Letters to the editor

Please accept my respectful obeisances at your lotus feet that dance eternally in the Sankirtan of Sri Gauranga!

HpS/ASA - We, agtSP, are very disturbed by such descriptions of us... 😥 we are just humble devotees trying to make progress in Srila Prabhupada's movement. Hmmm. His Sankirtan is our focus, and we have some qualities.

Thank you!!!

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!🙏🙇🏻‍♀️👏💐🌺

All Glories to You my Gurumaharaja! 🙏💃🏻💖🌺

I hope you are very happy today in your eternal relationship with Govinda💖❤️🎵

HpS - Actually not much in our eternal relationship with Krsna. More in our current relationship with Krsna, through Srila Prabhupada, ISKCON, as a very sick patient in the clinic.

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna.

80% proper diet.

Fortunately some mail that we can answer!!! Thank you and very soon, go to the evening program in the Temple!!!

Last Ekadasi I was able to record this song, which I wrote many years ago, 2000 I think. I edited it today. There are some errors in the noises you hear, but sometimes it's hard to find a moment when there's no noise at all. I'll try to improve😅

" I want to Get To You"

🎵I want to get You💖

I want to see you dance

To be able to see you play

The transcendental flute🎼💖

🎼I want to get You💖

My supreme destiny

I want to get You

And for there to be no more mourning🎵💖

🎵I want to get You💖

I want to see you walk

Play with the gopis

And see your smile🎵💖

🎼I want to get You💖

To dance for You

I have no more reason to live

With me here🎵💖

🎵 I want to Get You💖

I want to see you graze

Together with Balarama

To the transcendental cow🎼💖

🎼I want to Get to You💖❤️

A thousand times towards You

A thousand times

Towards You

Only towards You

I will reach...

I will!🎵❤️

I hope you like it. It's a song I wrote with much love for Govinda. Although many years have passed since I wrote it, it's always heartwarming to sing it. It's all thanks to you🌺💐🌺💐🌹🌺💐🌹🌷🎈👣🙏🏻🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

Here is the YouTube link:

https://youtu.be/6O7E4iJW5Wc?si=2A5Q29HHhSeD8xBV

https://youtu.be/DsMjGT4he_s?si=bcWcaUbiFG-fy1My

I sang it in English for you. One video has no subtitles, and the other has Spanish and English subtitles😅🎼🎵💖

trying to please his beautiful heart of lotus ❤️💖🪷Gurudeva

Japa Prati Jalpa Radha Devi Dasi 🙏🏻🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🏻🙇🏻‍♀️🙏🏻🙇🏻‍♀️🎵💃🏻♾️

HpS - It is hard for us to listen because we are such materialists.

Recording the Prayers of Queen Kunti in Spanish after reading them and contemplating them very nicely might seem to be better, no?

Even recording them with some other devotees!!!

Thank you!!!!

Flying to Nashville tomorrow!

Thank you!!!

From, agtSP, Divya-nama Das, Temple President, ISKCON RichMond, Virginia, USA.

Respected Srila Hanumat Presaka Swami Maharaj,

Please accept our humble and respectful obeisance at the dust of your lotus feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!!

HpS - In this body, agtSP, we are aspiring for maybe properly tended human feet, yet in our Svarupa I guess that both you and I may have lotus feet, if not lotus hooves.

Maharaj, your mercy, blessings, and guidance is always a beacon for our services to Srila Prabhupada at ISKCON Richmond Yatra. We often remember your clear and exact prediction for us to have a full-fledged beautiful Temple that will serve and nourish tens and thousands of people in Richmond and near-by areas, in their spiritual journey.

For your pleasure, we would like to share some of the major developments that have happened in the past 8 months or so, since the last visit of your Holiness.

HpS - Thank you, THANK YOU, T H A N K Y O U! Our visit was a landmark in our life. After that we posted into our Base Camp at Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and then we have ended up for eight months, Camped here in ISKCON Houston.

Tomorrow we will be back in Tennessee for three weeks.

Then we have a Campsite reserved 13th September until maybe 23 December.

1. Since for any major project, the first thing that is required is water. We had a well with limited supply of water. We recently completed a well project which took us about four months to acquire permits, drill a new 350 feet well, install a commercial grade water pumping system with 119 Gallons of Pressure tank and 500 feet of pipeline with water outlets in our residential building, barn area, and garden area. Now we have enough water supply all over the property. 

HpS - Does it pump continuously or do you pump for some time and then have to let the water build up at the bottom again? How much can you pump a minute if you are pumping continuously??? Thank you.

What is the seasonal rain like?

2. Since our Temple inventory has grown exponentially, we recently added a 10x40 feet storage container, which will house all our festival related items, books, gift shop and other inventory. We are constructing 80 feet wide storage racks for the same.

3. In preaching and outreach activities - HG Radheshyam Prabhu visited us in April this year and under Prabhu's guidance, since then, we have conducted multiple outreach events, which attracted over 200 potential new devotees from the Richmond area. With that we are planning to start two new weekly programs in Mechanicsville and Westend areas. HG Radheshyam Prabhu will be coming again in September.

HpS - Super. I have one associate in Santiago, Chile, he has been working professionally in Social Media for years, and apparently he never had any trouble getting a lot of new people to come for events in the city of santiago, but the bottleneck was receiving them properly once they came for the specific event and then later programs.

Your news is great.

4. We have also reinitiated the college preaching at VCU. On average monthly twice a group of devotees goes on Book distribution in the university area and connects with VCU students. We are also in process of starting a Bhakti Yoga Club there under guidance of HG Radheshyam Prabhu.

5. Maharaj, this year we had one of our grandest Janmashtami Festival, where we served around 2500 guests. Some of the highlights of the festival are:

 - Around 500 of Srila Prabhupada Books were distributed to include 119 Bhagavad Gitas and 1 SB set

 - Around 2500 plates of free Prasadam was distributed

 - Around 100 families did some sponsorship for the festival and participated in Kalash Abhishekam, Aarti and Archana

 - Around 250 platters were served at Govinda's

 - Other highlights included Diorama Radha Krishna Deities, Gopi Dots, Gift Shop, Jhulan, Cultural Program by kids etc.

6. Recently, one devotee from Phoenix AZ, who is a professional Architect came to visit us and look upon the Temple Property. He will soon start to work on a conceptual site plan, to provide a vision of our Temple Project.

Maharaj, all of this was possible because of Srila Prabhupada's mercy, blessings of your holiness and other senior Vaishnavas, and collective devotion/selfless service of the devotees here at Richmond. We sincerely pray at your lotus feet to keep us under your divine shelter and empower us to be an instrument of our Acharyas. We have a long way to go..

We beg your blessings that we can sincerely take shelter of the Holy Names and avoid all offenses, especially Vaishnav Aparadh.

your servant,

Divyanam Das

HpS - Jaya! 😃 Jaya! Jaya!

Srila Prabhupada's voice boomed through the Temple-room in Berkeley, San Francisco, "The magic will not be done by me, nor you, nor any living being. The magic will be done by Krsna when we become pure devotees of KRSNA!".

Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna!!!

May this movement fulfill in great abundance the mission of Lord Caitanya: https://vedabase.io/en/library/noi/preface/#bb5769

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja!

Please accept these respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I'm still processing our week with you in Boise and my time with you in Houston. Intense purification and Fun.

Thank you for this perspective on the Trnvarta pastime song. Indeed the traveling minstrel, the observer is the perfect and natural archetype to merge into for singing these folk songs...And so fascinating, the aesthetic difference between Dvaraka /Mathura and Vraja. I’ve always loved simple folk music(American and Peruvian). But also have some appreciation for the sophistication of orchestra music and the English gardens. Being in Radha Nilamadhava Dham was refreshing and deeply inspiring.

While I was there I had a really nice conversation about temple presidency with Saranga Thakur Prabhu after the boat ceremony. He said 50 percent of the job is knowing how to take criticism and then he said Jaya Krishna Prabhu after so many years of this service said it’s actually more like 75 percent of the job.

So I’ve been thinking a lot about what is criticism. Of course we should be focusing on our own shortcomings and how to improve, more than on others. But then if you are in a managerial position it seems like that has to intensify(fixing yourself up) and so this is why the purificatory process speeds up? Extra mercy may be given? And can a neophyte devotee give auspicious criticism (three fold) according to Bhativinoda Thakur’s definition of that term?

One little/big improvement: We are finally starting to play nice mellow kirtan/bajans on our speakers at the perfect volume during the Sunday Feast while devotees take Prasadam. After wanting to do this for so long and hearing it from you so many times..something finally clicked. Little steps in the right direction but seeing big improvements and nice steady momentum in New Biharvan Dham.

Slowly but surely my service here is feeling like a personal project. Thinking of it like this is helpful, Maharaja. Like a song or a play..I’m wrapping my head around your instruction and wanting to take it to heart. Personal projects can be collaborative. The rugged individualist and isolationist in me kicks and screams sometimes but I may have him under control. He’s a lonely simple guy that is ultimately looking for something more. Not satisfied.

HpS/ASA - AgtSP. Achintya bheda abheda tattva, dictates that as we develop our own unique character, we realize how it is properly, proportionally, and eternally connected to our society.

you have to play your instrument in the band, but you realize so much of it in terms of the performance of the whole band.

Maharaja, can gandharva’s or angels help with management just like they help with creative projects?

HpS - I guess, so? I think Krsna takes more responsibility in inspiration for management.

Relationships between devotees doing service at the temple are getting stronger/deeper. It seems like Radha Bankibihari are in control. Supreme disrupters and mischief makers, always looking for a good time at any cost.

Carl Jung’s ideas on the psychology of addiction has been such a helpful barometer and jumping off point when talking with new comers and in our own self analysis. And I keep thinking it is by your mercy that we have this wonderful bridge. And specifically a great connection to NOI.

More news to share soon. Until then we will be chanting japa with you, for you and because of you..and taking part in the morning Houston SB classes on YouTube in addition to our own KRSNA Book reading..

All the very best with your Janmashtami celebration! Thank you, Gurumaharaja.

your aspiring servant,

Nitisara das

HpS - We take criticism in terms of NOI 4, 5 and 6.

Then we ask ourselves if it is really letting us see things that we need to improve?

Maybe we are not even the target. Maybe the people crticizing us are just projecting there enemies of torture victims on us because of our social role or other things. then we see their emotional, psychological and spiritual problems as we avoid the assault and take helping them as our service.

Hmmm! 🙂

Thank you for our association!!!!!!

We hope Boise becomes very ISKCON conscious.

Hare Krsna, respected and dear Gurumaharaja.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Please accept our humble obeisances, and we hope you do well in the association of devotees from Houston.

Many things have happened recently: my father in law passed away at home, accompanied by us and the maha mantra sounds all time.

This is the first time Parvati has lost someone very loved and she is going through her grieving process. At home, we are doing well thanks to the mercy of Sri Sri Gaura Nitay at our altar, which helps us greatly to keep our faith strong.

I also wanted to inform you that Caturatma and me have begun doing service at Sri Radha Madhama Vihari´s kitchen in Chosica on Sundays and please send us your blessings to be more in service.

HpS - AgtSP!!! paoho. Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna. Krsna Krsna. Hare Hare // Hare Rama. Hare Rama. Rama Rama. Hare H A R E! We feel so happy to see pictures of RMB. Who is managing the Temple? How are the festivals and Mangala arati and SB class.

By the other side, I want to share with you the information about the collection we made in Peru for your hearing aids. Through the mercy of Krishna we were able to join forces and raise $828 with the support of the following devotees:

Candramukhi dd ($108), Nitya Kishore dd ($83), Jana Pavana das ($20), Abhirama Thakur das & Maria ($101), Jambavan das ($308), Govardhana das - Cusco ($30), Jagadisvara das - Cusco ($20), Roy Ramananda das - Arequipa ($50) and Palika dd ($108).

Thank you very much for your mercy, Full Morning Service, your classes and many ways You always help us to keep in contact with Krsna and His devotees.

Your foolish servant,

Palika dd

HpS - Thank you for your news!!!!!

How is your Sankirtan.

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?

Dear Maharaj,

Please accept my most humble obeisances Maharaj, and all glories to your service to Srila Prabhupada. I am so very happy to provide some service in the form of articles to send to Abhiram Prabhu for the Solaris magazine. I am very glad that I can be of some service to Abhiram Prabhu and the editors of the Solaris magazine.

Thank you for your association and for involving me in some academic service.

Your humble aspirant servant,

Aja Govinda Das

HpS - Thank you! We hope to read your articles. We hope that Solaris is well formatted and distributed.

We would like to see articles that give our ISKCON, BBT, OCHS, BRC, BI perspective, but also give us links to other groups with whom we can learn, partner and help!!!

We are going to an evening program now in Boise.

Kama gayatri Devi Dasi's Brother's Yoga/Sound center.

Hope to share and compare with many sincere yogis.