought industrialized foods. But avoid it even in those cases, it is better to eat fruit, nuts and dairy. This has helped me a lot to be able to maintain a clearer conscience. 

I have some questions: 

1.- Are the planets living entities? As I understand the planets, they are ruled by a demigod, the personification of the planet, or the representative, but the planets themselves are not living entities, since they were manifested before the secondary creation of Brahma. What is your understanding of the topic?

HpS - ASA - Yes, as far as we understand, the planets are made of matter, but a demigod predominates, yet some are made of subtle matter eg. only mental matter.

2.- I remember that in a class you indicated that one should learn to serve Krishna in different modalities. How to understand this if one understands that one must situate oneself in goodness, and then in pure goodness to serve Krishna?

HpS - Lord Siva serves in the Mode of Ignorance but he is no in the mode. Prison guard serves in the prison but he is not (exactly) a prisoner.

3.- Is sankhya part of Jnana Yoga?

4.- What is your opinion about Aindra Prabhu? It is the kirtaniya that I listen to the most, but there are devotees who have recommended that I not listen to it.

HpS - I don't know details of his internal consciousness. I met him in 1978. I've never heard anything bad about him or his Kirtan.

Thank you Gurudeva 

your servant 

Piyari Mohan das

HpS - Thank you. Will WhatsApp you.

Hare Krishna Gurudeva

Please accept my obeisances 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

I wanted to tell you about my japa chanting. 98% of the time I sing my rounds after getting up for the MA. Sometimes I finish them during the morning when I have to travel early to another city. 

The truth is that lately it has taken me a long time to finish them, sometimes 3 hours or more. In a previous letter I mentioned the same thing, but there are periods when I can sing it in 2 hours or 2 hours 15 minutes. 

My singing is not very attentive, maybe 10% attention, but I am making progress in paying more attention to the sound day by day, sometimes more, sometimes less, but at least I sing the rounds.

Regarding your question from the previous letter (How are your relationships with everyone in the Temple and the community in terms of the violence and chaos that your mind created a few months ago???) My relationship with authority and devotees is of respect, but I do not pressure the situation to be resolved. Last year they told me that probably in March 2024 I would be able to visit the temple, but I don't know what happened to that. I try not to bother.

HpS - Text us on Whatsapp, please.

SOME QUESTIONS: 

What will the FMS be like when you are no longer in your current body? I would love to continue having the association of devotees at Mangala Arati. 

ASA - https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/4/28/48/ and surrounding verses. We are small acarya, srila prabhupada is big acharya. he will be here without much change when we go.

There are different theories regarding whether the soul falls, where the soul comes from, etc. My question is: We as a soul are in the spiritual world and the atomic particle present in the heart of the body is only our consciousness?

HpS - Is the star in the sky in the mirror?

If the Utama Adhikari (like Srila Prabhupada) refers to himself as a Madhyama, then does the Madhyama refer to himself as Kanishta?

ASA - Higher can come down and act like lower. teacher can act like child to show example for children how to read.

Thank you very much Gurudeva

Now that I can be in the FMS my spiritual life has become more stable.

asa - us also.

his servant 

Piyari Mohan das

Hare Krishna Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to you Maharaja.

Maharaja, it is our extreme good fortune to serve you, your care taker and H. H. Yadunandana Swami in Manipur. Please kindly let me know the details of the trip – when all of you want to come to Manipur and leave, and the details of the devotees, etc., etc. Accordingly, we will buy the tickets and send you Maharaja.

political situation is manageable?

Nectar Of Devotion seminar?

He wants some place to write essays from the SB.

Is Manipura good for that?

He would naturally be fantastic cultural ambassador of Manipur in the West.

Stay one/two weeks?

Then back to Spain for Rama vijayotsava on October 12th.

What do you think?

Political situation is ok Maharaja. We can have Nectar of Devotion seminar with good number of participants during your stay. Yes, Manipur is a good place for HH Yadunandana Swami to write essays. Two weeks stay is ok Maharaja or forever also ok. Everything is all ok Maharaja. Or, we together can have Rama Vijayotsava festival in Manipur too. That day is our Guru Maharaja’s Tirobhava Utsav. Rama Vijayotsava is on October 13th in India.

Maharaja, Manipuris are little racial nowadays with strong anti-Indian feeling. Indian preachers are not much successful in Manipur. We are always thinking to have very good connection with western devotees to preach here in Manipur. Guru Maharaja wanted to have many nice things of ISKCON Manipur. This would be possible only by your blessings, Maharaja. We are really very happy to hear that you are going to bring HH Yadunandana Swami also. All glories to you Maharaja.

Thank you once again for your love for Manipuri devotees and Manipur.

Maharaja, first floor rooms are ok for yourself and HH Yadunandana Swami? Can we have some seminars in Manipur University during your visit? If so, please kindly suggest some topics, Maharaja.

Your humble servant

Sadhubhusan Das

ISKCON Manipur

HpS - AGTSP! Paoho. Was waiting a little to answer until things are little fixed. Maharaja is trying to buy tickets right now. Madrid to India on the 18th of September, then he teaches for one week in Braja, and after that we can go to Manipuri. He is young man 😃 only like 65 years old. He can become great lover of Manipuri culture and maybe very strong link with Spanish culture of Spain.

Read all your news very carefully.

Think can give details soon.

Hope we can make cultural presentation that will reach people beyond Manomaya platform. Eg. I am this nation or that and nothing more.

Thank you.