Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna! I send you some drawings :)

HpS - We look for them.

Hare Krishna! Maharaja you mean much to me!

I really am inspired by you and I love the way you present Krishna Consciousness and connect so many topics back to this philosophy. I have tried to also follow your ways and promote Krishna Consciousness in this broad universal style.

From 2018 until now I have sort of distanced myself from devotees and the movement, there was a lot going on in my mind I needed to sort things out, re-calibrate my existence and find direction. I have a tendency to be a "people pleaser" and I noticed in temple settings I would lose my personality and morph into whatever the devotees around me wanted me to be.

I felt this wasn't right on my part and sometimes I felt taken advantage of. I also feel that in general many devotees are very sectarian and do not present Krishna Consciousness in a way that is attractive to new comers. Plenty of people visit the temple each week, very few stay or come back. I felt that there is a better way to connect with the public.

Partially this is why I have created a new image for myself, I have sort of positioned myself on the fringes of the movement so new people feel comfortable talking to me, I am very gentle with them and gain their trust before nudging them forward. I have noticed some benefits to this. In the last few years I helped to cultivate 20-30 new people about half of which are very serious, they are practicing more than myself. They are full time engaged in an ashram, traveling sankirtana or at their house. The other half are still at the very beginning stages but they are interested and it's only a matter of time until they fully jump in.

Although my practice has dwindled still I would talk with these young people and answer their questions or try and guide them to a temple or anything to help them, this somehow kept me engaged in devotional service from a distance.

I regret distancing myself from the movement and the fact that my sadhana went down to nearly 0, the only thing I managed to do is sometimes chant in my mind, listen to a kirtan, or just think about how glorious Srila Prabhupada is. I can't regret it too much though because I see now that life is not a straight line, there are many bumps and turns and this is what forms our character.

After my friend Prahlad commited suicide, my sister died of cancer, and my girlfriend of 5 years left me I had a lot to process. I just turned 28 yesterday and over the past month I have realized it is time to get back on track. I was doing a temporary job which had me traveling and staying in a hotel up by Chicago for a few weeks. While there I got to visit the temple and celebrate Balaram's appearance day, Janmastami etc. It was very refreshing to spend the night in the ashram, go to Mangal arti, and serve along side devotees. I remember how beautiful this movement is. So now I am doing much better than I had been. I chant on my beads and read each morning, I hear lectures and all of the old feelings and inspiration I once had are returning.

ASA - !!

For future plans I have come across a chance to work with some Russian devotees from the Sri Caitanya Saraswath Matha, they have a project in the arts district in downtown LA. They have these big domes where they host events, have artists display their work, they are attracting the young new age hippies, and subliminally planting higher consciousness into the mix. The project is called "Wisdome-LA" here is a link https://wisdome.la/

I don't really know what to do, but this seemed like something that would fit with my style and nature. As I get serious again I feel that this online preaching will take off and help connect many people with Krishna consciousness.

Hope you are well and thank you for all the wonderful things you are doing!

Hare Krishna, Dandavats

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

HpS - It is very nice to hear from you. Your results seem fantastic! Of course, the danger is SB 1.3, no? Last part. Vyasadeva got involved in preaching TOO indirectly and was not satisfied..... so, it is your fine line to draw!

More news as it grows! Daniel in the "City of the Angels"!

Querido Gurumaharaja 

Por favor acepte mis respetuosas reverencias!

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada! 

Oramos para que Sri Nrsimhadeva siempre proteja a Sri Guru. 

Últimamente he tenido algunas experiencias que me llevan a cuestionar algunas cosas.

Recientemente una madre pujari me quito un servicio con mentiras, mentiras que me hicieron poner en dudas la veracidad del jefe de pujari quien parece ser un caballero, así que no sé si mi actitud estuvo peor que la mentira. 

Si bien es cierto todos anhelamos un servicio y tenemos el derecho de luchar por el, pero esto se ve turbio cuando hay falta de veracidad. 

Por otro lado, anteriormente, me tocó asistir a un Istha gosthi en donde tuvimos que presenciar muchos desacuerdos de nuestra comunidad de devotos mayores, todos enfocados a una buena causa, el bienestar del templo, pero habían tantas versiones y cada quien defendía su verdad. 

Como devota menor traté de apegarme a la etiqueta vaisnava y mantener una posición neutral y tratar de entender que hay razones fuertes de nuestros mayores, felizmente tuve otro servicio y pude retirarme más temprano, es triste ver actitudes y escuchar palabras ásperas incluso de menores a mayores o de caballeros o las damas, como Usted nos ha aconsejado "únicamente Krsna y Balarama matan a los demonios en Vrndavana"  

Considerando la gran importancia del fin de estas situaciones, que no se cuestiona y se entiende perfectamente, que tan saludable puede ser para la vida espiritual de un tercero como yo, neófito, que no aporta nada, presenciar estas situaciones? 

Cada verdad es bien fundamentada y siempre hay no menos de 2 versiones, debo creer , debo dudar ? 

Queda refugiarse en Sri Guru, las Escrituras sagradas y los Santos Nombres. 

Recuerdo más o menos una historia que Usted contó:

Había un burro... este burro no sabía decir no a nadie ni nada. Nunca decía que no y todo aceptaba.

Un día alguien se le acercó a la oreja y le dijo algo, de inmediato el burro movió la cabeza y orejas en señal negativa. Todos sorprendidos porque el burro había rechazado una petición.

Cuando preguntaron que se le había dicho para que reaccione con tal determinación, dijeron que le habían preguntado al burro "si podía ser presidente del templo" 

Su torpe pero eterna aspirante a sirviente 

Asta Sakhi dd ( otro burro )

HpS - Hemos pasado dias fuertes en casi la misma conflictos en administracion en Peru. Oooof! Si puede ayudar Krsna y Balarama, muy bien. Si, no, puede tomar refugio abajo de la cama.

Si alguien es ofensiva, codicioso, en su servcio, desea fama, comodo... podemos entender que tiene un apego material, y sus amigos y enimigos son todo an ilusion creado por Maya y su mente.

No preocupamos lo que dice un hombre loco. Es locura. Evitar convertir en enimigo de nuestra enimigos y ver cual es su delusion, apego, y como podemos ayudar ellos, y posible entonces ellos puede ayudar nosotros con nuestras apegos. Muchos ciegos regresando al cielo.

O.K???

Hare Krsna Guru Maharaja.

Acepte por favor mis respetuosas reverencias.

Todas las glorias sean para Srila Prabhupada.

Guru Maharaja, le escribo ya que en el templo de Santiago nos estamos organizando para el Vyasa Puja de Srila Prabhupada. Cada "familia espiritual" debe ofrecer una guirnalda para Srila Prabhupada, y leer la ofrenda que nuestros gurus (discípulos de SP) escriben para Prabhupada.

Por eso quiero pedirle si nos puede enviar Su ofrenda a Srila Prabhupada, y así podamos leerla el sábado 24 de agosto.

Muchas gracias Guru Maharaja.

su sirviente

Priya Sakhi Devi Dasi

====

Gracias. TlgaSP... Paoho.... En https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/10419/ es la ofrenda. ..... .....

Querido Gurumaharaja! 

Por favor acepte mis respetuosas reverencias! 

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada! 

Talves sea mi descuido, pero aún no he visto Su ofrenda de Vyasa-Puja 2019 a Srila Prabhupada. 

Por favor me puede compartir para poder leer en el templo de México mandir ese día? 

Muchas gracias por su misericordiosa atención.

Su eterna aspirante a sirviente 

Asta Sakhi dd

= = = = =

Vyasa-puja 2019

“…according to the Vedic system, on the birthday of the spiritual master the disciples conduct the ceremony called Vyāsa-pūjā.” BG 18.75. Esteemed reader, do you also turn to this purport every year during Srila Prabhupada, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s Vyasa-puja?

Our offering to His Divine Grace’s Vyasa-puja, in this little essay, is an effort to illuminate a little bit of the glories of Srila Prabhupada, Founder Acharya of the International Society for Krsna Consciousness, and author of the book KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are like weak sighted men, standing in the dark, trying, with our candle, to illuminate the Royal Elephant. We do this for our benefit and the benefit of others.

Thus we work to hear other articles in this Vyasa-puja book that make their own attempts to illuminate Srila Prabhupada, and maybe in choir we can get some little, but practical glimpse of His Divine Grace: No one can take everything that the spiritual master is offering. No one can know the Acharya completely.

“The transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, are so powerful that simply by hearing, reading and memorizing this book, Krsna, one is sure to be transferred to the spiritual world, which is ordinarily very difficult to achieve.”, Krsna, Chapter 90. Our first real contact with Srila Prabhupada was this Krsna book. One of his disciples, maybe Sriman Buddhimanta Das, was distributing books at the Davis Campus of the Universsity of California about 1972 and he convinced us to donate $10 and take one. This Krsna book seems complete in every way but to gain more and more access to it Srila Prabhupada has given Srimad Bhagavatam, The Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Caitanya-Caritamrta, Upadesamrta, Nectar of Devotion, Isopanisad etc.

“The main business of human society is to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead at all times, to become His devotees, to worship the Supreme Lord and to bow down before Him. The ācārya, the authorized representative of the Supreme Lord, establishes these principles, but when he disappears, things once again become disordered. The perfect disciples of the ācārya try to relieve the situation by sincerely following the instructions of the spiritual master.” SB 4.28.48. When Srila Prabhupada disappeared from our physical vision in 1977 we experienced just what he describes here and took shelter of the remedy that he describes here also. Now we seem to see in 2019 that our Acharya is beginning to disappear again. This time from the natural passing of the years - Disappearing from the rituals of his society, from the recollections of his disciples as they grow old and pass away. This is quite natural but the remedy is still the same, follow the instructions of the Acharya: Chant 16-nice rounds daily on beads and follow the 4-regulative principles strictly. Then, intelligence (Brahminical culture), and organization  (Ksatriya culture), can be cultivated from that root.

What we have been able to take from our little connection with Srila Prabhupada is that the whole process can be boiled down into eight words: Get up early and get your rounds done. Done with enthusiasm. Then your day will be play. Management will be at your fingers end, there will be no question of shortage of funds, people will respect your preaching.

Thank you Srila Prabhupada for giving us this orchard of fruits, roots and flowers in the form of the wisdom and culture in your books. Thank you for giving us a connection to you through the Lord in the heart. Thank you for ISKCON and all its venerable members. We will try to be more sincere disciples and we hope to find some eternal place in your traveling Sankirtan.

One of your most insignificant servants,

Hanumatpresaka Swami

2019 Mar 08

Hare Krsna maharaj

Pamho

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

All Glories to You

How are you ?

Maharaj I was curious to know about your schedule in India , like which all temple you would be visiting . I am from delhi temple so we thought if you could grace us with your presence it would be wonderful.

Your servant always

Duti Gopi Devi Dāsi

HpS - AGTSP paoho We land in Delhi 8.30AM, 2nd October, fly to Mumbai at 3PM and go to Govardhana Eco-village. 5th we go to Noida and then 12th back to Madrid. Maybe we can see you all in Noida. We will be working with the Board of Examiners but giving classes in the morning and evening.