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hare krishna in Turkey

• Subject: hare krishna in Turkey
• From: isa e
• Date: Tue Jan 02 15:58:06 1996
• Message-Id: id679

Dear Nakula

Hello. Hare Krishna! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Thanks for your letter. You are now "separated" from the devotees but Krishna is
everywhere. He is in your heart so you are never alone. Are you chanting at least
16 rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra daily and reading something from Srila
Prabhupada's books? That is the main thing. It doesn't really matter where we are
as long as we keep chanting Hare Krishna and reading.

I have forwarded your letter to a devotee in Sweden also who would have more
knowledge than me on the situation in Turkey in regard to devotees. I have read
that you are having problems getting suitable food to eat, but it is not that only
meat is prohibited. Devotees only eat prasadam, food cooked for and offered to
Krishna, so the only real alternative is to cook for Krishna yourself. I don't
know your situation, but it's not so difficult, providing you can get some rice,
flower, split peas, butter and a few vegetables. You can make nice vegetarian
offerings for Krishna. You just need a pot and a small gas burner or access to a
stove. I live in Australia and everything is available here. But still I cook for
Krishna. I will not eat food cooked by the non-devotees. We eat Krishna Prasadam.

Of course if it is completely impossible to cook for Krishna yourself then you
have to live somehow, but try and arrange to get cooking facilities.

As far as me being your spiritual master, you don't even know me! Spiritual master
is not such a cheep thing... Read Srila Prabhupada's books, he will help you to
understand everything and chant Hare Krishna. It is good you have seen this world
is a miserable place and that you have the desire to go back home, back to
Godhead. It is an advantage of being in difficult material conditions.

Your pure desire to help the suffering people you see around you to know Krishna
is the sign of a devotee, the only hope for them [and us] is Krishna
consciousness, and that is possible if they hear the chanting of the Hare Krishna

maha-mantra, read the books of Srila Prabhupada, taste the prasadam, the remnants
of food offered to Krishna and associate with the devotees. So we have to first
become strong ourselves and fixed-up in the philosophy so we can preach. Krishna
will help us.

That you were different from others in school is also not surprising. Devotional
service is a continuous process, from one life to the next. If we are not fully
Krishna conscious at the time of death then we are born again in the material
world and given the facilities to continue our devotional service.

As for you coming to visit me, I am a man of no fixed address. I am also not
associated with ISKCON at present so there is no phone number or address to give.
In any case Krishna has put you in Turkey so why not preach there? Krishna
consciousness is ahikuti-apratitah, it is not dependent on any material facility,
you can be Krishna conscious and preach anywhere.

Here [in Australia] the devotees have the opposite problem to you. Life is quite
easy and sense gratification is abundantly available. So many devotees become
bewildered by this, the "easy life", and forget about Krishna. So you should take
your difficult position as Krishna's mercy and just try to advance in Krishna
consciousness and tell the people you meet something about Krishna. If you do this
seriously you will be amazed at the result. Krishna is in everyone's heart and if
you make some plans to preach He will help you.

You might like to read:

    http://www.peg.apc.org/~shelter/a019.html

It is an article from Srila Prabhupada's Sri Caitanya Caritamrta about the "Hindus
and the Muslims". You may get some strength by reading of Lord Caitanya's
preaching to the Muslims.

Anyhow I hope Bhakta Mats from Sweden can help you get in contact with some
devotees in Turkey.

Looking forward to hearing you plans for preaching in what sounds like a
completely hellish country.

Chant Hare Krishna and be happy,

Madhudvisa dasa


>                                Hare Krishna
>        My name is Isa Eyyubov.Nakula. I am a devotee of The Supreme
>       Personality of The Godhed.I am from Baku Azerbaycan.Now I am student
>       at METU Ankara Turkey.I was transfered to metu only three months
>       ago.I didn't want to come here because of my seperating from devotees.
>       But our family moved to Turkey and I had to go with them.Since my co
>       ming here I am looking for devotees and a temple if exist but unfor
>       tunately I couldn't find them by now.I found myself in a difficult
>       position in here.Because It's muslim country and I've problems with
>       everything here.With the people that are the fanatics of Koran.
>       And It's very difficult for me to find the meals that not contain
>       meat.If you could help me to find devotees in Turkey I would be very
>       happy.
>       I've read your article in Internet address:http://www.yahoo.com/reli
>       gion/hare krishna/... and was very impressed by your words.Actually
>       I think exactly as you and feel the same things.I agree with you
>       with all my heart.
>       Although I'm separated from I'm with them all the time in my heart.
>       I think only about The Lord Krishna and I'd like to become a real
>       devotee of Lord Krishna.My desire is to serve his Supreme
>       Personality and go back to the Spiritual World after the death of
>       the body.I hate this material world. I hate everything material
>      becouse I think we've suffered enough in here and it' time to go
>       back our home.I've no ambitious and no material desires. I look
>       for an spiritual master.
>       I'd be the happiest devotee in the world if you agree to be my
>       spiritual master.But I don't know if it's possible or not.

>       Now my desires are exactly as yours. I want to spread the books
>       of his Devine Grace Shrila Prabhupada repeat maha mantra and
>       do my best for purely devotional servise to Lord Krishna.When
>       I look around I see people deeply fallen down souls looking for
>       only eating sleeping and sex.As said His Devine Grace Shrila
>       Prabhupada they don't understand anything except sex.They live
>       like anymals.It's past there comprehension becouse of covering
>       with material dust.They must be purifiered.They suffer but they
>       don't know how to stop that.They all want to be happy and they
>       see that only in achieving there material goals.I want to help
>       them to be really happy.I want to become a vaishnava.I full of
>       pure love of God Krishna and of all living entires.Please help
>       me to proceed in this way.I'm ready for everything in the way of
>       purely devotional servise of Lord Krishna.
>       I was very different from others in my childhood.And people that
>       surrounded me were always notice that.I study well at school but
>       I was doing that with no desire. Adults often asked me
>       Who do you want to become? But I didn't know the answer to this
>       question.But now I'm sick of everything and I want to dedicate
>       all my lives to the purely devotional servise to The Supreme
>       Personality of The Godhed as Chaitaniya Mahaprabhu did.
>
>       I've been learning English for two years only
>       and so please excuse me if I did any mistakes
>       in writing.
>                                                    Nakula
>                                                    Your devotee
>       Please reply as soon as you can.
>
>      and if could please send me your telephone number or address
>      in order to contact you.
>      I want to come and see you if it's possible.
>      I liked you very much after reading your article.
>
>

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