2011 Letters

Book Changes - If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it! (01/11/11) I read much of the information on your site and I am truly amazed at what has happened. But if the presentation was more to the facts and less of a personal grind on J_____ Swami it might be more effective. Also, letting your readers draw their own conclusions without concluding for them Read more...

On the Outside, Looking In (01/16/11) Dear _____, Another brief point I have pointed at before. Until you become a disciple of a bona-fide guru, you are on the outside looking in. That applies to everything - kīrtana, sādhana, japa, discussing siddhānta, etc, even taking prasādam. The potency and grace to clearly understand all these things never comes, or is unavailable when we are Read more...

You May Not Have Chosen Wisely (01/17/11) Dear ______, I am happy to see that you are desiring to move forward by formally accepting a guru. I know this does not come easily for you. However, you may not have chosen wisely. It is not very easy to be a disciple of 'Narasiṅgha Mahārāja'. It is good that you want to move forward, but Read more...

Replace God (01-22-11) Dear _____, Nicely written. I don't know how you have approached the greater subject matter in your anthology, but if I were writing such a piece (as I did when writing my Gītā commentary) I would omit the word 'God' in favour of ‘the Absolute Truth.’ As Śrīla Prabhupāda wrote in his Bhāgavatam introduction, this is not about God. This is Read more...

Time/Space Reality and Kṛṣṇa (02/12/11) Thanks for the lead. Interesting read. At a glance, more or less what he is saying is true except for some important details. According to Vedic knowledge, super-consciousness (Paramātmā), which is present everywhere, is what makes the material time/space reality exist. So the material world does exist, but is not independent of life or super-life, especially super-life (Kṛṣṇa). Because Read more...

Cursed! (02/20/11) Question: A devotee takes initiation from a kaniṣṭha-adhikarī, or possibly even a madhyama-adhikarī Vaiṣṇava, but the guru's chanting is at best nāmābhāsa, not śuddha-nāma and the guru cannot advance to the platform of an uttama Vaiṣṇava. Perhaps the guru falls down. By taking shelter of the predecessor ācāryas, can the disciple rise above his guru and chant śuddha-nāma? In this case, Bhaktivinoda Read more...

My Disciples are More Advanced Than I Am! (02/20/11) Dear ______, I read your 2 emails below. I was very much looking forward to preaching in Czech thinking that you were in harmony with _____ Maharaja, ______ Maharaja and the devotees from Govindajī Gardens, but now I am thinking that it is maybe not good for me to come to Czech. Maybe in future, but Read more...

It Looks like a Complete Zoo or Circus! (02/21/11) Dear _____, Daṇḍavats, Thank you very much for your replies to my questions. They were prompted by the attitude that seems to be common to many Iskcon devotees: "It doesn't matter that my guru is not pure, or that he has fallen, because we have Prabhupāda." Or: "Initiation is not essential for advancement. Anyone can chant Read more...

Offering Bhoga to Kṛṣṇa (04/06/11)Dear _____,Nice to hear from you and happy to know that all went well during your visit with us at the āśrama in Mexico. Kṛṣṇa willing, such experiences will be more frequent for you in future and get better and better.My two questions...finally :)I would like to prepare food for Lord Krishna when I have the time to cook, and take Read more...

Initiation Mantras in Our Paramparā (04/07/11) Dear Śrīpāda_______ Mahārāja, My daṇḍavat praṇāmas. Yes, I remember my short visit to your āśrama very well, and I have often felt the desire to return there someday and have further talks with your holiness. I liked your āśrama and your association very much. In fact i will be in Europe for 3 weeks in April and, if possible, Read more...