Grateful Student
I found Gopiparanadhana's article, "Serving the Words of His Predecessors" [July/August] fascinating! I've been told countless times that Srila Prabhupada based his purports on the commentaries of previousacaryas, and of course I've seen him quote from them directly throughout his purports. I had no idea, though, that practically every sentence and concept is a derivative of the realizations of these great seers.
I personally owe a great debt of gratitude to Gopiparanadhana Prabhu. It's because of his volunteering to teach Sanskrit to our little rag-tag group of gurukula kids here in Hillsborough, North Carolina, that my passion for that beautiful language thrives to this day. Eleven years after my final lesson with him, I'm trying to communicate that same fascination with this ancient language to the students of Padma Academy.
Please publish more of Gopiparanadhana Prabhu's writings.
Campakalata Devi Dasi
Hillsborough, North Carolina
Karna Coverage
The article "Karna's Choice," by Urmila Devi Dasi, in the March/April issue was very good. The Mahabharata is a very complex and long story, but this article summarized it very accurately, and from Karna's viewpoint. Karna spent his life bewildered as to his identity. He felt victimized by fate a tragic story! Excellently covered.
I also particularly liked the article "Destiny and Endeavor," by Bhayahari Dasa, in the January/February issue. The interaction of fate, effort, and time was very well explained from a personal, everyday practical life perspective.
Please keep up the good work. These articles are food for the soul.
Dipak Lakhani
Nottingham, England
The Good and the Bad
I'd like to point out some of the things you are doing right and some of the things you are doing wrong.
Everyone out here likes the way you list all the Festivals of India for North America every year. I like seeing the list of back issues, especially when you show different covers of back issues. I bought twenty-five back issues this year, and I'm definitely going to buy more. I like seeing BTG crammed full of photos and paintings, along with the names of the artists and photographers.
As for the things I don't like about BTG there are none!
Yajna Hotra Dasa
Ashcroft, B.C., Canada
Enlightening and Satisfying
Thank you for your sublime magazine. It is so uplifting! BTG is definitely a big help in the self-realization process. It is enlightening and satisfying for the soul. Every two months I eagerly wait for our BTG issue to arrive, and it seems so long in between. My consciousness has a tendency to drop, but when I read the articles, I instantly feel better and hopeful. I am very grateful. Thank you for your excellent work.
Nadine Bouchard
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Twice Read
I just wanted to write and say thank you. I have been receiving BTG through another person, and I love the teachings and the stories. I read the articles twice sometimes to grasp the full concept of the lesson. I especially enjoyed "Vaisnava Compassion," [November/December 2001] because it taught me the true meaning of compassion.
Ricardo Ontiveros
Crescent City, California
Please write to us at: BTG, P. O. Box 430, Alachua, FL 32616, USA. E-mail: editors@krishna.com.