a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1970 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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Feb 4, 2006 February 4, 1970 Los Angeles Gita Press P.O. Gita Vatika Dist. Gorakhpur U.P., India My Dear Bhaiji Hanuman Prasad Poddar, Please accept my humble obeisances. I beg to acknowledge receipt herewith of your letter dated January 26, 1970, addressed to London Temple, now redirected to me with enclosure of the copy of your former letter. I see that your former letter was addressed to me at the old address of Los Angeles Temple which we left two years ago; therefore, your former letter is missing. Anyway, I am very much pleased to get your inquiries about my activities, and within a week I shall prepare everything nicely and send to you. I was in London from August through December, 1969, and there was our opening ceremony of Deity installation on the 14th December. Then I have come back to the States by the end of December. In the meantime, I beg to thank you very much for your kind interest in my humble service. Hope this will meet you in good health. Yours in the service of the Lord, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 12:04 | February 4, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessings. I hope you have safely reached your place. I have received letters from London that they are organizing World Sankirtana Party very seriously; therefore, it would be better if you go first to London and see how things are going on, then you may go to Germany if it is needed. They have asked me to send Visnujan, but I think if Visnujan goes from L.A. there is no second man to organize the street Sankirtana here. Practically, in his absence, his place cannot be immediately replaced. But if you go to London and join the Sankirtana Party, I think the vacancy there will be filled up. So I shall be glad to hear from you what you decide to do. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 12:01 | Feb 3, 2006 Tuesday, February 3, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Jaya Govinda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27 January, 1970. I have received a separate letter from Mandali Bhadra and the reply is also enclosed within this envelope. Krishna has sent one nice German scholar, ____. Please give her satisfactory care, especially in the beginning because she is new and not accustomed to our Temple habits. I am also glad to learn that Suridas is also going to join you. Most probably Hamsaduta with his wife also will go there. Krishna das in his previous letter wrote me that there are good possibilities for opening various centers in Germany, and Hamsaduta is experienced in organizing Sankirtana Party. Please be in correspondence about German BTG publishing with Brahmananda. He is now staying in Boston and coming to New York every weekend. Yes. We must have close cooperation between America and Germany for the successful publication of our BTG regularly in French, German and English languages. So now you are collecting a staff of translators in Hamburg and they are all very qualified to do the work. Please organize everything nicely so that the French and German editions may be prepared for printing at the same time as the English edition. But you must see that all work is thoroughly correct by mutual checking so that errors of spelling and grammar will not appear in the printing. I do not know the technical details, but I think your idea on standardized columns is very nice. You said that your job is maya, but you must know that maya is illusion. As soon as there is absence of Krishna Consciousness--that is maya. But you are working just to help and push Krishna's interest; therefore, it is not maya. In the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, Rupa Goswami Prabhupada has recommended anything dovetailed in Krishna Consciousness is real renouncement. The Mayavadis' renouncement with an ambition of becoming one with the Supreme is called false renunciation. They renounce the world for a greater sense gratification. To maintain an ambition of becoming one with the Supreme is the top rank sense gratification; whereas a person in all kinds of apparently material works, but ultimately the beneficiary is Krishna, is in a greater position of renunciation than the Mayavadis. So do not forget Krishna in any circumstance of life and Krishna will save you from all pitfalls of material existence. At least one hour daily you must fix separately for exclusive chanting. In our previous correspondence we discussed about your marriage, so I told you that there is no objection. If you are feeling too much disturbance, why not marry some German girl who may be greatly helpful to your Krishna Conscious activities. I recommend this for you. Last Saturday we had three marriages performed here in L.A. The Nitai-Gaura emblem is nice. Our first obeisances are to Guru and Gauranga; then we approach Radha Krishna. Perhaps while you were in India you have heard that we glorify in the following way: Guru Gauranga Gandharvika Giridhari. Four "G"s. So Guru-Gauranga you understand, and Gandharvika-Giridhari means Radha and Krishna. So you can make your emblem suitably according to space and convenience. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 17:35 | February 3, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Mandali Bhadra, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27 January, 1970. When you write to say that things are going well, it gives me immense pleasure. I am opening so many branches depending on you all my sincere students. I am also glad to learn that you are moving to the Temple, dedicating all your time to Temple activities and translation work. I understand that your wife is not very much interested in our movement and I understand the cause you have written to say. Anyway, we will pray to Krishna to save her; that is our duty. Yes. The boy, Mayurdhvaj, is a very nice Krishna Conscious child. Why his mother is checking him? Although in the beginning she was so enthusiastic? This is called in Vedic language sva karma bhuk, one is destined to undergo reaction of one's past life. This reaction can only be checked by Krishna Consciousness. So our duty is heavy, to induce persons to come to this platform of consciousness; and if we can save even a single soul from the clutches of Maya, the value of such act is millions of times better than fruitive actions or any kind of altruistic and philanthropic activities. Trivikrama is a very nice boy, sincere to Krishna Consciousness activities. In a previous letter, Krishna das asked me if Hamsaduta and Himavati can go there. So I think this pair will be very much helpful in our German centers. Hamsaduta is born in Germany but he came here in childhood, and Himavati is born in Germany although she is Russian originally. She knows how to speak in Russian language. So I have asked them to go there to help you in Sankirtana Movement and other Temple activities. Both of them are experienced in the Sankirtana Movement especially. Our responsibility is to Krishna. If we think ourselves always in that position, then in any status of life we will be guided by the Supreme Lord. I am very satisfied that another German scholar has joined our activities. She will be a great help to you. Yes. I sometimes think of your mother. She is a nice lady and has good potency for improving in Krishna Consciousness. From the child's mentality the mother's mentality is judged and vice-versa. Please keep in touch with your mother and it is your duty also to try to bring her into Krishna Consciousness when she is already inclined. I am glad that she is chanting sixteen rounds and observing the rules and regulations. That will surely help her. If possible, we can open a center in Berlin at the care of your mother. I do not understand what was Mr. Lennon's article that was refused. Lennon and Ginsberg are helpful friends, but actually they do not understand our philosophy. So far Ginsberg is concerned, he promised before me that everywhere he would chant Hare Krishna Mantra, and actually he is doing it everywhere. So Ginsberg may sometimes be able to understand our philosophy in the future. We are trying to give them all facilities to understand this philosophy and it will take some time on account of their not following rigidly the rules. BTG articles are generally seen by the editors, and it is better that we stress on our own philosophy than to indulge in some hodge-podge philosophy which is basically unauthorized. In our present BTG publication we are trying to follow this policy. Upendra is already advanced for going to Australia, and in his place Hamsaduta and Himavati, in my opinion, will be a nice replacement. I have asked Devananda to give you a Deity worship chart because he is actually doing the job. I am so pleased to learn that you are trying to make Hamburg center as important as L.A. This center three years before, when I first visited, was in very poor condition but for the last year, since we are regularly sending Sankirtana Parties, the situation has improved with great speed. Now we are negotiating for a property which has got a big church as well as a residential house attached, and let us see if Krishna will help us. Our simple process of chanting and distributing Prasadam and selling BTG will surely make our Movement successfully advance. In India, especially in Bengal and Orissa, there are millions of followers of Lord Caitanya. In Maharastra a saint of the name Saint Tukaram was also follower of Lord Caitanya and he has overflooded the whole Western India with Sankirtana Movement. So Sankirtana Movement in India in all the provinces is very much popular and anyone who is taking part in Sankirtana Movement is specifically devotee of Lord Krishna or Lord Rama. There is not a single Hindu in India who is not more or less Krishna Conscious. So far descendants are concerned, material nature is so strong that she does not allow anything to go on steadily. But sometimes we find that the descendant of Hiranyakasipu is Prahlada Maharaja and the second generation descendant of Prahlada Maharaja is Banasura. So actually Krishna Consciousness is personal. Anyone who understands the philosophy is benefited. It does not mean that a Krishna Conscious person has to leave a legacy as far as possible, but at the end it depends on a particular person's fortune to accept it or reject it. The point is very delicate. The example is given in the Upanisad just like manipulating a sharpened razor; if one is careful in plying the razor on the cheek there is clean shaving, but a little inattention makes the same cheek a bloody affair. So we have to remain very much careful in Krishna Consciousness and the method is also very simple--to chant regularly the beads and follow the rules and regulations. I am asking Hayagriva to send you the MS for Bhagavad-gita, and you can also write him directly to send a copy. Krishna's causeless Mercy is always there. If we take up that causeless Mercy a little seriously than further causeless Mercies are bestowed one after another unceasingly. Krishna is more anxious to bestow His benediction upon us than we are ready to take it. If we therefore sincerely engage our selves in Krishna Consciousness activities, certainly we will advance more and more by the causeless Mercy of the Lord. So by the Grace of the Lord you have got a very nice engagement. Try to execute this with all attention and then certainly you will feel transcendental bliss and your life will be successful without waiting for the next. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 05:32 | Feb 2, 2006 Monday, February 2, 1970 Los Angeles Madam Sumati Morarjee Baisaheba, Please accept my greetings. I hope you are doing well. Since a long time I have not heard from you. I hope this letter will find you in good health and devotional service of Lord Krishna. I hope you are getting my Back to Godhead paper regularly, and you will be glad to know that the paper has increased in circulation by this time and we are printing 50,000 copies per month. Also you will be pleased to know that now I have got 24 branches--perhaps you have seen the list in our Back to Godhead. Our Indian Vaisnavas are helping me by contributing each one pair or more Radha Krishna Murtis for our different Temples. I would request you also to contribute one pair of Radha Krishna Murti and recommend some of your friends to do the same. You will find in the enclosed copy of the letter that Dalmia-Jayan Trust has contributed one pair of Murti, and similarly the Birla Trust has contributed four pairs of Murtis. Now I request you to carry these Murtis to America by your shipping line. The Murtis are being prepared in Vrindaban, under the direction of Sri H.S. Sharma, Secretary to Dalmia Jayan Trust. The Murtis are already packed and ready for dispatch, so on hearing from you, will be sent to your care for being carried by your shipping lines to the resimmediately they pective destinations; namely Boston, Montreal, New York and Los Angeles. So kindly send your instructions to the following address: H. S. Sharma, Dalmia Charitable Trust, 4 Scindia House, New Delhi. Awaiting your early reply and thanking you in anticipation. Yours in the service of the Lord, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:27 | February 2, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Hitsaranji, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated 24 January, 1970. I have written one letter to Srimati Sumati Morarji of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, and the copy of the letter addressed to her is enclosed herewith for reference. If some of your men or the shipping agents' men will see her in Bombay (because I think the packages will be shipped via Bombay) then I am sure she will sanction free carriage of the packages. But I may instruct you, if somehow or other this Scindia Steam Navigation Company delays the matter, you may advise your shipping agents to dispatch without delay. We will pay the shipping charges here if your Trust is legally unable to bear the cost of sending the Murtis to America. Formerly, you informed me in your letter that the Birla Trust will bear the cost of carriage also for the four pairs of Murtis which they have donated. So if they can bear the cost of shipping, why your Trust will be legally unable to do so? Anyway, my open advice is to you that if Scindia Steam Navigation Company does not agree, then you can ship the Murtis for being carried to the following destinations at my cost. You will simply send me the shipping documents to the following addresses and we will arrange to clear them. Shipping instructions: 1) 1 pair of Murtis ISKCON Temple 38 Beacon Street Boston, Massachusetts 02134 U.S.A. 2) 1 pair of Murtis to ISKCON Temple 3720 Park Avenue Montreal 18, Quebec Canada 3) 3 pairs of Murtis to ISKCON Temple 1975 South La Cienega Blvd. Los Angeles, 90034 California U.S.A. I hope this dispatch process will clear the whole thing and you will kindly do the needful as early as possible. At least may I request you to add with each pair of Murtis, japa malas (big beads for chanting) 100 pairs with each pair of Murtis. Please offer my regards to Seth Jaya Dayalaji Dalmia. I know that you are always very busy, but still I shall request you as my beloved child to reply my letter at your earliest convenience. Thanking you in anticipation. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. You will be pleased to know that our next attempt will be to open our center in Sydney, Australia. We have already opened in Tokyo, Japan. The address is as follows: ISKCON Temple 6-16, 1-chome, ohhashi Meguru-ku Tokyo, Japan So we require many pairs of Deities. Already 24 centers are there, and the next attempt will be in Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, etc. ACBS:db letters | 06:24 | February 2, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Lalita Kumar, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter along with Subala's. I am very glad to know that you are going to be married with Srimati Jambavatidevi dasi, and I bless you--be happy with your good wife and jointly be advanced in Krishna Consciousness. Yes, opening a center in Florida is our long contemplation, and I remember the letter when you and Sridhama wrote me about this. Where is Sridhama now? I am very much anxious to know about his health. If he is there, please ask him to write me. Now, if it is possible to open a center in Florida, then you can think of it because now you will have the support of your good wife. But I think for a few days more you should take training in Philadelphia before you think of opening another center. That will be nice. My open advice is that if any one can remain a Brahmacari, it is very nice, but there is no need of artificial Brahmacaris. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated that one who exhibits outwardly as self restrained, but inwardly he thinks of sense gratification he is condemned as mithyacara which means false pretender. We do not want any false pretenders in numbers, but we want a single sincere soul. There is no harm in accepting a wife and living without any disturbance of the mind and thus sincerely advancing in Krishna Consciousness. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:23 | February 2, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Dindayal, Please accept my blessings. I am very glad to accept you as my disciple, and I am returning herewith your beads duly chanted upon by me. Your initiated name is Dindayal das Brahmacari. Din means poor and dayal means merciful. Krishna is so very merciful to those who are very humble in their attitude engaged in the service of the Lord. Lord Caitanya advised, therefore, one should be humbler than the straw and more tolerant than the tree and thus be seriously engaged in glorifying the Lord. This world is very awful. Anyone is ready to create some disturbance, especially they are very much apt to disturb Krishna Consciousness persons because that is the way of demoniac life. So, in order to protect us from all dangerous elements, we have to chant the Hare Krishna Mantra regularly being humbler than the straw and more tolerant than the tree. Then Krishna, Who is Dindayal, will bestow His Mercy upon us. Please, therefore, chant regularly sixteen rounds of beads daily, always be engaged in Krishna work in a humble state of mind, follow the regulative principles of no eating of meat, fish or eggs, no intoxicants, no illicit sex life and no gambling or mental speculation and study our literatures and be strictly trained up in Krishna Consciousness with the help and guidance of Jaya Pataka Prabhu. I am very glad that you are finding in chanting of Hare Krishna the highest pleasure. If we follow the regulative principles and program as above that pleasure will go on increasing more and more. So chant Hare Krishna Mantra, and be happy. That is my request. I hope this will meet you in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:20 | February 2, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Gopala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 28 January, 1970 along with a bank deposit slip. Please convey my thanks to Labangalatika dasi for her contribution. Henceforward you send the checks direct to me, because most probably I am going to close the account in Montreal. The reason is that they have deducted $10.08 as income tax because I am not residing there (non-resident). So I would like to keep that account for a little convenience, but if they charge such tax then what is the use of it? I am very much thankful to you for your sending me the sweater, two pairs of shoes and a cap also. Thank you very much. I hope this will meet you in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:19 | February 2, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Jaya Pataka, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 23 January, 1970, along with the beads of Daniel Leboef. I have duly chanted the beads sent by him and his initiated name is Dindayal. I am glad to learn that another branch in Toronto you are contemplating to open. This news I have received from Cidananda also. Certainly it is a good news, but we must always remember that once a center is opened, it cannot be closed at any time. I am returning back one letter from Hem Chandar Bhargava and Co. I think you sent it by mistake to me. It appears the invoice of pictures which you have imported from India. You should not be unnecessarily embarrassed on the point of Raktaka's marriage with somebody who is not initiated. Yes, I have received the deposit slip of $50, and I am enclosing herewith a separate letter to Gopala Krishna. Regarding competition with Ramakrishna Mission and Yoga camps in Toronto, why should you be afraid of them? They are very insignificant organizations in the face of Krishna Consciousness Movement. Everyone says that what Ramakrishna Mission could not do in 80 years time, we have done many more times in three years time. So nobody can check this genuine movement of Krishna Consciousness by artificial means of bluff. Any sincere soul, serious in the matter of self-realization, will certainly be attracted by our Movement. I hope this will meet you in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:17 | Jan 30, 2006 Friday, Januay 30, 1970 Los Angeles J.F. Staal Professor of Philosophy and of South Asian Languages University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California My Dear Professor Staal; I thank you very much for your kind letter dated 23 January, 1970. In the last paragraph of your letter you have mentioned that you are not irritated at the chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra (like some people) but rather you like it. It has given me much satisfaction, and I am sending herewith a copy of our magazine, Back to Godhead issue number 28, in which you will find how the students liked this chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra although all of them were neophytes to this cult of chanting. Actually it is very pleasing to the heart and the best means of infusing spiritual consciousness or Krishna Consciousness into the hearts of people in general. This is the easiest and recommended process in the Vedas. In the Brihad Naradiya Puranam it is clearly stated that it is only chanting of the Holy Name of Hari that can save the people from the problems of materialistic existence, and there is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative in this age of Kali. Western culture is monotheistic, but they are being misled by the impersonal Indian speculation. The young people of the West are frustrated because they are not dilligently taught about monotheism. They are not satisfied with this process of teaching and understanding. This Krishna Consciousness Movement is a boon to them because they are being really trained to understand Western Monotheism under authoritative Vedic system. We do not simply theoretically discuss, but we learn by the prescribed method of Vedic regulations. But I am surprised to see that in the last paragraph of your letter you say, "it is an indisputable fact that the Bhagavad-gita (not to mention the Vedas) does not require such constant chanting." I think, however, that you have missed the following verse in Bhagavad-gita, apart from many other similar verses. satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha vratah namasyantas ca mam bhaktya nitya-yukta upasate [Bg. 9.14] The engagements of the Great Souls, freed from delusion and perfect in their realization of God, are described here: "Satatam kirtayanto mam" [Bg. 9.14]-- they are always (satatam) chanting (kirtayanto) My glories, and "nitya-yukta upasate"--always worshiping Me. So I do not know how you can say "indisputable." And, if you want reference from the Vedas, I can give you many. In the Vedas the chief transcendental vibration Omkara is also Krishna. Pranaba Omkara is the divine substance of the Vedas. Following the Vedas means chanting the Vedic Mantras, and no Vedic Mantra is complete without Omkara. In the Mandukya Upanisad, Omkara is stated to be the most auspicious sound representation of the Supreme Lord. This is also confirmed again in the Atharva Veda. Omkara is the sound representation of the Supreme Lord and is therefore the principal word in the Vedas. In this connection, the Supreme Lord Krishna says, "Pranaba Sarva Vedesu" (B.G. 7:8)--"I am the syllable Om in all the Vedic Mantras." Furthermore, in the 15th verse of chapter 15, Bhagavad-gita, Krishna says, "I am seated in everyone's heart. By all the Vedas I am to be known; I am the Compiler of Vedanta and I know Veda as it is." The Supreme Lord, seated in everyone's heart, is described in both the Mundaka and Svetasvetara Upanisads; "Dwa suparna sayuja sakhaya . ." The Supreme Lord and the individual spirit soul are sitting in the body as two friendly birds in a tree. The one bird is eating the fruits of the tree or reactions of material activities and the other bird, the Supersoul, is witnessing. The goal of Vedantic study, therefore, is to know the Supreme Lord Krishna. This point is stressed in Bhagavad-gita chapter 8, verse 13, where it is stated that by the mystic yoga process, ultimately vibrating the sacred syllable Om, one attains to His Supreme Spiritual Planet. In the Vedanta Sutras, which you have certainly read, the fourth chapter, fourth Adhikaran twenty-second Sutra states it positively; "Anavritti sabat . . ."--By sound vibration one becomes liberated. By devotional service, by understanding well what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, anyone who goes to His Abode never comes back again to this material condition. How is it possible? The answer is, simply by chanting His name constantly. This is accepted by the exemplary disciple, Arjuna, who has perfectly learned the conclusion of spiritual science from the Yogisvara, master of mystic knowledge, Krishna, recognizing Krishna to be the Supreme Brahman, Arjuna addresses Him: ``Sthane Hrsikesa . . .'' (B.G. 11:36)-- "the world becomes joyful hearing Your Names; and thus do all become attached to You." The process of chanting is herein authorized as the direct means of contacting the Supreme Absolute Truth the Personality of Godhead. Simply by chanting the Holy Name, Krishna, the soul is attracted by the Supreme Person, Krishna, for going home, back to Godhead. In the Narada Pancaratra it is stated that all the Vedic rituals, Mantras and understanding are compressed into the eight words; Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Similarly, in the Kalisantra Upanisad it is stated that these sixteen words Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare are especially meant for counteracting the degrading and contaminating influence of this materialistic age of Kali. All these points are elaborately presented in my book, The Teachings of Lord Caitanya. The process of chanting is, therefore, not only the sublime method for practical perfection of life, but it is the authorized Vedic principle and inaugurated by the greatest Vedic scholar and devotee (Whom we consider as an incarnation of Krishna), Lord Caitanya, and we are simply following His authorized footsteps. The scope of the Krishna Consciousness Movement is Universal. The process for regaining one's original spiritual status or eternal life full with bliss and knowledge, is not abstracted dry theorizing. Spiritual life is not described in the Vedas as theoretical, dry or impersonal. The Vedas aim at the inculcation of pure love of God only, and this harmonized conclusion is practically realized by the Krishna Consciousness Movement or chanting Hare Krishna Mantra. As the goal of Spiritual realization is only one, love of God, so the Vedas stand as a single comprehensive whole in the matter of transcendental understanding. Only the incomplete views of various parties apart from the bona fide Vedic lines of teaching, give a rupturous appearance to the Bhagavad-gita. The reconciliative factor adjusting all apparently diverse propositions of the Vedas is the essence of the Veda or Krishna Consciousness (Love of God). Thanking you once again, Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:nd letters | 03:53 | January 30, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Madhusudana, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 21, 1970, and I am so glad to learn that you have regained control of your mind and the tricks of Maya have finished. So by Krishna's Grace you have been saved from Maya's attack. This appears to have been a very close call for you and the lesson should be taken well that if we deviate from the strict following of the regulative principles Maya is always ready to inject doubts to shake our faith in Krishna. So I am glad that you have recovered and I was praying for Krishna to save you. So you can see the great necessity of following the prescribed duties of chanting regularly and following strictly the instructions of the Spiritual Master and the regulative principles. In addition to this everyone should go on the streets with Sankirtana Party as much as possible and preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement to his best ability for the benefit of all people. Please continue your efforts in Krishna Consciousness with great determination. Yes, Patience is is a qualification in the successful execution of devotional service. So study our literatures, discuss philosophical points and problems with your God-brothers, and especially chant regularly sixteen rounds daily without offense and go on Sankirtana. We must always remember that chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra is our life and soul. So you have got good facility, you are a sincere boy, you have got a good Krishna Consciousness wife, good association of devotees and good scope for spreading this movement in Washington. Always be engaged in Krishna activities and be happy. That is my desire. Please try to understand the questions I have asked in my last letter to you, scrutinizingly, so that you may know to avoid being agitated by any trickings of Maya in the future. Please offer my blessings also to your good wife, Kancanbala. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your check for $15.00 sent by ___ letters | 03:52 | January 30, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Damodara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 26 January, 1970 along with your check for $15. I am so glad to learn that Mr. David Loomis has sponsored a center in the University of Maryland, and fifteen students are attending our Bhagavad-gita lectures. Please organize this center nicely and try to attract the student community. You will be glad to know that Mr. George Harrison has contributed the entire cost of publishing Krishna, and we are going to publish it very soon in Japan with various pictures. It is now in progress and in due course we will receive the books. In the meantime, try to sell the books already printed as well as newly published "Isopanisad", and save some money for my book fund. In every center they have got a car or truck, and they are going out in the street away from the temple to chant Hare Krishna--so you have got this opportunity now. Try to utilize it fully. I hope this will meet you in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:51 | January 30, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Cidananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 28 January, 1970. Herewith, I am returning back the new beads duly chanted. The former beads may be kept with you and if some new boy comes and wants to chant, you may lend him the beads--not to be taken away by him, but to be used for chanting while he is in the Temple. Otherwise, you can keep them carefully and they may be used in some emergency. I am so glad to learn that everything is progressing nicely in Vancouver, and you are proposing to sell 2500 BTGs per month. That is very much encouraging. You will be glad to know that we have now published our book, Isopanisad, and I have mentioned your good name therein, acknowledging your contribution towards my book fund. In my book fund, not only my disciples are contributing, but also others who are outsiders like Mr. George Harrison who has contributed the entire cost of publishing my book Krishna--the cost will be $19,000. Now we have got our press and we propose to publish many books. Also, attempt is being made in Hamburg for translating all our literatures into French and German languages and to publish them regularly. So with increase of our activities by Sankirtana Movement if possible, try to save some money for my book fund. Please offer my blessings to Ananda, Rudra das, Ravindra das and our new friend, Mr. John. All glories to the Assembled devotees Be happy and chant Hare Krishna Mantra. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:51 | January 30, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Jayadvaita, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge reciept of your letter dated 28 January, 1970. I am very glad to learn that Nectar of Devotion is now completed. You have inquired about the quality number 63 of Krishna that He is surrounded by loving devotees can be explained as follows: When we speak of Krishna, Krishna is not alone. Krishna means His name, His qualities, His fame, His friends, His paraphernalia, His entourage--everything included. Just like when we speak of a king, it is to be understood that he is surrounded by ministers, secretaries, military commanders and many other people. Krishna is not impersonal, so in His Vrindaban Lila especially, He is always surrounded by the Gopis, cowherd boys, His father, His mother and all the inhabitants of Vrindaban. Regarding your second question, Pyabhaichary, you have got 31 only out of 33. I think some of the brackets are not counted. So if the parentheses are removed from ``intoxication'' and ``impotency'' and they are also counted, the total of symptoms will come to 33. Simply add commas after the preceeding symptoms namely ``prestige'' and ``impudence'' respectively. Regarding the third point: all kinds of mellow includes servitude. Therefore a mixture of servitude and parenthood is not incompatible. So Ugrasena's mellow is correctly written as mixed with servitude and parental affection and the statement in part IV should be corrected to state that a mixture of parenthood and servitude is a compatible one. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 03:50 | January 30, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 28 January, 1970. In Krishna book we want solid 400 pages text matter and 52 pictures. If you have got 40 paintings complete, then still you require 12 pictures more. There are 14 pictures hanging in my apartment here. Whether the 40 pictures includes these 14? On the whole, for the first part of Krishna we want 52 pictures and 400 text pages--so whether they are complete? If not, you have to finish them as quickly as possible for sending them to Japan. Regarding the tapes; I think the distribution to many centers is becoming puzzling. Therefore, I will send the tapes one to Boston and the other to Detroit alternately. I think that will solve the problem. So I will go on doing that, and you be in correspondence with Bhagavan das and do the needful. Regarding the demons' tilak: There is no necessity of putting Saivite tilaka on their foreheads, although most of the demons are like that. When there is particular mention that a demon is the devotee of Lord Siva, in that case the Saivite tilaka may be marked. Regarding titles of the pictures, I think Jadurani will be a nice judge. Otherwise, unless I see the pictures, how can I give titles for them? The pictures which I have got here I can give titles, or if I get photographs of the pictures which are being painted there, then I can give titles for all the pictures. Regarding Sridhara Swami's article: I do not know what sort of article it is, but whatever it may be, the writer's name should be Swami B. R. Sridhara and not Sridhara Swami. Sridhara Swami is a different man. Besides that, there is no need of giving any short introductory note at the present moment. Whoever sends an article for publication in our paper, and if we publish such article, it is to be understood that the version of such article is not different from ours. There is no need of discussing Siksha Guru and diksa Guru in this connection. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:49 | Jan 29, 2006 Thursday, January 29, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Ksirodakasayi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 23 January, 1970, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am so glad to understand that you have decided to dedicate your life for Krishna Consciousness Movement, this is the right way of perfecting our mission of human life. Many men have dedicated their lives for many engagements in the name of philanthrophy, altruism, nationalism, humanitarianism and so on, but all of them will be finished along with the end of life of this body. Our dedication of life or Krishna-ism, on the other hand, will continue eternally and give us eternal life, bliss and knowledge. Try to follow these principles and preach the message to the suffering humanity. This is my request. I am so glad to learn that you are in charge of kitchen and food supply which saves 25 to 30% on food. That is a great service. To be extravagant is not recommended by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita. He says, ``Yukta ahara bihara.'' We should indulge in regulated habits; that is nice. I am so glad that you are also looking after the accounts department. The five point plan: do it by consulting amongst yourselves, and I have already written to Gurudasa about this. Someway or other, if you can secure that building worth L80,000, that will be a crowned success. In my next letter to Tamala I will write to him about the building fund. Preaching in Hindi may be accepted by mutual consultation, but the point is that our Radha Krishna Temple in London is specifically meant for English knowing persons and I think the Indians know sufficient English. If you speak in Hindi and sing in Hindi, the English speaking Europeans and Americans may not derive the benefit out of it because none of them understand Hindi. But if you speak in English, every one will derive benefit from it. Therefore, I think English speaking should be encouraged. Everyone comes to the Temple for some spiritual enlightenment, so why should a section of the audience be denied the benediction? The same thing applies for Hindi songs also. Hare Krishna Mantra is understood both by Hindi knowing and English knowing persons; other Hindi songs may not be understood by the Europeans. I have no objection for Mirabai's songs, but I think Hare Krishna is the greatest common factor understandable by all people all over the world. The chanting is transcendental and quickly effective. I am so glad to learn that you are feeling in the Temple that Radha Krishna is dancing and you are being inspired by His Lordship to preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement to everyone. Now you have got a very good chance, Sri Sri Radha Krishna is very pleased upon you. You have been for the last fifteen years in London, and you were sincerely working for advancement of your spiritual life. Now Krishna has given you a good chance, a good opportunity for preaching Krishna Consciousness to all classes of men without any discrimination. In our Temple all Europeans, Indians, Mohammedans, Christians, everyone is welcome. And our presentation is so nice that everyone will be attracted to accept it because we are preaching love of God. Love of God is the prime function of all living entities, without any sectarian understanding. Regarding the Hindi letter, I could not follow the Hindi script handwriting. If you send me either a typewritten copy or the English translation of it, that will be nice. As far as I could read the letter here and there, I understand that it is written by some Radheshyam Banka. Sometime in the year 1961 I was guest in the Gita Bagicha. At that time one boy was taking care of me. I think he is Radheshyam Banka. Anyway, my relation with the Gita Press and Hanuman Prasad Poddar is very much friendly. So letters to them should not be written about myself which may influence our friendship. I could not gather why the letter was sent to me, therefore, I request you to send me if possible a typed copy of English translation of it so that I can give you my proper reply to this. Keep good relations with Gita Press because they are good friends of ours. The preaching method of ourself is a little different only because we want to gather one's attention only to Krishna--that is recommended in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. In the Bhagavad-gita it is always stressed to Krishna by the words aham and mam. Similarly in the Srimad-Bhagavatam the same stress is give from the very beginning--Param satyam, the Supreme Truth. If we divert our attention to worship other demigods, then our faith in Krishna will be flickering. We Gaudiya Vaisnavas, under the guidance of Lord Caitanya, want steady attention for Krishna, not flickering. Therefore, in our line of thoughts and action there is no scope for worshipping any other demigods. At last, but not least, I would remind you as to how you are organizing the prospective tour in India with forty of our devotees next year in February, 1971. Please organize this party from now so that it can be completed in due time by the end of this year. Thank you very much for your service. I am praying for your long life and prosperity in Krishna Consciousness. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 02:11 | January 29, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Tamala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I have not received any letter from you in several weeks. Gargamuni also has not received any letter from you. Of course, I am hearing indirectly that everything is going well in our London and European centers. Still I would like to know from you what is the situation. I am expecting a report from you on all new developments in the activities of the centers there. I hope this will meet you in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 02:09 | |
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