2008 Letters

Only the Vaiṣṇavas Can Help Us (01/15/08) Dear M____ Dāsa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Well, my mood is one of great disappointment and sorrow, but frankly I expected as much because your association with women has rendered you weak and vulnerable to Māyā’s influence. But what to do? You are not the first or the last person who was not able to cast off the shackles of illusion. So you Read more...

The Cause of the Fall Down of Around 100 Sannyāsīs (03/14/08) Dear G____ Swami, All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga. “You're right, there are a lot of rules, but I don't see how a big institution which doesn't have one acarya can avoid it. Certainly we can diminish them. You are an independent Acarya, and you can do as you like, that is the Read more...

Everyone Wants to ‘Know,’ But Few Want to Serve (04/13/08 ) Swami, I read your answer to A______'s question with great interest. As always your writing is meticulous and leaves little room or necessity to comment further. Although externally I show myself to be a follower of Gaura-Gadādhara, internally I have no such qualification. Other information that you might work into your reply might be Read more...

No Risk No Gain (05/07/08) Dear V_____ Prabhu, All glories to Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga. You mentioned on the phone something about the N_____s getting a building and you were thinking about trying to do something to avert that, etc. Well, my actual opinion is that I do not think that Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja would want you to get involved in that way. Let Read more...

Finding Peace (05/28/08) Dear M____ Dāsa, I read your email with interest. I heard a story once about a man who always wandered across India in search of a place he could call home. In spite of traveling to many places, he could not find a place that suited him, and so finally one day he just stopped searching and stayed in that particular Read more...

I Expect Full Surrender and Nothing Less (07/27/08) As for J____’s part in the business idea, I think it simply spells out maintaining something that, in effect, is an alternative to "Well, what if things don't work out with Mahārāja”? The problem is that keeping an alternative shelter almost definitely guarantees that, “Things won't work out with Mahārāja". It will be Māyā’s way of Read more...

What is the Point of Being in My Mission? (08/20/08) M_____ Mahārāja, In my other email to you written earlier this morning (a few hours ago) I wanted to look on the bright side of the situation, but unfortunately other issues have been drawn to my attention that are quite disturbing. These other issues were brought to my attention this morning and I am Read more...

Sannyāsa it is Not About Sitting in Vṛndāvana and Polishing Your Beads. (08/20/08) Daṇḍavats M____ Mahārāja, As you know, I am not in favor of devotees living in Vṛndāvana who do not have a full time service engagement and I am certainly not going to support anyone's life style of living in Vṛndāvana by providing finances unless they are fully engaged in service connected Read more...

I’d Rather Face an Army of Man-eaters Than Be involved in Back-biting (08/21/08) _____ Mahārāja, That's what I like - humility and a man that sticks to it, even when the going gets rough! You are a good man but all this petty 'donkey dung' that transpired between you and B___, and still goes on to some extent, really turns me off! Now lets Read more...

Sahajiyā-sahajiyās (08/28/08) Daṇḍavats _____ Mahārāja, T____ says that we can talk about līlā in the dhāma, no problem. But when there is a 'problem' and we are in the dhāma, then the reaction is a thousand times worse. Therefore, Śrīla Śrīdhara Mahārāja warned, "Fools Rush in Where Angles Fear to Tread". And Śrīla Purī Mahārāja added that the devotees who try to enter into Read more...