Montreal Temple, 1975
Prabhu, did you ever see or hear about the magazine I use to publish in the 1980's?
It was a humble attempt to put Srila Prabhupada back in the centre of ISKCON while cultivating better relationships among the devotees. By Krsna's grace, it was a worldwide success with five 64-page issues published over a couple of years' time, reaching all ISKCON temples, leaders, thousands of devotees and friends. (There was still some hope left for reviving the original ISKCON spirit back then.) But after collecting and spending more than $10,000 on printing and distributing The Vaisnava Journal, I had to let it go. Later on, I continued with (more or less) the same objective via The Prabhupada Connection website. But, for some reason or other, I always have to stop -- either poor health or no money usually comes along to sabotage my efforts.
Anyway, thanks so much for listening and following along with my humble and brief retrospective, looking through the rear view mirror. (This is probably my last big effort at writing e-mails.) Actually, I barely even got started serving Srila Prabhupada in this short and miserable life. Please kindly bless me so that someday, somehow or other in some distant lifetime, I may finally become a pure devotee of Srila Prabhupada -- our only true wish and inner heart's desire.
Thank you in advance. All glories to your service!
Comments
Tdasa; Haribol, Padmapani Prabhu; Of course I have heard of these, and applaud your sincere and influential efforts during a difficult time period for us all.
I also find that ill health and money issues continuously impede, it is most frustrating and life-threatening ultimately. Like yourself, I've used what little ability I have as best as possible within a difficult situation, and now death approaches, the body ages and gets useless.
Padmapani Prabhu said; Prabhu, did you attend the transcendental love fest when Prabhupada so kindly visited Toronto in 1976? I can't remember if you were there joining in the fun. Anyway, for your transcendental pleasure (and laughs), please see the following:
A brief trip down memory lane (Part 1)
Prabhupada Connect
Feb 6 at 11:24 AM
"Either I go with you or not, the program which you are doing [travelling sankirtana] is completely approved by me. Go on steady with your program. As long as we are following the regulative principles of devotional service, I am always with you. So be encouraged to continue this program more and more and expand it so that the preaching will be heard in every town and village.”
(Srila Prabhupada letter to Lokanatha Swami, August 23, 1976)
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Haribol Sri Tamoharaji,
Namaste. Jaya Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you kindly for your recent message. Good to hear from you again.
I'm not online very much these days, so I've been quite out of touch as well. In fact, I often go for months without connection to the electronic world. So forgive me that I've been -- and will likely be -- a very lousy correspondent until and if circumstances somehow change in that regard. Just know that I think of you fondly with warm memories especially of our brahmacari days together, trekking across India and the holy dhamas, including Kumba Mela, Prayag, Varanasi and Sri Jagannatha Puri. How lucky we were to be there during the Maha Maha Kumba Mela with Sri Krsna's most beloved pure devotee blessing the occasion and the entire planet with the golden touch of his lotus feet. Dynamite! We hardly had a care in the world, traveling through time and space via bullock cart and second-class sleeper trains across the majestic vista of Mother India unfolding before us in all Her ancient and glorious splendour. What a blast! How did we ever find ourselves in such an unlikley and miraculous situation? Two young rascals from Grant Park High School, Winnipeg, Manitoba. All by the causeless mercy of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!
Congratulations on the good news of your marriage. Hope all goes smoothly for you both in every respect. Glad to hear too that Kay is in good health these days. Many best wishes to her as well.
Mother Rita was also in near perfect health until she was poisoned by an overdose of toxic drugs which nearly killed her on the spot (causing heart failure, strokes, near-blindness, etc.). Such a sad and unfortunate series of events. Shame on the ruthless madmen masquerading as so-called "doctors" in this modern age who willingly serve big pharma along with its sick and perverse agenda. I too was seriously damaged by allopathy while in and out of the hospital for long periods of time over a three year period (four times in total) staring death in the face each time and now suffering from horrible lifelong side effects. I couldn't walk at all for another three years and now I'm facing even more horror stories as a result. Anyway, I'll spare you further details for now, lest I depress you and bring you down which I don't wish to do. Suffice to say, I've been cursed to live in poverty and ill health for most of my life and it's not getting better, by any means. The only real solution I can arrive at is to humbly try to develop patience and tolerance while continuing my feeble attempts to surrender unto the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada in my heart of hearts. What more can I do? But still, in spite of it all, I consider myself one of the most (undeservedly) fortunate of souls due to somehow or other making "the Prabhupada connection" in this life. Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
Yes, very interesting news about the Swami in Mayapur (Mahesh Prabhu). You deserve the credit for that, as you were always the better preacher due to your superior intelligence (which you can't deny!). Of course, I would have much preferred if he had joined prior to Prabhupada's physical departure and received initiation from Srila Prabhupada himself. However, we're not the controller, so I just wish him the very best in all his endeavours to serve Prabhupada's mission under the circumstances. He speaks very nicely and appears very sweet and sincere at heart.
Thinking back to those days, I remember the Jagannatha maha-prasad in clay cups -- the sweet dahl especially. I recall too the Rama-bhaktas striking their gong(s) during arotik in their temple in Varanasi (Benares). Also the Dasasvamedha bathing ghat -- and touching the Siva lingam in the Vishwanath Mandir (very powerful energy!). I distinctly remember the opulent gold and silver shops surrounding the temple there, courtesy of Lord Siva's blessings, I'm sure. Or how about the cold morning baths on the padayatra in the small towns along the road between Prayag (Allahabad) and Varanasi? Or the austere prasadam mixed with tiny granules of sand? Or the freezing sands of the early a.m. Kumbha Mela site? (Most fortunately, I sat quietly beside Srila Prabhupada in his tent one evening as a parade of characters ambled in and out while there was no heat for His Divine Grace, who nonetheless sat peacefully and transcendentally, as ever.) Or that dingy hotel room in Calcutta and the oh so crowded street scenes? Or the unique "encounter" we had with Gurukripa and Gargamuni in the Calcutta temple? (I went off to Bombay by train after the Mayapur festival that year -- not sure if you followed?) Anyway, "Those were the days, my friend..."
Haven't been to India since 1988 (27 years ago) and would love to return someday. I suppose if we ever wish to visit, retire or leave our bodies in Sri Mayapur dhama, we now have a good friend there in high places who can help find us some shelter. Might come in handy; you never know!
Hey, keep up the good fight with your lovely website -- a beautiful creation and offering to Srila Prabhupada. Unfortunately, there's not much sense in me joining anything online these days as my computer broke down years ago (it's a 10-year old machine), so I rarely visit anything nowadays. Thanks for the invite though -- perhaps in the future, if I'm still here on the planet and things miraculously improve. Seems I'm on my way out pretty soon at this rate, to be honest, but I'll keep it in mind and thank you very much for the same.
OK, I'll stop boring you now and leave you in peace. Take care, stay strong and thrive -- in spite of everything and all. Thanks again for writing. (Rita sends her love to Kay, as always.)
Hari Hari bol!
Ys, Pd
Srila Prabhupada in San Francisco, 1974. (Check out the imposter with the blue bead bag.) Causeless Mercy ki jaya!
Remembering Sri Winnipeg dhama, 1975: http://www.prabhupadaconnect.com/CauselessMercy12.html
isvarah paramah krishnah
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam
SYNONYMS
isvarah -- the controller; paramah -- supreme; krishnah -- Lord Krishna; sat -- comprising eternal existence; cit -- absolute knowledge; ananda -- and absolute bliss; vigrahah -- whose form; anadih -- without beginning; adih -- the origin; govindah -- Lord Govinda; sarva-karana-karanam -- the cause of all causes.
TRANSLATION
Krishna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.
You even had posters of Niverville and also the Led Zepp etc concert? Wow! Complete history! lol
I was reading and enjoying recollections of so many things due to this lovely write-up and references etc. I copied and posted some of it as an article at spi site.
Wow, is Kartamashi ever nicely dressed! Those were Vaikuntha days indeed!
I pray you and all the good old soldiers soon achieve everything they desire!
Haribol Tamohara Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Someone sent me the following video which I think you'll find interesting. It's by a Bhakti Pursottama Swami, GBC member in Mayapur. His name was originally Mahesh and he met us both in Jagannatha Puri in 1977. (He says 1976 here, but it was actually in early '77.) Anyway, he remembers us fondly. If you don't have time to listen to the whole talk, he mentions you starting from the beginning (0:00 minutes) to about 3:40 minutes where he then relates that Gour Govinda Maharaj was once a student of his father. Later he mentions you again at about 13:15 minutes. Please enjoy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts=1422579428&v=QJec1GVCoGk&...
Meanwhile, I hope that all is going well for both you and Kay in every respect. Rita turns 93 in a few weeks. She's now in a nursing home. She's had a few strokes and heart failure, so I have to push her about in wheelchair. But she is chanting Hare Krishna every day, by Krsna and Prabhupada's grace.
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