Letters to the editor

TODAS LAS GLORIAS A SU DIVINA GRACIA AC BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI SRILA PRABHUPADA!!

Acepte mis respetuosas reverencias querido Gurudeva

Si seguimos haciendo mangala arati los domingos en el templo, los sabados en casa; bueno los domingos es muy dificil para los devotos ir, casi imposible conseguir movilidad para Hunter a esas horas sin embargo la unica solucion es quedandose a dormir en casa de Madre Ramalila despues del programa de los sabados, en magala arati fijos estan Madre Ramalila y Prabhu Mahamantra,  Madre Lila Sri y devotos de afuera que se alojan para hacer Sankirtan, y para programa de Govinda y clase de Srimad Bhagavatam si vienen muchos devotos como Bhakta Hilda, Bhakta Fernando, Bhakta Juan, Bhakta Ursula, Madre Lila Sri, Bhakta Nimai, Bhakta Paola y  Madre Lila Mandali Sri. Claro que muchos devotos hacen Programas en su casa. Pero muy pronto vamos a tener un buen local para el templo,  se estan concluyendo los tramites necesarios para esto.

Porfavor disculpe mi falta de comunicacion, le aseguro que esto va a cambiar

Que el Señor Nrisimha siempre lo proteja

Su eterna sirviente Rukmini Sundari Devi Dasi
ASA - Hari Kripa! Hoy dia es anniversario de desaparacion de Srila Bhakti-siddhanta Thakura. Muy auspicioso. Buen dia dejar el cuerpo. Hay un templo de ISKCON en Goloka?

Tiene Sankirtan in Arrequipa? Banderas?
Volantes?

Muy hermos foto de Senyor Jagannatha. El estaba invitando nosotros ir con El a Vraja de Dvaraka!

Vamanos?

     Hare Krishna!

    All the glories to Srila Prabhupada! 

     Accept my most humble obeisances 

     Dear Maharaja:  

      After a series of catastrophic, funny and happy events i'm back on track on my service and my association with the devotees here at the Villa Zaita's temple in Panama.  After being here for 3 months (since May 30,to August 28) i went back to Venezuela for a month, and i had the opportunity to speak about Sri Krishna and Krishna's conciousness with a few people, the thing is these days people over there are overwhelmed by what is happening with the economics and social wreck due to the comunist goverment and they are caught by their own senses, not allowing people to speak to them about spirituality. I came back from Venezuela to Panama and i brought my daughter with me, she is attending to the temple and assiting in the service as well.

we've being here for almost 2 months now. I'm no going to lie, i had a very rough October, but i got back on track and now i've been attending to the sunday service every week at the temple, and i feel more and more connected every week. I'm moving to a place near by the temple which is going to allow me to be more involved, because where i'm living right now its far, it almost takes me two hours to get to the temple, but i dont mind because i feel so happy attending to the service.

Maharaja, i wanted to ask you something, i'm worry about my focusing, the thing is that is very hard for me to keep on track for some reason or another, i get caught or stuck in simple things while doing my reading or my chanting, and i feel bad sometimes because i feel that either i'm not trying hard enough or there is something wrong with my brain (i'm being completly honest Maharaja). I'm planning as you recomended, to travel to various temples, hope to get my legal paperwork here in Panama done to start traveling soon!  I hope to hear from you Maharaja. i've been drawing a lot too, i wish for you to see my art, if you want just let me know and i'll send you some art! 

Always at your service 

 Bhaktina Andrea (Joan of Arc as you called me hehehehe) 

HpS - ASA -- Esteemed Andrea, Hare Krsna!  I've forgotten the names of everyone in Panama. Our body is 70-years old.  It is difficult to keep this body and mind on track. Our disciple introduced us, no?  It was when we were in Chile?   You are graphic artist?
Your letter is very interesting.
There are good and bad circumstances for cultivating spiritual life, but because it is Kali-yuga things are so bad in so many ways!   The good fortune is that just by chanting Hare Krsna, Hallelujah.

In places like Venezuela get people to chant with you. Hear Kirtans. Take Prasad.

Keeping the mind on track is a very personal job. We all got different minds. Try different things.

The basic principle is that it is  easier in the morning, so get up early and get your rounds done.

What time are you getting up? Do you have a program like in the Temple in the morning?

Hare Krsna, Dear Gurudev,
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All glories to Guru Parampara.

Dandavat Pranam,

In my previous question I had refered the quotation from the same book of BRS tralslated by Bhanu Swami Sloka 1:2:295 and the citation is written in the footnot No. 69.

HpS - Aaaah!   Bhanu Swami.  I have seen little and heard from good authorities that it is a very good translation. Read it with the corresponding summary in Nectar of Devotion by Srila Prabhupada and you will become a great saint, greater Saint.

Last Sunday, I had narrated Srimad Bhagavatam sloka 9:11:6-18. In the last sloka 18, in the purport “After mother Sita entered into the earth, Lord Ramachandra observed complete celibacy and performed an uninterrupted Agnihotra yajna for thirteen thousand years”.

According to the calculation of Brahma’s year mentioned at Gita 8:17 what will be the duration of Lord Ramachandra’s Agnihotra Yajna of thirteen thousand years in our material calculation? There are some controversies in the calculation and conversion of material year of 13,000/- years of Treta Yuga in the calculation of Kali Yuga. Please highlight us from such blindness.

HpS - Oooof!   Tha would be hard for us. If He was living for 10,000 years then 13,000 would not be tht right number. I don't know the details. If it is Kali-yuga years then it would be 13,000/100=130 years.  We don't have any special knowledge on this.

Guruji! As You know, we have no Shiksha Guru to guide us in our Mandir or surroundings to solve such difficulties and whatever we have now, are all given by you only. You are the source of our strength. We are innocent, helpless, incapable, and useless to make anything in Radha-Krsna's services. 

HpS - Many nice devotees there, no?  Talk to a lot of them and then you can get good idea. Then for big problems, Srila Prabhupada talks about everything. Of course we help as we can!

We need your blessings for faster progress. Your each word is precious for us and I need to deep down to understand and follow.
 
Thank you so much Gurudev.

** Please let me know whether you are coming India during Goura Purnima in Mayapur or not? It is for our information.

Your fallen servant,

Yamunesvara Das

HpS - Hare Krsna!   Again, we are not coming to India for Gaura-purnima. We will probably be there for Kartika in 2018. Has your son found some job? Does he chant any Japa?

Hare Krsna! Hare Rama!

2017 dec 6
ASA-Encyclopedia; Guru-tattva, Confessions of an ISKCON Guru

We must confess that we have had a very deep rooted attachment to vanill ice cream. That is the kind of 'guru' that we are. No meant, no fish, no eggs, [maybe chocolate coated peanuts while starving while traveling], but vanilla ice-cream at times. That is a Madhyama-adhikari, no? He s(he)it has material attachments, but they are under some regulation and they are diminishing.

In the beginning when we were Brahmacaris, treasurer of the San Francisco Temple, we explained our problem to Bhakta Das, the Temple President and he said that it was nothing in comparison to the service we were able to give him and the Temple. Control our lust as much as we could.

O.K. but still we felt guilty. Under great pressure we could even honor quarts of the evil white stuff. Then a few years ago we heard H. H. Bhakti-caru Swami say that he had one time come into Srila Prabhupada's room crying, and Srila Prabhupada asked with some shock. "What is wrong"?

He replied, "Srila Prabhupada, I am so sinful"!

"What did you do"? !

"Srila Prabhupada, you are sending me to Calcutta for work and I am again and again falling in Maya and buying milk sweets, Rasagullas"!

He said, Srila Prabhupada laughed and said, "Don't worry, it will go away!"

We felt relieved that the situation was so similar to ours.

They say that Srila Prabhupada said that a B'cari should eat cheese only once a week, but then seeing how we Western buffalos were so weak without it he even permitted it daily. Of course, that does not mean it is good for your health and it will shorten your life, but cats and dogs will be cats and dogs, even for Krsna.

O.K. That's our greatest gross sin. We may all have deep seated addictions. They may not be so sinful but just need to be purified. We need to eat late at night, so we have to learn to eat potatoes late at night instead of pizza.

Any comments?

Hare Krsna! Hare Krsna!

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaj, 

Todas las Glorias a Srila Prabhupada

Por favor acepte mis reverencias

Muchas gracias Gurudev por responder mi última carta. En estos momentos mis padres se encuentran bien de salud y en el trabajo les va muy bien. Mi papá es un abogado exitoso y bien reconocido en su región. Mi mamá es enfermera y está a cargo de toda la dirección Académica de la Universidad Nacional de Ucayali.  Ellos están divorsiados pero son amigos.

Hace un mes renuncié a mi trabajo para postular a otra empresa. Es una mejor opción laboral y estoy haciendo todo lo posible para ingresar

Esta semana tendré varias reuniones en las casas de los devotos para iniciar Bhakti vriksha. Le enviaré fotos de las reuniones

Muchas gracias Gurudev por darnos siempre inspiración

Hare Krishna

Jagat Pavitram das

(LIMA - PERU)

HpS - ASA --- Muy bien.  TlgaSP. Espero que los centros de Bh. Vrksa expanden hasta ser centros permanente, Full Morning and Evening Program etc!   Mas noticias de vez en cuando!

Dear Guru Maharaja,

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

On this auspicious occasion of Vyasa Puja, I have no proper words to express my gratitude to you. Just this morning in Bhagavatam class, we read a verse from Prahlada Maharaja:

“My dear Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, because of my association with material desires, one after another, I was gradually falling into a blind well full of snakes, following the general populace. But Your servant Narada Muni kindly accepted me as his disciple and instructed me how to achieve this transcendental position. Therefore, my first duty is to serve him. How could I leave his service?” (S.B. 7.9.28)

I am still in the deep well, but by your instructions, I can at least see the process of getting out, and I have some determination to make it out in this life. Gurudeva, this year, for the first time, I experienced a little taste for chanting the Mahamantra. It was just a tiny bit, and it keeps coming and going, but it has given me renewed enthusiasm to move forward in Krishna consciousness, to see what lies ahead on the path. I know that I did not do anything to deserve this---I continue to struggle to be steady in my daily sadhana and to control my senses---so I am convinced that this is your causeless mercy.

HpS - More likely Srila Prabhupada's and ISKCON Bhakta-vrnda causeless mercy for the most part.

Indeed, during japa and kirtan, my gratitude for your instructions and affection becomes overwhelming. My faith is not yet strong, otherwise why would I struggle so much to develop nistha? But the enthusiasm is there, and I realize that nothing else will make me happy in this world.

Gurudeva, I owe everything to you. How to study Srimad Bhagavatam? Your mood and perspective in reading Bhagavatam provide the best example. How to attend the morning program? Your dancing and chanting during mangal arati are my main inspiration. How to give classes? I depend entirely on your perspective, clear analysis, humor, and striking analogies. How to control the senses? Your austerities in eating and sleeping are simply amazing. How to relate to devotees? Your humility, kindness, and personal dealings are the ideal example. Thank you, Gurudeva, for your Bhagavatam classes, kirtans, phone conversations, and personal instructions. Thank you for your association in Chennai, your instructions in Boise, and your caution about “Jesus Christ Superstar” in San Jose. I cannot repay you.

Guru Maharaja, I pray for the strength to follow your instructions and make myself steady on the path of bhakti. I pray that, when the time is right, I will have the courage to dedicate myself fully to Srila Prabhupada’s service. I pray that I can hear Srimad Bhagavatam in your association, eternally.

Your unworthy servant,

Radhika Ramana dasa

HpS - Thank you. Again, we are just like a stop light in Srila Prabhupada's kingdom, ISKCON, we try to do our duty but are not very good at it. So, All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Tell us about your Sankirtan this month!