a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1969 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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21 May 2005 May 21, 1969 New Vrindaban My Dear Sivananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 13 and noted the contents very carefully and your ideas are just in accordance with the idea of a preacher. Your proposition to establish a center and then hand it over to the people who come later on and then start another center is the desire of Lord Caitanya. So kindly do this. You have now someway or other brought into some status the Hamburg center and as soon as it is going on nicely, you can start another center in any country of the Central Europe. As far as your decision to remain a brahmacari, it is very good, and if you follow the rules and regulations and chant regularly and pray to Lord Balarama and Caitanya, surely He will give you the necessary strength. And if you can continue as brahmacari then to avoid so much botherations of worldly life. The great sage Narada is a brahmacari and with His Tamboura He is travelling all over the universes without any restriction and chanting Hare Krishna mantra and creating new devotees of the Lord. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that one who does this service namely go on preaching the glories of the Lord and creating all devotees of the Lord that person is the most confidential and favorite of the Lord. I am so pleased to learn that Uttama is helping to bring in persons in our temple. Now Jaya Govinda is there and Mandali Bhadra and his wife are coming very soon in Germany and so you are already four and when Mandali Bhadra comes you become six. Why six? Seven. Because he has got a little boy. So your center Hamburg will very soon become as large a center as Los Angeles. So far incorporating our center is concerned, I think you should do it immediately. And if you want, you can take a copy of incorporation either from New York or from London and simply present a copy of our incorporation and get it registered. Police permission you must have because this outdoor Sankirtana is our life and soul and we are getting good response from other centers. And surely in your center also the same response will be available. Regarding your question of Paramatma: you are fortunate enough for your sincere service, Krishna as Paramatma Who is sitting within your heart is now dictating. Krishna is so kind that He wants to help us as Spiritual Master in two ways. He helps us from within as Caitya Guru and He expands Himself externally as Siksa Guru (as instructor) and diksa Guru (initiator). So the principle is that whatever you are instructed by the Caitya Guru internally may be confirmed by the instructor or initiator externally. Then your progress will be complete. Hope this will find you in good health. Thanking you once more. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 20:38 | 20 May 2005 May 20, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Sudama, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 19, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I understand that Karatieya has left for San Francisco, and there is no grudge. I hope in the association of the devotees there, he will feel jolly, and his moroseness will be cleared off. So far as you are concerned, I do not think living alone in Honolulu will be very good. If there is possibility of your living in the temple along with the other devotees, then live there. Otherwise you may also return, either in Los Angeles or San Francisco. You can work anywhere because you have got abilities, and from anywhere you can start for Tokyo. So for going to Tokyo it is not very much necessary that you have to remain in Honolulu alone. I do not advise any of my disciples to live alone; that is not good. If Vamanadeva would have lived with you, that would also have been better. So live in the temple, or with Vamanadeva, or else go to Los Angeles or San Francisco. When the time is mature, Krishna will help you to go to Tokyo with some other devotees. We shall see later on. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:32 | 17 May 2005 SAturday, May 17, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Krishna das, Please accept my blessings. I am very much encouraged to receive your letter of May 12, 1969, along with the German articles published in two different papers with pictures. It is very, very encouraging that you are holding kirtanas in public places and some way or other people are becoming interested. These outdoor kirtanas should be rigidly followed at least one hour daily. That will make our movement popular there. We have good experience here in every city, especially Los Angeles, New York, Boston, and here in Columbus. This is making our movement very popular more and more, so in any circumstances, you all go together outdoors for kirtana at least for one hour daily. I am very pleased also to note that the Peace Formula will be printed very soon, and I am expecting it to come at any moment. I will be going to New Vrindaban in about a week, so you may send it there. The address is as follows: New Vrindaban, RD 3, Moundsville, West Virginia. You have written to say that the climate in Germany is very nice in July and August, so when Mandali Bhadra and Vrndavanesvari arrive there, you call me and I shall go there whether I am in London or the USA. So far as getting engagements, don't expect any help from Sadananda because I understand he is practically ruined by his health. So don't trouble him, and let him take full rest. Please convey my blessings to Sivananda and Jaya Govinda. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. My dear Jaya Govinda will you let me know the list of goods that you have sent to Calcutta for dispatch by the United Shipping Corporation. ACB letters | 08:24 | May 17, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 14, 1969, and I have received a similar letter from Brahmananda also that you are finding some difficulty in keeping pace regularly with the routine work. My advice to you under the circumstances is that at least for one hour you must all go to have Sankirtana outside on the streets or in the park. That is your life and soul, first business. The next business is completing the chanting of 16 rounds every day. The next business is your editing, and if you find extra time, then you can attend the temple ceremonies. Otherwise you can stop these activities, but outdoor kirtana, your editing work and chanting of 16 rounds must be done. Outdoor kirtana must be done, even at the cost of suspending all editorial work. That is your first and foremost business. Temple worship is not so important. If need be, the whole temple can be locked, but the outdoor kirtana cannot be stopped. Regarding Birbhadra, Kirtanananda is not here now, he is in North Carolina, but when he returns I shall talk with him about taking our boys to New Vrindaban. Otherwise, they will be returned to their mother in Los Angeles. Regarding the two books you mentioned, they are all right. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. When you come to New Vrindaban, please bring my tape-recorder (in white box) lying in my closet. letters | 06:20 | May 17, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Rupanuga, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 13, 1969, and I have carefully noted the contents. I think that if there is a chance for opening a center in Toronto, then Jagadisa and Kanupriya may go there as soon as possible. You have written that you would like Murari to go there, but he has already left for Boston, so if by mutual agreement you decide with Satsvarupa for him to go there, that is all right. Anyway, I have spoken to Satisuta today, and he has agreed to go there to help you in Buffalo within a fortnight. Please convey my blessings to your good wife, Ernestine, and your very nice boy, Mr. Eric. I hope this will meet all of you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:18 | May 17, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Rsikumar, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 14, 1969, and I have carefully noted the contents. I can understand that you are very interested in Sankirtana Party, so you may be in charge of this activity in the New York temple. Because Murari has gone to Boston, I think Brahmananda will feel very much if you also leave, so stay in New York to help in the organizing of New York Sankirtana Party. If you have some time, then help Gargamuni. Otherwise, if you do not like to do it, I do not press you in this matter. Please convey my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:15 | 15 May 2005 Thursday, May 15, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 6, 1969, but in the letter-heading there is no mention of London, so outsiders may misunderstand where is Clapham. Regarding my going to London, I have now finished my engagements on this side, and I can go to London at any time you may call. But still I understand there is no temple building settled up. Anyway, I am encouraged that somebody is trying for a church in cooperation with Mr. George Harrison. Formerly, Syamasundara. also informed me of this fact as well as of the arrangements for the Rathayatra Festival. I shall be glad to know in your next letter how far you have made progress in this connection. Now as promised by your group, you have to pay $750.00 for 5,000 copies of Back To Godhead which will reach you sometime in the month of June. Please arrange for it and send the money to New York, to Brahmananda, for clearing the bill. Regarding Mataji, she must have some trouble because she has done something which is nescience. How could she marry a young girl to Krishna? Is Krishna so play thing that He can be handled in such a way? This means she has no knowledge of Krishna. She is simply a sentimental devotee. When a sentimental devotee takes the part of becoming representative of Krishna, there is simply havoc. Srila Rupa Goswami therefore said in his Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindhu that devotion to Krishna without reference to authoritative scriptures is simply a disturbance. How Krishna could be married with a young girl? I very much appreciate your securing the letters from the Hindu centers in London in support of our activities. I am also pleased to note that the BTG's are selling nicely. Try to sell them more and more, along with sales of our other books, TLC and BG. Kindly offer my blessings to the other devotees with you in London. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Next week I am going to New Vrindaban. letters | 06:47 | May 15, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 10th, 1969, and I have gone over the contents carefully. Regarding the IBM Composer, please have the IBM Company send me one letter stating that $660.00 should be transferred to their account, such and such account number, on the completion of the negotiations. Then I shall advise my bank to transfer the money to the IBM's account upon completion of your talks with them. Regarding your proposed program of editing, the Bhagavatam First Canto is already edited, so when making final typing, you shall simply see it for proofreading. I do not think that you need take too much burden because you may fall ill with too much work. Now you are editing Back To Godhead, and when we get the Composer there will be so much proofreading for you. So I think this will be sufficient work for you. Regarding Birbhadra, when I go to New Vrindaban soon I shall see if the situation is all right for him to go there. For the present, he need not go out, and you should simply teach him history, geography and mathematics. His history lessons will take care of his reading and spelling instruction. So far as your question about how to think of Radha-Krishna, your present process of visualizing the Deities is nice. You have written for me to press the temples, namely London and San Francisco, to send their $750 for the printing of Back To Godhead, but this project should be referred to Brahmananda because he is in charge of dealing with Dai Nippon Company in this connection. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:44 | May 15, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 9, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. The first thing is that you must feel well. In whatever condition you should feel well, because if you fall sick, everything will be topsy-turvy. And what you require to be in good health, you know better than anyone else. That is your first business. Your second business is to organize sales in the stores, because the organization of sales in stores will determine our future publications. If we cannot organize these sales, there is no use of printing books and stocking them in our store room. It would be better to hand it over to the MacMillan Company. If they will print our books to the standard of Teachings of Lord Caitanya, we do not mind if they raise the price. That is their business. If all problems come to me, even personal problems, then it becomes a heavy task for me. I received your letter, full of problems; Gargamuni's, full of problems; Rayarama's, full of problems, and similarly Iskcon Media's, full of problems. If everyone's problems are sent by me, then who will solve my problems? I have divided these departments to solve problems, but if in the end they are all sent to me and I have to tackle, then just imagine what is my position. The best thing would be to stop all activities and simply chant Hare Krishna. Regarding the Doubleday book stores, we do not like to give on consignment, but if some very big stores will take our literature only in that way, then we must make concession. I hope that by this time your health has improved. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. When you come to New Vrindaban, we shall talk in detail about our future preaching programme. That is our first business. Specially you and Rayarama who are advanced disciples must now do the preaching work. We are now increasing centers & they must be maintained now properly. But our publication department must be considered as the most important department for preaching work. ACB letters | 05:40 | May 15, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Gargamuni, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of May 11, 1969, sent along with the check for $250.00. You have written to say that you are still having problems in obtaining manpower for your business, and the only solution I can think of is that you engage outsiders to do this work. If you think you have a scarcity of money, then I can return the check to you, and you can utilize it. As I have mentioned in my letter to Brahmananda, I do not know how I can solve all of these departmental problems if they are all referred to me. It would be better if the department heads could work out such things amongst themselves. Today Kirtanananda Swami has left for North Carolina to take my place in lecturing there at two college engagements. This is very satisfying to me, and I wish that many of my disciples may become expert preachers so they may assist more and more in the great preaching work that we have to do for the benefit of mankind. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Successful business means it will improve in volume. Suppose you require 50 assistants then where we have got so much men. At that time we have to employ outsiders. Suppose we increase our sales of books very nice then we have take help of outsiders for binding. We cannot expect that all our men may become bookbinders. Our Krishna Consciousness program must be executed. ACB letters | 04:36 | May 15, 1969 Columbus, Ohio My Dear Dinesh, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 11, 1969, and I have carefully noted the contents. Regarding your idea of pressing a 10" record, if you can sell these in ordinary stores, that's all right, but don't depend simply on temple sales. Depending on temple sales is not businesslike. You must plan your work in a businessman's way, so you cannot depend upon our centers for all sales. In the temple there are devotees, there are not businessmen, so you cannot depend on them for doing business; neither can you expect advice about business dealings from me. I have given you a department to manage nicely, and if there is some profit, you may give some for my book fund, but I cannot be consulted for advice in how you should manage the particulars of your business. Please convey my blessings to your good wife, Krishna Devi, and to your daughter, Visnuarati. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:33 | |
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