Letters to the editor

Dear Guru Maharaja, Hare Krishna, please accept my humble obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada !

Last year, after I finished the education thing I was doing, the summer season with renting apartments activity kicked in in full force. I was into that work through the summer trying to do all the needed stuff related to that. At the end of the summer I got one (another job). It happened quickly (but not hastily) and smoothly. It's interesting that for that 'new' job I needed a level of education which I got a few months before. The new job does not have anything with business education I was doing. So, now I am working as an assistant in the regular public elementary school classroom for children who have difficulties in following the classes, be that physical, psychological, emotional, … I started in the beginning of the September and in few weeks this school year will end.

HpS - So nice!!

Because of that my online presence is scarce. Well, it is not just because of that. Other reason is that I prefer to relate to people "face to face", not "screen to screen", if possible. Of course, one and only regular internet no-job activity is reading this blog.

In the beginning, middle and end of all these activities I continue with japa yajna and was reading few books by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Got great inspiration from him while seeing his broad understanding of vaisnava tattva. Also I was gifted with a book by Edwin Bryant (Advaita das?) about Bhakti yoga and Bhagavata Purana. I remeber you sharing some of his work about Bhagavata history, so I believe you know about him. For me, this is another nice book.

HpS - He is astounding person! One devotee told me with a smile, "Devotees don't know if he is a demon or a devotee, and demons don't know if he is a demon or a devotee". A lot of academic scholarship is demoniac. He has helped me a lot with his books.

Meeting with devotees are not so frequent as before. But I am happy to say that many times after we meet, I leave with a feeling of gratitude and enrichment.

Kind of, I have difficulty writing my wanderings and thoughts here, as I see some other devotees are experiencing. Maybe is just not a habit ... and also lacking of time to put thoughts into writing words.

Thank you!

Your servant, Namacarya das

HpS - Thank you. God, after not hearing from you for so long we were afraid that you had joined a Croatian circus and were traveling around the world as an acrobat. Send us more news after a few weeks!

Hare Krishna amado Gurudev

Por favor acepte mis más humildes reverencias.

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada.

Le escribo estas líneas para contarle que desde que tomé iniciación a sus pies de loto, he tenido servicios fijos cocinando y haciendo pujari para sus Señorias Gaura-Nitay y sus Señorias Jaghanatta, Baladeva y Subadra. También estuve comprando las flores para las deidades y cocinando para las fiestas en Wilson Mandir.

Estoy fijo en mis rondas (16 rondas) y siguiendo los cuatro principios regulativos.

Para el mes de febrero me dieron el cargo de encargado del pujari y he estado fijo y entusiasta en el cargo que me dieron las autoridades de Wilson Mandir. El día 6 de abril pasó un incidente en el templo, me robaron mis pertenencias mientras hacía servicio (célular y dinero), esto me deprimió mucho y me creó una gran ansiedad y estrés porque estaba confundido con lo sucedido. No pienso alejarme de la Conciencia de Krsna y mucho menos de su asociación, ya que por su misericordia es que sigo llendo por el camino correcto.

En estos momentos estoy alejado de los servicios en el templo, ya que por el incidente que le comenté, mi salud se ha visto afectada, he estado llendo al médico y me están haciendo pruebas para descartar alguna enfermedad seria ya que tengo mareos, vértigo y desequilibrio.

Ruego que me disculpe por no haberle escrito el reporte antes, pero quiero que sepa que cada día he estado meditando en Ud.

Su sirviente,

Meghapuspa das

=========================

Hare Krishna. Gracias por su carta. Krsna te está diciendo que tienes que protegerlo de los ives. La madre Yasoda siempre estaba ansiosa porque su bebé se quemara o fuera atacado por chacales. Mantén tu posesión cerca de ti. Mantenga a su bebé cerca de usted.

Ayude a los templos de ISKCON a desarrollar mejores programas de seguridad.

No dejes ISKCON. Aprende cómo evitar a los demonios en ISKCON. En nosotros mismos

Envíenos más noticias sobre su burro (mente y cuerpo) y el pasajero en el burro.

Hare krishna dear Gurumaharaja

Please accept our humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada all glories to the Sankirtan of Lord Caitanya

Dear Gurumaharaja

We apologize for not writing before and for not trying harder to get your association. We keep following your recorded classes and tweets, How is your heart this days?. .

We know that our association with you will be truth only if we follow your instructions. We are trying our best in this new stage as grihastas to follow your instructions and reminding that krishna should never leave his place as heart in our relationship as husband-wife despite the difficulties.

Govinda is for now residing in Toronto, and with your blessings she will be graduating in October (Regulatory Affairs for Pharma). School is 1 hour far but ISKCON Toronto is very near. She keep the association of the young devotee girls by reading Queen Kunti Prayers and discussing KC. She has spoken with Lalita Mataji and Gopi Radha in Mexico so they can engage her in service. We seek your blessing because they request us to Translate Aruddha Mataji’s -Srimad Bhagavatam A Comprehensive Guide for Young Readers- into Spanish, we are not perfect but we think is very much needed to develop all this materials in Spanish.

Ranchor is for now living in Monterrey, Mexico. We don't think he will adjust to mexico, always is hankering to return to Vraja. The Overall experience for him has been good to develop depth in his attachment to the Holy name, Dham and to increase his Srimad Bhagavatam study.

Every evening we read together and discuss KC, lately we have been reading Srimad Bhagavatam, Narada-Bhatki-Sutra and Nectar of Devotion. In Chanting we are been constant but with the persisting struggles of the mind.

We are hoping to meet you soon, and get your blessings personally for some of the important decisions for our spiritual life.

Your servants

Govinda Pramodini & Ranchor Krishna Das

HpS - Jaya! So who had the TYPHOID? Ranchor Ji? Amazing! On one side Maha-Maya is trying to kill us in Mexico with mad cow disease and on the other side Yoga Maya is trying to kill us in Braja with typhoid.

I guess the message is that in all circumstances we are going to die, a painful death, so chant Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare and realize that after we are dead we can really see Krsna!!!!!!

Thank you. May Nrsmha-caturdasi give you many lasting and amazing gifts.

HOW TO HAVE

FIRST CLASS SENSE GRATIFICATION

My experience of western world

Before writing my experience about western world, ie. in my case, Mexico. I would like to tell you Little about my background. Im coming from a very simple Vaishya family, i born in small village near Lord Budhha's birth place in Uttar Pradesh, India and i grew up in metro city Mumbai, and joined ISKCON as fulltime devotee in Iskcon Mayapur at age of 17, after that i got engaged in preaching in middle India and at last the Lord took me to Sri Vrindavan Dham.

I never lived longtime in any of big Metro city. I lived mostly in villages. I have never visited any place out of India, So when i came to Mexico, it was my first time going out of India, and first time seeing the western world. And amazingly after living just serval months here, i got strong Realizations of the material world.

To be honest everything was shocking for me. I saw how everyone is trying their best to have ‘FIRST CLASS SENSE ENJOYMENT”.

Mostly because i can see the difference with India. In india we have dairy and vegetables shops every corner, and here every 2-3 km we can see Supermarkets replete with Meat and Alcohol. I was shocked! I couldn't help to compare everything with my birth country, India. Also was shocked by the numerous cases of divorces and teen pregnancy; just next to our house I witness the case of one unmarried and pregnant 16 year old. People is very intoxicated by the pleasures of sense enjoyment, and looking every day for more and more pleasures.

śrī-prahrāda uvāca

matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā

mitho ’bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām

adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ

punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām

Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chewing that which has already been chewed.

This was my clearest realization. In india of course there is also materialistic persons trying hard to have sense enjoyment, but here have ultra level FIRST CLASS SENSE ENJOYMENT is primary goal. As Prahlad maharajá mentioned repeatedly chewing that which has already been chewed, the fibres of sugarcane. They have got blind till the level that they can do anything to have that sense pleasure. 

But all has been a lesson to me, by seeing all this I realize the need to be very serious in my Krishna Consciousness, because im been blessed and in so many ways: born in such a holy land, got the association of vaishnavas, got such a great Spiritual master (His Holiness Radha Govinda Maharaja) and Srila Prabhupada and through their mercy got to know Patita Pavan Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Sankirtan and of course through their causeless mercy got to know the glories of Sri Vrindavan Dham.

Before coming to West I saw the forces of the material desires, because India is now inundated with the same propaganda for sense gratification but definitely in west are stronger. People come to the west looking for material advancement and they get trapped. All this has opened my eyes to take seriousness in our Krishna Consciousness.

By Ranchor Krishna Das

HpS - Amazing. Typhoid, Super-markets, God gives the education with an open hand! Maybe even we dull headed snaked will get some message. Third letter :>>>

Thyphoid days, gift from Vrindavan

Almost a month after returning from Vraja, running to class my body collapses in vomit and pain. for the next days I watched almost as a third person how my body was becoming weak. 

The last 3 days before I got my IV treatment I couldn’t stand from bed, my skin was itching and red from all the blood capillary explosions.

I was rejecting all liquids, so even drink water or soup was painful and immediately rejected. 24hrs for a week my GIT had painful cramps. At some point even the sip of water taken along with my pills was vomited leaving a biter taste in my mouth and the disgusting odour coming from the body. I was really a bag of trash as Sastra says, the body was the disease.

I couldn’t move from bead to bead when I was attempting to chant. Most of my mind was focusing on the bodily condition. I didn’t pass the test. Most of the japa was done on clicker, just mumbling the Names.

And the mind start to play games. I realized that I ask for krishna’s help to recover and to stay, why not to just go to his eternal service? I talk to Him just until I couldn’t handle myself. But which power I have? i didn't have ANY actual achievement! so irrelevant at this point. I’m attach to pride, recognition and knowledge.

At this point my mother was injecting medication 3 times a day. With a bunch of liquids and a Srila Prabhupada japa recording on my window. Mom was able to take me to the hospital for IV medication. 

Nobody was able to really help. No husband, no mother, father o even doctors. Medication just took me back to my asymptomatic diseased stage, the Body.

By Govinda Pramodini

HpS - Amazing!!! Hare Krsna. You are our leader. Two more letters.

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Todas las glorias a Hanumatpresaka swami

Mis reverencias gurudeva

Tengo varias preguntas de hace un tiempo. Se las escribo en español para poder expresarlas bien.

HpS - ASA - Responderemos en inglés, pero será sencillo para que translate.google.com pueda hacer un buen trabajo.

Gracias por su ejemplo constante y apoyo.

Aquí van:

• ¿Un alma puede reencarnar en el pasado ? (escuche de un devoto que lo leyó de un libro de uno de los goswamis. Esto tenía relación a encarnar junto a un devoto puro del señor al cual uno estaba apegado. Por lo que encarnaba en la época que él vivió)

HpS - I never heard of that happening. 😮

• ¿cómo se puede lograr dormir menos para aprovechar el tiempo para avanzar espiritualmente?

HpS - Maybe you can't sleep less. Maybe you have already minimized it to what your body needs. If you do hard physical work then your body needs to rest and repair the machine. In general by learning how to eat and work better. It is individual and depends on the kind of service and body you have. Experiment.

• ¿cómo librarse del deseo de distinción, ganancia y adoración?

HpS - By experiencing the natural happiness of giving distinction, profit and adoration to KRSNA!

• ¿cómo librarse de ser egoísta?

HpS - Same as above. By getting knowledge of your real ego.

• En el significado del 11.43 de la Bhagvad gita Prabhupad menciona “ha de saberse que las actividades de Krishna son diferentes a la de los demás. Lo mejor es seguir los principios de Krishna; eso hará que uno sea perfecto” ¿Cuales son esos principios?

HpS - For example, Krsna would take rest with 16,108 beautiful Queens but still get up for Brahma muhurta. We should not try to imitate His special activities by marrying 16108 beautiful women, but we should adopt the principle of getting up for Brahma muhurta even if our wife is beautiful.

• ¿El señor en su forma original, Krishna sólo aparece en la tierra en este universo?

HpS - I think so.

• En el verso 9.34 de la Bhagavad Gita ¿el Señor se refiere a adoración como adoración de la deidad?

HpS - Can be the Deity but also the Holy Names or Krsna through the Parampara or Krsna in Braja or Paramatma.

Maestro. Tú estas aquí para corregirme, enseñarme, guiarme. Disculpa porfavor mi ignorancia, mi arrogancia, mi egoísmo y todas las faltas que aún no puedo ver. Hare Krishna.

Una última pregunta. ¿Porqué de refiere a usted en plural?

HpS - Because I feel very stupid thinking of myself in the singular. I have not real existence without connection with Guru and Krsna. Whatever I do or say is the result of my, and other's, efforts.

Espero no quitarle más tiempo del que me merezco, ya le he hecho perder bastante.

Gracias gurudeva.

Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada.

HpS - Now we go to our Hawaii class. Our back right molar aches rather strongly. It has happened in the past but gone away. Giving class with a diminished mouth. 😀

Thank you much!