Letters to the editor

Thank you for your kind words. We are collecting all the Annual Reports etc. in one file and then will read and appreciate them!

Be sure to also make the report in the REPORT section of this Blog!!!

Hare Krishna!

Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada, and all glories to ISKCON and all its members!

Following your suggestion, we sent the list of devotees for leading Tulasi kirtan, during FMS, for the next 3 weeks.

Monday-      HH Hanumatpresaka swami

Tuesday-       Karuna Mayi devi dasi

Wednesday- Caturatma das

Thursday-     Isvari Radha devi dasi

Friday-          Abhinanda das

Saturday-     Karuna-Sakti devi dasi

Sunday-        Priya Sakhi devi dasi / Parasurama Das

Gurudeva, we appreciate any instructions you may wish to give us in this regard.

___

Note:

It is worth clarifying that:

*This list is only for 3 weeks and does not affect the assignment of kirtan leaders that existed before the trip to Houston.

*If there is any devotee who wishes to lead one day, they are welcome.

Your servant

Karuna-Sakti Devi Dasi

HpS - Thank you. Seems, agtSP, we are slowly getting nice integrated program with Temple Program and our ASA Program.

There are many aspects that we would like to improve, and we hope we are not burdening anyone unnecessarily, but is so nice to read NoD daily, look at pictures of Lord Nrsmha etc.

Maybe more devotees come outside of Temple room for our NoD and Tulasi Kirtan!

Hare Krishna Maharaja, please kindly accept my most humble obeisances; all glories to our Founder Acharya, Srila Prabhupada;

all glories to your good self,

for your many years of selfless dedication to serving him.

HpS - Hmmm. I think that our service has been quite motivated. We want him to save us from hell from our lust tongue and belly. We want to have some interesting, fun, service!!! Oooof! Obeisances to him.

Again and

AGAIN and

A G A I N !

I have never been very good at making speeches and singing the praises of others, and so I wanted to dedicate my meager words in honor of your Vyasapuja celebration. I am certain that your initiated disciples will be more qualified and sincere in expressing their appreciations than what I could offer.

HpS - Which is better apples or bananas?

Unfortunately for me, I am not one of your initiated disciples, but I have a great need to be accepted as your disciple, just to take guidance from you.

I have been stuggling with a quagmire of emotions and decisions about how to be of service and where to serve.

For want of a surrendered attitude I have failed to take proper shelter of your association.

Simply I have grieved to you about my problems, looking for emotional support in order to survive whatever trauma life gives me in devotional service. And you have extended yourself seeing my pain, and knowing that I am weak in my heart and mind to nicely surrender.

HpS - Hare Krsna!

I want very much to surrender. I once thought that I knew how to surrender, by taking initiation, by always doing the needful: and feeling genuine satisfaction because of it.

I felt like I belonged; I felt protected. I was thinking to myself "this is the story of the rest of my life," and I was in bliss believing it with all my heart. But surrender unto the spiritual master is not just some formality of initation and doing the needful, or some blissful satisfaction that is ephemeral at best.

The disciple must be willing to take shelter of the spiritual master's instructions: "ha ha prabhu koro doya." Doya means the spiritual master shows his mercy by imparting transcendental knowledge to the disciple, so that the disciple can become free from all the miseries of life.

If there is to be any hope for peace of mind and freedom from all the miseries of material existence, the disciple must make the instructions his very life and soul: otherwise what is the purpose of accepting a spiritual master?

I don't know if in this same lifetime I can ever again have the same surrendered attitude that I once had so many years ago. But I have found hope in taking shelter of your association and being able to render some menial service to you during your visits;

sharing candidly with you my humble thoughts and offerings; and feeling enlivened and inspired to sharing Krishna consciousness with others because of your association.

I wish with all my heart that I could surrender like I did so long ago. But all I can do is hope that you will accept my wishful thoughts as my offering to you, on this most auspicious day of your appearance.

Your lowly servant,

Balabhadra dasa

HpS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNVWVLkjknQ

From the stage show the 'Fantastics'.

The show's original off-Broadway production ran a total of 42 years (until 2002) and 17,162 performances, making it the world's longest-running musical.

We forget the negative aspects of our surrender in the past also, no?

You're right.

We have to not think that now I am an older devotee.

Hare Krsna Dear Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

All glories to your mission of Sankirtana.

I hope you are well.

I am writing to ask you please if you can send me with Candramukhi 4 Diaries of the Traveling Creature.

And I would send the contribution of it with Candra mukhi dd.

Sri Nrsimhadeva protect you

ys and spiritual niece

Isvari R dd.

HpS/ASA - AgtSP!!! Paoho... Prahlada nrshma Das also wrote to us about Tom Brown's Diarys.

:https://monkeywarrior.com/detail/14627/

We were thinking that we could send some things to Peru, Radha Madana-bihari etal with CMD and PDD!!!

Thank you!

 ISKCON Educator and Mentor- His Grace Prana Das

His Grace Prana Das departed this material world (1-6-23), around 6. a.m. IST in Vrindavan Dham at the Bhaktivedanta Hospice. Many of you may know of His Grace Prana Prabhu.

He joined ISKCON in the early 80’s and has served most dedicatedly in the area of education in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., the USA, and India. He played instrumental roles as a teacher, principal, education consultant, and curriculum developer, for early, elementary, and Higher Education, was a great mentor and trainer, a Sanskrit curriculum developer, and a teacher at the Mayapur Institute of Higher Education. He assisted Mother Urmila in digitizing the Learn to Read Series. Most recently (the last 5 years), he has developed online interactive learning for children (bhaktilearning.com).

Between 2014-2018, I had the good fortune of Prabhu’s association during the startup years of establishing Goswami Academy at ISKCON Houston. He served as one of the visiting education consultants. Not only was he very knowledgeable and expert in the field of education, but Prabhu was a kind, caring, compassionate, and wonderful devotee. I feel very fortunate to have had his association. Please join me in prayers to Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Radha Krishna for the departure of this great soul.

Below is a must-see YouTube video in-depth link that features Prabhu joining ISKCON, his early years, services, and words of wisdom in our bhakti journey…

https://youtu.be/9WOjtWFdCho?feature=shared

HpS/ASA - We can only repeat what Subra Devi Dasi has said. We were fortunate to get Prabhu's association. He was compassionate in seeking us out when we were in his Yatra and always a friendly intelligent person.

Where is he now?

Will he be in Nadiya with Nimai???

ASA[E] Guru-tattva.. Diksa guru retires.

Hare Krishna Guru Maharaja

Please accept my humble obeisances

All Glories to Srila Prabhupada

All Glories to your enormous service.

I hope you get much better health.

HpS - Our donkey's health is pretty good for 75-years old.

Had littel fever, probably just like you, but recovered quickly.

Hearing, sight, memory are like 40% gone. That won't come back in this life time. It is good. We want to stop watching the movie of mangos and pick real mangos for Krsna!

Would be nice if we died right after sending this letter and you died right after reading it and then we both took birth in Nabadvipa with Nimai, no!!!

We remain firm with all our vows and also with the service in the initiation committee, I wanted to apologize for my mistake in misunderstanding the words in English, I will strive to improve, in fact I am practicing English with a devotee of the Indian community 🙏.

HpS - Your English is better than my Spanish! 😄

In December we helped aspiring devotees for Hari nama initiation and brahminical initiation of Jayapataka Maharaja, we had a very good association with older devotees.

HpS/ASA - Such a nice service!

My letter is mainly addressed to you to tell you about Bhakta Carlos Rold, a devotee of many years who has always felt very enthusiastic about everything related to making your sankirtan grow.

I am a witness of how he has made an effort to qualify and prepare himself.

For a year now, he has been following the four regulative principles, maintaining his sadhana, connecting to FMP, doing practical service in the Iskcon Chile temple, singing its 16 rounds (he tells me that when he cannot finish them, he sings them the next day, adding to the corresponding ones),

he has also approved [passed] the Disciples course and is about to finish the Introduction to Bhakti yoga course.

Also Bhakta Lucciano Macchiavello would also like to formalize his entire process in a certain way, he tells me that he has known you for more than 17 years and that no one like you has understood it, he has never stopped following your institution of donating milk and butter for the deity.

Gurudeva an important question, do you think in the future granting formal Refuge and possible initiation to Bhakta Carlos Rold and perhaps formal refuge to Bhakta Lucciano Macchiavello?, Both devotees have been following his instructions for years.

Your would-be servant

Manjuali Devi Dasi

Santiago de Chile

HpS - Maybe even more than a year ago we decided that we are too old to give any more 1st initiation. The Diksa guru takes Karma. It is a job, and it is a job for a young man. Last time we did it. Few months ago. We felt really crushed.

🙂

However, that does not mean that we cannot be Guru's for Carlitos or Machaivelli.

In Srila Bhaktivinode's 'Jaiva Dharma' one fictional Sannyasi, saint, Babba Mahasai, is preaching, teaching, guiding a young man from Kolkata when he visits Nabadvipa.

Then Bobba Mahasaya tells him that he is ready for initiation, but that he, Bobba Mahasaya is 90-years old and that if he initiates him, he will die, so they should go and see Vaisnava Thakura Bobba who is only 75-years old.

Young man. 😃

VTB says that it is an honor to do the ritual if BM recommends The Young Man (35-years old).

So, that is what we feel.

Carlos and Machiavelli are our friends!

What more can we want!!?

It is an honor if we can be their friends and counselors always.

We are recommending Yadunandana Swami in Spain as a very nice Diksa guru. Radha Krsna Das in Houston.

O.K.