Letters to the editor

All Glories to Sri HpS Guruji Maharaja,

Please accept our humble obeisanses unto Sri Guruji Maharaja’s padmacharan that in the last reply of my previous letter Guruji mentioned that the Air tickets of India for 2^nd and 7^th Jan. 2017 is not yet confirm. Now the tentative dates of Gurujis Indian visit is confirmed or not?

HpS - Hare Krsna!!!    You can see in the Kapi Dhvaja that we have now purchased tickets arriving in India late 31st December, Delhi, and then leaving India like 15th February, Dehli. Hari Das Das is writing with suggestions for the time in between and we are also waiting little for suggestions from others, then we will fix the schedule.  97% the first 10 days will be in Tirupati and Madras and the last week in Mayapura.  The rest we have to work out.

Please let us know the dates, so as to enable us to finalize the dates of North East India specially for Silchar, Guwahati, Agartala and Imphal. I had requested Haridas Prabhu also to accompany Guruji in the N.E. Progrmme. He also suggested me to request Gurujis valuable time at least for 15-20  days for North East.  

A group of 12 initiated and 2 uninitiated bhaktas did not turn up the Mandir for the last one and half years due to some differences of opinion for management of the Mandir. Last year in presence of Guruji we discussed everything along with Bonomali Prabhu and some other bhaktas of Imphal ISKCON to follow the systems of ISKCON traditions. They accepted everything to implement on that day but even now they are not ready to implement any positive step except the name. They could not follow even the first four rules of ISKCON.

Under such circumstances, Guruji suggested me sometimes ago to go to the Mandir and try to convince them slowly. There are some innocent members who come to the Mandir simply for bhajans and prasadam of old types but not ready about the initial four principles. Then two initiated members supported the innocent other members because they make majority, they don’t care about the rules – their simple thinking is that “ they will run the Mandir in their own way and  need not to take others help for changing or merging into ISKCON tradition”

On the other hand, the main aim of going to mandirs is to increase shradha, bhakti marga (Prema Rasa) of Radha Govinda in the way of Gouranga Mahaprabhu. But in our Mandir, they look us in different way and no good atmosphere for us. As we did not go to the Mandir, our chances of meeting new bhaktas and increase new knowledge were completely stopped.

Guruji, please advise us what to do and what will be our responsibility? Guruji’s advice will be our next step before Guruji is coming. We are ready to follow Guruji’s amtavani in any condition as asirvat.

Yours fallen servant

Yamunesvara Das

HpS - It is almost impossible for us to participate in management form 12,000 miles away, but general principle is to follow ISKCON GBC authority in management, Imphal, management, and if there are problems then you  can ask to write to the GBC, then another GBC...  but in all these circumstances we can have so, so, so many nice programs just in our homes with other devotees. Then if there are too many for our home, then we can find some cultural place to do our own program and then ....      a full time installed temple deity...
Age of Kali - Sit together and chant Hare Krsna!!!   Krsna will come and chant and dance and laugh with you with all His friends and associates.

We hope you are reading some of the other letters that we post here to other devotees!
Send some photos!

Dear Swamiji,

PAMHO, AGTSP. Devotees Jeremy are hoping that Krishna Will inspire you tO come. WE can send you a ticket form India, and arrange for you tO stay in Jaganatha  Gaurangga temple, or even Maha Laxmi hotel which is were Ramai Swami stays.

When you are Heri we can arrange numerous HOME programs. Aghastya Muni prabhu golf me that hE World like tO arrange a program fo4 you. There are 4 Vera Nick ISKCON temples Heri., Jaganatha Gauranga here in Denpasar, Radha Gopinatha and Radha Raseswaranear Nitai Gauracandara oN the northern coast in Singaraja, and Radha Madhava in  Gianyar. There is Aldo a new temple being built in east Bali.

Radha Raseswara has a goshalla that produces and sells milk. Here in Denpasar we have BDS primary school and The BA secondary school. There Two schools serve Devoteed from Jaganatha Gaurangga and Radha Raseswara.

Bhakti Rhagava Swami otentik visits Radha Madhava temple in Gianyar and is developing a small community of Devoteed There. So far there are 25 familier living around The temple.

Near Bali is The island of Lombok. There is a small ISKCON TEmple there. Kavicandra Swami petenis visits Lombok, The temple has a small goshalla with two bulls. If you are interested I Can arrange with Krishna Prema prabhu for you tO visit New Gita Nagari, Bhakti Rhagava Swami's farm community oN The island of Sumatra in western Indonesia. There are 35 families there and they have a Very nice school.

If you can come tO Bali there are many devotees who would like hour association and many nice programs that can be arranged.

your servant,

Ken

HpS - Very nice orthography!    We are still trying to get to India, right now it would mean taking time from the 6-weeks we are there. 1 January - 15 February. We could go for like two days!     Is that practical????  Doesn't seem like it?  Best we can send fotos or plan for next year!!

Dear Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada! Happy Radhastami! I hope Srimati Radharani is being extra kind to you today.

HpS - Yes, we got a side long glance from Her, and it was full of disatisfaction. We have to improve our character and work.

This morning Brghupati prabhu lead us all in Sri Radhika Stava by Rupa Goswami. I think it's my favorite bhajan.

I've been busy as usual out here on the left coast; just a week or two ago I managed to procure my very own sankirtan van to utilize as a transcendental art studio! So lately I've been running around trying to take care of registration, insurance, AAA membership etc etc, and now I'm about 95% complete.

I had to ask my parents to cosign on a loan since I had zero credit, and they obliged to the extent that they even told me I don't have to pay them back. Of course I intend to ASAP, but in the meantime I find myself in a situation where I have total freedom and no expenses for at least a year! I managed to also get practically all the equipment needed for displaying my art in markets and art fairs until I'm prepared to directly approach galleries and art dealers. For now, all I have to do is just chant Hare Krishna, study, paint, do some internet marketing, and practice Kirtan. My sadhana was suffering when I had to do yard work all day and then stay up late to work on stuff but now that I can set my own schedule I'm able to make up for lost time. Since moving into "Vrnda-van" I've been able to attend full morning program in temple daily, chant about 48 rounds, read at least a couple hours etc so I'm just thrilled to be gradually getting back on track.

Just the other day I sent out an email trying to organize some grassroots preaching initiative here in LA and I've been getting an enthusiastic response. I'm trying to at least get  a decent group together to help my friend Marvin with his Bhakti yoga college clubs before I head out to visit the east coast. It looks like I'll be back east a bit longer than usual this year because I'm going a little early to help Your Holiness with Rathayatra,

HpS - Our "Rathayatra" has always been a little part of the Celebrate Nashville Festival. It has been cancelled this year and last year.

...and staying a bit later because we had to push back the date of our exhibition until the end of November. Looks like Krishna is arranging a crash course for me in art curation! My mantra lately is, "if you're not scared, you're not thinking big enough!"

On a related topic I had an opportunity to visit Tukaram prabhu recently and ask his advice about some of the stuff I'm going through. Practically right away he brought up the question of ashram. I think I've already mentioned that I feel uneasy about going into art as a brahmacari mainly because of the social etiquette I'm supposed to follow. If I was just sitting in a temple doing BBT illustrations that would be one thing, but as someone trying to actively engage with the world of contemporary art, I'm realizing more and more that it will be problematic. In addition, Tukaram prabhu pointed out that sociological elements notwithstanding, my whole orientation towards life right now is not really consistent with brahmacari ashram. Because I'm bold and independent and ambitious rather than meek and dependent and aloof. He said it's not necessarily a bad thing, but it has a certain time and place. It's true that I'm not exactly eager for a relationship or a family at this point, but in the meantime at least the type of sacrifice I'm engaged in (embracing the world and offering sense objects into the fire of the senses) seems more aligned with the grhastha ashram. The way I see it is, if I go down the path of grhastha ashram, in the course of performing devotional service either I'll eventually meet someone who is equally invested in the things I'm interested in, in which case a partnership may actually be useful, or I'll just be too busy to even bother and after a few years I'll just go directly into vanaprastha ashram. I guess I find it important to discuss this because I do actually have respect for the ashram of brahmacarya, and I don't want to misrepresent it if I don't find it worthwhile at this stage to follow all the rules and regulations in detail.

I'm actually starting to think that unless one is doing tksp, grhastha ashram might actually be advantageous in some ways for preaching in the modern west. I feel like as a monk, social interactions are limited more or less to an official capacity of giving direct guidance or instructions. But if people don't already appreciate or accept the value system or the authority behind monastic life they are less likely to value or apply those instructions. So if I can befriend people, and set a public example and aesthetic portraying the value system of Vedic thought as attractive and beneficial, I hope that people will come of their own volition to submissively inquire about philosophy. What do you think? Does any of that make sense or am I just trying to justify my maya?

HpS - As you say, it seems like the best approach is to just go ahead with your service and then if you need to make a change, it will become obvious. In general, there is 100% opportunity to preach in the current social system as a Brahmacari. Women respect monks and are very, very greedy to have that kind of association in the proper perspective, as brother, father, son. It has always been that way ans always will be that way.
Prabhupada acted as the "Father" to so many girls. They didn't want him in any other relationship.

I look forward to catching up with you in Nashville soon to serve you personally and find out more about your Art and the Sacred presentation. I'm about to buy plane tickets so I just want to confirm the date. You mentioned before that the parade is the first weekend of October, so does that mean Saturday October 1st?

Your fallen servant,

Ekāśma Dās

HpS - You can always call us or put URGENT in these letters. Again, the Festival here is cancelled. We are just absorbed in writing for the most part now, but it is going on.  We have no particular bodily conception of life. Only "personal service" we can conceive is when people are serving the Supreme Person!
Go ahead!   Lets look at your next letter!

P.S. I think you mentioned me on your recent guru Tattva post. I don't recall bringing up guru Tattva recently, could you remind me what it's in reference to? Thank you : D

Hare Krsna!

We are trying to get our Chanting, Dancing, and Feasting organized to a practical level and then the Study of Prabhupada's books. The CDF seems pretty good today and then we got to Evaluating two of the Pada-padma Tests that we gave after out Seminar in January and February. Here is the letter we sent to Srinivasa Das with his Test Evaluation.
In general, our participation in the BhVai Diploma development seems quite progressive. We feel we can get things organized to have powerful impact with the academic aspect of the study of Srila Prabhupada's books

=======================================

AGTSP
Esteemed Srinivasa-acharya Das, paoho

Well, just seven months after you took the test, here are the results. We were doing well keeping to the schedule in giving the classes and the examination, but we couldn't finish evaluating them before we left for India etc, and then we were on the road continuously after that. Now, we thought that with these three months based in Tennessee we could catch up, and it seems to be true.

We hope to talk with you about the broad Sankirtan strategy and specific application to you, your family, Yatra etc.

Please call and contact us with your inspirations etc as you like, especially in the Blog.

Attached is your Evaluated Test. Please send and questions or comments.

Jaya Sri Krsna!!!!

Esteemed Professor et al,

We hope this meets  you in the best of spirits and enthusiastic energy to turn loose the cultural heritage of Bharata upon the distraught world. After considerable fight with our computer we sent what looked like the final version of the files that were edited onto Raktaka Das' computer in Braja to Sri Hari Das.

A copy of the letter to your good self.

We are in anxiety about sending NIOS's Annual Income Tax Report, receiving reports from Rama-giri-dhari Das and the Goloka Foundation etc. 

When we look at the reporting dates and other indicators we feel that the actual pace that things are happening is correct. Maybe we are artificially trying to do too much, to fast.

Our eyes are old.

We need so much reading in our own discipline and passion daily.

We are struggling with hay fever and the weather, but we really feel that we are doing about 80% of our level best and improving.

We will aim at calling on Sunday again.

We need to discuss the letter about Dr. Sibesh at that time.

HpSwami

NIOS

All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Please accept my humble obeisances

Dear Guru Maharaja, I hope you are well.

HpS - ASA -- I feel a little, little like vomiting, have put on weight, even though I don't eat anymore and work hard, and now have hay fever and it is pretty hot, but other than that life is good!   Haven't got any sex agitation if I just look the other way while walking around this passionate tamasic modern world. About the same for you?

  The king of the deer told the king of the turtles (or the other way around) that this material world is a tree, and all the fruits are either bitter or poisonous except for two: Poetry and the Company of Gentlemen. I guess we would agree with that competely and refine it to Krsna-katha and Sadhu-sanga....

The festival of Janmastami and Vyasa Puja of Srila Prabhupada  were very nice. Lomasa Rishi made a cake very big that weighed 70 kg for Srila Prabhupada.

Did Srila Prabhupada eat it?

In Janmastami gave the class Ekanath Gaura(JpS)
In the Vyasa Puja of Srila Prabhupada Gave the class and organized the kitchen Mother Murti Murti

I now try to improve my concentration, in Japa, study of mantras, and stability in all habits, for your mercy, I have a little more control of my mind.

HpS - The mind is like a monkey that hops from tree to tree, the only things that keeps it still is talks of Sri Hari.

The last Ekadasi called Annada, was very hard for me, because very cool, and next day, I need sleep little more but it was nice.

Ekadasi seems like a day when we can try advanced austerities and then adopt them as regular habits afterwards if they work!

Bharat came in Janmastami, and He told me, please give my reverence to Guru Maharaja.

HpS - Well, the same to him and more of it!!  We hope he writes here sometimes.

Thanks For All Guru Maharaja

Adi Yajña Das Who try to be your servant

Hare Krishna!!! Hare Rama!!!

HpS - ASA --   Hare Krsna / Hare Rama....   we hope to see you before to long.   Who is the Temple Cat now?     Who likes to distribute books?