Letters to the editor

asa[e] - yoga ladder, guru, sadhu, sastra

Hare Krishna Gurudeva

Please accept my obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

I thought that this was something very intimate in the spiritual life and that it should not be revealed openly to other people, but following your instruction, I am now making the contents of the letter public.

I want to reveal my mind regarding a situation that has been happening to me for a few weeks. Today, April 1, 2023, I am writing this letter to you again.

On several occasions in the past I have tried to have a mystical connection to be able to make decisions in my life. On one occasion I asked questions in my mind and felt the answer in different parts of my body, but I found that it was not something reliable. I also paid attention to what was happening around me to have answers, but that can eventually turn into paranoia.

Before and after meeting the devotees I have practiced different methods of meditation, and recently I tried to meditate and have an answer within. And indeed I had an answer, either positive or negative.

As the days passed, I began to have answers in meditation that seemed contradictory, and the question arose in me: Could it be my false ego?

After that experience I tried to connect with who I really am, the soul, momentarily freeing myself from the false ego, and at the same time visualizing you: Hanumatpresaka Swami, Srila Prabhupada and Sri Krishna Caitanya (his feet), as an altar in the heart or in consciousness.

When I began to meditate and receive an answer, either positive or negative from this altar in my heart. The contradictory answers stopped and such a great clarity and peace came within me that I felt happy and surprised at the same time.

I have realized that I need to go into a state of deep meditation to have a clear answer, otherwise the false ego gets mixed up in the communication.

I have been able to organize my life better, have peace and be able to make decisions that are difficult to make due to my indecision and insecurity.

However, I come to you to confirm this communication in the heart. This may be my speculation or something similar, even more so for a mental patient like me.

Is this real Gurudeva or should I avoid doing it?

Thank you very much Gurudeva

Your Servant

Piyari Mohan das

PS: After receiving your response to the previous letter on this topic, this fact of communication in the heart began to be contradictory and finally stopped working.

Anyway, if this is not real, it has helped me to realize the implementation of intelligence, and make decisions through it.

Thank you Gurudeva.

HpS - AGTSP. Thank you so much for these comments and questions. Honestly, as far as we know, they are so useful for many people. Some are in a very similar situation as you and may not present it, and for others it is a chance to understand people of different mentalities than themselves.

Our Yoga is "sublime". That means it works directly on the root connection, directly from our current situation. We can be inclined to Tama and Raja guna in a body like Jayananda Das, a Sudra or woman or a child or a dog... but that does not matter. Krsna incarnates in a gross form like the Rathayatra cart or bread and potatoes, and we can do Yoga straight from the heart through that incarnation.

Our stuggles with building or assembling the Rathyatra cart touch our heart.

Yes, the mind and intellect, manas and buddhi, must become purified, but no direct effort is needed. If you see the light house and try to go towards it, automatically you negotiate all the obstacles in the path.

O.K.?

Maybe you are influenced by Tama and Sattva guna, so you can do very inspired art, but then sometimes very gross physical desires are activated in a very artistic way.

So, you must learn how to engage your body, words and mind in Krsna's service. Direct experiments with Yoga might be a natural part of your work, just as Anandamaya Devi Dasi or Jaya-prema Devi Dasi in their letters might be involved with children and mothers or aunts.

It is Visvannatha cakra Varti, as we remember, who says that whatever realization we have, we should check it with Guru, Sadhu and Sastra.

So, you may be in contact with the Paramatma, Deities on your gross or subtle altars, but then you check that with Guru... we are acting as Diksa guru, Siksa guru and Srila Prabhupada is your Siksa guru and Founder-Acharya (Samstapaka-acharya) Siksa and Diksa guru. He gives tons of information in his books, by his examples,

Sadhus --- There are the examples and preaching of the previous Acharyas through him, and our godbrothers in ISKCON.

Sastra - Does your inspiration agree with Srila Prabhupada's books.

If the answer is yes, yes, yes, then you can have trust in the details you get by inspiration. All of us must become Gosvamis. All of us just develop connection with Prabhupada in our intelligence. After that we can become completely pure devotees.

If there are very fine, necessary details to discuss, that you cannot solve by detailed discussion with other devotees, then we can communicate quickly about these details in more confidential communications.

asa(e) - Ontology, Yoga-ladder - Fall down from Vaikuntha.

PAMHO AGTSP!!

HK Maharaj!! how are you??

HpS - Many people ask us this question, no? Guess the best answer is, "Like Arjuna in the battle of Kurukstra". Shot full of arrows, not giving up returning the fight. Trying to accomplish Krsna's goals in the Sankirtan battle.

well here I'm writing you again, this time I'm having a doubt about Prabhupada statements which I would like to please ask you about.

Here are the verses which arose the questions:

So here I found this two statements.

Bhagavatam 3.16.26: "The conclusion is that no one falls from the spiritual world, or Vaikuṇṭha planet, for it is the eternal abode. But sometimes, as the Lord desires, devotees come into this material world as preachers or as atheists. In each case we must understand that there is a plan of the Lord. Lord Buddha, for example, was an incarnation, yet he preached atheism: “There is no God.” But actually there was a plan behind this, as explained in the Bhāgavatam."

Bhagavatam 7.1.35: "Therefore it is to be understood that when Jaya and Vijaya descended to this material world, they came because there was something to be done for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise it is a fact that no one falls from Vaikuṇṭha."

And here I found this other one which seems opposite:

Transcript of a Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavatam Class on verse 1.8.23

https://vedabase.io/en/library/transcripts/741003sbmay/?query=fall+spiritual#bb296536

"The... We fall down, we, because we are very small, spiritual spark, and Kṛṣṇa is the whole fire. And the fire and the spiritual..., fire, sparks from the fire, their quality---the same = they can burn. As the big fire can burn, similarly, the small spark, if it falls down on your cloth, that portion, it will immediately burn. It will become back..., black. So the quality is the same. But when it falls down, its burning quality becomes extinguished. We have got practical experience. Burning quality becomes extinguished. So when we fall down from the spiritual world---we come to the material world---our spiritual quality becomes extinguished. That we have to revive. That we have to revive."

So I've heard in a class you gave here in Argentina that when a soul resides in Goloka Vrindavan and wants to forget about Krishna might descend to a less perfect loka, and you were describing, and please correct me if I'm wrong, how a soul might descend gradually from Goloka to Vaikuntha, then to the marginal position and finally to the material world.

So could you please tell how this knowledge can be combined?

Thank you very much again and please forgive if there was any offense in my letter,

Federico

HpS - AgtSP. It is a big topic, but as I understand, the basic principle is that no one has an accidental fall down from the spiritual world. Yet we always have free will, other wise we are slaves of pain or slaves of pleasure and then there us no question of giving our love to Krsna.

We become afraid of that, BG 4.10, because it is an absolute responsibility, but it is also a fantastic gift. We can actually give Krsna our free love!

This is one of the most compelling purports that I know: https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/5/8/26/

We cannot have an accidental falldown from Vaikuntha or even Bhava, but we can use our free will and be offensive, not sinful, and fall down. The question, "Why did we do it?' has no meaning. "Why" means what caused us to do it. We have free will even though small, of the same character as Krsna (frightening), so when we chose to do it. It happens.

Same idea is right there in NOI: https://vedabase.io/en/library/noi/6/#bb5968

Yet the good news is that even though we put ourselves under the jurisdiction of the merciless but just judge, maya, the merciful Mother, Radha, is always looking for some way to get us out of this mess even though we don't want to.

Yet, we should help Her, no? Helps?

ASA-e -- Yoga Ladder, False Ciriticsm

Dear Maharaj,

PAMHO AGTSP!

I have been contemplating on SP’s instruction to Yamuna Mataji to share so that it doesn’t cause envy, psychotic enemies, insecurity and thus obstacles in service (show-stealer, receiving ‘more’ mercy, getting more attention from teachers, stealing husband from his guru and parents and illicit gf). I am seriously baffled by how such wonderful people can become so insecure by someone as insignificant as me!? I really try to stay low, dim down. I guess I can take it as a compliment that they see so much potential in me. However it leads to a lot of obstacles in service as well. Trying to learn ways to preempt these feelings in other’s hearts and promote friendship. Not ruffle their feathers, but also not disrespect myself (which sometimes is the expectation). I try to share whatever I have to dissolve it, but it doesn’t always work. Ive been contemplating how to better respond to such situations 🙏.

HpS/ASA - AgtSP. Paoho. In The Forest of Material Enjoyment, Canto Five, we remember there is the example of the cricket. He is making noise so that one cannot even sleep properly, but no matter how hard we look we cannot find him.

Is explained that this represents character assasination, false criticism, to which everyone in the material world is object and the source of which cannot be discovered.

Eg, "S(He)It eats fruit in bed!"

We ask a friend where they heard that and they cannot tell us. "It is going around"

I get criticized in so many aspects: HpS is a ritvic, closet Christian, mental speculator, has had his problems with woman etc.

Everyone will have.

It is a an irritation built in by God to keep us from becoming happy in this nasty place.

So, in one aspect, when it happens, we just say, "THANK YOU, KRSNA! Got the message, gonna pick the pace again".

Usually, that is the only response we make to these false criticisms, but if the critic is a disernible entity and we can make some simple adjustment then we do it.

Other wise, The Witch, (Black one, not white one) will always come up with more and more problems so that we cannot focus on doing our service to the best of our ability and then letting Krsna and Balarama see to the results!

🦍 🦍🐒 🦧 Hare Krsna! Hare Rama!!!

O.K.?

YAS

Yajnaseni DD

Hare Krsna beloved Gurudeva AGTSP PAMHO:

I hope this meets You in very good health and happy

So sorry for not writing before. I AM very entangled in My material life. I will see your very goodself on March 5th. I humbly beg for your blessings for My trip

I finished the translation of my part waves of devotion. The whole document is in revision.

Besides, I humbly request to have the opportunity to talk to You

Looking forward to seeing You

Your eternal servant

CMDD

HpS - Well, we saw you on March 5th. It is now March 9th. We were very glad to hear that "Waves of Devotion" is translated. We can see to publication and distribution now. Guess we should talk to Visual Services, ArtDas about formating, including graphs etc.

We did not have much chance to talk, but a little. It is so nice to hear that your sister is successful in here professional carreer and Ulyses is about to set of on his Odyssey with a happy face.

We helped him toward a human, Vaisnava birth.

Did you meet any interesting people on your trip?

asa[e] yoga ladder, sadhana bhakti, mangla arati.

Hare Krsna Master,

HpS - AgtSP! He is our Master, I am maybe a (master).🙂

Please accept my grateful obeisances,

Morning prayers in ISKCON seems to be very generic to us, it seems to be glorification of Guru, Tulsi Mata, Narsingh Dev, etc.

We remember in BhVai classes 2.9.33 Brahmji prays every day for getting power for construction ,and they seem to be very specific prayers.

Once you talked about also in TPP (new Book) you talk about attitude building in morning program.

Can you kindly elaborate the how does one develop attitude, during morning program ?

What is the attitude is all about ? Attitude is generally about the activities we are going to do today (thats what we think )......

any example/meditation of such attitude development might help .

We are comparing our morning program to military program. So we do understand they have their basic physical training in the morning, and rest of the day they have their specific training.

This letter will definitely help us to do morning prayers, we do wake up at 345, but somehow not getting any intelligent reason to do morning prayers.

Your servant

Hayagriva Avatar Das

HpS - Sorry so slow to answer. On the road ad setting up camp for five weeks.

In the beginning Rupa Goswami et al say that there is some tendency toward impersonalism.

Our Bh. Yoga gives us relief from distress. Because we are chanting HK/HR during the Br. Muhurta, we are not dreaming of lower things and becoming condition to that perspective.

Later, after liberation, we begin to feel that it is an auspicious activity. We can begin to see, at least theoretically, that Radha and Krsna et al are there and They are slowly penetrating the fog.

As Sadhana we try to minimize the program. Chant for Hara first and then expand in terms of Her presence.

Her Dhama

Her lover.

We learned the word by world meanings of the Bhajans and then we can chant them with American feeling.

Listening to the other devotees chant. Trying to lead them with our perspective without violence, and take advantage of the leadership of their perspective, it becomes the basis of a great day. Mangala,

gives us strength.

O.K. Go to TVinterview

Thank you so much for your assocition!!

asa[e] sankirtan

If we want to communicate Gaura vani to different nations then we need to know their ethos, no?

The money, paper money, of a nation is an interesting way to look at a people.

Whose pictures are on the money? Is it people or places. The Euro is a "national" currency?

As far as we know the USA is the only country in the world with the Name of God on their money, "In God we trust". There was even a recent effort to remove it but it was rejected.

After you sort, count, handle a lot of paper money your fingers usually stink! We hear that tuberculosis is common in bank tellers who have a lot of contact with paper currency. This is interesting that the representation of Laksmmi Devi has these qualities in the modern world.