a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
|
|
| Prabhupada Letters :: 1972 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
|
|
19 December 2007 Tuesday, 19 December, 1972 Bombay My dear Tejiyas, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 10, 1972, and I am very much disturbed to hear from you that you have become disturbed in your mind. Do not be disturbed. There is no cause for anxiety. You are doing your best to serve Krishna, that is very much appreciated, so do not lose enthusiasm out of frustration, that will spoil everything. Krishna Consciousness means we should always be satisfied and happy, not that we must work something impossible, becoming overburdened, and then because we are unhappy by so much trouble we lose enthusiasm altogether and give up all hope. No, if too much endeavour is there, that is to be avoided. By all means we must preserve our spiritual status, that is the point, not that we are mad after big buildings, many devotees, life-members, this, that - no, these are only ways to engage the devotees so that they may apply the principles of devotional living to some kind of work for practical realization of these principles. It is not the result of the work we want. If only one person daily, if we sincerely preach to such one person in a day, that is sufficient, never mind big, big programmes. So my request to you is that you do not be bothered by these things, and I have instructed Tamala Krishna and Syamasundara to send you men, so they will do it, rest assured. Krishna does not like to see His sincere devotee suffer or become frustrated or depressed. He will not stand idly by in any such case, so do not fear on that account. Krishna has got some plan for you, always think in that way, and very soon He will provide everything to your heart's desire. Yes, I have seen Vaikunthanatha in Ahmedabad and he appeared very sickly. So he may have to go back, that's a fact, but I shall send you some other good men to assist you. So far Dvija Hari is concerned if he is acting in that way, that is abominable. He has collected some money, so my direct order for him is that he should immediately leave Delhi and return to his country, using the money has got. He may go to Los Angeles and stay in the temple there, taking instruction and help from Karandhara. If he tries to commit any further harm to you or attack you physically, inform the police and have him arrested. Or he may use that ticket of Vidura and give Delhi temple the money he has collected, that is better idea. You may inform him like this. If he has got question, he may write me, but I think he should leave at once without further delay. In Los Angeles there is better facility for making film, that he should know. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda n.b. I think that if no one is there to help you at present moment, and no one can be spared from Bombay due to Cross Maidan pandal work, then you may come to Bombay along with Puranjana and work here, then after the program is finished in Bombay, say about January 22nd, you may return to Delhi with a full party of strong men selected by you from the men in Bombay. But if there is urgent business, you may remain there and we shall make other arrangement as you suggest. ACBS Labels: difficulties, India, New Delhi, philosophy letters | 17:24 |19 December, 1972 Bombay My dear Jayapataka, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 29, 1972, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. I am so much happy to hear from you all the good news of our Mayapur centre! No, your liking of engagement there is not at all an inappropriate attachment, rather it is your qualification for pleasing your spiritual master. Attachment must be there, for Krishna or for maya. So you have become attached to developing the Mayapur centre, that is Krishna's work, so Krishna appreciates very much when His devotee becomes attached to Him in this way. Yes, the cooperative spirit of working together without any argument is especially prominent in Mayapur, more than other places in India. Therefore you are successful, and the work is going on quickly to completion. That is because all of you working there have become very much attached to the dust from Lord Caitanya's Lotus Feet, and because you have got such deep personal interest with that engagement of work, you want to see that it is done nicely without any hindrance of selfish motivation, never mind all kinds of conditions of the material nature. That idea has become prominent for all of you, it is bigger than maya's idea, therefore maya cannot interfere to make you quarrel or other things. But you especially are to take the credit. From the very beginning you wanted that place, and you got the land, got money from me, and now you have built the place by your concentration of energy. That is wanted. If there is some discrepancy anywhere, some non-cooperation, fighting, or if the work is slow or not to the standard, it is to be supposed that the person or persons in charge are not very much attached to Krishna. That means they will discriminate: my engagement is not good, other's engagement is good, like that. They do not know the secret of surrendering to Krishna. Such surrendered devotee sees that everything is part of Krishna's plan, that whatever is meant to be, I am doing that, so let me do it with my full attention to every detail, let me become absorbed in such service, never mind what it is, but let all other considerations be forgotten and only my desire to do the thing best for Krishna's alone pleasure be my motive. That is advanced stage of understanding devotional service or Krishna Consciousness. Thank you very much for your kindly coming to the point. Now I want to officially open the building on Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day. So please try to finish it by that time. What is the use to buy more land like Damodara Maharaja's land? And why his house is so special it is worth Rs. 11,000? So far Sridhara Swami's land, if we can use it then we may purchase, but we cannot pay such a high price for it.* In these things you decide as you think best, I cannot tax my brain. Do everything consulting Bhavananda and Tamala Krishna. Now we are holding a very grand pandal function in the Cross Maidan at Bombay, so it may be that we shall have to bring the Radha-Madhava deities there from there to Bombay for the occasion. We are trying to get new deities from Jaipur, but that may not be possible. Let us see. But at least be prepared to bring them at any time. Acyutananda may bring them with him to Bombay. You may inform Acyutananda that I want that he shall come here for the pandal programme, to lead the kirtana and preach in the 'Questions and Answers' tent. He should remain prepared, and if I call to bring deities, he can bring. Otherwise he may reach here by first of January, in any case. Others may also come from that side, especially Gargamuni may come if he likes, he is first-class preacher to preach to many thousands who will attend the Questions and Answers tents, so you may inform like that. And whoever shall come must bring with them as many mrdangas and karatalas as possible, at least four drums are required and ten sets of karatalas. Otherwise there are no instruments here for the kirtana, and that will be a great dishonor for displaying the sankirtana movement to people of Bombay. Kindly inform the others these things.* Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda *As we are not in need of Sridhara Maharaja's land why should we take it? Better wait until my arrival. *Our Ahmedabad programme was highly successful. Labels: land, Mayapur, philosophy, sankirtan letters | 17:20 |7 November 2007 Tuesday, 7 November, 1972 Vrindaban [To Mr. Loy] Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 7, 1972, and I can very much understand your concern. After all, she is your beloved daughter, and you have sacrificed everything just to bring her to the point of proper education, training, and so many things are there between you. But what can I say? In your country the girls are independent, and from very young age they are accustomed to mix with young boys, so naturally there will be attraction, sex desire and marriage. Actually this whole material world is running on this attraction between man and woman. It is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam that once the boy and girl unite intimately the hard knot is formed, and the girl is thinking "Oh, without him I am lost", and the boy is thinking "Oh, without her I am lost." That is Maya's arrangement for keeping us bound-up tightly in the material atmosphere. If wife is there, then some money must be coming, that means work, land or factory, children, home, friends, community, nation--like that there is increasing complication of illusion of thinking: This is mine, that is mine. But they do not know that one day death will kick them out, mercilessly, and neither home, nor wife, nor children, nothing can prevent that. All along he is thinking these things are like soldiers of security to safeguard his happy life, but they are described as "fallible soldiers" because they will not help us at all. When the moment of death is there, no one may protect us, and if we are not prepared for that moment by practicing Krishna Consciousness or God-consciousness, then we shall be struck with fear and we shall not know where we are going after and what kind of body we may be forced by nature to take. But this kind of householder life of "grihameda" consciousness does not apply to our marriages in Krishna Consciousness Movement. No. Because the sex-urge is so strong in young persons, and because they are used to mixing freely with one another, I encourage my students to get themselves married. But our point is not that hard knot as above described. It is simply a relationship of mutually helping each other, man and wife, to make advancement in spiritual life, nothing more. We are not after home, money, fame, like that. But that does not mean that he shall not support her nicely, no. It is the duty of husband to protect wife in every way from the onslaught of material nature, and he must act always as her spiritual guide by being perfect example of devotee. Women are not so quick to learn, and they are weak by nature, so they should be protected in this way. In our Vedic science of living, it is enjoined that the society should be organized in such a way to protect women, children, old people and cows, because factually all of them are innocent. So children have parents, elderly persons must have grown up children to protect them, and woman must have husband. And it is recommended they should be married at very early age, then the wife will remain always chaste and devoted to her husband. At such young age, from the first night onwards, she can never for a moment forget him, being still child and unspoiled, therefore she becomes the perfect chaste wife, and in those times the wife was so much devoted to her husband that she would voluntarily die in the fire of his cremation, unable to live without him. Myself, I was very young when I got married, and my wife was 11 years only. But there is no question of separation in our marriage belief, neither your daughter will ever be separated from that boy, that is their vow. Rather, it is when people are a little grown-up, when they have got little independence and their own ways of doing things, then if they marry there is often difficulty to adjust, just as it is more difficult to bend the bamboo when it is yellow. So I can assure you that you may have nothing to fear that your daughter has married such a nice boy: bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyante vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. Krishna assures us that "After many many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare." (Bhagavad-gita, VII, 19). In this light, try to view these children. They have realized that life together spent in the pursuit of God is real knowledge, and that they have not done lightly by any means, no actually they must be considered as great souls, the most exalted persons among all persons. Our married couples are rendering the greatest service to humanity, their countrymen, and to their parents, of that kindly be assured by me. Do not worry for anything in this connection, you are a great gentleman, otherwise you could not have fostered such intelligent daughter, and gentlemen are known to be broad-minded, so therefore I appeal to you as their spiritual father to encourage them in every respect. Hoping this meets you in good health. Yours Truly, ACBS Labels: marriage, philosophy, wife, women letters | 05:08 |7 November, 1972 Vrindaban My Dear Krsnadasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 30, 1972, and I have noted the contents. It appears that you are again constantly disturbed by the same nonsense doubts. These things are not very important, we may not waste our time with these insignificant questions. If we are seeking to find out some fault, maya will give us all facility to find any small thing and make it very big, that is maya. But such questions as yours: why there is so-called discrepancy between the views of Bhagavat and modern scientists regarding the moon and other planets, and whether Hitler is good or bad man, these are most insignificant matters, and for anyone who is sincerely convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for him these questions do not arise. Our information comes from Vedas, and if we believe Krishna, that vedaham samatitani vartamanani carjuna bhavisyani ca bhutani mam tu veda na kascana (BG, VII, 26) that He knows everything, and "vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham," that Krishna is non-different from Vedas, then these questions do not arise. But because you have asked me, I am your spiritual master, I must try to answer to your satisfaction. Yes, sometimes in Vedas such things like the asura's decapitated head chasing after Candraloka, sometimes it is explained allegorically. Just like now we are explaining in 4th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam the story of King Puranjana. Just like the living entity is living within this body, and the body is described there as city with nine gates, the intelligence as the Queen. So there are sometimes allegorical explanations. So there are many things which do not corroborate with the so-called modern science, because they are explained in that way. But where is the guarantee that modern science is also correct? So we are concerned with Krishna Consciousness, and even though there is some difference of opinion between modern science and allegorical explanation in the Bhagavat, we have to take the essence of Srimad-Bhagavatam and utilize it for our higher benefit, without bothering about the correctness of the modern science or the allegorical explanation sometimes made in Srimad-Bhagavatam. But this is a fact that in each and every planet there is a predominant deity, as we have got experience in this planet there is a president, so it is not wonderful when the predominating deity fights with another predominating deity of another planet. The modern science takes everything as dead stone. We take it for granted that everything is being manipulated by a person in each and every affair of the cosmology. The modern scientists however could not make any progress in the understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore we do not accept modern science as very perfect. We take Krishna's version: gam avisya ca bhutani dharayamy aham ojasa pusnami causadhih sarvah somo bhutvah rasatmakah (BG, 15.13) "I become the moon," and "yac chandramasi yac cagnau," (ibid, 12) "I am the splendor of the moon," and "jyotisam api taj jyotis," (BG, 13.18) "I am the source of light in all luminous objects," so no one is able to give us the correct information than Krishna, that you should know. Regarding Hitler, so Hitler may be good man or bad man, so what does he help to our Krishna Consciousness movement? But it is a fact that much propaganda was made against him, that much I know, and the Britishers are first-class propagandists. And I have heard that his officers did everything without informing him. Just like in our ISKCON there are so many false things: "Prabhupada said this, Prabhupada said that." But we have nothing to do with Hitler in our Krishna Consciousness. Do not be deviated by such ideas "Jnanam jneyam jnana-gamyam," (ibid), Krishna is knowledge, He is the object of knowledge, He is the goal of knowledge, and you mam evam asammudho janati purusottamam sa sarva-vid bhajati mam (BG, XV, 19) "Whoever knows Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he engages himself therefore in devotional service" This is the understanding of advanced devotee, so my best advice to you is to agree to come to this understanding. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: difficulties, philosophy, questions letters | 05:07 |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 |7 October 2007 7 October, 1972 San Francisco My Dear Andrew Parco, I beg to thank you for your letter dated Oct. 4. 1972. If you are actually very much eager to search out God, you should know that logic and argument cannot help you because the opposing elements may be better logicians and may convert your decision by better logical arguments. So far books are concerned, they are differently described for different types of men and a philosopher. So we cannot decide either from the books or by philosophical speculation or by argument and logic. So the best thing is that you find out yourself who you think is the right person in the matter of science of God. So far we are concerned we are following the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and we see the knowledge given in the Bhagavad-gita is quite perfect in the matter of understanding God. If we compare the truth mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita with other books, sometimes there may not be equal standard of understanding. So it is better to accept some recognized authority and follow his footsteps, and that is the best way for understanding God. we simply want that people should understand God, and love him also, because human life is meant for this purpose. So if a man loves God more than anything else, he is the perfect man. I wish that you may follow this principle and be happy. Yours Sincerely, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Labels: philosophy letters | 20:00 |4 September 2007 Monday, 4 September, 1972 New Vrindaban My dear Patty Dorgan, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated September 1, 1972, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. I am so pleased to hear that you are living nicely with your parents and carrying on with your Krishna Consciousness activities. That is a good proposal. Never mind there maybe some inconvenience. Krishna always appreciates when his devotee makes some sacrifice on His behalf, so there is no real difficulty under any conditions so long as we remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like Prahlada Maharaja, he never asked Krishna for anything, oh Krishna please save me from my demon father, no. But because he was always remembering Krishna under all circumstances, Krishna saved him anyway, and when He became finally angry He came Himself and killed the demon father. But even Krishna came Himself, still Prahlada did not ask Him for any favors, only to please kindly have mercy upon my father. That is pure devotee. Of course we cannot imitate, but we should always try to remember the example of our predecessors and follow their example always. I am very much encouraged to hear that you want to open a Krishna Yoga Society branch in your high-school, along with Lalitananda. That will be the bet service to Lord Caitanya, and it is the best gift you can give me. Thank you very much for helping me in this way. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: initiation, philosophy letters | 19:28 |16 June 2007 16 June, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Madhudvisa, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter dated June 9, 1972, from Melbourne, and I don't think you have yet got my last letter to you at Sydney. I am very pleased to hear that you are utilizing your good experience for introducing the Ratha Yatra Festival in Australia, I shall be very pleased to see the photos how it is going. I fully approve of your program for traveling, now you combine the sannyasi requirement for traveling extensively, and at the same time as GBC man you shall be my personal secretary for maintaining the highest level of Krishna Consciousness amongst the devotees in your zone. I am very much concerned that the devotees should be given all good instruction and knowledge of Krishna Consciousness, that is the duty of the GBC man. (?) better to utilize time and train the devotees, especially the responsible officers, and they can go out for preaching to non-devotees and making new devotees. But if they do not have any knowledge, how can they go out and preach? So you GBC men are my selected few for insuring that what I am doing will be carried on very nicely for the pleasure of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So now you must all my senior disciples and leaders become very, very much aware of your grave responsibility to the human society for delivering them from the clutches of catastrophe, and be always cool-headed and utilize every moment in the best manner possible. I am successful only because I am following strictly the orders of my Guru Maharaja, and I do not deviate. Therefore people respect what I am saying and they listen because I do not say one thing and do another. So now you are doing my work and you shall be like me and be yourselves the worthy representatives of our disciplic succession. I am very much stressing at this point that all of my students shall be very much conversant with the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness, and that they should read our books very diligently at least one or two hours daily and try to understand the subject matter from varieties of angles. We are holding our morning class here in Los Angeles in the temple and I am speaking from 7 to 8 am. The process is that we are going through some chapters of Srimad-Bhagavatam by taking one sloka each day, and reading the Sanskrit aloud, each word is pronounced by me and repeated by the students and then altogether we chant the sloka several times until we have learned it. And then we discuss the subject matter very minutely and inspect it from all angles of approach and savor the new understandings. So you introduce this system in all of the centers in your zone, and you will discover that everyone becomes very much enlivened by these daily classes. Read one sloka and discuss and then go on to the next sloka on the next day, and so on, and even you discuss one verse each day it will take you 50 years to finish Srimad-Bhagavatam in this way. So we have got ample stock for acquiring knowledge. And if the students get knowledge more and more, they will automatically become convinced and very easily perform their duties for tapasya or renunciation of the material bondage, and that will be their successful advancement in Krishna Consciousness. So I want that advancement amongst all of my students, so your are responsible that the standard will be maintained. If Tusta Krsna is so much anxious to acquire a press for New Zealand, there is no harm. I have written to him to use his better judgement in the matter. If you wish to take the small 12-inch Radha Krsna Deities in the parade, that is all right. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Australasia, GBC, philosophy, Ratha Yatra, reading letters | 04:42 |15 June 2007 15 June, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Siddha Svarupananda, Please accept my blessings. Just now I am in receipt of some pamphlets and one booklet entitled Sai Speaks, so I see so many discrepancies from our line of action in devotional service. I do not know if you are again acting upon your old principles on the guise of becoming a Sannyasi from our disciplic succession. This cannot be allowed. If you are sincere to our line of action, please come here to Los Angeles and live with me for some time. If not, then you can disclose your mind frankly what you want to do. I cannot allow you to do all these things which are completely detrimental to our line of disciplic succession. I shall be glad if you come here to stay with me, so I shall expect your reply one way or the other. Meanwhile hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: Laguna Beach, outside books, philosophy letters | 04:37 |13 June 2007 13 June, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Bhargava, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter dated May 31, 1972, and I have noted the contents. Our advancement in Krishna Consciousness is made possible in two ways, by Knowledge and renunciation, jnana and tyaga or tapasya. The more we become renounced from this material world, the more we advance in Krishna Consciousness. But we are only able to make such sacrifices and perform tapasya if we have got knowledge. So first thing is to become knowledgeable in Krishna Consciousness, then the tapasya or voluntary life of austerity will result automatically. So I am requesting all of my students to read my books very seriously every day without fail. In this way, if your mind becomes absorbed at least one or two hours daily in the transcendental subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and other books then very easily you will make your advancement in Krishna Consciousness. It is not a matter of changing our engagement, adjusting this or that material condition, in order to find our real happiness. Krishna Consciousness is not like that. It is able to be performed under any variety of material conditions or with any type of engagement. Therefore if your duty as a photographer is very much helpful to our propanganda work and for improving our BTG then there is very much need for your remaining in that occupation and doing it to your best capacity. It is a fallacy to say that my present engagement with the press is not the best for my spiritual advancement, and if we think in this way we may go on trying out one engagement after another and always say the same excuse. This restlessness or agitation of the mind cannot be rectified by altering the material circumstances. If we are Krishna Conscious, any type of occupation will suit me and we shall always be satisfied. Therefore, I recommend you to read books more and more and try to understand the subject matter from different angles of vision and be always discussing it with your godbrothers even while you are working at the press, and when you are working and you cannot read, then listen to the tapes of my lectures and hear in that way. And never neglect to chant your 16 rounds of beads daily, rise early without fail, attend mangal arati, take bath, and follow the other regulative principles, and everything will come out very successfully, you can rest assured of that. I am feeling the tendency more and more to retire behind the scenes for translating work, and I want to turn over the management of everything to the GBC and other senior leaders amongst my disciples, so if you have in future any more matters for discussing you may assist me in training these leaders and managers by placing your questions before them. I think Rupanuga will be able to answer all of your questions satisfactorily, so you can be confident that he is giving you all good advice. Hoping this will meet you in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: art, BBT, New York, philosophy letters | 10:03 |7 June 2007 Wednesday, 7 June, 1972 Los Angeles Secretary to Minister of Education and Culture Government of the U.S.S.R. Moscow Dear Sir; With reference to an article entitled, Baptists Besieged, published in the international edition of Time Magazine of June 12, 1972, page 66, it is understood that your people are now protesting against atheistic government. So far we know your government is pledged not to believe in God. But this kind of suppression will not be tolerated by the general mass of people. It is understood also that your Constitution allows freedom of religious expression. But it appears from the facts that you do not wish to indulge in religious principles which are simply sentiments. We agree wholeheartedly that without philosophy, religion is reduced to sentiment or the opium of the masses. We are likewise in full agreement with your national leaders that the state and the citizens in general must be organized upon philosophical principles. We, the above institution, have got our spiritual communism idea, and we want to see that not a single person, man or animal, remains hungry or in want of material necessities of life. According to our philosophy, a householder or substantial citizen of the state has to see not only after the well-being of his wife, children, relatives and dependents, that they shall be properly taken care of and will not starve, but also even if a lizard lives in his house, he should see that it is not hungry. Therefore, to give all facilities of living condition to all living entities is our Krishna Consciousness movement.Besides this human welfare activity for communal sharing of the material necessities of life, there is an ancient Vedic program for simultaneously raising the whole society to the highest perfection of spiritual consciousness. We are, like you, the good public leaders of your nation, interested in material improvement, but also there must be spiritual improvement as well. It is not that I should be concerned only that my wife and sons eat and get satisfaction, but I must be concerned for the ultimate well-being of everyone. By nature, everyone is endowed with individual tastes and preferences, therefore what satisfies one many may not satisfy another, so there will always be some dissatisfaction and discrepancies of all sorts. Therefore, if we try to satisfy everyone's well-being on the material platform, we shall never find the end of it, and we shall be frustrated in our attempts, and there will be protest, etc. Your great founder of your nation, Mr. Nikolai Lenin, was very much intelligent, and he could understand that people become united only under the guiding principles of a commonly accepted philosophy or standard of truth. But if we examine the course of history, we must conclude, with Mr. Karl Marx, that this so-called standard of truth constantly changes, and that what one group of people accept at standard of perfection at one time, the same people may again reject that standard and take another philosophy as the all-in-all, and so on. So if we are intelligent leaders of state, it is to our advantage to benefit all the citizens by satisfying their material requirements, but even more is it our duty to satisfy their need for being secure and confident that they are working under the principles of a truth or reality which does not change and is therefore absolute. That is spiritual satisfaction. Spiritual means philosophical, otherwise it is sentiment and sentiments are fickle and always changing. So we can very much appreciate your rejection of sentiment as a basis for practical activity. Our institution, as above mentioned, is a philosophical and cultural movement originating long ago in the Vedic period of history of your friendly neighbor, India, and it is meant for awakening peoples' dormant acceptance of the absolute truth, or God-consciousness, without which a human society is no better than animal society. By the progressive evolutionary process, the human being is enriched specifically with dormant obeisances for the supreme authority. We cannot deny logically and scientifically the supreme authority of the whole cosmic manifestation. In abnormal conditions only we deny this authority, but normally it is not possible to deny this fact. I think your people are now protesting against this suppression, and at the same time, we can understand that your government does not wish to encourage the above-mentioned sentimental religious faiths. Our International Society is based upon scientific and authoritative understanding of God-consciousness. Any philosopher or scientist will certainly agree with our philosophical point-of-view on religion and God-consciousness. We also understand from one prominent Soviet professor of Indology that a few years ago your government published a translation of the Ramayana, an ancient Vedic scripture describing the pastimes of Lord Rama, who advented Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead long years ago, and that this translation, the whole stock, was sold out within a few days. With reference to this obvious preference by the citizens in general, we wish to publish our translation of another ancient classical Vedic literature, namely, Bhagavad-gita, in the Russian language. The English edition of this great book of knowledge, which has been called by us as Bhagavad-gita As It Is, is already published by the famous London publishing house of Mss. MacMillan Co. This book of knowledge is perfectly educational and is an authoritative cultural presentation in the matter of understanding God-consciousness. If you, therefore, permit, I can send you the copy of Bhagavad-gita As It Is and ask my publishers, MacMillan Co., to send you one copy immediately on hearing from you. Our only desire is that when the good people of your country are so anxious to continue the natural God-consciousness, why not give them opportunity to read a book which is full of philosophy and science in the matter of developing their firm understanding of the truth or God-consciousness, and thus very easily unify and satisfy all the citizens. Thanking you in anticipation of an early reply, Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami cc: Time Magazine, New York. MacMillan Co., London. ACBS/sda Labels: Moscow, philosophy letters | 11:55 |16 May 2007 16 May, 1972 Los Angeles My Dear Madhudvisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 9, 1972, and I have noted the contents. By now you have received our request for you to become the GBC man for South-east Asia, South Pacific zone. If you like, you may take up this post and travel extensively through that zone and do something wonderful there. I think Sudama Vipra Maharaja and one assistant have gone to Manila in the Philippine Islands and their report is very encouraging. So I shall be very anxious to hear your reply in this connection. So far the Akash Ganga people, I think they shall remain quiet. Regarding your questions, generally we do not discuss these incidents because a devotee of Lord Caitanya does not feel very happy to discuss them. But so far we have heard from authorized sources, He simultaneously entered Jagannatha Temple and Gopinatha Temple in Puri and He did not come out. That much is sufficient. The living entities are not created, the material world is created. Just like a building is constructed, not the inhabitants. Sometimes the word created is used in connection with the living entity, but then it is to be understood that it refers to the manifestation of the marginal energy of Krishna. We say that the spiritual world is a creation of the spiritual energy, but actually the spiritual world is never created and it is just to indicate to what department it belongs. The living entity is the manifestation of the marginal energy of Krishna, and Krishna's energy is everywhere, so the living entity is also spread everywhere. Just like the sunshine is composed of small particles, so sunshine is distributed all over the universe, so also the shining particles are distributed. Similarly, the atomic living entities are existent in the Brahmajyoti and the Brahmajyoti is distributed everywhere, so the living entities are also spread everywhere. Their another name is sarvaga, all-pervading. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Australasia, GBC, philosophy, questions letters | 09:53 |3 May 2007 Wednesday, 3 May, 1972 Tokyo My dear Rupanuga, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated April 11 and April 26, 1972, along with tape of three revelations. The tape is nice, a good advertisement. Now similar tapes should be made. Another revelation is that the needle, when put into the water, it goes down quickly to the bottom. But a big, big log, weighing one ton, does not go down. Who has made this law? If the law of gravity is there, why does it not apply to the big log? We can understand that Lord Ramacandra was able to make a bridge by causing the big stones to float n the water, so counteracting the law of gravitation is the law of the Supreme. Gravitation is caused by the Supreme Lord, so He is also able to remove that law or do anything and everything at His will. If you know something like swimming, then the law of gravitation will not work, and who knows better than Krishna how to do everything, so Krishna can change anything, therefore we worship Him as the greatest Scientist. If a man knows swimming he can stay up. So if this much power has a man, what to speak of God. So we see that Ramacandra has the art how to make stones float. It is a question of knowing the art. Art means the display of intellectual energy. Everywhere we can see intelligence in everything, so the Lord knows the art of everything, so He can change anything, we cannot. The atheists and scientists are trying to get God out of things, we are doing just the opposite, trying to put God into everything. They are God-less, nonsense - we are God-full, God-sense or God-conscious. Your idea to recruit many brahmacaris is nice. We need a class of men purely brahmanas. The whole world is full of sudras. The Krishna Consciousness movement is meant for re-establishing the system of four varnas and asramas, then there will be progress of civilization. We have got such a nice process that even from the base sudras we can create brahmanas of highest calibre. All the presidents of our centers should see that all the members are strictly observing the brahminical standards, such as rising early, cleansing at least twice daily, reading profusely, attending arati, like that. You begin immediately this process. That is the main work of GBC. Sometimes we see that even they do not wash hands after eating. Even after drinking water we should wash hands. That is suci. Suchi means purest. Everyone should join the mangal arati. Gradually, we should become more regulated and strict for following the rules and regulations. Otherwise we shall fall down. You have got nice deities, now you make a nice silver throne like Los Angeles. Rukmini devi wants to install Caitanya Mahaprabhu, so Caitanya Mahaprabhu can be installed on the right side of Krishna, as you have seen in pictures from our Gaudiya Math temples. Nityananda there is no need. Simply three compartments, Gauranga and Spiritual masters in the first compartment, Radha and Krishna in the central compartment, and Lord Jagannatha in the third compartment. But if there is no room for three, then Radha-Krishna with Lord Caitanya on the right side with them, pictures of Spiritual Masters below. So far merging of temples, do the needful. If there is waste of time they may be merged, I have no objection. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: brahmanas, deities, New York, philosophy letters | 12:56 |25 April 2007 25 April, 1972 Tokyo My Dear Madhavananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 3, 1972, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. I am very much engladdened to hear that you are arranging nice engagements in Calcutta, especially in the schools. This is a very important program, so do it nicely. So far the report of other things, it is all very good news. Especially you may try for wholesale book distributing through Rupa and Co., and you may inform them that yesterday 1,500 3-volume sets, or 4,500 books, of paperback-size Krishna Books were dispatched to Bombay from here. Also in the near future many more books are to be shipped to India, so there will be always regular supply. All money collected from these books can be used in building there in India, you have not got to pay for them, so try to increase sales in this way and practically you can finance Mayapur in this way. I am very glad to hear that Mr. Jalan has given Rs. 10,000/-. As our work progresses, especially the building itself, the school and the prasadam distribution programs, these will put us very much favorably in the public eye and many many big men in Calcutta can give tremendous sums for such good public welfare work. There were four listeners when Krishna instructed Arjuna, so there are four bona fide Visnu sampradayas. Ramanuja is in the Sri or Laksmi sampradaya, Nimbarka is in the Kumara sampradaya, Vallabhacarya is a follower of Visnuswami or Rudra sampradaya, like that. Besides the Visnu sampradayas, there are other sampradayas, but they are following the directions given under off-shoot authorities. They have created so many, but these are not recognized by us. The four Visnu sampradayas are authorized by us, they are the original authorized sampradayas or religion, the Vaisnava religion. The original dharma is to follow the varnas and asramas, and these are created, according to Bhagavad-gita, to please Visnu. So sampradaya means one of the four original Visnu sampradayas. Yes, you do not know how to serve Krishna, so you simply assist your guru--we must always think like this, that I do not know how to serve Radha and Krishna, but my Spiritual Master knows so I am assisting him. In this way we can offer one plate and many plates are distributed. The Mahamantra was given to Narada by Brahma. Other mantras made by ordinary men are not authorized by the Sastras, so they have only proportionate effect as much as they are authorized or unauthorized. Highest benefit is from the Mahamantra, or Hare Krishna Mantra, because this is said by authorities. You know these things, you are becoming strong yourself by chanting this mantra, so actually it is so. Compare what you were before to what you have become, now challenge any other mantra to produce such effect. You know it, now try to realize it yourself and convince others, that is Krishna Consciousness. Yes, the more one surrenders, the more he is enabled by the Spiritual Master to succeed. Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: book distribution, Calcutta, chanting, philosophy letters | 13:09 |2 April 2007 2 April, 1972 Sydney My dear Tamala Krishna and Jayapataka, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your joint letter dated 19th March, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very much encouraged by your progress in reporting the stockpiling of materials. It appears that things are progressing at a good rate, and if you are determined enough to make a very perfect scheme there in Mayapur, Krishna will give you all encouragement to make all necessary arrangements. So continue in this way, but try to persuade these men for giving us more donations of money and goods. The newspaper report of Hindus and Moslems eating together which has been printed in Amrita Bazar Patrika will persuade many rich men to help us. I am very glad that Amrita Bazar Patrika is helping us in this way by printing these articles. So if you can show this handbill you have printed and these articles, so many men will give for human welfare basis. I am enclosing one card given to me by one man in the Calcutta airport just as I was leaving there last time, and this man has got a brother in the steel business in Calcutta and he has promised me to help us secure free steel from him. So try for it.* Now out of one lakh, 13,700, I paid you Rs. 10,000, and I kept out Rs. 3,700 which I deposited in the Building Account. Now for further transactions the suppliers of goods should be paid for by check from the Building Fund, so if you want bricks let them supply and send us bill which should be checked by you both and also by one of our consulting engineers or experts, and then a check will be issued from me. So far I know Karandhara had only $13,600 in the Mayapur Fund, $10,000 of which was transferred back to my account, so for the time being you cannot expect more money from there. But your work will not suffer as all supplies will be paid for by the Building Fund. So let them supply bricks, they will bill and we shall pay by check. One thing: we have just completed a similar arrangement, as with Mr. Jayan, in Bombay, and the rate was much more favorable, so if in future we shall require, you may consult with Giriraja and Mahamsa what is to be done. So far your interview in Times of India, he has caught you on one or two points unable to answer. We should always be patient to answer such newsmen's questions, they are very easy to answer, and so many people will see. For example, for the question about poverty, you should have said that some persons are destined to suffer poverty by their karma. It is said that good parents are no guarantee for good children, medicine is no guarantee for health, a ship is no guarantee for a drowning man--all of these counter-remedies are useless if a man is not protected by Krishna. Therefore, in you country, even they have very rich parents, the children are turning out to be poverty-stricken hippies. So here or there, it doesn't matter, poverty must exist by the laws of nature because people have forgotten Krishna, therefore they must suffer alternate poverty and so-called opulence just like being pushed under the water for some time and then relieved by coming up, then again pushed down, and they are thinking this is life. We shall remain in Australia about two weeks, then go to New Zealand where Tusta Krishna is opening a center, and then I am thinking to go directly back to Los Angeles. I am very much discouraged by this process of travelling, so much botheration. So you may reply here up to about middle of April, then I shall inform you where we are going from there. Hoping this meets you both in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: Australasia, building, Calcutta, Mayapur, philosophy, preachers letters | 18:03 |5 March 2007 Sunday, 5 March, 1972 Calcutta My Dear Sri Govinda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated February 22, 1972, along with the letter from Santosa. I especially appreciate his report of enthusiastic distribution of books and generally very highly determined and pure attitude of Krishna Consciousness devotional service. I am so much engladdened by his report. Just see how you all are giving all of your time and energy and attention to serving Krishna and how this simple formula is having such effect of creating topmost yogis and saintly young persons. You are the flowers of your nation, the devotees of the Lord, and so you go on in this way and always remember Krishna by remembering that you are His devotee and servant, and that this position is the most exalted of all and never to be thought of as inferior or less than even the most so-called elevated materialistic person. When we think of superior person, we think he is superior because he knows something more than I, superiority means more knowledge. Krishna knows everything, and He claims that if anyone knows Him, then he also knows everything. So knowledge means to know only that Krishna is the Proprietor of everything, that Krishna is the Friend of everyone, and that Krishna is the Enjoyer of everything. These three things: Proprietor, Friend, and Enjoyer. If somebody knows this, he is actually wise. Therefore because the devotee always knows this, he is more superior person because he has got all knowledge. But even more important than the knowledge of Krishna is the acting upon that knowledge, or devotional service. By the acting he realizes his knowledge and becomes complete. So I am very much encouraged that all you young boys and girls are working so hard to please Krishna, and even I cannot give you any nice thing, still, because you have got some love for Krishna and your Spiritual Master, therefore you have given up everything for selling books door-to-door and working very hard in every way just to push on this movement. For your sincere helping me I thank you all very very much. I have enjoyed your newspaper articles also, and in general I think that very soon your Cleveland center will rise above all the rest, so much so that I shall have to come to live there and translate for some time. I hope this will meet you all nice boys and girls in very good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, Cleveland, philosophy, spiritual master letters | 04:18 |4 March 2007 4 March, 1972 Bombay My dear Dasarha, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated February 4, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very glad to see that everything is going very nicely there in Wilmington as per the enclosed newspaper clippings, and I am much pleased that you are wholeheartedly engaging yourself in this way, and in this way you will help to save the whole world from the most dangerous position and at the same time achieve yourself the topmost perfection of life. Regarding your questions on Christianity, we are not very much keen to engage them in argument because for the most part they are sentimentalists and have no philosophy, therefore they become fanatics or dogmatists, and this type of person we cannot change. But if you find some Christian person who is intelligent to understand philosophy then you may argue that if God is unlimited, how He can be confined to having only one son? The son is the representative of the father, and in that sense he is the same as the father, but also he is different than the father. So Christ is speaking in this sense, that only through the representative of God can one come to God. Just like Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that one should surrender to a bona fide spiritual master, and then He also says that one should “Surrender unto Me.” So there is no difference between surrendering to God or surrendering to God’s representative, therefore Christ is also saying just surrender to me, the son or representative or spiritual master, and that is the same as surrendering to my father. Accepting the Lord or His representative as one’s savior means to render loving devotional service to Him, and in return he will give you all protection. But the foolish Christians they think God is their order-supplier so that simply by performing some religious ceremonies they are entitled to receive all benedictions for enhancing their material life. First of all, to be saved by God means that one must obey what God orders or His laws of commandments. In the Bible God says “Thou shall not kill,” but where is the Christian who does not kill animals and eat? They have changed the meaning of kill to mean “murder,” and for them, murder means onlyother humans. So unless you find out some Christian who is actually intelligent, it is useless to try for convincing them of these points. Simply show them by example that we are finding great spiritual joy in serving Krishna, sell them some literature, give them prasadam, and invite to the temple, and if they cannot understand from the point of view of philosophy, at least they will be able to appreciate our wonderful and enlivening activities and that we have proved ourselves the most upright, moral persons and the best examples of enlightened souls for the general improvement of all the citizens. Regarding your other question, you should not read such nonsense books, nor allow your mind to dwell on such subject matter. Instead utilize your time for advancing in Krishna consciousness by reading our books. We have got sufficient stock, and if you simply go on reading them, chanting regularly 16 rounds, engaging yourself 24 hours in Krishna’s business, then all of your questions will be answered automatically. Krishna promises to His sincere devotee that He will give him the intelligence to understand Him. Hoping this meets you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: Christians, outside books, philosophy, questions, Wilmington letters | 06:18 |28 February 2007 Monday, 28 February, 1972 Mayapur My dear Satyabhama, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of January 24, 1972. I am very much pleased that you and your good husband are developing the New Vrindaban land very peacefully, and I think that you both are perfectly suited to remaining there and managing things very nicely, and you may gradually bring that New Vrindaban property to its full potential by stages, and that will please me very much. I always had great hopes for New Vrindaban, and gradually we are developing, as I can understand from Hayagriva's recent Cow Protection Report. You are experiencing some doubts, that you cannot believe that the Krishna from Krishna Book can be the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that it must be like some fairy-tale. To clear up these things the best remedy is to discuss amongst yourselves all members regularly all our books in classes, then these doubts will be killed. Without reading books it becomes hackneyed and such obnoxious ideas trouble us. Our thoughts are always changing, that is the nature of the mind, so you cannot expect that even the great saintly persons are free from thoughts coming and going. But after thinking there is feeling and willing, willing being the stage of putting the thoughts into action. So if we are able to employ our intelligence, then we kill the thoughts before they become manifest in activity, but because we are so much inclined to enjoy something unintelligently, we have to therefore daily sharpen our intelligence faculty by reading and discussing and preaching to others. In this way we are able very easily to defeat all challengers to our philosophy and everything becomes very clear as it is revealed from different angles of vision. Krishna makes promise to one who is striving to serve Him sincerely that He will give such devotee the intelligence by which he may come to Him. Therefore we should always pray that Krishna may kindly provide me the intelligence to kill all demons of doubt, and because He understands the heart of His sincere devotee, immediately He gives assistance. For my part, for example, I am absolutely certain that anyone who challenges me I can defeat you. Why is that? Because Krishna gives me the intelligence. Your idea to start a nursery school in New Vrindaban is very good proposal and you may immediately try for it by cooperatively consulting amongst yourselves how to do it. But one thing, we are teaching Bhakti by practical attendance and by decreasing playing desire or drive. If the children simply do as their elders are doing, that is, regularly attending mangal arati, rising early, chanting, eating prasadam, looking at books, worshiping the __ like that, then automatically they will become trained up in right way and there is no need for special program for education. Children will always do as they see others doing, so if by the good association of their parents and the other older persons, they will come out nicely fixed in Krishna Consciousness, and because they are not spoiled by an artificial standard of sense gratification, they will think that performing austerities is great fun. Just like in India we see the young brahmacaris are sent out to beg for their spiritual master to teach them humility and non-attachment, and they spend the whole day in the hot sun and come back at night, take a handful of rice, and sleep without blankets on the hard floor--and they take this type of life as very much enjoyable and great fun. This is how we train our children in Krishna Consciousness, just be keeping them always attending our regular program and associating with Krishna devotees, teaching them in spiritual realization by giving them the idea that sacrifice and tapasya for achieving the highest goal of life is a very nice way of life. Not that we shall give them many games for playing, these so-called scientific methods of learning are artificial, unnecessary, and on the whole I do not have much trust in this Montessori system or any other such system of teaching. Your idea for having altars to train the children in deity worship is very nice. So far your Jagannatha deities which have become badly cracked, it is better to replace them, but if that is not possible then you may repair. The story of Lord Jagannatha is like this: Once King Indradyumna wanted to establish the picture in the temple of Krishna, Subhadra, & Balarama coming in a car or chariot during solar eclipse to Kuruksetra so he employed Visvakarma to carve them from wood, and actually the carving was going on behind closed doors, but the King was very impatient to see, so Visvanatha stopped, but the King was satisfied with them half-finished. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: children, deities, gurukula, New Vrindaban, philosophy letters | 10:07 |28 February, 1972 Mayapur My Dear Caturbhuja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter undated, and I have noted the contents carefully. Thank you very much for your questions. You enquire about the mode of goodness, and why such people do not worship Krishna. Actually, this is not the final stage, one has to go further ahead to suddha sattva. In the material mode of goodness there are sometimes tinges of the modes of passion and ignorance, but in the suddha sattva stage there is only pure love of God or pure mode of goodness, that is the difference. Regarding Sandipani Muni, he got knowledge from his Spiritual Master, but there is no mention who he is. Krishna Prasad is always all right. The consideration of spoiling foodstuff after 3 hours, that is ordinary or it is so for persons who are not advanced in accepting Krishna prasada as transcendental, just like Ragunatha Goswami: he was collecting rejected rice from the cooking of Lord Jagannatha and he was eating only that. So this is a higher stage, so for the time being you should know that Krishna prasada is never contaminated by any material source. Now I am pleased that you are making serious study of this our Krishna philosophy, so I want that you go on like this until you will able to defeat any challenge from atheists and rascals, then your preaching work will have real potency and combinedly with your Godbrothers around the world and at London Temple you shall preach so strongly that one day this Krishna consciousness movement will change the world from the most dangerous condition. That is the wish of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and tomorrow we shall be celebrating the Lord's Appearance Day by laying down the corner-stone for our World Headquarters here at Mayapur. Because you want to understand in this way, I have instructed Revatinandana Maharaja to take special attention for your questions to him, and I think he will answer them to your satisfaction, but if he is unable, then you may ask them to me instead. I hope this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Labels: philosophy, preachers, questions letters | 10:06 |27 February 2007 27 February, 1972 Mayapur My Dear Mohanananda, I beg to acknowledge your letter undated and I am answering your questions as follows: You inquire why, if the devotee is struggling very hard to be free of the clutches of Maya, then how can he not be interested in such liberation? That is a contradiction. The devotee is not interested in liberation, but in serving; as such, the devotee is already liberated. So liberation is not very important business--it doesn't matter if he is liberated or nonliberated. The idea is that nobody should serve Krishna with motive, even up to liberation, he should serve for service sake. Liberation from Maya means engaging himself in the service of the Lord. So one should strive to become a servant of the Supreme, and in that position he is automatically liberated and free from the clutches of Maya, so when it is said that one should strive to be free from the clutches of Maya, it is simply another way of saying one should strive to be a servant of the Lord, not that being free from Maya is the goal of striving, but that the serving is the goal of striving. Liberation is the constitutional position of the living entity, and that constitutional position is that the Lord is great and that the living entity is subordinate & servant of the Lord. So one should try to extricate himself from the clutches of Maya in order to regain his healthy, normal condition as the servant of Krishna, not just to get himself liberated. But once in this service, he is liberated already. Try to understand. Your second question, Isn't the fact that we say that one should give up the cultivation of knowledge in conflict with the first six chapters of Gita which deal with cultivation of knowledge? The first six chapters of Bhagavad-gita, this knowledge is to understand Krishna. Other so-called cultivation of knowledge, as practiced by the Mayavadis and jnanis, means how to become one with the Supreme. That kind of cultivation of knowledge is prohibited. Cultivation of knowledge to understand Krishna as He is, that is called Bhakti. Generally mayavadi's mean by ``knowledge'' how to become one with the Lord. That is to be avoided. Your third question, What is the explanation of split-personality. Actually, there are not two personalities, there is only change of mind. Therefore, the mind has to be fixed up in Krishna, then there is no more extreme change in the mind from one personality to another. There is always only one personality, it is just that if the mind is very disturbed, it may change in extreme way; if such person is devotee; best remedy is to sit down very tightly and chant Hare Krishna very loudly and hear for the a long time until he feels himself one-minded and fixed on Krishna's Lotus Feet. So far you being philosophically-minded, that I can see and appreciate, but in future I think you can ask any questions you may have in these matters to one of the Swamis or to your GBC man. I have given them the answers to all such questions, so they can help you. I am an old man now, and my interests are turning to philosophy and translation. If you help me by relieving me from this administrative work, that will free me to give you so many more fine books from Vedic literature and from our own devotional line. So kindly assist me in this way. Actually, if you simply serve in a surrendered attitude, and go on chanting regularly, the answers to everything will come out automatically: "To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.'' (X, 10). You say that your wife is an emotional sentimentalist, and that this is causing you some anxiety. But you have taken her as your wife, and by our Vedic standards you are responsible for her spiritual advancement, so you must make the attempt to assist her in becoming Krishna Conscious very seriously, that is your responsibility. If, however, after much trying and serious attempts you are still unable to help her, then leave her aside. One should be interested in his individual self, one should not be interested with others if they hinder his service unduly. But you have married her, and there is no question of separation. You may live from time to time separately, but at least you must try very hard to help her perfect her spiritual life. Your idea to go from town to town throughout the state is a good proposition. Now do it, and Krishna will give you all assistance if you are sincere devotee. Hope this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sda Labels: marriage, philosophy, questions, wife letters | 10:02 | |
|
|
