Since I have come to America in September 1965, I have traveled many parts of the country specially Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Butler, Slippery Rock, Monroe, Boston and now I am situated in New York the biggest city in the world. I have started a small Ashram at the above address and young American students are taking very great interest in the philosophy of Vaisnavism based on the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. My books are selling here and I have published many small books also since I have come here. My fortnightly magazine "Back to Godhead" is also being regularly published and my lectures and kirtana have been recorded in Phonograph. The important papers have given me publicity and things are growing nicely. I have established a Society here under the name and style INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS INC and the Trustees of this society are all American and my disciples.
Biggest (Letters)
Correspondence
1966 Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 16, as well as July 30, 1968, together through Vaikunthanatha dasa. The press cuttings were nice. Pictures appeared to be very attractive, and it is learned that it is the biggest daily paper in New England. So it is good publicity. Janmastami is to be performed on the 16th of August, and the next day is my Birthday. The feasting should be held on the 17th, so that you can finish two festivals in one—namely, Nandotsava and Vyasapuja (Spiritual Master's Birthday).
Uddhava suggested that to start a complete press, it will require about $5000.00 so I think Krishna will arrange to supply the necessary money, but you should try to start the press as soon as possible. Of course, in Montreal there is sufficient place, and more students are coming here, being chased by the draftboard, under the circumstances, if it would have been possible to have a nice press here, then we could engage all the draft-age boys in the press work. But you say that NY is the best place, so we must start the press in the best place. That is first consideration, and Krishna will give us all strength, and printing of Bhagavatam and other Vaisnava literature is my life and soul, so press is the biggest mrdanga, recognized by my Guru Maharaja, so I shall request you to qualify yourself for such work as soon as possible, and with Krishna's Name, let us start it as soon as possible.
You told me that you will arrange for the electricity immediately, so as soon as electricity connection is there, I shall go and stay in New Vrindaban for some time. Maybe, Krishna desiring, I may make my headquarters there. Your suggestion that Pondicherry was made famous on account of press work, it is good suggestion and my Guru Maharaja's opinion is that press is the brihat mrdanga, or the biggest, or the greater mrdanga. The sound of press goes long long distance, long distant places, so the organization of press and literature and public sales, should be our main business.
1969 Correspondence
Today I received letters from Guru das and Mukunda, and it is understood that Mr. George Harrison is arranging for a first class temple, better than the one to be had on Baker Street. In the meantime I have received a letter from Petamber Dindayal in Guyana, and he has invited me to go there. There is an invitation to go to Hawaii also, but above all I am very much anxious to see a London temple established first. So please let me know by return mail if there is an immediate chance of my going to London. Then I shall make my program in that way. I do not mind any climatic condition there; I am quite fit, and whenever required, I am prepared to go there. You have mentioned a very encouraging invitation that my visit there will be the biggest event in London since the time of the Roman Invasion. Actually this will be so. This time there is no question of invasion, but this time, if England is prepared, they will receive something sublime which they cannot produce in their country, neither in Manchester, Glasgow, nor Edinburgh. As I stated in my last letter to you that London is still a leading city of the world, and if Mr. George Harrison cooperates with us, certainly we shall be able to deliver something sublime to the world by joint endeavor.
I am glad that you have named your printing press the Radha Press. It is very gratifying. May your Radha Press be enriched in publishing all our books and literatures in the German language. It is a very nice name. Radharani is the best, topmost servitor of Krishna, and the printing machine is the biggest medium at the present moment for serving Krishna. Therefore, it is really a representative of Srimati Radharani. I like the idea very much. I hope this will meet you in good health.
New York is the biggest city in the world, and therefore the standard of New York should be maintained in consuming BTG and giving us contributions. Our first starting point was New York. Please convey my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health.
In London things are going on nicely, and last evening we had a meeting in Conway Hall and several hundred persons were joining us in chanting and dancing. After the meeting one reporter from the biggest London newspaper came behind the stage to get further information about our movement for publication in his paper. So I am very encouraged to see the nice reception that the people and the news medias are giving to our activities in London. Last week we were given official permission by the city authorities to have our temple at 7 Bury Place. Already there has been great public interest in this temple, so by Krishna's Grace there shall be a very successful temple established in London very soon.
1970 Correspondence
I beg to thank you very much for your kind letter dated 23 February, 1970, addressed to my London center and now re-directed to me. I left London sometime by the end of December, and since then I am staying here which is my headquarters. Here we have got the biggest center for training preachers, and the climate here is quite suitable for us (Indian).
1971 Correspondence
I am especially pleased that MacMillan Co. is now very interested to print Bhagavad-gita As It Is. I am also pleased to know that in one bookstore there were 1 doz. of our present Gita. This is very encouraging news. It means that ours is becoming the biggest-selling Gita in U.S.A., because there is not 1 doz. of any other translation stocked anywhere. I very much approve of the $4.95 price, or if you think it is better, $3.95 may also be charged. How many pictures will you include in the paperback edition? Hardback? What about India, will MacMillan versions of my books be available here, and for what price? So far I know, there is a MacMillan Co. office in India, I think in Bombay. If they will print an edition here, that will also be nice.
I am especially very very pleased that you are getting that large church for our Miami center. All over the world we are getting more respectable and we are getting big big houses for our Radha Krishna Temples, but if yours is the biggest, then I must certainly come there and see it. If the weather is good, then why I should come there and spend some time for my translating work? I think this will be my last tour—now let me go on translating, that is my real work. I am so much encouraged by reports everywhere that our Movement is getting good results, especially that MacMillan Co. has agreed to print our Bhagavad-gita As It Is, so I think my work is now finished, let me write. I have built the skyscraper skeleton, now you all intelligent American and European boys and girls fill in the spaces nicely in good taste. Do not deviate from our high standard. That will mean great dishonor to me. Push on in your preaching work as I have shown you, remain pure, enthusiastic, and optimistic, and Krishna will favor you with all good results and benedictions.
I am very pleased that you are such determined and enthusiastic devotee that almost single-handedly you are organizing Madras program and making many life-members also. I think by now you must have been joined by other men which Tamala Krishna has dispatched from Delhi. If not, they shall be there shortly. I have instructed Rsi Kumar to send you the Bombay account numbers immediately. I am very encouraged by your thoughtful plan to organize very nicely all our men in India. I can understand that you are very eligible to be among the biggest leaders, so I have all confidence in your Madras programs. There appears to be some feeling of dissatisfaction with the way things are being managed in India, so I have simply said that if you all get me at least two life-members daily in India, then I shall do the rest. So I am pleased to hear from you that you are making many life-members there: that is the proof of our preaching strength. Wherever there is preaching strength there is also success, no matter it may be pandal-show, or making members, travelling Sankirtana party, whatever it may be—just maintain our strong position of purity of routine work and preach and distribute literature, that's all.
So far our program for India, at present we are trying seriously for a nice house in the aristocratic section of Bombay, or also for a large plot of land of several acres near Bombay, to establish our India headquarters. Bombay is the richest city, the gateway to India, and in all respects the most important city. So we must have something here. Otherwise, when funds are there we shall construct very nice centers in Vrindaban and Mayapur, that's all. Let many foreign students and disciples come to India for staying with us in these places. We shall be content to sit down there, chant and have kirtana very vigorously 24 hours, if anyone calls us we shall go for a few days and have program. Our real interest is in the western countries. The trouble in India is we cannot preach. There are language difficulties and the people think they already know everything. But now many foreign tourists are interested to come here to taste the spiritual life, so we shall concentrate on that field. Recently we have received one letter from Cox and King's, one of the world's biggest travel agencies, requesting us to kindly assist them by providing facilities for all the tourists coming from foreign places who are interested in seeing the real spiritual life of India. So in this way we shall work here.
1972 Correspondence
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of December 31, 1971, and with pleasure I have noted that you are rivalling the West Coast centers in the matter of selling books. But I do not think that anyone can do better than they are doing. But you may try very hard, and if you are sincere enough then you may be the biggest distributer of my books and then I shall surely come there to your Cleveland center to live there in that new house. When Krishna sees that His devotee is sincere, there is nothing He cannot do to help that sincere devotee to advance towards Him. So I am engladdened to understand from your words that you are serving Krishna very sincerely, and you may know it for certain that in this way you shall very soon go back to Home, back to Godhead.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of January 11, 1972, and I have noted with pleasure that you are increasing your book distribution and that you have "struck at the very heart of the city of Melbourne." You have understood our philosophy rightly, that we boldly challenge anyone—philosopher, scientist, educationist—to understand our philosophy, and for that we enter without hesitation into the heart of the biggest cities and preach to anyone and everyone the message of Lord Caitanya, who himself was like the lion in strength.
You keep one copy of this contract with you, or if there is a third copy, you may send me also. On the whole I am very much pleased upon you for helping me in this way, now see it that the book is printed in very short order, they are one of the world's biggest companies, they can do it nicely, and also advertise. Our branches may help them advertise if they supply the materials and if they pay for helping us cooperatively advertise and promote this book very widely.
So more and more I am urging my students to recognize the grave responsibility which is theirs for saving this fallen human society from gliding down into hell. Actually, it is the fault of the rascal leaders that the conditions in the world today are so topsy-turvy. In your country many fools elect the biggest fool to be their leader, it is like one blind man leading so many other blind men. But for the most part, the ordinary citizens of the society are innocent enough, they simply require good leaders and everything can be rectified. So it is our great responsibility to become very serious in the matter of executing Krishna Consciousness, and if we are sincere and go on expanding this movement all over the world, gradually we shall induce the leaders to accept our philosophy more and more. You are the pioneer in this matter amongst the devotees in your country, so whatever experience you have gained you may pass on to the others who may also attempt to engage in political activities. I am very thankful to you for your bold attempts, may Krishna give you His all blessings.
These things like steel, cement—you take donation from the biggest men in Calcutta. If you go on Sankirtana to the big steel-making city in India and you do not take donation of steel from the citizens, only some letters, then where is your credit? Chanting and dancing, that's all right, but there must be some tangible results.
I am in due receipt of your letter, undated, and I have read the contents carefully. Yes, that is a good program that you are doing in New York by going from place to place and holding classes, having kirtana in the street, and generally recruiting devotees for sending to the Brooklyn Temple. If you do like that, going from one part of New York to another, New York is the biggest city in the world and there are innumerable places where you can hold chanting and classes, so if you go on like you are doing, I have no objection. But at all times, give your kind cooperation to Bali Mardan for working together on your program. He is GBC and President of Brooklyn Temple and he can give you all advice and facilities for your work. So kindly cooperate with him as much as possible, and that will please me very much. So far going to Puerto Rico, I have no objection if you go there, but if your program in New York is successful, better to develop that. But if someone goes to Puerto Rico in the future, that also sounds like a good adventure. But I think it is better to develop what we have got for now, and later on we shall see if someone can go to Puerto Rico.
1973 Correspondence
Just as some rich men have no inclination for studying, but still he opens many schools for others to study at. Like this, all of my students may not be inclined to study but they are very much eager to give others the opportunity to read my books and this should not be discouraged. All programs must go on but it is a fact that this book distribution program is very very important. It is real preaching work but I think this program for T.V. and radio is not so important. There are so many T.V. programs. Someone will see us on T.V. and then right after they will see some other nonsense and they will forget. Therefore it is better for them to read my books but I think your proposal for seriously organizing the college programs is first class. If this program is conducted in the proper fashion it can be our biggest book distribution outlet, I am convinced of this. You are advanced devotee and you should use your intelligence to convince the professors that they should use my books in the colleges. This will be the greatest service.
1974 Correspondence
You write that you are very careful utilizing funds that are sent for that particular purpose. In all matters of management this careful attitude must be taken. I have been requesting my disciples for sometime to release me from the management aspects of ISKCON so I can be free to translate. And you two are managing one of our biggest centers. I cannot close my eyes when there are big management difficulties, so when I see things going wrong, money mispent, things not used properly, then I have to take part. But if you can relieve me of worry of management in Mayapur it will be a great relief for me. Krsna will give you more and more intelligence on how to do this if you sincerely endeavor.
In the Bhagavad-gita it is said samah sarvesu bhutesu/ mad bhaktim labhate param (BG 18.54). When a person is self realized, he is equal to everyone, and that is the preliminary stage for entering into transcendental devotional service. But, one should not falsely claim to be equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because in the Vedas it is said: na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate/na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate. Nobody is equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately it has become a fashion to equalize everyone with Narayana. This sort of mentality is called pasandi mentality, because if anyone considers even the biggest personalities like Lord Siva or Lord Brahma on the equal status of Narayana the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is certainly a pasandi.
To the jiva brahma identification is one part of acintya-bheda bheda-tattva. As spirit soul or identical brahma, or jiva brahma is identical with the Supreme Brahma or the param brahma. In this sense jiva soul is avheda or non-different from the param brahma. But on account of the param brahma being the supreme, the biggest, the identical brahma or jiva brahma being very minute, it is different from the param brahma. The summary is that the simultaneous one and different jiva brahma is simultaneously one with and different from the param brahma. Because it is appreciated simultaneously which is very difficult to comprehend by the common man, this philosophy is called acintya-bheda bheda tattva, inconceivable. This is supported by the Katho Upanisad 2/5/13 nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam/ eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman. This is almost similar to the visista-dvaita vada.
So immediately you reply to the Editor of Bhavan's Journal, Dr. K.M. Munshi Marg, Bombay—400 007, enclosing the letter of Swami Cinmayananda's letter about the approval of learned panditas and sannyasis about the Hare Krishna movement members entering into Hindu temples. You can mention also that we are allowed to enter into the biggest temple in India, Tirupati, as well as Nathadwar where the head of the temple received us very well and presented some gifts. Except the Jagannatha temple in Puri no where have we been checked admission.
1975 Correspondence
The BTG No. 12 is also nice. In India the biggest circulated spiritual magazine is Kalyana printed by Gita press at 95,000 so you have far surpassed them, thank you, the magazine is very nice.
1976 Correspondence
Yes, try to encourage book distribution as much as possible. Books are the basis of our Movement. Whatever appreciation we are getting on account of our books, it is because we are following the path chalked out by exalted devotees. We are not writing something whimsical. So far devotees being hesitant to distribute books on account of pressure, sometimes pressure is required, especially when one is not so advanced. Of course it has to be applied properly, otherwise there may be some bad taste. But spontaneous service can only be expected from advanced devotees. Just like a child by pressure goes to school and is made to read. Then after some time he wants to read, even without pressure. We have all got experience of this. It is vaidhi bhakti—vaidhi means "must." Sometimes devotees are promised a plate of maha-prasadam for the biggest distributer. There is no harm. Actually one should try to serve Krishna to his or her full capacity without thought of reward—service is itself the reward. But this takes time to actually realize and until that platform is achieved some pressure or inducement is required.
Please accept my greetings. I thank you for your letter from Canada dated 1st September, 1976. I hope you have seen all our temples in Canada, especially Toronto where we have got the biggest temple in Canada. Very soon we shall have another big temple in Ottawa. I am hoping to stay in India for some months, and hope to meet you in this time.
| Page Title: | Biggest (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 08 of Aug, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=27 |
| No. of Quotes: | 27 |