Ashtami-Rohini

Dear Mohan, Jayasree, Lakshmi and Raadhika,

Thanks for all your letters and we are very pleased to hear news of your activities and welfare. Amma and myself are well here, also the Satish family at Cochin. Savita has moved out of NJ, to Delaware, into her own house. Omkar has started school and Sreekanth will rejoin Du Pont, next month. Savita"s health is good and the baby is growing well. Vasu had called this morning and all of them are well.

Krishna must have atttended college for almost a week now! Great feeeling for me asnd Amma, to find our first grandon in college and into the making of a lawyer!! We are awaiting report on his initial impressions of life out there in the campus.

On 10th is Lord Krishna's birthday. This year he has two birthdays, since ashtami and rohini did not come on the same day, as happens usually. So, celebrate it again, ven if you celebrated one last month.

Krishna is a concept, unmatched anywhere else in the universe. At this distance of time, we cannot say whether there was a Krishna, whether he was born amidst us, what all he did etc. But Vyasa has left such a marvellous and fanciful account of his life and deeds that shout make even the most agnostic intellectual to wonder at his flight of imagination.

To be able to uplift human thinking and perceptions to such heaVENLY AMND HIGH LEVELS, WITHOUT ANY CONTRADICTION OR CONFUSION ITASELF SPEAks of the grandness of the Krishna cult. I believe He was there, amidst us - in our eartlier lives - and did all that Vyasa has narrated, and much much more.

Usha said they all visited his Dwaraka abode and saw traces of the old kingdom. I have read reports of the sunker Dwaraka city, unearched a few years ago by Dr.Rao, the famous archaeologist. It is the rare good fortune of us Indians to own him as our favourite God and to transmit his consciousness to those willing to understaND HIM. kRISHNA WILL COME AGAIN AND AGAIN,

IN OUR MIDST, SO HE HAS PROMISED IN THE gITA. tHEREFORE, CELEBRATE THIAS GREAT DAY, AND IF POSSIBLE, READ THE 10TH BOOK OF bHAGAVATHAM, CALLED dASAMA sKANDAM. tHIS CONTAINS THE STORY INM DETAIL OF THE BIRTH AND PANGS of Krishna's parents etc. It makes beautiful reading and willabsorb you. Jayasree can read the brief account in the Malayalam book we recently sent through Prasad. Usha has Bhaktivwedanta Prabhupada book on Srimad Bhagavatham, also other books, including Krishnavatara.

The rains have stopped here and the weather is good. We are hoping to buy Amma's ticket to USA next week.

Mohan, nice to hear that you are enjoying your new responsibilities in Europe. With your vast contacts and first hand knowledge of Europe, all your dedicated efforts will fetch results. Keep us informed as often as possible. Also keep closely in touch with Tarun Das. In India, his stature is going up day by day.

Love to all of you, Appa and Amma