a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1969 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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19 March 2005 Wednesday, March 19, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Madhavi Lata dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your telegram dated March 13, 1969, and am glad to hear from you. You have sent a very nice proposal, and if you can organize a Brahmacarini department, and manage it, the idea is very nice. But I am afraid you are not fixed up enough to carry on so much responsibility. Best thing will be if you can engage your time and energy fully in chanting and in painting nice pictures. You are very talented girl, and you can paint very super excellent pictures, I have seen it. Now the thing is that we are opening new branches all over the world, and we require so many pictures in our temples so that people may come and see and be attracted by the beauty of Krishna. That is needed. The people today are fascinated by so much of the glimmering so-called beauty of the external energy, and there is necessity of seeing beautiful pictures of Krishna and His devotees and His Pastimes, in order to attract them to the spiritual process. So this is a great service, and there is urgent need for such paintings. Our Jadurani has done so many nice pictures, and they are distributed amongst our temples, but still there is shortage of supply. and she is now sick, and unable to work very swiftly due to her health condition. So I request you to simply sit down wherever you are, and paint nice pictures for being distributed to all centers. This will help you, and it will help others as well. I shall be happy to hear from you at your convenience, and I hope you are feeling well, Your ever-well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:02 | March 19, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated March 15, 1969, with enclosures. Regarding L.A. consignment (through the United Shipping Corporation). It has nothing to do with your business. I have already advised them to send their bill separately and the payment also will be made separately. It has nothing to do with your transaction. You just complete your transaction with them about balance money due from them. This is the idea. The application which you have sent for filling up appears to be little puzzling for me. So far I understand from the statement, I shall have to stay there in N.Y. but I do not know whether I shall be able to stay for such long time as 7 or 15 weeks. Therefore, I think the best thing will be if you take up this class--that will be nice--because you are residing there. Regarding MacMillan Company, if they have not replied your letter, then forget. We shall publish our own books. You organize the sales promotion. Neither I want to shorten the Srimad-Bhagavatam. We should not count on them--let us try for our own publications. I have received the dust cover of Teachings of Lord Caitanya, but I think the paper is not as polished, as shiny, as the first one was. Hoping you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami If Dai Nippon is not very definite about printing my books neither it is possible for being published by MacMillan Co., then the next alternative is to start our own Press. And you organize the sales. Enclosed one letter for __ Please hand it over to her. By the end of the month I shall go to S.F. & by the 7th of next month I shall go to N.Y. letters | 05:59 | March 19, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I am replying your letter of March 14, 1969. My present program stands as follows: I am starting on the 31st March to S.F. and then on the 7th of (approx.) April I am starting for New York. And from N.Y around about the 23rd of April I am going to Boston. So your fixed program on the 24th, and the 29th of April, and 3rd and 4th of May may be fixed up immediately. So you can arrange for the meeting at the Entertainment club The Ark, and make it as big as possible, as you say that the place can hold up to 1800 people and they saw me in San Francisco, and are eager to see me and have a talk there. On the 6th of May, I think I shall have to be present in Buffalo. And around about the 10th of May, I shall have to be present in New Vrindaban or Columbus, Ohio. Regarding Jadurani: I think she can come here alone and stay with Govinda dasi for around two months. The present place will be changed probably by the middle of May, and things will have to all get set up accordingly. So you can arrange things directly in correspondence with Govinda dasi, and she will be happy to receive her when all is ready. So far as yourself, you have to remain separate from your wife for maybe two months, because you cannot leave Boston. Regarding the tape, you have sent me tape no. 6, so the no. 7 is there, and no. 8 is also there. I am glad to note your arguments with the Yoga meeting people. Actually this so-called yoga system and meditation that is so much popular in your country is bogus. But if we speak the naked truth to the people, sometimes they may get angry. Because unpalatable truth is not tolerated. If we call a black man black, he will be angry because it is unpalatable. So we have to present our case very carefully. The best way of presentation will be like this: (1) Yoga system is recommended in the Bhagavad-gita, (2) It is approved system, (3) But it is not suitable for ordinary man, especially in this age of Kali, (4) The so-called yoga system practiced by the people of this age is not bona fide. They cannot follow all the rules and regulations of yoga practice. (5) Therefore it is conclusive that so called yoga followers are simply cheated and they are wasting their time. I have already explained these points in the Sankhya yoga chapter of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, so you read them carefully and present it, point by point, in suitable occasions. I have already replied Jadurani's letter. Regarding her offenses, I do not remember when she committed offenses, and even though she might have done so, I excuse her 100 times, without any hesitation. So she has nothing to bother about it. I have given her instruction not to work in her last letter, and we shall discuss it further when I shall arrive there. When she shall come to this place Hawaii she will have ample opportunity for Krishna Kirtana on the beach, and the fresh ocean air and warm nourishing sunshine will be good for her. I hope this meets you in good health, and please continue caring for Jadurani nicely and we shall see the position when I shall arrive there very soon. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. For Dr. ___ letter you may ask immediately Purushotam at L.A. The letter is ___ __ __. ACB letters | 05:55 | March 19, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Tosana Krishna and Bhurijana, Please accept my blessings. I am very happy to be in receipt of your nice letter of March 6, 1969, and thank you very much for it. Yes, you are two ideal ones for preaching there, and I can understand that things are going very nicely. This is very much encouraging to me. Hold kirtana and serve Prasadam, and gradually people will come, more and more. That is the program. And you are both sincere students, and very intelligent boys, and Krishna will supply you all facility for your preaching work if you try sincerely. Please keep me informed how things are progressing as I shall be very much anxious to hear from you. And I hope you are both feeling well and happy, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. I am sending today the letter to your draft board, and I am enclosing the copy of it herewith, for your reference, and I hope this will serve the purpose nicely. letters | 03:54 | 18 March 2005 Tuesday, March 18, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Hayagriva, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your nice long letter of March 12, 1969, and have noted the contents carefully. I hope by Krishna's Grace all will work out nicely with your job arrangements. I am glad to learn that your yoga society is going on nicely. Regarding Pradyumna: I shall write to him in this connection, and when I come there in May, I shall see the situation and make the suitable arrangements as necessary. Regarding Srimad-Bhagavatam: No it is not possible to delete so much of the books. We will print it ourselves. We do not find any special facility being published by MacMillan, so we shall publish on our own press. That is the best idea. And Brahmananda is organizing a special department for book selling. So far I understand, Nara Narayana will arrive and I shall send also Vamanadeva. Most probably Vamanadeva and Murari will go there so you will have ample hands to construct buildings. In the meantime, when I go there we shall do things according to plan and with the help of these boys who are our carpenters. My ambition is that we shall have all editorial staff, all artisans, and conduct our press there to print at least four books yearly and 50,000 copies of BTG. So far Syama dasi is concerned, she is very good girl, and I am very much pleased to hear that she is typing so nicely the Srimad-Bhagavatam. You are good couple, work combinedly in this way. I am disturbed to hear she is feeling some chest pain and fainting, but I do not know what is the matter . . . it is all right if she wants to rest, and can go to her grandfather's house not far away. So far the living arrangement is concerned, the grhasthas should be given chance to live together as husband and wife. If not, then all the girls can stay in a place and all the boys can stay in a place, if there is not sufficient space. So far the Brahmacaris, you cannot check the association with householders. But their living should be separate. Kirtanananda Maharaja may be the supreme authority for the New Vrindaban center, but the management should be entrusted to the Brahmacaris and next the Grhasthas. He should not directly interfere with the management--he can simply give direction and the Brahmacaris and Grhasthas can carry out the management. During Kirtana time, all members should assemble together. Only at night they should live separately. And Kirtanananda Maharaja should live and associate with Brahmacaris. Best thing is that he should be completely aloof from everyone, and assisted by one Brahmacari. But he should be the man in charge to give direction. So far as the two of you working in conjunction, you and Kirtanananda Maharaja, whatever is practical can be adopted in this connection. I shall most probably reach there by the 10th of May, and if not called by London, then I may live there all summer to construct New Vrindaban, and the press affairs. I hope you are all well, and please convey my blessings to Syama dasi, and all the students there, and I shall be happy to see you in May. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:49 | March 18, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Himavati, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated February 21, 1969, along with the Deity dress. It has come to me late on account of changing places so quickly. The statement given by you in the matter of worshipping the Deity is super excellent. Please continue this system and Krishna will bestow upon you all blessings. If one attains perfection in Deity worship, that is called Arcana Siddhi. Arcana Siddhi means simply by Deity worship one goes back to Godhead, immediately after this life. So this Arcana Siddhi program is given in the Narada Pancaratra especially for the householders. Householders cannot undergo strict disciplinary activities of austerity, therefore for every householder the path of Arcana Siddhi is very much recommended. According to Vedic system, all householders are ordered to keep Deity at home and follow strictly the worshipment process. That makes the home pure, body pure, mind pure, and quickly promotes one to the pure platform of spiritual life. The temple is also specially meant for the householders. In India, in every town, in every village, in every neighborhood, still there are Visnu temples for the convenience of the surrounding householders. So I am pleased that you are ideal householder. And you are doing very nicely combined together husband and wife. Please do it as you are doing and gradually Krishna will give you all facility. Regarding Vedanta Sutra tapes, please ask Hamsaduta to send me the copies of transcription so that I can make another tape. If I read the copy then it gives me impetus to write further. I am enclosing herewith one copy of letter from one German gentleman. I could not read it. So will you send me the English translation of this letter. And if possible you can write to him that this letter has been received very late by Swamiji Maharaja, so you acknowledge receipt of the letter immediately. In the meantime, on receipt of the translation, I shall reply. Hope you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:44 | March 18, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Nanda Kisora, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your very nice poetry; I am reading it again and again and I shall most probably arrange to publish it in BTG. The devotees here also have very much appreciated it, and I may encourage to do more writing of poetry and even articles for our BTG magazine. I hope you are all well and happy there, and please convey my blessings to all your God-brothers and sisters there. Your ever-well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:43 | March 18, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Hrsikesa, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for you very nice note enclosed with Hayagriva's letter. I am so glad to learn that you are reading my Bhagavad-gita As It Is with great interest, and I hope if you kindly read my books carefully that all your spiritual desires will be fulfilled. And you are in the right place for doing this, in New Vrindaban, and I shall be happy to meet with you again when I arrive there in May. Thanking you once more for your nice letter, and hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:41 | March 18, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Tamala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 14, 1969 and I am so glad to learn that everyone in L.A. is working very hard. And Krishna Consciousness is so nice that you are aspiring for still more work. That is the sign of spiritual life. In the material world we want to minimize our activities and take rest more but in the spiritual world, there is no rest and there is no limit of activities. Krishna is unlimited, His service is unlimited, and the energy of His servants is unlimited. Although we are in the midst of ignorance, still if we keep ourselves alert there is no place of ignorance. I am glad that you have deposited $100 in the Bank of America for your consignment of goods. A similar consignment is being followed by Honolulu, and it is good that you are saving money for paying me $750.00 for 5000 BTGs coming out sometime in the month of June. Yes, the money if it is paid by the first of June it is all right. As you always desire to help me in my missionary ambition, so also I am praying always to Krishna that the boys and girls who have stretched their helping hand in this country in this connection may always be in good health and continue to assist me in my missionary activities. I am so glad to learn that you are prepared to work even harder, as a forward soldier, to fight the Maya. May Krishna give you more and more strength. Hope your are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:39 | 16 March 2005 Sunday, March 16, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Advaita, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of March 6, 1969, and I am so glad to know that you are feeling the Lord's mercy being given your engagement of printing Krishna Consciousness propaganda literature. I think we shall have to open the press immediately because the business transaction with Dai Nippon is not very prospective. If we have our own press we become completely independent in the matter of printing. The difficulty of printing in your country has increased on account of higher wages of the workers. But as we are now training our own men, I think we shall be able to print our books and magazines in lesser cost than in Japan. Now the practical experience is that for printing one book, TLC, this Dai Nippon has delayed so much. So I do not find any good prospect of printing our books in the Dai Nippon. So if you are confident our press can now be successfully run; if you are confident that now you can conduct our press, just to print our books and magazines with the help of your other God-brothers, just try to think over the matter very seriously. And when we meet together next in April, we shall finally decide about this. If we have got our own press then we shall print at least four books yearly, and 50,000 magazines every month. Then you will have ample opportunity for printing Krishna Consciousness literature. So we have now fully equipped staff, editorial, printers, binders, and managers, and Krishna will be financier. So I think there is no more scarcity of anything and let us begin the job as soon as possible. You just consult amongst your God-brothers and I shall be glad to know how much money you can spare for the purchase of a nice press and other equipments. So I think there is possibility of asking Hayagriva for acquiring the balance money. I am also very glad that you have approved New Vrindaban as the right site for our activities, and printing work, and that will be very nice thing. We have got our project of constructing seven temples in New Vrindaban. And unless we get money from any other source, we have to earn this money by our press activities. So your responsibility is going to be very heavy. You have to give us nice printed books, and magazines, literature, and the sales organization will be done by Brahmananda, as he is contemplating to separate the department into ISKCON books for promoting the sale of our publications. This is very nice idea. So let us conjointly serve Krishna with our life, money, intelligence, and words, and this is the recommendation of Srimad-Bhagavatam for fulfilling the mission of human life. I hope you are both in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:00 | March 16, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of March 10, 1969. And I am glad to learn that you are feeling somewhat healthier. Now you have requested to begin working, but I think you shall just suspend your activities at least for one month more. By that time I shall be in Boston, and I shall examine you personally then I shall do the needful. In the meantime, you can sit down silently, and increase your number of chanting. That is your work for the time being. And now as you have Deity in the temple you can rise very early in the morning for Mangala arati. I hope you are following all the Deity worship rulings. That is necessary. I am happy to hear that you are all appreciating the new record album "Govinda", and I have good hopes of it selling nicely to so many American and European people. I hope you are feeling stronger day by day, and please convey my blessings to all your God-brothers and God-sisters there with you. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:58 | March 16, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Gopala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 7, 1969, and thank you very much for it. I am sorry I could not acknowledge receipt of your money, but it was deposited in the bank less $3.00, and some cents--about $4.00. So, next time when you send me your contribution you can send it in American dollars. Otherwise, they deduct some exchange difference. You can send me always your long letters--it is very pleasing to me. And I am so glad that you want to chant 16 rounds of Hare Krishna Mantra every day. And you can chant immediately, but you should also, at the same time, follow strictly the four principles of restraint and avoid the 10 kinds of offenses in the matter of chanting, it will be quickly effective. I'm very glad to learn that you have vowed to follow these four principles, as far as you can in your lifetime. And because you are so sincerely trying to push yourself in the matter of Krishna Consciousness, Krishna is giving you some intelligence also and you are thinking in so many nice ways in the matter of serving the Lord. I am so glad to learn it. You are returning to India by August of 1970--do you think that you will not come back again in Canada? If so then I shall give you some work which you can nicely perform in India, informing them about the Krishna Consciousness movement in the Western countries. To tell you frankly, one of the objects of my missionary activities is to bring to notice of the educated Indian public that devotional service originated from the Indian side in its pure form, propounded by educated public and the leaders of Indian people specifically are deliberately violating all the principles of India's original spiritual culture, in the name of secular state. When India was divided into Hindustan and Pakistan, there was good opportunity for the Hindu Indians to follow strictly the principles of Bhagavad-gita, and the state religion should have been declared Krishna Consciousness. Mahatma Gandhi was a great advocate of Bhagavad-gita, and when he was alive I requested him to preach but I did not receive any favorable reply from him, because he was too much politically contaminated. So anyway, taking consideration of India's present governmental policy, in the matter of educated public opinion, I do not think that in India there is any immediate possibility of spreading Krishna Consciousness very seriously. Under the circumstances, if you go to India, you have to make some propaganda against this attitude of the government and the public. Your desire for opening many temples is very laudable, but unless you prepare some temple worshippers then the temples will remain vacant. So in this age, it is more important to create devotees than to construct temples. My Guru Maharaja advised me to give more stress on literary work such as publishing books and magazines in Krishna Consciousness, and temple opening is a secondary consideration. I am just trying to open some temples in the Western countries because there are none. So far India is concerned, still there are millions of temples, but gradually the number of temple worshippers is diminishing. Perhaps you know that recently within 50 years, our capital New Delhi has developed tremendously, but the constructor of the New Delhi city has not erected even a single temple. So this is the tendency. Neither it is recommended in the scriptures to give more stress on temple building. The best thing is in this age to propagate this Sankirtana movement. So I shall be very glad to utilize your energy in this Krishna Consciousness movement as you are willing volunteer. May Krishna bless you with more Krishna Consciousness activities, and you will feel a glorious life by Krishna's Grace. I wish that all your good desires may be fulfilled without delay. Thanking you once more, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:50 | 15 March 2005 Saturday, March 15, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Krishna das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of March 2, 1969, along with the German handbill, which appears to be very nicely presented. I could not read anything save and except the known lines of Hare Krishna, and A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. So the press work is started and I am sure as soon as Jaya Govinda arrives in Germany the press work will go on in full swing. Jaya Govinda is very much anxious for the press work at your end because he writes like this: "I think of the printing press lying idle (as far as I know) in Germany, and as printing and the graphic arts field is what I have the greatest amount of experience and training in, that seems to be the place for me to go." This means he is very anxious to come to Germany and I am glad to learn from your letter also that you are trying to get him in Germany by the end of this week. This means perhaps you have already arranged for his come back to Germany. If not, please do it immediately because it will be a great help to our German center, and I am sure you will be able to start BTG in our press there in the German language immediately on his arrival. Regarding other points, that there are many people living in German villages and when you distribute BTG in German, if you go from village to village then at that time you will make my mission successful. You are very sincere worker and I am sure Krishna will give you the required strength for this preaching work. I am sorry to learn that you are also attacked with the flu fever as most of the boys in this country are also attacked this past winter. So this attack of Maya's agent is not very uncommon. When Krishna Himself was present He was being attacked by Maya's agent almost everyday during His childhood. When He was just born, within three months, he was attacked by Putana. When He was a little grown then He was attacked by Sakatasura, then by Trnavarta, then Agha, Makasu, then Kaliya, then Godavarsu, and so on. So the Maya's agents does not let go even Krishna, then what to speak of Krishna's devotees. They will act in their own way, but as Krishna miraculously saved Himself from the hands of all these demons, similarly, He will always save His devotees. He has declared in the Gita, "My Dear Son of Kunti, just declare it to the whole world that my devotees will never be vanquished." Therefore your only business is how to become pure devotee of Lord Krishna. Then everything is all right. Please remember this truth always, and do your duty for strongly pushing on this Krishna Consciousness movement in Germany, in cooperation with Sivananda, Uttama Sloka, and Jaya Govinda, who I think might have already joined you. So far my going there, it is not very important thing--I may go or not go, my beloved spiritual sons are there, and they are acting very nicely. That is my great satisfaction. I am glad to learn that the local Indian community is also cooperating with you. Actually my ambition is to form a strong Sankirtana party and travel all over Europe, and then in Africa, Asia, India, and Japan, etc. This is my thought. Please try to give it effect. I am glad to learn that the temple is looking very nice. And as soon as you get at least $100 extra, I shall ask you immediately to get some temple goods from India; when you are ready with the money, I shall let you know farther on this matter. I have received from London pictures, and it appears things are going there also very nice. No letter from you is useless for me--they are all important. And you can write as long a letter as you can. I shall read them carefully with attention in spite of my various duties always. Regarding the tape lecture which you requested, I have got the copy in L.A. most probably, so I shall have to send it to you when I get back to the mainland. All the devotees are very much thankful here for your good wishes, and they also are hoping all is going well there for you, and are feeling your separation as well. I hope you are all feeling happy and well in Krishna Consciousness. Your ever-well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:09 | March 15, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Tamala Krishna and Visnujana, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your long letter dated February 10, 1969, along with Purusottama's letter of the same date, and I shall reply conveniently. In the meantime, I am enclosing herewith the certificates and letters duly signed by me, and as you need them urgently I am dispatching them first. Regarding the mangos: Govinda dasi misled me--the mangos are not yet ripened. There are many mango trees, but the fruit will not be ripened until late May or June. So for now there is no abundant supply of nice mangos. So I shall soon be returning to the mainland for my engagements in New York, in Boston, and elsewhere. Hope this meets you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:33 | Los Angeles, Calif. 15 March, 1969 I, THE UNDERSIGNED ACHARYA (Ordained Minister of Religion) of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc, certify herewith that Michael E. Morrissey (Madhudvisa Das), S.S. No. 19.31.47.208, has been my initiated student of Theology for six months (initiated September 11, 1968). He is presently studying the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam and other Vedic scriptures under strict discipline and regulation. As such, he is forbidden to indulge in the following activities: 1. Illicit sexual connection (unmarried sex indulgence). 2. Non vegetarian diet (the eating of meat, fish eggs, and all animal foods strictly forbidden). 3. Intoxication of all sorts (including smoking, drinking of alcoholic beverages, drinking tea, coffee, drugs, etc.) are strictly forbidden. Michael E. Morrissey (Madhudvisa Das Brahmacari) attends daily religious classes both in the morning and in the evening, and worships the Deity under my personal instruction. This course of training continues for seven years from the date of initiation in order to befit him as an Ordained Minister of Religion. As such, my students are classified under 4-D, Ministerial Status. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:30 | 14 March 2005 Friday, March 14, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Rupanuga, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated the third of March, 1969, and I think I shall be able to go to your center from Boston. There is an important engagement in Boston on the 24th April, and perhaps next on the 29th and I think after finishing these I can go to your place. So you can fix up your program in consultation with Satsvarupa. The idea of inviting everyone to Sankirtana in a larger meeting hall is very good. Instead of attending small groups of meeting, we can arrange to assemble them at one place--that will be less laborious and more convenient for us. Prahladananda has sent me a check for $30 towards my book fund and I am very much thankful to him. I am enclosing the reply of his letter herewith. Regarding your questions: The spark soul has certainly form which means hands, feet, etc. This we learn from Bhagavad-gita. The body is described there as Vasamsi, which means dress. So unless one has got originally hands and legs, how the dress, coat and pants and shirt, takes such form? Therefore the spirit soul has original form. When he is in the material energy the dress is evolved materially and when he is in the spiritual energy, the dress is evolved spiritually. This is also not very difficult to understand, as our students before coming to my contact, he was supposed to be materially dressed, attached to sense gratification, and after devoting himself in Krishna Consciousness, he is gradually developing a spiritual dress. That means attached to satisfying the senses of the Supreme. Your second question, how the impersonalists mistake the difference between the soul and the Supersoul--The mistake is due to their obstinacy. The impersonalists masquerade as Vedantists, but actually they are defying Vedanta. In the Vedanta it is clearly said, the Original Source of all being; in the Upanisads it is clearly said that the Supreme is the Supreme being of all living beings. So all the Vedas affirm it vehemently that the Supersoul and the soul are two different identities, although qualitatively one. But the impersonalists they accept Vedas as authority, but they go against the verdict of the Vedas. Lord Caitanya has depicted this impersonalist class of men as more dangerous than the Buddhists. The Buddhists plainly declare that they do not accept the authority of the Vedas, but the impersonalists masquerade themselves as followers of Vedas, but actually they are hidden Buddhists. The idea is, if a person is actually fast asleep, it is easier to awake him but if a person pretends to be sleeping but actually is awake, then it is very difficult to wake him up. So from all Sastric point of view, the living entity and the Supreme Lord, or the Supreme Living Entity are always simultaneously different and one. One in quality, and different in quantity. this simple thing is understandable by any common man, but these impersonalists, they will simply invent jugglery of words to mislead innocent people. Therefore Lord Caitanya has warned not to associate with these impersonalist mayavadis because they will spoil one's life by diverting one from devotional service. It is very difficult to bring to reason the obstinate impersonalists. For example, Prahlada Maharaja, such a great authority, could not convert his father to devotional service, who preferred death, and still did not agree to accept that God is different from him. So better to avoid the impersonalists as far as possible. Regarding your third question--"Why are there apparent time-gaps in the line of disciplic succession as listed in the Bhagavad-gita? Is Arjuna an instructor Spiritual Master and not an initiator Spiritual Master and therefore not listed?" The time gap mentioned by you is inevitable, because the disciplic succession sometimes becomes disconnected, as we find from the Bhagavad-gita. This is the influence of material energy, and to link it up again, it takes some time. That some time may appear to our calculation a big gap, but in relation with the eternal time, it is not even as instant. So this big gap or small gap of time is relative. Just like our 24 hours and Brahma's 24 hours, there is much difference. Our 24 hours is not even a fraction of his second. Your fourth question, about the "life force" mentioned in Chap. 4 of the Bhagavad-gita; I do not find that page. Please send me the page number in your next letter and I will explain. Your fifth question, "Is this understanding of verse 18, chap. 4, correct; that the sage sees material activities as zero (inaction in action) and sees the devotee seated chanting as eternally active (action in inaction)?" Yes, action in inaction--action means to do something of which the result is enjoyed by the doer; that is action. But when things are done for Krishna, the result is enjoyed by Krishna. When we put ourselves in the position of enjoying good or bad reaction, then we suffer or enjoy. But action in Krishna Consciousness has nothing to do with such material suffering or enjoying. Therefore action in Krishna Consciousness is inaction, whereas a person doing nothing materially may appear to be inaction to others, but actually he is doing something for Krishna. In other words, the materialist thinks of the devotees as inactive. Similarly, the devotees think of the karmis as inactive--simply spoiling time, building sandcastles. Your sixth, "Is it that the Supersoul controls every movement in this world through the agency of Maya and the inferior energy according to the desires of the dreamer-jiva?" Yes. Your seventh question, "How is it that there is so much material "advancement" in the USA even though there is no formal demigod worship? Is a man after economic development automatically worshipping Lord Siva whether he is making Yajna or not?" Actually there is no material advancement in the USA. Material advancement means there is amply opportunity for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Superficially, it appears that in the USA there is sufficient provision of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, but actually nobody is safe even in his good apartment. I have got practical experience in New York. Several times my typewriter and tape recorders were stolen and the police could not take any action. There are many persons in the Bowery street, they have no shelter to live. So if a certain fraction of the people are supposed to be very materially happy at the cost of others, that is not material advancement. Had it been so, then why there are so many persons confused and frustrated? So actually there is no material advancement here. Here, I am seeing practically that Gaurasundara, such a nice intelligent and qualified boy, he has to work hard 12 hours simply for his subsistence. I think there are many instances like that, so this is not material advancement. You can call it capitalist advancement, and the reaction for such advancement is communism. Such movement is simply suppressed in your country, but actually the reaction is this. So the Western type of civilization, industrialism and capitalism, is no material advancement. It is material exploitation. When one gets the bare necessities of life, namely peaceful home, sumptuous eating, necessary sex life, and feeling of security, then it is called material advancement. In the absence of such four preliminary necessities of life, it is not at all material advancement--just try to understand. According to Vedic civilization, a man is supposed to be rich when he has got sufficient grains and cows. Here we have neither sufficient grains or cows, but you have got sufficient quantity of papers only--falsely thinking that it is money. When there is some catastrophe, this bunch of papers will neither supply milk or grain. They will be seen only and the man will starve. Your eighth, "How can I explain how the light and heat from the single sun in this universe is able to reach so far? Is it a question of the receptivity of different planets?" We can see one sun only. So it is simply speculation whether there is one or more suns. But we get from authority of Sastra that there is one sun, in each universe, and the stars and moon reflects the light of this sun. There is one sun in the daytime, and it illuminates so nicely that all darkness is gone. But at night, you may argue, if these stars are so many suns, then why the darkness is still there?? Your ninth, "You once said that in case of a strong rush of sex desire to think of the Gopis, the Dearmost to Lord Krishna. Is there another help in case of anger or harshness?" Yes, think of Krishna, how He was angry on Hiranyakasipu and nobody could pacify Him, even Brahma with beautiful hymns. In anger also we can think of Krishna. I hope this meets you all in good health, and I shall be looking forward to seeing Mr. Eric very soon, how nicely he is chanting and dancing. Your appreciation of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is is very much encouraging to me, and I thank you. Hope you are all happy, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:24 | March 14, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Prahladananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of March the 5th, along with your check for $30.00 for my book fund. I thank you very much for your this contribution of love. I am just trying to disseminate this message of my Spiritual Master and if there's any credit for this service, everything goes to Him. This message of Krishna Consciousness is coming down from Krishna Himself, and we are all servants of the Supreme Lord working under the consecutive disciplic succession. Please try to understand our philosophy through various books that I have already published and sometimes after you will have to carry out this order of disciplic succession. I am very glad to inform you that I am keeping well here in the atmosphere at Hawaii. The atmosphere here at Hawaii is quite suitable for my health. I am staying on the sea beach side, and the place is also very congenial. I hope this meets you in good health, and happily executing Krishna Consciousness. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:21 | March 14, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii [LETTER TO ALL TEMPLES] CALIFORNIA HEADQUARTERS SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM FEDERAL BUILDING 801 1 Street Sacramento, California 95814 International Society for Krishna Consciousness c.o A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami 450 1.2 N. Hayworth Avenue Los Angeles, Calif. 90048 Attention: Swami A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Dear Swami Bhaktivedanta: This office is charged with the responsibility of making an administrative determination concerning the status of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness as a religion within the meaning of the Military Selective Service Act of 1967. This question is and will be of importance to your organization and to many of its members. We therefore request that you advise us specifically concerning tenants and principles of your religion and specifying the body of scripture or teachings upon which your organization relies as authority. If your sect is successful in establishing a "religion" qualification, then it will be necessary for us to determine what constitutes a "minister" and a "ministerial student" within your religion. Since we already have one application for that classification, we would appreciate receiving from you information concerning the following: 1. The names and locations of all seminaries of the church. 2. The names and addresses of all heads of your religious schools. 3. Copies of your offered curriculums. 4. A statement as to the requirements for particular diplomas certifications, or titles, indicating courses to be mastered and the time involved for each diploma, certification and title. 5. A statement as to the rules of conduct and personal standards required by your religion of its ministerial students. 6. If your church has affiliation with any other organized religious body this information should be given. 7. If your church or school has been recognized by any public or institutional accreditation, by whom, and where. 8. Please let us know what your requirements are for a ministerial student in your school in the two following categories: (a) full time and (b) part time. 9. Please state the date your ministerial school began operating, as such, the number of students presently enrolled in each of the categories specified in question 8 above, and the number of students in each particular year or level of advancement. 10. If your ministerial school is co-educational, we would like to know the present number of students of each sex. 11. Please send a roster of your school faculty and indicate the degrees and academic or religious accomplishments possessed by each instructor. We trust you will understand the nature of this inquiry and will appreciate that such information is essential if we are to accord to your members, that have dealings with this agency, their just rights under the law. FOR THE STATE DIRECTOR MALCOLM F. MILLER Lt. Colonel, USAF (ret.) Manpower Officer This is my idea of the general plan for the questionnaire: You can work it out more elaborately as may be required. Q. 1. The names of all seminaries and their locations, as follows: Q. 2. Heads of religious schools (presidents of temples) and addresses. Q. 3. Curriculums: Study of Bhagavad-gita As It Is; Srimad-Bhagavatam; (3 vol.); Nectar of Devotion; Teachings of Lord Caitanya; Vedanta Sutra. (In this way, arrange the curriculum program around these our books, and the professors, those who have been with us ample time, such as Brahmananda, Hayagriva, Kirtanananda, and have also academic qualifications). This is the complete course requiring to study 7 years. When the first exam is given the student making passing grade is given the title of Bhakti-sastri, second exam, Bhaktivaibhava, 3rd exam, Bhaktivedanta. Q. 4. (answered above) Q. 5. Personal conduct: Our four principles of restriction, no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, no meat eating. Q. 6. Yes, Gaudiya Vaisnava Society in India. 60 missions. Hqtrs. P.O. Mayapur, Dist. Nadia; West Bengal, India. Q. 7. ? Q. 8. Requirements are as follows: They should attend class in the mornings from 7 to 8 a.m., then during lunch hold kirtana, then from 12 to 4 sankirtana party, evening arati, and MWF evening classes. Q. 9. July 1966;.?. Registration of the society in New York under the religious act of the state and the copy was submitted to your officer who came to inquire in Los Angeles, and here is the copy of the letter wherein it is admitted that the certificate of incorporation is seen by Mr. R. E. Davis, LTC, AGC, Assistant Area Coordinator. Q. 10. Yes coed. List to be submitted. (list all members of all temples to be sent by all temples, as you request.) Q. 11. Faculty and degrees and academic or religious accomplishments: (list all names of members who have such, as Brahmananda, Hayagriva, Satyabhama, Kirtanananda, Lilavati, etc. who have academic background qualifications). Our religious principle is as old as 5000 years and the whole thing is explained in our recent publication of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, published by MacMillan, of New York and London. If required, a copy of this book may be secured and the whole idea may be grasped. And this is a missionary society for enlightening the people about God-consciousness, which we are preaching as Krishna Consciousness. Our main principles are as follows: God is the Supreme Lord. The living entities are qualitatively one with God, or in other words,, living entities and God are one in quality, but by quantity, God is great. As such the living entities are eternal servitors and subordinate of God maintained by the Supreme Lord. This relationship is eternal, therefore time is also eternal. There are two kinds of natures, the spiritual nature and the material nature. Material nature is temporary and spiritual nature is permanent; Material nature is simply temporary manifestation within the jurisdiction of spiritual nature. The living entities somehow or other being entrapped by material nature are meeting all kinds of material conditions. His birth, death, old age, and diseases are due to his contact with this material nature. The living entity is evolving different kinds of material body numbering 8,400,000 different forms. The human form is a great opportunity for the living entity to understand God, the living entity, time, nature, and different activities. The material activities are temporary, therefore if the living entities are trained to transform his activities from material to spiritual he regains his original spiritual nature. And after such achievements he is promoted to the spiritual world, which is far beyond this visible material sky. All these understandings are based on authentic Vedic knowledge. The Krishna Consciousness movement is for enlightenment of all human beings without any sectarian understanding of faith. Our principle is that the human being has to awaken his dormant love of God. Any religion or faith which teaches this development of dormant love of God is considered as first class religion. There are various types of religious faiths in the world but they are imparted according to the students, or followers, time, place, circumstances, etc. The principle religions of the world are Hinduism, Christianity, Mohammedanism, and Buddhism. Every religion as a matter of principle accepts authority, God being the supreme authority, and His representative also as authority. So we have no quarrel with any type of religion but we simply teach that awaken your dormant love of God which is technically called God consciousness or Krishna Consciousness. We think the whole world or the entire human society is dwindling their faith in God so much so that some of them are declaring God is dead, and some of them are in frustration, manufacturing different kinds of isms, under different names. This state of affairs in the world is not very satisfactory at least for the advanced and civilized human society. It is essential therefore that scientific God consciousness which we are preaching under the name of Krishna Consciousness, should be broadcast very widely. I came to this country with this mission, because I know that America, although richest nation in the world, still there are so many frustrated youngsters both boys and girls. I started this movement in 1966, single-handedly, but by the Grace of God, I have now hundreds of intelligent young student disciples, who have taken up this movement seriously. They are executing the rules and regulations as described in statement 5. And they are feeling happy. Many of them have taken to household life and they are living very peacefully with wife and children, and some of the married couples have gone to England and they have been preaching Krishna Consciousness movement very creditably. So this movement is very precious missionary activities for the present society. I request the government should very scrutinizingly and wisely study this movement without being biased to some stereotyped ideas. It will be good for this country, and for the whole world at large if this movement is seriously taken up and broadcast all over the world by the American people, joined by the English as well. I think my idea and plan is coming to be true very soon because I have many intelligent and sympathetic disciples, both from America and England. letters | 06:12 | 13 March 2005 Thursday, March 13, 1969 Oahu, Hawaii My Dear Yamuna, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your very nice letter, and I am both happy and unhappy on reading it. I am happy to hear from you, but I am unhappy because I hear that for the last three months you are not keeping your good health. I do not know why you should reduce in your health, but after all, this body is external--we should not be very much disturbed with it. It is advised in the Bhagavad-gita that this bodily happiness and unhappiness are temporary, like seasonal changes. As we are not very much disturbed even in severe cold or scorching heat, we have to execute our daily duties, and we may not be very much disturbed with our bodily pains. But because we are long associated with this material body, sometimes we are afflicted, but by higher knowledge we have to tolerate the pains, wisely thinking that these bodily pains are not mine. But I am very much happy for your nice spiritual sentiments. In London there may be a temple or not, it does not matter; you are doing very nicely, more than having a temple. If Krishna gives us a better temple that is all right, otherwise, your engagement in Kirtana is very very nice. So continue this program in cooperation with your other God-brothers and sisters, and Krishna will make you very happy. You six together are doing so nicely that I am very much proud of you. Be blessed by Lord Sri Caitanya and go on like this. I am giving you herewith the transliteration of the song, Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu, along with the meaning. If you have got the record, please practice it with the tune and it will be very nice. I think you have sent the Prasadam formula for Purusottama but he is not with me just now, he is in L.A. I am in Hawaii, so I am sending the formula to him with my next letter. Another news is that Mother Syama dasi came to L.A. with some of her Gujarati devotees. She appeared to be nice Vaisnavi. And she wants to work in cooperation with me. I have told her that I have no objection but how we shall cooperate, that is to be formulated when we meet next. In the meantime, she has said that she has collected some money from the Indian community in London, perhaps 10,000 pounds, and she is anxious to start a temple there. So you can think over this matter, how we can cooperate with her. You just sit down together all of you. Of course, it is a remote program, but if she purchases a temple, and if we jointly conduct the affairs of the temple, that is not objectionable, but we must strictly follow our principles. Anyway, when she actually purchases a house for the temple and if she invites me I shall go to London and do the needful all together. In the meantime I am just sending you information. She offered her respect unto me just like her Spiritual Master, several times she touched my feet, and her devotees contributed $20. And she contributed $5. She has got Sri Sri Radha Krishna Murti with her always, and she chants Hare Krishna, so if there is any possibility of cooperating then we shall welcome it. She and her Gujarati devotees have invited me to go to Africa so I told her that if I go to London then I may go to Africa from there. I have in my mind to form a very strong Sankirtana Party in London. Namely, the members who are already there, joined by the L.A. party and some others--some from Montreal, some from New York, to make a strong party of not less than 25 boys and girls. We wish to make a world tour with this Sankirtana Party--that is my ambition. I do not know what is Krishna's desire, but if it is successful, I am sure to push our movement very nicely this will be the way. Please offer my blessings to all, and be happy. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Inform Mukunda that I have received his letter with enclosure of Mr. Parikh's letter. letters | 10:13 | |
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