Dear Guru Maharaja, please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I am little hesitant to write because you wrote that you have 30-something un-answered letters. On the other hand, I see that you usually, if not always, encourage people to write here on the blog.
HpS - Yes! We must get the energy to answer letters properly. Please don't hesitate. At the end of each day the Monkeys would reassemble and recall the days experiences in searching for Sita, Sankirtan.
I do not want to give you more burden on your eyes, etc.
~~~
Work - there is one more month of the summer season and renting to go. As for now, we are satisfied with the results (income). The other, let's call it no-summer-job - I was accepted in another elementary school. School and contract start on the 9th of September. It happened that there were at least two elementary schools which wanted that I worked for them. It felt nice to be wanted. In contrast when experiencing going from one job apply to other and be rejected.
HpS - What do you teach?
~~~
In your previous letter, you asked how I know devotees from Serbia? From cca. 2000. to 2005. I was visiting there for a few festivals. Also, many devotees from Serbia were coming to Pula for our summer camp and they used to stay for a few more days after the camp, so we had some quality time together.
Programs in Pula, in our local center/temple, are more sporadic than regular. However, these programs are sweet and heartful, in my opinion.
~~~
In one blog letter, you wrote that "historically in Gaudiya movement, there have been deviant branches, "gurus" who did things that we can't even discuss.". Is it too much to ask you to say something more about it? I am aware of the after-Caitanya era with sahajiya "bhakti groups" about which Bhaktivinoda Thakura wrote. Did you thought about that, or something else, a little more close to today?
HpS - There is an academic group of ISKCON professors in Gaudiya Vaisnavism that Saunka rsi Das organizes. I went to one of their meetings and they were making academic presentations of their work. I started to write one of the incidents that they have passed here and realized that it is just took terrible.
Of course, there is the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown is an example of Christian deviation. If you want to hear of Gaudiya insanity, past and recent, then call us.
For Balarama-Purnima I read about Him. A question or observation appeared. When Balarama was intoxicated and he invited Yamuna to come to him. She did not want to. And Balarama got angry. In our life, we try hard to control anger (lust and greed too). And all-powerful God goes angry because a river does not want to listen to Him. Sure, it can be explained that it is a lila (pastime). Or that God is God and He can get angry wherever and whenever He wants. I will not argue with both of these. Still, the idea stays that He gets angry if somebody does not want to do what he asks to be done. We, on another side, go through life trying to not get angry on many things that happen to us. I am trying to find the connection/inspiration.
HpS - Beat me! Beat me! If Lord Balarama becomes angry with us it is wonderful. Usually all we get is strick reactions from Maya like a machine. If it will benefit us then He acts that way. Hiranyakasipu would honly relate to Krsna in anger, so Krsna related that way. "Their is a very thin line between love and hate", said Bhisma?
"Yes," Said Amba.
Another incident is how he fastly killed Romaharsana Suta just for not giving him respects. Imagine it happening in the local temple. There is God arriving in some local assembly. One person does not offer respect and God kills that person right away. Of course, we have all-merciful Lord Nityananda! Who tolerated being hit in the head with a bottle by drunk "brahmanas". Ohh, ahh, paradoxies in gaudiya vaisnava siddhanta... Well, at least, they make me think about God, Absolute Truth from different angles of vision.
HpS - Gotta know the details! Gotta be there! Tenth Canto... We want to be kicked. We want Mommy and Daddy to take away the candy sometimes. Yes, Lila, lot of details. Anger is expression of intense love.
~~~
In my regular Bhagavatam reading, I am at Siva, Sati, Daksa situation. When Sati went to Daksa's yajna alone and got not respected (nor Siva nor her), she told Daksa, her father that "I am going to give up this body which connects me to you". It looks like she was giving much importance to this bodily relation. I mean to say, from when she was born, her body changed at least a few times until that moment. [from BG: Since every living entity is an individual soul, each is changing his body every moment, manifesting sometimes as a child, sometimes as a youth and sometimes as an old man. ] Still, she felt the connection to father strongly and wanted to relinquish it. And had done that. So I wonder, Brahma gets illusioned, Balarama gets angry, Sati kills herself because her father does not respect her husband (who is also a great devotee), Dhruva kills way too many Yaksas even after getting darshan with Visnu and being fully (or almost) purified. And then I am here at the beginning of Kali-yuga with all my shortcomings trying to improve my character.
HpS - A Ksatriya to our understanding is not so self controled. He is a man in the mode of passion. He expects his companions, wife, Brahmana counselors to really push him to act this way or that way. So Dhruva got into the combat with the Yaksas. They didn't have to fight. They came out and charged, no? So Maharaja Dhruva just got into the immediate scene and yes, his grandfather slowed him down. A Brahmana is selfe controled. Lonely guy.
We see Krsna, Narada Muni did, but still we got attachments. The Darshana is not complete, though very high. So Krsna arranges pastimes to stimulate our down and dirty attachements to get them up and out. SOmetimes in dreams, sometimes is actual physical scenes, no?
~~~~~
These are just a few thoughts here in this report. Apart from that, we still have the roof above the head, a bed to lay on, kingly feasts to offer to Krsna, and we are very much thankful for that and many more blessings (vaisnavas, guru, Bhagavan compassion) in our life.
Thank you!
Your servant, Namacarya Das
HpS - Hey respects to Mataji. Does she help with the rentals?