Letters to the editor

Gauranga. The chandogya upanishad describes a wonderful city called brahmapura in the shape of a 8 petaled lotus . The center of that lotus is Mayapur, the abode of the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. We have been in Mayapur about a month and plan to stay for the summer.

My son is married to a big Bengali family and has a 2 year old son Yajneswara. The entire family are Srila Jayapataka Swami's disciple, like most everyone in Mayapur.

Mi esposa came back to work in Dallas towards our coming here to Mayapur together. While here spends the day bird watching, hanging out with my grandson Yajneswara, and personal arts and crafts.

There is no material influence in Mayapur. Only a film of dull matter that praudha maya has covered the Dhama with to chase away the nondevotees who have no relationship with Krishna Chaitanya. The covering is heavy with sweltering heat, insane crowds (15,000 at mangals), and almost nothing works up to code. Still this place is most enchanting being always served by great devotees, and filled with various flowers, fruits, creepers and trees. Throughout Mayapur, colorful birds enchant the mind with their songs.

I spend my day going to the morning program, taking Krishna prasadam, and most of the day chanting my rounds dies seise.

Because I think too much one round takes about 20 minutes. Though I know it shouldn't, it does. In Texas they say "if should've could've and would've were popcorn and cotton candy, we could have a country Fair.

The last few days I have been fortunate to witness the extraordinary 70th Vyasa Puja ceremony of Srila Jayapataka Swami. He is an eternal associate of Lord Chaitanya and appeared in Kanada to assist Srila Prabhupada in making Mayapur into the spiritual city predicted by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur.

Yesterday some South American devotees put on a show for Jayapataka Swami that included a song "Ganga Ganga " to the tune of "La Bamba". Then was a skit of the Jaghai Madhai pastime and another of Srila Jayapataka Swami's Ganga safari. At one point a devotee dressed like guru maharaj came pushed in a wheelchair and acted out tapping on devotees heads with his magic wand. This was done so well that there appeared to be two Jayapataka Swamis on the stage. Mui divertita.

The 3 day festival had so many events I can only tell a small sample. Maybe you can see some of it on Mayapur TV.

Hundreds of people bought full sets of Chaitanya Charitamritas and Srimad Bhagavatams. It was Sri Krishna sankirtan super a la mode.

With the influence of Mayapur I feel inspired to dedicate my life to the service of our maestro de spiritual and somehow stay in the association of his International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Your servant Mishra Bhagavan Dasa.

HpS - Jaya. AGTSP. Paoho. Thank you so, so much for the news. How is the Japa, even though it is slow? Can you give up thinking for one round to start with. Time it!? More news. Respects to Mataji and your family!!!!!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Please accept my most humble obeisances.

Hare Krishna dear Gurudev.

I hope you are very well, forgive my lack of communication. I always end up not writing to you because I know you are very busy and I like to leave the preference for other students who need it for important things.

HpS - Seems your rhythm in writing is good. We all need your association from time to time!

I keep reading your news on the blog and in Jayarama. This year has been very intense for me. Thank you for always keeping me in your service. I am totally sheltered under your instructions, always trying not to deviate from the sense gratification.

I kept these last 7 months distributing the SP books daily and it has been a very deep experience in my spiritual life. When I'm doing this book distribution I feel that I can do it forever and Krsna is giving me that blessing, I am sure that it is because of your mercy.

HpS - One of the duties of Krsna's servants in Goloka is to carry messages to the Gopis and canvas them as participants in His pastimes. Maybe you will be a Sankirtan devotee like that in Goloka. Maybe you are a parrot in Goloka. Ha! Ha! Ha! Rey!

The Sastra-seva program that Aravinda and Baladeva Prabhu organized in Mendoza was a total success, we had visits from H.H. Bhakti Bhusana Swami, Bhakti Sundara Maharaja and Purusatraya Maharaja. We studied the first 6 chapters of BG, Sri Isop, LOB, etc. and did a marathon in Argentina where we distributed more than 7000 books. Maybe Next year we may finish the course at Sri Govardhana Mar del Plata.

Aravinda Prabhu liked the community very much. Right now I am in Santiago de Chile for about 15 days and for the day of Lord Ramacandra's Apparition I travel to Campina Grande, Brazil for the Gbc college meeting and then I will stay in Nova Gokula for 10 days reviewing the study of the first Canto of the SB with my friend Goura daya Natha ... it seems that on our way back we are going to do a marathon to helping BBT in Chile for 15 days before the cold arrives ...

Then we go to the Mar del Plata farm to spend the winter with the cowboys in the area (Adi yajña, Nikunja, Ekacakra, etc) I hope to be able to serve you directly when you visit Argentina ... I ask your blessings to continue in service, control the mind and the senses. I also hope to satisfay with my efforts .....

thank you very much ...

Your servant

ptd.

HpS - AgtSP. https://www.vedabase.com/en/sb/4/12/32 and next verse. 😀

We are making plan for SA travel right now.

Hare Krishna Gurudev!!

Please accept my humble obeisances,

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada,

Tomorrow more letters with july visit to argentina, questions and news. Struggling to improve this bhakti yoga practice. Gaura Purnima, HH Bhakti Sundar Goswami´s visit, med school, uff.

As you said we are trying to base our community in SB.

I want your advice in this issue.

Our program from Monday to Friday is as follows:

4:30 mangala aratik+kirtan+nrisimha

5 to 5:20 am tulasi puja, nod, siksastakam, 10 offenses

5:20 -6:40 japa (until 7 during weekends)

6:40-7:10 SB class (7 to 8 during weekends)

7:10 to 7:30 govinda, guru puja+kirtan (8 to 8:30 during weekends)

7:30 off to work

I noticed that most devotees attend to the first part of the program until japa and then leave. Then very few devotees attend SB class.

I understand that the main program is MAngala aratik+kitan+nrisimha+japa+SB. Then as you quote from NOI 3, anything else is nice but less important.

So i will propose to avoid the secondary programs and stick to the main during the week days.

I´m thinking in this for the week days:

Option 1:

4:30 to 5 am mangala aratik+kirtan+nrisimha

5 to 6:30 am japa

6:30 to 7 am SB class

7 am Govinda

7:10 off to work

Option 2:

4:30 to 5 am mangala aratik+kirtan+nrisimha

5 to 5:30 am SB class

5:30 to 7 am japa

7 am Govinda

7:10 off to work

Which option is better for you? What is your advice?

Devotees supporting option 1 they say that Srila Prabhupada said that japa is more important than Reading, and is better to chant japa after the aratik for the meditation.

Devotees supporting option 2 they say that giving SB class right after the aratik will make that all devotees attend the class.

Thank you for the inspiration Gurudev,

At your service,

Nikunja Bihari das.

HpS - Thank you. Very nice. Depends on local circumstance, but what we do is: Some Japa and CC before Mangala arati. Can even be couple minutes of reading, but steady.

Then do some reading right after Mangala arati. Again it can be a few minutes. We did CC after Mangala arati in San Jose where everyone had to go to work by 6.30AM and with 15-minute classes evderyone was enthusiastic and in such a short time we finished the hole book. Then do some class later, after Govinda, in terms of who can join. Everyhone can read the same stuff, eg. weekly assignment, and then discuss it on Saturday.

Hare Krsna dear Gurumaharaja

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I hope your trip to India has been profitable.

HpS - Super, but not without investment of years of our life. "You can die for something or you can live for nothing", Rambo.

You are always in our thoughts occupiying a very important place in our home and our heart.

I am writing to greet you and present this report of activities that have been carried out since a month ago. First of all, I would like to tell you that the appointment has been taken with pleasure by most educators so this has allowed me to start my activities with enthusiasm.

• In the first place, we have made contact with Mathuresh prabhu, in charge of the Bolivian Yatra, Divya Priya devi dasi (GBC representative for Ecuador) and Karunya Nitay prabhu, director of the educational program in Ecuador. The representation is now official in all three countries.

HpS - Super...

I will make the arrangements to travel in the year to Ecuador (Quito, Guayaquil and Cuenca), and if it is possible, to south Peru (Cuzco and Arequipa) and Bolivia (La Paz and Cochabamba). In the same way we are working closely with Karuna Krsna Das, national education program director.

• I have been in touch with Tapana Misra prabhu by mail and today we have had our first telephone conversation. Prabhu has answered my questions with great kindness and I will be reporting to him as well as to you.

I have talked with the educators of Lima, at first, one by one and then they were called for a meeting this past Sunday. Karuna Krsna das, Jiva Sakti das, Jagat Pavitram das, Isvari devi dasi, Abhinanda das and me attended. The meeting was fruitful and nice, agreements were signed, the most important being:

• To comply with the MOE requests: semiannual report, register in the MOE's database, subscribe to MOE publications and attend the coordination meetings that will be every three months, in addition, a group has been created on Facebook to address issues of greater urgency.

HpS - Get ahold of the Blue Baboon (LAD). He is old. He is cantakerous, but he has a heart of gold.

• To propose as Bhakti sastri examiner to Baladeva prabhu and Jiva Sakti prabhu as administrator. In case this proposal does not prosper, we suggest Jiva Sakti prabhu as examiner and Candramukhi devi dasi as administrator. The final decision is in Mathuresh prabhu, the National Board and your hands. From then on, we must request the license to the BoEx.
• To create two working groups, one for Introduction to Bhakti yoga and another for the Disciples course. These work groups have the task of standardizing both courses, that have been imparted very differently by different devotees. The idea of fund is to create a structured course that can be facilitated in provincial cities on the basis of a coherent study guide. The course of Bhakti sastri will continue as it is until Bhakti sastri and Bhakti Vaibhava standarized courses are ready, that it will happen in two years, according to Tapana Misra prabhu.

HpS - The Boex is working on Intro to Bhakti yoga course guidelines and posting a list of good courses that are available around the world. Be sure to put all this stuff in Abhirama's "Jayam". Your Spanish version will be great.

• I am in talks with Hari Purana prabhu and other members of the Chosica community who see fit to develop education programs for children (more and more children among the devotees!). I spoke with Tapana Misra Prabhu and he will put me in touch with a team of devotees from India who are developing a similar project. Meanwhile, I have recommended Sunday school and later develop a home schooling program as the natural previous step for the Gurukula.

HpS - Yes. Keep after Tapan-misra Das. Also contact Gopi-gita Dasi in Dallas. [email protected]

First of all I am attending the most urgent matters but I need a strategic plan. Any suggestions Gurumaharaja?

HpS - Vidya vadu jivanam. If you chant good rounds. Keep you DOnkey well, then Krsna will send plans. Catch them. Who are you? WHo are your associates? Then a plan based upon the personal relations of intelligent associatiotes.

*******************************

On a personal level:

As you already know, we have been in Chosica for 2 months, happy because it is where we feel better. We are serving Sri Sri Radha Madana Vihari on weekends at kitchen, attending Mangala arati (we live three minutes from the temple!) and teaching the Introduction to Bhakti yoga course to three students of the university where I teach and my sister in law. My wife is doing well, studying (and falling in love with the Bhagavad Gita, in her own words) and successfully deciphering her mission in the movement of Lord Caitanya. I go to work in Lima three days a week and the rest here, more serene, more controlled, more safe. Simple life, high thinking ki jaya !!

We hope to see you soon, dear Gurudeva.

I will send my report next month.

Your tiny servant

Gandharva das

HpS - I hope we can buy our Lima ticket in the next few days.

Hare Krishna Gurudev, tlgaSP, pamhr.

Empezamos el año con mucho servicio en Lima-Peru y Mayapur-Vrindavan-Delhi-India en nuestra experiencia personal mantener los compromisos y nuestra palabra (promesa) nos hace personas confiables y dignos de la verdad, un valor q todo ser humano deberia de tener¡¡

Lo recordé mucho al momento de Viajar por largas horas tomando varios vuelos y parando en diferentes aeropuertos todo un esfuerzo para ser sirvientes del sirviente. Al llegar a India Calcuta tenia los zapatos rotos, no tenia laksmi y me sentia muy cansado pero por la Gracia de Mahaprabhu todo mejoro en Mayapur.....baño, prasadam, darshan de Radha Madhava astasakhis, Pancattva, Lord Nrisinhadev (ah quien amo¡) y saber q Ud estaba en Mayapur fue todo MARAVILLOSO.

Bajo la guia y direccion de SS Bhaktimarga Swami cumplimos con nuestro servicio en el drama '' The Queen's Secret'' ''El Secreto de la Reina'' la historia entre Kunti y Karna, conocer mas sobre el Mahabaratha y el impacto q tiene en nosotros es resaltante, por ejemplo cuando estábamos ensayando la escena de Drupadi siendo ultrajada por Dushasana (despues del juego de dados) la devota q hacia ese rol empezó a llorar mucho sin parar porq sentia la pena y lo fuerte del momento de como Drupadi fue tratada, al final ella no lo pudo hacer mas y tubo q tomar ese rol otra devota. Karna y toda su frustacion verlo desde una perspectiva psicológica, Kunti y su dolor interno en soledad de saber q sus hijos se mataran entre si, Bhisma héroe glorioso me hace pensar q debemos abrir los brazos y q Krishna aparezca y acabe con nosotros (con nuestros dolores) y liberarnos aqui y ahora. mi rol en el drama fue de Dushasan.

tubimos 6 presentaciones en Mayapur y 2 en Iskcon Noida donde nos hicieron un poster de nuestro drama super...¡ cumplimos con nuestro sankirtan porq mas de 2000 personas vieron nuestro drama y muchos nos bendicen para seguir con nuestro servicio cada año. una persona un amigo me dijo en el mangal aratik (tu ya le pertenecen a Mayapur).

Los ultimos dias nos fuimos con SS Bhaktimarga Swami a Vrindavan para Gaura Purnima ki jay.¡¡¡ y caminamos juntos la colina Govardhan, Radha Kunda y Syama Kunda fue magico...... kirtan, parikrans, sadhu sanga y mahaprasadam solo nos dio la tierra de Krishna ademas de una bacteria a la garganta q nos hace toser ....nos hospedamos en el Ashram de Yogamaya alado del Seva Kunja a 2 cuadras del rio Yamuna y el templo de Radha Damodar donde Srila Prabhupada tenia una habitacion.

gracias a su misericordia puedo obtener mas de lo me imagino Gurudev en la vida, tan solo seguirlo a ud a Srila Prabhupada mi vida se vuelve exitosa, me traigo recuerdos hermosos de mi servicio y mucha parafernalia, ahora tenemos Gaura Nitay en casa, mi esposa Radharani esta feliz y eso es me pone feliz.

su sirviente Parama Karuna das.

ASA = !!! Espero mas y mas profundo su purificacion. Mas y mas.

Maharaj Dude,

Joking about the dude part but I thought it was quite funny when you mentioned it last letter. :) Probably inappropriate on my part.

HpS - We appreciate it from a sincere person!

PAMHO

AGTSP

HK

I hope your health is well and you are in good spirit.

HpS - We are dying of old age. It started about 71-years ago. We are in good spirits because we hope to have a better body for Sankirtan in Srila Prabhupada's Sankirtan in the future.

Currently I am 2 months following Hari nam initiation requirements. Waking at 3:30am, Mangala Arati, Kirtan, 16 rounds as nice as we can in the morning, SB class (Srila Prabhupada lecture), 4 regs. Finishing up reading YEW. Listening to Amala Bhakta Swami's Krsna book narration and in the 51st chapter. I have read now the SB intro of Lord Caitanya and NOI. Next either Science of Self Realization or LOB . Trying to get in at least 1 hour of reading in each day, goal of 2 hours daily. Trying to please Nitai-Guaranga and Srila Prabhupada (photo attached).

We are currently going to Iskcon Hillsboro (Suburb of Portland) every Sunday. The Temple President there is JaiSacinandan Prabhu and he is very nice. We come an hour early, start Kirtan with the family and encourage other devotees to come. Alicia is doing Sunday School very nicely and kids really enjoy her as a teacher. JaiSacinandan Prabhu is engaging us in helping with events. Right now I am helping find a venue for a youth Kirtan seminar where Bada Hari Prabhu and Amala Harinam Prabhu will be attending in June. Its a simple task but we hope to do it nicely, maybe Krsna will give us more service. Inspired by your book distribution we talked to JaiSacinandan about starting book distribution where we encourage devotees to take a BG and distribute it any way they are inspired to. Then each week we encourage them to get another at the temple and distribute it. The books are already sponsored or the temple will pay for them, so no pressure on the devotees to sale but just try to be inspired to get Srila Prabhupada's books out. Then we can try to find ways to inspire devotees to see more books being distributed if it goes well.

The whole family we are visiting Boise March 27-April 1st. Alicia and I are discussing moving back to Boise or to a community. Something with some more association for her and the kids. Where we are now in Salem we are about a hour and 20 mins from the temple and there is 1 devotee family anywhere close. She thinks it will help her KC and the kids. I believe my position is support our wife and kids in their KC so I am just trying to be encouraging, engage them in KC activites and not stick my foot in my mouth (which I do a lot, a lot lot). Trying to learn to control the tongue. Mostly trying to get out of Krsna's way so he can do his thing and we can make advancement doing our things for him.

Then during your visit there I will likely come for a 4-5 days with just myself if it is alright.

HpS - Sounds great.

I would like if it isnt trouble to attend with you any programs that allow, or anytime that allows. For instance lunch home visits to devotees and such. I wont be a bother,

HpS - Seems fine.

O. K. I will do my very best not to be a bother, but I would like to be there in your company if possible. I can even sit out side the door or where ever I can be within ear distance I hope. Or whatever way I can be in service please. Your assoiciation is very inspiring for us in desiring to be apart of Srila Prabhupada's mission.

Thank you for your association Maharaj and please forgive me for my offenses.

Your aspiring servant,

Bhakta Big Foot (Nathen)

ASA - Dear Mr. Big foot. What was your father like? Like you? Mother's Grandfather. Your activities in Portland sound very, very nice. Make a program you can maintain for a planned time eg. readering standard for one month, two weeks.

What is your phone number. We will not publish it.

Do you own a weed whipper? Respects to your family. Did you see the article on Sunday School teachers in the Viplavah mentioned in the last Kapi Dhvaja?