a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1973 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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28 July 2007 Saturday, 28 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My Dear Sri Govinda Das, Please accept my blessings, I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 23, 73. I have very much appreciated the pictures of the deities and their surrounding, this is excellent, better than Los Angeles. I have named your deities Kisora Kisori. So go on with your worship and increase it more and more till all Chicago has become aware of Kisora Kisori in your temple. Regarding Gaura Nitai deities either wood stone or metal, it is all right. There should be no complaint, under all circumstances we must chant regularly 16 rounds and attend the morning and evening classes, for Krishna we can work like anything, but one lick done for maya it is useless, overendeavoring. I am going to New Vrindaban and thereafter I shall be happy to accept your invitation for Chicago to meet the Professors as you mentioned. I shall inform you later of my itinerary. So you are doing nicely, especially the deities have attracted my attention. The credit goes to you and your good wife Srimati Srilekha Devi Dasi. I shall be glad to initiate Naiskarini Devi Dasi as Brahmin along with the other devotees that you have recommended. Their names are as follows: Tom--Tamohara Das Adhikari Mireya--Mantrini devi Dasi Lynn Allen--Ranjani Devi Dasi Kathy Ferio--Kalalapa Devi Dasi You may perform a fire sacrifice for the initiated devotees and their beads may be chanted upon by Satsvarupa Maharaja. I hope their all success in Krishna Consciousness, and I am counting on sincere boys like yourself to help me by managing temples all over the world. I hope you and your Good wife are both well. Your ever well wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Chicago, initiation letters | 06:48 |28 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My dear Naiskarmi devi dasi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd July. You are exactly correct when you write that Krishna has benedicted you with a first class husband. In Vedic society no girl was allowed to remain independent and unmarried. Independence for women means they become like prostitutes, struggling to capture some man who will take care of her. In this way the so called independent woman has to work very hard to make herself attractive by artificially wearing cosmetics--mini skirts and so many other things. Formerly the girl would be married to a suitable boy at a very early age, say six years old. But although a girl was married early she did not stay with her husband immediately, but was gradually trained in so many ways how to cook, clean and serve her husband in so many ways--up until the time of her puberty. So all the time there was no anxiety because a girl would know--I have got a husband, and the boy would know I have got this girl as my wife. Therefore when the boy and girl would come of age there was no chance of illicit sex-life. And the pychology is the first boy that a girl accepts in marriage, that girl will completely give her heart to, and this attachment on the girls side for her husband becomes more and more strong, thus if a girls gets a good husband--one who has accepted a bona fide spiritual master and is firmly fixed up in his service, automatically the wife of such a good husband inherits all the benefits of his spiritual advancement. So you are fortunate. Go on in this present attitude, serve you husband always and in this way your life will be perfect, and together husband and wife go back home--Back to Godhead. I hope you are well. Your Ever Well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Chicago, marriage, women letters | 06:46 |28 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My Dear Madhudvisa Swami, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 13.73. and have noted the contents carefully. I was just thinking of you, why you had not sent your report. I thought you had become angry because I did not go to your place but came instead to London. But at that time I was so sick - attacked by dysentery. The people in Calcutta became afraid for my life. So somehow or other I recovered by 7th July and appeared fit, so I dared to come to London. Now my health has improved and attended a grand Rathayatra festival here - find clippings enclosed. The overall effect of our festival here was appreciated by everyone, more than 10,000 persons took part and received Prasadam. Syamasundara said that afterwards all people in London have become very friendly with us on account of being impressed with our festival. So when shall I be able to go? I am to go to Los Angeles by the end of August. Thereafter I may be invited to Japan and whenever you call me after that I shall come. 30 lakhs cash are required to solver the problem of India. Yes, you can practice the restrictions for Caturmasya. Pradyumna Prabhu will send you these under separate cover. I hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: health, Rathayatra letters | 06:44 |28 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor Sir Alister Hardy, F.R.S. Religious experience research unit Manchester College Oxford OX1 3td Dear Sir Alister Hardy, I beg to thank you for your coming here yesterday evening, we had very nice talks on religious experience, and I have studied your replies to my questions very carefully. My first question was "what is the problem of the human life?" So I have already explained, the problem is that at the present moment there is no proper understanding of God. Human life is especially meant for this purpose, to understand God. That is quite natural, cats and dogs or lower animals or man almost like animal cannot understand God, neither they think such things are necessary, that one should understand God, and his relationship with him. According to Vedic understanding, a human being without understanding of God is no better than an animal, and that is a practical proposition, that is the only difference between an animal and a man. For man there is a religious system - scriptures, it may be Bible, Koran, Bhagavad-gita, Or Srimad-Bhagavatam, it doesn't matter everywhere there is a system, religious system, philosophical system to try to understand the supreme power. In your research institute you are also trying to explain that supreme power. Your research institution is the latest institution to study that supreme power. Therefore the right conclusion is, the problem of the human society at the present moment is to understand God, or as you say, the supreme power. When we speak of power, it means there must be a source of the powerful, for example we may speak of the electric power, so immediately it suggests that there must be a source of power, the power house, and the power house is being conducted by some engineer. So ultimately there is a living force, a living entity. He is Generating the power by mechanical arrangement, and we can experience his power in so many ways. You have tried to explain in your book "The findings of such research might spark off a new phase in religious history, people might be induced to try the experiment of approaching this power in their own way, not by prayer or the alteration of physical events or for national safety or material aims, but for spiritual strength and guidance for a better way of life, or perhaps how best to deal with some difficulty." This is indeed very good. When you say "People might be induced to try this experiment" of approaching this power. Power is energy, so when you speak of approaching the power it means the powerful, power is not independent unless being the power there is a supreme powerful, this is reasonable, to search out the powerful. Without the powerful no power can exist. A politician or a big general exhibits his power as the powerful by his commandment or by his order. Therefore your understanding of the power is not complete, you must induce people to approach that supreme power. We can understand power in wealth, if a man is very wealthy he is powerful and can exhibit his power by spending money. Similarly if a man is very strong he can exhibit his power in so many ways. Similarly if a man is highly educated he is also powerful, he can influence so man men with his knowledge. Therefore we have to accept that behind the power, there must be the powerful, otherwise our knowledge is imperfect. When we understand the powerful then immediately we can know his different powers perfectly. The powerful has multi powers. if a A person can understand what is that powerful God, then he can easily understand what are his powers. So this whole world is being conducted by the power of the supreme person, or the powerful. The only problem that we face is that we are neglecting to understand the supreme powerful. The subsidiary problems as you Have stated, just like over population have been created by man. If we accept that the ultimate truth is the powerful, then the powerful can maintain any number of population, otherwise there is no meaning to Powerful if he is subjected to any limitation. The supreme powerful is unlimitedly powerful, and practically we can see that the problem of overpopulation amongst the animals is not extant. Just like the elephants, they are not thinking where to get food. Or just like the cats and dogs and hogs, they are producing at a time half a dozen Children or more, so incomparison to them man is producing one child, or two children. Formerly man used to have hundreds of sons, at the present moment a man has got two three at most ten sons. So where is the question of over population? We understand from the history of Mahabharata that Dhrtarastra had one hundred sons, but there are many other examples also. Maharaja Rsabha dev had one hundred sons, so they were big prominent men in the history the names of the most prominent men are mentioned. It is therefore safe to conclude that if the King can produce one hundred sons the subjects also can produce one hundred sons, if not all of then at least some of them. So at that time there was no question of overpopulation, we do not find it in the history of Mahabharata. Actually it is not a question of over population but of equal distribution of food. Just like America, they are producing enough food, and there is potency of producing more. But the Government prohibits the farmer to produce more. It is not a problem that the population has increase, but the distribution is mismanaged. Or by industrialization we have reduced the energy for producing food in favor of producing thing other than food. So on the whole it is not a question of overpopulation but of equal distribution of food, or producing food. For want of God consciousness this mistake is there. If God is all powerful, he may not agree, or at least his agency, the material nature, may not agree to give sufficient food to the demons. Demons means Godless persons. We get this historical event from the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that during the time of Maharaja Prthu there was scarcity of food, so the King wanted to punish the earthly deity, because she was not supplying food. He wanted to kill her. But the earthly deity replied, that she has reduced the supply of food because she did not like to supply the demons. So there is no question of overpopulation, it is a question of demons. The number of demons has increased and therefore by nature that supply is minimized. As we were discussing that verse from Bhagavad-gita that "The production of food depends on sufficient pouring of water from the sky" that is not in our hands. Because we have become Godless, because we have stopped sacrifice or Yajna, which means to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the supply of rain may be stopped. God may not be angry, but his agents like the material nature, she does not like to give sufficient food stuffs to the demons. That is the version of the Vedic literature. At the present moment the people are all demonic, the do not care for sinful life, unrestrictedly they are killing animals which is the most sinful activity, unnecessary. They are indulging in all kinds of intoxicating habits, and unnecessarily they are indulging in prostitution. The demonic people take advantage of women who do not get husband and take advantage of their body for sense gratification. These things are happening because people have no knowledge of the powerful. So the real problem is want of God consciousness. People should know that power, then other problems will be automatically solved. Similarly the problem of malnutrition, it comes to the same proposition. Because nature is taking revenge on the demonic population malnutrition is also one of the branches of such revenge. Pollution of environment is a problem which people in America are viewing with great concern. This problem is also due to Godlessness. People instead of producing food they are producing in huge quantities some artificial necessities of life, for which so much industry is working at top speed. Industrialization means to bring the people more and more away from God consciousness. The laborer, the worker in the factory, all of them are sudras, and the capitalist of the industry they are vaisyas, so the whole population is now composed of vaisyas and Sudras, which means the quality of passion and ignorance is now prominent. A passionate person or ignorant person cannot understand the Powerful, only those who are in Goodness or mixed Goodness and passion they can understand the powerful. so there is a necessity of changing the ignorant persons into persons with real knowledge. Therefore these people should be turned to become God conscious, that is our programme. Anyone from any group, either sudra, vaisya, or any group lower than the sudra, we are taking them and making them intelligent and giving them a chance to understand the supreme power. So all around the real problem is to understand the supreme power and all other problems are subsidiary. There is no question of over population of people become God conscious. The all powerful can supply any amount of necessities of the people, and they can eat very nicely and so there is no question of mal nutrition. For want of knowledge of the supreme powerful all these problems have come into being. Then as you mentioned the problems of clashes between racial and national interests which often lead to war. This problem is also due to lack of God Consciousness because God consciousness means to understand that we are all sons of the same family. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that the supreme lord must be the supreme father. I have got my father, he has got his fat father and he has got his father on and on he has got his father, in this way there must be one ultimate father, nobody can deny it. So that ultimate father he is God. Therefore in every scripture the supreme powerful is addressed as father, and in the Bhagavad-gita also the supreme powerful is mentioned as the suprem seed Giving father. Because we are forgetting the father, because we are forgetting that we are all the servants of one supreme father we are missing our real relationship between one living entity and another. If we actually understand that we are born of the same father and everything that is there on the surface of the globe, in the sky in the water everything is the property of the supreme Father, then we must understand that everyone has got the right to use the property of the supreme father. Just like in a big family the father is there, the mother is there and the sons are there. The father gives food to the sons as much as they require. One son may be a very voracious eater so he may eat more than the other son, but the father supplies him, he does not stop him, the father is competent to supply all the sons as much as they require. But if one son is hoarding food stuffs, that is sinful. You cannot take more than what you need. We see practically if we throw one bag of grain in the street many birds will come, they may eat two three four or ten grains, but they do not stock away for the future. But if we put a bag of rice into the street and allow people to take there will be regular fight, because every human being will want to take more than his immediate need. So this is also due to lack of God consciousness. If one can understand that the father is there, and he is supplying daily bread then why shall I stock more than I need. the present scarcity of food stuffs is due to hoarding by the capitalist. There is enough food stuff in the world, but at the same time there is a scarcity. If you pay more money on the black market then you will get enough. So from God's side there is enough food, but from our side we are mismanaging everything simply to make more money. Unless there is God Consciousness, understanding that everything is the property of the supreme father, there are so many children so he will supply, why should I hoard food, the problems will not be solved. Now so far as ideology of religion is concerned: Religion means to abide by the orders of God, that's all. God is great, we are his sons, he is supplying all our necessities these are the right understandings. Why should there be any difference in religious practices. If you come to God consciousness then we can understand the birds the beasts the plants everyone is son of God, we have no right to kill. But the so called man made religious systems say the animals are our food and another religion says, "No, no, there should be no animal killing," this difference in practice of religious systems is due to want of God consciousness. If we actually come to the point of God consciousness then all these differences will be perfectly resolved, but unless there is actual God consciousness you will not be able to change the Ideologies. I have asked many Christian Gentle men "Why are you killing when in the Bible it is clearly said, Thou shalt not kill?" they cannot give me any satisfactory reply. In a round about way they try to avoid this question. So all these are due to a lack of God consciousness. So all these problems are due only to a lack of God consciousness. Therefore is you can actually help people to know about the supreme powerful that will be a great help. But I see that your method is not very satisfactory. You are making research by accepting the statements of common peoples expression of religious sentiment. There is no need of research, the result of research in this matter is already there perfectly presented in Bhagavad-gita, all we have to do is accept it and the whole problem of research is solved. You want to establish your conclusion of religious experience by taking the opinions of laymen. A laymans sentimental expression about religious problems is not a practical understanding of religious problems. Religion as we have explained means the orders of God, therefore it must be scientifically studied, what are his orders, how to abide by them. Simply by taking statistics of the sentiments of common men we cannot come to the right conclusion. Therefore for right understanding we are advocating that people take advantage of this institution, International society for Krishna consciousness by hearing about God from authorized books like Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam which were directly spoken by God himself, therefore making the whole thing most scientific and practical. I hope that we can again meet and discuss this important matter further. I hope this letter meets you in good health. your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: philosophy letters | 06:42 |27 July 2007 Friday, 27 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My dear Spiritual Sons and Daughters, Please accept my blessings. On the recommendation of Govinda Das I have duly accepted you as my disciples. Human life begins when there is systematic education in the science of God consciousness. Just some days ago I was discussing with Professor Alister Hardy-- Head of Religious Experimental research unit Oxford, it was his opinion that the problems of human life are over-population, environmental pollution etc. But from Bhagavad-gita we understand that God is the father of all living beings, so the father must be competent to provide for all the children, and in the case of the Supreme Father this is actually so - we get it from Vedic Literature, nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam - "Amongst all the Eternals there is one chief Eternal Being and he is engaged in supplying and fulfilling the desires of all the others." Therefore our conclusion was that the real problem is not over-population or pollution, malnutrition etc., but the actual problem is Godlessness. So you are all intelligent boys and girls--therefore my request to you is that you study this science of Krishna Consciousness and solve all the problems of the world by systematic propaganda as far as you are able to do it. I have already given your names in the letter to Govinda das. I hope you are well. Your Ever Well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, ACBS/hda Labels: Chicago, initiation letters | 06:47 |27 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 22nd, 1973. You are to be congratulated--you have defeated the rascal scientist Mr. Roger Reville from the Big University. Actually, it is not a very difficult task, they have no definite ideas, everything they put forward is doubtful, even they say-- "I think," "perhaps," "it may be," "theoretically speaking," and like that. Vedic knowledge is definite. Take for example Padma Puräëa, there it is said there are 8,400,000 species of life: two million trees, one million insects, four hundred thousand humans. Nowhere do we find about so and so many, but exactly the number is given. Or we see the description of Kali yuga, and we are experiencing it. "People of this age will keep big bundles of hair and thus think themselves very beautiful." So this is going on. "For want of bathing the population of this age will appear like Pisacas" - hippies. Everything is given in Vedas exactly. Why should we go to such men for knowledge? They pose themselves as big leaders, philosophers. But we have to accept our leader according to the standard symptoms--or qualifications. The standard text book for civilized administration is Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. A leader must be peaceful, self-controlled austere, pure, tolerant, honest, wise learned and religious. Not like your President Nixon--a rogue and thief--such men cannot do any good to society, only those who are trained up in the Ultimate Goal of human life, they can lead--because human life is meant for going back to Godhead. Therefore our society is serving the whole world by supplying the missing part for perfect advancement of human civilization, we are supplying the head. Although all parts, such as legs are necessary, the whole thing is useful only when there is a head. So, everything is already there but it is now mixed up, we want to bring the whole world in to order by giving the right directions to all classes of men. Right direction means, to deliver the instructions of Krishna, and because Krishna is perfect, if you present this knowledge anywhere it will automatically defeat all the existing concocted hodge-podge ideas congesting the feeble brains of so-called scientist, philosophers or anyone. When my Guru Maharaja was present even big, big scholars were afraid to talk with His beginning students. My Guru Maharaja was called "Living Encyclopedia," he could talk with anyone on any subject. He was so learned--so we should be like that as far as possible. No compromise--Ramakrishna, avataras, yogis, everyone was enemy to Guru Maharaja--he never compromised. Some God-brothers complained that this preaching was chopping technique and it would not be successful. But we have seen that those who criticized, they fell down. For my part I have taken up the policy of my Guru Maharaja - no compromise. All these so called scholars, scientists, philosophers who do not accept Krsna are nothing more than rascals, fools lowest of mankind etc. So you go on with your work, it is very encouraging to me. Thank you. Your Ever Well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. P.S. This evening I had talk with Sir Alister Hardy M.A. D.Sc. of Oxford. He is a nice gentleman. ACB;hda. Labels: Bhaktisiddhanta, Kali yuga, leaders, Los Angeles, scientists letters | 06:46 |27 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My Dear Kirtanananda Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21st July, 1973. I have noted the contents with great pleasure. Yes! Go on acquiring the surrounding lands and in this way we will establish a local self governing village and show all the world a practical example of spiritual life as Krishna Himself exhibited in Vrindaban. Agriculture and protecting the cow, this is the main business of the residents of Vrindaban, and above all simply loving Krishna. The cows, the trees, the cowherd men and Gopis, their chief engagement was loving Krishna, and in New Vrindaban we want to create this atmosphere and thereby show the whole world how practical and sublime our movement is. I shall go to New Vrindaban as soon as your palace is finished. Jaya! For the small cottages I suggest to construct as the diagram below--wooden beams and between the beams fill with gravel cement. The roof may be tile. The size may be 12' x 15'. This design is especially suitable for grhasthas, who can feel very comfortable there, and you may house four brahmacaris in such place. Every day you can build one such house, ten may be required, and in one month you will have 30 such nice shelters. Regarding Janmastami. Why not continue your festival up to the end of the month as I have suggested. I will be finished here 22nd August. So on 23rd I can start for New Vrindaban. Why do you say "little sannyasi," you are Maharaja - Great King. Like Yudhisthira Maharaja and Pariksit Maharaja--Emperor. Actually you are doing something very, very big--so you are Maharaja. Krishna will bless you. Therefore you are Kirtanananda, one who take pleasure in Kirtana. I hope you are well. Labels: New Vrindavana, sannyasa letters | 06:45 |27 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My dear Tamala Krishna Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge your letter dated 22nd July. It is very encouraging to note that the work on our BTG and other Books is going on. Actually producing and distributing books is our most important engagement, all other engagements culminate in this one end--distribution of books. Anyway our festival here was very well received and I was so much encouraged by the whole thing that I was able to walk and dance the entire way from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square. The newspapers showed one picture of our Ratha next to the statue of Nelson and caption was "Krishna - a rival to Nelson." So all over the world our men are working hard to push this important message. I know that you are very hard working all the time and therefore your life is becoming perfect and sublime. Thank you for helping me so much. I hope you are well. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda As we are in possession of the land we must fully utilize it for our purpose. We must therefore hold Sankirtana Festival immediately and arrangement must be done with the help of all Hindu leaders like __, __ etc. ACBS Labels: Bombay, London, Rathayatra, sankirtan letters | 06:45 |26 July 2007 26 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated 7/22/73. Everything you have arranged is in order. I have signed the cards. All cheques issued should be entered into the Account Book, and an informing letter should be written regarding: to whom the cheque was made and what purpose: and send one copy to me and one to Bali Mardan. I am also happy to note that Hayagriva is working on The Books. Please keep him carefully, his work is very important for our Movement. Your Ever Well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: bank, BBT, Los Angeles letters | 06:44 |25 July 2007 Wednesday, 25 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 20, 1973 and I have carefully considered the contents. I am pleased to hear how you are completely absorbed in the project of our Vrindaban temple and taxing your brain how it can be carried out. I am also always praying to Krsna that He may give you intelligence to carry it out rightly. If you let me know actually how much money will be required to complete the temple, then I can make some financial scheme so that you can quickly get money and finish the project. You and Tamala Krsna das Goswami can make an estimate and send it to me so that I can work on a scheme to arrange for that amount. Regarding Saurabha, I think he can stay with you in Vrindaban designing, and he can also go sometimes to Hyderabad, as required, and then return to you. Yes, I agree that you should construct the temple in sections and first should be the darsana mandap, the deity Garbha Grha etc. In this way if need be you can install the deity without other shelter. Now Madhavananda and his wife have arrived. Kausalya is an expert Deity worshiper and an important hand in our movement, so she and Yamuna, two sisters can be very useful in Deity worship there. Keep Kausalya comfortable and she can be a great help. Madhavananda can be engaged in collections. I think all respectable gentlemen will come and you can arrange for that. Our temple is the only Krsna Balarama temple in Vrindaban and it will be so attractive that people will automatically come and see. That quarter is aristocratic and our temple is unique. From Bombay and Delhi we can rent rooms in the temple. This is called bhetnama. Perhaps you may know. The room is used by the contributor for lifetime then it becomes again the property of the temple. Our new disciple Hrsikesananda Swami has promised to collect money from Punjab for Vrindaban. Let him go to Punjab, leaving Calcutta. In this way all of you, Tejyas, Tamala Krsna etc., combine together collect and finish the project. I may try to help from other sources if I receive an estimate of the cost of the scheme. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: life membership, management, Vrindavan letters | 06:43 |23 July 2007 Monday, 23 July, 1973 Letchmore Heath, England Dear Damodara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of you letter dated July 19, 1973 and I have carefully considered the contents. Yes, I have recently received a full report from Rupanuga Maharaja on the activities of the Washington D.C. and especially how you are most enthusiastic about book distribution and that you are fixing to purchase the house. I am very glad that you are taking so seriously your duty as president of our D.C. center, so certainly Krsna will give you all assistance in your preaching mission. On your recommendation, I have chanted on the threads enclosed for second initiation of Dharmapada and Varuna das, and I have enclosed gayatri mantras as well for Rupa Manjari, Rambhavati and Vilasi as well. You may play the tape of my speaking the gayatri mantra into their right ear and instruct them in the principles of brahminical culture. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, initiation, Washington letters | 06:43 |23 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor Dear Kurusrestha, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 12, and I have carefully considered the contents. Regarding book distribution, everyone, including book distributers, must follow the standard regulations. Book distribution is preaching, it should not be thought of as done for money. It is executed as a preaching purpose. With these guidelines in mind, try to distribute as many books as possible. I can understand your concern about the deterioration of the civilization. Yes, the city will be more dangerous place as Kali-yuga advances. It will be very deteriorating. The modern civilization is so corrupt and as sinful activities are more and more committee., the people will be forced to face more troubles, by nature's order. Our business, however, is simply to take shelter of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra and pray to the Holy Name to give us protection. We shall be unaffected by all that will happen. Krsna will provide us with working facilities. Be assured of this, that the devotees will be protected by the Holy Name. Others will have to suffer in the days that are coming. On your recommendation I have accepted the two new devotees as my disciples. There names are as follows: Brad Weinberg; Bhadrayana das Cathy Serna--Cinmayi dasi You may hold a fire ceremony for these two, and instruct them conscientiously about the ten offenses in chanting. You may send their beads for chanting to Satsvarupa Maharaja in Dallas. Hope this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, Denver, initiation letters | 06:42 |23 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor Dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings, Enclosed please find three checks. Please deposit them in my Bank of America Account no 366/8-80613, and send me duplicate receipt. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Enclosure: 3 Checks ($300.00) ACBS/sdg Labels: bank, Los Angeles letters | 06:41 |23 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor Dear Jagadisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 17, 1973 and I have considered the contents carefully. There is no objection to going in western clothes in order to distribute my books. It is not necessary that we always wear the robes, but we should always keep sikha and teelock. However, a wig or hat may be worn as you describe. We have to take whatever is the favorable position for executing Krsna consciousness. Do not forget our principles, but sometimes we may adapt such means in order to help distribute books. Somehow or other distribute books and if you can impress people a little to chant then it does not matter about your dress. Regarding your contemplating opening new centers, I have felt the pulse of your country and that is, that wherever we open a small branch it will develop. So now you have to train our men so that the possibility for such opening centers will be good. As soon as you have the qualified men then you can open a small branch. But the travelling part is most important, even more so than the new centers. The travelling sankirtana party must go on. You are setting a very good example in that you yourself are going with the travelling party. The Vedic concept of the commander is that he must be in front in the fight, not that he sit back behind the lines. I think Ottawa is an important place in Canada, so when Krsna sends you more men, you can open and execute our simple activities of chanting, dancing and taking prasadam. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, Toronto, travelling letters | 06:40 |22 July 2007 Sunday, 22 July, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor Dear Bhagavan dasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 19, 1973 and I have carefully considered the contents. You have done a nice job with the French edition of Back to Godhead, and I am especially looking forward to the next issue which will be color 32 pages. You should more and more improve this magazine until it becomes superior to all other magazines in the French language. The translating of our books such as Bhagavad-gita and Isopanisad is of the utmost importance and I am very thankful that you are seriously taking on this practical work for spreading Krsna Consciousness in your European zone. The best date for the installation of Deities will be August 10th, Friday. So we shall probably arrive in Paris on the 9th of August and stay until August 15th when we shall return to London. You can arrange for meetings with respectable gentlemen of France, to take place in my quarters while I am there. You can immediately send open plane tickets for myself, Srutakirti, Hamsaduta and Pradyumna (Vincent Florentino, Hans Kary and Paul Sherbow). Enclosed are the gayatri mantras for the devotees recommended by you and one thread for the boy, Kapila das. Have the brahmanas hear the tape of my speaking the gayatri mantra in the right ear, and instruct them in the principles of suci. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: deities, initiation, Paris, publishing letters | 20:55 | |
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