Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna Gurumaharaja, please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! 

So nice to hear from you and to be connected through this blog platform once again. Though I feel like I’m with you in the morning program and I have the great fortune of following your activities on Facebook and Twitter. But It’s always like a bolt of lightning when receiving your personal messages. A reminder of the ultimate goal of life and a clear picture of where I am at, simultaneously. There’s quite a gap. It’s encouraging and humbling in one shot. 

Yes, the community here in general is like an upside down and distorted version of what I think real community might be. And no one knows each other, it’s true. Everyone in their own isolated box of comfort, “pleasures” and miseries. Reminds me of that quote: “most people are living out quiet lives of desperation”…while saying: “I'm doing good”. 

HpS///ASA - AgtSP. Paoho. T. S. Elliot.

We long for village life and more association with devotees but at the same time are dealing with our own rugged individualist tendencies and contaminations.

HpS - That's the American Way, no? John Wayne, James Bond.

Despite all of that I find many moments throughout the day of clarity and connection to you. Started a Japa call for a few new Bhaktas: Braxton, Connor and Jack. They join almost every morning at some point in a two and half hour long duration. Getting most of my rounds in before breakfast and before the baby terror wakes up. Yamuna is advancing though but we can’t tell if she’s a great devotee or a great demon sometimes ha ha..

ASA - Can we be both?? 🐵

I’ve been giving talks every Thursday on Vaisesika Prabhu’s new book: The Four Questions. And then every Friday Anadi and I have been doing a class on Nectar Of Instruction using your Tava Pache Pache for Power point inspiration and discussion points. People have been engaged. Thank you for this commentary and for inspiring us to do this. 

Govardhana Puja was really deep and not a huge turn out but a quality crowd. I’m still working on our hill and making artful signage in yellow, red and the perfect green. I almost don’t want to finish it because then it could come to life and then I would really have to surrender! Ha ha and yes making it higher and charging people to commit transcendental suicide off of it is a good idea! Some wild preaching that would be. 

There is so much more I want to tell you but I don’t want to be too long winded. 

Thank you, Maharaja for everything and for remembering me. Been feeling a new level of conviction about this process and it appears Krishna is taking many things away from me to keep me out of trouble. It is all due to your mercy and kindness. 

Your aspiring servant, 

Nitisara Das

P.S. I’ve invited Balabhadra Prabhu and his good wife to our house for pizza on the 14th of December. Thank you for this great idea and chance to rekindle our relationship. Pizza prasadam can do amazing things..Jaya!

HpS - Wonderful! Wonderful. So, often these chasms between devotees are just misunderstandings, no? 🍕

🍕 ... 🍕...

Thank you.

We are packing to leave at 4.30PM for a home program.

Really have a full program here in Richmond.

Pretty constant chest moans now. Little higher pitch. Key of C-major. 😄

Yet, pulse is pretty regular and strong.

Hare Krsna.

We all must be ready to go, catch the magic carpet, take our place on the great mandala, as it passes through our brief moment of time, but also, continue to see practical plans developing from our Kirtan, no.

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna...

See you all soon.

Hare Krishna, dear gurudeva. Pamho, AGTSP!

On this occasion I want to deeply thank you for your inspiration for my spiritual life and my particular mission in ISKCON as the day of your glorious appearance approaches.

Your commitment to education, the purposes of ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada's books are admirable.

Seeing and following your commendable mission, I have no choice but to try to follow the dust of your lotus feet, tava pace pace. You follow the footsteps of your spiritual master and I trying to follow yours.

Therefore, my commitment to education has also been possible thanks to your inspiration and constant support. You were very close to me in my most difficult moments in ISKCON. And I continue in ISKCON because you also continued in ISKCON in very difficult times.

After researching, trying to teach in regular schools, studying for my master's degree, I discovered that Krishna wanted me to dedicate myself to teaching devotees. Supported by the merciful devotees of Chosica, especially Prabhu Karuna Krishna and Mataji Nitya Kinkary, I continue my work as a teacher of the official ISKCON courses.

In that regard, I have the challenge of trying to help ISKCON Chosica to become a Bhakti Vaibhava examination center. First I have to finish my qualification through the BVB exam that I am seeking. All this can be achieved through the mercy of Atul Krishna Prabhu with whom I have been talking about it.

It is worth mentioning that my relationship with Prabhu began this year when I was part of a BOEX group dedicated to developing question banks for various ISKCON educational programs. In reality I fell into it by your causeless mercy. I always wonder what I am doing in the midst of such an exalted group of devotees. I think basically learning.

You have always supported me to develop in my mission from the beginning. I was your student of Bhakti sastri, then of Bhakti Vaibhava, a more or less informal program, which we can now formalize if we manage to obtain the BVB examination center for ISKCON Chosica.

We also studied practically the entire Srimad Bhagavatam, up to the 11th canto, and for some time now we have also been studying Caitanya Caritamvrta.

I see myself as your eternal student. My small contribution as a teacher is based on what I learn from you, whom I constantly refer to in my classes. Your contribution to ISKCON education is truly great.

Your auspicious Vyasa puja has inspired me to write this, because you are truly a representative of Srila Vyasadeva who, seeing the advent of Kali yuga, dedicated himself to writing for the benefit of the confused souls of this age.

Please allow me to be a humble bearer of your legacy. Bless me to be a good disciple and may you be proud of me. And when it is your turn to leave this world, go with peace of mind, confident that there are devotees who follow you in your great mission to satisfy Srila Prabhupada and who wish, like you, that IKSCON's education be solid so that this great institution, the sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya, is sustainable in time and space.

Your servant,

Laksmana-agraja das

The LAD

HpS - ASA - AgtSP. Thank you. Whatever we have done is at least 99.999% Srila Prabhupada, shielding us and drag, drag, dragging us along with out material attachments.

Eg. To many popsicles.

I take your appreciations as appreciations of him.

I also very, very, very much appreciate your determinations in these matters. In very challenging circumstances you have stayed with Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON and ISKCON Education.

Thank you.

Besides Karuna and Mataji, seems the second half of the orange also deserves a lot of credit, no? Has Mataji, R. Reti Devi Dasi also been an essential element in your ability to do you service?

Then, we only hope that you are acquiring other connections to Srila Prabhupada than just us.

We would feel very happy if we had a Maharaja Bharata et al falldown and you left Srila Prabhupada's ISKCON because of that.

You experience his personal presence in his books also???

Hare Krsna, All glories to Srila Prabhupada, Please accept my obeisances.

we always think that what should we write . Then we are reminded Brothers Ass might have eye pain/head ache. HpS has anyway given a lot for lifetimes.

but are seeing that many letters are getting, finally we decided to write as formality

so now we are struggling to cook by ourselves

ASA - 👍

and due to which the body is not able to withstand long hours and it is erratic. four rules are intact for 16 rounds are some how are going.

somehow managing our job in the litigation process hearing the Vrindavan Sadhu a lot because we have lost sort of reading ability and the concentration for it as of now. Thanks for being there.

HpS - Thank you!!! Do hope that you are experiencing real tangible results from all this effort. As long as we are chanting "Hare Krsna" we are making progress. So, you must have made progress!

It builds up.

We do become happy.

Sadhu is speaking in Hindi?

Go you your next letter.

Dear Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances.

Jay Srila Prabhupada!

I hope this finds you well.

HpS/ASA - AgtSP! 12.08AM here in ISKCON RichMond (Mound), Virginia.

"This body does not get diseases, body is a disease", SPawhh.

Thank you.

Regular eye, ear, throat, mind and now heart problems, but especially allergy reaction.

😃

Yet, we have your association!👍👍👍

I would like to get your guidance: I go to bed at 8.30pm every day and try to wake up at 3am, but I wake up at 1.30am or 2am (don’t need more sleep) so I sleep 4h30min-5h daily.

Is this unhealthy for the body (to sleep 4h30m) in a long term?

Thank you.

Your servant,

Bhadra Rupa das

HpS - Thank you for posting this here. I am sure that many more people are interested in this topic.

We are hardly authorities in this area but we can make our little, little, comment:

1. Our doctor, NgD Prabhu, always suggests long enough period of continuous rest. Guess you and I got that with at least 4-hours of rest at night.
2. Prabhupada says that the real, Rupa Goswami, standard is one (or two) hours a day with Snaps (short naps). Of course, he also says that we (most of us) are not Rupa Goswami, and as far as I know, Srila Prabhupada said that he was sleeping maybe four hours each day, and at most five.
3. In BG Srila Prabhupada says that anyone who sleeps more than six hours a day is influenced by the mode of ignorance. In a Room Conversation H. H. Tamal krsna Goswami criticizes a devotee for sleeping more than six hours a day, but Srila Prabhupada criticizes his criticism by say, "What does it matter if he does twice as much work as you while he is awake!"
4. Finally this leads us to the distinction that we must sleep more if we are engaged in hard physical (or mental?) labor. We remember Srila Prabhupada saying (wrsp) that you should sleep for 8-hours before long term driving. Also, medically, your body repairs all the little tears to the muscle tissues etc. while you are sleeping. It is like all the city repair and cleaning crews going to work while the city sleeps. so, if you are engaged in physically stressful activity (like travel) then your body would need good time to repair itself.

O.K.?

🚙 

🚙🚙



Asa-e

[12/4, 1:27 AM] Tungavidya Devi Dasi: This is Tungavidya and Aindavi. Here Aindavi speaking- 

Gurudeva, I'm leaving today Radhakund going back to Houston. It's been a wonderful enlightin time here. During the past 3 months I've been doing seva for Giriraj at the sangam (a flower mala everyday) and doing seva for Giriraj at Tungavidya mataji's house. I have become very attached to Him. I have visited some Vrajavasi sadhu's house and they have told me that they can give me one Govardhana Shila only if I get the permission of my gurudeva. So here I'm asking for your permission, please let me know if it's possible.

[12/4, 1:28 AM] Tungavidya Devi Dasi: I'm begging for your causeless mercy to worship Govardhan 🙏

HpS-ASA - AgtSP, first serve Giriraja in Nila-madhava Dhama as you are serving Him now.

Then get His permission to serve Him directly.

DTC

Discourse

of a

Traumatic

Citizen

Dear Maharaja Hanumat Presaka Swami,

pamho, AgtsP!

  Responding on some of your ongoing queries with d’ Blog, some difficulties in the format for me, the flow, a bit quirky, jostling questions out of sequence. Since the blog is not always a linear discourse, it will be tricky with this old mind of mine. Regardless, a reasonable challenge and therapeutically appreciated.

  On the personal bhakti hygiene and regulated life style I’m getting consistent in japa, study and occasional rest. Hypervigilance with the mind does need proper engagement, or it wanders into the webs of digital and physical clinginess. Every morning starts between 2- 4 am, with japa and Mangal Arotika daily at home and occasionally at New Raman Reti, usually on special Vaisnava days (of course, they are all special), I will continue this regime till I’m longer here to do so... then wherever I may be.

  “Guaracandra” Prabhu is a friend and shipping supervisor from BBT in L.A. I occasionally order books from him; he posted the info on Maharaja Giriraja Swami.

  In our prior letter, you asked if I had a Brahma-muhurta project. Actually, I do, that is, if writing a “San Francisco Ratha Yatra Roadies” handbook is worthy.

ASA 🦍 🐒 🐒 🐒 perfecto.

  Hoping to complete the SFRY Roadie before this year’s Ratha Yatra, for my service is changing. Last SFRY I was returning the rental truck and grazed a car, year before backed into another. I'm getting too old to drive 25’ Bob-Tail trucks, plus, my bay-area edge is gone, I'm driving in Florida now. Granthraja agrees, so we will see what’s in store this year. The book will also help others who may get thrown into some service.

Thus far, I am fully engaged. When not on seva, I am working on devotees' home maintenance projects (Jagaraini and Akrurunatha are here now, along with Bahushira and his good wife), at least while I can. I am still trying to finish our own garden, and that’s on the back burner. However, I am looking forward to more home-based work.

I hope that this short epistle answered some of your queries, early and late. As mentioned, blog etiquette is a new thing for me.

Bhisma Pancaka Ki Jaya!

Hare Krishna! 

HpSwami ASA - Blog is like a group of devotees out for a Japa walk.

Your post is 👌

Like a peach 🍑

From a tree in Nanda Raja's orchard ripe for Radha.

Wishing you all success in your garden and Sri Sankirtan.

Don't be shy of very big results.