Letters to the editor

Asta sakhi Devi Dasi Whatsapps us:

Pamho!

AgtSP! 

Hare Krsna Gurumaharaja. 

Prabhu Dayanidhi ( San Diego) tuvo un accidente el sábado, quedó muy golpeado, tuvieron que drenar un hematoma de su pierna, gracias a Kṛṣṇa no tiene fracturas, ahora se encuentra más estable, esperamos que hoy Lunes o mañana salga del hospital, tendrá que tomar días de descanso en su servicio.  

Él es un devoto humilde y no quiere molestarlo a Usted informándole, es un pujari muy fijo por tantos años y nos inspira, por favor otorgue sus bendiciones a nuestro hermano espiritual 🙏 

Vuestra servidora

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ASA - Hare Krsna!!!! Esperamos era una gran ayudha en su advanza espiritual!!!!!! We will text him!!! Todo el mundo canta un Maha-mantra fuerte para el ya!...... !

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeiscances.

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

On 23rd March, a public curfew was announced by Hon. Prime Minister of India, which was extended further as Lockdown and is still continuing today- on 16th May. Tomorrow, further notices are expected regarding it. Till now as many as 85,940 Corona cases have been registered officially while death toll stands at 2,752. No transportation is allowed with exception of some necessary items like – grocery, vegetables, milks etc. Almost all industries, commercial firms, trains, airplanes are closed. In order to facilitate the students and labours locked down in others state 15 special trains are running since 1st May. So, overall life is standstill for most of the people.

In temples, visitors are not allowed. However, devotees are utilizing this opportunity for outreach. Famous ex-Indian Cricket Team Captain Mr. Saurav Ganguly is supporting ISKCON Kolkata to feed 10,000 people prasadam every day.

Link- https://sportstar.thehindu.com/cricket/coronavirus-covid19-relief-sourav-ganguly-iskcon-kolkata/article31257030.ece

Similarly, ISKCON Delhi has been supporting government by providing prasadam for lacks of people everyday. Delhi Chief Minister appreciated his work of ISKCON.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/divine-service/article31384031.ece

Devotees in general are utilizing this time for increasing their sadhana and also conducting online classes practically everyday and discussing Krishna-katha. Now, in this lockdown, no one is able to put excuses like- ‘I am busy’, and hence participation has increased. Also, regular devotees are becoming more fixed up in their individual sadhana, since there is no travelling. From devotees point of view, I feel this lockdown has helped many to become more serious in their individual sadhana. Also there are ample opportunity to undergo different e-cources being conducted by different temples and thus deepen their understanding of bhakti.

Devotees are taking this opportunity in positive spirit. Of course amongst most miserable are those who are addicted to intoxication and not getting anything in this tough situation. The crime has reduced to practically nil in India while ‘in-house’ quarrels are in rise than ever.

I have been in Haldia since last 2 months. It’s a small village near the oil-refinary factory of Haldia. These days have offered me wonderful opportunity to go deeper in my own sadhana. I am able to regularize my sadhana and increase it. Devotees here organized a yagya on Sri Nrisimha Chaturdashi for protection from Lord. It’s just unimaginable to be in such a situation. 

Your servant,

Purushottam Keshav Das

HpS - Jaya!!! Please send an update like this here!

Hare Krishna Maharaja

le ofrezco mis humildes reverencias,

todas las glorias sean para Srila Prabhupada,

le saludo de la comodidad de una casa en pandemia,

esperando que se encuentre libre de todo mal que pueda afligir su cuerpo,

HpS - TlgaSP. Gran honor oir de Vd!!! El cuerpo es mal!

le quería informar que estoy siguiendo los 4 principios y cantando 8 rondas diarias, aprovechando este informe me gustaría pedirle alguna instrucción para aumentar mi conciencia espiritual en estos días de cuarentena, sin mas que agregar y esperando que se encuentre bien me despido, Hari Bol.

HpS - Hare Krsna, Hare Rama. Basicamente canta Hare Krsna, mas y mas. Muy simple. Esta Vd. estudiando en la escuela secular???????

AGTSP, PAMHR

Dear Guru Mahajaraja, here Madhu from Chile.

I hope you are doing very well in these days of a Pandemic.

I will try to report my last 10 years:

I had to abruptly leave ISKCON about 10 years ago more or less.

After the JPS Stroke I was left without protection from GBC, RGB and TP attitude towards me, even came a point where I even received physical violence in the form of kicks from an very senior administrator.

Many spiritual leaders publicly cut me off from verbal and social association in a systematic way from Chile, even using Photoshop, invented that I drugged myself and bathed naked with many women.

We were with Panchali for very lonely and sad years, but it was an incredible training for what was to come.

Five years ago we officially started our activity in Krishna West together with HDG, who has given us a lot of confidence and inspiration.

Today we manage many KW programs in Sudamerica together with Panchali, KW Mexico, and KW Chile.

We call our KW program in Chile Bhakti yoga Club. In this project that we started completely alone, Panchali and I have already made 120 new bhaktas in the last year of which about 20 chant 16 rounds or more and many several people chant a few rounds daily.

To summarize here is a list of the programs we run and maintain:

• 6 BV cells
• morning japa 5 am every day
• Bhagavatam 8 am every day
• Bhagavad gita in the evenings 3 days a week
• YouTube TV channel
• International distribution magazine, "Ekadasi Times"
• Home Schooling Education Program for children. "Without Blackboard"
• Sadhana program for the afternoon 20 hrs. Monday through Thursday, this includes Kirtan, Japa, and reading.
• Workshops every Saturday on a Vaisnava topic
• Open talks for the society on spirituality issues every Sunday.
• Bhakti Yoga Club for Universities
• Member Care Mentoring Program
• Abuse prevention department inside and outside the community
• Active distribution of Prabhupada Books, this month alone we delivered 5 Bhagavatam collections and more than 40 BG within our community.
• Leadership training once a week

We are also promoting our future sustainable ecological project outside of Santiago.

I am also developing together with Param Padam Prabhu and other Vaisnavas, a Magister in theology to introduce in the universities.

In a future letter I will report the activities we are doing at the South American level.

S.s Madhu

HpS - Wow! Srila Prabhupada, Ki Jai! It is very nice to hear from you. You letter came to our Yahoo account, which we can't answer too much. We only use it for private discussions after we deal with things generally here in the Blog.

Please write here using the protocal mentioned in the Kapi Dhvaja.

There are many "ISKCONs", no? One is the institution with Temple President, GBC structure. If that is not correct then write to me, us here! Then there is the ISKCON that is the community of friends, and also the ISKCON that is our personal relationship with Srila Prabhupada.

Krsna West as far as I know is a part of the ISKCON Institution in Latin America.

In Kali-yuga Institutions are always with problems, but Sankirtan partys can be great.

How can we serve you??

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! All glories to you!

HpS - AGTSP!!!

In relation to this reply from you in my previous letter, https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/11216/, I have asked the temple authorities for a recommendation letter for initiation and they have stipulated a few conditions that i need to satisfy before issuing the letter.

I have to serve the temple for a few months with their digital initiatives like Newsletters and quizzes and also attend the weekly bhakti vriksha program close to me.

I have been doing both for the last month or so and hopefully, i get the letter soon.

I have also been doing the disciple course and i am about 20% in. Will try to finish it soon, maharaj.

HpS - Very nice. I heard from Srila Prabhupada in the beginning when things for me seemed to face so many obstacles, that "in the beginning there may be obstacle in advancing in devotional service, but one should go ahead with enthusiasm." I did it! Fall down, get up, fall down, get up!! Make progress.

I also got Tulsi Maharani from the Dallas temple, when i was visiting my brother in May, maharaj and i have been taking care of her.

HpS - and She will take care of us!

I have been chanting 16 rounds and following the regulative principles, although i have missed completing my rounds a few days in between as work has been crazy maharaj. Have been working 12 and 14 hour days regularly for the last 4 weeks. I will definitely try to make up the missed rounds.

HpS - Keep account. Krsna will NEVER punish us for taking the time and strength to chant 16-good rounds. He will be able then to link us to material as well as spiritual success!

I need some advice, guru maharaj. My parents have started talking about getting me married in earnest and i would be grateful for some clarity on it maharaj. I don't want to get married. I was talking to my brother, Srinath and he says that if i don't want to get married, then i have to go to an ashram and live full time as a brahmachari. But i don't think i am ready for that too. So, i am kind of stuck in the middle where i don't want to marry and also not ready to completely leave material life and live in an ashram.

HpS - Living in an Ashrama can also be material life. Mayavadis are materialists and they live in Ashrama. Spritual life is chanting and dancing, even while you are at work. Fingers dance on the adding machine keys as yoiu make monery for Krsna.

Get married, go to the university. These are practical decisions. Go to war and try to kill people and not be killed also. So we give a little attention to them and make decision.

Maybe good to get married with a good person. Give you both stability in life. Maybe not.

Real thing is to focus on 1st intiation under authority of Srila Prabhupada, and then can make practical decisions about the other things.

Maybe tell you parents that Srila Prabhupada never suggested marriage before Hari-nama Diksa.

Thank you. Nice to hear from you.

I need some guidance on how to proceed on this, guru maharaj. I will take your words to heart and follow whatever you say.

Your Servant

Sriram

Hare Krisna Gurudev: Pamho. Toda la gloria a Srila Prabhupada y sus seguidores fieles.

Espero que se encuentre animado cuando lea esta carta.

HpS - Su carta es la animacion! Desculpa poco demurra responder! Festival tras festival!!!

Estoy leyendo regularmente el blog (en el móvil me da la opción de idioma); ahora leo todas las cartas y puedo ver mejor el perfil de sus discípulos. Encuentro que todos tienen algunas cualidades mas desarrolladas que yo. Voy comprendiendo mejor la función del blog y hay muchos problemas o desafíos comunes que compartimos. También hace que nos sintamos mas unidos en el grupo.

Hace varios años (18 o 20?) me dijo algo en el asram del templo de Madrid que no he olvidado y que me ayuda a situarme en el medio ambiente: "Uno tiene que vestir según su edad".

HpS - Es un consejo de Chanakya Pandita. Pienso es verdad. Srila Prabhupada utiliza.

Para mí es una frase muy profunda y con un gran significado práctico: Además de tener en cuenta kala, desa, patra también debemos tener en cuenta nuestras propias circunstancias. Este mantra junto con "No pienses que vas a encontrar un lugar donde sentarte y descansar" han sido dos conceptos filosóficos prácticos que intento no olvidar y que me ayudan en mi desarrollo personal y espiritual. Gracias.

HpS - Eso es un sitio de austeridades, no? Vamos a morrir.... por Krsna o por nada!?

Puedo observar que lleva un ritmo de vida muy intenso y eso provoca preocupación o ansiedad en muchos discípulos. En mi humilde opinión no estaría mal reducir un poco el tiempo dedicado a la predica (clases,cartas, etc,.); eso aumentaría un poco el tiempo para la meditación y reflexión. Cuando viajamos a menor velocidad apreciamos mejor el paisaje o entorno.

HpS - Gracias. Tratando hacer lo. Hay otros cambios con la edad mas que energia.

En cuanto a mi sadhana personal lo mas resaltante es que mi objetivo sigue siendo volverme un devoto puro para poder ser mas útil en la Misión del Swami Bhaktivedanta, en esta vida o en la siguiente o en ambas.

San Pedro de Álcantara le decía a sus frailes: " Si ayunas lavate la cara", (para que nadie note tu austeridad). Así que he comprobado que cuando comparto cualquier austeridad que hago con los demás, maya viene y me golpea poniendo circunstancias adversas o relativizando mi fuerza. A veces yo golpeo a maya y a veces maya me golpea a mí. Es cierto que con la edad los sentidos pierden fuerza de forma evidente, sobre todo en el plano burdo, pero aún estamos resolviendo conflictos con los sentidos.

Dejamos mas disertaciones filosóficas para otras intervenciones.

Sin mas, se despide su sirviente (algo torpe)

Jayanta das.

HpS - Gracias. En la Biblia dice: Cuando hagas austeridades y ayunos, no salgas con cara larga, más bien haz tus austeridades en tu armario y Dios, que ve todas las cosas en privado, te recompensará en privado.

Muy hermoso, no???

Ya, no tiene que ser mensenjero para el Estado, puede comensar ser mensenjor por Krsna. Puede escribir mensajes para Krsna!