Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna Maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances; all glories to Srila Prabhupada, our founder acharya; and all glories to your own good self, for giving so much shelter to fools like myself, on behalf of Srila Prabhupada.

I found myself thinking just recently about Krishna's first instructions of how we are not this body, but eternal spirit souls. I understand the principle, and I accept it wholeheartedly, without doubt, because it gives me hope, in spite of my shortcomings as an eternal spirit soul. But sadly, I lack the realizations needed to be peaceful, and as Krishna says in the 2nd chapter of Bhagavad gita "How can there be any happiness without peace?" I reflect on the verse in Srimad Bhagavatam that say "with each rising and setting of the sun, death comes closer to everyone: except one who spends his life constantly chanting the holy names of the Lord." I have to confess that my chanting is not at all proper to qualify for the grace that is offered in this verse from Srimad Bhagavatam, and yet I have no choice but to keep on chanting, regardless of my failures to chant nicely.

I find myself wondering what it must have been like in so many previous lifetimes to exist in old age, struggling with disease, and to ponder the impending finality of death. Did I even believe in a next life? What was I thinking? How was I thinking? Was I confident of a better next life? Or perhaps I was even so brazen and so bold as to think that I wouldn't need to worry about my next life, because there wouldn"t be one on account of my devotional service. One thing I can say for certain, "I am not thinking like that now." I am not sure just how I am thinking. Sometimes I am nervous, and at other times I feel the confidence of Krishna's assurance of His protection for one engaged in His devotional service. How many times I must have gone through these same feelings, over and over and over, again and again and again, lifetime after lifetime after lifetime: perhaps even ad infinitum! And here I am once again, wondering about my past misdeeds and the impending future after death.

A very real part of me is afraid because I know I have so many misdeeds in this life. And yet another part of me is not intelligent to acknowledge such fear, as if there is some denial. It sounds a lot like Krishna's instructions in the 18th chapter on what is to be feared and what is not to be feared. I want with all of my heart to have unflinching faith, and something inside of me says that I do have it. And yet, I hesitate to act on such faith. This is odd, as it sounds like some mode of oxymoron in concept and in practice. I am obliged to confess that at the heart of my dilemma is this lack of true surrender. I want to surrender, I truly do with all my heart: and at the same time I want to surrender on my own terms.

All of these thoughts have been going through my mind lately, and so I thought that I needed to say them to someone: so why not you? I wish I had the courage, the good intelligence and the good faith to come forward and surrender. You have been so kind as to accept my meager, nonsensical efforts of devotional service, knowing full well that I am a fool. And it is for that reason alone that I have felt any sense of shelter and hope in my life as a devotee.

Your lowly servant,

Balabhadra dasa

HpSwami- Thank you. We remember Jayananda Das said that as long as we are chanting we are advancing.

So, you have made progress in this life.

All we can do is surrender to chant Holy Names, SB, instructions of SB, Bg.

THE MAGIC WILL BE DONE BY KRSNA.

🙂

It is better to chant than worry, no?

All Glories to Sri Sri Gaura-Nitay!!!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!!

All glories and my most respectful obeisances to you Gurudeva!!!

Hare Krishna dear Gurudeva I hope you are in very good health and in your preaching, the temple in Houston looks so wonderful and the deities are so beautiful, very happy to have your gotomeeting association again.

Thank you very much Gurudeva for your response to my previous letter, your instructions are a treasure for me, I will strive to educate myself and be a good guide.

Gurudeva, thanks to Krishna, I already have my ticket ready for Mexico City, I will go with Diana and Guru Govinda, we will arrive on March 23, so we will be helping to prepare everything for your arrival together with the devotees from Mexico.

My little report 16 daily rounds and 4 regulative principles, service in the kitchen of the deity on Thursdays, service in the administration, I am also in a service that I really like, which is to fix and clean the temple.

We had some intense days of service together with Subhangi Devi Dasi, we were fixing the room to receive the spiritual masters and older devotees who visit us in the temple, since it was neglected during the pandemic, the room was very good and we received help and donations from the devotees, Sruti Priya and Estefania helped with many donations of bedding, desk chair, lamps, carpet, etc. and Prabhu Lalita also helped fixing the bathroom and some details, it was very exciting to receive Maharaja Bhakti Gauravani Goswami was our first guest after so many years, Maharaja approved the room and pointed out the things that were missing.

We had a very successful second Saturday Sanga with Maharaja, there were about 45 devotees in the class and a kitchen team is already being formed of which my husband and I are part. In March we will have a visit from a sankirtan devotee who gives wonderful classes Prabhu Navina Nirada Das. The devotees are very happy and inspired by this program and that is the most important thing. There are many things to do but we are going little by little. The family is very well Krishna is always taking care of us, everyone is very happy that I can go to see him in Mexico and they encouraged me to make this trip.

I finished the first module of Bhakti Sastri with Maharaja Yadunandana Swami now I am waiting for the results to see how it went in the exams and then continue with module 2 of Bhagavad-gita chapters 7 to 12.

Thank you very much for everything Gurudeva, for his constant inspiration, see you very soon in Mexico. He is so missed in Chile that while he was arranging the room for Maharaja Bhakti Gauravani he thought how wonderful it would be for you to come, he would meet so many new faces enthusiastic about learning Krishna Consciousness.

Your aspiring disciple says goodbye

Alankrti Devi Dasi

Have a wonderful Gaura Purnima with the devotees of Monterrey!!!!

HpSwami - Thank you. We are packing now. It would be nice to be able to stay at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada together doing Sankirtana forever.

Dear Maharaj,

PAMHO AGTSP!

Maharaj, I noticed how you really appreciate the academic credits of your disciples. This makes me wonder if I should put more effort into developing academic credentials, scholarly affiliation, degrees, awards/honors, etc too. Please advise 🙏.

Also you said once that second generation should make movies. I feel very inspired in this connection. I keep thinking about plots and networking. What might be a good starting point in your esteeemed understanding? I have so much time and energy and enthusiasm. Trying to figure out where I fit in the bigger picture of service. But there are a lot of questions still. Due to your mercy and instruction to choreograph Jay Radha Madhava, I experienced so many deep feelings just contemplating how Radha and Madhava might have looked walking along the backs of the Yamuna 🤯!

Please guide 🙏

Your servant,

Subhadra Mayi DD

HpS/ASA -- AgtSP!! Paoho... Thank you for your letter and association.

A. The diplomas are mostly like Lord Caitanya taking Sannyasa in a Mayavadi Sampradaya.

We need titles, dress, language appropriate to the audience we are trying to reach.

If it is appropriate you might later work on a doctorate in dance, but some awards from academic sources might be enough.

I think the movie making is very good.

There, some introduction to film making from good teacher might be nice.

Take a course with a friend and communicate our Bhava to the teacher.

Do you have a title from your ten years of Odisi Dance study?

B. Sorry we had such exhausting head ache yesterday. Would liked to have talked more with the A. G. Das.

C. We are starting to work on the travel. Talked with Ranchoor K. D. Looks fine. He says arrive 2-1/2 hours before departure.

Thank you.

Hare Krsna master,

Please accept my obeisances.

In the movement we hear about practical devotional service.

Can you kindly elaborate on the word "practical", because somehow I just like hearing (Children Krsna book), and preach to people who meet me by own accord.

Is this practical or convenience ?

yours

Hayagriva

ASA - 🐷 What is practical for Vyasadeva is not practical for Arjuna.

Therefore, The God, KRSNA, recommends Arjuna to engage in his natural Karma, both physical and psychological.

Ksatriya has natural inclination to protect damsels in distress (eg. Draupadi raped in the game of dice).

NI to smash his fists!

So, do it for Krsna.

P'pada said, Krsna never suggests anything impractical.

So, first He suggests, "Chant Hari nama". That is practical for the Kali yuga, and anyone who recomends making Hari kirtan secondary is a:

Ding Dong!!

Of course, there is advice for DDs in Guru Maharaja's books.

Cook, clean, broom, while you listen to Donnie Yen on Zoom.

Remind us to Hari kirtan make.

Hare Krsna master,

Obeisances,

In dec-2022, we were Dhanurdara Swami's book, Morning Musing/Diary.

where there is mention that - a group was asked to describe one quality of devotee.

most of people were saying - gentle/ soft/ accomodating.

one person said- sense controlled.. Dhanurdara swami wrote this person is stuck at jnana level, because there is no relationship here.

we are also something like this..

our temple president said, that they (ISK) can teach how to love Krsna, but not how to Love.

and I dont think we know civilised/pleasant of love.

even we are hearing Krsna book stories for children https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I_8icSwMsA&list=PLvRIsRHyTI9l7gKgOQlnucVWDnv1j-KmL&index=11

mother yasoda's reaction when she heard that Kaliya is trying to strangle Krsna, her reaction are nice to hear... but we have no such emotion for any one.

i think we have encountered this in us https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toxic_masculinity

watching and admiring Heroes fighting war, with bravery/ Achilles of Troy/ Leonaidis of Sparta/ Rambo etc etc.... such are our artefacts / icons...that we dont know what to do.

any opinions?

sorry for asking questions. better d o mistake of asking questions rather than mistake of not asking

positive news:

In our daily student interaction we talk of sankhya/ mind/ love as motivation / invisible hand of god/ search for truth/ quest to pleasure/ live farm based life, etc....

i think it might please parampara .

obeisances

Hayagriva Avatar Das

ASA - The Sun knows that the fruit takes time to grow. He continues to give his light and heat, photons, cosmic rays, at first to the damp earth within which is the seeeeed.

Then to the sprout, then seedling, sapling, flowering tree, budding blossom... until the ripened fruit is there.

In the beginning stages there is no hint of a fruit. There is not hint of feelings towards others.

This is natural.

Maya means superficial reactions. Maybe very shallow

Eg. I know that you love me, but what have you done for me lately!

Or below the skin to the bone and muscle eg. Spartans at the pass of (?)Thermopalae.

Yet, go on Chan Ting and our dance becomes slow and steady. We start to contemplate the present, the people, and we begin to see them:

1. They are completely asleep and any motion in their body is a reaction of the three modes of weather.
2. They are a little awake and can hear if we accompany it with Ding-dong and Hot-dang.
3. They want to work on developing the world of Hari Kirtan.

Even just developing a world where there are proper relations between these three Names is wonderful.

Why does the M. M'ntra have the structure it does? Is it Greek grammar?

Hare Krsna master,

your grace wrote --"

1.

Marriage, family, civil, institutional relations are important but Hari Kirtan is the basis of those in Kali yuga."

can you kindly elaborate on word "basis " ? we can fathom this ..

1. "hari kirtan" means what here, I think our conception is flawed

our conception of Krsna consciousness changed in your association..

earlier I used to think Krishna means only the deity. But after talking with you, we realised even if somebody is able to appreciate sunshine, we are trying to increase his Krishna consciousness.

so what does "hari kirtan" means in progression ?

3. In general I would say that you should try to have pleasant, civilized contact with your family --

the word "pleasant" is very struggling for self.....

4. "Take the Bhakti sastri course with some one! Ask Temple President for recommended source."

I am not against your recommendation, but just to control our strong/stubborn mind by feeble intelligence, we might need little more help

we are finding solace in krsna book narration for children [the fifth regulative principle] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOBQQLG_DKI&list=PLvRIsRHyTI9l7gKgOQlnucVWDnv1j-KmL&index=5. somehow we are telling ourself, we are fool or at best intellectual fools[coder],

so hence on Hari nama and Direct Krsna past times.

We were consciously avoiding classes like Isopanishad, Bhagvad gita, SB, primarily because we are not able to apply all this, seems to us at this moment impractical, especially

when we don't know what is that we should "eat" or what should we do in "work", in day to day life.

secondly, we have always overlooked "sadachar" and over emphasized on "sadhana", then "svadhya", not find us to be useful for "most of sangas" and hence not able to do "seva" to any specific. {5s model of GEV}

This was highlighted by our temple president also on 26 feb 2023, and it hurt us the most when words [ not verbatim ] " is this what you have been taught by your Guru". i knew it was my fault only , and your appreciation.

but we are just trying to find to serve and be worthy of called your disciple in anyway

unintelligent

hayagriva avatar das

linked to --https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/13885/

HpS/ASA - Hare Krsna, Hayagriva Avatara Das.

Krishna speaks through the mouth of a horse for some reason. We can't remember why?

Also, he incarnates as H'g'va twice, no?

Your questions cover a large range of topics.

We have come to: Harer nama anukirtanam.

If you don't know what to do, you are not chanting "Hare Krsna".

First regulative principle is to chant HK/HR loud enough to hear it.

Then, if you are not inspired to do anything else, even after a few mantras, then their is nothing else you should be doing, eating, teaching.

May be that any moment Krsna wants us to leave this world, and get to work in another, so we just chant and "die".

=-=-=-=

If family does not want to share your world nor wants you to share theirs, then subject is finished, yet we are always open if they change their mind, mound, mend, mund, mand.

=-=-=-= === Srnvatam sva katha Krsna... SB 1.2 If we chant we become 'punyatma' pious people. Then high class activities eg. Detiy worship, fire sacrifice, meditation (con tem pla tion) are accessible to us one after another.

-0v0-

So nice to chant.

No better service you can offer Krsna.

At the feet of Prabhupada.

=-=-=-

"Swami Ji, are there problems in your temples"

P'pada - "This is the material world. There are problems EVERYWHERE!"