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Retreating to Chant Hare Krishna

• Subject: Retreating to Chant Hare Krishna
• From: HANSADUTTA
• Date: Tue Jul 25 17:43:13 1995
• Message-Id: id625

Dear Hansadutta Prabhu

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

Thank you for you letter of July 24. I find your analysis of ISKCON and the bees
after honey quite apt. I want to associate with devotees, you know those people
who like chanting Hare Krishna, reading Srila Prabhupada's books, going out on
Hari-Nam sankirtana, distributing Prabhupada's books... But when I go to the
ISKCON temples they don't seem so interested anymore in these things. I always
found it amazing that, when I had the little temple in Canberra, the "karmis"
would come and happily sit down and chant for an hour but it's hard to find


devotees in ISKCON prepared to chant for an hour. The kirtans are getting shorter
and shorter...

You have gone on to say there is no point in discussing their attempt as it is far
from the real thing but still quarrels tend to occur. My experience is ISKCON have
most bases covered and although they may  not be doing much preaching if you try
to preach they become a little agitated. So not preaching and finding a hut
somewhere to chant Hare Krishna might be the answer. That is more or less what I
am doing now. But I can't just chant Hare Krishna. I tried it yesterday. But it is
a very hard thing for me to just chant Hare Krishna and read Srila Prabhupada's
books. I have to have some project... And I feel Srila Prabhupada wants us to
preach. I have also seen the years are flying by quite quickly and how much time I
have left in this body I don't know. So I feel I should try and do something. If I
am not busy in Krishna consciousness I am in maya so it is important I keep busy.
Right now I can't just chant Hare Krishna. I have to have some other service as
well.

Another point I am considering is the world is rapidly getting worse. People are
becoming more and more sinful and it's getting harder and harder to interest them
in spiritual life. I think this is because ISKCON is no longer preaching and maya
is taking advantage in a big way... So my instinct says we should not leave it
much longer before starting to preach seriously.

Also my mind says being fully engaged in some big preaching program, being so busy
that there is no time for maya, is a good idea.
The other thing about retreating is where to go? I have sometimes thought of going
to Radha Kunda. I almost went there instead of here [Tasmania, the little island
at the bottom of Australia]

I also find it amazing how seriously the GBC takes their meetings and how they
want to legislate about everything but they never say anything about getting the
devotees to follow the four regulative principles, chant 16 rounds, etc. They make
so many rules but no one takes any notice anyhow...

I will forward any communications I have with ISKCON re the copyright matter and
wish you well with the battle.

I take encouragement from your statement that Krishna is everywhere, even within
the atom, and His hand is behind everything.

I sometimes become bewildered by it all, not knowing what to do next. But we can
always chant Hare Krishna and read Srila Prabhupada's books anywhere.

If you do decide to make some bold preaching plans be sure to let me know --
perhaps I could help in some way. I know you are very keen on Hari-Nam. I was with
you on the truck at the New York Ratha-Yatra in 1991 and I also heard your book
distribution talk in the temple. It's a very different world to the 60's and 70's
now but one very much in need of Krishna consciousness. ISKCON is not really
interested. They are building "A house for the Indians to come to on Sunday
afternoons" rather than "A house for the whole world to live in."

Your servant

Madhudvisa dasa

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