Letters to the editor

ASA(E) VAD, Determining Varna

Hare Krishna Dear Gurumaharaja,

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

In today lecture, you mentioned Ramananda Raya to suggest the best thing to follow varna-asrama.

Somehow whenever I hear about varna-asrama I cannot understand how to apply in my life. For asrama it is easy, I am in grihasta asrama. But I don't see how I can fit into varna.

I like to do activities of sudra (programming and architecting software). But when I see somebody needs protection I generally have to act, which could be consider by some kind of ksatriya thing. And goal of my sudra activities is to spread knowledge, which could be sinsidered as brahmana.

As my sudra activities are taking most percents, it could mean I should fit into sudra varna. Srila Prabhupada mentioned "A sudra cannot live independently". If I imagine to not live independently, I would rather prefer to not live than to be dependant on decisions of others. My horoscope chart mentions I cannot work under anybody. If I will follow varna properly it will stop Vedabase and Vidyabase preaching projects. Same time I cannot fit in other varnas too.

Or should I consider it that by helping to spread teaching which Srila Prabhupadfa gave us, I don't work independently, but under Srila Prabhupada? Thus fitting requirement for sudra to not be independent?

My understanding is that helping with sankirtana mission is more important than to fit into varna, but then why are there quotes that one should follow varna asrama?

Is my way of understading wrong? What should be right way of accepting this?

Please tell me to understand this topic.

Your servant Prahlad Nrsimha das

HpSwami ASA 🐒 - Does this help: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/3/29/10/ ?

Eighty-one different combinations.

I am Sudra Brahmana Brahmana Brahmana?

I think you are also predominantly Brahmana.

Yes, your Brahmana nature can guide your Sudra nature.

Brahmana naturally serves King, GBC, Temple President but as a Brahmana, under Acharya, Supersoul.

He is merciful to King.

That is his service.

Helps?

So nice to hear from you.

We are in NVM now.

asa(e) somnambulists

Monkey and Piggy had followed the Yoga: Dot your eyes, cross your teas,

but Goloka-Dvaraka they did not get when they crossed the seas.

They had reached the mystical island of Dvaraka, and it was expansive beyond all belief.

Now the search party was spread out around the edge of a swamp on the jungle.

They were sitting and griping about how they had been tramping up and down every hog, dog, camel 🐫 and ass path on the isle, but still they had not found the mystical metropolis of Dvaraka.

To make matters even worse, all the queer frogs in the swamp were gaily chanting: ritvik, ritvik.

,,-'o',,

Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna.

Have you forgotten us, do you know, the time of day?

When in a Goloka body, we must get out to play.

Yet, in any case, we hope by Srila Prabhupada's lotus feet to always stay.

=0=0=0=

Like to write?

Then read is right.

Enhance it with the music from your soul.

Each of us is self effulgent.

Like tiny Suns, as we daily see it roll. 🌅

-0-0-0-

Radha and Krsna plant may new bushes, vines and trees.

They daily water them, and are delighted to see them reach Their knees.

Yet, just like Goloka, They do not know what surprises this bush has in store.

We must be attentive to develop our potentials,

That is what the Brijabasis, with certain vigor, do sincerely implore.

=8=8=8=8=

Now it's time to rest.

Let the body breath and snore.

😴

. . . 😴

😴. . . 😴. . . 😴

. . . .😴. . .

asa[e] guru tattva; disciple falls from vows.

Dear Gurudeva,

PAMHO. AGTSP.

I am writing this letter to tell you that I am losing myself spiritually. For several weeks I have not been keeping fully the promise I made to you of chanting 16 good rounds and the Gayatri mantras, and I feel very, very bad.

You always say that if one is not keeping the vow, you are not his/her spiritual master anymore, and I understand that.

HpS - As Diksa Guru, but if you or someone in this position wants, then we can try to function as Siksa guru, Patha-pradarshika guru, again. That is Guru who tries to get us on the formal path, the vows and promises.

Of course, Srila Prabhupada is doing this for all of us through so many media.

It is only my fault. I ask your forgiveness for having failed you and Srila Prabhupada. It is clear that I am not up to the standard. Please, I hope you don’t think that I am getting lost by engaging in sense enjoyment, I mean, more than some weeks ago. Truly, that is not the case.

I have simply complicated a little more my life with my new personal situation. At the same time, I am getting older and I have less material strength, and it seems also less spiritual strength. The daily life of a worker woman who lives alone with two children and several bills to pay at the end of the month consumes a lot of hours and energy.

I have the feeling of sinking into a spiral that swallows me and pushes me away from the devotees. Sometimes I think am a burden for the devotees: Jayanta is better living in Brihuega and the devotees who live around here are only interested on when Jayanta can come to have a lecture and a sat sanga meeting.

And I totally understand it. I am only good at my job, driving and some sports.

I would like to thank you for all these years in which, through your great mercy, you have allowed me to remain close to you and benefit from your association, knowledge, and realizations.

I am deeply, deeply sorry for not being up to the level of you, your spiritual master, or your disciples. What frightens me most is that I don’t know if I will ever be able to be. But I am going to keep trying. This soul is fighting.

If you allow me, I would like to continue connecting, whenever I can, to Japa Joe, FMP, and the Sunday classes. Also, whenever needed and if you consider it appropriate, please count on me to help with NIOS.

I am sorry to have to write you such a letter.

I hope you are in good health.

An aspirant hoping to be able to serve you again.

HpS - As usual you are a heroine and leader for so many people. How many people are in the same position and have not taken the brave and honest steps to write here.

Thank you.

Can we act as your Siksa guru?

Vartmana, Patha, pradarsika guru?

Of course, Krsna does not forget all the effort you have made.

It is like taking the rope He is offering from the shore and pulling us closer. Eventually we get to the point that even though we still go under the water, our feet now hit the bottom and we can use that to push ourselves up, as well as take the pull from his rope.

Later we will be 50% out of the water.

Yet in all cases we hold onto the rope. Even 50% of the rivers current can carry us away.

Of course, the rope is 16/4 with enthusiasm.

If we lose the connection we are headed back to the Samsara of the river flow. Again, it is different for one who has chanted than one who has not.

If we have the strength and intelligence to go to work etc. then we have the strength and intelligence to chant some Japa and follow principles to some practical extent.

No whiskey.

No betting on horse races.

0--0

Keep track of how many rounds you owe Krsna.

Take a vow to chant a certain number of rounds daily that you know you can do for a certain period. Eg. "I will chant four rounds per day until Christmas".

Then see the result.

Then take a vow to chant fixed number, more or less, during the next period.

At least one round every year on Janmastami? 😆

This is what Srila Prabhupad and we guess Rupa Goswami recommend in the NoD.

Sangat sanjayate kamah.

Our desires develop from the company we keep.

If you are giving so much help to Nimai the Great and Sarasvati the Charming, then why aren't they chanting with you?

Has Jayanta Das moved full time to Brihuega?

Does he not help with the care of the minor children?

Are the two of you enacting your Spanish lila of Sancho and Teresa?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oo7VlD66ISM

asa[e] VAD; grhastha ashrama; divorce

"The divorce act is encouraging prostitution, and this should be abolished."

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/17/38/#bb17253

"If her husband is fallen, it is recommended that she give up his association. Giving up the association of her husband does not mean, however, that a woman should marry again and thus indulge in prostitution."

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/7/11/#bb47099

The entire Verse and Purport give very clear advice on this topic. Please study them nicely! https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/7/11/28/

For even more detail:

"Actually the qualified brāhmaṇas are meant to give direction to the kings for proper administration in terms of the scriptures like the Manu-saṁhitā and Dharma-śāstras of Parāśara."

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/9/27/#bb15336

We found a translation of Parasara's Dharma Sastra at the University of California Berkeley, Law Library.

A copy is at: https://www.jayarama.us/archives/parasara.doc

As we remember it explains that for a woman whose husband dies or takes Sannyasa, it is first class for a woman to follow her husband in the same fire of sacrifice.

If he dies she enters the funeral fire.

If he takes Sannyasa, then like Visnupriya, she followed the Lord as a woman by dedicating herself fully to taking shelter of the Holy Names while staying at home.

As we understand, she would collect one grain of rice for each maha-mantra and then cook what she had collected by 2pm.

She was as good of a Sannyasi as Lord Caitanya.

This is first class Dharma for a woman, wife.

Second class is that she does not enter the fire, but she enjoys life in a civilized fashion but does not get remarried.

Third class, and still progressive in Kali-yuga, is that she gets remarried after six years.

Any comments?

asa[e] history; secular

Hare Krishna, Guru Maharaja,

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

As directed, posting few links I found online relative to Japan's peace overtures prior to the atomic bombing and Justice Radha Vinod Pal's dissenting judgement at WWII Tokyo tribunal

The Search for a Negotiated Peace: JAPANESE DIPLOMATS ATTEMPT TO SURRENDER JAPAN PRIOR TO THE BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI by Justin H. Libby in World Affairs journal

https://www.jstor.org/stable/20672371?

https://fair.org/home/the-japanese-were-already-defeated-and-were-seeking-peace/

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/justice-radhabinod-pal-tokyo-war-crimes-trial

https://icds.ee/en/the-dissenting-opinions-of-justice-radhabinod-pal-at-the-tokyo-war-crimes-tribunal/

Your warmonger servant,

Gopal

HpS/ASA - AgtSP! Esteemed Mongering servant. we consider ourselves your servant.

we are so inspired by your library service.

hope!!!

you are keeping an index and can share it.

we want to have a NMDhama ASA symposium on Cinema as Dharma, Caitanya Cinema Circle, including NoD, Viola Spolin's theater improv. book. main audience = b'caris looking for career path. that incudes you also, no?

The articles on Japan's surrender before Hiroshima are so interesting.

History gives us chance to live properly in the current moment!