a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
|
|
| Prabhupada Letters :: 1969 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
|
|
16 July 2005 Wednesday, July 16, 1969 Los Angeles Dear Mr. Mottissey, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter dated July 10, 1968, and I embrace you thankfully that you have become so much interested in Bhakti yoga. This Bhakti yoga is very pleasing, practical, and readily understandable how far we are making progress. But in practicing Bhakti yoga, we can make immediately an estimation of our progress. For example, all our students, they are completely refrained from 4 principles of prohibition in which they were addicted in their previous life. But since they are initiated, they are not taking any meat, they are not taking any intoxicants, including tea, coffee, and cigarettes, and so many other things but very nicely they are keeping the balance. So this is practical example that at least he is saved so much botheration, and unnecessary expenditures in the matter of eating and drinking. Sometimes I think when I see on the street strewn cigarette butts, that if people in general give up cigarette smoking, how much money they can save daily without any effort. And if they contribute the money for spreading Krishna consciousness, we can prosecute so many activities to change the face of the world. So Krishna Consciousness movement is all good from all sides. From social , political, economical, hygienic and many other points of view. And at last it is the greatest gift because at the end, we become associated with Krishna. I am very glad that you are attending Kirtana and eating prasadam and transcendentally enjoying the association of the devotees in the temple. Kindly continue this method and you will be more and more enlightened. So far you want to see me personally, I am always open to see you, and you are welcome to come at your convenience. But if you want to be initiated, first of all be fixed up in your mind that you will follow the restrictive rules and regulations in this connection. For further inquiries you can talk with Mukunda, Syamasundara., Yamuna, etc. and they will give you necessary information. Hope this finds you in good health, and thanking you once more for remembering me. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:03 | July 16, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter, one undated, and the others dated July 12th and 14th, 1969. Regarding the house on 43rd Street, I think you have made the correct decision in not taking this place during the summer because now you have so much Sankirtana activities to devote your energy to, and things are improving gradually as you are now performing your activities. So now you devote your time to Sankirtana Party and the Book Department. I have been taking price quotations from various printers in Los Angeles, and it does not look very hopeful at all that they will be able to compete with our other prices from New York, so as you have requested to be in charge of all aspects of our book publication, I think you are very qualified for this, so please do it very nicely with the help of the others. Regarding your plan for advertising membership in BTG, that is nice. I do not see how we can insist that all members must follow the four regulative principles, but this is certainly our recommendation to anyone who is serious about pursuing Krishna Consciousness. So far as United Shipping is concerned, there is no use of us now utilizing letters of credit, because they are now accustomed to dealing with us more suitably. So they should now send documents through the bank, and we shall pay for them upon receipt of these documents. That will be the best means of dealing with them now. Regarding BTG, if London is unable to sell as much as we had expected, then don't have them sent directly there from Japan anymore. As they require you may dispatch their order to them. I understand that Hawaii is a very nice place for selling BTG, so you may open correspondence with Gaurasundara to see if he can purchase 5,000 copies monthly for $750. If you can increase the number of copies to 25,000 monthly, that is the nicest idea, and then you will get 25% less for discount on these extra 5,000 copies. We want to distribute as many issues of BTG as possible, so the more you can print and distribute, the more my Guru Maharaja will be pleased to see His Great Dream being fulfilled. Regarding our boys doing the binding work on the books, if there is only saving of less than $800, then I think that they shall be able to collect more funds by begging. So which ever way will be more practical you should do it. But I think if the boys can make the same or greater amount by collecting on the street and by working, then they should continue in this way. I am surprised to learn that some of Krishna's money, $250, was misplaced and was found by you simply lying around. So from now on no money should be kept where it will be misplaced. Better is that all cash money should be deposited immediately in the bank so there will be no chance of losing it. This Sankirtana Party and our Book Department are very, very important; they are our right and left hands, so everything should be done very carefully and in remembrance that this is Krishna's business that we are executing. Because we are doing Krishna's business does not mean that we should be less careful, but it means we should be much more careful than someone who is performing activities simply for sense gratification. So instruct the boys in that way. Regarding land in India, I am corresponding with Acyutananda in this connection, and let us see how things develop. There is no need of you corresponding with him directly in this connection. Gargamuni has arrived here safely yesterday, and already he and Tamala Krishna are making plans to open 108 centers within a three year period. So I very much appreciate how my disciples are taking this movement to their heart of hearts, and are working very sincerely to propagate it. Another thing is, you may negotiate with the First National City Bank where I have got my account as to how we may start an account in their Calcutta Branch in the name of our International Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are doing so much business with India now, so if we can manage payment in American dollars, it will prevent all difficulties with the Reserve Bank. So please do this and inform me of your activities in this connection. 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 | 04:00 | 15 July 2005 Tuesday, July 15, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Pradyumna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 14, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am pleased to note that everything is going on very harmoniously in your temple, and this is a symptom that you are all executing your Krishna Conscious duties nicely. You mention that you are fixing up your temple for nice Love feast program and this is cent per cent approved by me. Try to have very nice Love feasts, because here in Los Angeles they are constantly attracting more and more members to join them, and the Love feast program is one of the very strong attracting influences. This program of offering grand scale quantities of prasadam amongst the general people was encouraged by Lord Caitanya, because if someone partakes of the remnants of offerings to Lord Krishna, then he is sure to come back to Krishna Consciousness again at one time or another. So propagate our processes of Sankirtana, sumptuous Love feasts, and reading literatures of Krishna Consciousness, and surely many persons will be attracted to join this sublime movement. Regarding the Composer Machine, let things go on as quickly as possible, and when the earliest time can be set up, then Arundhati and Syama Dasi will learn how to operate the machine. This Composer is a vital part of our book program, so if you can do it combinedly very nicely, it will be the greatest service to my Guru Maharaja. Please convey my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B.: I have spoken with Tamala Krishna, and he will soon arrange to send you one brahmacari to help you in your Sankirtana activities. letters | 07:58 | July 15, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Syamasundara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 6, 1969, and it is very encouraging. The best thing is that you have now a first-class building for a temple at 7 Bury Place. It doesn't matter if things are going a little slow; but make everything slow but sure. That is a good principle. To do things hastily and incorrectly is not good. There is a proverb in Bengali sabure mawaphale. This means that all valuable nuts like almonds, macadamias, walnuts, coconuts, etc. all take a long time to fructify. Anything valuable takes a little time to come into existence. Therefore there is no harm in waiting for the best thing. But everything is well that ends well: That should be the principle. I am glad that your friendship with Mr. George Harrison is gradually working, so much so that he is now prepared to spend $3,000 for an altar slab and a block of bluish marble for carving Krishna or Lord Caitanya. For Lord Caitanya yellowish marble or white marble should be used. If yellowish golden colored marble is available, that is very nice. Another thing is that these Forms should be worshipped. Our Deity worship is not heathenism. If we keep Forms of the Lord without worshipping the Deity under regulative principles, it will gradually turn into idol worship, which is an offense. The Deity of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical. Krishna can act through the Deity perfectly. As I have given several times the example, the mailbox can act perfectly as the post office because it is authorized. Similarly, when the Deity is installed under authorized regulative principles, the Deity is as good as Krishna Himself. So you may advise your friend on this principle. But I am so much pleased that he is coming forward to offer his hard-earned money for Krishna's purpose. I am also glad to learn that George has purchased one nice house for his family, and there he will be building a very rich altar which will be bedecked with jewels and gold work. I have already given you one design for the throne. If such throne is made with golden or silver pillars, platform, ceiling, and canopy bedecked with jewels, and if the Deity is kept within such throne, it will be a super-excellent manifestation. So when you do such work you can consult me, and I shall give you some right directions. I am also glad to learn that you are going to press some records of the Hare Krishna Mantra with the help of the Beatles and Co., cooperated with some of the celebrated artists like Donovan and the Rolling Stones. It is a very good opportunity that you are making friendship with these famous men, and if you can turn them as they are already a little inclined towards Krishna Consciousness, then our Sankirtana Movement through all these famous artists and gentlemen will take a shape which will be appreciated all over the world. I am also glad to know that Rathayatra arrangements are going nicely, and so also in your country, especially in San Francisco, Boston, Buffalo, as well as New York. There also they are arranging nicely. Most probably in Boston it will be as good as in San Francisco. In San Francisco they are making good advertisement, and they are expecting a very good crowd. I am going there on the 26th of July. I hope you will send me the pictures of your world famous parade in London. Send all detailed pictures to Brahmananda for publication in BTG. If possible, invite some Indian press representatives to report to the Indian papers how the Vedic culture is being accepted by Americans and Europeans. I have prepared a nice book, Krishna, and I want to print it in a deluxe edition. If some of your friends finance this publication, it will be a unique presentation to the world. This will contain Krishna's life from the beginning of His Appearance to His Disappearance from this mortal world. It will contain all of His activities throughout. It is full of philosophy, instructions, transcendental pastimes and artistic pictures. Please convey my blessings to your good wife, Malati, and your daughter, Sarasvati. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:46 | July 15, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Yamuna and Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of Yamuna Dasi's letters of July 3rd and 7th, 1969, as well as Gurudasa' letters of July 1st, 4th and 8th, 1969. I have noted all the contents carefully, and I am so glad to know that you are arranging so nicely the temple paraphernalia as well as the Rathayatra Festival. You have got two great responsibilities to function. Do it to your best capacity, and Krishna will give you all facilities without fail. Our principle should be to serve Krishna very diligently with love and faith, and all necessary supplies will come without any difficulties. As you are all sincere devotees, I am sure you are feeling the great assistance of Krishna through your activities, and the more you serve the more you will know how you are making progress in Krishna Consciousness. The same example has to be repeated how when a hungry man is given foodstuffs to eat, automatically he feels three kinds of symptoms: satisfaction of hunger, strength and pleasure. So this Krishna Consciousness Movement is based on sincere service to the Lord. We shall always remember this, and then success is assured. I am glad that you are expecting me there during Janmastami Day, and this is a very nice proposal. Even if I go to Germany in the meantime, it will not be difficult for me to come to London during Janmastami Festival, which takes place on the 4th of September. 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 | 06:45 | July 15, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Vibhavati, Please accept my blessings. I thank you for your letter of July 11, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding your proposal of writing a book about child-raising, I do not think this is required with all the other writings that we have to do. And besides that, you are not the master of this subject, so who will read such a book? I have seen in your article on Mr. Lennon that you have a very nice gift for writing, so better you should utilize this God-given talent for writing articles for our Back To Godhead. There is immediate necessity for this, and for this writing you are qualified because you are a sincere devotee of this Krishna Consciousness Movement. So why not write nice articles of this philosophy as you have assimilated it? This will be a very great service because we are now converting BTG to exclusively contain articles by my disciples and myself, along with many pictures of our Sankirtana activities. So if you can write some words about Krishna consciousness and send them to Brahmananda in New York, that will be very nice engagement for you. Regarding your questions about sex life, the basic principle is that in executing Krishna Consciousness sex life should be avoided as far as possible, and it may be utilized only for begetting Krishna Consciousness children. This is the basic principle that should be followed as far as possible by all married individuals. During the period of pregnancy sex life should be strictly avoided. The basic idea of raising children as they are described in the Vedic literature is that from birth till the age of five years the parents may be very lenient with the child. From the ages six to ten they should tighten the discipline of their child, and from the ages of ten till the sixteenth year the parents should be as strict as a tiger with their child so that he will be afraid to be disobedient at all. Then after the sixteenth year the parents shall treat their child as a friend, and the child is allowed to gradually develop his adult responsibility and independence. Regarding your other questions, yes, you may wear any clothing that you find comfortable; no, it is not very good to use yeast in preparing prasadam. It is better to prepare bread in the process as you have seen done in the temple. I hope this will answer all of your important questions. I have also received one letter from Isanadas dated July 4, 1969, and his camp program sounds interesting. I am anxious to know what are your plans for going to London because now I understand they have facilities to accommodate you and your husband. So either yourself or Isanadas may write to me to inform me. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:44 | July 15, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your recent letter, and I have noted the contents. Regarding Festivals in Boston, you may hold as many as possible. If you can hold such festivals daily, that is also nice. Our movement is for ananda, simply bliss, and the method of pushing this movement is chanting, dancing, feasting and philosophizing. So in our almanac there are many festivals in every month. I am enclosing some festivals which were already held in Los Angeles, and if you perform them, I will give you a long list of others. But don't embarrass yourself at present with greater plans than you can handle. The more you get devotees the more you will be able to perform nice festivals. I am glad that Boston is improving in so many ways. So far as painting is concerned, you can begin now. I have already advised you this in a note enclosed with Tape #14 of Krishna. So read the Krishna tape transcriptions and draw pictures as many as possible. Each picture should be very much attractive, colorful and nice so that people will appreciate these paintings also. Our standard size will be like TLC, and you can make the pictures accordingly. According to my idea the pictures should be proportionate to 8 1.2 x 11. The style of the book will be like TLC so far as paper, print and binding are concerned. Please convey my blessings to Satsvarupa and the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:43 | July 15, 1969 Los Angeles UNITED SHIPPING CORPORATION 14.2 Old China Bazar Street (Block 18) Calcutta-1, INDIA ATT: Sri Prabhas Babu Dear Prabhus Babu, I am in due receipt of your letter of July 10, 1969, along with enclosures, and I have noted the contents carefully. As you have requested, I have amended the invoices for the 260 pcs. of books, and I am enclosing the same in triplicate for you to do the needful with. One thing I must mention is that I have been informed that the mrdangas which you have previously sent to us were received in defective order because the crates in which they had been packed somehow or other had become wet and therefore spoiled the quality of the instruments. I therefore request you to take precaution against this danger of water seeping through the crates by packing mrdangas and all such damageable items in tarpauline or some such protective covering before they are placed in the crates for being dispatched to the USA. We have unlimited number of instruments and other goods which we shall be needing from India, so if arrangement can be made for these goods to be sent safely and promptly, there is so much business which we shall give you. Please inform me of what measures you shall be taking to protect our goods from the danger of water seeping in through the crates. I am awaiting your early reply. Sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS.pdb encl: Invoice in triplicate letters | 02:41 | 13 July 2005 Sunday, July 13, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Gaurasundara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of July 9, 1969 along with the copy of the article, and I have noted that your new address is Box 1684, Sunset Beach, Hawaii. I think it is Krishna's desire that you would vacate the former building and go to the hippy quarters. Actually, the hippies are our best customers. Almost all of our important disciples are recruited from that group, and you are also from that group. So actually we should try to serve the hippy group more than others because there is great potency of recruiting Krishna Consciousness devotees from them. You will be pleased to know that one hippy girl named Chris who came to see me in your apartment is now living in our Los Angeles temple and doing very nicely. So if you make propaganda amongst the hippy group simply by our standard method; Sankirtana, reading some portion of Bhagavad-gita, and distributing prasadam, then I am sure the quarters in which you have now shifted will be very much prospective. Besides that, it is a beach and the atmosphere is very nice. So by the Grace of Krishna do it nicely, husband and wife combined. That will be a good example. I was so much pleased with Govinda Dasi and with you also when I heard about her spirited preaching and your tolerance like Nityananda Prabhu. May Lord Caitanya and Nityananda Prabhu bestow Their blessing upon you, and don't be deterred in any circumstances. Serve Krishna with serious attempt. Your article is very nice and gradually you shall improve. Go on writing. It is my policy to publish as many as possible of articles by my disciples. BTG should contain news of our temples, articles, pictures of our activities, etc. The bunch of pictures you have sent have been forwarded to Brahmananda for publication. Regarding BTG, I am so glad to learn that your center will be a good distributing place. Do you think that you shall be able to distribute 3,000 copies? Then I shall ask Japan to deliver the copies directly to you. We are charging from different centers $750 for 5,000 copies of BTG. Similarly, for 3,000 copies you have to pay proportionately, and the marginal profit will be 25 cents to 35 cents per copy. So even if you make 25 cents profit, and you can sell 3,000, that means about $750 to $1,000 profit. If you pay $750 per month, you get 5,000 copies, and by selling only 1,500 copies you realize your investment money, and you have 3,500 more copies to distribute. So we have to calculate business like that. If you think you can sell 3,000 copies, I shall notify Japan to send them directly to you. I am always thinking of Govinda Dasi. Although she is young and delicate almost always suffering from some ailment, still she is so sincere devotee and spirited preacher that I have named her Heroine Govinda Dasi. May Krishna bless you both and be happy in the preaching work of Krishna Consciousness. Gradually convert the Hawaii Islands into New Navadvipa Dham. I am sure you can do it if you go on preaching with the same present spirit and enthusiasm. I hope this will meet you in good health. Please convey my blessings to the others. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:41 | July 13, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of July 7, 1969, and I have carefully noted the contents. Rather then answering your points now, I think when we meet again in San Francisco Rathayatra Ceremony we shall discuss things. But one thing is that I have a very nice place in mind where yourself and Himavati may go to help start one temple. In Detroit there is one very nice household couple, Bhagavan das and Krishna Bhamini, and I am thinking that you would be ideal to go there and organize the temple as the president and propagate Sankirtana Party. So we shall discuss this at length in San Francisco. Please convey my blessings to Himavati and Ananda and the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:26 | July 13, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Bhagavan das and Krishna Bhamini, Please accept my blessings. I thank you both so much for your encouraging letter of July 9, 1969. I am so pleased to learn that you are now in Detroit and already you have begun some program to introduce the residents there to this sublime practice of Krishna Consciousness. You are both very sincere souls I know, and Krishna will help you in every way as you continue to work nicely. As you have requested to be sent a nice householder couple to come and help you, I am going to arrange with Hamsaduta and Himavati that they may go there soon to join you in Detroit. They are both very exemplary devotees, and they are already trained in managing all areas of Sankirtana Party and temple affairs. So their presence will be a great help to you. I understand that Hamsaduta works best when he can be in charge of the situation, so when he arrives he may act as the temple president and you shall be his assistants. When I speak with Hamsaduta and Himavati in San Francisco during Rathayatra Festival we shall make definite arrangements as to when they shall arrive. In the meantime, I am very pleased with both of your nice attitudes and endeavors, and may Krishna bless you for this. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:28 | 12 July 2005 Saturday, July 12, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Vamanadeva, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 2, 1969, and I am very glad that you are now in the Columbus center and you are working nicely to help the devotees there. You also write to say that you have a good job that will further train you in carpentry skills, so do this nicely. It is a good opportunity. If you want to marry, you may inform all the centers that you are looking for a wife, and if a girl is willing to marry, there is no objection. It is a nice idea. But if you marry, you will have to work to provide for your family, and try to spend at least 50% for Krishna. Regarding your Gayatri Mantra, most probably I will go to New York for a short time at the end of this month before going to Germany, and I shall let you know the exact day so you may arrange to meet me while I am there. Be very strong in Krishna Consciousness always, and I am sure that Krishna will bestow all of His Blessings upon you. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:41 | July 12, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Jaya Gopala, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of July 4, 1969, and I have carefully noted the contents. For the time being you should go on with your work there. I shall consult with Tamala Krishna, and if possible I shall try to send devotees there to help you. In the meantime you should continue going out on Sankirtana as much as possible and preach to the many boys and girls with whom you come into contact there. Krishna Consciousness is the absolute need of the present day society, and there are many people who will come to join us if we simply make these teachings of Bhagavad-gita and rest of the Vedic literature available to them. So try to sell Back to Godheads as far as you are able to do with only Arundhati and yourself on Sankirtana Party, and soon others will come to join you. I have no objection to sending you some men from Los Angeles, but you also should try to recruit some men from amongst the residents of Columbus. That is the best plan. Simply let them hear our chanting, invite them to our temple Love Feasts, and automatically some intelligent boys and girls will become interested to associate with our movement. You are a very sincere worker, so go on increasing your enthusiasm, and you will see how Krishna provides everything nicely for your center. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:40 | July 12, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Hayagriva, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 8, 1969, and I have noted the contents. Regarding articles for BTG, I have already issued instructions to all centers requesting my disciples to send articles every month, and I am going to repeat it again for the second time. You may continue to send me the Sanskrit transliterations for being corrected as I did last time. It will not be difficult for me to do the work in the same way. Your first business is to see my books and the magazine, BTG, published very nicely, and for this work certainly you require a very calm and quiet place. So in the absence of sufficient accommodations we may now restrict the influx of devotees to New Vrindaban. Unless we have got sufficient place it will not be possible to make separate arrangements for brahmacaris and women and children. There is sufficient place there but there is no buildings. If we depend on our own men, I don't think we will have sufficient accommodations within the thinkable future period. We have to build by professional men, and that means we require money. That is a problem. Now I can't tax my brain how to get this money for developing the buildings there. If automatically it grows, that is very nice, otherwise let all remain as it is, and in the course of time when Krishna desires it shall be developed. But try to keep the place peaceful without any disturbances. The girls and children who have been a source of disturbance may be for the time being asked either to build their own cottages or leave the place. I can just imagine how much disturbance it is when all around there are children howling and noisy talking. Regarding transferring the property to the society's name, I do not know the legal implications, but so far as I do know for the time being you are not the proprietor of the land; you are the lease-holder. The lease-holder cannot transfer his possession without arrangement with the real owner. So I think legally you cannot now transfer the property to Iskcon because I know it definitely that a lease-holder or a tenant cannot make any such arrangement with a subtenant or sublease-holder. If someone does so, it is not valid. So for the time being the idea of transferring may be deferred. Let it go on as it is. In the meantime you devote your attention for first-class editorial work, and try to manage things there how to keep the inmates peaceful. There is no use to create a pandemonium. Better to keep it under your personal management to keep it nicely for your editorial work. I do not wish that you should be disturbed. In the meantime you can negotiate with the owner of the other property, and if there are suitable terms, the society can purchase that property outright. Then there will be no question of transferring your present property to the society's name. You can go on saving taxes as you are now doing, and similarly there is no question of our society paying any taxes because we are tax-free. So far as Nara Narayana is concerned, I do not know how did you think that he alone would be able to tear down the whole house single-handed. He sometimes promises such utopian things, but never fulfills. That is my experience. I am returning the letter you have sent in this connection. I am missing one letter said to contain my ticket from New York to Luxembourg. From Hamburg they have informed me that this ticket was sent, but I have not received it. Regarding the usefulness or uselessness of the inmates, it all depends on proper management. You can't expect that all men and women who will be going there will be very useful. You have to make them useful by your arrangement. I am very glad to inform you that Tamala Krishna and Madhudvisa are managing so nicely in Los Angeles that they are making all men useful for Sankirtana Party purposes. Of course there is no question here of construction work. I do not find amongst our men anyone suitable for regular construction work, so we will have to engage professional men for this purpose. That is my opinion. Please convey my blessings to Syama Dasi and the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:39 | July 12, 1969 Los Angeles Dear Carl Lange, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 9, 1969 along with your money order for $50. I thank you very much for your contribution towards my book fund. My next publication is going to be Nectar of Devotion and a paperback edition of Teachings of Lord Caitanya. I thank you very much for your appreciation of our Krishna Consciousness Movement. Except for the Krishna Consciousness Movement, any other attempt for spiritual realization, such as drugs, voidness, impersonalism, bodily exercises of Hatha Yoga, etc.--they are all something like unconsciousness under some super-intoxicant. Srila Rupa Goswami has given a very nice example in this connection. He says that a conditioned soul remains in the slumber of unconsciousness just like a patient bitten by a poisonous snake. In India there is a class of snake-charmers and physicians who treat snake-bitten persons with a particular type of jungle herbs. This treatment is to bring the herb near the nostrils of the patient for being smelled, and then the patient comes back to consciousness and finds relief from the snake bite effect. In our conditioned life we are bitten by so many types of Maya snakes, and more and more we are put into unconsciousness of mind without any hope of eternal life. Krishna Consciousness is the only herb for such Maya snake-bite condition. So our duty is very responsible. We have to awaken so many snake-bitten patients under the spell of Maya. A sincere soul like you will be a great help in this movement of Krishna Consciousness. I am glad that you are reading our Bhagavad-gita As It Is and Teachings of Lord Caitanya. You will get much enlightenment from them. Also you should read Back To Godhead and Srimad-Bhagavatam, and surely your life will be sublime. In the future we expect you to be a great preacher of this movement to the world. I am glad to learn that you are coming to San Francisco for the Rathayatra Ceremony, and I am so much obliged to you for contributing each month for the book fund. Thanking you once more. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:39 | July 12, 1969 Los Angeles Manager The Punjab National Bank P.O. Vrindaban U.P. INDIA Dear Sir: On June 18, 1969 I have sent you a draft for $112.65, and on June 17, 1969 I have sent you a letter. I have received no acknowledgement for either of these. Please let me know what is the actual situation in this matter. For air mail charges you may debit my account, but please do not hesitate to answer my letters promptly. Also, please let me know what is the balance in my account at the present time. Thanking you for your immediate reply. Sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:38 | 11 July 2005 Friday, July 11, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letters dated July 7th and 8th, 1969, and I beg to acknowledge receipt of your check for $2,000. Regarding your price quotation of $5,850 for printing soft-covered editions of TLC, Uddhava once quoted me a price of $3,500 for 10,000 copies without binding. Does it mean that for binding we have to pay more than $2,000 extra? In that case our men can bind it. Why should we pay extra if our men can do it very cheaply? Here in Los Angeles also I have been looking for printers who can do our books and magazines. I will let you know if there is any good result. Regarding New Vrindaban, immediately there is no program for investing in New Vrindaban until Hayagriva transfers the property in the society's name. But there is another program: Bhaktivinode Thakura desired that American disciple would come to Mayapur to take advantage of the birthplace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I wanted to make one American home there, and I asked for a piece of land there from my Godbrother, Tirtha Maharaja. He has simply acknowledged receipt of my letter, and there has been no other reply as of yet. In the meantime, Acyutananda has given hope of purchasing land there. If we purchase some land, it may be that some American people will construct a nice temple there and a home for American visitors. So what is your idea if we purchase some land there? But if we do something there, it must be done very nicely. Otherwise it will be an insult to your people who are so rich. People must go there to see the American home and the American devotees. That is my idea. I shall be glad to know your opinion about this. Regarding the straps on the mrdangas being tightened, I am training Purusottama das Brahmacari in this connection. Let us see if we can manage this problem by ourselves. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:23 | July 11, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Sivananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated by the post office on July 2, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I have received one letter from Krishna Das dated July 2nd, wherein he states "I have sent to you the ticket to Europe on the 23rd of June. Have you received it yet?" As of today I have still not received this ticket, so I hope you have cancelled it already from the German airline office. I do not know what is the position with this ticket, it may be lost in the mail, but if you have cancelled it already, there is no difficulty. Please inform me immediately what is the situation with this lost ticket. Regarding your idea of going to Copenhagen, it is very nice, and I am always anxious to open strong temples where the chanting of Hare Krishna and Krishna Consciousness philosophy will be propagated nicely. So as Janardana is planning to begin the Paris center, you may make investigation for a center in Copenhagen. So if you think you can open such a center in Copenhagen, then please inform of what your exact idea is to begin this project, and I shall advise you accordingly. I think when I come to Hamburg we shall talk about it. I am very pleased to note that Oliver is doing nicely, and he is now completing a Vyasa Asana and a picture of Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana. Please offer my blessings to this boy and encourage him as far as possible to continue enthusiastically as he is now doing. I am still considering that I shall be going to Germany by the beginning of August, and I hope your temple is corresponding with the London devotees regarding the plane fare for myself, and if possible, for Purusottama also. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:22 | July 11, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Murari, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 6, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am so pleased to learn that you have obtained a permit for soliciting on Sankirtana Party, and now you are collecting $60 daily. It is very encouraging news. Regarding BTG, you should purchase at least $350 worth of copies per month. This means you get 2,500 copies, and the price is 15 cents per copy. The price for selling is declared at 50 cents, so there is a 35 cents difference. So even if you make at least 20 cents profit per copy, that is $500 per month for your temple. Now you have got good opportunity for selling, so you help BTG by contributing this amount monthly. I have heard that you have mentioned to Brahmananda that your temple will contribute $3,000 dollars for my book fund. This is very good news for me, and try to send it as soon as possible. I am so pleased that you are arranging for the Rathayatra Festival very nicely, and similarly in London, Buffalo, and what to speak of San Francisco, they are arranging. In San Francisco it is going to be unique thing in this world. Regarding a house, you look for a place. Krishna will provide for the funds. Now, because Los Angeles has got a nice church, the situation has improved very hopefully. They are getting all help. In Sankirtana they are collected sometimes $250 daily, and selling BTG not less than 150 copies daily. Boston is not a small city, and it is better than Los Angeles because you have so many students there. So try to organize very nicely. I have not heard anything from Lilavati for some time. How is your daughter, Subhadra? I received one check from Jadurani for $30 for my maintenance fund, and thank her very much for this. I have sent two tapes to Satsvarupa with a note to Jadurani. Please ask them to take care of them and do the needful. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:21 | July 11, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Bali Mardan, Please accept my blessings. I thank you so much for your letter, sent along with a check for $160. I am pleased to learn that you have now finished your college studies, and now you are going to engage yourself fully in promoting our Krishna Consciousness books. Your idea of not working for your father is nice, and several times I have stressed that our devotees are becoming twice-born. They are dvija, or twice-born. The first birth is by the natural father and mother, and the second birth is by the Spiritual Father and the Vedic knowledge. The second birth is the real birth; the first is as good as an animal's birth. It is said by a devotee of Lord Caitanya that in every birth we have got a certain type of father and mother, that is not very wonderful, but it is not possible in every birth to get Krishna and a Spiritual Master. Therefore, the form of life in which Krishna and the Spiritual Master is obtained is the most sublime. So I am very glad to know that you have become more affectionate for your Spiritual Father than for your natural father, and this is quite to the standard of spiritual advancement. Now Brahmananda and yourself are a good combination. Try to organize our book selling department very nicely. That will be great service to the society and to the people in general. The books we are publishing are completely novel to the Western world. We are explaining the science of devotional service in so many ways, and Srimad-Bhagavatam especially is unique literature that the people in general should try to understand. I have got an ambition to finish the Srimad-Bhagavatam in the same way I have already done, so try to help me as far as possible to finish this high project. If we get return from the Iskcon Book Department, then we shall be able to publish all of our books very quickly. So Brahmananda and yourself will be a good combination, and Krishna desires that you should do it exclusively. I hope this will meet you in good health, and I thank you once more for your letter and check. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:21 | July 11, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Gopala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of July 4, 1969 with the check for $50, and I thank you very much for this. I am very glad to learn that your father will be glad to do something for our Krishna Consciousness Movement, and I am expecting his reply with great interest. When you go to India, as you asked me for something to do, and also as you have an inclination to construct a temple somewhere in India, I would request you to consider if you can construct a temple at the birthplace of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. My disciple, Acyutananda, is already there in search after a suitable land for developing an American home for the Krishna Conscious devotees, and when you go to India, if you cooperate with him, it will be a grand success. He is alone there, and when you go you will be two, and maybe another two American disciples may go there so jointly you can develop a nice center for the foreign students who may go to visit the holy birthplace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I think if you can organize it nicely there, maybe some other Americans may come and contribute for a nice temple. So keep these things in your mind. It is a hint for your work in India, and you can think this scheme over conveniently. In the Montreal temple Jayapataka is in charge, and I hope you are also cooperating with him. It appears that things are going on nicely there. I am enclosing a letter for him, so you may kindly hand it over to him. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:20 | July 11, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Jayapataka, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated July 1, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am pleased to note that you are diligently going out on Sankirtana everyday, and you are managing the temple affairs nicely. You have requested that some brahmacaris may come out to help you in Montreal, but one problem is that the American boys cannot work in Montreal. This is one hindrance. I shall consult with Tamala Krishna to see if there are any boys available from the Los Angeles temple who may go there, but I do not think that these American boys will be able to hold jobs in Montreal. I am anxious to know what is the position of the French Back To Godhead. I received issue #3 several months ago, but since then there has been no further word about this very important publication. So please inform me what is the situation regarding French BTG. In Germany they are now printing a very beautiful German edition of BTG, and this is very, very pleasing to my Guru Maharaja because He wanted that peoples of all languages may understand this philosophy of Krishna Consciousness. Regarding further tapes of Vedanta Sutra, this has been suspended for the time being, but when I begin again I shall send the tapes to you. Recently we have finished our book, Nectar of Devotion, and now the book, Krishna, is in the process of being written. So when the project of Vedanta Sutra is again taken up I shall inform you. You have asked if it is true that the Spiritual Master remains in the material universe until all of His disciples are transferred to the Spiritual Sky. The answer is yes, this is the rule. Therefore, every student should be very much careful not to commit any offense which will be detrimental to this promotion to the Spiritual Kingdom, and thereby the Spiritual Master has to incarnate again to deliver him. This sort of mentality will be a kind of offense to the Spiritual Master. Out of the ten kinds of offenses, the number one offense is to disobey the orders of the Spiritual Master. The instructions given to the disciple by the Spiritual Master at the time of initiation should be strictly followed. That will make one advance to the spiritual path. But if one deliberately defies such instructions, then his advancement is hampered from the very beginning. This defying means to disconnect the relationship with the Spiritual Master. And anyone who defies and therefore disconnects the relationship with the Spiritual Master can hardly expect the assistance of the Spiritual Master life after life. I hope this will clear up this question sufficiently for you. Please convey my blessings to the others. I am very pleased that you are working so sincerely to maintain the Montreal temple. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:29 | July 11, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I hope now you are well. You can therefore begin painting nicely Krishna picture from Tape No. 13. Read the subject matter when it is typed & draw pictures accordingly as many as possible. ACB letters | 01:19 | 10 July 2005 Thursday, July 10, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Arundhati, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated July 7, 1969, and I have noted the contents. I know you are a very sincere devotee girl, and Krishna will bless you more and more because your qualifications are quite on the standard line. It is ordained in the Vedas that a person who has got implicit faith in Krishna and the Spiritual Master, to such person the real import of the Vedas is revealed. I see that you are chanting very nicely, you have good service attitude; so continue this attitude. You have a very nice husband also, so I shall be very glad if I see both of you advancing in Krishna Consciousness as you are doing it nicely at present. Maya is sometimes strong enough to put impediments on our progressive march. But if you stick to the principles of rules and regulations and chanting, keeping faith in Krishna and Spiritual Master, then Maya cannot touch you. At present your most important duty is to compose books with the help of your husband. I am very much anxious to see that you begin this work as soon as possible. You have written nothing about your training in working the composer machine. I hope this will meet you in good health. Please offer my blessings to your husband and the others. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:33 | July 10, 1969 Los Angeles Dear James Doody, Please accept my greetings. I thank you very much for your letter dated June 23, 1969, and I am pleased to note that you are anxious to see me as soon as possible. So far as human frailties are concerned, they can all be adjusted by dovetailing everything in Krishna Consciousness. Our Krishna is a great family Personality. Krishna is never a mendicant, and our ambition is to enter into Krishna's family and to associate with Him personally. In spiritual life also there are men and women. They are very beautiful and attractive, but they are all so much absorbed in thought of Krishna that in the spiritual world there is no sex life. That means that Krishna Consciousness is so sublime and happy that it surpasses the pleasure of sex life. In the material world, because there is no information of Krishna Consciousness, sex life is taken as the highest pleasurable situation. Anyway, in our philosophy we prohibit illicit sex life and not sex life itself. In Krishna Consciousness there are many illustrious householders. So to marry and to become an exemplary householder is the ideal life of Krishna Consciousness. If the girl who is willing to marry you becomes Krishna Conscious, and as I think you are already Krishna Conscious, it will be a nice combination, provided you live under bonafide guidance. I am very much pleased that you wish to live under my guidance, and if you actually follow, then I can nicely direct you, even in your married life. So far as my going to London is concerned, I can go immediately, provided I get my passage money. I have been invited to Germany also, and they are prepared to pay for this fare. I have postponed this journey till the end of the month. Most probably I shall be able to meet you in London some time in the month of August, and then you can decide whether to come here or not. Regarding your job at Krishna Lights, if you are getting a good income from this business, why should you stop it? Our philosophy is that we should earn honestly as much as possible and spend it for Krishna. I understand from Syamasundara. that you have agreed to help pay the rent on the newly occupied house there. So if you can actually do so, it will be a great service to the society and to Krishna. I therefore would advise you to continue with this business. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:32 | July 10, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Laksmimoni, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated July 5, 1969, sent along with your chanting beads and one letter from Sriman Jagadisa das Brahmacari. I have duly chanted upon your beads, and your initiated name is Laksmimoni Dasi. Laksmimoni is the Goddess of Fortune, and she is always to be found serving at Krishna's Lotus Feet. Although the Goddess of Fortune is very restless and does not like to stay in one place for very long time, she is always finding new wonderful things in serving Krishna's Lotus Feet so that she never thinks of leaving Him. This is actually the position of Krishna Consciousness that when we get some taste of rendering sublime loving service to the Lord, no more do we have any taste for any other engagements. So as initiated student you should chant 16 rounds on your beads daily, avoiding the ten kinds of offenses which Rupanuga will explain to you. You must follow the four regulative principles; namely no illicit sex life, no intoxication, no meat-eating, and no gambling. I am very pleased to note that you will be getting married to Jagadisa, and try to serve him by helping him develop in Krishna Consciousness throughout both of your lives. Married life in Krishna Consciousness is the perfection of married life because the basic principle is that the wife will help the husband so that he may pursue Krishna Consciousness, and similarly the husband will help the wife to advance in Krishna Consciousness. So in this way both husband and wife become happy and their lives are sublime. In Krishna Consciousness marriages there is no question of any separation or divorce. Any disagreement between husband and wife is not taken very seriously, as much as a disagreement between children is not taken very seriously. This is because the basic principle of married life in Krishna Consciousness is not whimsical lusts, but it is the eternal principle of rendering devotional service to Krishna. So I am enclosing* instructions for Rupanuga to perform this marriage ceremony, and both yourself and Jagadisa have my full blessings for long and happy life in Krishna Consciousness. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami *sent soon by separate post letters | 05:32 | July 10, 1969 Los Angeles My Dear Giriraja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to enclose herewith one letter I have received from your father which will speak for itself. From this letter it appears that you are a good scholar and there is very good background in your educational career. So if you wish to make progress further in your educational career, that will be a nice asset for our Krishna Consciousness Movement. You have a taste for psychology and divinity studies, and this is very nice. Of course, our Krishna Consciousness Movement is on the line of divinity, and we have got so many books about the science of divinity. Unfortunately these books are not yet on the university curriculum, but if you take your post-graduate studies in divinity by comparative study, then in the future we shall be able to present the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness in comparison to other theological presentations. Actually, we are teaching the science of God; we are teaching how to develop our dormant propensity to love God. Being parts and parcels of the Supreme, we have got an eternal affinity to love God. Unfortunately, by our contact with matter we have practically forgotten that we are eternally related with God. In our Krishna Consciousness philosophy there is no question of sectarian views. Krishna Consciousness is the post-graduate study of all religious conceptions of the world. I like the idea that you should make a thorough study of all theological schools, and in the future if you can explain our Krishna Consciousness Movement as the post-graduate presentation of all theological theses, then it will be a great accomplishment. You are a grown-up boy and intelligent also, so you make your position clear and do the needful. I hope this will find you well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:30 | |
|
|
