On the Eve of Radhastami
Dear Maharaja Hanumat Presaka Swami,
pamho, AGtSP!
HpS - Wow!!! you sent this two weeks ago!!!!! Rattle our cage on WhatsApp if a Blog Post needs quick attention.
Of course, you know we were almost drowning in all the service in Boise, and then some time to recover, but here we are looking at this Post!
Here we are, using syntax again...so much going on, difficult not to use shortcuts. Though, you’ve reminded us of time, place, and circumstance, such as one of the creative processors of Radar (radio detection and ranging), finding sometimes even 3rd class applications will suffice.
HpS - Yes! The Battle of Britain.
Well, that’s sure Kali-Yuga’s standards, the manageabilities are so muddled, yet we keep serving faithfully, for Srila Prabhupada’s instructions reign true.
W.W.W.
Finally getting up-to-speed with our World-Wide-Web, some glitch in the “MACHINE,” rendered me a senseless robot. Almost 2 weeks down before a tech finally came & revived my feverous online brain.
Fully contemplating this event, realizing my time was well spent, weaned off the A.I. stream. Read, wrote, and “awoke” with individual hope from the Supreme cause, a flute-playing Blue Lad keeping tabs on this Jiva Jag, enchanted again from the false-ego spin. Thank God, thank God.
HpS - !!! Wonderful!! No, internet. That's when it is so nice to be walking distance from an ISKCON Temple.
SFRY 23
Finished off the San Francisco’s Ratha Yatra (SFRY) 23 in Golden Gate Park, working with Jagannatha Swami Prabhu and Granthraja primarily, though my Go-Bro, Loka Bandhu Prabhu was my right-hand man too. All the guests seemed pleased.
Just beautiful weather and pushing 1,000’s for attendance, though not everything was perfect, plans changed due to certain mishaps in leadership (mine and others), plus learning curves made some complications weren’t my choices, yet the reasoning was needed... for some reason. We’re learning and we also must remember others are too, the tricky part is for each of us to glean the proper lesson, “Bhagavan” works His servants uniquely & intentionally... are we attentive?
The concluding festival site closing was an event in itself, sure had me surprised when a volunteering Bhakta was a wit's end from all the service, seen it happen before and some people even abandoned their seva. In this case, it was on another level, a potential direct confrontation. The truck loading of Gaura-Nitai, float, Altar & stages is a tight fit.
What started this conundrum was another devotee placed a small dolly stacked with chairs amongst the predestined articles and sure enough, our floor space was over-packed. My diligence and efforts to restore safe & proper stowing were taking too long and our Bhakta was impatient to get back to Berkeley, we all were. There is a method we use, we deviate & this is what happens.
HpS - Yeah. Is a fact!!! You are a Sannyasi to try to do such precise technical service in ISKCON institution!
Now the tests of “Will” now come to play, and not in a pleasant way, not knowing this Bhakta very well, I looked at Granthraja with concern, this young man could crush me if he desired. I stood in front of him in a casual horse-stance, mentioning he had some issues with anger. His response was, “I’ll show anger management,” while he approached me I lifted both of my arms up and surrendered to the moment (plus with my arms out I could defend myself if necessary) , he gave me a firm bear-hug and I returned with a friendly slap on the back and we went our ways. He was still mad, though relieved.
HpS - Wow!
Granthraja Prabhu looked over and said, “Well, looks like he failed the tolerance test, but at least we’re out of here.” Replying, I said,” He does give good hugs.” This all brought back memories of the earlier SFRY’s when the Rangers weren’t there, we’d be out in the park till midnight, thank God some “good” institutional policies came about.
Pre-SFRY + Post stool
Prior to the SFRY we were trying to write to you, though to no avail, the official Grhastra realm is not always easily managed... here’s the sample from early June:
Wow! Yogini Ekadashi and my rounds are done before Morning Gayatri. Your toleration of my obscure techniques in Japa does pay off!
Am very grateful for your instructions, and now I have time to write before going to work. So hoping I can keep this routine going for it is enhancing my Sadhana and stifling the crazy monkey in my brain, now to actually follow through between seva and strain.
One particular strain presented itself when sewage diabolically backed-up in our humble abode. The good Lord was just reminding us how gross this material life is on a very “personal” basis... in our “lump of ignorance.” Apparently, a prior plumber left the cap off the sewage clean-out pipe outside, we’ve been here a year now. Accumulated stool is not a pretty sight, nor a smell-full-delight. Now no excuses for indulging in House attachments, it stinks. Finally, purchased a $30 wire- snake, locked it on the drill-gun, and spun through masses of paper, leaves, and... We know. The sound the pipe made was like a belch of relief once things were flowing, such a gross event, Lord help us out of these messes.
ASA - Amazing!! Even house pass stool!!!
Sweet Sorrow
Not to leave you on such an ignorant elaboration, am still seeking proper collaboration, a quasi-burning question for you on Sadhana & Preaching. Our tapasya in both of these practices seem interchangeable to a point, though one is for personal development the other for social enlightenment. The old axiom, “Acintya Bheda-Bheda Tattva” comes to the mind, again a mysterious conjunction of Buddhi yoga.
The succinct system the Lord has arranged for our purification and postulations are so cohesive in Their results, yet, there are always extremes per individual. I’m guessing that free-will is the crux, though Supreme-will may adjust for specific karmic balances, and the balances are enhanced or maligned due to association. In essence, our choices bring motivation and our faith brings confirmation. Seems we’re working to get our real jobs back and while doing so we must allow others to help and/or be helped and/or direct... is this feasible? ”The way is in training,” as the Sword Master; Miyamoto Musashi was known to say, now applying it?!
HpS - Your question is a little too advanced and esoteric for us.
Can you state it again is a simple fashion like you were talking to a mule?
Seems very interesting.
Very!
Please reask.
Thank you again for your valuable time! All glories to the Vaisnava’s!!
You servant in training,
c.c.
BONUS READ:
Almost done with Maitreya Dasa’s book, “Escape to Paradise and Beyond.” A damn extensive write, though for a good reason... his journey to K.C. His rendition has more advanced tones of my feeble writing, with quite a command of the English language. Waiting for his conclusion, is like being in a verbal whirlpool awaiting the vortex.
Thank you!
Our Temple President in San Jose, what was his name? Was English major. He said that one thing for good writing is to write stuff. Let is sit for three days and then go back and read it and see how clear it it is to you.
Your immediate knowledge of what you are talking about is gone and so you get a chance to read it like you reader, who won't be to hep to your personal thoughts.
Go chance to become poet very soon!!
