Page 10 - Patropadesa Vol. 2 - Eng
P. 10

viii                                              PREFACE



           my stringent approach to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Many of the
           letters featured herein deal with grave and sensitive topics
           and therefore offer insights into the practical application
           of the teachings of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in today’s highly
           disturbed  world.  However,  I  have  chosen  not  to  include
           most of the polemic missives that I have written over the
           years regarding various contentious issues within ISKCON,
           as I feel that such matters require comprehensive analyses
           rather than decontextualized and incomplete perspectives.
           Nonetheless, this book is evidence that gurus in  ISKCON
           must contend with many weighty topics and do not, as some
           persons seem to believe, merely bask in adulation.

           The several hundred letters presented herein represent only
           a fraction from the tens of thousands (including short notes)
           that I have written over the last two decades. Before about
           late 1994, almost all of the many letters that I composed
           were written by hand, and are now lost. Since then, and now
           practically exclusively, my correspondence has mostly been
           by email.

           As  can  be  seen  from  some  of  the  earlier  entries  in
           Patropadeśa, previously I often composed extensive replies to
           philosophical, polemic, and practical queries. But nowadays
           I prefer to respond verbally whenever lengthy answers are
           warranted. Modern technology makes for easy dissemination
           of such replies.
           The perspectives and advice contained in this volume were
           offered to different individuals under varied circumstances
           and hence should not necessarily be considered universally
           applicable to all my disciples. Moreover, usually what I state
           in letters is unlikely to represent the whole gamut of my
           outlook on any given topic. Another important point is that
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