Letters to the editor

Hare Krishna Gurudeva

PAOHO AGTSP

I hope you are in good health.

HpS/ASA - Ha! Ha! Ha!!! Jaya Srila Prabhupada!!! I bet our health is about the same as your's and Matajis: This body does not get diseases, this body is a disease.

I'd like to tell you that I completed my Master's degree in Cultural Management after a year and a half. I've finished the courses and submitted my thesis, and all that's left is to present it to the jury in October. It's been a very demanding period, but I believe it's been worth it.

I place this degree and the information I've received at the feet of Srila Prabhupada, hoping to contribute to his mission, although I sometimes think about how little receptivity there is among devotees toward ways of doing things other than the ones they know. Despite that, let's hope there's an opportunity to contribute in some way.

HpS - I sometimes think the same way, but then I think, that even in the secular society, the stuff we are trying to present would receive about the same reception. Intellectual, Masters, usually find that 90% of the world's population just want to survive kind of like bears with the same foraging for food, shelter and a little romance.

Terminator 17.

Son of Terminator.

Terminator Goes to Harvard.

On the other hand, I'd like to begin a doctorate in Humanities and Digital Societies, but it depends on my financial means. Aside from the fact that it's very difficult for me to put aside my interest in studying, earning these degrees represents better job opportunities in the academic field, so, if possible, I will begin those studies at some point.

I'm beginning the study of the Fourth Canto in Bhakti Vaibhava and reading Jaiva Dharma, published by the Gaudiya Math. The latter is a very beautiful book, about which I had little information, and complex as few others. Fortunately, I've found study guides online that will allow me to clarify very profound notions regarding dharma, for example. Srila Bhaktivinoda's literature is deep and written beautifully.

HpS - The only thing is to take these books Parampara. I think it is a Purport in CC where Srila Prabhupada comments that Srila Sanatana Goswami's "Hari bhakti vilasa" upon which our Deity worship and daily rituals are based is unecessarily ritualist, but everyone at that time were mostly Smartas and so he had to go with the flow of the time.

So, if we have good life in the words of our Acharya, then we can understand the works of the previous Acharyas.

I was looking at Narayana Maharaja (One Gaudiya Matha)'s translation and commentary on one very key verse and comparing it to Srila Prabhupada's and they both had like seven citations in their purports and five were the same, but Maharaja's perspective was tinged toward the importance of Second Initiation where as Srila Prabhupada's was toward the sufficiency of HariNama Diksa.

In my few spare time, I continue translating Dimensions of Good and Evil by H.H. Suhotra Swami. You mentioned that this is a third category service, which made me think that this is the kind of service I can do, at best.

However, Indira Sakti dd and I will go to Chosica on Janmastami to begin the photographic and documentary record of the temple. I hope to interview devotees of the pujari (Ramasundarya das and Vindhyavali dd) and compile material to present it on a digital medium for the service of devotees.

HpS - Very nice. I think that there are many Catholic people who would also like to see the contrast and comparison with their own religious life.

I say goodbye, reiterating my best wishes for your well-being.

Gandharva das

HpS/ASA - Seems to us that Srila Prabhupada was always emphasizing, though not singularizing, village based media.

We have seen that village based technology, like puppet shows, can reach a very high level of technical sophistication, but use local materials, generational family traditions.

We heard Prabhupada commenting that television was not necessary for common people. Maybe two, three dozen televisions in the whole world, I guess for Ksatriyas or something.

Hare Krsna villages.

How is your village life?

Are you staying with your Mother?

Is Pandita Daru-krsna Das your neighbor?

Hare Krishna, Siksha Guru Maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances; all glories to Srila Prabhupada; all glories to your good self for your own exemplary years of selfless devotional service; all glories to all the devotees of Lord Chaitanya.

My rounds are done this morning, and Bhagavatam class from Hawaii will commence soon. It's only now that I am able to find time to write some thoughts.

My mind is still occupied with recollection of your most recent visit to our home here in Boise.

As I had mentioned during prasadam, your association, along with the association of the other devotees present at that time helped to make our home into an ashrama once again.

It brought back memories very nice programs of hearing and chanting and prasadam with devotees very kindly blessing our home with their association.

Now it seems like we are strangers to them: the same Vaishnavas who were always welcomed to our home.

It's so painful that I can't really put it into words, and I'm trying to understand how it came to this.

I try to chant nice rounds every morning: sitting quietly in front of my altar, with my ears plugged for amplification between the ears, with incense burning, and some quiet flute meditation playing for ambience.

I feel very lucky to have such an domestic environment for my devotional service. A couple of Bhagavad gitas went out this week to passengers. One was a successful gentleman who seemed really lost in his life. He gave an extremely generous tip for accepting Bhagavad gita. The other was a girl who had an emotional breakdown, and seemed to be somewhat disoriented, as if under the influence of some drug.

She happened to see a copy of Bhagavad gita and asked if she could have it. I took it as Krishna saying "give it to her," and so I did. She was very grateful whilst she continued crying.

There is so much more that I want to share; so much more that needs to be said, but I fear that I will annoy you with a long drawn out letter. I can see from my own practical experience how my whole spiritual existence is dependent on the shelter of the spiritual master. Please kindly forgive me for my many offenses. Please don't give up on us: my wife and I. How should we live, where shall we go and what should we do if we lose such kindness, shelter and mercy?

Your lowly servant,

Balabhadra dasa

HpS/ASA - AgtSP. Dhrtarastra was painted as a very nice person in many ways, but he had some bad results from previous activities. Karna was also a great person. Krsna glorified him in front of Arjuna after he died, no?

In some aspects I feel that we are all pushed by Krsna to realize the He is our only friend.

Every other friend is just a friend in that relation to him.

Lettuce look at another Blog Post.

Hare Krishna Maharaja

Acepte por favor mis más humildes y respetuosas reverencias 🙏🏻

Espero que se encuentre bien de salud 🙌🏻

Soy Narayani Gaurapremi Devi Dasi, quisiera pedirle perdón por escribir en su blog por este tema que me involucra.

Es con respecto a la carta del Prabhu VGD, donde me menciona como su esposa, Quisiera aclarar que no soy su esposa, ya que estamos divorciados hace un tiempo. 

Yo debí concretar mi divorcio desde mucho antes, pero no lo hice por miedo a que se comportara como lo está haciendo ahora. A pesar de eso no me gustaría exponer los otros motivos públicamente.

Quisiera aclarar también que no ha habido ningún trato indebido con el Prabhu AMD, por el contrario siempre hubo respeto de su parte. 

Me siento muy apenada por haberlo involucrado en esta situación. 

Que nuestro Señor Sri Krishna lo proteja siempre 🙏🏻

---

Hare Krishna Maharaja, 

Please accept my most humble obeisances 🙏🏻 

I hope you are in good health 🙌🏻 

I am Narayani Gaurapremi Devi Dasi, and I would like to ask forgiveness for writing on your blog about this matter which involves me.

It is regarding the letter from Prabhu VGD, where he refers to me as his wife. I would like to clarify that I am not his wife, as we have been divorced for some time.

I should have finalized the divorce much earlier, but I didn’t do so out of fear of him behaving as he is now. Despite this, I would prefer not to publicly disclose the other reasons.

I would also like to clarify that there has been no improper conduct with Prabhu AMD; on the contrary, he has always treated me with respect.

I feel deeply sorry for having involved you in this situation.

May our Lord Sri Krishna always protect you 🙏🏻

HpS-ASA - AgtSP. Thank you for this gentile letter.

As we mentioned in response to his letter, as Sannyasis we can be involved in these Grhastha matters only with the help of participation from responsible ISKCON Grhastha men, so we have had some sincere communication with Vijaya and Ananda about involving such other devotees to distinguish reality from illusion for the welfare of all.

Thank you and hope your life in this Sankirtan movement is well also!

Hare Krishna, Dear Gurudev, Thank you for your time and for keeping a small reminder of who I am.

I deserve it, haha.

Yes, it was here in Spain. I haven't been to Lima in eight years. But I'm planning to go there at the end of this year.. I stopped dealing with the fines a long time ago; I now work at a Europcar car rental company.

A few days ago I visited New Vrajamandala, and thanks to a brother, I learned that you're located on the outskirts of or near New York. Is that correct?

On the other hand, what you say is true, except that insects, despite being much simpler or more basic, never act with hatred, revenge, or a desire to destroy for the sake of destruction, nor do they kill for pleasure, power, hatred, or ideology. Apparently, according to Fromm, it's a pathology specific to human beings. He identifies it as a tragedy exclusive to our species. Anyway...

Fortunately, we hope this pathology will transform into love, so today we have an altar at home again, with Gaura-Nitai, Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra, a small Murti of Prabhupada, your photo, and that of Bhakti Bhusana Swami, the master of my partner and wife Devayani.

The truth is, I'm a little slow with the rounds. I'm not even getting to 16 yet, pffff!!! But I think it's just a matter of time. There are also battles in the mind, right? How could I approach this situation?

Well, for now, this is my news. I have nothing more to say, except that I always remember you.

Is there still anything I can do for you?

With love and affection,

Bhadra Vardhana.

HpS/ASA - Thank you, Prabhu. AgtSP!!!!

1. Our Base Camp for many years was Nashville, Tennessee. It is rather far from New York. USA is VERY big. Nashville is like 2-1/2 hours by direct flight from New York. We have a movie on Vimeo about Nashville as a good place for a Teacher Training College for ISKCON. It is in the USA Middle-South.
2. We remember that Srila Prabhupada said that if the trees could walk, they would take over the world. Trees and bushes look so peaceful, some offering fruits and flowers, but we imagine that if we suddenly saw them transformed into human bodies they would be like crazy, lusty, savage brutes, ready to kill, eat, torture foe sadistic pleasure, everyone that they could catch and we would feel grateful that they were chained by one foot to the earth. So, this lust and destructive gratification in there amongst the insects, but they enjoy it almost like vegetables. They are FORCED to experience their gratification. Forced to give external good and bad products. Maybe some little Karma. We see vicious chimpanzee, dogs, though mostly dogs do not have the level of free choice like humans, but to some degree, if they have a good master, then they can be in the mode of goodness, and feel shame and regret when they have been greedy and lusty and angry, no?
3. Practically, getting back to 16-rounds a day, our Acharya's standard, he discusses it in one letter and even in the NoD. We have cited this many times and would like to have an Encyclopedia ASA, that collects all this advice of ASA, HpS, Monkey, Piggy, UG et al. Maybe six different GOOD devotees have tried to collect stuff and like us failed. Maybe Tom Brown can do something in his old age. Yet, in general, Srila Prabhupada says that if we try, we can get back to the standard. Even try to catch up the rounds we missed. He recommends fixing some vow that you really know with your honest introspection that you can keep. Eg. I will chant 12-rounds a day until Janmastami! Then when you mind whines and says that it cannot do it, you tell your mind, sit down and stop this whinning and do it! Then we get the experience, remember the experience, that chanting 16-nice rounds is the greatest thing I can do for money, Sankirtan, family service, health!!

O.K. Thank you. 8.54PM. We look at some of the Annual Reports and chant our Gayatri, sunset is like 9PM here, now.

We have been mostly Camping in Houston since December!!

Hare Krishna remembered GURUMAHARAJA! Please accept my obeisances at your merciful lotus feet🙏🏻🙇🏻‍♀️🌷🌺🌹🎵

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!! All glories to Sri Gauranga's Sankirtan Movement!!!

I have so much to tell you.

First, I'm sorry I couldn't contribute to the purchase of your hearing aids. And I also thought of Sti Sri Radha Madhana Vihari and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai of Lima Mandir. Of all the help you've given me!!!...!!! And I've never been able to send a donation to them yet...

It's funny... but I'm going to collect and give all the Lakshmi to my husband, whom I consider a good administrator. My two accounts, one with a bank and one with PayPal, are empty. The bank account, Franco withdraws whatever is there on the same day. And the PayPal account is only open for donations from my father, etc.

I'm thinking of asking for donations when I make my dance videos so I can donate something to the deities. I'm really happy with very little. I just need a lot of warm clothes in the winter and just enough prasadam. Since I don't save anything on my own, it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to make our trip to India. If I save anything, I spend it on butter to make ladhus for my ladhu, Gopal.

Since my sales are so small, my mother helps us with a monthly donation. But this donation for you came to me unexpectedly, and I couldn't contribute. I hope to be able to contribute in some way next month.

I think I don't know how to relate well with Mother Laksmi Devi

HpS/ASA - We have heard from cultured Indians that there is a general statement in India, that Sarasvati and Laksmi usually do not bless the same person.

So you can be a poor teacher, or a rich queen or business person, but not both. Of course, devotees do attract both Matas!

Guru pournima:I had never considered this before. Could you please tell me what I should do on this special day? I thank you so much, Srila Prabhupada, and our sweet Krishna every day... every moment, with so much feeling, for what you have done for me. My way of trying to repay you is that when I go to do the daily "collection," I tell innocent people about you! I think my face reflects my happiness, and people always start reading the books, and even several, or I don't know how many, have gone to the preaching center. This is my way of feeling part of ISKCON. For me, ISKCON is in the streets, in every person who is encouraged by my words to follow Prabhupada to self-realization. You are my big family. Franco and Gopal are an extension of you. Whenever I saw the devotees at harinama, I thought: there is my family! And from the first few times I read a small book by Srila Prabhupada, like Ecology and Survival, I thought: I want to go live with Him! I want to be part of their mission!!!

For years my feelings of missing you have led me to cry inconsolably, it's normal now I know, in a silly girl like me. Many times I have stopped watching your class videos so as not to cry because Franco and Gopal worried so much. It was bitter tears of disappointment, of knowing that this world will never be as we want it... because it is not our home... frustration of not serving you, seeing you, etc. But now I try to endure this because I love your classes and you as a person.

purusottama month: Please could you help me, dear Gurudeva? Last year, 2024, I saw on my Vaishnava calendar that the month of Purusottama came and that it lasted almost 15 days... and this year, 2025, the same thing happens. I like to do some special activity during that month, and I thought the month of Purusottama was last year, and when I see this year there are almost another 15 days of the Purusottama month, I got confused, because I know they are every 3 years. Please help me. Thank you very much.

Please forgive me for any unintentional offense in this letter.

her eternal servant, a tree? that can dance in Goloka😀🙇🏻‍♀️🎵🌹🌺🌷🙏🏻

Japa Prati Jalpa Radha Devi Dasi

HpS/ASA - AgtSP. Thank you all!

Why not develop some programs with local devotees?

Who are the devotees in your neighborhood. Within 4-hours?

Dances to illustrate Jaya Radha Madhava and Gaura-arati song, Dasa-avatara stotra, and Udillo aruna and Radha and the Bee are all great, no?

Hello Hanumat Presaka Swami.

How are you? Accept my obeisances

I'm Gopal

I'm your disciple's son and I'm currently living in Argentina

I like to make animations

I like to be a child

and I would love to go to Goloka

Currently I love languages

Accept my obeisances

Hare Krishna

HpS/ASA - AgtSP. Thank you Gopal. It is an honor to meet you. We have known of, from, you for quite some time.

Your art etc.

We really hope that you can be a great contributor to Srila Prabhupada's, Lord Caitanya's Sankirtan.

Please send art.

What kind of animation do you do?

Can we samples of how to do this on YouTube?