a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1970 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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Jun 17, 2006 Wednesday, 17 June, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Paramananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your kind letter dated 7th June, 1970, and as I did not receive your letter since a long time it is a great pleasure to have it now. You have rightly observed that I am simply trying to execute the order of my Spiritual Master. Whatever is being done it is not on account of my intelligence or endeavor because I am simply an instrument in the hands of my Spiritual Master. I do not know how far I have got the capacity to carry His order, but I may say that I have a sincere desire to do it. This is Parampara system. If a student tries to satisfy his immediate Acarya or the Spiritual Master, that is the only qualification for advancing in Krsna consciousness. This is explained in the Guruvastakam -- yasya prasadah bhagavata prasadao. So I am very much pleased that you are doing your job very nicely. Everyone should try his best to do his part depending on Krsna and Spiritual Master, then all success is there. I have heard about you how nicely you are working in New Vrndavana. Your good wife, Satyabhama, is also doing nice in teaching work. Similarly all our students are doing their jobs very diligently, and that is my satisfaction. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. [TEXT UNCLEAR] ACBS:db letters | 18:47 | 17 June, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Yamunacarya, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated nil. You write to say how you were saved from a commitment of suicide. So you have seen the mantra in Isopanisad: ye ke catma-hano janah So not only you, but almost all the conditioned souls within this material world, practically 99% of the whole population is committing suicide. As it is natural for a gentleman to try to stop a person committing suicide when it so happens just in one's presence, similarly when we see that so many men and women are simply committing suicide as described in the Isopanisad, ye ke catma-hano janah, let us try to save them through this Krsna Consciousness Movement. I am very glad that you are going with Kirtanananda Maharaja to colleges. So try to understand the philosophy* nicely and spread it to your best capacity so that these suiciding men can be saved as far as possible. It is not, however, possible to check the suiciding policy of the modern society, but my Guru Maharaja used to say that if he could save one person then He would consider His mission successful. Similarly, if we individually could save at least one person, many of the suiciding men can be saved. So do your best and Krsna will give you necessary intelligence and help, and try to push on this Movement as far as possible. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami * Read 'Nectar of Devotion' repeatedly. ACBS:db letters | 18:46 | Jun 15, 2006 Monday, 15 June, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Rupanuga, Please accept my blessings. Since you met with the motor accident, although I am getting your news time to time, still I was very much anxious to write you directly, but I did not know your address. This morning I have got this address. So it was Krsna's grace that He saved you from a dangerous position. This dangerous position is dangerous if it does not go away after its appearance for a while. But if it goes away, then it is friend. A devotee's angle of vision being that everything is emanating from the Supreme, danger is not danger--that is the conclusion of Srimad-Bhagavatam. A devotee takes danger as also mercy of Krsna because in everything there is a purpose of Krsna and without His sanction nothing can take place. Anyway, do not be worried, Krsna has saved you, and very soon you will regain strength. Your son, Sriman Ekendra, is living with us comfortably. He has now by this time overcome the shock and now he is pleasantly chanting and dancing. I hope your wife is also improving by this time. According to Bhagavad-gita we have simply to tolerate all these temporary appearances and disappearance, our main function being to make steady progress in Krsna consciousness. Please keep me informed about your progress, and oblige. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 18:46 | 15 June, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Tulasi dasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated by Post 12th June, 1970, and it is so much encouraging. May Krsna bless you on and on in your progressive march for advancing Krsna Consciousness. Personally I cannot give you anything, but I can sincerely pray to Krsna for your improvement on and on. I was so pleased to read your letter that I have taken some xerox copies and sent them to some centers putting before them an example. So offer my blessings to the boys: Bhaskara das, Vanamali das, Rsabhadeva das and Ezekiel, and go on with your work thinking always of Krsna by chanting His Holy Name. And keep me informed about your future progress. Hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 18:45 | Jun 14, 2006 Sunday, 14 June, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Acyutananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter undated, in which you have acknowledged to have received my letter of the 2nd June, 1970. Previous to this, also I received one letter from you probably from Krishnanagar. I am glad to learn that the land negotiation is complete and the registration might have already taken place by this time. I am so much thankful to Colonel R. K. Dutta that he has taken care for drafting the deed of conveyance. I am also glad to learn that your preaching work under the guidance of Mr. Ghosh also is going nicely. By these activities you are rendering the best service to my Spiritual Master and certainly He will be very much pleased to bestow upon you all blessings. Perhaps you know the vedic verse: yasya deve para bhakti yatha deve tatha gurau tasta ete kathita hi artha prakasante mahatmanah "Anyone who has got full faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead and similar faith in the Spiritual Master, to him the secret of Vedic knowledge becomes revealed." The Supreme Spiritual Master is Krsna Himself, and the chain of disciplic succession is the dearmost confidential servant of Krsna. So whatever you are doing under my direction, it is going to my Spiritual Master and thus up to the Gosvamis and then to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Caitanya or Krsna. I have marked very minutely that you have a tendency to push rightly the words of Lord Caitanya and that will make your life successful. The songs which you are singing in the meetings are all approved. I am also recording these songs on tapes. If you want such tapes, then I will send you. Perhaps you have seen the article in the Kalyana about my activities in the Western countries, and this will greatly help you in your propaganda work. Just on receipt of this letter under reply I have advised Gargamuni to send a telegram to Jayapataka which reads as follows: "Immediately start for India, Acyutananda's letter favorable. Please reply telegram--Gargamuni." So far Nanda Kumar is concerned, he has now decided to get himself married, so I think you are not in favor of Grhasthas because you are a rigid Brahmacari. So let Jayapataka immediately go to India. In the meantime I am arranging for another ten Brahmacaris for going to India which may take a little time for the formalities of taking visa, etc. But rest assured as many Brahmacaris you want will go to India provided you make nice arrangement for their staying. By this time you have experience of our Indian standard of life and your standard of life in America, so you will have to take little trouble to adjust their habits. And as you will be the head Brahmacari you should learn to tolerate. Lord Caitanya has advised us therefore trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna. So whatever condition we may be we must push on the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You will be glad to know that your Godbrothers here in America and Europe are doing very nicely. Recently we have opened a branch in Copenhagen, Denmark, and just after Rathayatra festival there will be another two or three branches in England like Birmingham, Liverpool, etc. In America also recently we have opened a branch on the West coast in San Diego. The boy in charge of the center, Sriman Tulsidas Brahmacari, is very, very nice boy, and he has been given three assistants, and by the grace of Krsna within a month he is already stabilized. I am just sending you a copy of his letter received yesterday. How this boy has very shortly understood the whole philosophy and has taken the risk of opening a branch. Similarly I am initiating just now one student from Armenia. Most probably I shall send him either to the Soviet countries or to Egypt. Our preaching in Japan is going on nicely. Similarly in Sydney it is going on nicely. So by the Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura we are expanding all over the world and we are getting good response. Now for India I am counting upon you. So far you have done it is very satisfactory to me, but we should always be careful about our responsibilities. It is said in the scriptures that spiritual life is just like handling a sharpened razor. If we handle it nicely we become cleanly shaved, but a little inattention causes bloodstain. So you will always remember these maxims and depend on Krsna and the Acaryas, and make your life progressive. Regarding your inquiry about returning the stipend to Dalmia, I do not think there is necessity. The Brahmacaris and Sannyasis can take help from the society at large, and the Grhasthas are meant for treating the Brahmacaris and Sannyasis as their children. Regarding the other side land, I think you can negotiate and as soon as the negotiation is complete you can advance some money. Then examine the deeds as usual, and then you can purchase--I have no objection. I think because the article in Kalyana has given us some publicity you can collect the purchasing money locally with the help of Jayapataka. If not, we will arrange for the money from here. Your idea for making our Mayapur adventure as Vaisnava University [PAGE MISSING] letters | 18:44 | 14 June, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Jayapataka, Please accept my blessings. I was expecting Acyutananda's favorable letter at any moment, therefore I was detaining you here. Now the letter is received. You can start immediately for India, and I hope by this time you have received the telegram reading as follows: ``Immediately start for India, Acyutananda's letter favorable. Please reply telegram. Gargamuni'' So after going there, work cooperatively with toleration and forbearance. Our philosophy is submissiveness, so I hope in India both you and Acyutananda will work very diligently. There is very good chance for our success in India. We should follow the same principle as I have prescribed here; namely chanting the beads regularly, following the regulative principles, leading the Sankirtana Party on the street, try to sell our literature and books, and work very seriously and sincerely. If you work on this principle the people of India will be charmed by your behavior and they will gratefully acknowledge your transcendental activities. Are you taking with you a tape recorder? If so let me know and I will send you some tapes. or you may already have got it. Acyutananda has already taken a nice apartment, so you will have no difficulty. And as soon a I receive good report from you after your arrival, I shall send other ten Brahmacaris. I am also enclosing herewith a xerox copy of a nice letter received from San Diego. This will help you how to manage affairs in India. You are already experienced and advanced devotee, similarly is Acyutananda, so I count upon you both for great success in India. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 18:43 | 14 June, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear HariVilasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd June, 1970, along with recommendation of Sriman Suridas Adhikari. So immediately I have accepted you as my disciple. Your spiritual name is HariVilasa Das Brahmacari. Your beads are sent back to you by separate air post. Here is enclosed the list of regulative principles and offenses. Further assistance you should take from Tamala Krsna Das Adhikari, Suridas Das Adhikari and Umapati Das Adhikari. Follow their example, and whenever there is difficulty, try to understand from your Godbrothers. From the description of your letter it appears that you are a very fortunate boy. Because Krsna has given you the intelligence to take advantage of this Krsna Conscious life. Now because you have come to me it will be my prime duty to guide you and utilize your talents for Krsna's service. I am very glad to learn that you have got an opportunity to stay as a scholarship student in the Soviet Republic of Armenia. I think you should take this advantage and try to introduce the philosophy of Krsna Consciousness in the communist countries. When I was in India, I knew that the Russian people have translated many Vaisnava literatures into the Russian language. There is a book known as Ram Caritmanas written by one great devotee poet Tulsidas. So the communists are generally known as non-believers in God, but I don't think they are against any cultural literature like our Bhagavad-gita AS IT IS, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krsna, etc. In future if you can introduce these literatures in Russian language either by publishing them in book shape or in influential magazine, that will be a great help to our missionary activities. So for the time being you just remain in Paris with the devotees there and grasp the ideas more explicitly and then try to open a center in one of the Middle Eastern countries. Sometime before I met one gentleman in New York from Iran. His name and address is given below: Mr. Majid Movagarh / Mehr Monthly Review 224, Shareza Avenue / Tehran, Iran He informed me that people in Tehran are interested in such yoga societies like ours. They are also hankering after something like this for spiritual advancement. So I have no definite idea, but I give you this hint that in the Middle Eastern countries like Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, there is need of spreading this Krsna Consciousness Movement. I hope you will understand the philosophy fully and try to spread it in these countries as far as possible; and Krsna will give you all strength and resources to fulfill your mission. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 18:35 | Jun 13, 2006 Saturday, June 13, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Govinda dasi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd june, 1970. I have received the Tulasi seeds and the instructions. Immediately I have handed it over to Karandhara, and he is taking care of it nicely, but the seeds are not yet sprouted--today is the sixth day. So the factual result will be informed to you in due course. Brahmananda took with him the tape recorder for you. I hope you have received it. Devananda several weeks ago sent you one tape for transcribing, so what happened to this proposal? You wanted some tapes for transcribing work, but I have not heard anything from you. Regarding my going to Hawaii, you are repeatedly requesting me, and formerly also I promised, but at the present moment I am terribly very busy. Brahmananda is in Japan for printing several books, therefore I am regularly making tapes for sending to Boston. Of course you can say that I can make the tapes from Hawaii, but there is difficulty that my whole library of reference books is here and it is not possible to carry them all. Therefore I have curtailed my moving. I shall go to the Rathayatra festival for one to two days only. From other centers also they want me to go there. I have received letter from Australia to go there. So by the grace of Krsna now we have got 32 branches. From London also Syamasundara. desired that I shall go there during Rathayatra festival. So I have curtailed all these programs, and I am concentrating here. So even if I go there to Hawaii, I do not think that I shall be able to stay there more than a week, and for which you have to spend two men's double fare. I therefore request you and Gaurasundara to come to San Francisco during Rathayatra festival with sufficient mangos, and you will see the Rathayatra, and I have got some serious talks with Gaurasundara and yourself for organizing New Navadvipa. So you come to San Francisco, both husband and wife, and meet me there because I want to see you both since a long time. And after coming there, if you still insist, then I may go to Hawaii for a week only. I think this is not advisable. The best thing would be that you come to San Francisco and I give you instruction for developing New Navadvipa, so that next march when there will be Lord Caitanya's Birthday I must go there. It is my desire that three places at the present moment namely San Francisco (New Puri), New Vrndavana and New Navadvipa should be especially organized for three great festivals; namely Janmastami, Rathayatra and Phalguni Purnima or Lord Caitanya's Birthday. On these occasions not only myself but all the devotees should assemble in these places and we shall meet together for the mutual advancement of our centers. So by all means you, husband and wife, come to San Francisco during Rathayatra festival. Please convey my blessings to all the boys and girls, and hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:54 | June 13, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Revatinandana, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 6th June, 1970, along with a check for $100, and thank you very much. Regarding your question whether you may go to Rathayatra festival, yes, you may go because in your present temple the Deities are not regularly installed. So you can close the temple for a few days keeping in front of the Deities some dried fruits and a tumbler of water. When the Deity is installed it is called niyama seva. That means the routine seva prescribed after installation you cannot stop. But Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very kind to the fallen souls of the Kali Yuga and He is satisfied with chanting of Hare Krsna mantra. And for chanting the Hare Krsna mantra there is no hard and fast rules and regulations, so if you are absent for chanting Hare Krsna mantra somewhere else, it is as good as to chant the Hare Krsna mantra in the temple. Your chanting may not be stopped; it does not matter where you chant. The next question, about the living entities falling down in this material world are not from the impersonal brahman. Existence in the impersonal brahma is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence they are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition. The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness. So long one can maintain pure Krsna consciousness he is not fallen down. As soon as he becomes out of Krsna consciousness immediately he is fallen down. It does not matter where a living entity stays. In the material world also there are different stages of living conditions, and to remain in the brahman effulgence is also another phase of that fallen condition. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that conditioned souls by their pious activities are elevated to the higher planetary system, but as soon as the stock of pious activities is finished he again comes down on the earthly planet. Similarly those who are elevated beyond the planetary system to the brahma effulgence, they are also prone to fall down as much as a living entity from the higher planetary system. As such those who are thinking that they are liberated by being situated in brahman effulgence are described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam as impurely intelligent. In other words, they are actually not liberated, and because they are not actually liberated they again come down to the material world as much as a living entity elevated to the higher planetary system comes down to this earthly planet. So we do not accept anyone elevated to the brahman effulgence as actually liberated. I hope this will clarify the matter for you. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:52 | June 13, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Himavati, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 9th June, 1970. I have already inquired from Krsna das why I did not receive any letter from you. In one letter Hamsaduta wrote me that you both, husband and wife, were going to Berlin. So after that I did not receive any letter from you. I thought both of you were gone to Berlin and thus I was expecting your letter. Now I see that you sent me one letter which is missing, otherwise it is my habit to reply all letters that I receive. Anyway, letter or no letter, you are one of the advanced students, so you should know it perfectly well that wherever we may stay or whatever condition we may be put into, Krsna is our life and soul. We cannot stop your activities in Krsna consciousness. This motto should be followed very rigidly by chanting sixteen rounds and observing the regulative principles. I have received your pictures and the Deity's pictures look very nice, but I think you should decorate the Deities with more flowers. Krsna belongs to the village atmosphere of Vrndavana and He is very fond of flowers. I think in Germany the flowers are very expensive, so as far as possible try to increase the quantity of flowers. Regarding Lord Jagannatha, it is alright to install Him as you propose with fire ceremony. Bath Him with water and milk mixed and scented, accompanied by chanting Hare Krsna Mantra. Regarding the picture of Radha Krsna in Vrndavana, if it is a nice picture, then it can be hung elsewhere on the wall, and the backdrop to the Deities' Throne may be painted simply Vrndavana woods--that will be nice. I hope Vasudeva is painting very nicely. So he should be encouraged to paint the Pancatattva pictures and Acarya pictures; they will be required in our different centers. In Australia they have requested such pictures, so ask Vasudeva to paint and send them there--this is his first assignment. It does not matter if they are a little crude, but he will improve with practice. No, it is not proper that the morning Aratik is performed with the Deities lying down. The Deities should be awakened with belling, then stand Them, then perform Aratik. After Aratik you bathe and change Their clothes. You should wake Them privately and also bathe Them privately. And if you want to go to Rathayatra in London, why not go. You have already instructed Sivananda, so it is alright. So far your present program of Deity worship, for the time being whatever is going on that is nice. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:51 | June 13, 1970 Los Angeles My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessings. Regarding the Rathayatra procession in London, the procession should be made like this: The arrangement is for seven kirtana parties, or if you do not have enough men, four parties. Each party must consist of seven men as follows: two mrdanga, four karatala, and one dancer. One of the karatala players is lead singer, and the dancer dances freely up and down between the two lines of players three on each side as in the drawing. If there are only four parties, the arrangement should be that one party is on each side, and in back and front of the Ratha: So the dancer should dance very freely, you may distribute Prasadam and especially distribute our literatures from a table on wheels for the purpose. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db letters | 06:50 | |
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