World Classical Literature - Shakespeare

Sriman Hansadutta Swami told us that Srila Prabhupada said, that we could teach Shakespeare in Gurukula.

Gopi-paranadha Das told us that he heard SP explain the Merchant of Venice in London, and then found a Bengali translation: Venicia Vanik.

We also heard that SP said that if you want to understand word power you can read Shkspr.

"Three little pigs like you've never heard before": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxoUUbMii7Q

https://transcripts.gotomeeting.com/#/s/25d4e4c978028bcbccf1460aa051818bddc8da7597b8ec4177da1bfe3f0da339

SB 2020 OCT 13, Stri-dharma, S. R. D. D., Canto Four.

Could not attend the class. Just now hearing. Very nice.

Was mentioned that one should not strike a women even if she commits some sin.

If we look at articles on the internet ont "death penaltly gender statisitics" it is very interesting. Maybe men are executed 10-times more.

Also, in most states girls can be legally married at 16-years old with parent's permission. So, could be 'engaged' at younger age and then legally married at 16-years. VAD rules are natual.

Also mention of women, men and eunichs. This is the same point some ASA members have made. Before it was ´he´in literature, now it has become 's(he)', but should actually be 's(he)it'. If you say the whole thing fast it becomes the vulgar, taboo, word for excrement. Maybe this is a sign from God of what Kali is trying to do with human society. Keep 'he' to include naturally she and it?

Arci and Prthu 'went to the same planet' - does this apply to them because they are eternally husband and wife, but in the case of Jivas means they both go to the same plane, Vaikuntha? In their Svarupa they may belong to very different families, but they will always remember how they played this conjugal relation in the incarnation that took them back to Vaikuntha?

Dear Guru Maharaja

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

We received the DTC you sent along with the Stretch Island prasadam last week. It came at the perfect time for me because, work has been very very busy. We have a new VP who is very difficult and micromanages a lot. On the day the DTC arrived, my company layed off 1500 employees. By Krishna's mercy, I still have a job in these trying times. My weekends are also completely full with the education programs in Kalachandji Dham (we are now registered as Bhaktivedanta Vedic Academy). I have been running and running for the last few months and the DTC gave me some perspective to sit and think about why we are doing it. Your focus on Japa was a great instruction for us. We feel very fortunate to have a spiritual master who is so loving and merciful.

Please send us the scans of the DTCs Guru Maharaja so that I can archive them. It is very valuable. Anyone who wants to access them can download it from https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/11EPWsm3vFp9WmKMOsw7EXLhexnazc3Dt?usp=sharing

We are overwhelmed by your affection. You perfectly embody the 6 kinds of loving exchanges from NoI. Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport that "The life of the Kṛṣṇa conscious society is nourished by these six types of loving exchange among the members." In my experience after moving to Dallas, personal relationships among devotees are very shallow. The 6 loving exchanges rarely happens, especially guhyam akhyati prcchhati. You are so personal in your dealings and always prioritize sanga over the process. Your association nourishes our Krishna Consciousness Gurudeva. We are very very grateful to you for having given us shelter at your lotus feet.

Guru Maharaja, in today's Bhagavatam class, you spoke of different levels of consciousness when chanting and you referred to NoI 8 in terms of Nama, Rupa and Carita. I was thinking about a paragraph in the purport where Srila Prabhupada talks about the steps to sampatti dasa starting from sravana dasa. Like the verse we read (SB 2.2.24) that spoke about how you can change your consciousness by the hatha yoga process, can we also practice raganuga Bhakti? or does it automatically occur to us when we achieve asakti or bhava?

HpS - AgtSP!!!! Paoho. Thank you for your association. If Krsna takes your job away it means He has something better for you to do. Even materially I have seen that with devotees!

As we understand, we can begin practicing a little Raganuga Bhakti Yoga as soon as we realize that Krsna is a person and it is 'how' we do the service as much as the 'form' of the service. Eg. we are making the noon offering for Radha Kala-candji on time with all the proper dishes, Mantras etc, but we feel that it is very mechanical, then we think, well, how does Mother Yasoda offer lunch to Krsna, the cowherd boys. So, we can try to say the prayers with that attitude, see the altar with that attitude, not to enjoy Krsna, but to try to give some more feeling for Krsna. Srila Prabhupada says that we have to learn the little art of crying for Krsna. Certainly if we have taken second initiation and even before we can start to try to follow the sentiments of a Nitya-siddha persona like M. Yasoda, Lord Nityananda.

O.K?

I would say that is really the practical work with we come to the level of nistha and ruci.

Thank you so much Guru Maharaja for everything you do for us.

Your servant

Srinatha Krsna dasa

Maharaj, you asked me to summarize my marriage for the benefit of those who may be going through similar situations. My heart and prayers go out to them.

[Edited by ASA Board of Editors]

Here are points I'm grateful for in my husband:

1) He orders good quality stuff for the house, cheap and best

2) He is an adventurous and mostly jolly person otherwise

3) He likes new things and places

4) He doesn't use me for his physical needs

5) He loves to eat good food and I like to cook

6) He likes to experience happy new moments

7) He likes the best of everything and tries to arrange for it

8) At least he follows 4 principles, and chants 16rnds and somewhat follows a siksha guru. Difficult to find even this standard these days.

Here are the problems I see in character of my husband:

1) After three years, no kids. Too much "virtual romantic-reality games".

2) Difficult for him to stick with one women, job or place. He feels he is missing out on happiness, adrenaline rush, available in other places. Feels burdened by marriage, requesting divorce, feeling like can no longer cope with the marriage or act in a way to inspire respect from spouse.

3) He has issues talking about anything deep, or dealing with negative emotions or communicating about them. Immediately wants to leave. So, not much of substance can be sorted and as it builds up inside him it comes out through intense scary physical violence

4) Can't follow schedule or rules because he needs complete freedom. Wakes up around 10/11am, goes to sleep very late in the night wanting to be alone to do gaming and romantic website. My marriage to him was arranged by all of my superiors and KC mentors to give me spiritual partnership.

5) He doesn't like to include me in any decisions he wants to make, where we will live, children, his life goal: To give his parents a currently unaffordable house in a very high, class posh locality because that is their dream.

7) He tells me every other female is better than me: My cousins, my friends, his female co-workers, sister, mother are all better than me.

Maharaj, I was seeking your guidance on what to do now at this point. Not for my sake, but for the sake of SP.

I am ready to do anything I can to save this marriage despite all the problems. Your mercy is our sustainence. Thank you so much. As you requested for this summary, I am from my heart sharing it here. If reading my life story can benefit anyone struggling in their own life, i am grateful for the opportunity to serve. I request blessings from all the Vaishnavas 🙏.

Your aspiring servant,

Yajnaseni DD

HpS - ASA ---- Too many points to address in one letter. First thing is quote from Chanakya Pandita: Victory comes from good advice, and good advice comes from many counselors.

You say that all of your superiors and KC mentors arranges the marriage. Well..... we didn't arrange it.... no sir! 😳 If we had arranged it we would have suggested second initiation for both parties first, I, all the superiors and KC mentors, discuss the situation together before coming to a recommendation.

So. . . Emergency First Aide: Chant Hare Krsna and be happy. Draupadi tried to save herself by so many methods, appealing to all of her superiors and KC mentors, but they just turned away. She tried to use her personal strength.... Then in the most fortunate situation in the world, completely helpless she said,

He, Govinda !

and Govinda helper her (Like new saris)!

It takes a lot to make a grown man cry, but sometimes the emotional, social, pain, harassment in ISKCON in situations arranged by all of my superiors and KC mentors has been so bad (and others agreed it was) that we have just literally thrown our hands in the air and surrendered to Krsna.

He, Govinda !

What did Govinda do? He put us on our feet, took us out the door, walked us around the corner, down the street and sat us down on the steps leading up to someone's house. Was in the city, and we just kept on Chantng.... Chanting... Chanting.... and little by little, maybe 15-20 minutes, our mind and intelligence worked through the situation, and we came to a very clear understanding of what was wrong with the situation, and how to deal with it.

Krsna did not give Arjuna a super weapon. He gave him clear intelligence. We already have more power than all the Indras in all the material universes combines. Is that enough for you?!

It is just being covered by our own stupid conditioning.

The Japa got us on our feet again, took us back around the corner through the Saturday traffic and right into the office to confront "The evil one". There were arguments from some of my superiors and KC mentors, and even The Evil One Himself, but our intelligence was clear and we faced all of them. We had to leave on congenial terms, that project.

We were surprised that TEO submitted more easily than we expected, but we later learned that the Temple PResident who had be present during our crucifiction, commented when we went out with tears welling in our eyes to TEO, "If you don't stop harrassing Hanuman Swami like this I'm going to shove you through the window!" Was a second story window!.

So, I am suggesting.... Take shelter constantly of the Holy Name from sastric evidence, Guru vakya, and many personal experiences.

I have always really loved TEO, and its is learning these adjustments that have made that more and more possible.

Did Suniti take Uttanapada back to Godhead?

Now... let us see if even more formal and improvised focus on the Holy Names solves 75% of the problems.

Then as there are remaining issues, let us deal with them one at a time, rather than as great carton of  Lernaean Hydra.

Sankirtan!

Respected devotees from Nila-madhava Dhama wrote:

Hare Krishna Dear Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga and Srila Prabhupada.

It worries us to hear about your vision. I hope the doctor can prescribe some remedy. Please let us know how we can serve.

We humbly pray to Sri Sri Radha Nilamadhava and Their Divine Associates to bless you with a long healthy life for the benefit of fallen souls like me. 

Humbly pray for your blessings always,

Your servant(s),

Sukha-sagari DD (Gopal & Meera)

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HpS - It is just 'jara'. It will happen to you, Gopal, Meera.... It is unavoidable duality of youth and old-age. When your car gets old you start thinking, enjoying the thought of a new car, no? That is material life. It is all shallow, relative, dualities, no?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5hcaYEcAp0

Google the Text "all the world's a stage". SP, 'If you want to understand word power, read Shakespeare'. ... sans teeth, sans eyes, sans everything....

We all enter and exit as "toothless suckers". 😊

Hare Krsna, Maharaj, PAMHO, AGTSP

Please see this link to the playlist on videos on SB by Gauranga Darshan Prabhu:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhtmKWc6vRTBIyicMjjR2JcmTdUyb5gCv

HpS - ASA - Thank you!!

Please also find link for online courses at cheap rate.

https://vedvarsity.com/all-courses/

HpS - Again thank you. Would require investigation more who is the Vedvarsity.

Suicide bomber ---- One could see story of Character of Rambo. Its like one man army.

HpS - We hope so! More and more power to students to fight Maya!