I would also like to remind all of you that to take responsibility as a counselor requires a selfless motivation to help devotees in their Krishna consciousness. Such a position should never be taken for prestige, respect, or for the desire of being served by others. Such a service should be adopted with the exclusive desire to help others become steady in Krishna consciousness.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 158, 2nd Paragraph)
I do not know what kind of standard there is in the gurukula which you are talking about. If the standard of education is high—at least comparable to the standards that most Russian children have—then, by all means, the gurukula is better than nondevotee schools. However, if the standard of education is low, then it is risky to send your daughter to such a school.Certainly, it is also a great risk for your daughter to be exposed to the association of nondevotee children in ordinary nondevotee schools. She will need a strong will and great support from her mother and father to withstand the pressure that she will get from her classmates. Some children have the willpower and strength to withstand it. However, some do not and they succumb to the pressures of their peers. There is no sure outcome by either route—gurukula or nondevotee school. You must use your discretion. But in the final outcome, you should want your daughter to want to be a devotee, and you should want your daughter to have a basic education.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 155, 2nd and last Paragraph)
Beyond all that knowledge lies the superior knowledge of Krishna. This knowledge is revealed within the heart by the mercy of the Lord. The more that you think of Him, hear about Him, pray to Him, and worship Him, the more He will reveal this knowledge to you from within. Real renunciation will grow, even while you remain in school. Then Krishna will perfectly arrange everything required for your further progress in His devotional service. You must have firm faith that He knows what is best and that He will arrange it.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 153, 2nd Paragraph)
Maturity in Krsna consciousness also includes the ability to discriminate between real renunciation and artificial renunciation. A really renounced person can love and serve Krishna in any condition of life—even in school, surrounded by non-devotees and meat-eaters. Krishna has placed you there, in school, at this point in your life. Now you must learn how to take the best advantage of His arrangement. Just because "it is so hard being in school" is not a sufficient ground to give it up. Wherever you go in this material world, it is going to be hard. It is hard living in the temple too. However, Krishna helps to make it easier as you learn to depend upon Him in every situation. Rather than artificially adjusting the situation, you must adjust your consciousness.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 153, 1st Paragraph)
You should not feel that your time in school is simply being wasted by having to study a mundane education. You can take advantage of the situation to preach to your classmates and give them books also. Try to take shelter of the story of Prahlada Maharaja, and how he would take every opportunity to preach Krishna consciousness to his classmates, who were all born of very demoniac families! Your associates in school will naturally ask you questions about the beads around your neck, and why you do not eat meat. Take advantage of their questions to tell them about Krishna. Some students will probably be disinterested, and some will probably think that you are strange. However, this will help you to become even stronger in your convictions, because you will get strength from preaching to them.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 152, 2nd Paragraph)
In principle, I am never against disciples pursuing their education (graduate or post-graduate), as long as they do not neglect keeping association with devotees who inspire them to maintain some kind of devotional sadhana. If she is doing this, then certainly she may continue with her post-graduate studies. This principle is the same, whether it is school, work, or whatever. There is no mandate that somebody must live in the temple and perform full-time duties in the temple. But it is necessary to associate with devotees, especially in the neophyte stages of devotional service, if one wants to protect themselves from worldly association found in universities and workplaces throughout the whole world.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 150, 1st Paragraph)
You have a greater responsibility to your child than just loving and caring for his body. You must care for his development in Krishna consciousness, and, to do this most effectively, you must be Krishna conscious yourself.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 146, last Paragraph)
Everyone must perform some service daily, which helps them to remember Krishna. Chanting is the best way to remember Him. But there is some process for chanting as well. Without knowledge, our chanting can become ritualistic. Therefore, you should also regularly listen to lectures. When engaged in some household duties or duties connected with your child, force yourself to listen to lectures. Many of Srila Prabhupada's lectures are now translated into Russian. You can listen to his lectures. Somehow or other, your mind must be drawn to thoughts of Krishna, the spiritual world, His eternal associates, and Their loving pastimes, which are going on eternally. Krishna is always ready to accept into His association those whose minds dwell in thoughts of Him. Without some kind of daily discipline to fix the mind on Krishna, the tendency is to accept all our experiences of this world as the only reality.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 146, 3rd Paragraph)
Raising a child in Krishna consciousness is a big responsibility, and I am fully aware of the amount of time and attention that is required to bring up a child—especially when he is still at such a young age. This responsibility cannot be neglected or passed on to somebody else. The parents must raise the child in the best environment possible so that the child will learn Krishna consciousness from the beginning of his life. Therefore, naturally, both your maternal and devotional duties must be executed in order to achieve the best result for your child. If you fall into some debt in your rounds, it is understandable. But, gradually, as your child gets just a little bit older, and begins to sleep more regularly, you should be taking advantage of his sleeping to resume your commitment to 16 rounds daily. This chanting is the most important out of any other devotional service which you might render. And it is by this chanting that you can satisfy me.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 145, 4th Paragraph)
The substance of our Krishna consciousness movement lies in the inner lives of our devotees. Preaching is the natural outgrowth which comes from those whose inner lives are based on satisfaction in Krishna consciousness.
(Collected Letters to My Disciples, Pg 141, 1st Paragraph)