Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna, Gurudev Maharaja!
Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada, Sripada, and Guru Parampara                          Goura Bhakta Vrnda Ki Jay, Radha Krsna Ki Jay.

Dandavat Pranam,

I am so so happy to get Guruji's amrtabani reply of my previous question. It makes me so close with Guruji like siting together and discussing different topics of Sri Krsna and His expantions.

Now, we are not doing Mangal Arati in the temple due to unavailability of Pujari. But I am doing Mangal Arati in my home at 4.00 a.m. daily. After the pujah, started chanting eight rounds in the morning before doing any personal morning works. Reading books is also a continued programme for me before arrangement of going to office. In the winter office hour is 9.30-4.20.

The nine dvipas of Navadvipa parikrma are :

1.         Sri Antardvipa – Atma-nivedanam

2.        Sri Simantadvipa – Sravanam

3.         Sri Godrumadvipa – Kirtana

4.        Sri Madhyadvipa – Smaranam

5.         Sri Koladvipa – Pada-sevanam

6.        Sri Rtudvipa – Arcanam

7.         Sri Jahnudvipa – Vandanam

8.        Sri Modadrumadvipa – Dasyam

9.        Sri Rudradvipa – Sakhyam

There are different stories of all dvipas. Our forfathers said that Navadvipa is the same as Vrndavan. All places of Vrndavan are in Navadvipa and same values. Then, as Krsna never left Vrndavan even a step is there the same story of Gouranga Mahaprabhu?

HPS - I think so!

Krsna came on the earth in two places; one at Mathura, Kangsa’s Karagar and the another is at Nanda’s house. Thus Gouranga came in two ways? Another thing is “Gourang Mahaprabhu never took Sanyas and go for viksya and namprachar” how far it is correct? Please highlight me from these darkness.

HpS - Oooof!   I don't know such secrets now. If we go on chanting we will understand everything. I have 100-letters!!

Yours fallen servant,

Yamunesvara Das.

Todas las glorias a Sri Radha Krishna, todas las glorias a su Divina Gracia Srila Prabhupada Swami, todas las glorias a su Santidad Hanumatpresaka Swami. Amado Maestro acepte mis mas respetuosas reverencias. 

Si hoy tengo la dicha de escribirle es gracias a un devoto suyo quien es mi amigo Prabhu Anandamaya Das, y de antemano le pido perdón si en mis ignorancias de un aspirante a su instrucción lo Hiero. Estoy leyendo el Srimad Bagavatam en el segundo canto y creo que va discipando mis espejismos que me atrapan. Tengo la necesidad de una iniciación quiero si no es un falta de respeto que me oriente o me de unas pautas. actualmente donde vivo en Piura Perú, no tengo la suerte de encontrarme con devotos, tengo mi pequeño templo en una habitación y los domingos cantamos el Mahamantra con algunos niños que se acercan a mi y les gusta. Yo si me entrego por completo a Sri Krsna, pero derrepente lo ofendo mucho y esa es la necesidad de prestarle servicio a Sri Krsna. pero no quiero ofenderlo. Ojala en su proxima visita a Lima Krsna me conceda la gracia de su presencia y pueda escuchar su palabra. Atentamente un amigo que le ama José      M. Cruz Neira.

HpS - Hare Krsna, muy bien conocerle!   Gracias us carta.  Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna.   Krsna es una persona. Si rezar "pray" a El, El responerias. El puede hacer un a arreglo como puede pertenecer a un buen communidad de devotos.    Mas noticias en uno semanas por favor.

¡Hare Krishna Gurumaharaja!

Por favor acepte mis respetuosas reverencias! ¡Todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada! Todas las glorias a usted !!

Espero tener un feliz vyasa puja, el agradezco eternamente por inspirarme en el camino de regreso a Krishna a través de las enseñanzas de Srila Prabhupa y su propio ejemplo. Este año voy pudiendo cantar cada dia mis 16 rondas y siguiendo los 4 principios, espero ir profundizando en el maha mantra y que se vuelva a casa más dulce.

Estamos aquí hace unos días con la familia de vuelta en Barcelona, ​​estuvimos 25 días en Argentina de visita, ratha yatra, familia y tramites. Ahora de vuelta aqui, trabajando en una empresa de mantenimiento; las niñas van a hacer las cosas bien, el domingo al aire libre, pensamos que todo está bien, el templo se está haciendo más fuerte en sankirtana. Espero retomar con el servicio a las deidades del templo. mis reverencias

Su insignificante sirviente, gadadhara gosai das.

Hare Krishna.

HpS --  Jaya!   Muchas gracias sus noticias.  Mas en unos semanas. Detalles de su trabajo.

Dear Guru Maharaj,

PAMHO AGTSP,

Even though I'm not the best at showing it, I'm so grateful to have you in my life. I've been working hard to lay the foundation for the service I hope to perform in the near future, and I appreciate that in the meantime you've shown endless patience with me, and trusted me to make my way forward in life as best I can.

I appreciate that you go out of your way to be personal with your disciples, that each one of us can feel confident to go to you with our joy and our difficulties and feel accepted and encouraged and empowered to go on and become the best versions of ourselves we can be. Because you are truly caring, you are the best result of all of Srila Prabhupada's endeavor. Because of Prabhupada, my generation has access to personalities like you, who are the greatest asset to the human race in these dark times. People who are wise, and humble, and kind, and gentle, and honest.

Things are changing rapidly for me lately and growing more complex, just as I desired. So it's been difficult to know where to begin writing. Lately I've been thinking deeply about my relationships and feeling many things which are difficult to express.

It's been over a year now since I formally became your disciple and since I resumed my career as a working artist. Since then, a great deal has taken place, but I'll just recap a few main points:

 •Built up a new body of work in a new medium, consisting of over 1000 artworks in various genres, sizes, and styles.

•Created an online sales funnel with social media, website, blog, email list, and crowd funding profile.

•Conceptualized my creative process with artist statement, biography, and numerous letters and essays. I documented my work in physical and digital portfolios which I plan to self-publish as a collectible introduction to my life, work, and ideas.

•Experimented with network marketing and learned some valuable skills, although I went into debt to protect my customers assets when the business went under.

•Worked as an intern at a print/frame shop and paid off my debt while learning a new trade related to my profession.

•Assisted Baradraj prabhu in laying the foundation for a transcendental artist colony, and became acquainted with gold leafing techniques from him.

•Curated my first group exhibition, participated in dozens of other exhibitions at notable galleries and live events, and found a lucrative online market for prints of my artwork.

•Served the devotees with illustrations for books, albums, publications, and with transportation and storage.

I've been in a long distance relationship with a likeminded devotee girl in Dallas who is also a freelancer and an artist. We have compatible astrology and we get along well so I'm planning to move to Dallas soon to get married. She is a tutor and a ghostwriter for masters students so we look forward to delving into some research projects together soon.

My girlfriend Reivin lives next to the temple and her landlord is a devotee, so we will have very low rent, and between the two of us we will barely ever have to work to pay bills. My plan is to use online resources to learn as many instruments and languages as possible, to review all my basic academic knowledge through the ACT, to take free online uni courses on topics related to my art; to provide incisive social commentary which details how all societal problems stem from a deeper existential crisis, and visionary audio/visual explorations of utopian and dystopian scenarios that I intend to write, animate, and score myself with selected artist collaborations.

I'm currently revamping my online presence and designing an art series and product line around a new crowdfunding concept I'm super excited about. I look forward to being able to donate more towards your preaching efforts and collaborating more with other devotees.

I've got a long way to go but I feel healthy and happy, like I'm exactly where I need to be. I know that Krishna sees my true desire to serve and I fully trust Him to protect me in all circumstances. I feel blessed to be surrounded by so many saintly people, and I hope that I can contribute something of value to the devotional community. Thank you, Maharaj, for accepting the austerity of leadership. I hope I can serve you better as time goes on.

Your servant,

Ekāśma Dās

HpS -AGTSP . paoho. I could not read all this but scanned a lot. Of course, "get up early and get your rounds done" is the the enzyme that makes everything else work. Write again when this Vyasapuja mountain of mail shrinks.

Porfavor gurudev aacepté mis humildes reverencias, todas las glorias a Srila Prabhupada y guru Parampara.

Gurudev jamas recivi de Iskcom una queja sobre mi caso con la devota, solo recibi una sancion por 1 año y medio de las autoridades de Lima sin que me pregunten oh tenga una cita formal para escuchar mi version de lo sucedido. Esa clase de falta de sentido comun q tenemos en nuestro yatra hace q. Muchos devotos no esten inspirados y molestos con las autoridades de Peru. Yo estoy bien.porque vivo otra realidad ocupado en mi trabajo, servicio y relacion con los devotos amigos.

Disculpe mis ofensas mis reverencias a Ud.

HpS - TlgaSP. Pfanrh. La sancion es verbal o escrita?

Dear Gurudeva,
Please accept my humble obeissances, All glories to Srila Prabhupada

I am working in my small business, dealing with mi family, and my own self. I am taking care of two beautiful Tulsi plants, one of them got a parasite called red spider. I take care of it every day so its seems controlled, but not 100% perfect yet. 

I would like to ask you how can I deal with some philosofical interrogants. First, being materially contaminated by the desire of sense gratification, our idea of perfection may be very subjective and capricious. Of course things don't work as we expect and we feel pain, disapointment and insatisfaction. Although becoming devotees, and starting to understand better our position, still it is very had to stop feeling the same way all the time. How can we deal with our own ignorance and lack of spiritual realization, in order to tolerate our own limited existance.

HpS - Would say that the best way is to just cry, "Hare Krsna!"  "Hare Rama!" Do it a few times and you should have some clearer intelligence how to proceed. Has worked for us in very dificult situation. Have some patience but chant with enthusiasm and look for the answer.

And my other question would be, how to deal with the desire to understand the reasons behind our own specific karma and life situation. We have to go through an specific situation conditioned in so many ways, a situation that is not pleasurable for our sense and mind, and one would like to know the reasons behind, to understand better what are the kind of mistakes or offenses that putted us in a certain situation, but there is no knowledge, we can only wonder. How should we as devotees in KC deal with that?

HpS - Maharaja Bharata really knew why he was in the body of a deer.  If Krsna wants us to know then he can let us know. Even Buddha said, There are so many causes of our present situation. In Kali-yuga it can be very complicated. See if you can get R. D. Laing's book "Knots". Krsna tells Arjuna to not try to understand it. The history is so complicated. It might be like trying to explain Krsna consciousness to your grandmother with both of you on LSD.

I went to a therapy called family constellations, is it ok?

HpS - From what I know it might help. Like taking Vitamin D for some problem.

It is a lot about that subtle mess that is behind our problems and it aims to put some order to it so we can deal better with subjects that are painful in our lifes. I liked, I think it is serious as tecnique. But still I trust much more KC because the aim is not to live better here, but to transcend and go back to our service. I was thinking that any way this place is a place of entanglement, and things won't be perfect for too long. And in this age things are hardly anything close to perfect. How can I connect with a real solution for all this that is so humiliating and difficult. Trying to make this life good/pleasurable or understand how karma works is for someone like me more than pretentious. But there must be a way Krsna allows me to make my life succesful. I would like to surrender, but it's hard. I don't want to become 'confortable' and let life go through, it don't seem posible even if I try. I would like to be more disciplined, it is one of my most difficult challenges. but also deepness in order to give some meaning to a discipline. And I love my family, it not a bad place to live for a material standar, but I loose focus, and become more relaxed, or focused on material things, it can take all my time. 

I am sorry for the length!! I really needed to communicate with you and ask guidance and instruction. My brother Franco is comming for Chritmas holidays, one month. He is in his first year of masters. My mom and dad are fine, they work very hard, more tired and old. They are good people doing their duties at their best, but they are very tired and they have to continue for a while. As daughter I feel sorry they are not more fulfilled and happy, but I guess it is the way it is. I guess I cannot do anything else than trying to become devotee, right? In constellations they say that children shouldn't try to become parents of its own parents, it is unnatural, and give bad results. Parents should take care of their own issues, it is not the position of children to try to fix their problems. I may be a bit too attached to my parents, and my desire for them to be happy... I may be taking many unconscious decisions that are harmfull for my own development and even my KC in order to try to please them and make them happy in a material way.

Otherwise I am assisting Indira Sakti in her pujari service on saturday evening, twice a month in Wilson. I am doing sweets and decorating the cakes for festivals in Wilson along with Indira. And we are meeting with Juan, Lourdes, Tarangaksi, Rukmini, mother Isvari, Gandharva and Indira at least once a month. I am always happy to cooperate in all I am able. If not being a very good disciple at least always thinking and remembering that KC is the most precious think ever I have. Wishing sincerely to learn from you,

your servant, Nitya Kisori dd

*picture of our last cake for Srila Prabhupada's Disapearance day

HpS - Wow!  Long letter.  Nice.     Your analysis of the situation seems correct. All I can say is that you seem to be on the right path. Look at the letter to Subal-sakha today. He had same question and we answered as best we can. You are on the right path, just try little ways to speed up quickly, but be a little patient.

Cake also looks like the designer was on LSD!! Beautiful.