Letters to the editor

From: Srinivasa-acarya Das <[email protected]>
To: HPS Bhaktivaibhava <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2015 4:54 PM
Subject: Document on online learning

Respected Guru-Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances at our feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Attached is a document from an online english writing offered at http://www.coursera.org by MSJC ( http://www.msjc.edu ). It's pretty good in describing about five types of online learning, types of activities involved, expectations of students etc. I strongly feel it will be useful in your service in ISKCON education. I particularly like the various classifications and the terminology used in the document in describing the online learning.

Your insignificant servant

Srinivasacarya dasa

Hare Krsna dear Gurudeva!

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

All glories to Sri Caitanya's Sankirtana Movement

Dear Gurudeva, i hope your health improves as you stay in USA, i was reading the blog to get inspiration and i did, its amazing how you can take so much pain from the body with the consciousness of improving in spiritual understanding.

First i want to heart thank you for fluding us with your mercy by accepting our little service in Mexico and Monterrey cities, even when you don't need so much attentions, you only accept for owr welfare, so we can learn how to serve Krsna properly...

Guru Maharaja, in the last letter i told you i was having difficulties for chanting my rounds due to the heavy amount of services to do in a new preaching center and restaurant, adding sankirtana... in your answer you woke me up with a bucket full of water, i keep thanking to you:

HpS - "sraddha sabde...". Look for this verse cited in NoI and then look for the context and purports in the original location. If you chant 16-nice rounds ALL you other service and sense gratification will improve in the maximum possible way. Get up early and get your rounds done!

I have to admit it took me a LOT of time to finish my homework, but it was a whole revolution for my heart to recieve such mercy from my spiritual master, i readed the whole chapter of CC and got to comprehend that in both contexts, NOI & CC, Srila Prabhupada relates the amount of Sraddha or faith with the grade of taste we can get from the holy names, BECAUSE WE ARE SO WRECKLESS THAT WE DONT EVENT BELIEVE SOMETHING IS GOING TO CHANGE IF WE CHANT OR DO NOT CHANT PROPERLY... Thanks to that lecturing, i took the commitment to start chanting 20 rounds for the whole year, because for my lack of faith i often lefted 1 or 2 rounds without chant, i did my counts and if i keep this vow i can show some sincerity by paying all my debt.

Im not taking this as a burden but as a joy, because i realize that all my missfortunes and though moments in spiritual life are derived from that missbehavior. I'm feeling really hopefull by getting up early and chant my rounds, also more easy to get my services done!

Just two more things, Sri Radha (my fiance) moved here to Queretaro city so we can develope further our relationship, we all live like an ashrama, the house is big with 3 rooms, 1 for Vanamali Prabhu and his wife Thakurani (they send their obeisances unto you), 1 for man (another devotee and me) and 1 for woman (Sri radha and another mataji).

Last is a Question, do you remember i asked you about the 6 holes of the heart? lust, anger, envy, ilusion, madness and greed, can you help me  little more to understand? because Mother Devaki had to lose 6 childs before so her heart could be free from this 6 enemies in order to recieve Lord Krsna from Vasudeva (her spiritual master)

Thank you for taking your precious time to read all this...

Always aspiring to serve you in vani

Krsna-kirtana Dasa

HpS - ASA --- AGTSP!   We preach what we know, then Maya attacks us and we lose some of the realization of what we knows, then someone reminds us of what we preached when we knew, and it gives us strength to follow our own advice. Thank you for putting 16-rounds first. It helps me put them first!

I don't know much about the six contaminations you list. I see Srila Prabhupada mentioning them but have never developed much systematic understanding of them.  More specifically I have never heard before about how Devaki Mataji had to suffer death of six babies to get free from these six contaminations. I'm not saying its not true, maybe it is from one of the writings of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. So, I can't give you more information in this regard. All I can suggest is to just keep getting up early and keep a full morning program in the association of devotees. Then mark out some plan for participation in the Sankirtan movement etc.

As we do this it will become easier and easier to actually start working on cultivating a real awakening taste in doing our chanting and other service, Raganuga Bhakti.

HpS ​

Dear Hanumat Presaka Swami Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!

It's been some time, I just wanted to check in. Still traveling sankirtan, this time I'm with Bhakta Chang, a young brahmacari from San Diego. We were given a free invitation to Bhakti fest, (a popular yoga festival in joshua tree) so we tried it out last weekend. Of course, much of it is rather materialistic, and there are a great deal of prevalent misconceptions about Bhakti, Krsna, etc, but as far as festivals in the western world go I was pretty impressed. No intoxication, no meat, and everyone was chanting hare krsna all weekend! Probably they don't get much benefit from chanting, but most people were innocent and inquisitive.

Radhanath Maharaj is doing fantastic preaching out there, so many people are getting a chance to contact pure Bhakti. We adapted our style to preserve his relationship with the organizers. Mgmt there doesn't like what they perceive as 'proselytizing' so instead of stopping people we set up a little display table on the main drag and performed Kirtan with some other devotees in attendence. It was ecstatic, some people said it was their favorite Kirtan of the whole event, and somehow we managed to distribute quite a few books as well. I think one day we did about 40 big/maha big and collected about 180$, which was surprisingly decent for just calling people over.

Since then we've been mostly in San Diego, trying to get rid of some adhibhautika klesas before moving on. We've been waging chemical warfare with bedbugs for several days, and so far there's been some heavy casualties on both sides. Its taking a toll on our sleep and our sankirtan... but it's nectar. We joined Vaisesika prabhu for MSF here today, and he compared these challenges to Prabhupada's Jaladuta. My realization from today was that we all have some anxiety, it may be bedbugs, it may be tarantulas, but we've got to keep a song in our heart and perform our duty for purification.

I had another question for you about jiva tattva. I haven't spent much time on this topic since in general it can be distracting and nonessential, but I still see this as a relevant and significant topic nonetheless. Where do jivas come from exactly? When we say "Back to Godhead" does that specifically mean Goloka?

HpS-ASA --  AGTSP.   Such a controversial topic before, no?   "My Guru, knows more than your Guru!", "My Guru gave me better knowledge than your Guru!", "My Daddy can kill your Daddy!".

[Maybe your Daddy would not want to kill my Daddy]

In general Prabhupada doesn't seem to make a specific point about it so much, but mentions it in passing. Some people say that Naranaya Maharaja said, that in "Jaiva Dharma" Bh. Vinode Thakur says, that we fell from Mahavisnu loka, but I have never been able to find that, even in Maharaja's translation of "Jaiva Dharma", and no one has been able to show me the citation.

As far as I understand we could have fallen down, chosen to check out Maya Devi's Top Gun Theme Park, at any time and from any place, Goloka, Ayodhya, Vaikuntha, but also could have "fallen" from Goloka to Ayodhya and then got back up, or Goloka to Maha-visnu loka and then entered the material world from there. Murari Gupta is a Rama bhakta and Back to Godhead for Him means back to Rama lila, no?

HpS - Your note about Svasa was just lost. The Blog is having technical difficulties from our end for the last few weeks.  We never got the letter of recommendation. Can he send to [email protected] and drop us a text message to 209 505-3219 that he send it?

May all your Burning Men be big ones.​    Please send us news as you can!!

Hare Krsna Gurudeva,

Please accept my obeisances and forgive my offenses,

All the glories to Srila Prabhupada.

First of all, I wanted to say that your arrival to Chosica was very helpful for many of us, I wanted to tell you that I will strive to develop the necessary qualities such as patience, punctuality and cleanness. About the initiation, I personally believe that is a difficult decision to make for some authorities because I am still young and somewhat immature, so this situation has encouraged me to improve faster, is not easy for me sometimes but I will try to do my best. I have started reading the Nectar of Instruction again, but this time in English!

HpS - ASA -- Then Hindi!

Moreover, I have a little doubt about your answer to my last letter, was about: duty, asrama and marriage. Being single has not been a problem for me all these years, and that’s principally because of the education I received from my parents and all the classes You Gurudeva! have given here in Chosica when I was a child, I remember that I felt that Your words were instructions for me and me spiritual sisters. So I have always tried not to disappoint You and my parents, and to be honest I think Sita Ram Lakshmana Hanuman have helped me in this process, I have like a pact with my father and is something like if someone tells me or asks me about marriage or something, I will have to answer that my father is making all the arrangements and any doubt about it could be answered by my father… I think it was something like that, fortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to say it. Well my doubt was about this, because I know marriage is my duty and is going to happen in the near future, but I don’t have idea about how is going to happen, I mean I am not planning to hang out with many devotees and then realize who is the right one, however some astrologers have told my father that there is no worry about my marriage, that there is no need about fixing my marriage with a devotee because is already done, something about destiny. So this has helped me to develop a confidence in Krsna, but still I have to say that this confidence is not completely sincere, but is more like afraid. Is this good?, are there some things that I must consider?... I am praying to Sita Ram, Krsna Balarama and Radhe Shyam to help me in this process.

HpS - ASA -- We, ASA, cannot say too much since we are all Brahmacari here in the ASA Comando, so you and your father, mother, brother... need to look for help from good Grhasthas. We all need Ashrama gurus. I can be a good Ashrama guru for Sannyasa candidates. Even then it is for a certain type of Sannyasis, American Sannyasis, if we want to get very specific.

Canakya pandita: Victory come from good advice and good advice comes from many counselorss.

Focus on your place in Sr​ila Prabhupada's, Lord Caitanya's, movement and then your Varna-ashrama requirements will follow easily. You can see, your father and mother have a relationship in terms of their service in ISKCON.

Also, this is Kali-yuga, so we should not expect too much perfection in our marriage situation. Best use of a bad bargain, but if we look at our partners as devotees this can be a lot of fun.

So, not putting too much faith in astrologers only, its Kali-yuga, I hope your parents, brother et al, can help making arrangesments for a nice Grhastha ashrama for you. There are many nice boys also looking for partners.
 

Next week is Radhastami, and there is going to be a painting contest, I hope I can do a good job painting her beautiful and spiritual form!

HpS -  If you are sincere She will let Her beauty pass through you. Even there are 25-winners that still would not be enough to give us a glimpse of Radharanis love for Krsna, no?

I hope not to disturb and I also hope You are fine!, que el Señor Nrsmha Deva lo siga protegiendo Gurudeva! Hare Krsna!

Su aspirante a sirvienta,

Sita Lalita devi dasi. 

HpS - Thank you!!!    Send us more news as you have time!

A MONKEY CHAMPU

BY BHAKTA NARO

But then one day,
A rat moved in,
To their house in Madrid town,
Made pussy joke and laugh,
He became a furry, Krsna, klown.

A respectable Japanese rat, from ISKCON Kammisato, he was.    Spoke English, Mandarin, Spanish and Brajabasi.    Strict vegetarian since birth.    Parents honored Raja-bhoga Mahaprasad daily from the Head-pujari.

Monkey: Did they play the Big Mrdanga? Did they distribute many, many buks daylee?

N: Well, sometimes yes and sometimes no. I mean, they were animals.
Their owner would play a hurdy-gurdy machine and they would do tricks like in a little circus and then Bosco would go around with a cup in his mouth for donations and had a bag of books around his neck, and people would give coins and take small books.
Then they would read them and order big books and other books by mail.

Monkey: Spanish books?!

N: Yes, well usually, but sometimes even Chinese and Japanese books because many tourist came to Madrid.
Most of them did not become Hare Krsna devotees, but they became Paramatma realized and then they could find God in their own tradition.

Monkey: Vasistha told us that in Russia they call God, "Bhog".

N: Do they kill people in the name of God?

Monkey: I don't think so. That kind of religious violence seems to be a European thing, like the Spanish Inquisition, the Third Reich. In Russia they seem to kill people for political power and prestige, and the sex and good house and food that come with it.
If you are a Hare Krsna, you just don't pay any kind of direct attention to this kind of violence. You just engage in devotional service, Sankirtana, as Srila Prabhupada encourages, and get the books and music out.
That's enough.

N: Bosco, Kitty and Ratty didn't distribute a lot of books, but they made a lot of devotees, who each distributed a few and sometimes a lot of books.

Monkey: Achaa!   I will go and do likewise. Hare Krsna,     Hare Krsna.    Krsna book, Ki Jai!

N: Flabbergasting! !    !

Todas las glorias para Srila Prabhupada

Todas las Glorias para usted Maharaj

Soy David Leyton nuevamente. muchas gracias por su respuesta estaba ancioso por recibirla, ya que hace mucho que no le escribo. También quiero contarle de algunas terapias que me he hecho y también saber si estas se pueden usar para la conciencia de Krishna o simplemente para darle salud interna o mental a las personas.

Estuve realizándome terapias alternativas desde Junio se llama Sintergética. Me hizo sentir en paz y controló en ese momento mi problema de psicomatico y síndrome Gill de tourette. Me ha dado muy buenos resultados aunque temporales y fue aliviador.

También hice AONC (auto observación neuroconciente) es una terapia que se hace despierto y relajado, la persona va describiendo los recuerdos y visiones que uno está teniendo en ese momento, relacionandolas con las sensaciones del cuerpo, donde esa sensacion o dolores se describer. Eso me ha reducido por parte el problema de los dolores y molestia del cuerpo (psicosomatico), pero aun no encuentro la manera de solucionarlo definitivamente.

Maharaj, usted cree que el AONC podría ser alguna terapia que pueda superar mi problema? He leído que algunos hermanos espirituales cantan mantras que le han ayudado con sus problemas internos y creo que el Srimad Bhagavatam o Bgita tienen mantras que podrán ayudarme.

Una tercera terapia que me hice fue Biosintesis la cual 2 terapeutas van analizando mi energía interna y problemas del pasado que me hayan llevado a los problemas actuales, una de ellas me comento que fui monje franciscano en una vida pasada e hice un voto de pobreza, pero que aun esta vigente. Se supone que la muerte hace que esos votos se terminen y uno comience una nueva vida con Dios. Eso lo relacion mucho con la mayoria de los problemas y dolencias que estoy teniendo.

Favor maharaj necesito que me diga algo sobre esto y me guie para terminar con estos votos. no quiero caer otra vez.

Muchas gracias por estar con nosotros

Hare Krishna.

Bh David Leyton

HpS - ASA -  TlgaSP.  NOI Texto Tres, "maya tatam idam sarvam...". Puede leer esta Texto, tres. Alla puede encontrar los principios basicas de evaluar estas terapias.  Puede ser muy util.   Pienso el libro, "Los Hombres son de Martes y los Mujeres son de Venus" es un super libro para todos, especificamente para Grhastas. Claro, estamos utilizando todo del perspective de SB y los Significados, Bhaktivedanta.  Muy buen obra relacionar unos practicas de psicologia con SB.

En detalle no puedo decir mucho.  Falta de idioma.    Falta de conocimento de estas sistemas.  Pero... por que no habla con Madan mohan Das???  Es psicologo, devoto, loco, su vecino!!​