Respected Guru Maharaja
Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and you.
1) My parents joined us in Vrindavan from Warangal, Telangana. While in Vrindavan We went by taxi to Ludhiana Rathayatra on 12/17/2017. We started little bit after midnight and had 8.5 hours drive. By some causeless mercy my father received first initiation from His Holiness Gopala Krishna Maharaja.
HpS - Jaya!!!
My father, Krishna-bandhu dasa, sends his respects to you and is seeking your blessings and mercy so he can be fixed up in Krishna Consciousness.
HpS - We hope he sees opportunities for Sankirtan in his current situation and they expand.
2) We had wonderful time in Vrindavana. Thank you so much for your blessings for the visit and instructing us about Vrindavan. I could have just stayed in Krishna Balaram Mandir. The mangalarati was the most concentrated and blissful experience in the temple. I felt at home reconnecting with my 6 month stay few years ago. I did Vrindavan parikrama on foot and remembered how we walked on the same road to Govindaji Mandir and some of the things you told us. We visited Gosvami temples, Radha Kunda, Shyama Kunda, Barsana, Nanda gaon, Ter Kadam, vrinda kund and some places around Govardhan. I got a flower from Jiva Gosvami Samadhi on his disapperance day. For your vyasapuja we had simple celebration with Krishna Balaram's Rajbhoga maha prasad. There was one unexpected guest (scholar Mukunda Datta Prabhu's wife). We distributed peda sweets to some people near our guest house and fed bananas to cows near the temple. Also Yasodamayi mataji (elderly mataji who used to live in Berkley temple but now in vrindavan for about 3 decades) conveyed her respects to you and thanked you for your guidance long time ago.
HpS - As I remember she did not want to go to Vrndavana even for a visit, but myself and others thought that it would be perfect for her, so she agreed out of pressure. Went, came back, closed out here accounts in the Western world, moved to Braja and never came back.
As a family we all did Govardhana Parikrama in car and next day I did on foot. From Radha Kund to Kusum sarovar I had very nice association of Radhika Ramana Prabhu, Gopal Hari Prabhu, Aruddha Mataji, Srinatha Krishna Prabhua and few other devotees.
HpS - Boise East. Krsna West?
Later I was off on my own so I can walk non stop and prepare for departure the next day. Walking alone staring at Govardhan and thinking of some Krishna book pastimes was ecstatic! At times I was so close to Govardhan and felt intimidated in awe and reverence! Praying He will give me residence near Him at the feet of you and other acaryas.
3) We came to Warangal, Telangana on Dec 25th. There is a nice Jagannatha-Baladeva-Subhadra, Radha-Nilamadhavam and Gaura-Nitai temple here. My parents built a house and moved next to the temple; it's a good vanaprasta setting for them to soak themselves in Krishna Consciousness. I have been attending lot of temple programs; nice morning and evening programs, morning and evening classes and kirtans! With all the travel I got sick with bad throat. I could hardly speak probably because I may have said lot of bad words in the past! I missed our saturday classes and will try to catch up with the recordings and hope to join live from 1/13/2018.
Your inignificant servant
Srinivasacarya dasa
PS: Sugopi had great time making garlands for Krishna's flute and singing in Prabhupada's samadhi. One day she fed jaggery balls to 70 cows. They didn't have enough and demanded more pulling on her skirt. Picture attached :)
HpS - Maybe they were trying to take her to Nanda Maharaja's police chief and make a complaint.
Thank you so much for this report. It is like light on our path!!!!!!
