Letters to the editor

Dear Guru Maharaja, PAMHO, AGTSP! How have you been? I hope your health is fine, I am ok.

HpS - Our body is getting old. Eyes are weak... It is natural. Then this body will become used for making a new body, but we, the passenger, learn to use it as it is better and better for KRSNA!!

Fighting with my mind as usual, I haven´t been able to go to the Temple even though it has opened. I will start teaching in the new school year online, so I´m busier, I also sent my thesis to be read by the committee of professors. I haven´t communicated with you quite often because you have so much work and I do not want to bother you, or give you more work. But I´m fine in general, Baladeva just finished high school and will take his college exam the next year, Subhadra my daugther isn´t studying at the moment because she hates studying online.

HpS - We still have Baladeva's Dragon picture!

I have a question Guru Maharaja, you quite often mention the German style, and since you were very close to Hansadutta Prabhu, I guess you got so many ideas and part of his character, Is that right?

HpS - Yes, we learned a lot from him. Also, rejected some things. Our paternal Grandfather was a Austrian immigrant.

We are influenced by the type of devotees we associate with, I admire you because you are always fighting against any inconveniences.

I hope I can be in your heart and mind as your foolish disciple if I deserve to be yet.

Your servant, Jagat Bandhu Jagannatha Swami dasa

HpS - Thank you!!!! Are you doing an systematic study of Srila Prabhupada's books? What is your Thesis summary?

AGTSP, PAMHO, virtual Dandavatṣ...

Dear Gurudev, i am abhinanda das from Peru, I hardly ever write to you, maybe is one of my sins.

HpS - AGTSP!!! Paoho. If you have nothing to say it is not a sin!

I understood from his last classes, i can help to make an index for your writes of your jayarama`s archives, we can have a meeting to speak about this job and to see details.

If it is not possible, consider me to another job.

ss abhinanda das

HpS - Maybe you can be (an) editor for our ASA-Encyclopedia (asa-e)?

Hare Krsna Maharaja and Team ASA,

PAMHO! AGTSP!

My obeissances to ASA team and are marvellous service of preach. I hope they are very good and united.

Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to communicate by this means.

Briefly I communicate to you the following:

1. Tuesday 25 , day of Radhastami, the class of SBG will be given by Candramukhi dd. A consult: For this ocassion could to be bilingue?, as you see fit. ASA - Yes,YES, Y-E-S! please.
2. I sent August 7 my questions (send several for the bank) about of SBG 2.2 to your mail of yahoo. Please say me, if another correction is required, I find that I am going deeper in each correction. ASA - We saw the letter but have not been able to open it yet. We will now get to them because you reminded us. Our progress is slow because we are striking at the base: Regular Classes even if not very systematic.

Listening classes of SBG some questions arose, please If you can help me with some or all I will be very grateful:

1. In SBG 2.2.1 Sukadeva say:  Lord Brahmā, by meditating on the virāṭ-rūpa. Which virat rupa is he referring to? is the Sarga creation? ASA - We think it is the virata-rupa described in chapter 2.1. Yes, I think is creation of Maha-visnu. He looks at the things around his house, Lord Brahma, and then sees what is there, what was created by Lord Visnu, and then he will become inspired to build on that.

2.One is not able to understand everything the Guru says. I worry about not having the ability to understand the greatness of SP, not being able to understand his teachings. Please teach me how can I overcome this limitation? ASA - Srila Prabhupada says that even in one hundred years we cannot understand these books completely, but if go over them again and again, each time we will understand more. On the other hand, Krsna is also amazed at the newer and newer abilities we discover in ourselves. He made us and then tuned us on.... and now He, Radha, are amazed at the newer and newer abilities that we are discovering in our selves.

3.Some devotees comment that if there are few financial resources these should be directed to preaching and not so much to the expenses of pujari and deities since the most essential is sankirtan. Others say that if the resources for the deities are cut it will be worse, they say: "If you give to Krsna he will give you back with more". Please , what is your opinion respect to this? Have there been similar cases in yatras of USA? ASA - The Deity worship (pancharatriki vidhi) and the Sankirtan (Bhagavata vidhi) have to go on parallel like to rails of a railway track, but because it is Kali-yuga, the Sankirtan should lead and the Diety worship should be developed to follow the Sankirtan. Chant and apply this principle with the intelligence Krsna gives you!

4.Which is the Chapter or Canto of SBG inspires to you most? ASA - Ha! Ha! HaRe! Which do you like more potatoes or mangos?

Note: Abhinanda d is helping to Aravinda d in the layout and translation of books.

HpS - ASA -- Super. Please ask him to review: http://www.jayarama.us/archives/asa-mangala-arati-fmp.docx. Thank you all so much!! Please send some news about your children!!

Sri Nrsimha deva protect you🙏

whit very much gratitude

ys Isvari R dd

ASA - Swami Harsh, Gives a wonderful link:

https://www.lewissociety.org/future-events/#book-club  Education in Western mind.

ASA - AGTSP!! Looks good, but has Prof. read it? Can he give more detailed analysis? Does he recomend Monkey and Piggy invest their pennys and buy it and read it on Kindle? Their timeis worth $275/hour.

Should we include it in the next issue of Viplavah?

Hare Krishna, dear gurudev. Pamho, AGTSP!

About a year ago I was summoned to be part of the legal board of ISKCON Peru. You told [HpS/ASA - Suggested! 😎] me to try it for a year. Well, a year has passed and nothing happened. Therefore, as you encouraged me to help a little in that area, I now ask your permission to decline.

HpS-ASA - You also seemed to push it a little and try to get some reaction from the President etc. Ooof! We can't give up on the Institution, but if one way doesn't work, then as friends of each other and servants of Srila Prabhupada we have to try another way. Srila Prabhupada tried for years to get The League of Devotees et al.

So, if you think it is best to resign, at this point I certainly bow to your ideas, but with this attitude that with whatever ability and nature we have we will never stop trying to expand ISKCON not only as a community of friends, but also as a formal institution. O.K.?

In reality, administration was never my true service, it was always education, for that I have trained outside and inside ISKCON. In civil life I got a master's degree, I only need the thesis that was frustrated with the pandemic. I'm not sure yet about the PhD. Within ISKCON I have taken practically all the courses they have. I am now taking Teachers Trainnig III. Whenever there is an opportunity, I study. I consider myself an eternal student and an eternal teacher. Everything I learn I share with my students. I have a Bhakti sastri group, another of Pada padma and one of the Disciples Course. I also have seminars every Friday. And I listen as much as I can to your lectures and the lectures of other devotees from whom I learn a lot.

So, I'm going to do my thing. Personally, I believe that the solution to the ISKCON problems, whatever it may be, I do not believe that it will be solved by the administrative area and I say it with knowledge of the facts. The solutions will be given by a concerted force from the various areas of ISKCON, which seems quite far from reaching, cohesion, cooperation, unity in diversity. You are very optimistic, I am not. However, I have not stopped fighting, I always do what I can, but the area where I can help a little is in the educational area. I already have experience of when I enter administration I do not help at all. What's more, I create more inconveniences. That is why I am declining the position assigned to me. In any case, it was never legalized. I think other devotees will do much better.

With my girlfriend [Fiancee], Raman reti devi dasi, we [and I] are very excited doing Sankirtan projects. We want to do different things. Distribution of prasadam, Food for Life and also with gourmet prasadam for the wealthier classes. We plan to do bhajans in the open air and whatever we can. Make contact with the Municipality of Chosica or some NGO to do bigger programs, if Krishna allows it. Actually what we always think is to start something and Krishna will decide if it becomes big or we continue on a simple platform. We will live a "high thinking life." That is our moto.

I always wanted to preach in schools and educational and cultural institutions, let's see how things are presented. I also want to dabble in universities, but again, I will put my effort and Krishna will show me where to go.

My asrama situation I would describe as a process from grhasta to vanaprasta. We will do charity and serve together in the temple 2 days a week in the morning, apart from everything described. Really, I have seriously thought about this, I think Raman retir will be a big boost in my life. She is very determined, very organized and will not let me slack. Now, when I don't feel like it, I just watch Netlix with a pint of chocolate ice cream and oatmeal cookies. With her I will be very inspired to do service. "Women are the inspiration of men and in that sense they are better [stronger] than men" S.P. [https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/9/27/#bb15340 ]

Thanks, gurudev, for all your inspiration. I learn a lot from you. For me it is an honor and a pride to be your disciple. I am always trying to follow your discipline. Your instructions are my soul and my life, really. I'm not perfect, but I try my best.

What strikes me about all this is that I am not a blind follower. I don't do things just because you say them, but I really feel them important and they coincide with what I think. I don't really understand this feeling, maybe it's my big ego, but I feel happy. Happy to have met you, happy to have accepted me as your disciple, happy to be in this great institution, happy to have the friendship of so many wonderful devotees, happy to have Srila Prabhupada, happy to be who I am, happy to have found a devotee who is going to help me become a better person, happy to belong to Lord Caitanya's Sankirtan movement, happy to have Prabhupada's books, happy to be able to offer Krishna wonderful prasadam, happy to be alive here and now. And when it is my turn to leave, I will be happy because I will go to another place to continue doing what makes me happy.

Your servant,

Laksmana-agraja das

HpS - Oh, Many Happy One! Thank you for your letter. You must be a great fool also, because I agree with so much of your analysis of the situation, plans etc.

Well maybe several fools can reach some intelligence.

I agree with all you are saying. We made our point above also.

Only thing I thin might be different is that I think from my intelligence and from what I have heard from others eg. Hector, Jagad-guru (CNN) et al, that a very likely scenario is that we will not go back to normal. Krsna may allow an antivirus for the Karuna virus, but then peoplel will not trust the industrialization model as much as before. Of course, the solution is to start to return to the Vedic model of mostly self sufficient villages that link to the county, nation, world in a practical sense.

So your Sankirtan plans may want to look in that direction. Maybe your should become teacher/counselor for the Mayor of Chosika (A Different Kind of City). Next letter.

Picture of Happy Dogs attached.

Write with the breaking news!!

HK, PAMHO, AGTSP 

How are you Gurudeva? How is your health? Glad hear your voice every day on the calls. Kindly take care of your health Gurudeva.

HpS - ASA --- AgtSP! Paoho. "This body does not get diseases, this body is a disease", they say SP said. You, me, everyone, is suffering mental and physical distess at all time. If not then there would be not material happiness!!!

O.K. 😎

Best use of a bad bargain - The donkey, Brother Ass, is getting old. We are learning that he is a very efficient vehicle at this point, but very sensitive. We are learning and adjusting, consolidating and finishing our work. Not taking on any new projects.

Please write here to the Blog using the protocols mentioned n the KAPI DHVAJA. We have a lot to discuss!!! Thank you.