Letters to the editor

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

    Hope you are good in health and doing well.

HpS - Health of body is O.K.  Health of soul needs work!

    Introducing - Venkatesh Bhandary.

    Name : S Venkatesh Bhandary
    Date of current birth: 15th January,1994
    Current family: Based at Suratkal, Mangalore(40km from Udupi Dham), Karnataka state, South India

    Languages: English, Hindi, Konkani(Mother tongue), Kannada, Tulu.

    Upbringing at home was in a pious 'brahmin' family environment, Gowd Saraswat sect, a branch of the Madhvacharya lineage. But there weren't
    much spiritual inputs at Home, it was all pious rituals. Real Good fortune arose when he got an ISKCON devotee's association in class in 11th
    &12th Grade(2009-2011). Philosophy was attractive, but couldn't really pick up as he was still doubting if the organization was authentic. The most
    significant touch came when he heard from an ISKCON initiated devotee, HG Haripad prabhu(ACBSP) at a students program(26th January,2013)
    hosted by student devotees at Manipal, Udupi- That was close to his engineering college. Simultaneously, he got in touch with student
   devotees(C/o ISKCON Pune) at National Institute of Technology,their center was 20min walk away from home.

    As you confirmed over call for to share the blog details so I would forward blog details to him for his direct communication with you.

   your fallen servant,
  Girivaradhari-Gopal Das

HpS - Jaya! How is your own perspective?  Are you looking to take Sannyasa in a few years? Thank you for introducing us to a new friend!

Everything in your answers is perfect. Krishna. You know we were just thinking about our friend's dj name which is dj Gismo from Bomfunk Mc.. :) , yes we were talking about Gremlins, and my friend said we should watch it again maybe one day :) . You certainly have it!! HARE KRISHNA

HpS - ASA -- AgtSP!!!!!
[See the Watch]

Hare Krishna Maharaj,

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

Following is the summary of 1.3.1 and 1.3.5 as discussed this Sunday.

Verse summaries:

V1: 

• Describing Karnodakasayi Vishnu and 16 principles .
• Living entities are predominated enjoyers.
• Mahat tattva is a cloud in the clear spiritual sky of spiritual world.

V2:  

• Into each universe Lord enters the Garbhodaka Sayi Vishnu.
• Lotus stem that comes from the navel of Garbhodaka Sayi Vishnu is the resting place of 14 planetary systems.  On the lotus Lord Brahma resides.
• Gabhokasayi Vishnu is at the bottom of all the planetary systems. 
• Kshirodakasayi Vishnu is an expansion of Garbhodakasayi  Vishnu.
• Atheists believe in Prakrti but not Purusha.
• Material nature cannot produce anything without Purusha. Women can’t have children without man.

V3:

• This verse describes Virata Purusha.
• Worshipping this is indirect worship. Paramatma is the soul.    
• Epistemology – In the material world also we do not always see things with our eyes. We get the knowledge through other means also.

V4:

• Lord is always visible to the devotees whose eyes have been anointed with the tinge of devotional service. 
• Only with patience and perseverance can we realize the transcendental subject matter regarding the Absolute Truth and His different forms.

V5:

• From Ksirodakasayi Vishnu  all incarnations come.
• From Garbhodaka Sayi Vishnu Brahma and other demigods come.
• Garbodakasayi Vishnu is the Paramatma of the universe. Kshirodakasayi is the paramatma of living entities.

Thank you for your association Maharaj.

Your servant,

Sundari Radhika dd.

HpS - So nice to read these.  We are trying to develop this program!!

Hare Krishna Maharaj,

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

Following is the summary of 1.2.30 and 1.2.34 as discussed last Sunday. Sorry for being Late Maharaj.

Verse summaries:

V30:

• He is all-spiritual and has nothing to do with the qualities of the material world, which are qualitatively distinct from the spiritual qualities of the Lord.

V31:

• In the Vedic literatures it is said that there are two birds in one a tree. One of them is eating the fruit of the tree, while the other is witnessing the actions. The witness is the Lord, and the fruit-eater is the living entity.

V32:

• One is required to approach the proper spiritual master with receptive ears only, and thus divine existence is gradually realized.

V33:

• The gross material body is based on the conditions of the subtle mind, and the senses are created according to the desire of the living being. 
• He is so kind that He constantly remains with the living being as Paramatma and always tries to convert the living being towards the real happiness.

V34:

• The Lord Visnu incarnates Himself in each and every one of the universes, planets and the society of living entities. He manifests His transcendental pastimes amongst them just to create the desire to go back to Godhead.

Your servant,

Sundari Radhika dd.

HpS - Thank you, thank you!

Hare Krsna Guru Maharaj

Dandavat Pranaam unto your lotus feet.

ASA - Lettuce feet. 

All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Gouranga Mahaprabhu.

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Myself, son of your disciple Krsna Swarup Das, from Assam, North East India.

HpS - Jaya!!!  So, nice to hear from you and everyone there!

I offer a prayer unto your lotus feet to kindly me give some advice regarding misunderstandings among devotees.  Supposedly, if there were two groups of devotees who have some misunderstanding among themselves; (as Prabhupada used to say whenever there are 2 people there will be misunderstandings) as we are not pure souls we often tend to criticise one another, find out faults and dont try to forgive and forget any past issues easily. Due to harbouring such feelings internally, lets say both the parties tend to avoid each other while externally behaving in a opposite way. Every party thinks "I am right" and also there is no intermediary or neutral person whom both parties see as trustworthy or impartial.What could be the best possible way to bring harmony among such devotees and how one should respond if one is in such a situation (say one of the parties). Please be merciful to enlighten me in this regard.

Dandavat Pranaam unto your lotus feet.

Your ignorant servant

Bishal

HpS - Well,   the first principle is that we cannot give detailed advice unless we know the situation in detail, and that would be impossible for us 12,000 miles away and connected only by internet. So, first principle is from Chanakya Pandita: Victory comes from good advice and good advice comes from many counselors.  Talk to a lot of good people about the situation. We can give general view from a long distance. That is important element, so broad perspective. Then talk to people who are involve in the details.

In one Ramayana movie Hanuman was sent by Rama to try to mitigate the feud between Vali and Sugriva. He reported that Vali was going to give up his anger only when he was dead.

So, sometimes people have personal motives for which they don't want to forgive and there is nothing we, and even God to some degree, can do about it.

Read Nectar of Instruction Texts 4 and 5.

http://www.vedabase.com/en/noi/4

They give SUPER explanation of how to relate to these situation. They arise all the time and it is a big situation that we can only start to discuss. The complete answer is in Srimad Bhagavatam. Of course, that is 18,000 verses.

Basically, try to distinguish reality from illusion for the welfare of all. Try to look for the best solutions for EVERYONE's benefit and then you will feel happy.

Gloria in excelsis Deo

Esteemed Prof. Juan Dejo, Swami Yadunandana
By this letter let us introduce you too each other and introduce the idea for an excellent project.

Prof. Dejo, Yadu Swami has been a very good friend of ours, and the whole world, for many years. He is Spanish and became involved with ISKCON and this tradition of Bengali, Caitanya, Vaisnavism many years ago. He has been very actively involved with education in ISKCON and a celibate monk for about 40-years.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yadunandana_Swami

He recently published an excellent academic study on monastic tradition in our Bengali heritage and now it has been suggested by some very senior academics that a super excellent book would be a study on the contrasts and comparisons between Bengali (Caitanya) Vaisnava and Jesuit Monastic Traditions.

The very strong consensus has been that this would be enthusiastically received by academics but maybe even more so by many common people.

To our understanding the natural human situation is for a substantial number of men not to marry. This has been evidenced in European Christian heritage and of course in Asia.

Happy life, and very useful life.

I could write about this a great deal but here would just like to offer this suggestion and see what you all think about this.

Yadu Swami, We had the honor of meeting Prof. Juan Dejo S.J., Director de la Escuela de Posgrado de la Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya, through the 2016 conference on Psychology and the Sacred that we co-sposored in Peru. I understand that he is very respected educator and administrator in the Peruvian community.

How many young men would decide to pass their lives as Monastics after reading such a book of history and modern reality!