Letters to the editor

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

    Guru Dev, Below are complete travel details. I would divide it in three parts as :

    A. Vrandavana (3 Nov - 13 Nov 2013)
    B. Home Town with Parents (14 Nov - 25 Nov 2013)
    C. Remote Village in Chhattisgarh (26 Nov - 3 Dec 2013)

A. Vrandavana (3 Nov - 13 Nov 2013)
   
   Started from Pune on 3 Nov 2013 and reached in Vrandavan on 4 Nov 2013
   
   Day 1 (4 Nov 2013):
   1. 5:00 AM - Reached Mathura, stay at railway station till 7:25 AM
   2. 8:00 AM - Reached Krsna-Balaram Temple, Vrandavan      
   3. 9:00 AM - Till 9:00 AM, discussion with H G Ramakant Pr and other, about temple events and activity during Kartik & Prabhupad's festival.
   4. 9:30 AM - Bath + Washing cloths
   5. 10:00 AM - Darshan
   6. 11:15 AM - Govardhana Puja + Abhishak at temple
   7. 12:30 PM - Prasadam
   8. 1:00 PM - Read Prabhupada's book - "This is my request" - finished.
   9. 2:30 PM - Started from Vrandavana for Govardhana for Govardhana Parikarma
   10. 9:00 PM - Finished Govardhana Parikarma
   11. 9:45 PM - Returned from Govardhana
   12. 10:30 PM - Prasadam & went for sleep
   
   Day 2 (5 Nov 2013):
   1. 3:00 AM - Wake up, bath, Japa
   2. 4:00 AM - Mangal Arti, Japa at Prabhupada's samadhi
   3. till 7:30 AM - 42 rounds japa

                HpS - ASA - You finished 42-rounds from 3AM!!! ! !???? [Hare Krsna! What is your secret?]

   4. 7:30 AM - Guru Puja
   5. 8:00 AM - SB Class
   6. 10:00 AM - Prasadam, Meeting with H G Rangabihari Pr
   7. 4:00 PM - Discussion with H G Gopendra Pr, H G Vaisanava Pr, H G Ramakant Pr on BG (Sloka one), NOI - Sloka one and other
   8. 5:30 PM - Darshan, Lamp offering
   9. 8:30 to 11:00 PM - Discussion with H G Gopendra Pr
   10. 11:30 PM - Prasadam & went for sleep

So nice that you have friends in Vrndavana!

   Day 3 (6 Nov 2013):
   1. 3:00 AM - Wake up, bath, Japa
   2. 4:00 AM - Mangal Arti, Japa at Prabhupada's samadhi
   3. till 7:30 AM - 42 rounds japa

           Hmmm! If not going to Mangala arati and other programs in main temple room then that is 2.3 seconds per mantra!

   4. 7:30 AM - Guru Puja     
   5. 10:00 AM - Meeting with Pune devotees
   6. 12:00 PM - Went for Vrandavana Parikrama
   7. 8:30 PM - Discussion with H G Gopendra Pr on Modern Civilization & culture.
   8. 11:00 PM - Prasadam & went for sleep
   Note : This day, all were very busy due to Prabhu Pada's Festival so did not get time to interact more but i took more time to finish the Vrandavan
               Parikram. Visited all the places & interacted with Braja vasi.

   Day 4 (7 Nov 2013):
   1. 3:00 AM - Wake up, bath, Japa
   2. 4:00 AM - Mangal Arti, Japa at Prabhupada's samadhi
   3. 8:00 AM to 1:45 PM - Attended Prabhupada Festival (all events, lectures).
   4. 2:30 PM - Prasadam
   5. 3:00 PM - Went outside for Shoping
   6. 4:30 PM - Prasadam Packing Service.
   7. 6:30 PM - Visited the Prem Mandir (Kripalu Maharaj's temple)
   8. 8:00 PM - Lamp offering & Darshan
   9. 9:30 PM - Prasadam
   10. 9:45 PM - Discussion with H G Gopendra Pr on Current status of society & Moral, ethics.
   11. 11:00 PM - went for sleep

   Day 5 (8 Nov 2013):
   1. 3:00 AM - Wake up, bath, Japa
   2. 4:00 AM - Mangal Arti, Japa at Prabhupada's samadhi      
   3. till 7:30 AM - 32 rounds japa
   4. 7:30 AM - Guru Puja
   5. 8:00 AM - Lecture by H H BhaktiCharu Swami Maharaj
   6. 10:00 AM - Prasadam
   7. 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM - Attended the appearance day of H H Narmada Swami Maharaj at his samadhi at Goshala (Speakers : H H Gopal Krsna
                                                 Maharaj, H H Bhakti Vikash Maharaj, Senior Prabhupada's Disaples, Ahmadabad temple president, other seniors from
                                                 BBT).
   8. 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM - Evening lecture (Part I) by H G Visnava Prabhu, about Krsna on Mahabharat Youdha.
   9. 8:00 PM - Visited the Prem Mandir (Kripalu Maharaj's temple)
   10. 9:30 PM - Prasadam
   11. 9:45 PM - Discussion with H G Gopendra Pr about Krsna's existence, relationship with gopies after dwarika departure.
   12. 11:00 PM - went for sleep

   Day 6 (9 Nov 2013):
   1. 3:00 AM - Wake up, bath, Japa
   2. 4:00 AM - Mangal Arti, Japa at Prabhupada's samadhi      
   3. till 7:30 AM - 32 rounds japa
   4. 7:30 AM - Guru Puja
   5. 8:00 AM - Lecture on Association with devotees
   6. 11:15 AM - Discussion with H G Ramakant Pr about you (H H Hanumatpresaka Swami), Technology impact on society.
   7. 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM - Evening lecture (Part II) by H G Visnava Prabhu, about Krsna on Mahabharat Youdha.
   8. 8:00 PM - Lamp offering & Darshan & Gopi Git
   9. 9:10 PM - Prasadam
   10. 9:35 PM - Discussion with H G Gopendra Pr about Sadana (How reach next level).
   11. 11:00 PM - went for sleep

   Day 7 (10 Nov 2013):
   1. 3:00 AM - Wake up, bath, Japa
   2. 4:00 AM - Mangal Arti, Japa at Prabhupada's samadhi      
   3. till 7:30 AM - 32 rounds japa
   4. 7:30 AM - Guru Puja
   5. 8:00 AM - Gopastami Darshan, Gau Puja at Gosala, Lecture by H H Bhakticharu Swami Maharaj, Prasadam
   6. 11:30 AM - Attended Initiation Cerimony by H H Bhakti Vikash Swami Maharaj at temple
   7. 12:00 PM - Meeting with Pune Devotees, Purchasing beedbagas for devotees from outside of temple shop.
   8. 2:00 PM - Discussion with H G Ramakant Pr about Sadana (eye, hearing, mind etc, why sages are always keep close their eye and lots of things).
   9. 2:30 PM - Started Gopal-champu (owned by H G Gopendra Prabhu)
   10. 5:00 PM - Visited Radha Damodhar Temple, Radha Shyam Sunder Temple, Purchased Gopal-Champu
   11. 8:00 PM - Lamp offering & Darshan & Gopi Git
   12. 9:10 PM - Prasadam
   13. 9:35 PM - Q/A Session with H G Gopendra Pr.
   14. 10:30 PM - Prasadam & went for sleep

   Day 8 (11 Nov 2013):
   1. 3:00 AM - Wake up, bath, Japa
   2. 4:00 AM - Mangal Arti, Japa at Prabhupada's samadhi      
   3. till 7:30 AM - 32 rounds japa
   4. 7:30 AM - Guru Puja
   5. 8:00 AM - Lecture by H H Bhakticharu Swami Maharaj, Prasadam
   6. 10:30 AM - Prepared Tulsi leafe for home as Mahaprasadam
   7. 12:00 PM - Meeting with Devotees
   8. 12:30 PM - Started for Radha Kunda, spent almost 5 hours, prayers, shoping etc.
   9. 7:30 PM - Returned from Radha Kunda
   10. 8:00 PM - Lamp offering & Darshan & Gopi Git
   11. 9:10 PM - Prasadam
   12. 9:35 PM - Q/A Session with H G Gopendra Pr.
   13. 10:30 PM - Prasadam & went for sleep

   Day 9 (12 Nov 2013):
   1. 3:00 AM - Wake up, bath, Japa
   2. 4:00 AM - Mangal Arti, Japa at Prabhupada's samadhi      
   3. till 7:30 AM - 32 rounds japa
   4. 7:30 AM - Guru Puja
   5. 8:00 AM - Started for Nidhi Van, Seva Kunj, Sri Sri Radha Damodhar Mandir
   6. 12:30 AM - Shoping for home - Prasadam, Narsingh Dev Photo, beedbag etc.
   7. 2:30 PM - Q/A Session with H G Gopendra Pr & H G Ramakant Pr about 'nature' behaviour/characteristics
   8. 3:00 PM - Prasadam
   9. 3:30 PM - Started for Mathura Rly Station
   10. 5:30 PM - On board train for Raipur
   
B. Home Town with Parents (14 Nov - 25 Nov 2013)

   Reached home town at 4:30 PM on 14 Nov 2013. Normally, i get chance to go home town once in a year and as elder son of family, lots of tasks
   waits for me for parents and younger brother. So i do all those and check for other responsibility.

   My mother is a devotee and she is very strict to her sadhana. She always wake-up at 4:00 AM. She has a strick schedule for her sadhana - worship,
   flowers offering, japa and other home responsibilities. I never seen her to break any rule for her comfort, she never.

C. Remote Village in Chhattisgarh (26 Nov - 3 Dec 2013)

   I visited almost 12-13 villages in chhattisgarh in the search for simplicity, true life (which i don't found in the city life).

   Why i choosed those village?
   Krsna's arrangement. I visited one village first and found a 10" diety of Lord Krsna with two cows (surrounded) in the village.
   Krsan was blue in color and it was evening time, when i saw Krsan there, got fully attaracted.

   when returned home from that village, thinking to go back again to see Krsna again. On the same night, went on the roof of our home and
   somewhere some villagers very far from our home, were singing about Krsan. To here those village songs, i was very happy and excited.

   So i inquired with my mother about those people, she said, there are many villages in that side, where people loves Krsan very much, every village
   has a Krsna deity and they perform Krsna story in the evening time, every day. So i decided to visit all those to see how they love Krsan or how they
   express love for Krsna.

   Villagers say them self - "Yadava". But scripturs says, there is no "Yadava" after Krsan's departur. But anyway, i found the villagers very simple
   heart, simple living and actually leaving a true life. They wake-up very early in the moring, do there farming duty every day and in the evening time
   they play or sing Krsan's lila or Ramayan every day and sleep early.

   I came back in Pune but my heart is there, near the blue 10" diety of Lord Krsan surrounded with two cows, playing floots in the village.

   One more thing is in my mind, There were many cows in those villages. One day when i was returning from a village in the evening time, i saw huge
   no of cows returning from field. Cows were looking lovely, beautiful and a boy was taking care of those cows. Actually the boy was bringing back
   those cows in the evening time. To see those, i was remembering Krsan. Krsan used to bring back cows from field in the evening time. Every thing
   was looking so truth and simple. I was totally wordless.

your fallen servant,
Girivaradhari-Gopal Das

             ! ! ! ! !   Such mercy to hear about life in India ! ! !   Do you have any plans for like the next twenty years? Stay B'cari? Take to Sannyasa life?

AGTSP

paoho

A new PPTX frm Munkey.

www.jayarama.us/archives/japa-joe-140105.pptx

Hare Krishna, Esteemed, Gurudeva,

pamho, agtSP,

There is a very nice book The Third Partner by Vijay venugopal das and Prema Padmini dd which gives wonderful advice about grihasta asram. They are leading bhakti vriksa programs in middle east and russia with huge success.

mataji was here and left us this book, i liked it a lot.

it can be purchased online in the ISKCON congregational development site.

it is only in english though.

at  your lotus feet.

Bhakta Nicasio.

                       >>> ASA - AGTSP... paoho.... We got swollen feet. !   Thank you so much for the news!!! 

What about this Web site, some one can write a review?

http://www.vaisnavafamilyresources.org/

All obeisances to Srila prabhupada

All obeisances to HanumatPresaka Swami

Hare Krishna maharaj

How are you? I hope you’re well

In your last email you ask me, about the meaning of reiki so i would like to answer it

HpS - Jaya! AgtSP!!!  

What is Reiki? We know a little but not much. Is there a parampara? Is there an idea of who is the patient? Are we this body?

AgtSP!!!   We wait your wise instruction.

“Reiki (霊気?, /ˈreɪkiː/) is a spiritual practice developed in 1922 by Japanese Buddhist Mikao Usui, which has since been adapted by various teachers of varying traditions. It uses a technique commonly called palm healing or hands-on-healing as a form of alternative medicine and is sometimes classified as oriental medicine by some professional medical bodies. Through the use of this technique, practitioners believe that they are transferring universal energy (i.e., reiki) in the form of qi (Japanese: ki) through the palms, which they believe allows for self-healing and a state of equilibrium (wikipedia)”.

It doesn’t have parampara.

I had been done reiki and this has been very useful for relieving some problems I have in my nervous system. This is the reason why I have decided to learn the technique. Thanks for asking me.

About my regulation, I chant 16 rounds every day and I keep the four principles but currently I’m living with my girlfriend.

Every night, I read a chapter of The light of the Bhagavata and some Prabhupada’s book with my girlfriend so she can sleep very peacefully.

Since 21th November, I have been doing  Sankirtan service so this has let me to be happier and healthier. I’ve distributed about 220 Prabhupada’s books in order to help with the marathon and recollect Laksmi.

I’d like to ask you the following question: how should I wear when I’m distributing books?

Thank for you wise advice.

Hare krishna

HpS - ASA - Jaya! AGTSP. Thank you for the explanation. Works, healing through touching, but could also make people sick if the touchers are sinful!  What about starting a family?

Best wishes, Prabhu.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

For diksha, the standard of following is 6 months only, not one year, so you qualify - unless I read what you wrote wrong. Thus there doesn't seem to be a problem. Even if it was a year, I think you should be initiated anyway, even though it is not my decision to make, because of your unique situation. 
Your wellwisher, Gunagrahi das Goswami

HpS - ASA - AGTSP. paoho. As I experiences and even saw letters from Prabhupada the standard for Hari-nama Diksa was six monthe duing Srila Prabhupada's physical presence. When Prabhupada and the Vedas say "One Year".  That seems for sure to be second initiation. Of course, we should follow long enough to be sure that we can do what we are promising to do. If after 2-years we honestly are still not sure that we can follow the principles for our whole life (barring unexpected tricks from Maya devi) then we should wait.

"I promise I will pull you out of the water if you fall in. I won't let you drown". This is serious promise, but practically speaking if we see that we have done it and we simply expect we can do, it then, yes, make the commitment.

Here at the ASA we also think Bh. Nicasio should take 1st initiation if he feels ready.

Title: opinion about open secret in ISKCON Hare Krisna!!!

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

Esteemed Gunagrahi das Goswami,

Recently i finished the disciples course which is now a requisite to take initiation within our institution. i felt very satisfied taking the course, and i think everybody should take it. it is a very nice opportunity for an intense and funny sadhu sanga while learning about guru tattva and the standards in ISKCON. I really appreciate how ISKCON as an institution is working hard to make everything more clear and establishing clear rules and procedures in order to protect the position and teachings of the Founder Acarya Srila Prabhupada. We are maturing. Gives confidence.

Although the course is very clear and it covers many subjects that you can say it is much more than a mere disciples course, there is something that still it is not clear to me. when it comes to selecting a guru the course defines the steps to take and it says: one should engage in favourable devotional service, follow the four principles STRICTLY, chanting sixteen rounds, and a full morning program. During this period one should focus in SRila PRabhupada as prominent siksa guru. after six months of following the above one can select an authorized diksa guru and take shelter. after a minimum of six months of having taken shelter one can accept vaisnava diksa and it says that the guru is not obliged to iniciate de candidate.

So this is pretty clear, in theory. but in the practice i can notice that there is different deffinitions of following STRICTLY, and specifically regarding about sex life. It is an open secret that there are two different standards about illicit sex within ISKCON. a few months ago you sent an article regarding this topic, "Family Matters" by Matsya-avatar Prabhu. The lower standard is having regulated sex life within marriage and the higher is having sex life only after garbadhana samskara.

Then there are some gurus within ISKCON that give initiation to devotees that are following the lower standard, and there are other gurus that only give initiation to those devotees who follow the higher standard. So in our yatra we have a devotee which is very involved and commited to the mission, actually he is one of the leaders of the yatra. He is chanting sixteen rounds, having morning program, involved in favourable devotional service, and following the lower standard for seven years now. In the present time this devotee is following everything strictly according to the higher standard for six months and will be eight months of following when his gurumaharaj visit the yatra. he is asking to be initiated to give strength to his spiritual life. he has the benediction to be initiated by the local yatra leader mahajan prabhu, maha hari prabhu, president of ISKCON argentina and even by yourself.

His gurumaharaj initiates devotees who follow the higher standard only. what do you think maharaj? should this devotee be initiated as a special mercy to him or he must wait until he follows everything for one year? please comment on this topic.

your humble servant.

Bhakta Nicasio.