a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1969 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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9 September 2005 Tuesday, September 9, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Arundhati, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your most recent letter (undated), and I have noted the contents. I hope by this time your health has improved, and as you are doing such important work for Krishna, you must be careful to take proper care of your health. You are an intelligent girl, so conjointly with your husband, Pradyumna, you can determine what are the best measures to be taken in this connection. I understand that you have quickly learned how to operate the Composer machine, and I am anxious to learn how things are progressing in this connection. Have you begun yet to compose Nectar of Devotion? Several days ago more pages of this book were sent to you, up to page 233, and as you finish work on these pages, I shall be sending you more. Regarding your question, "What does Rama mean in Hare Rama? Is this Balarama or Lord Ramacandra?", you can take it both ways, because there is no difference between Ramacandra and Balarama. Generally it means Krishna, because Rama means enjoyer. So either Ramacandra, Balarama or Krishna are all Visnu Tattvas and are always enjoying. The sakti tattva, or jiva tattva is always enjoyed. Our position is always predominated. If we remain in that position and properly use our small independence, then we remain happily eternally. But artificially, if we want to be independent and imitate the Supreme Enjoyer, then it is delusion. Material life means trying to imitate the Enjoyer, and spiritual life means to remain in one's eternal position as enjoyed. This Hare Krishna Mantra is addressed to the energy of the Lord and the Lord Himself to keep the chanter in his eternal position of being enjoyed. The prayer is "My Lord, Oh the Spiritual Energy of the Lord, kindly keep me engaged in Your service." Regarding your other question, Krishna in His four-handed Visnu Form is within our hearts, but He is not different from two-handed Krishna. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:48 | September 9, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Bhurijana, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your letter of September 4th, 1969, sent along with the Bhakti-sastri examinations and a maintenance check of 15 dollars. I have noted down your new temple address, and please try as far as possible to make this a very successful center. If you can get permission from the authorities for chanting and collecting on the streets, that will be a great boon to your activities. Please try for this wholeheartedly. Yes, when the schools are opened you must utilize this facility for presenting to the students of North Carolina how important and what a nice thing this Krishna Consciousness Movement is. All three of you there; yourself, Tosana Krishna and Vrindaban Candra are all very sincere souls, so surely Krishna will help you in your efforts to serve Him. Actually the work we are doing is not our work; it is Krishna's. So when He sees that we are working in sincere service mood, He is pleased to crown our efforts to please Him with success. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:46 | September 9, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated September 6, 1969 and the new issue of BTG. I am pleased to learn that the house transaction is finished, and I shall be glad if you send a copy of the conveyance deed to the London address, where I am going the day after tomorrow. The purchasing transaction has been done on Janmastami Day, and this is also a great occasion. Regarding your anxieties how to pay the rent, etc., in the winter season, I think Krishna will provide with sufficient press work and some of the boys may work also. In this way we have to manage. Your remark that Advaita may have to do a lot of commercial work to help the temple during the winter is right. Whenever there is spare time we can earn money by outside work. We shall fully utilize the press facilities in various ways. My suggestion to meet the business men is to convince responsible men of your country to understand the importance of this Krishna Consciousness Movement and how we are molding the character of younger generation by giving them peaceful home, philosophy of life, artistic sense, musical entertainment, nutritious foods: and above all these, we are giving them spiritual enlightenment, which is never to be found elsewhere throughout the whole world. Every gentleman in your country is anxious about their children, and gradually if the richer section of the people or the government cooperates with us, we can expand this movement for total welfare of the younger generation. This calculation is only one side of the picture: The other side of the picture means the solution of the eternal problem. Even though people in general may not be able to understand it, the fact is there. So in winter season this propaganda may be done. Some very responsible man may be selected to preside over a meeting, either in the temple or in some rented private hall, if the meeting is to be very big. In this way we can try to invite the so-called important people of the society and try to convince them about the importance of this movement. Regarding the outlaws, why police protection is not there? Does it mean that in the United States if somebody is threatened, he will have no state protection and must submit to the atrocities of the outlaws? Our point should be that we shall take all necessary steps for self-protection, depending the result on Krishna. We should not idly sit down simply depending on Krishna. Arjuna had to fight in the battlefield, but at the same time he heard Bhagavad-gita. Our motto shall be like that. Neither we shall fight alone, without Krishna Consciousness, nor we shall give up all possible facilities in Krishna Consciousness. Regarding BTG no. 27, it is nicely done, but there is no mention of the words "Back To Godhead" on each page. Why this mistake has been done? Besides that, some of the headings, like "Parts and Parcels," are not very prominent, while at the same time there are many places where empty space is found. If some space is available, the heading should be broader. Henceforward, we shall try to avoid the Beatles or hippy's articles, because they have no spiritual importance. Yes, I have received the Vyasa Puja book in due time, and it is very nicely set up. Yes, the date was wrong, but it doesn't matter. It has come out timely: that is excellent. Regarding introduction to Isopanisad, please let me know the deadline for me to send it. Don't bother about the items I asked you to send with Hayagriva. I have instructed Hayagriva to work as co-editor with Satsvarupa, and he is now completely a surrendered soul. So conjointly make the appearance of BTG very nicely. The front cover page should be a nicely painted picture. You write that Jadurani is now painting wonderful pictures, so pictures by either Jadurani, Muralidhara or Devahuti should be given on the front page. The present front page picture is not very attractive as they were in last issues. A first class picture should always be given on the front page. I thank you very much for your appreciation of my book, Krishna, and you all enjoyed it on Janmastami Day. You write to say that each book I write is greater than anything written previously, but I must also inform you that each book you print is nicer than the previous printing. Two books, Bhagavad-gita As It Is and TLC, both are practically done by you, and the TLC has come out in printing art better than Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Similarly, I hope when you will print Nectar of Devotion and Krishna in our own press, it will come out better than TLC. So I will give you better writing and you will produce better books. In this way there will be competition in the service of Krishna. That is very nice. One the whole, I am very much pleased with the getup of TLC, and I hope in the future all our books may be printed at least to that standard. I am very much encouraged to learn that Jadurani is painting very nice pictures, and all of them can be utilized one after another to come out on the front page of BTG. Later on, when we print Krishna, they will come together. In issue No. 27, the marriage pictures have come out super-excellent. They will give nice teachings to the people of your country how we are harnessing the confused younger generations under the protection of Lord Visnu. Uddhava has also written a very good article, and I appreciate this very much. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:41 | September 9, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Subala, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your letter of September 2nd, 1969, sent along with a contribution of 100 dollars for my book fund. I am pleased to learn that Sridama and Rohini Devi are there with you in Philadelphia. Sridama is nicely trained for Sankirtana activities so he will be a great boon to your center. He is a very good boy, and I am always grateful to him for the nice personal service he rendered to me while I was in Los Angeles. On Vyasa Puja Day, the Vyasa Puja booklet was read aloud in the ceremony at the temple, and your article was very much appreciated by all. This Thursday I am going to London, so future correspondence may be addressed to me there. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I shall be glad to hear from Sridama also. letters | 04:39 | September 9, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Gopala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your letter of 3rd September, 1969 with check for 55 dollars enclosed, and just today I have received your nice gift package of sweater, scarf, socks and incense. They are all very nice and I much appreciate your kind thoughts of me in this connection. On Vyasa Puja Day your article in the Vyasa Puja booklet was read aloud and everyone present thought it is very nice. This Thursday I am proceeding to London temple, and most probably I shall return to the USA by November. Perhaps we shall meet again at that time. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:38 | 8 September 2005 September 8, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Gargamuni, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated August 27th and 29th, 1969 and September 3rd 1969. Regarding Brahmananda's letter, I have asked him not to open Spiritual Sky business on the Eastern Coast, and a copy of the letter is enclosed herewith for your reference. I thank you very much for the contribution you have made of 300 dollars to my book fund, and the Sankirtana table is also very encouraging. Regarding the order of 12 mrdangas that you have suggested I discontinue, I have already done this, and the letter to Indo Crafter is enclosed herewith in carbon copy along with a copy of the invoice. Regarding United Shipping Corporation's shipment of Srimad-Bhagavatam, I have advised the bank in Vrindaban, and it will be all right. So far as one half of this shipment going to Los Angeles, I will speak to Brahmananda about this. But one thing is you must stop this fighting between brothers. Otherwise the whole program will be spoiled. Yourself, Tamala Krishna, Brahmananda, Satsvarupa--you should do everything combinedly. That is my request. Gradually, by Krishna's Grace, we are expanding. So if amongst ourselves there is friction, it will be very dangerous. So after my return to the States I shall make it more firm so there may not be any dissension. But you should be careful also. Regarding the Rs. 1,862.40 being equal to 250 dollars instead of 400 dollars, your money is safe. Don't worry. The balance will be used for importing goods here. It will not remain in India. I hope this will meet you in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I am going to London on the 11th September. letters | 06:38 | September 8, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Tamala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letters dated August 27th and 29th, 1969 and September 3rd, 1969. I am very much concerned why ____ is not complying to the principles of the temple. The first thing is that nobody should enter my room for any other purpose except cleansing. Nobody can stay there or sleep there or anything. If she wants to worship Krishna in her own way, she must find an apartment outside the temple. She does not belong to the Vaisnava principles, therefore we cannot approve her Deity worship within the temple. Her example may be followed by others, therefore it must be stopped immediately. Regarding the house, it is not possible for us to pay such sums: it is untouchable. But if they are prepared to sell the house at 250,000 dollars when complete and finished, and accept 10% down payment, then we can consider to touch it. Regarding the Sanskrit dictionary, keep it there carefully. It is important. Regarding the information you sent from the Bank of America Calcutta, I am little busy now because I am starting for London this Thursday. I shall have to scrutinizingly see what they propose. I shall reply this from London. In the meantime, as you are getting goods from Delhi, there is no worry. This Bank of America in Calcutta will be needed when we begin business with Calcutta. There is no immediate hurry. I shall think it over and let you know from London. I am very pleased that Berkeley has just secured a nice temple, and the rent is also not very much. It is good news. You write that you are introducing our books in a new bookstore, and similarly try to introduce this valuable literature in many such bookstores in the Los Angeles area. I think you may introduce the ceremony of strolling the Deities round about the temple. If not every evening, then it can be done at least one day per week at a fixed up time. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PS: I am very much anxious to know what is happening to the Tokyo center plans. letters | 03:35 | 7 September 2005 Sunday, September 7, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Advaita, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your letter dated September 3rd 1969 and your Vyasa Puja gift of 50 dollars. On Vyasa Puja day we had a very nice ceremony in the temple where the Vyasa Puja booklet was read aloud by Hayagriva, who is travelling with me during this European tour. On the morning of the same day there was an initiation ceremony held and two German brahmacaris, one English brahmacari and one German householder couple was initiated into this Krishna Consciousness Movement. This Thursday morning we shall be going to London, and they have arranged nice living quarters on the estate of John Lennon. After our business in London is finished, most probably I shall be returning to the USA via either New York or Boston. I hope that everything is coming along nicely in setting up the press in Boston, and please keep me informed as to your progress in this connection. Please convey my blessings to your good wife, Balai, and your daughter, Nandini. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PS: I have also received one check from Vaikunthanatha, so please offer to him my thanks in this connection. letters | 07:22 | September 7, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Uddhava, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated September 2nd, 1969 along with your check for 50 dollars and the velvet covering for my Bhagavad-gita As It Is, so nicely made. Now you are happy with your wife, Lilasukha, and that is also very pleasing to me. Most of my disciples who are preaching are married couples. As such, I hope both you and your wife will continue to help me substantially in the Krishna Consciousness Movement, and Krishna will bless you more and more. Thanking you once more for your letter. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:21 | September 7, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Jagadisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you so much for your letter (undated) and your contribution of 150 dollars to my book fund. I also take the opportunity now to thank you for the nice poem you submitted and which was printed in the Vyasa Puja booklet. I am pleased to learn that you have gone with your wife, Laksmimoni, to Detroit, and you are now working conjointly with Bhagavan das and Krishna Bhamini. You are both very nice householder couples, so work together in cooperative spirit, following the example you have seen in our other Krishna Consciousness centers. I can understand that Krishna is giving you encouragement to increase the strength of Detroit center because you write to say that there is a big article to be printed in the largest Detroit paper and you have already arranged for two university courses. This is very encouraging news, and please forward a copy of the article to me when it is printed. You should try now to obtain permission for chanting on the streets. This will greatly enhance your activities there in every respect. Sankirtana is our very life and soul, so try to take permission from the authorities as soon as possible. I understand that you are a very sincere soul, and surely Krishna will show His favor upon you. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PS: I have received the Janmastami Day examinations from your center but there were no fees enclosed. I assume they are coming by separate post. letters | 05:19 | September 7, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Madhudvisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your letter (undated) and the enclosed check for 100 dollars for my book fund. Also I very much appreciated the poem that you have written for Vyasa Puja Ceremony, and because it was too late for being published in the Vyasa Puja booklet, I have handed it over to Hayagriva for publication in BTG. This poem was especially nice and I thank you for it. I am always encouraged to learn of your activities in the San Francisco temple, and I think that by the Grace of Caitanya Mahaprabhu you shall do very great service to His Sankirtana Movement. For so many countless lifetimes the conditioned souls have been giving all of their service and energy to the service of Maya, and I am requesting all of my disciples that for this one lifetime you give all of your energy and service to Krishna. The spiritual force is eternal, so to give simply one lifetime to Krishna is not a very difficult thing. And yet if we are serious in executing the devotional principles, this one lifetime of service to Krishna will absolute and final solution to all the problems of life. Sincere devotional service in even one lifetime is sufficient to make one eligible to return to the Vaikuntha world permanently. Krishna Consciousness has got this power. So stick to this path as you are now doing, and as your sincerity and determination increase more and more, Krishna will surely be pleased to bestow all of His blessings upon you. This Thursday morning I will be going to London, and most probably by the beginning of November I will have returned to the USA. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:15 | September 7, 1969 Hamburg Manager The Punjab National Bank Vrindaban, Mathura U.P. INDIA Dear Sir, REF: Your letter dated 25th August 1969, addressed to Messrs. United Shipping Corporation (14.2 Old China Bazar Street--Room No. 18, Calcutta) in the matter of shipment of 8 cases Srimad-Bhagavatam, account Sri A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, to New York per S.S. Jalakala. With reference to the above, I beg to inform you that the value of the invoice has been increased from Rs. 3,252.60 to Rs. 4,096.00 on account of some mistake in calculation. I am now on touring, therefore I cannot send you immediately the amended invoice. But you can accept it from me and do the needful. So for sending the documents direct to New York, you can take it from me that it is in order. The charges for sending the documents may be debited from my account. Further in connection with the Deity supply by Ram Natha Murtivala, I did not hear anything from him. Kindly reply to this letter. You can sent me a note informing me what is the situation about this advance. On Thursday morning I am going to London, and my address will be as follows: INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, 7 Bury Place, WC 1, London England. Kindly reply to this letter and oblige. Sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS.pdb letters | 02:14 | 6 September 2005 September 6, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Raktaka, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of September 1st, 1969, and I have noted the contents. For the time being there is no need of going to India. The first thing is that you do not know the Indian language. If you want to be really helpful to the society, at least for the time being you should remain in a place to take training to assist our society's work. I do not know what is the disadvantage for you in Montreal. If you feel some disadvantage, then come to Boston or Los Angeles for some time. In the meantime I am corresponding with Acyutananda in India. If he actually requires some assistance, I shall advise you later on. If you have got money, keep it carefully as it may be required later. Regarding the two books you have mentioned, Sri Ramacharitamanasa by Goswami Tulasi das is not very authorized, and Ramayana is authorized. One thing is though, you have got enough other books to study. Did you appear in the examination held on Janmastami Day? Why should you go to Ramayana when you have got Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Teachings of Lord Caitanya? Don't divert your attention in that way. The author of Ramacharitamanasa, Goswami Tulasi das, has a tint of Mayavadi philosophy. He belongs to the Ramananda Sampradaya. They are mixed up combination of personalist and impersonalist. Therefore, the author is not considered as pure Vaisnava. Pure Vaisnava is free from all material contamination of fruitive activities and mental speculation. The pure Vaisnava is simply, purely disposed to transcendental loving service to Krishna. The pure Vaisnava rejects anything which has no pure idea of serving the Personality of Godhead. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:53 | 5 September 2005 Friday, September 5, 1969 Hamburg Dear Dr. Syama Sundardas Brahmacari, Please accept my humble obeisances. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 22nd August 1969, addressed to New Vrindaban center and redirected here in West Germany. At the present moment I am preaching here in our German center, and next week I am going to our London center. If you reply me, you can do so at the following address: ISKCON, 7 Bury Place, WC1, London England. Regarding your remittance in connection with True Conception of Religion, I have already advised the New York center to send you some money. I understand that you will remain at Jagannatha Puri for some time, so if you like to supply us some goods from there, you can make some profit out of it. If you kindly send me quotations for the following goods, I would appreciate it very much: 1) Jagannatha Deity set--Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra of all different sizes. 2) Silverwares made in Cuttack 3) brass utensils like jhanj, karatalas, and worshipping materials, 4) conchshells, and 5) saris made in Orissa and adjoining places. If you like to purchase these goods on our behalf, then I shall send you money, and if you desire, you can add some percentage for your profit on the purchase price. In this way, if you pack up these goods nicely and send to the nearest port for dispatching, then you can do very good business and make some profit. So I hope you will give me some price quotations immediately for the above things and let me know if you are interested in doing this business. Regarding Gaudiya Mission, I am enclosing herewith a copy of the letter addressed to the Secretary Official. You will understand the whole situation. I am prepared to cooperate with the Gaudiya Mission wholeheartedly. I am prepared also to be amalgamated, and they have invited me to go to India to talk frankly, face to face. But unless we have come to some definite understanding, how I can risk the journey which will involve more or less Rs. 25,000? But I am sure if Gaudiya Mission and I combine together, it will be very nice thing to preach the cult of Lord Caitanya all over the world. I can reorganize all the branches of the Gaudiya Math in India, and if there is any financial question, it will be not difficult for our society to help in that way also. So if you can negotiate about our amalgamation on a cooperative basis, it will be great service to Srila Prabhupada. I have not as yet received any reply to the enclosed letter. PAGE MISSING letters | 17:46 | September 5, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I understand that you want to open another branch of Spiritual Sky in Boston, but Gargamuni has written to me that he does not like the idea. I think we should not do anything which may be business competition between centers. Business is in one sense very dangerous allurement of Maya. If they are doing it nicely on the West Coast and supply the necessities of the East Coast, there may not be another competitive organization. Then this example will be followed, and some other center may like to open another branch. I am just trying to hand over the whole management in the hands of my devotees, but if there is some disagreement in the management, then the whole thing may not go well. I think therefore, unless you all agree to open another branch in the East Coast, it should not be done. You have got enough business in the East Coast, especially in the books and the press matter. I do not think you should divert your attention in any other matter. Yesterday we held Vyasa Puja Ceremony, and it was very nice. I shall take the opportunity now to thank you for the nice booklet you have had printed and for the part in this booklet written by you. After all of the reading was finished, I explained how service and prayers are accepted by Krishna through the medium of the disciplic succession. It is something like electricity: if one is in touch with his Spiritual Master, and his Spiritual Master is in touch with his bonafide Spiritual Master, then in this way an offering is automatically transferred to Krishna. Just as the Mercy of Krishna is coming down through the disciplic succession, so the service of the devotee is offered up to Krishna through the disciplic succession. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Enclosed herewith please find the picture of the altar which should be followed everywhere. letters | 06:44 | September 5, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. Now it is decided that I shall be starting on the 11th of September, Thursday, by flight 234, Lufthansa Airlines, starting at 12:15 Hamburg time, and reaching London at 13:40. So you can make the necessary arrangements. If you have any further information for me, you can send me a letter immediately or talk with me. Yesterday Vyasa Puja was held in the temple, and your tape of Cintamani was played. It was very nice. Please offer my blessings to the others, I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:42 | September 5, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated September 2nd, 1969, and I have noted the contents. Yesterday, the writings by you and Himavati were very much appreciated. I understand Krishna has given you very good opportunity for service in Berkeley. You both together apply your full energy in organizing this center. It has very good potency, and I am very glad to learn that you have got a nice house also and the rent is also not very high. But unfortunately you have only one year's lease, so how you can install a lifesize Deity there? Therefore, for the time being to install a lifesize Deity may not be feasible; but if you can pay 250 dollars, I will get for you from India 24" high brass Radha-Krishna Deities, one pair, for installing in Berkeley. In the mean time, I may remind you to fix up the altar exactly like Los Angeles. You have seen it personally, and I am also enclosing herewith a picture of the Los Angeles altar. I wish that this design of the altar should be followed by everyone. This Los Angeles altar has been erected under my supervision, especially the Radha-Krishna throne, and I would very much like to follow this idea everywhere. Get for your temple nice devotees and monetary help. I hope you will stick to this center organizing, husband and wife, and in the very near future it will be as good as our Los Angeles temple. Regarding your question about rasa with the Spiritual Master, I do not know who is the someone who has said this, but it is a most unauthorized statement. Better you should stick to hearing from authorized persons, like your Spiritual Master or experienced Godbrothers. But never try to hear someone who is not in our line. It is simply a waste of time to hear and then again have to rectify the mistake. Regarding your question about my never returning to Spiritual Sky, that is possible simultaneously. So far as the quotation from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura you have cited, that is quite all right. In this age, chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra is the prime business of the devotee, and preaching of this Hare Krishna Mantra by outdoor Sankirtana and propagation of literature is our more important business. Side by side, Deity worship is recommended, but when there is a question of accepting one of them, we shall prefer to accept chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra first. Please convey my blessings to Himavati and the others who are helping you. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:39 | 4 September 2005 September 4, 1969 Los Angeles FIRST YEAR BHAKTISASTRI EXAMINATION September 4th, 1969 time: 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon Janmastami Ceremony Answer any ten of the following questions with reference to the context of scriptures like Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Brahma Samhita and Isopanisad. The full mark for each question is 100. 1. Who is Krsna? 2. What is your relationship with Krsna? 3. What are you expected to do with your relationship to Krsna? 4. What is the aim of Krsna Consciousness? 5. What do you mean by religion? 6. Is Krsna Consciousness a type of religion or religious faith? 7. How do you distinguish between religion and faith? 8. Can religion or faith be changed from one type to another? 9. How do you distinguish between changeable and eternal religion? 10. What are the different types of religious faiths? 11. Can religion be manufactured by philosophical speculation? Who created religion first? 12. What is the greatest common engagement of religious men? 13. Do you believe that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead? 14. If you believe, how do you substantiate? If not, what is your reason? 15. What is Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan? NB: Answer papers with some contribution to my book fund may be submitted to me. I shall personally examine the papers, and those who will pass will be sent a certificate of Bhaktisastri in due course. The minimum passing mark is 300 out of 1,000. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:00 | September 4, 1969 Hamburg My Dear Satsvarupa and Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated August 31st, 1969, as well as the telegram dated September 4th. By the telegram, I understand that by Krishna's Grace it appears to be settled up, and you can continue your proceeding, chanting always Hare Krishna. He will always give us protection. I am very anxious to know about Uddhava's condition of health. May Krishna protect you all. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Police must give us special protection on account of threatening. letters | 04:59 | |
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