a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
|
|
| Prabhupada Letters :: 1973 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
|
|
11 December 2007 Tuesday, 11 December, 1973 Los Angeles My Dear Makhanlal, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter dated December 4, 1973. Regarding the $100.00 check, send a copy of the cancelled check, both sides, to Karandhara for examination. I accept the following devotees as my duly initiated disciples: Chuck--Caturatma das Allen--Anirdesya-vapu das Robert--Pranada das Dean--Prana das Joanne--Keli-Cancala dasi Nancy--Vidamba dasi I am returning their beads by separate post. See always to their welfare in Krsna Consciousness. The conch shell is place on the altar and used for blowing. It is pleasing to the Deity and a bona fide item of worship. Never mind all the rumors you have heard. Yes, if you are able to acquire some farm land and produce grains that will be nice. Especially we want to export grains to India. Do not, however, change or disrupt the existing Temple program. The economic situation is always precarious but we are dependent on Krsna only. Thank you very much for your endeavors in book distribution and please offer your good wife my blessings for her service in this connection. Our preaching work will be measured by the quantity of books we distribute so continue ever-increasingly. Take care that devotees do not become sick. They should always be properly clothed and fed. I hope this meets you well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:Kda Labels: book distribution, initiation, St. Louis letters | 11:52 |10 December 2007 Monday, 10 December, 1973 Bombay My Dear Sudama das Goswami: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 10/4/73 and have noted the contents carefully. Regarding the Hawaii situation, do not worry. I shall rectify when I come there. They are chanting, this will save them. Otherwise, they are all good boys, and they cannot go away. It is not hopeless situation. Whenever you meet them, tell them that Prabhupada is coming and that they should not give up the chanting, never mind they can do whatever they like. Send me their address and I shall write them. Where is Govinda dasi? Regarding what is a Vaisnava, Vaisnava means that when others see him, they will also chant Hare Krsna. So why not give them the chance of seeing by wearing the beads, tilaka, and sikha? You are not paramahamsa that you can do whatever you like. So my advice to you is that you remain ideal Vaisnava internally and externally, and everyone will respect you. Don't be agitated. They will come back because they are chanting maha mantra. You keep your standard and try to help them, but don't become influenced by them. Regarding the Deity worship, it must go on nicely. Govinda dasi was doing very nicely. Decorate with flowers and incense and have arati and offer bhoga. Regarding your traveling plans, yes that is good. You can go in bus all over the islands. Live there for sometime and make Honolulu your headquarters. Sometimes you can visit Japan and the neighboring islands. For a sannyasi, traveling gives him more experience for serving Krsna. So far your health is concerned, Hawaii is very good climate. You can take bath in the sea, and that will keep your health. Take dhal, especially urd, arhad, and tour, a little cheese, peanuts, green vegetables, especially squash leaf. Please offer my blessings to Gaurasundara and Govinda dasi. I have not heard from her. She is the center of Hawaii organization. Let her cooperate with you. She is a good preacher. Sometimes reverses may be there, but just depend on Krsna. Balabhadra is a very good boy. Make him in charge, also Govinda dasi, and you come and go. Yes, you can go to Brazil. Also, you come to Mayapur on Mahaprabhu's appearance day as many as possible at least for a week. Yes, the Gaura Nitai Deities may be taken out for festivals. I am glad to hear of the excellent book distribution that is being done there. From other parts of the world there is also very good report of book distribution. That is our main propaganda work. So you go on with your preaching work and I will be pleased to receive your report regularly. Enclosed is the sanctified sacred thread for Krsna Caitanya dasa. Now hold a fire sacrifice amongst the devotees and let him hear the gayatri mantra from the tape through the right ear and teach him how to chant it three times daily. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: book distribution, disagreements, Hawaii, sannyasa letters | 10:22 |8 December 2007 8 December, 1973 Los Angeles My Dear Trai das, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter dated December 2, 1973. Thank you very much for pushing on our book distribution program so enthusiastically. Kindly offer all the devotees there my deepest gratitude for their wonderful service in this connection. I understand from Karandhara that you are one of the most staunch supporters and workers for distributing our books and I assure you that it is the highest service to my Guru Maharaja. Thank you very much. I hereby accept the devotees you have recommended as my duly initiated disciples and their names are as follows: Edward S. - Basu Gopala das Donald - Narindra das Ernest - Nityasiddha das Gary - Krsnarcana das Michael - Bhudhara das Rita A. - Govinda-vallabha dasi Rupanuga Maharaja may chant their beads. Take good care of them all and always be an example for them to follow in Krsna Consciousness. I hope this meets you well. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, initiation letters | 14:26 |5 December 2007 Wednesday, 5 December, 1973 Los Angeles My dear Sukadeva, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter dated December 4, 1973. Thank you very much for increasing the book distribtuion in Seattle. My Guru Maharaja was most pleased to see books distributed so continue to increase it more and more. Yes, your debating program is approved by me. If we study the Bhagavad-gita thoroughly we can defeat all philosophies. Yes, I can come to Seattle. I am going to Mexico City and Chicago to return to Los Angeles around December 24th. So after that we shall consider coming there. I hope this meets you well. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:kda Labels: book distribution, itinerary, Seattle letters | 14:23 |26 November 2007 25 November, 1973 Letchmore Heath, England My Dear Damodara Das Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Oct. 31, 1973, and I have acknowledge its contents carefully. I have also received the new copy in which you have enclosed; it is very nice. I am always very much encouraged when senior devotees like yourself and Rupanuga Maharaja are tending to their Lordships. This gives me assurity that our high standard will continue. Thank you very much for this, I am sure that Krishna will give you all intelligence in how you can improve your service to Krishna. Regarding the second initiation of Antardyana Dasi you may hold a fire yajna and play the Gayatri mantra tape for her to hear through the right ear. Thank you very much for your kind words regarding my books. Yes, more and more persons as they are exposed to my Krishna Conscious literatures are appreciating their value, and your greatest manner of showing your appreciation is by your constant increase in distributing them everywhere. I hope this letter meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, deities, Washington letters | 20:00 |14 November 2007 Wednesday, 14 November, 1973 New Delhi My Dear Revatinandana Swami, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 27, 1973 and also the letter from Partha Das. I am glad that you are traveling and preaching. This is your main business. For a sannyasi the more he wanders and preachers, the more he becomes experienced. The people benefit, he benefits, and from a material point of view he'll profit. So constantly travel and distribute books as much as possible. I have received report from New York today as follows: "we have just broken all ISKCON records for the number of books distributed. On October 27 we distributed 13,486 books in one day. On Nov. 3 we distributed 13,127 in one day along with 10,000 lugdo's." Now New York is heading the list. Regarding the auto accident, just hold a condolence meeting for Raghava dasa brahmacari and pray for his soul to Krsna for giving him a good chance for advancement in Krsna consciousness. Certainly Krsna will give him a good place to take birth where he can again begin in Krsna consciousness activities. That is sure. But, we offer our condolences to a departed soul separated from a Vaisnava. Do you know that there must be prasadam distributed? After three days after the demise of a Vaisnava a function should be held for offering the departed soul and all others prasadam. This is the system. Yes I have received reports of London that it is going on nicely. But one report is not satisfactory. That chandelier in the temple has been taken away by the supplier because Syamasundara. took it on credit and has not paid. I do not know if it is a fact but it is regretable. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: book distribution, death, Edinburgh, travelling letters | 20:38 |8 November 2007 8 November, 1973 New Delhi My Dear Hamsaduta Das: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter with enclosures dated October 26th, and have noted the contents with great pleasure. It is Krsna's mercy that you were able to take in a copy of Bhagavad-gita to Moscow. It is very encouraging that the boy without any association is maintaining the standard. This is due to his chanting 16 rounds and following the regulative principles. Now he should be in your charge, so you kindly guide him and keep him in our atmosphere and utilize him properly, but steadily and cautiously. Yes, you arrange for their marriage. I am writing both Bhagavan Das and Mandakini, the copies herewith enclosed. Their marriage will be very good, and both of them will get some strength. So guide them both as you think best. Yes, have our literature translated into Russian. Why not have our Bhagavad gita distributed underground there as they are doing the Bible? So you support him in any way, and write Mandakini to immediately go there. So far his engagement is concerned, it is not necessary that he join the Christian order. Better as you have suggested to preach amongst their friends and to gradually induce them to take interest. I am also glad to note the work going on in East Germany. Try to impress upon them to make communism God-centered. God is the father of everyone, and we are all His sons. Everything is His property, and everyone has the right to enjoy it. Without being God-centered, Communism will fail. So we have got good potency to be the leaders of the world if we carefully push on this movement. Regarding killing the demons, yes, Krsna has done it, "paritranaya sadhunam/ vinasaya ca duskrtam" [Bg. 4.8]. But, for us to kill like that we first have to become first class Krsna devotees like Arjuna or Hanuman, then we can fight with the Ravanas and demons. But that requires good strength, and we are not in that position now. Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not kill the demons, but He converted them. So this should be our example. I am glad to note the work of Cakravarti and Prthu at the Belgrade Book Fair. This is real progress. So from all the literatures you are distributing you spend this money for spreading Krsna consciousness in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and East Germany, and prepare men. Put all of our books into the local languages. It is good that you are maintaining stocks of our books for being distributed. Can you supply paper to India? If you can send paper from the Book Fund. We can print some books locally. If it is possible, then send paper samples to me. Here there is a scarcity of paper. I am very glad to learn that you are composing Krsna Book, and also possibly TLC, so you bring the blueprint with you to Mayapur in March, 1974 for our Festival. The report of all the Sankirtana parties is very encouraging. So you are pushing Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement very nicely throughout Central Europe. May Krsna bless you. Yes, I want that you give me the facility to write my books, but I can attend some meetings of important people and elites. You have taken the right view of the importance of my books. Books will always remain. That was the view of my Guru Maharaja, and I also have taken it. Therefore I started my movement with my books. And we shall be able to maintain everything with the sales of the books. The temples will be maintained by the book sales, and if there are no more temples, then the books shall remain. So far my coming to Moscow, yes I will come, but I may not be arrested. Still I shall go, and I shall speak on pure communism. I hope this meets you and your good wife Himavati in best of health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Bhagavad-gita, book distribution, Heidelberg, publishing, Russia letters | 05:19 |20 October 2007 20 October, 1973 Bombay Dear Sankara Pyne: Please accept my blessing. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 15/8/73 and I thank you very much for it and your Vyasa Puja appreciation. It is stated in the Vedas that to anyone who has firm faith in the spiritual master and Krsna, to him all the imports of the Vedas are easily revealed. I am very glad to learn that you are helping in the preaching work by distributing our books to the libraries in Calcutta. This is very important work. The more our books are distributed, the more people will become convinced about this movement of Krsna consciousness, and they will be benefited from it. So you are a nice boy, and I wish that you continue on in this way. My program is to start within the next several days for Vrindaban and Delhi. We are having a big festival in Delhi. Then I will go abroad. I expect to be returning to Calcutta for our celebration in Mayapur of Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day in March 1974, and I look forward to seeing you at that time. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, Calcautta, itinerary letters | 14:24 |17 October 2007 Wednesday, 17 October, 1973 Bombay My Dear Tejiyas Das: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 13, 1973 and have noted the contents. Regarding your new place, yes, if many more devotees actually remain there, it is a good scheme, but as we have got four or five branches in India I do not wish to increase more centers. Indians are not joining. This is the deficiency of our movement. Only mediocre Indian men are joining and not the very intelligent class of Indians. But, Delhi is a nice place. Formally you proposed Sundar Nagar. What happened to that? If the book distribution facility is there, then it is a first class place. The more we distribute books, the more we get solid ground of preaching work. So far continuing the Deity worship after the festival, that is a very nice proposal. Try to give it a shape. So between 20th to 25th instant I am coming to Delhi for going to Vrindaban. So I may stay in Delhi for one or two days, and then come back from Vrindaban during the festival. In the meantime please inquire if from Delhi to Nairobi there is any flight 747. Bali Mardan is trying to get me a Mercedes car. So he has asked me who will be in charge of it in my absence. So I have suggested your name. So I think in the new building there is garage also. Another thing, I want a diplomatic passport. Please inquire in this because I am always traveling, and this kind of passport will facilitate my traveling. I am a preacher of Indian culture, why they should not give me this kind of passport. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: book distribution, India, itinerary, New Delhi letters | 14:20 |12 October 2007 Friday, 12 October, 1973 India My Dear Ramesvara: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated September 19, 1973 forwarded to me from Japan. I am glad to hear of the book distribution success of Tripurari in Chicago. It is reported that he did it dressed in dhoti, but Karandhara says that dhoti is an impediment. So if he can distribute 105 Gitas and 105 Sri Isopanisad in one day in dhoti in Chicago, why not try for this in other places as well. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B.I also thank you for sending the copies of the letters of the people expressing their appreciation of our books. I am glad that these letters are being answered promptly by you. This is important. Labels: book distribution, Los Angeles letters | 10:23 |9 October 2007 9 October, 1973 Bombay My dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27th September, 1973. I am very glad that within the month of September you have dispatched over $10,000. to the Book Fund. So London Temple is debtor about $50,000. So if you continue with enthusiasm like this within three or four months you can liquidate the amount. This will be a great credit for you. Syamasundara came here on his way to Hyderabad. I have not heard anything from him since he left over one week ago. I do not know what is actually happening about his business. But my rough calculation is that he still owes about $20,000 to the Society's funds. Unless he pays it back as soon as possible, I cannot expect his business to be very profitable. Therefore I have always asked him to stop this business. He says he will stop but he does not do so. So many proposed contracts failed, so how he is still hoping to make some profit for this business I do not know. Anyway, now you have taken charge of the management as President. So do it nicely and send me reports regularly. So far I am very pleased with how things are going. I hope this meets you well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:tkg Labels: book distribution, London letters | 10:20 |6 October 2007 Saturday, 6 October, 1973 Bombay My dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated September 26th, 1973, and I have noted the contents carefully. Yes, you can go on with your book distribution as you were doing before, there is not any harm. I thought that our men were becoming like hippies, but now I understand from you that that is not the case. So I have no objection. Our main business is to distribute books, and from the reports I am receiving from all over the world, the progress is very encouraging. So far as the woman distributers who have left New York and Boston Temples and have gone to New Vrindaban, they should return immediately and resume their original service. In Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Movement, everyone is preacher, whether man or woman it doesn't matter. I do not know why Kirtanananda Maharaja is encouraging our woman devotees not to go out on Sankirtana for book distribution. Everyone should go out. You have not replied my recent letter about transferring some Krsna books. Now you may keep ready eight Krsna books and I shall advise you where to send them. Hanuman Goswami has written me one letter and requested me to send a copy of my reply to you for forwarding it to him. Please find the copy enclosed and forward it on. I hope this meets you well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:tkg Labels: book distribution, Los Angeles, women letters | 20:06 |6 October, 1973 Bombay My dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 30th September, 1973, and I have noted the contents. Regarding printing BTG locally in England rather than taking from Los Angeles, you are right, you should not print it in London for the time being. Syamasundara is always utopian. This idea of his is not possible. I am very encouraged by the report of how nicely our books are being distributed. This is our main business all over the world. If you give full attention to this, there will never be any shortage of funds. So I am very glad to note that in London now this programme is becoming well established. Hoping this meets you well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:tkg Labels: book distribution, London letters | 20:05 |19 September 2007 19 September, 1973 Stockholm, Sweden My Dear Madhudvisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your zonal report and proposal for purchasing Australian headquarters. You have my full approval for this program. I am very much encouraged to note how you have increased the book distribution and are becoming No. 1 distributer in the world. We have published Caitanya Caritamrta so you can order this nice new book from New York. I hope this letter meets you well. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, GBC, Sweden letters | 10:15 |3 September 2007 3 September, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My Dear Madhudvisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 24, 1973. Your book selling report is very encouraging to me, so much so that I want to go there immediately. Anyway as soon as I get opportunity I shall go to Australia to visit all the nice places you have started and stay there for at least two months. Krishna has given you great opportunity to preach the Krishna Caitanya cult in that remote part of the world. The time was there some years ago when Australia would not allow any colored men to enter, but now you have allowed Caitanya Mahaprabhu to enter Australia and inundated the whole country with Hari Nama Sankirtana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's another name is Pita Varanara Gaura, so by your combined effort I hope that one day Pita Varanara Gaura will rule over Australia. I think that Australia is a great field for these activities as it is evident from the book sales statistics gradually increasing. I am very much encouraged in this respect. I am going on the 5th September for a few days to Stockholm, Sweden, then returning to London, and leaving here on the 15th September for Japan via Iran, and India. I expect to reach Los Angeles by the 10th October. I hope this letter meets you well. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Australasia, book distribution, itinerary, sankirtan letters | 15:57 |28 August 2007 28 August, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My Dear Prahladananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 12, 1973. I am enclosing herewith the sacred threads and Gayatri Mantras as requested by you. Hold a fire sacrifice amongst yourselves and prepare a nice feast and distribute to the devotees. Yes that is nice that you are distributing many books. I do not want money, or buildings or anything else, I simply want to see that my books are being distributed and because you are doing that I am quite happy. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:hda Labels: Austin, book distribution, initiation letters | 15:53 |7 August 2007 7 August, 1973 U.K. My Dear Madhudvisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter and enclosed check for daksina. In the meantime, I have also received a package of photographs. Your festival appears to be just like Jagannatha Puri, it is so encouraging to me to see how very enthusiastic you are working there. Yes, I shall certainly come to your Ratha Yatra Festival next year. Regarding selling books in Karmi clothes; yes, it may be done, there is no harm. This book distribution and Ratha Yatra Festivals should go on all over the world. I want to introduce this Ratha Yatra Festival programme all over the world. If you can actually supply the society with Gaura Nitai deities it will be a great achievement. But one thing is that you should try to find out some strong wood. In India they use Neem wood because this wood is not attacked by termites, if you can find out a similar wood there that will be best, or you may see if you can import this wood from India if it is not too expensive. When you have finished something, then send me a photograph. Regarding the taking of sannyasa of Purusottama I have as yet not received any recommendation from you, so if you recommend him then I shall send the cloth, kaupin and mantra. You can make the rod there. Yes, the accredited teacher may lead a Gurukula but first of all let him understand our philosophy perfectly and become himself strong. So I thank you for your support. I have sent one letter and sample of Satsvarupa Goswami's report which I consider to be standard for the other GBC member to follow, so please see it and try to follow his example. I hope this letter meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, deities, festivals, gurukula, sannyasa letters | 17:17 |3 August 2007 3 August, 1973 Bhaktivedanta Manor My Dear Ramesvara, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter dated July 29, 1973 and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. There is no doubt about it, to distribute books is our most important activity. The temple is a place not for eating and sleeping, but as a base from which we send out our soldiers to fight with maya. Fight with maya means to drop thousand and millions of books into the lap of the conditioned souls. Just like during war time the Bombs are raining from the sky like anything. So you are the expert in this field. I like also your programme of sending out your best men to teach the others. That is the actual process of Krishna Consciousness. To train others continue this programme so that in the future every devotee in our movement will know the art of distributing books. This is approved by me. I hope this letter meets you well. Your ever well wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: book distribution, Los Angeles letters | 16:33 |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 | |
|
| ||
|
||||
|
||||
