a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1973 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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5 December 2007 5 December, 1973 Los Angeles My Dear Tamala Krsna Goswami, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letters dated November 29th and 30th. Regarding the refusal of my entrance into Nairobi, no reason has yet been disclosed for the denial. I have written one letter, a copy of which is enclosed herewith, but there has been no reply. You may get the letter published in India. After proceeding to London I heard from Brahmananda Maharaja that on account of the denial of entry a commotion was caused amongst the people so the President of Kenya verbally said he was issuing a letter with permission for myself to enter. I waited in London but it did not come so I proceeded on to Los Angeles. The idea is to curtail the Indian influence in Kenya, either political or religious. That I can understand. Brahmananda Maharaja was allowed but not myself or my secretary. It was a great trouble for me. From Bombay to Nairobi took nine hours, then six hours waiting in the airport and then 9 hours to London. It was a great strain. I rested for three days in London. Regarding our Bombay project: somehow or other the foundation should be dug immediately. Yasomatinandana Prabhu, who has a degree in structural engineering, is here and I have requested him to go to India with Giriraja who is recovering. They will come as soon as possible. Regarding visas for our American devotees coming to India, I have made arrangements with the Consulate General of India in New York to grant six month student visas, renewable in India, for all our men. The premise is that we want our men to come to India to learn the Sanskrit language so that we can study the Vedic literature. So you must arrange for a teacher to coach these boys in Sanskrit. It will be very nice, they can learn Sanskrit and at the same time allowed visas. The Consulate General was very kind to meet and help us in this way. Also, I met with the High Commissioner of India in London and requested him in the same way. If our schooling is established we will get rid of this visa problem. Regading the Government loan for our tourist hotel, we have already invested twenty lakhs so they may loan us at least 1 crore. Do it carefully. If we construct a very attractive hotel many tourists will come just like the Holiday Inn. So far as the arrangement with Australia for trading books for ghee, go ahead and do it with my permission. Karandhara has agreed. If you think there is a good opportunity for getting surplus food grains from the U.S.A. then you may come here for sometime to work on this scheme after Giriraja and Mohanananda have returned to Bombay. I hope this meets you well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:Kda Labels: Bombay, construction, Nairobi, visas letters | 14:19 |24 November 2007 Saturday, 24 November, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor Minister in charge of Immigration, Naturalization Department, Government of Kenya, East Africa. Dear Sir, I beg to inform you that it was so arranged that on my way to America via Europe I was to stop at Nairobi on the occasion of holding a festival known as Hare Krsna Festival, and wide arrangement was made on this account and I was invited to attend the ceremony from India. As such, I arrived on the airport of Nairobi on the 23rd November, 1973. I had my regular visas, health certificate and all necessary things for entering, but after passing through the health examination department, as soon as I entered the arena, some of the officers of the immigration department immediately took out the passports of my men as well as that of myself, and they asked my men to wait. So I had to wait for two hours, namely from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., but there was no definite decision by the immigration department, and whenever I sent my man to inquire, the man in charge simply replied, "Please wait." Later on one gentleman came to inform my men that I was refused entrance in Nairobi from higher authorities. As such, he did not inform me what was the reason of my being refused to enter Nairobi, neither there was any written order from the department on me particularly to stop my entrance in Nairobi. Anyway, when I could understand there was no profit asking them the reason of my being refused, I immediately arranged for coming to London where also I have got two branches. Now from London, I wish to bring the matter for your consideration why I was refused entrance into your city without giving any written or verbal reason. According to our Vedic civilization, even if one enemy comes at somebody's door, he should be received like a friend for the time being. The enmity should be forgotten, and even though the enemy guest is there, he should be treated so nicely that both of them for the time being forget that they are enemies. I was therefore surprised that I am a sannyasi, head of a group of cultural movement, namely the Hare Krsna Movement, and I was not allowed to enter without giving any reason for this purpose. I think I am not enemy of your country. I am preaching Krsna Consciousness, or God consciousness, all over the world, therefore I have opened a regular branch at Nairobi. My society is regularly registered in Nairobi as a cultural and religious society, and we have go our own house, and before this I had been in Nairobi twice and there was no objection. Last time, there was another Hare Krsna Festival. One of the ministers of your government, most probably the education minister, was invited, and he very much appreciated our activities. Our principle is, preach God Consciousness all over the world. I think we believe rightly that for want of God consciousness, there is very much confusion all over the world, simply fighting between individual to individual, man to man, nation to nation. Nobody believes anyone. Any sober man will admit the present _ for unifying the whole human society without any consideration of bodily identification so that there may be peace and prosperity on the platform of spiritual identification. Perhaps you have heard the very good name of Bhagavad-gita. Our preaching is on the basis of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. In this Bhagavad-gita it is stated that God is the Supreme Being, and He is the proprietor of all planets and actually He is the enjoyer of all benefits. Anyone who will understand these three principles of life will be automatically peaceful. So, if every individual is peaceful, naturally there will be peace and prosperity in the community, society, and nation of all over the world. This is our principle. We are trying to broadcast this message on the authority of Vedic knowledge. Everywhere we are very much peaceful, trying to reform the character of the modern man. We teach our students to follow the following regulative principles, namely no illicit sex life, no meat eating, no intoxication, and no gambling. These are the negative principles, and the positive principle is to chant always the Holy Name of God. By the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we have become successful everywhere, in all parts of the world. We have no principle striction that one is Indian, one is America, one is African, or one is Hindu, one is Christian, one is Mohammedan. We invite everyone to understand the philosophy and reform the activities of life. This is our mission. I do not know why I was refused to enter into your country without giving me any proper explanation. I am therefore very much grieved by the treatment of your airport officials that they stopped me to enter into your city and make so many people disappointed for breaking usual procedure of the Movement, I wish, therefore, that you kindly let me know what is the reason that I was refused to enter without giving me proper notice, or to my men. Kindly reply me this letter at my Nairobi headquarters as written above, or as I am proceeding to Los Angeles, you can reply me this letter to my Los Angeles address as follows: ISKCON 3764 Watseka Avenue Los Angeles, California 90034 U.S.A. Thanking you in anticipation for an early reply, Yours very sincerely in the service of the Lord, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Founder-Acarya, International Society for Krsna Consciousness, Branches all over the world, numbering 108. ACBS/skdb cc: His Holiness Brahmananda Swami, Governing Board Commissioner, Africa. Labels: legal, Nairobi, politicians letters | 20:00 |24 November, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My dear Kirtanananda Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. You may be pleased to know that on my way to U.S.A., Los Angeles via New York, I am now staying in London. I have just come yesterday 23rd November, 1973 from Nairobi. The fact is that I was to stay at Nairobi for at least one week, and there was very big arrangement for Hare Krsna festival. The wide circulation of advertisement was there, and it was expected some thousands of people will gather, but the immigration department by their confidential conspiracy did not allow me to enter into Nairobi. Therefore, from the Nairobi airport I immediately arranged to come to London, and last night at about half past eight London time I have come here at Bhaktivedanta Manor. I am feeling very much happy. Here everything is going on very nicely. It has given me much pleasure. Now when I go to New York I wish to meet both you and Hayagriva Prabhu, and if you so desire I can go from New York to your place for a few days. I have got important talks with you for development of our New Vrndavana project, so kindly get information from Bali Mardan Swami, and as seen as you hear that I am there, please come and see me with Hayagriva Prabhu. If you so desire, I shall go to New Vrndavana along with you. Hope this will meet you in good health. I offer my blessings to all the devotees there. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/pda Labels: London, Nairobi, New Vrindavana letters | 19:58 |13 October 2007 13 October, 1973 Bombay My Dear Cyavana Swami: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter from Zambia dated August 24, 1973. I am very much pleased with your preaching there, how you are making members and distributing books. It is also encouraging that the Indians there are taking note of the authority of this movement of Lord Caitanya. Regarding the saligram sila, it will be installed along with the other Deities. I shall advise you. I am planning to come to Nairobi on the 19th or 20th of November for your installation program and remain there up to the end of the month when I shall start for South Africa. Brahmananda Swami has read me your letter regarding the students there reading other books. I request you to stop this practice. Our students have no time to read our own books, but they have time to read other's books, and the money to purchase them? Why this mentality is there? You are a serious student, therefore you have correctly found out the defect in these books. We don't want babaji class. We want active preachers. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: deities, itinerary, Nairobi, preachers letters | 10:24 |20 July 2007 20 July, 1973 Herts, England Dear Yasomatinandan, Please accept my blessings. I heard you were transferring to our Los Angeles center but I do not know if you have left our Chicago center yet, so I am sending copies of this letter to both places. The thing is Brahmananda Maharaj is having difficulty translating literature into the Gujarat language in Nairobi. There is a large Gujarati population there and he has had some of our literature translated by a non-devotee translator. You know well the havoc which can result if a nondevotee tries to give his interpretation of Krsna. Although Krsna understanding is very easy for those who are simple and submissive devotees, for the duratma, Krsna is very difficult. So if at all possible we want all our foreign language books to be translated by devotees. I think you are already working on Gujarati translations of our works, so please immediately correspond with Brahmananda Maharaj at our Nairobi center and offer your services as translator. Take this as a great responsibility and it will please me very much. I will be glad to hear your progress in this important matter. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Los Angeles, Nairobi, translating letters | 20:58 |30 June 2007 Saturday, 30 June, 1973 Calcutta My dear Cyavana, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 22 June 1973. We had previously received copies of the Swahili language publication of Topmost Yoga System from Brahmananda Swami and it is very nicely done. This printing and distribution of our literature is most important aspect of our propaganda work. Yes, send me 2,000 of the stampless aerogrammes on my own letterhead. I have already mailed my acceptance for your initiation into sannyasa order to Brahmananda Swami, along with sannyasa robes etc., and you should shortly receive same. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: initiation, Nairobi, sannyasa letters | 16:58 | |
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