a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1972 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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19 December 2007 19 December, 1972 Bombay My dear Gurudasa and Yamuna, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your several letters dated November 30 and December 12, 1972, and I have noted the contents with care. I am most pleased to learn from you that the work in Vrindaban is going on very nicely, and that you are both happy in Krishna Consciousness. That is the main thing. Of course I know that you are not trained-up for being construction manager, neither that job must be very much tasteful to you, but because you are sincere devotees of Krishna He is giving you all strength and intelligence how to do it. That is wanted, that is advancement in Krishna Consciousness. Not that I must have a very nice place, I must serve like this or like that, otherwise I shall go away. No, Vaisnava devotee means give me simply a place to lay down, little prasadam, whatever little service you have got please give me, that's all. Thank you very much for taking up this difficult work to help me in this way. Now you are requesting money for supplies, that's all right, but I have not seen the accounts for the money you have spent to date. That you should also supply. But I think Mr. Sarkar is inspired to cooperate with us, and he is very expert, so I do not worry on that account. But record of expenditures must be there, that is standrd procedure. I was informed that the party of Yasodanandana and Mahamsa will forward all collections to Vrindaban, but I do not know if they have done it. Mahamsa is coming to Bombay in a few days time and I shall request him to do immediately. We have completed our pandal programme of Hare Krishna Festival in Ahmedabad and it was very, very successful. On the last night the huge pandal was filled completely, at least 10,000 or 15,000 attendance. So far Yasodanandana's party, I have just got one letter from them and they shall remain at the following address for one month more: [SECRETARY'S NOTE] In Mayapur they are also requiring about Rs. 50,000 monthly for the work, and for that they are managing with travelling party and temple collection of Calcutta. So you collect from Delhi and spend, and for the rest these other parties will send. I have got report that Yasodanandana has collected more than Rs. 20,000 for Vrindaban, so you have not to worry about anything. But you must keep accurate accounts how it is spent and send me. So far Saurabha is concerned, I have left him at Hyderabad to design our temple there on the land donated for that purpose in the busiest marketplace of central Hyderabad city. But if you invite him to come there from time to time, I have no objection. If you can finish the work by Janmastami next, that will be a very great credit for you, and I shall come there from any part of the world just to install the deity. But now you must work very, very hard to make good your promise to me, otherwise I shall be very disappointed and become very, very angry upon you. You may purchase deity from Mayapur-Vrindaban Trust Fund, about that I shall inform you later. One thing is, I have received report that Tejiyas is having difficulty in Delhi because no men are there to assist him. Delhi is the cultural capital of India, but we have not yet done very much to develop in Delhi. Tejyas is very sincere and hard-working boy, so we must encourage him. So I have asked Tamala Krishna and Syamasundara to find some men to go there, and they will do the needful. There are so many intelligent boys and girls in Delhi, that I have marked, and I think there is more potential there than other places in India, so if you and Yamuna go to Delhi from time to time to help Tejiyas with the preaching work, especially preaching to the student class of young persons, that will be nice. If there is shortage of men, we must recruit some men, first-class men, to help us do the work. If that is attempted sincerely, this preaching work, Krishna will provide men to help us. Krishna does not like to see His men suffer or become frustrated and depressed on His behalf, no. If we remain always faithful to Him, working very hard despite all difficulties, very quickly you will meet Krishna face-to-face, you may know it for certain. Another thing is, I have heard there is no more CCP for getting our books. But now we are holding a huge pandal festival in the Cross Maidan at Bombay, from January 12th to 21st, so we shall need to take our BTG shipment from the Bombay docks, but they will not allow without CCP. So I hope by now you have got it, and if not, try for it immediately, treat it as urgent matter. And if Yamuna wants to come for that Festival here, she may come here for a few days to lead kirtana before my lectures, then return. But I think that Gurudasa may have to stay for the work, or if there is opportunity, he may also come, but the work must not be jeopardized. Hoping this meets you both in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: building, India, management, preachers, Vrindavan letters | 17:22 |13 December 2007 13 December, 197 Ahmedabad 19, Douglas Street, Milton, (Brisbane), Queensland, Australia 4064 My dear Upendra, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 14, 1972, and I am very, very happy to hear from you that you have started one new ISKCON center at Brisbane, Australia. I do not know if Madhudvisa has made any arrangement for me to come there, I have not heard from him in that connection, but he has invited me to come there, so if I get the opportunity I shall be glad to visit you at Brisbane as well. As for your taking sannyas, that we shall see when I shall come there. For the time being do not disturb yourself or your wife in this matter, there is sufficient time. As for your opening still another center, if you are only few men there it will be better to stick there for some time and develop everything first. If we open so many centers and then later there is difficulty to maintain them because insufficient men, or if we have to close them, then what is the use. We are not after so many centers, but we want to make devotees, pure devotees of Krishna, that is all. Better one temple with sufficient strong men than many temples with few strong men. Do not open temples simply for the sake of adding some numbers. Let us see the success of one temple, then we shall discuss opening other center. You have named your child Bhakta Saumya Abhay Charan Dasa, so that’s all right. But if you leave your wife with such new-born child, to open other center or take sannyas, what will be the result or benefit of mother alone with child? There must be some proper arrangement, that is not our policy to get married an go away without any responsibility for these things. Husband-wife means he must accept responsibility for her his life-long, it is not such light matter we can reject and do as we like, no. Better I think you stick there for some time more, live peacefully husband and wife, and develop the temple to your full capacity. Later on we shall see to other things. Hoping this meets you in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: Australasia, children, management, wife letters | 13:03 |13 December, 1972 Ahmedabad My Dear Bhagavan dasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 21, 1972, along with letters of requesting for initiation by me. I have accepted all of them as my duly initiated students, and their letter along with beads are enclosed herewith. I am also very happy to receive the copies of your booklets in French language, and I am surprised that the price is so cheap. So why not make arrangement that all our books should be printed there? At least we may print the books in German and French and other European languages. Consult with the others, and if it is good opportunity in their all estimation, then why not combine and print there? That is the first business, make books and distribute. So I am always encouraged to hear that you are increasing in this respect of making books in foreign languages. Your title, "Anti-matter and Eternity - A study on immortality through Bhakti-yoga" is liked by me, it is a good translation of Easy Journey. So far the other things, they are all like nectar to my ears, and I am very, very much pleased with everything you are doing. I can understand you have saved the situation there and have done the first-class preaching distribution because you are making so many new devotees from many countries, and still you are crowded even after opening the new centres, so that is a very good sign. Now find out that new place in Paris and expand yourself in a solid way, keeping always the propagation of Krishna Consciousness as the goal, simply be engaging all men in Krishna's service. Everyone has got some way he can contribute himself for serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everyone. Now conduct your preaching in such a way that when anyone becomes attracted to get something from us he may be induced or allured into serving Krishna in his own way as he likes to do it, not being forced to do something else he may not like to do, that will discourage him and no intelligent men will come. But I think you have mastered this art perfectly well, and because I have not got any complaints from anyone since you have come to Paris temple - although before I was getting many complaining letters - I think the devotees there are feeling themselves satisfied by your engaging them happily in Krishna Consciousness life. Thank you very much for assisting me in this way. I think by now Mandakini has again gone to Russia, so she may send report as soon as she is able. Under all circumstances, keep our preaching work in front, it will save us in all conditions from the clutches of maya, that we have learned. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: initiation, management, Paris, publishing letters | 12:59 |11 December 2007 11 December, 1972 Ahmedabad My Dear Mohanananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge your letter dated November 22, 1972, and I have noted the contents with great care. I am very, very glad to hear of your desire to return to Gurukula school and apply yourself to developing that place. I am so glad to hear this good news. Only a few weeks back I had got a letter from Satsvarupa wherein he has informed me that Stoka Krishna has left Dallas and that he must go there to take charge himself. But he is sannyasi and he should travel and preach, and he has not much taste for watching after so many things. So I had suggested him to get a full-time manager, some grhastha, nice husband and wife together, to manage the things, and that he shall expect that such person will stay tightly and develop it and make that his life work. It is the most important preaching work, to train our children in Krishna Consciousness education of life. And I think that you are just the right man to do it. Krishna has given you the right idea, just see! I was also at Dallas school last summer and I was very much impressed with these children, how nicely they are becoming preachers and kirtana men and girls. If we can develop properly, one day they will turn the world by their preaching. Let the small children from all good families in your country come to our Gurukula school and take education from us. They may be certain their children will get the real knowledge which will create the best citizens of brahminical type, clean, honest, law-abiding, healthy, industrious, all good qualities they will have. Now I think Krishna has inspired you in this way, and every facility is there, you are the pioneer in Dallas and you know how to do everything nicely, that I know, so now you go there immediately after consulting with Satsvarupa and Karandhara and Madhudvisa and the others, take their advice and do the needful. If you become Head Master of the Gurukula that is more important than going to South America. This is the most important post in pushing on this movement, practically, because you shall create our preachers of the future, many, many of them. That will be your great credit and contribution. May Krishna give you His all blessings more and more for this task. If you still like to contact Hanuman, he is having some difficulty with the governments in these places, but I have just got on letter from him the following address: c/o Agencia Wallis C. A. Edificio Karam, Avenida Urdmeta, P. O. Box 1826, Caracas, Venezuela. But I think it is better if he takes some brahmacaris and sannyasis with him for travelling in such difficult and dangerous places. You are manager with best experience, and besides you have got wife and child to protect, so it will be very much pleasing to me if you shall take up the big work of Gurukula school and develop it very nicely. Thank you for helping me in this way. Hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: gurukula, management letters | 12:58 |18 November 2007 18 November, 1972 Hyderabad My dear Bali Mardan, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 2, 1972, along with photos of a new building you have seen, but I did not yet receive the floor plans as you promised. So far advising you in this connection, what can I say? Now you must be able to judge these things as you have got experience and you are there, what can I do from such distant place? If you think it is nice, then try for it. But one thing is, there is no residential place, so what is the use? But if that can be arranged somehow there is no objection. We are not so much after big, big buildings, we are interested to preach only. But if such building will enhance our preaching work and not distract us from the main business, then it is nice. But you must determine if it will be easy task to raise so much money, not that we shall have to labour so much just to get money and after for maintaining, so much so that our spiritual life becomes neglected, no. Real business is to spread the message of Lord Caitanya throughout the world. But if we are able to get the place in downtown centre of New York City, that is the most important location in the world, and from that place we may broadcast Krishna Consciousness all over the world. You are the first-class business brain, so if you can get that place without too much difficulty, that will be a very great asset for preaching. So far the money you have loaned to London, they are trying for some other places, and you are also trying, so whichever of you requires the money first, then you may utilize as necessary by mutual agreement. For the time being you may leave the money in London bank, and if you need, they will send. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: building, management, New York letters | 20:28 |17 November 2007 18 November, 1972 Hyderabad My Dear Bhanutanya dasi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter undated, and I have noted the contents with great concern. One thing is, I am very much sad to learn that you have left the company of the devotees over this incident at Gurukula school. Now you are living by yourself because you have been hurt by seeing that the children are sometimes mistreated, and because no one has taken your good advice in this connection. But you may be assured that I am always anxious about the welfare of my disciples, so that I am taking steps to rectify this unfortunate situation. Now my advice to you is to give up these feelings and return to your life of Krishna Consciousness devotional service, and if you go back to Dallas school and demonstrate to the other teachers there just the proper way to instruct and discipline the students nicely, that will be a great service. I am forwarding the copy of this letter, with your letter, to Satsvarupa for his immediately attention. Now the thing is, children should not be beaten at all, that I have told. They should simply be shown the stick strongly. So if one cannot manage in that way then he is not fit as teacher. If a child is trained properly in Krishna Consciousness, he will never go away. That means he must have two things, love and education. So if there is beating of child, that will be difficult for him to accept in loving spirit, and when he is old enough he may want to go away - that is the danger. So why these things are going on - marching and chanting japa, insufficient milk, too strict enforcement of time schedules, hitting the small children? Why these things are being imposed? Why they are inventing these such new things like marching and japa like army? What can I do from such a distant place? They should run and play when they are small children, not forced to chant japa, that is not the way. So I have given you the guiding principles, it is not that I must be consulted with every small detail, that is the business of the in-charge, but if no one is there who can manage in the right way, what can I do? Now if you have got the right idea how to do it, you may go there again and take some responsible post for correcting the situation, that will be your real duty, not that there is some disagreement and I go away disgusted, no. That is not Vaisnava standard. Standard should be that, never mind there is some difficulty, my spiritual master has ordered me to do like this, now let me do it, that's all. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: children, gurukula, management letters | 20:30 |15 November 2007 18 November, 1972 Hyderabad [To Jagadisha] The thing is, our main business is to distribute the books, either here or there it doesn’t matter. So if there is transcendental competition for increasing sale of books, that is good. If he buys one book his life may be turned, that is best preaching work. But everything must be done in the spirit of cooperation, without any irritation. If one party wants to travel into another zone, that is all right, but there must be prior agreement between the GBC men and mutual consent. If by going there the book sales will be increased, what is the harm? But supposing if there is any harm, that is to be judged by the local president, and if he has good reason to think that another will be unfavorable to his temple’s operations, then he may order them to leave, that’s all. So local temple officers should be the final judge to allow or disallow from anyone outside to sell their books there. And if some outside party comes, they must sell books only, no collecting without selling books. They must live in the local temple and not separately, and they must follow faithfully the instructions and directions of the local president. They can purchase books from the temple at regular wholesale price and sell, and whatever profit there is above wholesale price they must give at least 50% to the local temple out of good will. That will be nice. So we shall not think that this is my zone, that is his zone, just like the Indian and Pakistan nation are thinking, and then there is war, no. Lord Caitanya has given us the task to preach His message all over the world, and any process which may be useful for facilitating this business, that we shall gladly adopt, never mind his zone or my zone, that is material designation. But we shall always do everything in cooperative spirit and avoid any fighting amongst us, that is Vaisnava attitude, to others, especially to devotees of the Lord. ACBS Labels: book distribution, cooperation, management letters | 20:28 |11 November 2007 Saturday, 11 November, 1972 Vrindaban My dear Yadubara, Please accept my blessings. Thank you very much for your letter dated October 30, 1972. I am very much pleased to hear that things are going nicely in Bombay, so far the printing of books is concerned. Now the problem is half solved. Now you are printing books, and you have got many books from America, but how shall we distribute them, that is the point? Harikesa has told me that no one is there who can distribute, and there is no scheme for distributing, so why we shall attempt printing and importing so many books if there is no distributing? What is your plan in this connection? I have also received report that there is some difficulty for maintaining the devotees peacefully, so that they may not fall sick and lose hope. So if there is shortage of money for maintenance, I have no objection if you divert some of the money from advertisements collection to improve the sanitary and health conditions. But most essential thing is, if you improve the preaching programme, automatically everything else will improve, Krishna will give you all facilities. So I think there is plan to have each night one outside engagement for preaching and holding kirtana. That is very good proposal. But do not neglect also our own programme at Juhu. That should be improved progressively, not decreased. Now only a few men come. But when I was there thousands were coming daily. Why the standard has fallen down? If you become lazy in your spiritual life, everything else will deteriorate. We are not interested in big, big buildings, no. That was not my plan for Juhu. I simply want to engage everyone in the service of Krishna, that's all. And that means preaching. So if the preaching work has stopped, what can I do? In that case you must expect there will be so many troubles. So try to improve your preaching work, distribute all the books, and print more, and in this way, Krishna is the husband of the Goddess of Fortune, you will get as much money and as many big buildings as you need for spreading Krishna Consciousness movement, without any doubt. Hoping this will meet you in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: Bombay, management, preachers letters | 05:10 |11 November, 1972 Vrindaban My dear Cyavana, Please accept my blessings. I am very glad to receive your letter dated November 3, 1972, that your programme there is improving considerably every week. That is very good news. Yes, I think you have improved the situation there, and you are better manager than Brahmananda. I am especially happy to hear that you are making some local African boys and girls into devotees, that I wanted. Preaching is our real business, not getting big, big buildings and doing business for money just to maintain them, no. We shall live under a tree, that is not difficult, but we must go on preaching every moment, that will make us happy. So i am glad to see also your quiz-test for the African boys, and also your Swahili-language BTG, these are good evidence of your improvement. Yes, if there are African girls also who want to join us, and if they get the consent of their elder family members to live with us, they may live in the temple provided there is separate place for them so that boys and girls will not mix freely, just as we are doing everywhere. If that boy wants to marry your African girl, I have no objection as long as she obtains the permission of her parents and elders, and provided they live separately in the temple, or if they live together, they must live outside. Mr. Shah has sent me one letter of complaint in financial matters, so I have forwarded it to Brahmananda. Now you together deal with these money matters and Mr. Shah, should I always have to be consulted in these things? Enclosed find the copy of amendment, duly signed. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: building, management, marriage, Nairobi letters | 05:09 |5 November 2007 5 November, 1972 Vrindaban My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 24, 1972. I have noted that you have returned to Gurukula to take over the managing because Stoka Krsna has left to go to Los Angeles at his whim. This is not good, this unsteady position. I have never been in favor of this practice of many times changing the responsible officers, three times in one week changing presidents, this will ruin the whole thing. From now on if someone takes the leading post, he must agree to stick and not go away just because it is difficult from time to time. That is ideal leader. He is responsible and he knows his duty. Just like I did that. My Guru Maharaja gave me a task and always I was discouraged by my god-brothers, but I did not forget him even for a moment, and I was determined to follow my duty, even though sometimes I did not like to do it. But this always changing means no sense. If he is leader, he must be fixed-up. Otherwise, if he has no real interest, why he takes that post? He must be responsible. He must stick and develop the highest standard of Krishna Consciousness practice in that area of management. But if he is sometimes thinking, Oh, I do not like to do this, let me go away at first opportunity, then how will things go on? That is just like democratic system in your government: every four, five years changing all the leaders. In this way, each man is thinking he shall not try to do very much. No one is interested in the real welfare of the citizens, simply because the post is temporary. That is not our process. Real meaning of duty is just like Arjuna: he did not like to be responsible, he wanted to leave the scene, but Krishna convinced him this is your duty, to fight, so he did it for Krishna, and he fought until the last man was killed from the opposing side. That is leadership. He is determined to stick to his position because he has understood Krishna. So you are sannyasi, but if you have to stay there for some time to manage, that is all right. Sannyasi simply means to do as I am doing, and sometimes I have to manage, sometimes cook, sometimes go to the bank, keep the money, write books, chant, preach in the class, keep accounts - sannyasi should be expert in every department. But best thing is to discuss with Karandhara and other GBC men to find a permanent manager of Dallas school, who will not suddenly go away; of course we cannot prevent that someone may suddenly go away, it may happen to anyone, but so far as possible impress upon the leaders what is their duty. That school is very, very important business, and the best man must be found out for taking charge there and developing it nicely, and if he sticks and works hard to build it up, that will please me very much. Advancement in Krishna Consciousness is not the result of material conditions. I shall not expect to find some perfect circumstances of occupational duty which will cause me to be automatically Krishna conscious, no. So why shall I think that by changing this, going here or there, doing something else - why shall I expect that I will become happy by adjusting material conditions in this way? They have not understood. Real attitude of devotional service is, whether I am here or there, whether I am doing this or that, it doesn't matter, just give me little prasada, little service, or if you make me big leader, that's all right--that is devotee, satisfied to serve Krishna in any circumstances of life. So try to impress this fact, we should kill this restless spirit. Enthusiasm and patience, these things required. If under changing conditions, I lose my enthusiasm, if I cannot endure the difficulties of my duty, therefore I go away--then how I can be leader? These things must be understood. Otherwise the whole thing will fall. Hoping this meets you in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: gurukula, leader, management, philosophy, sannyasa letters | 05:02 |5 November, 1972 Vrindaban My dear Hrdayananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 4, 1972, which I have only just now received, due to travelling these past weeks. Yes, your plan for travelling and preaching was very much approved by me, but now I understand from Satsvarupa that he has gone to Dallas to manage things there because Stoka Krishna has left to Los Angeles. Are you travelling now alone, or what shall be your programme now? This constantly changing managers is not good. We shall develop more progressively by sticking in one place and working, not that one week we have three presidents, that is not good. Our managers should be very responsible for developing their centre to the topmost standard, why this restlessness? It is just like one man is holding government post by getting votes, so today or tomorrow or next day, but he will have to go out, then another man comes, then another, another. In this way, democratic system, no one becomes responsible for the welfare of the citizens, only they want to take for themselves as much as they can before they have to get out, so they do not take real interest in their duty. It is a little like that. My idea is that the leaders must agree to stick at one place, even they may have to remain their life-long, that is the ideal leader, one who is conscious of his duty. But you are sannyasi, and sannyasi's duty is different: travel widely and preach. That is sannyasa. So I am very happy to hear you are doing that, now go on vigorously preaching and distributing books, especially among the college students, and utilize every moment to spread Krishna Consciousness knowledge to everyone. That will be the perfection of your life. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: management, sannyasa, St. Louis letters | 05:01 |26 October 2007 26 October, 1972 Vrindaban My dear Cyavana, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated October 16 and 9, 1972, and I have noted the contents with care. Brahmananda is collecting many life-members in Zambia, and if there is financial crisis there in Nairobi, why not he should send you the money he is collecting? He is not going to open centres there, there are not enough men to manage, so I think he can send you that money. But try to persuade Shah and Damji to leave their money with us as gift. Why they are giving to Krishna then taking back? Both are rich men, out of sentiment they have been offended, so try to pacify them as best you can, then they will give. I am glad to hear that the street sankirtana and distribution of our books and magazines is going on well, especially the programme of Hindus donating magazines for free distribution to the Africans. If Subala Vilasa wants to marry that African girl, I have no objection but whether she wants to marry him? Also, take the consent of her parents and elder brothers. Such marriage may be good propaganda for our movement in Africa, but if there is any disturbance caused by it, that will be disaster, just like we saw with the Sarna girls. So you must judge whether the match will be favorable on the point that it must not cause any disturbance either in the girl's family or in the local community. Yes, try to encourage the Life Members to give more, and organize nicely for always supplying them with books so that they may not become dissatisfied. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: life members, management, marriage, Nairobi letters | 18:32 |13 October 2007 Friday, 13 October, 1972 Manila My dear Yadubara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated September 30, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. Concerning your request for money for Hindi and Gujarati BTG's where is the money collected from the first editions. For any magazine published money should be collected and then republished. Accounts should be kept--money invested money collected. What is this that every time money is invested, then for a reprinting, more money has to be invested? In my last letter I informed you that 70,000 and 29,000 rupees were transferred from the Book Fund, whether this money has been returned to Book Fund. So there is no information in your letter about this, so let me know in Vrndavana whether this fund has been returned yet. Mahamsa knows it, Giriraja knows it and you as secretary should also have known it. So when I return you should inform me and then I shall do the needful. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdb P.S. Please send a complimentary copy of a soft cover TLC to: K.S. RamaKrishna Rao Dept. of Philosophy Mysore-12, S. India Labels: BBT, Bombay, management letters | 10:18 |8 October 2007 Sunday, 8 October, 1972 San Francisco My Dear Kaliya Krsna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated September 31, 1972, and have noted the contents. Now that you are President of the Detroit Temple, you have very great responsibility to take proper care of all the devotees who are engaged there and are spreading Krsna Consciousness at one of our most important centers. Formerly Bhagavan das was developing this area very nicely, so now that the responsibility is in your hands please continue with enthusiasm more and more. As much as you are sincere to simply serve the mission of the Supreme Lord, then Krsna will give you the intelligence from the heart, have no doubt. I have received the enclosed daksina offering in the amount of $332 and I thank you very very much. Also enclosed is a letter for Srimati Vilasini Devi Dasi and Sitarani Devi Dasi for Gayatri initiation. Hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Labels: Detroit, initiation, management letters | 10:15 |26 September 2007 Tuesday, 26 September, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Giriraja, Please accept my blessings. Thank you very much for your detailed letter dated September 16, 1972. I am glad to learn in detail how the things are going on in Bombay. I am always thinking about that place, it is only a few steps to the Juhu Beach, and there are many nice palm trees overhead with cooling breezes, and I am looking forward very much to return there soon. Only I am always anxious how the things are going on there, therefore I have asked you to report regularly. So far the bank mortgage is concerned, that is all right. Why don't you do it and finish this business with Nair? This talk is going on since so many months, why it is not being finished up? Now we have formed a committee, now whatever you think, you do. I want to see how the things are going on, and how it is going depends on you. Now I cannot tax my brain so much from such distant place what to do if there is any difficulty, therefore I am relying completely on you, my trusted senior disciples, to finish up these things nicely. I want that construction work be immediately taken up. If this is not possible, as suggested by Madhukar Munim, we may file a criminal or civil charges, as you see fit. Either this way or that way, finish it immediately. So many letters you are sending for the past so many months, and still nothing is settled. You may take bank mortgage for 20-30 lacs extra and use it for construction, that is approved by me. I just want to see that things are done, that's all. The Board of Trustees is approved by me. Regarding the Rs. 4,000 for paper for the Gujarati issue of Back to Godhead, I have sent you already Rs. 70,000 and Rs. 29,000, whether that has been replaced? Then I will forward further sums. I have requested Satsvarupa to reimburse you immediately the Rs. 7,000 paid out for the Dallas and Detroit deities. One thing is, you have sent the conveyance for the unoccupied agricultural land valued at Rs. 900,000 but there is no conveyance issued for the occupied land or nonagricultural land with buildings valued at Rs. 500,000. When that conveyance will be also signed? Kindly send me one copy of that second conveyance* as soon as possible. It is mentioned in the one conveyance you have sent me that a second conveyance must be also issued, but I want to see that that is done as quickly as possible and settle up this matter once and for all. Your plan for forming sankirtana parties for selling our literatures throughout India is very much appreciated by me. Now you have got many many books there and in order to finance our building projects in India you must sell these books profusely. The traveling party idea is the best method for distributing our literatures widely. All funds should be deposited in the Book and Building Accounts and spent for those purposes only. I have very much appreciated your Hare Krsna monthly magazine, it is a great step forward, now maintain it actually monthly and collect many advertisements and spread our propaganda in this way. One thing is, Bhavananda has suggested that you need more help but he was called to help you from Calcutta and coming such long distance he was also silent and then he went away. I do not know why he has gone away because I asked him to stay there in Bombay and help you execute the conveyances and not to leave Bombay until the conveyances were signed. Kindly keep me informed more regularly what you are doing and how the things are getting done in Bombay. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami *joint conveyance ACBS/sda Labels: Bombay, book distribution, building, management, printing letters | 05:57 |13 September 2007 13 September, 1972 Los Angeles My dear Yadubara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 28, 1972, and I have appreciated the contents carefully. I am glad to hear that all the departments of business are going on successfully, now I am anxious to hear if the conveyance deed has been signed and what are the contents. Kindly send me the copy duly signed as quickly as possible. this will give me great relief. As soon as the conveyance has been signed you may begin the building work immediately. I am coming to India soon, at east by October, and I want to see that the building projects in Bombay, Mayapur and Vrndavana are going on nicely. This Bombay project is one of our most important projects in the whole world and I am looking to you and the others there in Bombay to see that it is done very magnificently. I have been very much encouraged to see some advertisement booklet printed by Air India wherein the theme is exclusively dedicated to Krsna and Vrndavana. With this idea the Air India Company is enticing tourists to come to India simply to experience the spiritual life around Krsna. So in future I expect that our Bombay project will be one of the most important show-pieces in the world for foreign tourists to actually come and get actual experience of Krsna Consciousness or the real Vedic culture. So with this idea in mind work very vigorously and with renewed spirit to do the work very gorgeously and raise up first our temple and later on the apartment houses as you have planned. One thing is, I have just returned from Dallas Gurukula school, and the young students there require to learn Sanskrit language. So I think you may purchase minimum fifty copies of the primary Sanskrit book for learning Sanskrit language from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Chowpatty and send to Dallas school as soon a possible. Ask them if they will donate, but if they will not donate then purchase outright minimum fifty copies of the first grammar or primary book for learning Sanskrit at earliest age. Another thing is, I have got one letter recently from Mahamsa requesting to change his position, but you can tell him to kindly wait until I come there. Then we shall see. Also I have heard from Karandhara that Giriraja wants to give up his position as president at Bombay and that you will take charge of Bombay center. Similarly, I have sent him one telegram requesting to wait until I come there, then we shall make all arrangements. Hoping this meets you in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: Bombay, building, gurukula, land, management letters | 12:58 |26 August 2007 26 August, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Madhavananda, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated August 15th and have noted the contents carefully. I have also looked at the article in Kothari Magazine and it is done very nicely. Thank you very much. I am encouraged to hear that the collecting is going very nicely under your supervision and that you have made 33 Life Members there in Calcutta more. But we shall require huge funds to finish our Mayapur Project, at least Rs./60,000 per month must be collected there, along with donations of kind, such as steel, etc. So if you can assist Jayapataka and the others in this way that is very much appreciated. One thing is if the Calcutta festival is held at least 50 men must be there and do it very nicely. How many men will be there? On the dates that you mention, namely, October 27th to November 5th, I shall be in Vrndavana. You must all jointly make these decisions about my program there, not that whimsically one man shall decide one thing another man shall decide another thing. So unless Tamala Krsna and the others agree then I will not be able to attend on the dates you have mentioned. Anyway I shall be in Vrndavana at that time. But after the 15th November, leaving this time, and consulting with the leaders, then a suitable program may be fixed for Calcutta. Regarding my Gita Gan, take quotation for printing there also. If it is cheaper why should we go to Dai Nippon? I think Jugantar can do the work, let them do it conveniently. Anyway, somehow or other do it, and you can request Giriraja to send the money from the Book Fund if he approves of everything. You can ask Asokamrta or I think there are some Bengali girls there also, all of them are well educated, they can proofread the manuscript. The Maidan programs in India should be done in consultation with all. We have now got our reputation and we must do everything very carefully to keep it. Same process, four or five or six big men, whatever they think the others must say all right I shall accept. Nothing should be done by personal whims. This should be avoided. Our prestige should be always kept, that means we must be very sincere and serious to execute our work; then it will be all right. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: Calcutta, festivals, management, Mayapur letters | 12:34 |24 August 2007 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 |16 August 2007 16 August, 1972 Los Angeles Dear Tejiyas and Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I have received your joint letter dated 6th August, from Vrindaban and I am very glad to hear that everything is going nicely there. Regarding the questions by Tejiyas, unless there are local men in Delhi who are interested and who will do the work, then it is all right to attempt to expand there by renting building, etc. But on our own attempt that is not good. And this also applies to the pandal program. It will be expensive, so local persons must come forward to cooperate. Last time Dalmia and others were there, and they gave us all assistance. Therefore the program was very successful. So if such men are willing to come forward again to help us and organize everything, then we should try for it, otherwise, it is too much endeavor. My plan is to come to Vrindaban sometimes near the 12th or 15th of October for the Karati Varta and I want to sit down there in the Sri Radha Damodara Temple until some time near the end of November. I will lecture daily in the courtyard on the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, especially for the benefit of the devotees. So you can make arrangements in that way. Regarding your questions about the marble tablets, in 1955 I went to Vrindaban and stayed at Nathagaon temple. In 1961 I moved to Radha Damodara temple and I am still living there. I have sent you the plans approved by me, and you may submit them to the municipality and request them to very quickly approve so we may start as soon as possible. When they have approved, Saurabha may come there to give you some help in the beginning. I think by now Tamala Krishna may be there with one engineer for getting the work started. There must be some tangible progress made by the time of my arrival so that I may see the work being done. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ldd Labels: building, management, Vrindavan letters | 10:55 |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 | |
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