Hare Krsna, Anantarupa Das,
Thank you for YOUR letter. I hope we hear from The Upendra, Srinivasa, Sundara-radhika Dasa, Dasi, and now also the Srivasa Pt. Das.
Respected Maharaja:
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you for your email and thoughts.
Srimad Bhagavatam, thanks to your wishes, is again being read and discussed in the temple Monday through Friday from 8:15 AM to 9 AM (which is within the timeframe done in all the temples). . . .We are on Ch.2 sloka 11 of Canto 1 - one sloka every day.
A. HpS - It is for Temples with big local community, no? But Hawaii E-sanga for example is 6.30AM. Physical participation may be just like two people or so in the Temple, but on-line they have as many as 40-devotees and good participation in discussion, many of whom attend the Sunday programs etc.
Can we do that? Basically I would require regular participation by any of my 'disciples' in the local classes, Sanga. That is the way we have designed the Bhakti-vaibhava program from San Jose also. Correct Srivasa pt. Das? First Sanga, then Systems, last Content.
So, we are jumping right in, taking the program Radha-banki-bihari are arranging and reading SB 1.2.11 etc. with our little comments below.
If regular class is at 8.15AM, after Srngara Arati, not before. Then devotees like Upendra, Sinivasa might be able to participate by listening on the way to work. Record the classes for later listening. Have a summary Sanga on the weekend, Saturday morning. This last idea sounds the most practical and immediate. What time would it be possible for you to lead, join, a community class on Saturday morning??? Is it possible?? Then we could join physically. Make it a priority before going to Home Depot. During the week we could read the same verses and then have review and discussion on Saturday.
This is my life and soul.
Disussing Srimad Bhagavatam in the association of devotees.
B. A second topic, maybe even more delightful, is our possible visit to Boise. We were trying to balance all of these engagements in India, South America etc. and finally we just could not fit in the 3rd Annual Symposium on Education with ISKCON in Brazil in February, and have sufficient time for West Coast. So, we are passing on Brazil and then we can be sitting on our Asana in Nashville from 15 Feb to 15 May. Then ... Boise, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver.. ? . 15th-18th June is supposed to be the 4th Annual Education Symposium, in Seattle. Of course, we want to focus all this traveling on these educational programs and Sanga..
Anybody have any suggestions for dates. Gotta fix the Calendar soon. We were thinking Maybe taking the Amtrac up the coast together for part or all of that stretch. It is very refreshing.
C. Finally, Bhaktivedanta Study. Sriman Vaisesika Das is ready and waiting to start that program. I agree. ISKCON already has many devotees who know Prabhupada's books to the standard he suggested fort Bhakti-vedanta. So, we should get an organized standard and show the opulence of Srila Prabhupada's disciples, men and women, to the world.
Of course, this is a discussion in progress, about the standard, Boise students et al. Yet specifically Vaisesika Das, our Sankirtan leader agreed to give four master's classes as part of his diploma requirements. We already have three. They have been wonderful. Preaching Strategies in Cantos 1-4. We need to hear Canto 5-6! One more lecture from Vaisesika Das!
Also, all the candidates need to clean up their 100-pages of essays, and Vais Prabhu was probably going to get his four lectures transcribed and edit them. They would be wonderful for publication.
When, if, all this is done we can look at starting the Bh.Vedanta study, no, Sr. Pt Das?
It is 10-weeks until Gaura-purnima, 12 March. You think it could start before then SPD? I think Vais. wants to, but I don't think his essays will be ready AND you, many of us, want to work on the structure of this next session, the standard, the evaluations and record keeping.
SPD, did you print the Tests for all the students?
We are attaching our notes for Vais's last lecture.
We are attaching our personal investigation on Verses Cited in the NOI up to Text Six.
T h a n k you all for your association. . . This project is central for us. ISKCON.
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SB 1.2.11-15 NOTES
SB 1.2.11
Is very important verse. For BhVai it should be memorized.
This whole Second Chapter is so basic, quoted again and again, maybe because it is the first time (and complete) the SB is presented.
Why are they called Hiranyagarbhas?
“Therefore, there is a duality of inferior and superior energy, whereas in the absolute realm both the knower and the known are of the same superior energy”, but this is Mayavada philosophy?
SB 1.2.12
“And the third-class transcendentalists are those who have barely realized the spiritual focus of the Absolute Person.” . . . So even Brahman realization requires some personal realization?
“…which is fixed by the aural reception of the Vedānta-śruti”… Hear SB = Hearing Vedanta sutra?
“one has to make definite progress from the position of material devotional service to the second-class devotional position. In the second-class position, the devotee can see four principles in the devotional line,” . . . the same is presented in NOI almost word for word the same..
Usually we think of third class devotee as smoking marijuana etc, but here and other placed it is emphasized that Kanistha adhikari can be in the external mode of goodness also.
1.2.13
“saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam” … Important Sanskrit, no?
1.2.14
“Without these principles of life, no one can exist. . . . Especially in modern society, all activities are more or less dependent on hearing and glorifying.”
1.2.15
“granthi – knot” … Must untie the knot.
“Karma overcoated with devotional service is called karma-yoga. Similarly, empirical knowledge overcoated with devotional service is called jñāna-yoga.“ … In all cases it is Yoga, so we must learn to distinguish differnent types of Yoga.
“They have chalked out ways for all classes of men in terms of the different castes and orders of life in pursuance of the teachings of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and similar other authoritative scriptures.” … So, SB class is for practical application.