Letters to the editor

Hare Krsna dear Guru Maharaja <img alt="smiley" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png" title="smiley" width="23" />. Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!<img alt="heart" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/heart.png" title="heart" width="23" />

By your causeless mercy I got to put my hands and eyes, and hopefully reason, and most hopefully heart into this nice book by TKG and Garuda Prabhu. Is not an easy read with all the english words that I do not see often, so had to read with dictionary, but also not an very heavy read. 

Please find down my foolish notes of the reading.

HpS - AgtSP. We also have to use a dictionary. He is using the technical language of Theologians.

~*~

Until now (Friday, July 18, 2014) I read the Introduction and chapters 1 to 3.

Maybe is one of first time I read such an academic work. Book which is made according to academia. I do not feel and have need now to comment on the book itself, just will share points that I find interesting. Actually, these are not all points that struck me, but for the reason of time I will present few.

• In connection to different studies of ISKCON – never imagined that so many studies have been done about ISKCON, albeit with discrepancies. Funny to see how a person made study of devotees by making the study of a community that is known as not up to the ISKCON standard. Also, to note that even though a person may have some talent as an academic, still that does not make him professional and fully to the point. That may be seen by many studies that had wrong approach. It reminds me of a point that whatever talent a person have, that should be used in service of Krsna, if not, it almost seems useless. I say that even though it sounds fanatical <img alt="angel" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/angel_smile.png" title="angel" width="23" />
• There are nice histories of Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and Srila Prabhupada. Incredible how a manjari comes into material world in a family of a sakta worshipers, does not approach the Vedas, all to up some point and then does an incredible work in preaching and writing.
• There is nice description of what books SP used for doing his work of writing books. The summaries of SB chapters are by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. SP starts using them from the end of 4th Canto.
• Sweet revelation by Garuda Prabhu of word ‘gauda’ and its connection to the essence of Gaudiya vaisnavism
• Description of paribhasa sutra of SB given by Jiva Goswami. What is paribhasa sutra and which verse it is.
• Nice historical account of ISKCON, and how others see/saw ISKCON
• The point how a selective out-of-context readings of topics of SP books is wrong and brings to wrong conclusion
• There is mention of Bhaktivonoda’s   Dasa-mula-tattva which are then dividedinto sambhanada , abhideya and prayojana setting
• In chapter 3 (collage setting) there is  astonishing expression of  situation where SP describes his faith as “practically lost” due to bad association!
• Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati introduced bhakti-sastri in 1919, and there was also some kind of study called acarya

Basically, up to now, we were exploring the past of Srila Prabhupada. Now we are ready to hear about his two mahavakyas.  Can’t wait to dive into the nectarean ocean.

~*~

Thank you.

Your servant Namacarya das 

HpS - ASA - We read a lot of it several years ago, but we are going through more seriously now. We are still on the Introduction.

One of our very important notes is the citation on Page Four Julius Lipner. As far as I understand he is one of the top authorities in Indological studies and to be able to cite his evaluation of the book would have great weight in Indological circles. Other scholars cited are known as devotees within academic community or I don't know their social standing.

We go on, running in the dust of your progress.

Hare Krishna dear Gurumaharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

First of all, thank you very much for clearing some doubts in my recent letters. The taxi-job was cancelled, not enough contracts to maintain me and a few others. Fortunately, it was necessary to again get into that car to come to a few realizations, one of which is that i need to learn a new skill. All things considered, i decided to investigate my ability for learning Java programming. For starting any new project, so i was told, i should ask the blessing of three brahmanas. Can i have your blessing please?

              HpS - ASA --- Jaya! May all 'Endless Do Loops' and 'Conditional If Statements' remind you of Krsna at the time of death.

We had some nice programs in our temple, and i spent some time with the brahmacaris there. We have the good fortune of having a nice sanga. Not devotees for many decades, but a dedicated group, mainly consisting of thirty something year olds. The temple functions with a council now, after several decades of swiftly changing presidents. As a reply to your question, i'm not in communication, although i was asked last year. I like to, but i see myself in need of some more purification, as i am likely to say things that could make our ISKCON look stoopid. Still a bit too fanatical too. So i'm still in publications.

Can you help me understand how Lord Mahaprabhu, being Krishna Himself, is manifesting Lord Krishna's 64 qualities? 

HpS - ASA - AGTSP Paoho. Well, He manifests all the qualities that the Jivas have, that's obvious, no? He is expert judge of time and place, He is fluent in all languages, He is expert. But the special four qualities that Krsna manifests, eg. playing a flute, surrounded by pretty girls, He doesn't manifest those, but He glorifies them and then that is also stimualtion for love, Vibhava - Uddipana.

Also, we reached a dead end in a discussion about what really is ether. Is it just space, or is there more to it? For instance, the experiment with ringing an alarmclock in a vacuum, that caused the clock to be silent (or so i was told), creates some confusion for us laymen. For then, where do sound and radiowaves travel? Can you enlighten us please?

HpS - ASA - AGTSP As far as we can understand ether, 'kham', is space. Sometimes there is air in space and then that can conduct a certain kind of wave. If there is no gross air then subtle sound like, radio-waves can be transmitted. The planets are held in place by "wind ropes". We say gravity, but it is Prana, air, in Prabhupada's language. So radion waves agitate this type of Prana. The air we breath is more gross.
In space there is no air, texture. It is just what geometry describes, a way to orgnize grosser things, here, there, connected, not connected. Geometers would understand.

Where is Micro-soft word? Where is geometry? Where is Chemistry?

Looking forward to the ongoing blog activity! Thank you for being a guiding light!

Your junior devotee disciple,
Raghava Pandita dasa

       HpS - Blake has a poem, "When Falling Souls Take to Burning Light". I hope we are spiritually illuminating. Jaya Srila Prabhupada

Hare Krsna Guru Maharaj,
Please accept our humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

We inquired the head of the Synergy school if she was aware of the Educational Symposium. Nampriya Mataji is aware and we were both hoping to have the symposium projected for the teaching staff.

HpS - ASA -- AGTSP paoho. Very nice to hear from you. Please call Mother Subhra Devi Dasi immediately and register. 209 918-9058 or you may not get a Seat. 

We have also received the Tava Pache Pache Manuscript Afterwards to the Nectar of Instruction and we felt very fortunate to be able to read it especially considering it is hand written and illustrated!  Bhakta Nick and even our 3 year old enjoyed the illustrations and poetry. Aja was very captivated! Our opinion is it is a great book to motivate a KC family of all ages to study Upadesamrta and should be read by all!!! 

On a side note it would also be a great zine, photocopied with a nice thick paper cover, maybe a watercolor of Rupa Goswami's Samadhi??? For the sections that have song references, possibly a folded copy of the song can be glued and folded in half so it is easy for readers to sing immediately! We will also be teaching 3rd and 4th graders and we feel this study guide will really captivate them with pictures, poetry and creative prose. A few other devotees who we have shown it to are also of the opinion that it should be copied and distributed. Maharaj, will you allow us to make these transcendental zines? We can let you know the progress in the coming month before your NW tour. Maybe it can be distributed with NOIs?

             HpS - ASA - Distribute it as you wish! As the basic description says at www.jayarama.us/archives/tpp-cb.htm
they are full of errors but we expect to get better with practice. Already we have changed our production formatting 7000% and number six we are composing them on 8-1/2 x 11 graph paper so they should be more regular and easy to reproduce. Got bless us!

We are reading TPP  with our Bhakti Sastri self study Curriculum and now are on text one of NOI. Still trying to keep up with children's Bhagavatam study, one chapter a week. Left a message with Srivasa Prabhu but no reply. KC Arts and Crafts summer camp next week, we are doing lots of prep for this and hope to give a more detailed critique if you would like of TPP next week.

Your servants,

Kamagayatri and Aja Narayana

HpS - Very good. We certify you as an Monkey Warrior based upon your report and Aja as a Junior Monkey Warrior, but please keep after Srivasa Das for formal study. Call him again. Uncle Gismo says, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease".

... arrived!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH <img alt="smiley" height="23" src="http://hps-d6.monkeywarrior.com/sites/all/libraries/ckeditor/plugins/smiley/images/regular_smile.png" title="smiley" width="23" />

Your servant Namacarya das

HpS - ASA - Jaya! AGTSP paoho.  O.K. Lets start a Reading Group with anyone else who has a copy of the book with the next Kapi Dhvaja.

Dear Guru Maharaja, PAMHO AGTSP!

I am replaying following this:

HpS - ASA - AGTSP! Thank you for your offer. I hope it we can use it. Next step is to send us your postal address so that we can mail TKG's book as soon as possible.

===========

HpS - ASA -- Replying to your reply we were fortunate to send Tamal-Krishna Goswami's book last Wednesday. So it has been one week. Did you get it?? If anyone else wants to join us, it should be a good academic education in relation to ISKCON!!

Hare Krishna Maharaja,

Please accept my respectful obeisances,

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thanks for your answer. I see. Yes, You are right, $10 + postage/each is too much.

Maybe it would be better to scan the pages and upload it to jayarama.us or send it via e-mail.

It's cost-effective and fast.

What do you think about it?

Otherwise if you need to type your hand written stuffs in the future (and i can read it :) just let me know  i'm happy to assist you.

Maharaja, i would like to start my BhVai study. Will be a beginner group nowadays what i can join?

Thank you very much.

All the best.

Your servant, Sri Radhe dd

HpS - AGTSP - $10 is not too much. We are finally ready to mail some Tpp-cbs, and one will go to  38 Clarendon Road.

Piggy's plan has been to make photo copys of 1-5 and then send out an original copy as a sample to interested people like your good self. Then after Number Five we will use 8-1/2 x 11 paper and make quality photocopies.

Do you have the Bh. Sastri Diploma???