from Mahanidhi Swami-purushottama adhika masa vratas

[Guest guest]

Camp: Moscow Begovaya Iskcon

 

Dandavats Dear Babhru Prabhu and al other great souls here!

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Jaya Krishna-Balarama!

 

Umapati swami nicely wrote:

 

> We need all kinds of people in our society. We need preachers in the field

> and tapasvis in the holy places. We need cooks in the temples and teachers

> in the schools and businessmen in the offices and so on. No one should

> think that he is the only one doing something valid and that the others

> are weak-minded sense gratifiers.

>

> Every service requires some kind of austerity, but when we think our own

> particular austerity makes us better than the others, then the benefits of

> our austerity are lost.

 

Umapati Swami has shown me ,this is actually the proper public answer to

what I should have written as a response to the devotee who originally

commented privately to me.

 

> Thank you, Maharaj, for seeing to the heart of the matter, as always.

> There is a disturbing hint of self-righteousness in many of these

> comments.

 

Babhru excellently wrote:

 

> You want some tapasya? Try sticking to a marriage and raising kids. So

> manyof our society's problems can be traced to men (and women) who dump

> their spouses for a life of "renunciation" when the gloss wears off, or

> when things become difficult, or after a couple of kids have been born.

 

I'm really greatful to devotees who stick it out amidst reverses and try to

strengthen their domestic and spiritual relationships. Yes I support this

statement of Babhru in it's totality...

I

> know that I'm a better person and a better disciple for having been

> married all these years. We both have struggled at times to bear each

> other's quirks and flaws. But we have been determined to try our best to

> do it right, to do right by our spiritual master, and to set a good

> example for our daughters. I know others who have been married even longer

> than we have, have seen evidence of their struggles--and triumphs. They

> are true vaishnavas, real tapasvis.

 

All undeniably true for the vast majority of our devotee population..My

comment must of offended those who felt slighted for all their struggling

efforts. I profusely appologise to all...

 

Some of them have always been

> full-time preachers, others have been engaged sometimes in business or

> professional life for livelihood. Those of us who pine for the "good old

> days" may be intersted in what happens to this movement when these

> experienced men and women bring the experience of their family lives to

> the next stage of life. I'm convinced the good old days are yet to come.

 

Yes, I look forward personally, to more association with such amazing

examples of Vanaprastha life.

 

Please purify us all with your experiences when you preach and live again

near the temples in your upcoming vanaprastha lives. I see already that many

such couples are coming to Vrndavana to add a refreshing realisation to

guide the young children, and errant life-long renunciates such as me...

 

> But it will be hindered by the kind of party spirit we tend to show, as

> well as by our proclivity to seek prestige, followers, and wealth. If we

> can actually learn to avoid these . . . watch out!

 

A great example for me to quote when teaching 7th sloka of Manah siksa,

again Thanks Babhru...

 

> Thanks again to Umapati Maharaj for his good sense and his good example.

 

I lament that Maharaja doesn't warn me or step on my head more often. He

gave me wise counselling in Vrndavana some years back, I think in 1994, when

I last saw him.

 

alas fools like me that don't remember Umapati Swami's words that day, have

to suffer for their lack of immediate application of sagecious instructions.

 

Yes all true, I seen *a little* of what he speaks of here. Unfortunately not

enough to have made me re-word what I wrote before I pushed the send button

in haste.

 

I thank you, Babhru Prabhu, for your nice letter revealing the reality of

the fact that I have to really watch whatever I say or write...As it might

be taken in an opposite way due to tactless or inconsiderate writing.

 

I promise to all the devotees who may read this and the original posting,

that I sincerely *never intended to insult any great souls* renunciate or

grihastha---who struggle to liberate their disciples, followers-children and

spouses in modern kali-yuga, while still adhering to Prabhupada's

instructions according to their best abilities given their respective

situations.

 

> I'm grateful to Mahamantra for having posted the Purushottama

> vrata. I have some time to consider which items I, who am not a renouncer

> living in the Dhama, but an ordinary professional guy with aspirations for

> spiritual life, might be able to adopt.

 

Whew! I pray that all of you will see the sincerity that Mahanidhi Swami has

in the original posting. He is a great soul, that I have not served fully by

writing a tactless paragraph. I'm greatful to those like Babhru prabhu, who

might see over my foolishness, to appreciate my original intent..Alas, I

realise painfully, that if something is foolishly written, it serves to

undermine or give the reverse, what the authors intented...

 

Fortunately, I have a month to

> consider which I will acutally be able to follow. The little vratas

> followed by ISKCON members (eschewing one class of foods each month) isn't

> particularly hard for me, except the upcoming one: yogurt. That is a real

> austerity for me.

>

> >Let us also watch out for becoming hard-hearted because of austerities

> >and criticizing other devotees. And this also applies to the preachers.

> >Now we are seeing a battle. The preachers are attacking the tapasvis, and

> >the tapasvis are attacking the preachers.

>

> Yes, thank you. Again, there are hints of a self-righteous party spirit we

> should by all means avoid.

 

I really try hard to avoid a self-righteous mentality. But it looks like

deep-down there *must be* some such things remaining still in my heart left

over from my more critically outspoken days in St. Louis in the late "70's-

or in Mumbai BBT in'80's.

 

I assure you all...I'm lamenting not only my badly worded paragraph, but

those critical days, which set back my advancement in KC. I hope by all of

your kindness, I'll uproot the subtle critical weeds that *still* are

there...

 

I thank you for your nice letter revealing the reality of the fact that I

have to really watch whatever I say or write...As it might be taken in an

opposite way due to tactless or inconsiderate writing.

 

Again, I really meant to serve Mahanidhi Swami by posting something of use

to the devotees. I'll feel engratiated If we all get to read more positive

appreciations like Babhru from people who will benefit from the devotional

applications of such vratas.

 

....again, begging with a straw in my mouth, Please forgive my foolishness

and grant me a place in your company. I sincerely appologise to one and all.

 

I hope your enthusiasm in shravanam and kirtanam is flourishing!

Yours in the service of Krishna-Balarama,

 

Vaisnavadasanudasah,

 

Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Maharaja