Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna Maharaj, PAMHO, AGTSP

previous report on node: 10327

i am writing to you because I was suppose to write you in two weeks. Hence I am writing.

i can see your austerity in preaching, traveling, meeting devotees, taking classes, consultation, organizing, etc....

i will be frank with you, we are tired and see any point in continuing Krsna consciousness the way its going, its just ritualistic. It seems the city life , city mindset and city job is sucking our energy. roughly 9 hours of work is a big problem it seems especially in Univ ambience and esp with the academic literature we have to study. We dont like to study that literature. We see futility of our existence devoting 9 hours to it.

HpS - You are intelligent guy. So you are probably right. It is futile, but is there a FRUITFUL existence. We got back to Tennessee. It was so nice to be 'home'. We had problems immediately. Back window was blasted out of the Mercedes. Had twenty five unanswered letters. One was from Social Security demanding a personal interview in June and then a cancellation of our old age benefits. Then the State cancelled our medical benefits because of that, but we are in our home so much easier to work on the problems. One day for Social Security. Benefits quickly reestablished and they say Tennessee Medical will follow auto matically. Then next day back window. Six hours of work but go it done.

So, we are facing problems too. Biggest problem was just like yours.

The second day back we were exhausted. Weak. Could only chant a few rounds, but next day some energy returned, and we chant when we can. It is work, but the result is so much interior strength, intelligence. Some times we have to chant slowly just moving our lips and tongue. Ooof, but if we put 16-rounds before any other priority all the rest will fall in place.

we live like a zombie, no one to talk to about devotional service directly.. Our violence with wife has not gone away. It erupts every now and then though frequency has decreased. Somehow can not tolerate her criticism and can not even forget dreadful past we had along with devotional activities. Wife was chanting but left it due to our mis behaviour. fought in front of kids, neighbors, parents etc

may be are trying to be too much of devotee in todays age and in our circumstances ( no example to look upon, no associate to reveal, non-offered diet, very little support from family).. may be just focus on getting mind control. thats it.

home responsibilities / no support / in-congruent academic literature is eating us. our body has broken many times, though strangely tummy size has increased. but feel very tired , demotivated mostly.

sangat-sanjyate kama

some days we can get our rounds and morning program done before breakfast. but other days thing are just dancing on fire/ fire fighting. tired body and mind. we agree we are living value incongruent life may be due to want of money.

we figure if want to live properly in our circumstances, need to wake up at 230, get 8 rounds and arti done before wife and kid wake up. then do little pranayam, exercise, reading, planning, misc activities, then study empirical or demoniac literature, then 9 hours office, back to home. we get tured a lot in betwee. office people can not afford/tolerate us resting in Office hours. by night we are dead. eat and sleep if fortunate and alarm working, get up at 230 again, otherwise just wake up before family todo mangal arti. but then chanting is missed.

we do think we can not continue to breathe this way, either of family/job/ rituals/body/mind has to change.

i know as sannyasi , you are not suppose to talk regarding this matter. but most of grhasthas have given up our case it seems. or we dont know the one till now, may be we are not sincere enough to get the one.

dont know even if we are making sense.

regards,

horse

HpS - I remember one time Sridhara Swami, Srila Prabhupada's esteemed Godbrother said that in all case we just have to go on. If the soul is really an eternal servant of Krsna, then it will react a certain way. We may doubt it and try to find success in material life. Cheap and become rich and satisfy family, but if it really is servant of Krsna, then all these things will be unsatisfying, though we may try to lie to others and our selves, but we just have to regroup our army, and go back after the problem

1. Get an Acharya eg. Jesus Christ or A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
2. Ask from him how to wake up.
3. Formally matriculate (eg. Prabhupada 16-rounds, 4-principles)

So, fix four rounds/day until your next letter and do them. O.K.?

hare krsna maharaj,

PAMHO, AGTSP

dont know what to write or report. but still as committed to write fortnightly report. We could see your problems you are facing travel with 72 years old over worked donkey. dealing with fools like us (preaching in western/western oriented world is very very difficult). Salute to your resolute purpose.

some question you asked in previous letter

1. Learning to cook for Krsna. Do you have a fixed number of rounds/day that you will do until the next report?

now our family is staying with us in bodh gaya. so we are not cooking. may be it is a mistake. we dont know much to cook. can cook only rice based dishes or dishes which can be fried. one maid comes in morning cooks for afternoon and morning, and then wife cooks for evening.

our target is 16 rounds a day. but this week we fizzled out. fighting with body is tough.

2 How long will you stay at your present location?...

minimum one month.we have given multiple job interview, lets see if they materialize.

maximum, we dont know...

little hopeless for ourself (may be we are not trying that hard) ... good to see you that there devotees are there to encourage and take care of you, whatever way they can...

in nutshell i think we degraded from last report, may be not able to fix family in daily schedule.

tired of shooting in smog, need some breath/food.

horse

Previous report at node 10282

HpS - AGTSP paoho. It is just a benefit for us that you write with you news and effort. Now we will look at report number five. Then a few more letters and DTC for you et al. Obeiscance to the Parikshit and Mataji.

Hare Krishna Maharsh. La presente carta es para rectificarme en cuanto a un mal entendido con mi autoridad de Isckon Lima pues Prabhu Yamuneshvara nunca me ha obligado ha asumir el cargo de Presidente de la Junta Legal por el contrario se tratade una falta de comunicacion de mi parte con mi autoridad administrativa debido a mis labores y ocupaciones y considero superado todo mal entendido con mi autoridad de Isckon Lima y atendiendo a su atenta respuesta anterior prosigo con mi servicio, su seguro eterno servidor. Visala Das.

HpS - Jaya! Pero puede ayudar en la administracion. TlgaSP. Esperamos mas noticias de Vd. a veces!! La conciencia de Krsna es llena de sorpresas.

Hare Krishna, dear Gurudev.

Please receive my obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

I have not written for a long time, basically because of laziness and negligence. But I always keep your instructions in mind and they are, for me, my life and my soul.

ASA - Ha! Ha! Hare! But our instruction is to write some times! What do you have to say. It is wonderful seeing you in the FMP on line. It was wonderful seeing you in Lima!!!

Thank you, gurudev, for always being there in my difficult times and directing my service.

HpS - AGTSP!!! We are just sprinkles of his mercy!

The topic of ashrama change is already discussed personally, however, I want to inform the attentive followers of the Blog what has happened lately in my life. I do it to present a perspective. I do not pretend to be a role model of anything, in fact, lately I have been a bad example in that area.

It turns out that ten years ago I met M. Raman ret (spiritual sister from Chile) when she came to do some service in Chosica with an enthusiastic group of young Chilean devotees. At that time I was a brahmacari (more or less) and we acted respectfully. She returned to her country and we never contacted each other again.

In May of this year, I already wearing white, it occurred to me to contact her on Facebook. Then an interesting dialogue began that it didn't have when to finish. After a month of talking by wasap almost every day, actually every day, I realised that our friendship had turned into something different. I proposed to associate and she agreed. She also felt that we were surprisingly compatible.

Of course, the central point was, is, our spiritual advancement. We immediately begin to comply with the protocol and the appropriate vaisnava etiquette. First, ask for the consent, approval and blessings of the guru. We found it fundamental. There are cases that the guru finds out when everything is consummated, and sometimes the female devote pregnant. For the success of this important issue, first the blessing of the guru. Then we announce it to our respective authorities, then to the older devotees and friends, and of course, the family. We feel that without the blessings of the guru and the Vaisnavas there is nothing successful.

HpS - Is a fact!

The first thing I made sure is that Raman reti dd was serious is her spiritual life. She is. She quickly connected to the FMP, before she did it alone, but she was no longer alone anymore. Then we connect to the systematic study of Srila Prabhupada's books. She took the current Bhakti sastri group and is currently getting updated.

Krishna at the center is the success in a couple's life. We joined in a vanaprastha mode, a bit modern, sui generis, because we are both special people.

We are not going to build "our love nest". It is clear to us that we join together to improve our spiritual life, our sankirtan. To be better people, better devotees. She will come to live in Chosica if everything goes well.

Gurumaharaja, you always recommend to the couples to get to know each other 6 months to a year. As your disciples we are following that standard. She recently came to meet my mother. I will go in September to meet her parents. If all goes well, we should get married in July next year.

HpS - Jaya!

Dear gurumaharaja, once again, I ask for your blessings to be a good example and not to embarrass you. With Raman reti we have talked a lot about your ideas about Krisna's conscious partner. We are clear that Sita Ram is the royal couple, our Kings, and we are their mono-servants.

I also strongly urge the blessing of all the devotees who read this letter to do things well in favor of our gurudev and Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you all for your blessings and to you, dear gurudev, who are our refuge and guide in this world.

Your servant,

Laksmana-agraja

(M. Raman reti will soon write to him too)

HpS - Thank you! We, I , you, so many make some progress and then stumble from some attachment. Maybe too much pizza late at night, but Krsna arranges another chance and the next time or third time . . . solve that problem and move ahead, no?

We can only hope you and everyone rapid progress in waking up, because Krsna can use our help!

Of course, you have so many previous relations with devotees of all genders, ages, natures, and changing your Ashrama like this means that they also have to contemplate their new relationship with you and the esteemed Raman reti Devi Dasi. Whatever was real in previous relationships will always be real. We just have to include it in the growing reality.

Thank you.

Hare Krsna!

This is Acarya-nistha Das brahmacari from Chicago Illinois. This was a Sankirtan report from back in June that we had a little trouble posting.

I Recently got to visit Murfreesboro for college outreach cultivation efforts. Some very favorable students at MTSU and we held a small program with some of them. I was privileged to stay with Hanumatpresaka Mahārāja at his ashram for the weekend. I was deeply impressed with Maharajas austerity and simplicity. Felt like Vrindavan in Tennessee. Ecstatic tele- Mangla arati with Peruvian devotees, class, Kirtan and our greatest treasure Krsna Katha.

Mahārāja gave nice talk on BG 12.10 at the weekly Friday program on Bhakti vs Karma Yoga; very relevant for grhastas yet was surprised hardly any questions: perhaps the topic flew over some heads.. Thank you again Mahārāja and we’ll see how we can try to contribute to the preaching there.

Your aspiring servant,

Acharya-nistha Das

HpS - AgtSP. Yes, a little slow in posting. 😀 Two months. We have traveled from the Boro to Houston, Lima, Buenos Aires and back etc. How can we help you? What is your Sankirtan style???

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

Hare Krishna Maharaja

Here, in Santiago Temple, At rest by doctor's order. I want to recover to be more useful in the temple. The devotees have been very merciful with me, i'm lucky.

As I said to you, i will travel to Peru in October to serve you in the Education of Sacred program, I have already the tickets, and then, come back to Chile with you for more service, i pray for good health to be useful.

HpS - ASA - !!!

I want to tell you that in our yatra we start to do a census, is a necesary tool for improve our administrative service, to do better things for ISKCON Chile.

HpS - What things will you ask in the Census?

You asked me to do a good service to our yatra, until now, i have not done too much. I'm planning to be one year more in Chile to do the best i can, flowing your instruction.

I leave here a few questions:

• When we come back to the spiritual world the guru is there or he is still here?

HpS - https://vedabase.io/es/library/sb/4/12/32/

• When your enter to the spiritual world you become a liberated soul?

HpS - https://vedabase.io/es/library/bg/14/20/ and https://vedabase.io/es/library/bg/14/26/

• How often comes to the Earth planet Lord Gouranga?

HpS - I do not know the exact answer but please look here and tell us what you find: https://vedabase.io/es/library/cc/adi/3/

Thanks Maharaja.

Hare Krishna.

Piero Saavedra Torchio - ISKCON Chile

HpS - Thank you Bhakta Piero. Guess your mobility impairment is arrangement by Krsna for you to use your legs less and your brains and hands more?