public appology..my errors in judgement. Purushottama adhika masa..

[Guest guest]

Camp: Moscow Begovaya

 

Dandavats Dearest Umapati Swami and all Vaisnava's who read the original

posting.

 

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

Jaya Krishna-Balarama! I thank you for your nice letter *really* purifying

for me.

 

I hope you'll contribute more in these forums in the future..

 

What I've learnt by this purifying exchange..is that now more than ever

now-a-days e-mail letters on public forums like these are scrutinized more

than ever. From now on I better be careful what I key in especially if pain

unwittingly results from pushing the "send button".

 

> 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.

 

It was a simple letter written to me by one devotee whose query prompted my

incorrect and wholly incomplete statement. While that statement that I wrote

*might* have been true for one type of individual, yet is most certainly

doesn't apply in a general sense of the term, and therefore should have been

rejected outright for what it was--poor taste and poor journalism.

 

I fully see, by Umapati Swami's grace and sagecious quote, that my

unfortunately worded paragraph was not written properly taking into

consideration the broad range of the audience.

 

Yet, that doesn't detract from the wonderful benefits of the vrata done by

anyone in a devotional mood.

 

I don't really see much examples of tapasvi's attacking preachers *except

unwittingly by this foolish paragraph of mine*.

 

> 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.

 

Yes, I really like this well balanced approach. This is exactly the

paragraph that should be substituted for my previously worded one.

 

My protectors (some of whom are here) know that when I lecture in public I

also advocate such vision. I agree with this above statement totally. I pray

that everyone realises that I made an unintentional gaffe..No harm

intended...

 

> 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.

 

How true you are Umapati Swami!

 

> >I do remember one brahmacari in 1976 in LA who did chaturmasya, but at

> the

> >end of it got married, so one devotee said sarcastically," Oh I

> understand,

> >the fruit of his austerities was to get a good wife." Naturally when

> >someone sees adverse things happening at the end of the vrata....

>

> If he waited till Caturmasya was over before he married, where is the

> fault? Is there some regulation that one must wait a certain amount of

> time before marrying?

 

Yes that is one realistic look at it. It shows that one should try to see

the good in everything. Again I'm purified by reading it.

 

> And since when is marriage something adverse? It may

> not be for everyone, but it is still a Vaisnava asrama, and we have many

> wonderful householder devotees in our society.

 

Yes, all devotees need and are gratiated by the sanga of all devotees in all

the ashramas. I have some siksa gurus amongst the (grihastha-varya) in our

society.

 

They went through the pains of their experiences and Krsna has blessed them

with vision and purity. Krsna puts his devotees in whatever ashrama and

situation neccessary to purify and bring them to His lotus feet.

 

I see that practically. I'm not too fanatical, but I admit, I'm greatful for

the vision of Sannyasi's who have practical realisations based on their own

previous household life's experiences.

 

I'm lacking in that unfortunately. Umapati Swami please give me your

association, so I can become more visionary like your holiness...

 

Yes you are one the best editors and most sensitive and cautious seniors in

Iskcon. I really appreciate and miss your association in my life.

 

Your comments were wonderful! I lament that due to your dedication to

preaching in one of the most isolated locations on the planet results in my

being unable to get more of your association in Vrndavana.

 

I miss it so much. Umapati Swami why don't you come to be with Jayadvaita

Swami in Govardhana Iskcon in Dec? That way I might get to serve you and

listen to your merciful instructions for the benefit of all including my

fallen self.

 

I promise to all of you that really, I did not at all desire to appear so

condescending by those comments, but having gotten a chance to read it again

by your kindness. I agree totally with Umapati swami's logic that the words

were in poor taste, so I retract *only* those paragraphs that offended you

all.

 

I hope that because the vaisnava's are quite forgiving by nature, after

testing the truth of my sincerity eventually you *might* all agree to

forgive me?

 

I take this opportunity to beg forgiveness from *all the vaisnavas* who

might have been unintentionally offended by this mistake of mine of poor

typing, intelligently caught by Umapati Swami.

 

By this exchange Umapati Swami is reminding me that next time and all times.

...I should follow Jayadvaita swami once who spoke in VIHE writers class," If

you write a 'smoker' sit on it for a night and look at it again the next

morning to re-edit it again after taking a fresh look at it".

 

I hope you will bless me that I give up any future such words, I assure you

all, I never intended to hurt only to encourage the possible devotional

benefits of Purushottama Adhika masa.

 

A purity blunted by the wrong paragraph. It proves that if one or more

paragraphs in a composition are wrong-- it draws and focuses attention to

the wrong things, thus detracting (and possibly giving opposite results)

undesired by the author..*alas* I've put my foot in my mouth again

unwittingly...

 

Again forgive me.

 

My congratulations to the sensitive editor, Umapati swami. Please visit us

sometime in Vrndavana and put your feet on my head. Then maybe I'll

*finally* get around to realise to be careful what I write in the future!

 

I hope your enthusiasm in shravanam and kirtanam is flourishing!

 

Sorry to 'sverve you' by my foolishness.

 

Yours in the service of Krishna-Balarama,

Vaisnavadasanudasah,

 

Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Maharaja