a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1970 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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Nov 4, 2006 Wednesday, 4 November, 1970 Bombay My Dear Sudama, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 22nd October, 1970 and I have noted the contents carefully. I'm glad that you and Bali Mardan Prabhu have had a chance to be together and have planned jointly one center in Hong Kong. That is what I wish to see from the GBC members; that they work combinedly to open as many centers as possible all over the world. I am very hopeful for this GBC that you will work in such a way that I may be completely relieved from all management of this society. Now I want to simply begin translating. Here I am situated in a temple of Sita-Ram in a nearby suburb of Bombay. The atmosphere is very relaxing, such as I have not found anywhere else in India thus far. So in every way it is very conducive to my translating work and beginning today I will spend all my time translating. Tamala Krsna and Syamasundara. are here with me as my liaison officers and the rest of the GBC members are spread all over the world. So please work closely together and do everything in cooperation. Please send immediately ten copies of Japanese BTG as soon as they are printed by Dai Nippon. You can send them to the Marine Drive address. Thank you very much for your check for 45 dollars for my maintenance fund. Please offer my blessings to your good wife Cintamani and to all the other good Tokyo Prabhus. I hope you are well and jolly. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:adb letters | 12:42 | 4 November, 1970 Bombay My Dear Rupanuga, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of October 15, 1970, and the contents have given me great encouragement. When I first came to your country I had no idea how much the American people would cooperate with my Krsna Consciousness mission. But now good boys like yourself and all my other spiritual sons and daughters all around the world have been giving me great hope that I may be able to successfully fulfill my Guru Maharaja's plan. I have formed this GBC for that purpose, to keep the devotional standards at the highest level and at the same time to manage a world-wide organization. I have just now received a letter from Brahmananda Maharaja, one from Gargamuni Maharaja, and one from Visnujana Maharaja. From his letter I think that Brahmananda is feeling discouraged and not very enthusiastic. So I am asking him to come to India and live with me. In the meantime Gargamuni and Visnujana can work together for establishing a nice temple in Coconut Grove, near Miami, Florida, and that will please me very much. Please go on opening thousands of centers all over the world. I have received reports from my European centers that there has been some disturbance. I think that London is the most important center in Europe and the leadership must be very strong there, so I am asking Gurudasa and his wife Yamuna to return there. They are now in Delhi with some brahmacaris and, since they have come so far, they may remain in India for some time, but in time they will return to the London Temple. I have received one letter from Bali Mardan Das Brahmacari and he has expressed enthusiasm for his GBC post, so he shall continue in that capacity. It is my desire that every American boy and girl receive a Krsna Conscious education, so your program in the Buffalo area schools is very encouraging to me. Young people especially are eager to receive our philosophy and this must be presented very palatably, jut as you have induced your young son, Ekendra, to become first-class devotee. Now you must make hundreds of devotees like him. Regarding marriage, generally the man should be older than the woman. We have not had good experience with marriages when the woman is older. But everything must be done with reference to time, place and circumstance and in your country such a marriage is not uncommon. So if you think the match is good then you may marry them. [PAGE MISSING] letters | 12:41 | 4 November, 1970 Bombay My Dear Bali Mardan, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your air letter from Japan dated 18 October, 1970, and I have noted the contents with great encouragement. It is for your daring and active nature that I have chosen you to represent me as GBC man for the southeast Asia zone, and I can see from your latest words that my choice has not been wrong. I think that Singapore and Hong Kong are English-speaking places so that you will not find much difficulty there. So just open two nice centers immediately and that will link-up our chain of centers around the world. The basic principle of our actions should be that they are all meant for pleasing Krsna. If we act always in this consciousness automatically everyone will be attracted to devotional service, and this is the secret of our preaching work. If you simply practice the regulative principles which I have introduced you will remain pure. Factually this is our only strength. I have seen better orators, better scholars and better organizers but no one is becoming pure by following regulative principles. Simply because we rise early, take bath, chant sixteen rounds and strive with every activity to please Krsna--this is what impresses others. Please report to me fortnightly, and correspond with your other GBC men as well. I request that you always display and distribute my books wherever possible. Hope this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:sda letters | 12:41 | 4 November, 1970 Bombay My Dear Gargamuni Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Oct. 15th, 1970 from Coconut Grove, Florida. You have rightly appreciated my real mission, that whatever I have learned from Guru Maharaja I want to present to the English speaking public. Therefore I've tried to present these Vedic literatures in such a way that the common man will be able to appreciate and understand them. Both you and your brother have always helped me in this mission. Now continue to help me in that way. Why are you asking for more men to help you in Florida? As I created, so you must create others; that is Parampara. You are already three; why do you need any more? And you are big three. You just try sincerely in your work and Krishna will bless you. You have written to say that a Krishna Consciousness temple can be established in any place without any material qualification and that is a fact! Wherever Hare Krishna Mantra is chanted, some words are spoken from one of our books, and prasadam is distributed, that is considered a temple. We have no need of any large buildings or palaces. We are simple. Our great acaryas in the past like the six Goswamis of Vrndavana accepted dwellings under the trees. So we do not require any large buildings to do our preaching work. But if Krishna supplies them, we may also accept any nice facility which He provides, but we will strive to go on preaching under all circumstances. If it is not possible for you to collect large money for me, then don't strain your brain; just go on preaching as you are doing. Yes, you are right, the supply of money will come by your preaching efforts. You can approach rich men and preach to them about our movement and its aims. You have got much money in your country so there should be no difficulty in doing this. I think you and Visnujana Swami should remain and open as many temples as you can, especially in Florida. I have asked Brahmananda Swami to join me because I think he is feeling in too much despair, so as soon as he is able, He can join me. In writing this letter to you, I think I have answered Visnujana Swami's points that he has written in his letter. I hope you all three are feeling very well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:adb letters | 12:41 | 4 November, 1970 Bombay My Dear Jagadisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 11 October, 1970, with enclosed news clippings, and I have noted them with great satisfaction. Though I am now in India with a few of my men, and we are having some success here, still, my Guru Maharaja has instructed me to spread this Krsna Consciousness Movement in the western world, so this is our first business. Therefore I am much pleased to hear that there is progress in this respect in your zone of Canada. The news clippings which you enclose are encouraging to me. This publicity is very important in the advancement of our preaching work. Only the standard should be that our philosophy be presented factually. I can see that you have developed first-class relations with the press and this is a sign of your sincerity. Please continue and expand this propaganda work to all parts of Canada. Even religious leaders of Christian faith like Rev. J. G. McDonald, Toronto, are appreciating our sincere presentation, and I think that you may invite him to our Toronto temple for kirtana and prasadam. I wish to know how many of my books are being distributed in Canada. Especially we should inject this philosophy into the universities and high schools with our books, so please try for this and send me the report. It is my plan that in my old age I am handing over all matters of temple management to you and you may simply carry on and expand the programs which I have introduced, and in this way I will be free to translate. Hope this will meet you in good health. Offer my blessings to your good wife, Laksmimoni, and to all the other boys and girls at Toronto temple. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. I have not received the monthly $15 maintenance from any Canadian centers. Please see that this is sent in readily negotiable American Express checks, as personal checks take one to two months to clear. ACBS:sda letters | 12:40 | 4 November, 1970 Bombay My dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of 23 September, 1970, along with the note from your good wife, and have read them with attention. The sentiments which you have expressed are very much encouraging to me, that I have got such disciples as yourself who are more anxious to serve me than my own children. You are one of my oldest and best-qualified students, so now you may, along with the other men of GBC, take over from me management of ISKCON affairs and work combinedly to open as many centers as possible all over the world. If you simply carry out the instructions which I have given you Krsna will reward you with all success. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said that this chanting of the Hare Krsna Mantra will be heard in every nook and cranny of this globe. He is God, so there is no doubt about it. So if we are intelligent we will take advantage of this opportunity and get the credit. If we do not, someone else will. So far your management of Southern USA centers as Zonal secretary, I have instructed Brahmananda Maharaja, Gargamuni Maharaja and Visnujana Maharaja to open one center in Coconut Grove, near Miami, Florida. Now you must open correspondence with them in this regard and encourage them. Your plan to increase our propaganda activities in the colleges and high schools is very nice, and it is my desire that every American boy and girl will receive a Krsna Conscious education through our books. You have a very great responsibility to print and distribute these books. So far printing is concerned, if you are able to print books why not do it? I am prepared to give up dealing with Dai Nippon if ISKCON Press can print my books. What is being done with the manuscript of the unabridged Bhagavad-gita As It Is? It should be printed as soon as possible. My European disciples have written that there are no books available in Europe. I want that each and every one of my centers should be fully stocked with all of my books, never mind if they can pay or not. The principle is that every center must pay for whatever books they order, but if for some financial difficulty a center is not able to pay for books still we should supply them whatever they need. You will be pleased to know that I am resuming my translating work here in the peaceful surroundings of a Sita-Ram Temple in the suburbs of Bombay. Hope this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 12:39 | 4 November, 1970 Bombay My dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I am pleased to hear that the paintings for Vol. I Canto II have been finished and that more paintings for Vol. II have begun. At least from 50 to 100 paintings should appear in each volume, and that will be the perfection of your service for Lord Krsna. In reply to your specific question, there is no ocean of milk, rather they are standing on a normal ocean. I am always showing your paintings in Krsna Book to respectable Indian gentlemen and ladies and they are very much impressed that my American disciples have taken to this process with so much love and determination. Hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:sda letters | 12:38 | Nov 3, 2006 Tuesday, 3 November, 1970 Bombay My dear Sagar Maharaja, Please accept my obeisances. I beg to thank you very much for your Bengali letter dated 16th, October, 1970. In Calcutta, the following inquiry should be made immediately: Madhudvisa Maharaja wrote me a letter which is missing, that somebody is willing to pay to my book fund 11,000 rupees on my return to Calcutta. So please inquire from Madhudvisa Maharaja if my immediate return to Calcutta will be helpful in this connection. If so, he can send me immediately a telegram and I shall go to Calcutta by plane. So far your acceptance by my other disciples is concerned, in the beginning there may be some inconveniences but if your decision is to work with us without any reservation, then there will be no difficulty. When I come to Calcutta this will be adjusted. Another thing is that since I've come to India, I've received many Hindi and Bengali letters. So if you work as my Indian secretary, it will be of great help to me. I shall be glad to know your decision in this matter. You have inquired from me about your future activities with our mission. Therefore this is the first offer to you. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:adb letters | 12:38 | 3 November, 1970 Bombay Reader of Philosophy Bolepur, India Dear Dr. Chakravarti: Please accept my greetings. I left Calcutta on Sept. 29 and came to Bombay to attend the Bharata Sadhu Samaj conference and then again from Bombay to Amritsar I went to attend the Vedanta Samelan conference. Now I have come back to Bombay again and the return address should be c/o Kailash Seksaria; 74 Marine Drive; Bombay-20. I've received your kind contribution of some valuable books and I've gone through them with great interest. Although I've had no chance to study these books thoroughly, still I can understand the spirit of the writings. Your tendency to give Srila Jiva Goswami the proper position a philosopher is very much appreciated. Some years back I attended a meeting in Calcutta wherein Pramathanath Trakvhusna, the learned Sanskrit scholar, was present. He said about Jiva Goswami very highly that there was no comparison with Jiva Goswami and any other philosophers of the world. Gaudiya Vaisnavism is very much proud of having such a great acarya as Jiva Goswami. Your tendency to present Bengal Gaudiya Vaisnavism in its proper perspective is very much welcome. We are trying to present Krishna Consciousness all over the world in a very scientific and philosophical way, and as such your help in this connection will be of great value. I do not know whether it will be possible for you to join us whole-heartedly, but if you can so do, it will be of great value and we can immediately start a Bengali edition of BACK TO GODHEAD magazine under your good editorship. Hoping this finds you in good health. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:adb letters | 12:37 | Nov 1, 2006 Sunday, 1 November, 1970 Bombay My dear Jananivasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 23rd November as well as the encouraging newspaper article enclosed. Please forgive this late replay, but due to my traveling much of my mail has been neglected. Presently I am touring many cities in India and the response here has been very good. Actually everyone in India is a devotee; they have simply been misled by politicians and so many things. By Lord Chaitanya’s mercy we are again reviving their original Krishna Consciousness, just as we are doing in all our centers all over the world. I am very glad to learn that your college program is doing so nicely there. Please continue in this way and also introduce our books into the classes and libraries. We want to reach the intelligent class of men and so this college program is of first rate importance. In your country they are very scientifically minded and so if Krishna Consciousness is presented to them nicely, surely they will take to this, the greatest of sciences. You can approach the professors in that way and try to arrange for accredited classes in Krishna Consciousness also. So far as getting yourself married is concerned, I have no objection. Be sure that you can meet the obligations of Grihasta order of life and then when you find a nice girl you may marry with my blessings. Thank you for your invitation to Columbus temple and I will be very glad to visit there when I return to the U.S. I will be going to New Vrindaban, so perhaps from there I can visit Columbus. Please offer my blessings to the other good devotees there. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb Sriman Jananivasa Das Brahmachary c/o ISKCON Columbus 318 E. 20th Ave. Columbus, Ohio 43201 letters | 17:32 | 1 November, 1970 Bombay My Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I have safely reached Bombay and there was a nice reception. I am now staying at Chembur at the above address. I hope everything is progressing well with you in Delhi. Please let me know how things are going on there. I am enclosing herewith one letter from Atma Ram and Sons, Booksellers; please take it with you to see them and show them our books and literatures and make some arrangement for their taking some of them for distribution. When you inform me what is your estimation of Delhi and how people are reacting to our Movement, I shall instruct you how to proceed. Hope this will meet you in good health. Please offer my blessings to Srimati Yamuna Devi and all the other devotees. Enclosed also please find one letter for Sriman Bruce. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:ds letters | 08:56 | 1 November, 1970 Bombay My Dear Satyabhama, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 9th, 1970. Since I left the U.S.A. I am continuously travelling for the last three or four months and just yesterday evening I have come back from Amritsar to Bombay. I have noted your letter and your analytical study of Krsna consciousness is very nice. Regarding Brahmananda, he is actually surrendered soul, but Maya is so strong that on account of association he has even fallen down. So these two things are always side by side--Maya and Krsna--Krsna is service and Maya is sense gratification, so every moment we are prone to be subjugated by either of them. Our duty is therefore to be very, very careful. The poison is personal ambition. So everyone has the chance, therefore one should not be complacent. Doubts may come about, but one should be firmly fixed up that there cannot be any doubt on the Spiritual Master or Krsna. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:56 | |
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