a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1972 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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26 May 2007 Friday, 26 May, 1972 Los Angeles Sri B.V. Puri Maharaj President, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mission Aryapuram, Rajahmundry 1 P.O. S. India My Dear Reverend Puri Maharaji, Please accept my humble obeisances. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter from Rajahmundry dated May 19th, 1972. It is a good idea that you are proposing. The two claimants of proprietorship and the tenants should be given some money and they will go away. So I am advising my Bombay center to send you Rs. 1000/=. So now you do the needful, I am completely trusting in you in this matter. I am very glad that you are in contact with the chief minister of Orissa, Mr. Dass, he must have full knowledge of our world wide activities. Jagannatha Puri is one of the main headquarters of the Vaisnavas, so if the outsiders have trouble in entering Jagannatha Temple it will be a great scandal, so the government must be liberal on this point and co-operate, as we are trying to interest so many foreigners and tourists to come there. And if they co-operate we shall build a very nice center there. At least the government must agree to admit anyone who is certified by ISKCON. I know that they admit foreigners into the temple who are certified by some mayavadi sannyasis living there. So why not they shall allow anyone who is certified by me or the society? You know how strictly we are following the principles of Vaisnava way of life. So kindly try to persuade the government officials on this point and it will be a very great service to Srila Prabhupada’s cause. Bhaktivinode Thakur and Srila Prabhupada wanted that American and European Vaisnavas should come to India and join with dancing our Vaisnavas there, but if they have got some difficulty to enter into the temple it will be against the desire of Bhaktivinode Thakur and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati. So I am sure that Mr. Dass, the chief minister, is a very nice gentleman, I know him personally. So while he is in the office he must rectify this anomaly and situate himself in the history for doing such nice service for Lord Chaitanya’s mission. I expect to hear from you soon regarding these matters and I shall look forward very much for your letter. Hoping this meets in you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: bhaktisiddhanta, Bhaktivinode, Gaudiya Math letters | 18:51 |26 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Guru das, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 17th, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. You have gone to Kanpur and met with the Singhania family and you have had some very cordial dealings with him, so in this way, if you canvass him very sincerely and gently he can alone build our Vrndavana temple, and we shall build the residential quarters. So you maintain this close relationship with Sri Singhania and gradually try to convince him of our activities around the world. This is a new thing that Americans and Europeans will come to Vrndavana for spiritual progress, so he and other rich men of India should do their duty to these outsiders by providing them with the nice facilities for advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Regarding Devananda Maharaja, yes, he is very sincere devotee, but one thing is, he can be molded by any tricky man, so give him all encouragement to preach there in Vrndavana and he will gradually build up his defense against being easily misled. So far your question regarding women, I have always accepted the service of women without any discrimination, so I have no objection if Yamuna devi contributes her ideas on this construction project. Nothing should be done without group consultation. Our work in Vrindaban and elsewhere should be encouraged by good consultation. One thing is, kindly arrange for the tube well as quickly as possible, there must be sufficient water supply installed immediately. This is very important item. In Delhi my books were printed by one Mr. Kanshiram and his son Omkar at the New O.K. Press in Churiwalla, Delhi. So you may approach them and as soon as they hear about my books they will print them very cheaply. Enclosed find the carbon copy of one letter to Sriman Omkar and also one letter to Mr. Isho Kumar Puri of Atmaram & Son Book Publishers, so kindly note their contents carefully. I am now interested to print our books in India and distribute them very widely. So our Ksirodakasayi is finding difficulty by himself, so they are thinking to form one committee. of Ksirodakasayi, Ramananda and Niranjana, yourself and others, and I want that all of you conjointly chalk out some plan for translating, composing, laying out and printing our books in Hindi language and also in English language and distributing them very profusely. I have received one letter from Kenneth Keating, American Ambassador to India, and it is a very important document. But I have still not heard from you anything about the food contribution by your government, so I shall be anxiously awaiting news of same. But the comments by Mr. Keating are very nice, he offers us his admiration and his blessings for our selfless work, and that is a very great compliment coming from such an important man. So you are the best diplomat, you know how to mix with such big men and they are always giving you their blessings, so I am very much pleased that you are the best man for this work. Kindly continue our good relations with Mr. Keating, and I shall be be very glad to see him again when I come there in the near future. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: life members, printing, Vrindavan, wife letters | 16:11 |26 May, 1972 Los Angeles Sriman Omkar New O.K. Press Churiwalla, Delhi-6, INDIA My Dear Omkar, Please accept my blessings, and offer my greetings to your good father Kanshiram. I heard that you were married during my absence, although I had been in Delhi there was not a chance to see you and your father. But I am remembering always you and your father, that you so selflessly aided me in my preparation for coming to the western countries and distributing the great gift of Srimad-Bhagavatam to the western society. Now I want to print some of my books in Hindi and English there in India. The size of the books is about 9-1/2 inches x 6-1/2 inches on the average. So kindly let me know the composition and printing prices per page for such booklets and then we shall send you the matter and do the needful. We have got already our office in Vrndavana and my representative from Vrndavana, Gurudasa Adhikari, my American disciple, whenever he goes to Delhi I will ask him to see you. Hoping this meets you and your wonderful family in the best of health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda letters | 16:11 | 26 May, 1972 Los Angeles Sriman Isho Kumar Puri c/o Atmaram & Sons, Book Publishers Kashmiri Gate, Delhi-6, INDIA My Dear Isho Kumar, Please accept my blessings and offer my respects for your father Mr. Puri. Since I saw you and your father in Delhi in November, 1971, I did not see you any more. Now we are thinking of publishing our books in India, both in Hindi and English languages. So I shall be very glad if you are interested in publishing my books. Here In America, Europe, Canada, et cetera, we are selling our books in huge quantities. At the present moment we are publishing our books in Japan, because in India there is no high class printing. But now just to supply cheap books in India, I want to publish there, so I shall be glad to know if you are interested in publishing both our Hindi and English literatures. On hearing from you I shall send my representative, Sriman Gurudasa Adhikari, whose address is c/o Radha Damodara Mandir, Seva Kunj, Vrndavana, U.P. Now you kindly consult with your father and if you are serious to take up the matter, then I will send you the matter for your immediate attention. If you are interested to publish my works that will be very much suitable to me and profitable for both of us, But if that is not possible, you please introduce us to one nice press and we can print on our own account, and you can be the selling agent. In both ways I am very much anxious to revive the old connection. Now our society is well known both in India and around the world and in India we have got our headquarters in Bombay, Vrndavana, Calcutta, Mayapur and very soon we shall have our center in Delhi also. Besides that we are exporting our Hindi books especially to Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong and other places where there are Hindu communities in the world. So if you get opportunity to see any of our places either in India or we have got over 100 centers in other parts of the world, I cordially invite you to stay with us and see how the things are going on. Meanwhile, I hope this letter meets you and your good family in the very best of health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda letters | 16:10 | 26 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Niranjana, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 18th, 1972, and have noted the contents carefully. Regarding Hindi literatures, I am very much encouraged that yourself along with Ramananda and Ksirodakasayi Prabhus are anxious to do some solid work. You form a committee along with Guru das, Giriraja and Bhavananda and altogether you work cooperatively both to publish and to distribute our Hindi literatures very widely throughout India. A committee must be also organized for distributing the books and magazines, otherwise what is the use of publishing? First make certain that our distribution is very nice organized. So after your exams you may plunge into this task whole-heartedly and try to enlist the help of all the others and make the project come out very successfully. Form the committee and whatever is needed, you do it. It doesn't matter if the Hindi translation is perfectly the same length as the English original, translate any issue of BTG or any book and send the manuscript after composing to Japan for printing, that is the best plan. For our English BTG's they have got the original photographs and negatives in Japan, so if you translate some issue of English BTG you can send there for printing and the cost will be cheaper because they have already got the photos, etc. In Benares there are many presses and they supply very cheaply. So you take quotations from Benares and find out the lowest quotation for soft binding, first-class paper, and printing in the size of our present Bhagavatam booklets, Easy Journey To Other Planets, like that. In Delhi and Mathura also there is very good facility for Hindi printing. So in this way cooperate with the others to find out either some printer there in India who will print our books in good quality and also very cheaply, or translate and compose the work there and send to Japan. Either way the work must go on and increasingly our literatures should be profusely distributed in India. Kindly report to me your progress in this respect after your examinations are finished. Meanwhile I hope this will find you in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: India, printing, publishing, translating, Varanasi letters | 16:10 |26 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Sudama, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 23, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding Trivikrama Maharaja I have informed Madhudvisa Swami, who is the new GBC secretary in Australia and South Pacific zone, to write to Trivikrama and engage him for preaching work in that zone. But if there is difficulty for the temple in general to raise the money for his fare, then let Madhudvisa Swami supply his fare for going to help him in that zone. And any money that Trivikrama has collected he can turn over to you for getting that new temple in Tokyo city center. That is a good idea, to invite many Indians and other influential Japanese men to visit our country asrama in Tokyo. There are many Indians in Tokyo and if you canvass them one by one gradually all of them will become our life members and support our activities for expanding widely in Japan. If we have got solid financial base there from the Hindu community, then we can go to all parts of Japan and open up centers and distribute our literature in Japanese language. So, try for this and I am fully convinced that you are all very sincere boys there and that your work will come out very very successful. Hoping this meets you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda letters | 16:09 | 26 May, 1972 Los Angeles Dear Ksirodakasayi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt your letter dated May 18th, 1972 and I have noted the contents very carefully. There is no difficulty to send all of the vouchers and receipts for materials to Bombay, so I want that you shall send all of them, never mind their amount. Why it shall take so long to have one tube well made there? We must have water. Or erect a tank, just like in front of Vrndavana station. Water supply must be there sufficient. I do not think it will take very much time to dig one tube well, in Mayapur they have dug two tube wells very quickly. Some way or other before the rainy season begins all bricks must be purchased so they will be able to soak in the rainwater, just as in Mayapur. So we have made friends with the Singhanias. Padmapat Singhania can alone construct the temple. He is a Vaisnava devotee of Lord Krishna and he wanted to construct one temple in New York but the government did not allow exchange. Guru dasa can go to see him and ask him to construct one temple on our behalf. He can tell him that he wanted to help us in New York, and in this way, very mildly, if he is canvassed he alone can construct the temple and we shall construct the residential portion. So far the temple design is concerned, in cooperation with these two gentlemen architects we can build in Vrndavana on a very grand scale. It is a new thing that American and European Vaisnavas will come to Vrndavana, so it is the duty of rich men like Singhania to construct something very nice for the foreigners so they will come and see. And if he is impressed with our kirtana then it will be very easy to convince him and many other rich men. In Kanpur also we can hold Hare Krishna festival. There is a big open field, it is called Parade. There is a big park, Mall Road, so any of these places a Hare Krishna festival can be held like Calcutta. Regarding Hindi BTG, I have received one letter from Niranjana Prabhu in Benares and he is proposing to form a committee. of yourself, Ramananda and himself, plus Guru das and others, for streamlining the Hindi BTG and book publication department. So you may correspond with him on this point. Also, there are some Hindi translators here in Los Angeles who are willing to send you regularly articles for Back To Godhead, so you may open correspondence with them also. They are named Vinode and Niranjana, husband and wife, and you may address them in care of Los Angeles temple. One thing, it is not good if we engage any professional translators, our own men must do the work. As soon as you receive payment for BTG's you may deposit immediately in the book fund account in Bombay and acknowledge to me. ISKCON Book Fund a/c is in Central Bank Gowalia Tank Branch, Bombay. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Bombay, building, festivals, translating, Vrindavan letters | 16:08 |26 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Madhudvisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter from Sydney dated May 16, 1972, and I have noted the contents with great encouragement. Your plan for traveling in Australia and New Zealand is very good. Sydney is naturally the center for that zone and if you have constantly traveling sankirtana parties roving in Australia and New Zealand, that will be first class proposal. Your letter to Tusta Krsna is very nice and just to the point. I had just written to Amogha in this connection. I had told him that purchasing another press in Melbourne was not very much required at the present moment. So if you think New Zealand can be fully reliant upon Sydney for printing work and that Sydney temple can become very responsible in this matter, then they should not purchase any press. New Zealand is first class dairy and farming country in the world, so if you can establish some nice asrama there for raising and protecting cows, that will be a great service. I had written you one letter to Bombay requesting that you shall be the GBC man for the South Pacific, South West Asia, and Australia-New Zealand zone. It was the idea of Karandhara, and Syamasundara. and the others to redivide the world into twelve zones and reappoint new GBC members to fill those positions. So we have been meeting for the past several days, and we have decided that you will be the best man to manage Australia, New Zealand, and all of the South West Asia zone, including Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, etc. Now I want that my GBC representatives shall travel extensively throughout their zone, without stopping in any one place for very long. Their job will be to see how things are going on, that the spiritual standard is maintained very high, to give encouragement to the devotees, like that. So you organize one traveling party and yourself lead them and go all over that zone, opening new centers wherever possible. Trivikrama has written me one letter and he is requesting to change from Japan. So if you like he can come to Manila or Sydney or wherever you prefer. He is awaiting your instructions in Tokyo. I can understand that you have become very much enthusiastic by shifting to Australia and this enthusiasm is very much desirable by Krsna. Do not become ever depressed. But go on spreading this enthusiastic quality throughout that part of the world and this will be a very very great service. I have seen myself that there is a very good potential in Australia and New Zealand and other places in that part of the world, so you just apply your experience and your advanced knowledge and enthusiasm and this will please my very much. Thank you for helping me in this way. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: GBC, New Zealand, printing, Sydney letters | 16:07 |26 May, 1972 Los Angeles To the Manager Sparkasse 2 Hamburg 19, Eimsbuttleler Ch. 57 West Germany Dear Sir: I have got my account in your Hamburg Branch, and the number is 114/332 647. As of 10-9-69 there were 5 DM. only. I am herewith authorizing one of my students, Mr. Stefan Delhaes to deposit any amount in the above account. He will be coming to your bank shortly for making a deposit and you may compare his signature with that which I am enclosing herewith. Kindly do the needful and oblige. Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: bank letters | 16:06 |25 May 2007 Thursday, 25 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Jayarge and Lindon Lomese, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 22nd, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very much pleased that you have joined with us and that you are following all the regulative principles of Krishna Consciousness spiritual life. Upon receiving written recommendation by the president of our Seattle center, I shall be very glad to accept you as my duly initiated disciples. So far your description of events in the Seattle temple, I have informed Makhanlal what is your opinion, so do not worry. I am going to Portland on 8 June and I understand that the devotees from Seattle are coming down there to meet me so you may also come at that time. One thing, we can never expect to find any kind of utopia, even in the spiritual world. Where ever there are persons there are bound to be differences, so we should not expect any kind of perfect arrangement, especially here in the material world. Even sometimes amongst the gopis there is envy, but that enviousness is transcendental and should not be accepted in the mundane sense. Anyway one quality of a devotee is that he is always very much tolerant of other people, so I request you simply to tolerate the faults of others and always think that I am myself the most faulty. In this way your humble attitude will qualify you to advance very quickly in Krishna Consciousness. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: disagreement, initiation, Seattle, utopia letters | 16:06 |24 May 2007 Wednesday, 24 May, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Giriraja, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated May 9, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. Actually it is the duty of the spiritual master to find fault with his students so that they may make progress, not that he should always be praising them. So if you find some criticism, kindly accept it in that spirit. I am only interested in that you along with all my other students should become Krishna Conscious. Now we shall only want good devotees to live with us on that land. Not that we shall form a cooperative housing society and whoever pays us money, we shall accept them to live with us. If they live with us and do not follow our principles we can not take them to court. So we must be very careful from the beginning to select only qualified devotees of Krishna or Vaisnava families to live with us, just like Indira devi and her family. So you may create the building society but there should be an explicit understanding that only those who agree to follow the rules and regulations will be allowed to live with us. So begin collecting in this way from devotee families in Bombay, and when I shall come there in Autumn we shall see how the things are going. I am glad to see that all of the other programs are going on nicely, especially that the deities are being cared for again properly. Now you give our ladies full facilities and help them by giving them money and other things wherever required by them so that our deity program will not be lacking. I am especially also engladdened by your report of book distribution there in Bombay. You can distribute our men there to other centers--to Gurudasa and Bhavananda--if they shall require our help. Yes, we can become self-supporting in this way by distributing our books in Bombay and in India in general. I shall be interested to hear the result of your experiment whether to lower the prices on books. So far the temples in India are concerned, the independent and self supporting method does not apply in India. In India Bombay is the headquarters and all other centers shall send their funds for centralizing in Bombay. In return you shall supply everyone with enough books and you shall pay construction bills as required by them. I had asked you in one letter previous if you are interested in accepting the GBC post for India and central Asia. I have not yet heard from you in this connection but I shall be glad to hear your opinion. Yes, that is good proposal about Hindi translating. Ksirodakasayi has written to me that he is unable to translate, layout and compose everything himself there in Vrindaban. So if he is able somehow or other to get the things translated there in Vrindaban let him send the matter to you in Bombay for composing and layout. In addition there is one man and his wife here in Los Angeles who will be also translating in Hindi language under my direction. They will also send their manuscripts to you for composing and laying out, or if it is better we may do the composing and layout in Los Angeles. Kindly consult with Ksirodakasayi in this regard. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Please send Rs. 1000.00 one thousand only to Puri Maharaja at Rajamundry as advised to Mahamsa. ACBS ACB/sda Labels: Bombay, GBC, life members, management, spiritual master letters | 16:05 |23 May 2007 Tuesday, 23 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Friends, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 9, 1972 and I have noted the contents. Actually outside of our bona fide Krishna Consciousness centers, there is no possibility of finding out what Krishna does or does not want. We say "We feel that Krishna wills this for us." But I feel Krishna does not. So whose feelings will be all right? You say that you are following the regulative principles, so if you are following the regulative principles, why you will not cooperate? If by following the regulative principles you do not become devotees, and you can not appreciate other devotees, then what is the use of these regulative principles? If you are actually chanting regularly 16 rounds, holding sankirtana daily, reading our books as much as possible, like that, then I think you will feel that such program of living separately, away from our Krishna consciousness program is a great mistake. So my only request is that you immediately return either to the Cleveland temple or to some other temple. You may correspond with Bhagavan das at the Detroit center, 8311 E. Jefferson St., Detroit 48214, in this connection. He is the GBC zonal secretary for that zone of the mid-west, so you may address your questions and inquiries to him. I am very much encouraged that you are all chanting Hare Krishna and trying to become Krishna Conscious. But I do not advise that you approach the matter of perfecting your life in this independent way. Unless there is connection with a bona fide spiritual master, coming in the line of disciplic succession, there is no possibility of making progress in spiritual life. So I have established ISKCON centers for the purpose of catching up the Lotus Feet of Krishna by intimate connection with the spiritual master. These are my authorized centers for that purpose. You say that whatever I instruct you you will carry out, so again my instruction is that you abandon this independent scheme and join your good god-brothers and sisters at some one of our ISKCON centers. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Detroit, disagreement, spiritual master letters | 15:38 |23 May, 1972 Los Angeles Mr. B.D. Joshi 608 Hagen Blvd. El Cerrito, California 94520 My dear B. D. Joshi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 18, 1972 and I thank you very much for your cordially welcoming me back to Los Angeles. Your letter is very nice and you have praised me very highly so again I thank you you very much. Your son came to see me the other day so if you have time you may also come to see me by making an appointment* with my secretary and I shall be very glad to welcome you here along with your family members. I have decided not to give Jayananda das the sannyasa order of life at this time, let him wait. I shall be going to Mexico city around June 1st for a few days so if you come here you may come either before that time or after I shall return. Meanwhile, I hope this letter finds you and your good family in strong health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami *or any day at 6 p.m. Labels: sannyasa letters | 15:38 |23 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Sudama, Please accept by blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your latter dated May 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very glad to hear that there is an increase in classes and that the mantra class is beng held daily twice. In this way if we always concentrate on reading our literature then there will be no difficulty to preach. Nor will the mind wander to other subjects. By reading these books regularly we become more and more convinced in Krishna Consciousness. And if we become more convinced, that will spread the potency of Lord Caitanya's sankirtana movement with great strength. I have received one letter from the boy Satyadeva and I think he is doing very nicely there as president. I think it is a good idea for you to start your center in the city of Tokyo and also to keep the asrama where I was staying. The Indians there in Tokyo will help you. You can first of all solicit their help in this matter by first making them life members, just as we have done in London. I am also glad to hear that Trivikrama has become enthusiastic for helping you in this way. [PAGE MISSING] letters | 15:37 | 23 May, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Cyavana, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 15 May, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. So far the construction work during monsoon season you may take several quotations for different contractors and accept the best one. If you can get materials donated as you have with the temporary temple structure, that is the best plan. So during rainy season, you may also work at acquiring materials such as sand, bricks, stone chips, etc. If there will be one retired engineer who will help you in this matter just as they have done in Calcutta, that is also a nice proposal. You can put one advertisement in a newspaper and many men will come for interview. Offer them nice place to live with the devotees and all prasadam and other conveniences should be offered to them. And in return they will see to the materials, labor, architects, etc., and give you their expert advice in all matters. Otherwise we have no construction experience and they may try to cheat us. We shall of course continue to also look after all aspects of the building operation, but we should have the help and assistance of a qualified retired engineer. Try to find out such a person. You may consult with Bhavananda and Tamala Krishna in this respect, as the building work in Mayapur is already well under way and it is going very nicely. I have enclosed herewith some photos from the deity installation of Panca-tattva in Honolulu. I remember that you have good ability to do propaganda work, so I am entrusting that you will try for printing these photos in the big newspapers in Bombay. You can write that they are taken at the deity installation in our Honolulu ISKCON center on May 7, 1972. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: Bombay, building, deities letters | 15:36 |22 May 2007 Monday, 22 May, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Himavati, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 17, 1972 and I have noted the contents. I have appreciated very much the photographs which you have enclosed of the Hamburg deities. They are very very nice. Yes, your husband is expert in everything and also you are expert in everything. So do not think in this way that you are not very important devotees, because I am always thinking of you both and how much service you are rendering to Lord Krishna. Since a long time I have known both of you and I consider that you are among my very dearest disciples. Now do not worry that your husband will take sannyasa. I think I have told you before that I will not give him sannyasa at this point. He may travel very widely throughout the Germany zone and still remain Grhastha. He is more than Sannyas. I shall be coming to London for Rathayatra Festival this year. So I hope that I will see both you and your good husband as well as all the nice boys and girls in the European temples there in London at that time. Hoping that this will find you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, ACB/sda Labels: Hamburg, Ratha Yatra, sannyasa letters | 15:36 |22 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Amogha, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 11, 1972 and I have noted the contents. You are very intelligent boy, that I can understand, and you are very eager to serve Krishna with full capacity. So I am very much encouraged to see that you have taken over the leadership position in Melbourne. Now if you work very nicely in co-operation with Mohanananda to develop our Australia program, that will be very much pleasing to me. I especially have great hopes for our Australia yatra. I notice when I was there so many young people without any spiritual direction. So your mission is to attract them somehow or other to our philosophy of Krishna Consciousness. Make the covers of the book very much attractive so that automatically they will read the knowledge inside. The covers are like the mind and the senses, and the contents of the book are the soul. So sometimes in order to attract people to find out what is the soul we have to decorate the mind and the senses and make the presentation of Krishna consciousness very palatable to them. So in this way cooperate very nicely with your all good god-brothers there in Australia to deliver all of these fallen souls, especially the young people, back to Home, back to Godhead. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: art, Melbourne, publishing letters | 15:35 |22 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Syamananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter undated in your very nice handwriting. Do not bother yourself for designing for Vrndavana Temple. The work has been taken up by one very qualified architect in Delhi and also Saurabha is assisting. So I can understand that you are very talented boy from your wonderful script, so I think you should apply your talent for painting nice pictures of Krishna and the acaryas in our line, and also you may help Mohadananda in designing work for his press operation there in Sydney. Now I understand that Madhudvisa Swami is there with you in Sydney so you may give him all assistance also. He can give you good direction how to best employ yourself in the service of the Lord. And if you get opportunity for sometimes travelling with him for doing Sankirtana all over Australia that will also be nice. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACb/sda Labels: art, sankirtan, Sydney letters | 15:34 |21 May 2007 Sunday, 21 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Yadubara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 13, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very pleased to learn from you your system of filing of all life members to insure that they receive all our literatures. Our life members in India must be kept alive. This literature will keep them alive, plus kirtana. So far the Gujarati translating work done by Srimati Sharda M. Vyasa, for the time being, let us produce magazines in English and Hindi languages and perhaps at some later time we may be able to print in local languages our BTG also. But for that there must be many, many subscribers. So for the time being, you may compile Srimati Vyasa's translation work into a small book and print locally. Gujarati is important language, so I do not think there is lack of market. Your idea for distributing our literatures in outside cities by sending altogether in one parcel to one person is very much appreciated. In this way all our members in one place may be advised to take delivery from him. Just like in Surat. Books may be sent to our Mr. Jariwalla and he can advise the others to take delivery from him. In this way we save postage and we do not risk that some mails may be lost or stolen. I shall look forward to seeing you and your good wife Visakha dasi in Bombay when I return there this autumn. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: Bombay, book distribution, life members, translating letters | 15:34 |21 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Bibhu, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 18, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. I have considered coming to New Vrndavana and Pittsburgh for Janmastami and I think that I shall be able to come after all. I am going to London for Rathayatra this year but I think I can fly from London to Pittsburgh without any difficulty. So you can accept that engagement on September 8th and I shall be there. And the national TV show sounds very nice. I think my secretary has recently sent one copy of Gayatri Mantra for Kutila dasi and enclosed herewith please find one sacred thread and one copy of Gayatri Mantra for Mahendra dasa. Either you or Ranadhira can hold a fire sacrifice and present sacred threads to Kutila and Mahendra. One thing, you can get a copy of me reciting Gayatri Mantra from Rupanuga in New York but the tape must be heard through the earphones into the right ear. Hoping this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: initiation, itinerary, Pittsburgh letters | 15:33 |21 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Ranadhira, Please accept by blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 15th, 1972 and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. You are very descriptive writer and I enjoy very much your descriptions and use of words. Actually, if we are engaged in writing and speaking on behalf of Krishna, this is the best process for advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Such activity forces us to think very clearly on the subject matter in order to speak or write on it to convince others. So I think that you should develop your ability for writing and spend sometime writing articles for Back To Godhead. I have already written to Bibhu that I shall be very glad to attend your Janmastami at New Vrndavana and I shall also visit the Pittsburgh temple at that time. You may arrange the engagement on September 8th, that is all right. Prior to my coming to New Vrndavana and Pittsburgh I shall be in London and Paris, so I can fly directly from Paris to Pittsburgh. I am very much pleased that you have consented to give me the 50% of your profits on that night. But I will have no objection if you consider giving me 100%. I am expecting that Hayagriva shall come here any day, and at that time we will settle up the New Vrndavana program and we shall consider your suggestion about Bibhu. I am very much glad to learn from you that all the programs in Pittsburgh are going very nicely under your supervision. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: itinerary, Pittsburgh, writing letters | 15:33 |21 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Jayadeva, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 8, 1972 and I have noted the contents. Actually, nothing in Krishna consciousness is an accident, but sometimes Krishna will put us into a seemingly unfavorable situation just to help us realize that he is the Controller. In the material world, all these situations are meant for tribulation, but in Krishna consciousness, they are meant for advancement. Kunti Devi is always praying "Let the trouble come again and again, so that I may have the opportunity to surrender to You." So to accept any situation as Krishna's mercy is to advance in spiritual life. You just try your best to serve Lord Krishna, and if any perplexing circumstances arise, just pray to Krishna to give you strength. These bodily relationships are only temporary. Our real relationship is with Krishna. Try to cultivate that. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: difficulties letters | 15:32 |21 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Niranjana, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 15th, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. I am glad to hear that our Ramananda Prabhu has visited you in Varanasi and that he has still some feeling for me and for this Krishna Consciousness Movement. So far books are concerned you may get them either from Calcutta or from Bombay. You simply place your order and get the books sent to you, and as they are sold you, send the money for depositing in my book fund. Either Calcutta or Bombay office may inform you of our membership program details also. I have recently heard from Ksirodakasayi in Vrndavana that he is finding difficulty with Hindi translating work. So I am wondering if you can be of some assistance in this connection. I can understand that now is difficult time for you also because of your examination time. But after your examinations, if you can help this movement of Lord Caitanya expand very widely through India by assisting in translating work, then I shall be very much pleased. My Guru Maharaja used to say that these literature are the Brhat Mrdanga that is to say, the big mrdanga, because like the mrdanga which can be heard from a long distance, simply a few words can have a tremendous effect on millions of people if they are propagated widely. So it is our duty above all to print these words for the general benefit of mankind. Therefore if you can assist me in this manner then that will be the greatest service. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACB/sda Labels: publishing, translating, Varanasi letters | 15:31 |20 May 2007 Saturday, 20 May, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Dayananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated and your telegram from London dated May 16, 1972. I shall be very glad to see Lord Jagannatha dancing in His new dress when I come to London sometime in July. So you can immediately fix up a date for my coming there, along with my three assistants and you can send return airline tickets. It is certainly a great tragedy that there are no books in London Center so Kesava was not able to display his great talent for distributing them. But I have heard from him that you are all very enthusiastic to distribute books so when I come there I shall give you some hints how to do it. One thing is, when I come there I do not like to stay in any hotel. I shall stay in my room above the temple on the first floor. I have just heard from Malati that our Digvijaya and Pritha devi are presently staying with the devotees in Vrindaban in India. So we must take every precaution to prevent our devotees from slackening and falling away. This is done by observing that they are always chanting 16 rounds and observing the regulative principles. If these things are neglected, then they will fall down. It is not good if small numbers of devotees open a center and then fall away. Association of devotees is the most important thing. So I think in the future at least 10 or 12 men must open a center. But you have done the right thing to concentrate our forces on travelling sankirtana. I am very much encouraged that you are trying for that temple and that you have paid 1000 pounds into the temple fund. But if the temple costs between 200,000 and 500,000 pounds then 1000 pounds is not a very big sum, so how you will raise so much money? Another thing, I have heard that Revatinandana wants to return to USA but I do not see any need that he should return. It is simply sentimental feeling. You report that he is doing very nicely by speaking at colleges and schools so let him continue in that way. He may take as many assistants as he requires and very strongly preach this philosophy to the student class of men. That is the greatest service. But if we allow ourselves to wander here and there without any fixed-up program that is not good. So at least let him remain there until I come and then we shall discuss further. I have seen your wife Nandarani dasi here in Los Angeles and she is doing very well. I want that she shall help me improve the conditions at our Dallas school by going there and teaching the children. If children are allowed to play just like Krishna was playing with his cowherd boyfriends, then little ABC, then see the deity and have arati, then take little prasadam. In this way if they are always diversified, they will be always jolly and become fixed-up devotees at young age. And small children, they learn better these things from their mother and women in general. So I think that some mothers of our children should go to Dallas and take charge of teaching the children, especially how to play nicely the pastimes of young Krishna. If you ask one child to be a tree, he will immediately hold out his arms "Just see I am a tree." If you ask him to be a cow he will walk on his hands and knees immediately and you can hit him with a stick and say "hut, hut." And if they will not take prasadam you can say "Now you are a cow and you must eat the grass" and immediately they will stand on hands and legs and eat prasadam like cow eating grass. So in this way our children in Dallas school should be trained because I want that a new generation of devotees shall carry on this great mission successfully. I have received notice from Mandakini that her Russia trip was very much successful and that she will be returning to marry Anatole as soon as she can get proper visa. So you please give her all assistance to get proper visa so that she may continue her work. She is very very nice devotee. Regarding your request to take sannyasa order of life, we shall see to that when I come there. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, gurukula, London, Ratha Yatra, regulative principles letters | 09:04 |20 May, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Don prabhu, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge your letter dated April 7, 1972 and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. I am especially engladdened that you have gone to such cold climate as northern Canada and despite all difficulty you are making good progress in the advancement of Krishna Consciousness there. I have read your booklet with great pleasure and I am forwarding it to Back to Godhead for publishing. Now you have got a first-class temple. Krishna is very pleased and has given you all facility, so you go on like this, increasing in your devotional attitudes and surely you will get the perfection of your life. I very much look forward to your Book #2 to see that you are making further progress. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Edmonton letters | 09:03 | |
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