Dear Guru Maharaj,

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

I hope Krsna is making your roads smooth and your flightpaths straight.

HpS - ASA -- The progress of the loving affairs of the Prince and Princess of Braja is crooked, like the progress of a snake.

I'm sorry for taking so long to reply. Life is a little boggling as usual, I'm still trying to process all the experiences I had in India, and trying to figure out how to translate that into my service here in Devi dhama. I'm just praying for the strength and the intelligence to serve your good self and Svavasa prabhu and Srila Prabhupada nicely. I'm very grateful that we could spend so much time together in the dhama and I was reflecting a bit on our meetings, thinking of how I can improve my service. I'm thinking I need to be more astute at anticipating what is required. 

I was asking you for service, but when the bulbs were burning out in your apartment, I didn't think to go to the front desk to ask someone to fix it, but then I saw Chakori mataji pick right up on it later. There is always some service to be done if we are attentive it seems.

When I asked for some parting pearls, you gave me the instruction not to throw pearls at swine, so I was trying to figure out whether that was the instruction itself or just a polite way of saying you didn't want to give me an instruction yet.

ASA - Ha!   Ha!  Ha!  Maybe we were the swine trying to cast our rubbish at you and thinking it was pearls.

Either way, I'll try to be more careful about overextending myself, wasting books or giving mundane charity; (or in general trying to be the 'best friend of everyone') and meanwhile I hope I will also become more qualified as a disciple.

I was meditating on so many discussions I had about sankirtan with so many great souls in Mayapur and Vrndavan. In particular I was very inspired by one Bhakti Vrksha seminar I attended in Mayapur. Over the years I've seen that everywhere I go, I meet people who have our books, read them, and like them; and yet so few come forward to surrender. When sowing seeds in a field, one may expect a few plants to just come up on their own; but nonetheless it's well understood that to get a substantial yield it's necessary to actually tend the crop. Similarly, in preaching occasionally we get a few rare souls who drop everything to join the brahmacari ashram, but what about everyone else? There are temples, of course, but the range of temples is extremely limited geographically, and it can be easy to get 'lost in the crowd.' This is where I see tremendous potential for the Bhakti Vrksha format to spread and strengthen Vaisnava communities. At our last Sankirtana meeting I was just discussing with Svavasa prabhu about trying to start something like this in LA, where there is practically limitless scope for expansion if we were able to penetrate into local neighborhood communities. He seemed pretty receptive to the idea, so it looks like we will  explore this more in the future.

ASA - Jaya. Of course, the exact system will vary from community to community, but the basic principle is building things on people, no:  Who wants to do this?

In the meantime, I am on tskp in ISV. We had darshan of HG Vaisesika prabhu yesterday evening and picked up a copy of his new book. We are heading north, and looks like we will be able to meet you up in Boise.

HpS - ASA -- Boise, New Biharvan, broiling in the Nectar of Radha-Shyama antics.

Aside from that, I'm increasing my rounds again for the first time in years, and doing lots of paintings for people as gifts based on photos of India. I'm pushing aside much of my regular (nonessential) sadhana in order to cram for Bhakti shastri exam at the end of this trip. I'm reviewing maybe 4-500 BG slokas which I've grouped into thematic sections and I'm frantic I won't be anywhere near complete by the end of this trip, but I'm just trying to depend on Krsna. I still try to make a little room to practice mrdanga and guitar because it calms my mind. My party and I look forward to seeing you in Boise, Krsna willing.

Your servant,

Ekāśma Dāsa

HpS - ASA -- Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna!!!!!!!

See you in a moment.