a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1972 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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10 December 2007 10 December, 1972 Ahmedabad [To Brahmanya Tirtha - text missing] Regarding your question should force be used on children, no, there shall be no forcing the children to do anything. Child should not be forced. This is all nonsense. Who has devised these things? If we want them to become great devotees, then we must educate the children with love, not in a negative way. Of course, if they become naughty we may show the stick but we should never use it. Child is nonsense, so you can trick him to obey you by making some little story and the child will become cheated in the proper behavior. But never apply force, especially to his chanting and other matters of spiritual training. That will spoil him and in the future he will not like to do it if he forced. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: children, gurukula, New Orleans letters | 12:00 |25 November 2007 25 November, 1972 Bombay My Dear Nityananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 12, 1972, and I have noted the contents with care. I am forwarding the copy of your letter, along with my reply, to Satsvarupa in Dallas. I think he is the GBC man in that zone, and he is the best man to come there immediately and see what is the situation and do the needful. Of course I do not know what are the facts, but I have seen that you have done very nicely there, so far I know. And no one has made complaint to me. So maybe there is a little fighting amongst yourselves, that is natural, but you are advanced disciple, don't be disturbed by these things. Actually I want that householders shall manage in the temples, because they have got propensity to manage things and they want to take responsibility and they will not go away. Brahmacari, householder, it doesn't matter, but householders are doing nicely all over the world, why the others shall resent householders in your temple? That is not reason. This attitude of changing this, changing that, if there is some small thing to make it something very great, changing the leaders three every week - these things are going on, I know. This is not at all good attitude, that if by adjustment, this and that, changing everything, I may create the perfect combination and everything will be all right. I am more impressed if someone has opened one centre and that he has stayed there tightly and developed nicely, not going away whimsically. So you have been leader at New Orleans temple for long time, you are the pioneer there, so why you should be whimsically discharged? Only the GBC man shall be able to make these changes, not any so-called secret meeting of devotees. Why they have misunderstood these things? If they have objection they must lodge it with their GBC, and differences must be discussed openly amongst ourselves, not secret meetings. We are Vaisnava devotees, not politicians. So these things must be stopped, plotting. Your merit stands far above theirs, you have done some tangible work to please me by spreading this Krishna Consciousness message in New Orleans, that is the test. Let them do something first, then we shall see what is their criticism. Simply criticizing and no work, that is the business of inferior men. So do not be disturbed by them, go on with your work, increasing more and more. Never mind the jackals howl. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami cc: Satsvarupa/Dallas ACBS/sda Labels: disagreement, GBC, New Orleans letters | 20:06 |29 September 2007 29 September, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Nityananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 23 and I have noted the contents with care. Yes, I shall be very glad to hear that you have installed these Lord Jagannatha deities in your New Orleans temple, and I can see from the photo that they are very nicely made. Now hold the ceremony as per the enclosed instructions. During the fire ceremony you can also give the sacred thread and Gayatri mantra to Bhudara, which I am enclosing also herewith. Teach him to chant on the finger divisions and play the copy of the tape of me reciting Gayatri mantra into his right ear Also I am sending the beads for Michael Lightfoot, duly chanted by me, under separate post. So you may hold the fire yajna, install deities, and give initiation to these two boys. I am very happy to hear that the temple is improving more and more under your expert guidance. Now go on with our program and try to increase your attraction of Krsna Consciousness movement to the public and recruit local men more and more to become fixed up devotees of Krsna. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: initiation, New Orleans letters | 05:04 |29 September, 1972 Los Angeles My dear son, Please accept my blessings. On the recommendation of Nityananda I have gladly consented to accept you as my duly initiated disciple. I have duly chanted your beads and they have been dispatched by separate post. I have given you the spiritual name of Mahendranath das Brahmacari. Now please continue to follow strictly the regulative principles, and observe especially rigidly the four principle restrictions, and without fail always chant at least sixteen rounds on your beads daily, and be happy. If you follow these principles with determination, you will be freed from all attachment to maya, by Krsna's grace. The example is that when the sun is in the sky, then where is the question of darkness? Similarly, when the Hare Krsna mantra is vibrating on your tongue, and you are hearing attentively, then your consciousness becomes pure, or Krsna Conscious, and there is no question of maya or hazy consciousness. Just as when the darkness and the light come together the darkness cannot stand before the light, so maya cannot remain in the presence of Krsna. Always remember therefore to chant Hare Krsna, and that will save you in all circumstances, without any doubt. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: initiation, New Orleans letters | 05:02 |16 August 2007 16 August, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Nityananda das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 4, 1972, and you may know I have just arrived here from London. I am very pleased to hear that all of the programs there in New Orleans center are improving more and more under your capable supervision. Especially I am glad to note the judges decision in your recent court case and the nice words that he has used to describe our movement. Yes, that is the case, he has said rightly. So you may distribute a copy of the judges statement and the testimony of the child to all of our centers around the world. I am very glad to hear that you are training the devotees nicely in our philosophy and I also fully approve of your system for management. It appears in all respects that everything is going well at New Orleans center and I am so much pleased upon you for helping me in this way. So far the repayment of loan, we are not very much for big, big houses, especially if they become burdensome. Our first program is for preaching, and if we have to simply work for paying money for a house, that is not very much desirable. So you pay the loan at your convenience, better to concentrate on preaching and not so much for making money for repaying the loan quickly. Even if it takes some years to pay, at least you will not be always in anxiety where to get money in that way. But if you can repay the loan in two or three years time, and save so much interest money, that is a very good plan, provided it is easily done. Regarding your questions, in the sense that they do not belong to disciplic succession, in that sense Christ, Buddha, and the others are not bona fide. But because they have got some special power we accept them as bona fide. Just like Buddha. We accept him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sometimes they play like that because they may have to. Although they are bona fide, they play sometimes as unbona fide. For example, we reject Buddha as unbona fide, but we accept him as an incarnation of God. We worship Lord Siva as a Vaisnava, but as a demigod we reject him. But to speak the truth, these personalities are not bona fide because who is caring for them? This so-called resurgence of feeling for Christ by the young people is due to our Krishna Consciousness movement. They are seeing that the foreigners are here, there is some national feeling and they think why not our Christ? Whatever they are doing we do not approve. But that does not mean that they should stop their work, this factionalism will go on. But one can see by the results. It is better not to talk with these people. Better let them remain as Christians and Buddhists, we do not want to convert them. You tell them that if you stick to Christ you will come out all right. It is better to avoid these comparative studies. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Christians, management, New Orleans letters | 10:54 |10 May 2007 Wednesday, 10 May, 1972 Honolulu My dear sons, Please accept my blessings. Upon the recommendation of Nityananda, I have gladly consented to accept both of you as my duly initiated disciples. Your beads have been duly chanted by me and they are sent under separate post. I have given you the spiritual names as follows: Axel Anderson, Anandavardhana das (one who is always increasing in ecstasy) John Berg, Jogindra Vandana das (one who is worshipped by the great yogis) I am so glad to learn that both of you have been such a great help to Nityananda there in our new Orleans center. I can understand that both of you are very sincere boys, and are very eligible candidates for going back to home, back to Godhead. And the process is simple. Follow the regulative principles, chant at least 16 rounds of beads daily, read our literatures, go for street sankirtana and book distribution, etc. In this way keep yourselves engaged in Krishna's business 24 hours and you will be really happy in this life and in the end you will reach the Supreme destination. Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/nkd Labels: initiation, New Orleans letters | 20:47 |10 May, 1972 Honolulu My dear Nityananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 29, 1972 and I have noted the contents. Upon your recommendation, I have agreed to accept Axel and John as my duly initiated disciples, and also to give second initiation to Subrata. I am sending a separate letter for them. So far going to Dallas for the fire yajna, better you should learn how to perform it and do it there. Every temple president must be very expert in all these things, so you can consult our Krishna Consciousness Handbook for the procedure and if there are any further questions, you can consult with Satsvarupa and he can give you instruction. Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/nkd P.S. Satsvarupa has got a tape of me reciting gayatri mantra, so you can get that from him, and hold the fire yajna for all three boys. One thing is that the tape should be heard through earphones into the right ear. Labels: initiation, New Orleans letters | 20:46 |5 May 2007 5 May, 1972 Honolulu My dear Nityananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 18, 1972 and I have noted the contents. Thank you very much for your kind invitation, and when I return to the U.S., I will seriously consider the proposal. So far your concern about management, the solution is to be always thinking of Krishna and the Spiritual Master, then maya cannot touch you. If you very strictly follow the regulative principles and chant 16 rounds minimum, there is no question of ever falling down. Krishna has given you very nice facility there, so you continue to serve Him with great faith and enthusiasm, and He will give you all blessings. Please offer my blessings to the others there. Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/nkd Labels: management, New Orleans, regulative principles letters | 13:01 |22 March 2007 22 March, 1972 Bombay My dear Nityananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated March 3, 1972. I am very glad to hear from you that you have got a nice new temple there, which is also large, and that in general everything at New Orleans Center is progressing well under your supervision. I am very much satisfied. I am also pleased to hear something about Kirtanananda's party, and if you have them, kindly send me one photo of these painted busses, how they look, so I may be inspired by seeing them. The newsletter is also very nice, and you may encourage all centers to correspond in this way regularly amongst yourselves. When I shall come there to Los Angeles, then we shall see when I can also come to stay at your new temple. Hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: New Orleans letters | 09:31 | |
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