Dear Guru Maharaj,

Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I hope this finds you in good health. I passed the disciple course last week, and I requested a recommendation letter from Svavasa prabhu but I still haven't heard back from him yet. He is in India right now, I think participating in the GBC meetings in Mayapur. Probably he is busy and hasn't had time to reply. I wanted to ask you if there's any possibility I could take initiation in the holy dhama? Unless plans change (considering recent events in Mayapur,) we are supposed to go to Mayapur from about 3/2-3/23, and then we go to Vrndavan from about 3/24-4/7.

I'm doing local sankirtan in LA, mostly griffith park observatory. I'm trying to go 7 days a week and also study for Bhakti shastri exam. We started a Bhakti yoga club at Pasadena City College. It starts on Tuesday. We're excited, the students are excited, it could be really great!

I had one philosophical question: I recall reading in Nectar of Devotion about how acaryas had different views about varnasrama duties. Is it correct that Rupa goswami did not consider them to be transcendental? Is Bhakti yoga strictly just 9 processes or can it take other forms as well? In Bhagavad Gita I remember Prabhupada saying somewhere that "Arjuna firing arrows is transcendental." Does karma yoga become transcendental if it's ordered by Krsna or guru? On some level isn't varnasrama duty in general prompted by the Supersoul?  Is Karma yoga distinct from Bhakti in terms of the activity itself, or consciousness, or both? If you could clarify here that would be very helpful, thank you!

Your humble servant,

Bhakta Eric

HpS ASA - Hare Krsna, Prabhu, We were thinking about you. We have received calls from several devotees? Maybe we wrote it wrong on this Blog. 958 259 7508 Please call us as soon as possible!