a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1972 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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25 August 2007 25 August, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Vasudevaya dasi and others, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter from Cleveland dated August 5, 1972 duly forwarded to me from Calcutta, and I thank you very much. As long as you are following our Krishna Conscious principles I have no objection if you remain separate from the other devotees in the Cleveland Center. I have instructed Satsvarupa who is the GBC man for Midwestern USA Zone to come and visit you to see how the things are going on and give you good guidance how to keep the highest standards of Krishna Consciousness Movement. If you have any further questions or if you require anything like mrdangas, books, etc. he will give you everything. I am enclosing the copy of one letter to him in this respect. Hoping this meets you all in the best of health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: Cleveland, disagreement, GBC letters | 12:32 |24 August 2007 Thursday, 24 August, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Tusta Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 12, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Yes, Karandhara said that Sriman Siddha Svarupa Ananda is not up to the point of our preaching work, especially when the 'Sai Speaks' booklet was distributed there was some discrepancy from our standard. So when this complaint was lodged I called him here and I asked him to stay with me for some time. When I went to London I made arrangement that Siddha Svarupa Ananda Maharaja would speak in the sanctuary of Los Angeles Temple and this was settled up and he remained here in Los Angeles when I went to London. After coming back I understood that he left immediately when I left for London. I have received no letter from him. So there is no misunderstanding, but I want to keep him with me for some time, so if you have got his address you can ask him to come to me and live with me again for some time. It is better not to draw any wrong conclusions from so little evidence, actually he is very sincere soul and everyone knows it and I like him very much and so does Karandhara, so you need not worry in this connection. I am very glad to understand that all of the programs there in Auckland are going on very nicely. If you have got opportunity to travel and hold kirtana with your music group over the South Pacific, why not take advantage? I shall be very pleased to see the new album, Cause of All Causes. And upon your recommendation I am very glad to accept the three boys as my duly initiated disciples. Their letter is enclosed. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: disagreement letters | 12:31 |24 August, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Madhudvisa and Amogha, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letters dated August 13 and August 15 respectively and have noted the contents with some dismay. I do not like to hear these things, but whatever is done, is done. What you have is all right, now go on preaching as you are doing. So far the presidents are concerned, they should not be abruptly changed in future. If there is any complaint they should be first of all informed to me. One thing we should always remember is that all of our devotees picked up here are accustomed to all of these bad habits in their past life, so if sometimes they reveal their old characteristics, instead of rejecting them, it is up to us to rectify them as far as possible. So try to reform Mohananandan there. What he will do by coming here? Amogha has indicated he has already shaved his sikha and has left everything. do you think U.S.A. is a magic place, simply by coming here he will become reformed? If possible you can send to the USA, but it is better to correct him to the standard point by friendly gestures. We can reject anyone, that is very easy, but to reform him that requires great skill and tact and if you can reform him there by kind words and dealings, that is best. When I was there in Sydney, I observed that Mohananandan is very, very good boy and he has great intelligence and talent, simply it has become little bit misguided due to circumstances. Now you both big leaders in Australia, along with the others, you make a very concerted attempt to help Mohananandan over his difficulties and persuade him that everything is all right; that I am not angry or displeased in any way. These things will sometimes happen even with the best devotees, and in this way try and persuade him to become engaged with his previous enthusiasm for becoming once again a great devotee. He is young boy, so we should not take his actions too seriously, better to forget the past and try to reform him. His service can be once again very much valuable there in Australia, I know he is very good boy. Do not drive him away, that will be the discredit to all of you leaders. But if there is great difficulty, he may come and live with me here in Los Angeles for the time being, I have no objection. But he has done very nicely in Sydney up to the present time, so if you can utilize his experience and talents there, that is the best plan. I am very glad to hear that Amogha is returning to Djakarta along with others for continuing our preaching work there. He may send me regular reports how work is going on. Krsna is always prepared to give special favor to His devotees who take special risk to spread His name in the far away places and who do not care very much for the comfortable surroundings. Thank you very much for helping me in this way. Now I want all of you to work cooperatively and very frankly, that is our process, not that we shall always plot and scheme and write letters. Madhudvisa is GBC man for South Pacific zone, so his direction must be followed by everyone and all of the devotees there should address their problems to him for his consideration. One thing is, I have received some distressing report from Hong Kong from Bhurijana, that he is having some difficulty there, so I have assured him that you would send him some assistance very shortly to help him with our mission in Hong Kong. The first thing is to recruit many devotees there in Australia and send them out to the outlying districts such as Manilla and Hong Kong and Djakarta and other places and build up strength in these areas; otherwise, the one or two devotees in these places will become discouraged. Hoping this finds you both in the best of health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I have understand from Karandhara that you have not made Book Fund payments for several months. This must be done immediately. Labels: Australasia, difficulties, disagreement, management letters | 12:30 |24 August, 1972 Los Angeles [To Giriraja] TAKE BANK MORTGAGE PAY OFF NAIR NARANARAYANA IMMEDIATELY RETURN TO USA MUST OBSERVE FAST JANMASTAMI TILL 12 AM BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI Labels: Bombay letters | 12:30 |24 August, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Gargamuni, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter from Vrndavana dated 15th July 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. You may know that I am no longer in London but I am in Los Angeles and New Vrndavana for the month of September. I am going back to India by the 15th of October. So you have stayed so long in India, if you can remain there one and one half months more kindly remain there and wait for me. When I come there you will stay with me. Meanwhile if it is possible you try to work in conjunction with Gurudasa on the Vrndavana Project because I think you have got real interest to see that it is completed very nicely. If however you are unable to work with Gurudasa, otherwise you sit down and wait for me there. Do not fight with anyone, try to remain always very humble and meek like the advanced Vaisnava devotee, always thinking yourself lower than the straw in the street and more tolerant than the tree, and in this way very quickly you will be come relieved of so many anxieties. When we shall meet in October, then we shall chalk out some plan further. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: difficulties, disagreement, Vrindavan letters | 12:29 |24 August, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated August 20 and August 22, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding my coming there, yes, I shall be very glad to attend the Dallas Gurukula immediately departing Pittsburgh I can go there for about 3 days on my way to Los Angeles. So you should be prepared to provide for airline tickets from Pittsburgh to Dallas for myself and my three secretaries. Then we shall see how the things are going on there, and I am very much looking forward to that day. The tickets may be sent here to Los Angeles address as soon as possible. The essay, Sri Sri Caitanyasiksamrta, translated by Gaurasundara dasa, appears to be alright and you may use it as it is. Enclosed please find the copy you have sent me. One thing is, I have just received one letter from the black devotees in Cleveland who wish start their own ISKCON Center independently of the white devotees there. In principle, it is alright, birds of a feather will flock together. We should not discourage them in any way from opening their own center, but I want you to go there and see how their things are going on and that the standard of Krishna consciousness is being maintained on the highest level. You should give them all assistance for organizing their Center and be fully convinced that they can manage everything properly and then I have no objection if they open their Center in Cleveland. These souls appear to be adhering to our principles and they are requesting someone to come and give them all good instruction, so you kindly go there and do the needful and give them all facilities such as pictures, mrdangas, and other Krishna consciousness paraphernalia. It is not that we should remain separate from them as they are sincere souls and there is no objection if they want to remain separate from the white people and pursue this Krishna consciousness way of life, but I must be convinced by you that everything is being done properly before I shall be glad to give them the final sanction. As soon as hearing from you in this regard, I shall be glad to give them due initiation and my blessings so that they may continue in their own way. I am sending a copy of this letter to them and you may go there immediately to see what is the situation there. Enclosed please find copy of their latest letter to me. Their address in Cleveland is 1739 Lakefront, East Cleveland, Ohio, 44112. Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing you all my nice disciples in New Vrndavana by the end of this month. Hoping this will find you in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda letters | 12:24 | 23 August 2007 23 August, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Giriraja, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your long letter, and immediately I have sent one telegram as desired by you, reading as follows: TAKE BANK MORTGAGE PAY OFF NAIR NARANARAYANA IMMEDIATELY RETURN TO USA MUST OBSERVE FAST JANMASTAMI TILL 12 AM BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI In the conveyance deed, there is a clause on page 7 that states that the purchaser shall not be required to pay either of the last two installments, namely E and D, aforesaid, until the suit filed against the vendor in the Bombay High Court (suit #94 of 1968, Messrs. Chhaganlal and Co. vs Mrs. Candrabai A.B. Nair) is disposed of and the amount, if any, in the said suit is paid to the plaintiff. Therefore, out of 14 lakhs, we have paid 2 lakhs. The bank may pay further 8 lakhs, and 4 lakhs should be held up until the above-mentioned suit #94 of 1968 is disposed of. In this way arrangements should be made. Regarding construction material, I see that 64 lakhs will be spent for the whole construction, and you have to pay 5% on the amount to the architect. I think it will be a huge amount. In Delhi, one architect asked for 2%, but I thought that somebody may contribute his service for this great cause. If not, the charges may not go more that 2-2 1/2%. In this connection, you may consult Gurudasa. I think that 5% is too much. Anyway, you are on the spot, you can do the needful by consulting amongst yourselves. Formerly it was understood that Mr. Nair would not charge interest. Anyway, if you have to charge interest, better go to the bank. There is a proposal that somebody wants to donate seven acres of land at Ahmedabad, 17 miles from the town. This proposal was sent by Paramahamsa das Brahmacari, and I have already replied his letter. So if it is convenient, some of you can go see the land, and if it is favorable, we shall go and develop an asrama there. There was a reference in the letter of Mahamsa that the President Giri can open the foundation stone ceremony of our temple, as he is a friend of Mr. Somani. I have already replied his letter, and you can see it. If it is a fact, I have suggested that the ceremony can take place on Wednesday, September 20. That day is auspicious on account of the appearance of Vamanadeva and Srila Jiva Goswami. If it is a fact, then we can invite many responsible persons--the Prime Minister, Governors, many secretaries on that occasion. Then it will be possible to place our philosophy before a very respectable assembly and it will be easier to raise funds also. People have not yet understood our philosophy, how glorious it is, and how this Indian culture could be accepted throughout the whole world. The ritual foundation stone ceremony was already observed and you have the marble tablet. I think President Giri's name also will be included in that tablet and it will be set up on the corner foundation of the temple. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/nkd Labels: Bombay, building, legal letters | 12:24 |22 August 2007 Tuesday, 22 August, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your long letter redirected here from London. Do not be upset. The thing is that the construction work must be begun immediately. Gargamuni is there, I understand, and you are there, and Tamala Krishna is preaching. So if you and Gargamuni can do the work, then there is no need of taking help from Tamala Krishna. So there is no need of talking any more. Begin the work immediately. That I want to see. I am returning to Vrindaban by October 15, and I want to see by that time that the construction work is going on there. I am here in Los Angeles now, and will be going to New Vrindaban by the end of August. Please offer my blessings to all the others there, especially to Yamunamayi. Hoping this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/nkd letters | 12:23 | 22 August, 1972 Los Angeles My dear son, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 22, 1972 requesting initiation, and upon the recommendation of Madhudvisa Swami, I have gladly consented to give you Gayatri mantra. This second initiation is very, very serious business, and you must become very strong and firmly situated in devotional service, and stick rigidly to chanting at least 16 rounds daily, without fail, and following the regulative principles without any deviation. This things will insure that you will be protected from Maya, and that your life will be successful and in the end you will go back to home, back to Godhead. I was very pleased with the Deities when I was there. So I request you to continue, along with Dipak, to render sincere, regular, loving service to Their Lordships, and They will give you all blessings. I have given you the spiritual name Gaura Sakti das Brahmacari. Now you continue, as you have been, to give Madhudvisa and the others all help, and spread this great movement all over Australia. Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: initiation, regulative principles letters | 12:22 |22 August, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Batu Gopala, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 18, 1972 and I have noted the contents. So far the fire yajna is concerned, you can wait until Janmastami celebrations in New Vrindaban, and they can take part in that yajna. I am very much pleased to hear how nicely you are presenting Krishna consciousness through your radio program, and I think if you just carry on as you are it will be very successful. By remaining steady in your chanting, always completing at least 16 rounds on your beads, and studying our books carefully, along with chanting of the Sanskrit mantras in Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita, automatically you will become freed from the modes of passion and ignorance, and gravity and steadiness will come. You can use your lust for the service of Krishna, and then you will be transcendentally situated. You get the seed of devotion, and the Hare Krishna mantra through the mercy of the spiritual master and Krishna. Similarly, upon your surrender, the spiritual master and Krishna take responsibility for your sins. So if you commit sin again, the spiritual master becomes responsible for your sinful reaction. Therefore, it is the disciple's duty not to commit sin again. Not only Gayatri mantra, but all mantras cleanse one from sinful reactions, but we should not chant these mantras and then commit sin again. Upon your recommendation, I will be very glad to accept Sriman Paul Zarouny as my duly initiated disciple. He can take part along with the others at New Vrindaban. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/nkd Labels: Cleveland, initiation, purity, spiritual master letters | 12:22 |22 August, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Madhudvisa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your note along with the letter of Sriman Des Louragan, and upon your recommendation, I have gladly consented to accept him as my duly initiated disciple, and to give him Gayatri mantra also. His beads have been duly chanted by me and they have been sent under separate post. Now you can hold a fire yajna for these two boys and give gayatri mantra to Des (Gaura Sakti das). Show him how to count on the finger divisions, and then hang the thread over his shoulder in the proper way, after he has repeated, word for word, the mantra as I intone it on the tape. The tape should be heard through earphones into the right ear. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: initiation letters | 12:21 |21 August 2007 21 August, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Yadubara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 10, 1972. Regarding printing BTG Hindi in India your scheme to print them in Bombay is accepted by me. So you do the needful being contact with Ramananda. Regarding Bhaktivinode Thakura's manuscripts, immediately we do not have any program for printing them. You keep them carefully and when I return I shall consider the matter. The translating work can be done both by Ramananda and Niranjana in Benares. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Bhaktivinode, Bombay, printing, translating letters | 12:20 | |
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