Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja,

PAMHO AGTSP

You wrote: What kind of work are you doing?

I am still working as a teaching assistant in elementary school helping a blind boy. Moreover, still working with our rental of apartments.

HpS - Did not know about blind fellow. Just one student? What do you do for him?

Able to preach in the environment?

I chant HK (before/after job) and then smile at people, and if they ask why I am so calm and serene, I reply according to circumstances.

HpS - Smile, comportment, Kirtan. Three Sankirtan tools Srila Prabhupada says we have and should use, no?

Can you introduce pantheism in your professional work eg. taste of water, light of the sun?

Sannyasa?

Your servant Namacarya Das

All Glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Please accept my most humble obeisances!

Hare Krishna Maharaj! How are you? How’s your health? Where are you now?

HpS - Read the Kapi Dhvaja. 😁😁😁

I’vee seen some pictures of your Radha Kunda’s ashram! Maharaj you are so blessed! I was happy when I heard the news of it’s inauguration. How’s it going? And how’s your movie going?

Well here I’m doing well thanks to Krishna and the devotees! I’ve been

Watching some of your classes on YouTube, it’s been a while since I wanted to write you a letter.

I wanted to thank you for your advices, I’ve been practicing punctuality and cleanliness as you recommended in one of your preachings, and it was like a magic key, that lead me to be more organized, and along with all that came a more intense spiritual practice. I’ve been also trying

to speak naturally to Krishna, and he has been a real friend, helping me out and accompanying me.

Maharaj I’ve read the Matsya Avatar chapter in the Srimad

Bhagavatam you told me, would you be so kind to recommend me another thing to read?

HpS - Have you read first, second, third canto??? Go through systematically like that as you can, but anywhere you open and read is purifying. Read chapters, 4, 5, 6,,, canto one, and make a report here.

Everything in my life is going on tracks, everything…Including the psychiatric area, it is going

so much better! This wednesday I have a consultation with a new Vaidya from India in order to continue the Ayurvedic treatment I quit some years ago.

I’m feeling hopeful and enthusiastic about that :)

I’ve been also assisting an English group for language exchange here in Cordoba, and I’m improving my speaking.

I always reminded of you when I used to speak your native language.

Maharaj I would like to please ask you a few questions, I’ve heard that Dronacarya and some of the Pandavas sometimes used to visit the heavenly planets, so didn’t they came when they returned to earth to a much advanced in time moment of history, because

of the accelerated time in the

heavenly planets?

HpS - Don't know. Good question, but there must be different ways to adjust these things, like people using scuba outfits to stay with the fish.

And how much are

we supposed to pray during our daily life, I mean whilst performing our duties, can we live actively praying to Krishna all the time?

HpS - Can just chant. Engage our tongue and jaw. Then the mind will follow with attention. then we will want to see the diety, put a picture of our deities on the kitchen wall, then.... we will start to realize Krsna's qualities eg. He is very lazy!

Then we will see Him with associates and then.... we will see pastimes that we never read in any of Srila Prabhupada's books.

thanks for all the help Maharaj!

HK!

Federico

Thank you! Your austerities and good planning are purifying the world.

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I am chanting 16 rounds everyday and following the 4 regulative principles. (I still have multiple rounds left from the 3 days we were busy with the wedding Guru Maharaj. I will catch up on them asap)

The wedding went really well Guru Maharaj and i am now a Grahastha. Please bless us both to progress nicely in Bhakti and serve you and Prabhupada's mission to the best of our abilities.

HpS - Are you going to take your new bride to visit all the places of celestial enjoyment in the universe like Karadama Muni? 😎 Well, you can take your Deities to the beach for a nice day of fresh air sunshine and sand castles. with other grhastas.

Me, Vishaka, my wife, and her parents have come to Sri Rangam to take darshan of Sri Ranganathar.

I will be leaving India on 4th February. Vishaka will come in the third week of March after completing visa formalities. I am planning to come to Houston at the end of February to meet you Guru Maharaj. Hope you had a comfortable journey back to the States.

Thank you. We get news from your good brother and others also. We were thinking of your wedding while we were in the air at 33,000 feet!

Hope to see you in Houston, Nila madhava Dhama, but don't make undue strain!

Congratulations!!

I have ordered Gaura Nitai deities from Vrindavan, Guru Maharaj. The deities were delivered but they were damaged, so i had to send them back for replacement deities. Vishaka will bring them when she come. I would like to visit you along with Vishaka in April Guru Maharaj, when you're back in the Boro.

Waiting eagerly to meet you in person soon, Guru Maharaj.

Your humble Servant

Srirama Krishna Das

HpS - Brass deities damaged? Interesting. Must be some deep meaning!

hare krishna Gurudev dandavat pranam

all glories to Srila Prabhupada...¡

Me gustaria escribirle en español entendiendo q ahora esta ud. en España, el año pasado nos mantuvimos haciendo mucho seva en diferentes sangas como diferentes lugares ayudando a

todos en la cocina, en la predica, en el canto y siendo alguna fuente de inspiración para ellos. distribuimos mucho prasadam (panes) a los amigos vecinos y familiares haciendo un pequeño

negocio para mantener nuestra adoracion diaria a nuestras Nitay sacidulal y silas, ademas claro manteniendo nuestro ashram de grihasta alado de nuestra esposa Radharani Gopi y de Soren

Prahlada (ya tiene 3 años y mejor de salud).

En este nuevo año estamos asumiendo nuevos desafíos tomando la oportunidad de expandir nuestro sankirtan..volveremos en Febrero a la India (por 1 mes)para continuar nuestro seva de hacer dramas

bajo la dirección de ss Bhakti Marga Swami, luego a nuestro regreso nos quedaremos en Europa buscaremos una estabilidad ahi y trataremos de buscar una casa para q luego mi familia me acompañe el prox año. Es importante muy necesario hacer estos esfuerzos en este momento de nuestra

vida porq la situación caótica del mi país lo amerita, porq mi hijo pronto empezara los estudios y porq tengo deseos intensos de q mi familia tenga mejores experiencias y asociación alado de devotos.

Se muy bien q el mundo material es lo mismo en todos lados con sus desafíos y necesidades, pero siempre me caracterice por ser una persona emprendedora q busca algo mas y para alguien mas...por eso fue tambien q me volvi hare krishna jaja anyway...estamos bajo el refugio de Srila Prabhupada y tomamos las bendiciones de nuestros maestros, familiares y amigos para esta nueva etapa.

nos mantendremos comunicados.

muchas gracias por sus bendiciones y buena asociación

con esperanzas nuevas su sirviente

Parama Karuna das

-0-0-

hare krishna gurudev dandavat pranam

all glories to Srila Prabhupada...!

I would like to write to you in Spanish understanding that you are now. in Spain, last year we kept doing a lot of seva in different sangas like different places helping

everyone in the kitchen, preaching, singing and being a source of inspiration for them. we distribute a lot of prasadam (breads) to neighboring friends and relatives making a small

business to maintain our daily worship of our Nitay sacidulal and silas, also of course maintaining our grihasta ashram alongside our wife Radharani Gopi and Soren

Prahlada (already 3 years old and in better health).

In this new year we are taking on new challenges taking the opportunity to expand our sankirtan..we will return to India in February (for 1 month) to continue our seva of drama making

under the direction of ss Bhakti Marga Swami, then upon our return we will stay in Europe, we will look for stability there and we will try to find a house so that my family can accompany me next year. It is very important to make these efforts at this time of our

life because the chaotic situation in my country deserves it, because my son will soon start his studies and because I have intense desires for my family to have better experiences and association with devotees.

I know very well that the material world is the same everywhere with its challenges and needs, but I always characterized myself as an enterprising person looking for something more and for someone else... that's why I also became a Hare Krishna haha anyway ...we are under the shelter of Srila Prabhupada and we take the blessings of our teachers, family and friends for this new stage.

we will keep in touch.

thank you very much for your blessings and good association

with new hopes his servant

parama karuna das

HpS - Jaya!!! Thank you for writing to us. Your life is an inspiration. New Vraja Mandala, here, is a nice community. Maybe you know it. Has Gurukula with many little people, et al.

Starting, joining a rural community where you can visit the city to work from tuesday after noon to friday morning, sounds like a nice option. family staying in nice place, papa going to city to work few days and other days working locally and online.

If city temporarily chaotic, stay in the rural community. have 3-months of self sufficient resources.

city won't stay chaotic because people need it now.

Good plan??

Hare Krsna, half way house.

Start with orchards!

Respects to family. See you on internet from Mexico.

Hare Krishna maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances; all glories to his divine grace, Srila Prabhupada, our founder acharya. And all glories to your good self, for you are extending the mercy of Srila Prabhupada to fools like myself.

I was doing mangala arotika one morning, when instead of focusing of the ceremony, I found myself thinking "What if something happened to me, and suddenly I was no longer able to do something as simple as offering arotika? I have built so much of my devotional life around this simple, and yet meaningful and profound event? It is a mainstay shelter in my devotional life; what if Krishna took it all away? " I found myself realizing that such a thing could easily happen. I have personally come to realize that when there is old age, the body doesn't need an excuse to break down or succumb to disease: the glories of old age.

It's so strange how it is that we have lived enough years to see the how TIME slowly removes all of our faculties and our abilities, steadily bringing us closer and closer to death, and yet we still look the other way, in fear of inevitable death. I have always been aware of the Bhagavad gita's teachings of how the body is temporary, and that we are not this body but eternal spirit souls. Yet my awareness still hasn't matured to where I am prepared to meet my own demise, in spite of all the warnings that come with old age. I reflect more soberly on Srila Prabhupada's words that were spoken to his very young disciples, when he was lying on his deathbead: "Don't think that this won't happen to you."

I find myself thinking about the verse in the 2nd chapter of Bhagavad gita, wherein Krishna says "For one who has taken his birth, his death is certain; and for one who has died, his next birth is also certain." Years ago, when I first read the 3rd Canto and the chapter entitled "Movements Of The Living Entity," about how the soul survives and suffers whilst in the womb of his mother, I thought to myself "I can't let myself go through all of that again. That is pure and total hell." But lo and behold, I don't know how I am going to escape another birth, because I am still not yet Krishna conscious. How odd that these thoughts should come to my mind when I am supposed to be worshipping Krishna because of arotika.

I hope that all is going well for you in the Holy Dhama. I miss your association very much. I find myself enlivened to listen carefully when I am in your association. Perhaps you can return for yet another visit.

Your lowly servant,

Balabhadra dasa

HpS - Just answered your last letter and now this one. We left Braja on January 4th and then India about two weeks later and got here, Spain like about 24th January.

Staying here in one place.

Adi bhautic

Adi atmic

and Adi daivis all here.

Yet, go enough situation to do Sankirtan.

Back in Houston the 24th!

Don't worry!!!!! Krsna will arrange high speed internet for us in our next womb and Translate.googl.com will translate "Moo", "Moo", "Moo" from our parents into "Spot sqwalling and drink your milk!"

Get ready.

🙂

Hare Krishna Maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances; all glories to his divine grace, Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He sacrificed everything to fulfill the orders of his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and in so doing he spread this Krishna consciousness movement all over the world. And all glories to your own good self, for you are a beacon in the lives of many like myself, because you are completely surrendered to the service of Srila Prabhupada.

I thought to share something about my personal devotional service here at my home, and what is happening in my heart. I would like to first say that I struggle a lot with the feelings in my heart. It scares me to think just how deep my envy really runs, especially towards other devotees. I struggle so much with fear and anxiety because of it. I never thought that I would be in this position of being envious of other devotees, particularly in my later years of devotional service. Consciously I know that the devotees around me are truly very nice devotees, they are very sincere, kind and respectful. But inside of me there is so much anger because I feel like I deserve better from life. It's no wonder I suffer so much: who wouldn't?

Here in the shelter of my own ashrama, I continue to maintain daily sadhana, although sometimes my mornings are more difficult than others because of laziness, carelessness and ongoing offenses. Oftentimes I have to force myself to keep up with the practice of sadhana, because I have given the greatest measure of my life to this process of devotional service. I am convinced that there is no alternative to devotional service; there is no such thing as "second best." There's only the best and then there's the rest. From the very beginning of my life as a devotee I have always held this conviction, and it still holds true today. And yet, despite this truth I still have to force myself in the early morning hours to maintain some standard of sadhana. And still I am drowning in this vast ocean of material desires which torments me in my heart.

HpS - AGTSP paoho We have to push also, but so many habits, and adjustments to our environement, make it full of good results!

Each day still begins with waking the Deities, mangala offerings and arotika, Tulasi puja and guru puja, japa and reading from Srimad Bhagavatam. Bhagavatam class is given on an online chat site 3 times a week. Sometimes, when I am not so overwhelmed by the lower modes of nature my wife and I will continue with reading from the CC in the evening: other times I'm usually not so lucky. But the morning program is done every single day without fail and an evening arotika concludes each day without fail. On Thursdays, when I have finished cooking for Their Lordships at the temple I visit two devotees to distribute the prasadam. One devotee has been in ill health lately, and his wife is in a bad place mentally. The other devotee is a long time pujari from Detroit and from the old time Fate Museum in LA; he is now living here in Boise in an assisted living facility. Both of these devotees are disciples of Srila Prabhupada, and so I take prasadam to each of them every Thursday. Lately I have revived my preaching efforts of giving Bhagavad gita classes via the Boise Community Education program. I have a Powerpoint compilation for introducing the 5 subjects of Bhagavad gita in a very simple manner to the class. I did have a second class of this sort which I conducted in a tattoo parlor, but that had to be put on hold until whenever.

My wife is dealing with her own health issues, both physically and mentally; these problems never seem to 'let up' for her. By the time you peruse thru this letter she will have been in and out of the hospital for minor surgery, thus rendering her somewhat incapacitated for a while. Her mental challenges are as persistent as ever. It puts a great strain on us in terms of trying to remain enlivened in our spiritual life. It's easy to be surrendered when the prasadam is amazing, the kirtans are ecstatic, the classes are enlivening: not so when everything feels off, and nothing seems to go right. Oftentimes I have to reflect on the verse from the 10th Canto which reads "tat te nukampan su-samiksamano..." in order for me to have any peace of mind. Be it suffice to say that my wife is being very brave and persistent to keep up with her rounds every day, and she is very diligent with reading from the Krishna Book every night, as per your instructions.

HpS - Next life as Nimai's neighbor?

I will close here, ever hopeful that you will continue to bless us with your special mercy, in spite of our faults, foolishness and our weaknesses.

Yls, Bbd

HpS - Hare Krsna. Hope we are publishing enough on Twitter, Blog and Kapi Dhvaja so you can see that we have basically the same challenges as do you. One thing I see is that when I contact people that I knew many years ago who have been engaged as devotees, non-devotees, weak and stritch devotees, I can really see contrasts and comparisons in my own life.

There is no doubt that this process is great! Let us look at you next letter.