Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaj, hope you are well.

HpS - Well now, but temptation is there to satisfy the lust of the tongue and belly, mental concoction. Your association helps us! 🙂

I have been thinking about what to write to you today and I have had many thoughts about it. I think I usually write what I consider my "successes" to feel your approval that "I'm doing well", but I have been realizing that what I do is a false mask.

The reality is that I have bad and good days, sometimes I am ashamed to write to you, because I feel that I am not doing anything really meaningful as a devotee,

HpS - This could be a letter from Radha rani to a friend.

... but I think it is important to write to you, as your answers always fill me with spiritual energy and motivation. to continue, which is a great fortune ...

HpS - AgtSP! We are a bad postman! 😊

I am currently resuming my reading habit, which I had lost between work and other duties. I am organizing to start the Bhakti Sastri course with Param Padam das. We reached an agreement to be able to do it at my own pace, in order to balance my homework with studying, which accommodates me since I can watch the recorded classes without interrupting my work schedules.

My rounds are better, at 10 am I finish, or sometimes at 12 pm. Sometimes I have a few left for the afternoon but I try not to make it happen, since my life is better if I sing early. Usually from the sixth round onwards I can connect more with singing, before that my mind talks too much.

A few days ago I had a dream about you, every so often I dream about you, and that's nice, it makes me feel lucky. I dreamed that you were saying that we have to learn to stay content in the process despite having material desires, and that we must also fight against them and not simply let ourselves be carried away by the current of the river of those desires. We must fight the material nature that we have in this life, which we inherit through our own karma, so we have to take responsibility.

HpS - Sounds like good advice! Good weapon for the fight is Hari Kirtan, no? Fight the attacks with Hari Kirtan!

Hare Krsna!!! Hare Rama!!!

I say goodbye Guru Maharaj, I hope you have a lot of energy today to do your services. I'd like to ask you something I've been trying to figure out. How can I make a donation to you? Who should I contact?

HpS - Hmmm! Maybe we can do it when we get to Peru. Maybe somebody, you, can bring it to Peru. Of course, also giving it to any Sankirtan of Srila Prabhupada is for our benefit,no?

See you soon, accept my respects and appreciation Guru Maharaj ...

HpS - No news of your daily work!!

-

Hare krishna guru maharaj espero que se encuentre bien

He estado pensando en qué escribirle hoy y he tenido muchas reflexiones al respecto. Pienso que por lo general escribo lo que considero mis “éxitos” o “aciertos” para sentir su aprobación de que “lo estoy haciendo bien”, pero me he estado dando cuenta que es una máscara falsa. La realidad es que tengo días malos y buenos, algunas veces me da vergüenza escribirle, porque siento que no estoy haciendo nada realmente significativo, pero creo que es importante escribirle a usted, ya que sus respuestas siempre me llenan de energía espiritual y motivación para continuar, lo cual es una gran fortuna…

Actualmente estoy retomando mi hábito de lectura, el cual había perdido entre el trabajo y otros deberes. Estoy organizándome para comenzar el curso bhakti shastri con param padam das, llegamos al acuerdo de poder hacerlo a mi ritmo, para poder equilibrar mis deberes con el estudio, lo cual me acomoda ya que puedo ver las clases grabadas sin interrumpir mis horarios laborales.

Mis rondas están mejor, a las 10 am termino, o a veces a las 12 am. Algunas veces me quedan algunas para la tarde pero trato de que no suceda, ya que mi vida es mejor si canto temprano. Por lo general desde la sexta ronda en adelante puedo conectar más con el canto, antes de ello mi mente habla demasiado. 

Hace unos días tuve un sueño con usted, cada cierto tiempo sueño con usted, y eso es agradable, me hace sentir afortunado. Soñé que usted decía que tenemos que aprender a mantenernos contentos en el proceso a pesar de tener deseos materiales, y que también debemos luchar con ellos y no simplemente dejarnos llevar por la corriente del río de esos deseos. Debemos dar la pelea a la naturaleza material que tenemos en esta vida, la cual heredamos por nuestro propio karma, así que tenemos que hacernos cargo responsablemente…

Me despido guru maharaj, espero que tenga mucha energía hoy para hacer sus servicios. Me gustaría preguntarle algo que estuve intentando averiguar. ¿Cómo podría yo hacerle una donación de dinero a usted? ¿Con quién debo comunicarme?

Hasta pronto, acepte mis respetos y aprecio guru maharaj…

Hare Krishna Maharaj

PAMHO

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

HpS - This is from guru-tattva.txt in our website?

Yes, these are the answers Parts A,B,C from guru-tattva.txt that you sent me as a link.

HpS - So, do you want to become an initiated student of Srila Prabhupada and his movement?

Yes Maharaj , I would like to become an initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada's movement.

I heard that you will be in Peru for a few months, is it possible to visit you there?

If it is possible, who do I need to get in touch with to organize this.

HpS/ASA - In which country are you? Then I can tell you who to contact. Also, you are in the FMP? You can ask there in the chat.

Dave: Have you received the mail from Krishna Premarupa Prabhu (He is my administrative, Sankirtana, authority) which he has sent to [email protected]?

HpS - No! I looked in that address, Yahoo Spam, general mail, and othe boxes, addresses, and no letter from him.

Thank you very much for your time

Your humble servant Bh. Dave

HpS - I suspect that you are a more advanced devotee than we are, so we want to thank you for your time and that maybe we can be of some service to you!!

Looking forward to more communications.

Hare Krsna, Guruji Maharaja, Dandavat Pranam!

HpS - !!! How wonderful. Association with Manipuri Vaisnavas!!!

All Glories to Sri Sri Jagadbandhu, Balabhadra and Subhadra, Ki Jay,

Sri Krsna, Sri Gouranga Mahaprabhu and Goura Bhakta Brinda.

Please accept my humble obeisances unto the Padmacharan of Guruji Maharajah...

HpS - ASA - All glories to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada!

... that some of the ISKCON bhaktas suggested to me that the Vol. 10 of Bhagavatam should not be touch, it is not for general bhaktas.

HpS - Srila Prabhupada gave us the KRSNA book very early in our development of ISKCON. With Srila Prabhupada's and later Hrdayananda Maaharaja and Gopi parana Dhana Das' commentaries it seems safe to try to read it for nice ISKCON devotees like you and me. If Chapters 29-34 are too agitating, then we will know that and will make proper decisions what parts to read.

And in the beginning, it is mentioned that the Bhagavatam should be read vol. 1 to 12 one after another, but in the introduction of Vol. 6, it is mentioned that any volume has equal value so we can take up any volume according to our requirements.

HpS - Yes. BG 10.11. Tells us Krsna directs the reading a proper initiated devotee. He talks with friends naturally about what to read.

Now I am reading Vol. 10 as revise. It is strongly suggested that without the knowledge of Ras Panchadhya of Vol. 10, no one can understand the real story (Prema ras) of Radha & Krsna.

On the other hand, I am also reading some selected books translated in Manipur such as Ras Panchadhyai of Bhagavatam, Bhajan tattva Chintamani, Sadhan Bhakti Amrita Lahari. It is recommended by Manipuri beisnavas for increasing spiritual sadhana and bhakti seva. These books narrated the asta kal seva, sakhi manjaris, eight directions of Yogapitha of Raslila and sadhak sidhok, gamana gaman, svakiya & parikiya bhava. Some Gayatris & Mantras of Nityanananda, Gouranga, Radha, Krsna. Luckily, I had collected these books more than 10 years before initiation.

I could not complete the book "Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu" it is very very difficult to understand and applied in our simple life.

HpS - Yes, BRS, is very concentrated. Srila Prabhupada has given us a summary study as Nectar of Devotion, and H. H. Dhanurdhara Swami wrote Waves of Devotion which was great help in our being able to understand it. Really we have to understand it to understand the other Rasa sastras. Should be some nice devotees in ISKCON Manipura who can help you. Make a study group with them. We can give suggestions to them.

Sometimes I can see Guruji's lectures on Facebook but could not grasp the sound and meaning. Nowadays, there are so many lectures on Bhagavatam and Gita by ISKCON Bhaktas in Hindi. It helps me so much and unknown stories and incidents of Krsna Bhaktas and Krsna.

HpS - !

Guruji! please rsibad and inspire me to increase my spiritual standard understand the swibya lilas of Radha-Krsna. Without the guidance of Diksha Guru, all our sevas and sadhanas are useless/fruitless. I am practicing sadhok-sidhok seva after following Gurujis footsteps.

I could not write letters in this month, excuse me again.

Yours fallen servant,

Yamunesvara Das

HpS - Your studies seem nice, but seems you need a partner, local Siksa guru. Vana mali Das??? Can't remember names of nice Brahmanas there?

Can you explain the verse: https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/4/10/#bb1200 ?

That is good test of whether you are ready to focus on SB 10.29-34

Devotee writes:

"Perdon me Gurudev. Your one disciple Smt Indumukhi devi dasi is not well in health for long three months as post covid suffrting. Kindly bless her for early recover."

HpS - Thank you for the news. Where is she? Which city, state. We just cannot remember everyone we initiate, especially when they don't keep much communication. 😕

Please convey our respects to her.

Draupadi had to be drug into the assembly of the game of dice and publicly humiliated, but it was part of a larger plan.

So, we pray that Mataji have great determination and enthusiasm to relate to her material situation and by engaging in devotional service: 16-nice rounds, 4-principles strictly, she understand what Krsna wants her to do in His ESSENTIAL Sankirtan movement.

If she is pure Krsna can and wants to use her to do great things.

HK Maharaj! Please accept my most humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupad!

How r you? Where are you? How’s ur health?

HpS - The three most asked questions: I am immortal, part and parcel of Krsna. I am in a mortal body. My health is eternally great. My body is dwindling. Eyes are going. Won't be able to drive too much more.

I’m still here, alive and trying to survive. Life has been a little difficult with my fianceé but we managed to get along, finally we will get married very very soon, we need to make a new id for her so we can have our legal address here in Cordoba and then we have to book an appointment for legal marriage, still she wants to wait for the yajña marriage.

Im doing well at work, still designing and performing my community management duties.

Im chanting more japa, and reading regularly, I recently finished the Venu Gita, really loved it.

Im trying to get up earlier in the morning and do more service for the Buenos Aires temple, I’m helping them out with designing tasks.

My little daughter is every day bigger, she’s such a joy! Always smiling and happy, barely cries.

She’s about to be 8 months old these days.

best regards Maharaj!!!

HK!!

Federico

HpS - Gosh. I cannot remember anything about you Federico!!! Have we talked? In BsAs temple? Are you two meters tall, 100Kg? Famous MMA fighter??

😎

In any case, you sound like a very, very, very, v e r y, fortunate person. In the present time, most people are suffering like ANYTHING! They have complete identity crisis. They think that they must serve their tongue, belly and genitals.

No, like you are learning!! We must serve.

Krsna.

Thank you.

Hope to remember who you are??/

Hare Krsna,

Dear Maharaja. OBEISANCES! 🙌

ASA - All glories to Srila Prabhupada who kindly gives us service in his Sankirtan band! Looks like a long letter. Let's go! !

What a pleasure to finally be able to sit down and write to you after such a long time. 😄

ASA - Ha! Ha! If you would write shorter letters more often it might be better, but maybe not. Good letters come in all sizes and frequencies.

I hope you are in good health; may your body and mind remain strong and enable you to continue your daily service. Jaya 🦁 Nrsimhadeva! 

HpS - Actually our body is becoming more and more weak each day. Our estimate of three more years to final dissolution seems pretty accurate, but... we, the passenger, seem to be getting stronger!!! Hope is same for you.

So so so many things have happened inside and outside of me. With me, with others, with the environment, with you, with Krsna, with Prabhupada. Phew! A whirlwind of emotions, sensations and thoughts for months now.

I feel like telling you so many things! I hope not to expand this letter too much and to keep it as short as possible.

First of all, I want to thank you for your constant presence. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to contact you and to have your association (It is a gift from Krsna).

HpS - It is kind of you to give us yours. ! !

My dream world is very particular. She teaches me many things... I believe and I feel that she has helped me to decipher many important things for my growth in these last years. Thank you for be part of it.

At work everything is going well. A lot of work and a lot of responsibility. I have had to take over an important part of the company and I have felt a lot of stress and pressure in this position. I think Krsna put me in this position for a reason. I have to learn something, don't I?

HpS - Or maybe it is The Witch and The Evil One trying to trick you with thinking that you are the controller and not live a simple life of high thinking. Either one is possible. Chant, read, associate with devotees and you will know!! Very fortunate we are.

I have already started my postgraduate studies. As I told you in my previous letter, I started a Masters in Environment and Sustainable Development. It is a very interesting topic to learn about, and I think it cuts across many areas, not only Engineering. 

It has been very hard, Maharaja. Working and studying is very tiring. My work itself is already demanding, and performing in my studies means more effort. I have been very tired lately, and it has been difficult for me to continue with my sadhana.

ASA - Ahh! Haaa! It is a trick from The Black Witch and The-Evil-One.

Even though I go to bed early so that I can get up and chant my rounds, I feel very tired mentally, and I need to sleep a little more (sometimes I don't manage to get into the FMP). When I get up early and chant my rounds, I feel that these are not good rounds 😔

I am very sorry, Maharaja. It has been difficult for me to get used to this rhythm of life, even though I like what I do. I understand that my sadhana is what gives me the strength to continue day by day. Please, give me your blessings to keep going and not keep falling.

HpS - Hare Krsna, but blessings are only part of success. The other one is acting.

I have done what you recommended; I keep a record of "rounds in debt", and when I can chant more than my 16 rounds, I cross them off my list. Sometimes I add more to the debt, and sometimes I subtract. I'm trying to improve every day 🙏

ASA - Super Good, but best is if we get them done daily. I also fall behind some times. I also my fighting with The Black Witch and The Evil One.

I'd like to tell you something very personal.... 

ASA - Here in the Blog!!!! O.K. Here it is, so I guess we can all look at it and Yoga Maya will cover those who should not see it.

For a while now I've been questioning a lot of things. Things related to how I can and want to relate to the devotees, to ISKCON, to Prabhupada, to the GBC.

ASA - I also question this. Radharani wonders if She should just give up on this unfaithful boy and be a Brahmacarini.

What happened with Lokanath Swami hit me very hard (I don't know if I should even call him Swami). It broke my heart how the ICC, GBC and great leaders reacted to that. 

ASA - It is a very tough situation. As far as I know there was no serious fault on his part. Any accidently mistake he made was corrected.

Yet, we live in a VERY big institution and can't know everything about it, so we have to cultivate a circle of close friends as well as be good citizens of the institution and.... keep our individual personal relationship with Srila Prabhupada.

Precisely in all this time of internal questioning, I did not know whether to write to you about it in the Blog. I did not dare. Many times I sat in front of the computer to write to you, but I didn't know if it was appropriate.... I asked Krsna for guidance.

ASA - It is fine. We can, should, deal with such events, but in the Blog we cannot go into great detail, because a variety of people are involved. It is in between friends and institution.

Recently I was reading the book "Twirl Your Beads" about your writings, poems and others. And as I was going through the pages having this questioning within me, whether to write to you or not about this topic, a picture of you with Lokanath Swami appeared. I felt within myself that it was time to write to you....

ASA - Aaaah! Maybe that was The White Witch (Radha) and The Good One (Gopal, who always takes care of His calves and cows).

Maharaja, I wonder how can I be part of an institution that supports and endorses a man accused of abuse an 11 year old girl, who is a spiritual master, Sannyasi, who speaks of Krsna, who represents Prabhupada, who preaches love?

ASA - You can't, I wouldn't.

1. We mentioned before that we heard from Srila Prabhupada's lips that this is the material world. There are problems everywhere, even in his temples.

Even in Braja when Krsna was personally present.

So, if we hear of problems in the institution, then we have to take action from our position.

I have seen some cover ups in ISKCON, but never anything that lasted or was too great. That is because the individual members have taken shelter of the Brahminical qualities and people that Srila Prabhupada has given us and acted to make corrections in the institution and its leadership.

Mother's Partys.

Zonal Gurus.

Rtivik.

There will be more and more. Srila Prabhupada says that it is a very old story, Deva/Asura, the gods versus the demons. In the material world it always goes on. In our institutional dealings we have to fight it as men, women, children, sudras, ksatriya, brahmanas... and keep a nice circle of friends.

There are many nice devotees in this institution.

You have to make friends and proper connections with them.

We can only help a little bit in institutional problems.

Take advantage of that.

Help us if we fall and you are standing,

but have a lot of nice friends in the institution and don't even hope that it will become perfect in Kali yuga (SD 1.17).

How can I continue to trust the preaching without questioning it, when some people who are in charge of it, are sexual harassers, abusers, violent?

Why, if we are not the body, if we are spiritual souls, do they give so much importance to being a woman, being homosexual, being black, white, Hindu, Christian?

I am in a woman's body and it is not easy.

HpS - No body is easy in the material world. Just different challenges.

It is not easy to accept some verses that talk about women in the scriptures. How in some classes they speak from racism, from homophobia, from misogyny. It is not easy to see how we are mistreated with words on a daily basis, with acts, with abuse.

HpS - Try being a Sannyasi for a few years and reading Prabhupada's books!! Ooof! He is always kicking, following the Acharya's, false Gurus, false Sannyasis.

They also kick False Women, False Homosexuals, False Black/White/Yellow people. Once we are devotees. We are real women, homosexuals, black/white/yellow people.

Just counting quickly I have five initiated disciples who are public or confidential homosexuals. O.K. It doesn't bother them or me any more than if they were heterosexuals.

Just have to adjust to the kind of body you have.

Radharani, Sita Devi, completely control There husbands, by love.

ASA - Regular Chilean society supports animal slaughter and divorce etc, no? So, I am ready to live my institutional life in any institutional religion which is better than the current ISKCON, but I have not found it. Send news, but really don't expect perfection from institutional religion. Expect it from practical perfection in the institution, based upon perfect personal relationships amongst the devotees who make it.

O.K. ?

It hurts me so much to see this in ISCKON. It hurts me so much to feel that we are no different than other institutions. I wonder what Srila Prabhupada would say, Maharaja. I wonder all these things because my heart feels sad. I feel really pain, Maharaja. And this pain hurts me deeply.

Please excuse me for writing these things to you. It may not be appropriate, and if so, I am sorry. I feel in my heart the need to express it to you, hoping that you can help me to understand all these questions; trusting in your wisdom, feelings, knowledge and being.

I am not trying to generate a controversy. I hope that those who read this blog will not feel offended 🙏. I express these questions from my heart so that you can help me to understand them, as I have not been able to do so myself.

ASA - Maybe ISKCON, the institution, GBC, is a bunch of pedo-homo-bestio-philes and I don't know it, but for 47-years now I have been working in the institution and two times ready to leave because of the problems that were supposed to be there. but after serious, serious, investigation I came to the conclusion that the administrators were just as sincere as was I and trying deal with their faults and the institutional faults.

Recently we went through accusations against a devotee in Peru. I spent hours, and hours, and hours, and suffered so much verbal violence to get to the bottom of the situation as a member of the GBC investigation committee.

We found out what we could as an institution.

We made recommendations.

We saw that so many people make accusations. Repeat descriptions of sins that they have heard, but very rare to find anyone who is willing to do the actual work of investigating things rather than just enjoying/suffering, the nectar of fault finding.

So, Hare Krsna.

Know the soldier next to you in the trench!

Look at the General from a distance, and do the best you can, and get a direct connection from Srila Prabhupada, and follow those directions.

The Witch, Putana, will try to kill our faith in the Institution, Our Friends, and Our Guru (Prabhupada), get past the witch by sincere love for Prabhupada and HIS Iskcon.

More than eternally grateful to you.

Your aspiring servant,

Bh. Nicole Silva

HpS - 🙂 👍