¡Hare Krsna! Querido Gurumaharaja, por favor acepte mis humildes reverencias 🙏

¡Todas las Glorias sean, a nuestro muy poderoso y misericordioso Fundador – Acarya!

Orando porque su salud sea buena y favorable a su Sankirtana, espero no molestarle con esta carta… Hoy conmemoramos la trascendental desaparición de nuestro Divino Maestro AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Estuvimos escuchando algunas clases de él y sobre él y también hicimos una pequeña conmemoración en casa.

Medite un poco sobre mi relación personal con Su Divina Gracia. Nunca terminaría de describir toda la misericordia que he recibido de Srila Prabhupada, él me ha rescatado muchas veces, a través de Usted que clarifica sus instrucciones, y a través de Sus libros, Sus clases, Sus cartas, Su Murti, Sus fieles Seguidores, Su voz, Su ISKCON… de esa forma parece que he adquirido distintas experiencias de mi relación con Srila Prabhupada y, en ocasiones, Su Divina Gracia incluso ha aparecido en sueños. (A veces pienso son solo alucinaciones mías, porque ¿Quién soy yo para que nuestro comandante se dirija a mí?... Luego pienso que la única explicación posible es, su infinita misericordia.) Así que, aunque nunca coincidí con Srila Prabhupada ni en tiempo ni en espacio, me siento tan cercana a él, que pensar en una vida sin su presencia resulta inconcebible.

Nisiquiera puedo imaginar lo potente que fue estar en su presencia física, ni el dolor de sus discípulos tras su partida... ¿Cómo pudieron soportar la separación quienes tuvieron la fortuna de estar en su Divina presencia física? ¿Cómo pudieron resistir aquellos que estaban acostumbrados a recibir sus cartas, sus instrucciones y sus palabras de aliento? ¿De dónde obtuvieron la fuerza para mantenerse cuerdos sus amados discípulos?

Me parece extremadamente sorprendente que hayan podido mantenerse en pie y que hayan encontrado la forma de mantener este movimiento. Mirándolo así, los “defectos, rencillas administrativas y otros problemas” que enfrenta el movimiento hasta la fecha, parecen apenas lógicos e insignificantes... aunque, sin perjuicio de lo anterior, debo confesar que, por distintos motivos, algunas veces he pensado abandonar ISKCON, pero me detengo, porque si miro con atención a ISKCON siempre encuentro a Srila Prabhupada en él. Esta enorme sociedad funciona solo por su inconcebible potencia y misericordia, aunque algunas veces me cuesta trabajo recordarlo.

Muchas gracias Gurudeva, siempre recuerdo la primera instrucción que usted me dio: “Es a él a quien debemos seguir, estamos aquí para ayudarlo en su misión” (Dijo mientras señalaba la murti de Srila Prabhupada) Solo deseo poder seguir su instrucción y ser un soldado útil a Usted y a Srila Prabhupada en esta trascendental misión. Muchas gracias.

Siempre a sus órdenes

Su aspirante a discípula

Karuna-Sakti Devi Dasi

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Hare Krishna! Dear Gurumaharaja, please accept my humble obeisances 🙏

All Glories be to our very powerful and merciful Founder – Acarya!

HpS/ASA - AgtSP!!! Paoho. Thank you for writing to us.

Praying that his health is good and favorable to his Sankirtana, I hope not to bother you with this letter! ... Today we commemorate the transcendental disappearance of our Divine Master A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. We were listening to some classes by him and about him and we also had a small commemoration at home.

Meditate a little on my personal relationship with his Divine Grace.

I could never finish describing all the mercy I have received from Srila Prabhupada, he has rescued me many times, through You clarifying his instructions, and through his books, his classes, his letters, his Murti, his faithful Followers, his voice, His ISKCON… in this way I seem to have gained different experiences from my relationship with Srila Prabhupada and, at times, His Divine Grace has even appeared in dreams.

ASA - 👍

(Sometimes I think it's just my hallucinations, because who am I that our commander addresses me?... Then I think that the only possible explanation is his infinite mercy.)

ASA - Hansadutta Swami told us that Prabhupada said, that the Spiritual Master does not do anything extraordinary. He chants, he gives classes, but.. through him Krsna does many things.

So, although I never was never coincident with Srila Prabhupada, nor in time or space, I feel so close to him, that thinking about a life without his presence is inconceivable.

ASA 🙀

I can't even imagine how powerful it was to be in his physical presence,

ASA - https://vedabase.io/es/library/cc/madhya/10/65/

🤔

... nor the pain of his disciples after his departure... How could those who were fortunate enough to be in his Divine physical presence endure the separation? ? How could those who were accustomed to receiving his letters, his instructions, and his words of encouragement resist? Where did his beloved disciples get the strength to stay sane?

ASA - https://vedabase.io/es/library/sb/4/28/47/

I find it extremely surprising that they were able to stay upright and that they found a way to maintain this movement.

Looking at it this way, the “defects, administrative quarrels and other problems” that the movement faces to date seem barely logical and insignificant... although, without prejudice to the above, I must confess that, for various reasons, I have sometimes thought of abandoning ISKCON, but I stop, because if I look closely at ISKCON I always find Srila Prabhupada in it.

ASA - Same for us.

This enormous society functions only because of its inconceivable power and mercy, although I sometimes have a hard time remembering it.

Thank you very much Gurudeva, I always remember the first instruction you gave me: “It is him we must follow, we are here to help you in your mission” (He said while pointing to Srila Prabhupada's murti).

I just wish I could follow your instruction and be a useful soldier to you and Srila Prabhupada in this transcendental mission. Thank you so much.

Always at your service

His would-be disciple

Karuna-Sakti Devi Dasi

ASA - 🙇 Even if we don't get it all correct in this lifetime. Certainly SP will tell his senior devotees to drag us onto the boat for the next destination. Will we all recognize each other as dogs in Nimai's Sankirtan in Nabadvipa?

Dear Guru Maharaja,

please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thank you for always encouraging words in your responses.

Situated in a whirlwind of Kali Yuga consciousness, I attempt to cultivate the tender bhakti creeper (better say sprout).

I said it few times, that I do not want to burden you much with many of letters. So, I write from time to time. If having some inquiry, I wait a bit, research the possible answers, and (specifically if nothing comes about), then, write you.

I am doing a detailed study of Bhagavad Gita and observed that in 1.1. purport, second sentence, SP writes: "There (in Gita-mahatmya) it says that one should read Bhagavad-gītā very scrutinizingly with the help of a person who is a devotee of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and try to understand it without personally motivated interpretations. "

I went back one page to SP's Introduction where he cites the Gita-mahatmya. There it is easy to see the "scrutiny" idea, but nowhere could I read or imply the association of other devotees or anything similar. I find it interesting that SP first mentions (in the first sentence of his BG purport) the Gita-mahatmya and then says that there exists something which is not. According to my momentary understanding.

Another interesting point is that this is the only place SP mentions Gita-mahatmya.

And another interesting point is that it is a text coming from Adi Sankaracarya.

One background to my question is the perspective that I (we) have about SP's exactness in knowing and citing sastra and texts that uphold it.

If you think that I could understand, would you like to comment to the above?

Thank you!

Your servant Namacarya Das

HpS - AgtSP. I have had very similar experiences. I even had some thoughts just like yours on these specific texts.

I seem to remember that the full translation of the Gita Mahatmya was not in the earlier BG As It Is.

I wonder what is the actual original Sanskrita. I think a translation is in other book like Science of Self Realization. Maybe the 'other devotee' idea is from a commentary by Visvanatha Cakravarti.

I have basically the same observations and questions that you have. Cannot add much on this particular point.

Wonder when the purport was written. In the USA. Thinking that is SP was writing it in India he would have be very literal in his work because he expected scholatically inclined Indian readers.

As we remember discussions with Radhika-raman Das, he said that he and Krsna-ksetra Swami got this invitation from Columbia University Press to write summary of SB with specific extracts which would become a standard study book for university students.

It was wonderful, but, they were worried that they would have to give a scholarly and less devotional translation than Srila Prabhupad was doing.

Then, to their surprise, the first thing they discovered was that whether it was impersonal or personal, the translations that SP was giving were just the translations that our Acharya's had given.

So, any distortion to religious translation with their fault, not his.

Then going further to the standard Sanskrit dictionaries comming down for centuries, the religious, personal, translation of the word was the first one given. The impersonal translations were not the primary meaning of the words!

So many questions to answer, yet the first principle of the SB is: Reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.

That's so fine, no?

Hare Krishna maharaj mis reverencias 

Se que hace mucho que no escribo y quería pedirle disculpas por eso, y también quería dar mi reporte de estos últimos meses, en febrero viaje a Irlanda de el norte, estuve trabajando algunos meses en un pueblo que se llama portrush es muy pequeño pero muy bonito, lo triste es que estaba lejos de la asociación con los devotos y algunas veces me sentía un poco desmotivada y también un poco perdida, dentro de mis posibilidades me mantuve en contacto con una devota mayor que conocí cuando estaba en bhaktivedanta manor y también seguía los programas por la mañana desde mi ordenador, mis rondas no siempre fueron perfectas y a veces me costaba levantarme temprano por que algunas noches salía tarde de trabajar y mi cuerpo se sentía cansado, hace algunas semanas volví a nanda gram y al tener asociación con los devotos me hizo sentir un poco mejor, aunque es un poco distinto a lo que me acostumbre y la falta de privacidad me está haciendo pensar un poco en que pasos debería tomar en torno a mi camino y que hacer. 

Le dejo unas fotos de hoy mis reverencias y espero que esté bien de salud 🙏🏻

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Hare Krishna, maharaj my obeisances.

HpS - By the His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada, our respects to you!

I know that it has been a long time since I wrote and I wanted to apologize for that, and I also wanted to give my report on these last few months.

In February I traveled to Northern Ireland, I was working for a few months in a town called Portrush, it is very small but very nice, the sad thing is that I was away from the association with the devotees and sometimes I felt a little unmotivated and also a little lost, within my means I kept in touch with an older devotee whom I met when I was in Bhaktivedanta Manor and she was also still programs in the morning from my computer, my rounds were not always perfect and sometimes it was difficult for me to get up early because some nights I left work late and my body felt tired.

A few weeks ago I returned to Nanda-gram and having association with the devotees, it made me feel a little better, although it's a little different than what I'm used to and the lack of privacy is making me think a little about what steps I should take around my path and what to do.

HpS - Yes. We have also had similar experiences. Sometimes very lonely, but we had our Deity of Lord Nrsmhadeva with us and would do Mangala arati and Gaura arti for Him and read Him stories from the KRSNA book, so although it was tough we could make it through.

All this is preparation for death when we become very morose, and we need cheerful connection with our Dieties to learn to live again in that private atmosphere!

I leave you some photos of my bows today and I hope you are in good health.

HpS - That's all! 😃

What, where, how, who is Nanda-gram?

Are you getting secret internal wisdom and power to communicate the spiritual world into whomever you meet?

Are you always following behind Lord Nityananda?

Todas las glorias a Sri Sri Guru y Gauranga.

Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada.

Hare krishna Gurumaharaj, acepte mis sinceras y respetuosas reverencias.

Escribo esta carta pidiendo disculpas a Usted y a la comunidad vaisnava por haber generado mucha incertidumbre, especulaciones e infamia hacia mi persona, pido perdón de corazón empezando por srila prabhupada, Usted y a todos los devotos por generar ansiedad.

Usted ha sido muy amable y comprensivo conmigo que se ha comunicado conmigo personalmente y con mis dos hermanos espirituales mayores que siempre me protegieron como verdadera familia y amigos de verdad.

Y he declarado mi verdad ante usted.

1. Intenté en conocer al devoto Milan Rai por 3 meses y luego tuve la decisión firme de rechazar el matrimonio con El.

2. Nunca he recibido ningun tipo de dinero de parte de El.

3. Jamas El me ha presentado a su familia para un compromiso de matrimonio.

4. Jamas me he reunido con el devoto Milan fisicamente.

5. No he roto ninguno de los 4 principios fisicamente despues de mi separación desde hace 2 años y he estado cantando mis 16 rondas y haciendo puyari en templo de san borja y templo de brasil como un año y medio.

5. Usted sabe los detalles donde estoy y con quienes estoy y que estoy haciendo, y hasta el dia de hoy mis 4 principios estan intactos y mis 16 rondas.

6. No estoy tratando de defenderme en redes sociales y dando explicaciones a los devotos de donde estoy y que estoy haciendo y con quienes estoy por mi protección y porque sé la idiosincracia de Perú sobre los chismes y juzgar a un devoto. Y tambien porque es un mes muy auspicioso donde no pretendo pelear con los devotos ni generar vaisnava aparadha, y porque no es mi naturaleza ser vengativa apesar de las cosas que ha hecho el devoto Milan.

7. Mi verdad solo he informado a las autoridades de perú y de brasil y a usted y hermanos mayores.

8. Y ahora tambien pido perdón al devoto Milan por haberle rechazado su propuesta de matrimonio, pero es mi libre albedrio decir No. Y le deseo de todo corazon que avance en su vida espiritual y material que le vaya muy bien.

Querido Gurmaharaj me postro ante sus pies y le pido perdón por haberle causado tantos problemas, de corazon le pido perdón, esto me ha enseñado en no confiar mucho en las personas y me está acercando más a krishna, solo deseo refugiarme mas en krishna y en srila prabhupada y usted, y con mas fuerza seguiré en conciencia de krishna, jamas quiero abandonar su refugio de sus pies de loto, y todo lo que me está pasando lo tomo como una purificación y karma.

Gracias por su tiempo y energía en preocuparse por mi.

Nadiya Nivasi Dasi.

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All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Hare Krishna, Guru-maharaj, please accept my sincere and respectful obeisances.

I write this letter apologizing to you and the Vaisnava community for having generated a lot of uncertainty, speculation and infamy towards me, I apologize from the bottom of my heart starting with Srila Prabhupada, you and all the devotees for generating anxiety.

You have been very kind and understanding to me that you have communicated with me personally and with my two older godbrother and godsister who always protected me like true family and true friends.

And I have declared my truth before you.

1. I tried to meet the devotee Milan Rai for 3 months and then I had a firm decision to reject marriage with Him.

2. I have never received any kind of money from Him.

3. He has never introduced me to his family for a marriage commitment.

4. I have never met the devotee Milan physically.

5. I have not broken any of the 4 principles physically after my separation for 2 years and I have been chanting my 16 rounds and doing pujari in San Borja temple and Brazil temple for about a year and a half.

5. You know the details of where I am and who I am with and what I am doing, and to this day my 4 principles are intact and my 16 rounds.

6. I am not trying to defend myself on social networks and giving explanations to the devotees about where I am and what I am doing and who I am with for my protection, and because I know the idiosyncrasy of Peru about gossip and judging a devotee. And also because it is a very auspicious month where I do not intend to fight with the devotees or generate Vaisnava aparadha, and because it is not my nature to be vengeful despite the things that the devotee Milan has done.

7. My truth is that I have only informed the authorities of Peru and Brazil and you and my older brothers.

8. And now I also apologize to the devout Milan for having rejected his marriage proposal, but it is my free will to say No. And I wish him with all my heart that he advances in his spiritual and material life and that he does very well.

Dear Gurmaharaj, I prostrate myself at your feet and ask for your forgiveness for having caused you so many problems. I sincerely ask for your forgiveness. This has taught me not to trust people too much and is bringing me closer to Krishna. I only wish to take more refuge in Krishna and in Srila Prabhupada and you, and with greater force I will continue in Krishna consciousness, I never want to leave the refuge of your lotus feet, and everything that is happening to me I take as purification and karma.

Thank you for his time and energy in caring about me.

Nadiya Nivasi Dasi.

HpS - ASA -- Thank you! AgtSP. Paoho..... You may see the letter from Milan Ji also posted here. Also, this has of course also brought us to contact Mathuresa Das in trying to contact the National Council in Peru. We did not know that formal complaints were filed in terms of these dealings. That was a mistake on the part of the National Council and Mathuresa Das apologized very sincerely and will try to help us in being in better contact with the Council.

He mentioned some of the documents submitted, and actions taken, and comments, made, but that is something that we can discuss in our more focused group.

A basic principal seems to have been that from the vey beginning we were not able to give some general advice in developing these relations. We apologize as we may have made these mistakes.

Is Kali yuga and women, children and old men are especially unprotected, but the good thing is that Krsna personally, personally, takes charge of our protection because this is the situation, and that protection is 16/4! Fight, fight, fight to chant nice rounds and follow four principles strictly physically, verbally and mentally!

Jaya. Thank you.

Hope to get more of your association.

Hare Krishna dear Guru Maharaja!

I think I was having technical difficulties...

I'll try again!

And this is my favorite picture of Srila Prabhupada because he's playing the gong.

TB - Gong back home, back to Godhead!

CC Madhya 11.57

bāhya-jñāna nāhi, se-kāle kṛṣṇa-nāma śuni,

āliṅgana karibena tomāya ‘vaiṣṇava’ ‘jāni’

bāhya-jñāna nāhi — without external consciousness; se-kāle — at that time; kṛṣṇa-nāma śuni’ — by hearing the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa; āliṅgana karibena — He will embrace; tomāya — you; vaiṣṇava jāni’ — taking you to be a Vaiṣṇava.

“Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu will be in a mood of ecstatic love, without external consciousness. At that time, as you recite those chapters from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, He will embrace you, knowing you to be a pure Vaiṣṇava.

-------------

Dear Guru Maharaja,

In Bengali wordings says kṛṣṇa-nāma śuni. Synonym says by 'hearing the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa'. Translations says 'recite those chapters from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam!'

I appreciate how SP is giving purport(s) already in the translations and also how, on spiritual plane, some activities looking different from outside are same from inside (exoteric and esoteric?). There is no mention of SB in the verse, even though, there is mention about it before in context of a whole situation.

Another phrase from the verse āhya-jñāna nāhi — without external consciousness. In translation SP adds in a mood of ecstatic love.

From these situations, I remember Bhaktivonoda Thakura who wrote something like: we should understand the spirit of sastra and not (just) words.

Could you comment on this?

HpS - AgtSP. Thanks from everyone here for such nice questions. It is big topic. We hope we can add a little to your investigation in trying to know Srila Prabhupada, his words.

It is very clear to all scholars, external or internal to ISKCON, that Srila Prabhupada's Translations differ from what is in the WFW. Srinivasa Das brought this up in a class in Boise and then Radhika-ramana Das, our Oxford Sanskritist, commented with enthusiasm that Srila Prabhupada tends to translate with the commentaries of Sridhara Swami and write the Purports with the commentary of Jiva Goswami.

So, Translations may be in context of the surrounding verses, maybe they include the comments of our Acharya's like Visvannatha, Bh. Vinode Th, Bh. Siddhanta Maharaja.

Maybe, maybe, maybe Srila Prabhupada's personal ecstatic visions.

That's what I know and how I go ahead with my study of our ISKCON Acharya. We listened to the dictation tapes for the KRSNA book and it was enlivening to see the editing to the first big KRSNA book. Now there are later changes.

Radhika-ramana Das has been on the like 10-man committee that is going through looking at each book and making final edits that then should be the official ISKCON version.

As he describes it, it is going too slow, yet expects good results.

---

Changing the subject - You tweeted on 8th Nov: 1st class, 2nd class, 3rd class dust? May I ask what you mean by that, in context of the pastime and / or generally? What comes to my mind is that different kinds (energy) of mercy is received from and by different devotees. But cannot connect that to the specific pastime.

HpS - Yes, that is what we were thinking. We can take the dust, offer our respects, listen submissively to devotees in terms of their advancement.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/noi/3/#bb5869

Then NoI-5 gives how much each different level is authorized. Eg. at annual Rathayatra for our Temple we se Bhakta Beauford who we know is a very nice guy. Comes to temple, chants some rounds on his beads, but not 16, has some attachment to marijuana etc.

He asks, "Hey, Nama, what's this I hear about Krsna Das (temple president) getting to loose with the ladies".

Nama Swami answers: "There are problems everywhere and devotees are analyzing the situation in a pretty sober way. Hope there is some publich resolution about things for everyone's well being soon that you and I can hear".

If it is Madhyama Adhikari asking then we can discuss in more intimate detail judging their position.

If it is Srila Prabhupada asking then we tell him whatever we know without reservation.

You can bottle it and sell it: 1st, 2nd and 3rd class dust form the feet of Vaisnavas?

Thank you!

Your servant Namacarya Das

HpS - May all your cottages be rented!!! 🙂 More mercy as you can,