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Doll (Letters)

Correspondence

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 1 March, 1968:

Regarding supplies from India: I have induced my younger son, Vrindaban De, to supply all kinds of Indian craftsmanship, namely ornaments, cloth, fine arts, dolls, saris, wooden slippers, linen shirts, or, anything that is sellable here, on 10% commission, and he has agreed. Mukunda and Gargamuni have agreed, and they are going to place orders to him. I think he may get 10% commission for his labor, and he can supply everything you may require from India. The terms is 25% should be advanced, and the balance paid on delivery of the documents. This arrangement, I think, will help to import all kinds of Indian art without any difficulty, and you can arrange for importing things that you may require.

Letter to Balai -- San Francisco 22 March, 1968:

NB So far Advaita is concerned, please do not be too much worried, because Krishna will save him. Krishna has promised to always give all protection to His devotees, so you may rest assured that Krishna will take very good care of him. Please confer my blessings to Advaita, and tell him to keep his faith in Krishna, and not to fear the people imprisoning him. Fear personified cannot remain in the presence of Krishna. And the authorities there are simply like wooden dolls, or puppets, in the Hands of the Dance-Master, Krishna. So there is nothing to fear, simply it is to be considered a botheration, nothing more. Encourage him to chant continuously, and not to notice the activities of the prison-wardens. ACB

Letter to Yadunandana -- San Francisco 13 April, 1968:

So also in Bhagavatam it is stated like this, that the material world is a combination of earth, water, and fire; just like a beautiful girl made of earth, water and fire, standing in the window of a storefront. Similarly, this material world is imitation beauty of the spiritual world, as much as the doll-girl is imitation of the real girl. So when the doll-girl is broken, it does not mean that the real girl is also finished. Material manifestation is just like occasional cloud in the sky, so when the cloud disappears, the sky remains. Similarly, when the material world dissolutes, the spiritual world remains. Krishna and His Kingdom, the spiritual world, are eternal. We have to understand things in this method. That is Krishna Consciousness.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Tribhuvanatha -- Los Angeles 16 June, 1972:

Now in our philosophy classes, each day I am discussing one of your western philosophies and so far we have discussed many, many philosophers like Aristotle, Kant, Hegel, Marx, like that, and now we are discussing Darwin and other scientists from your western countries. Because they have missed the central point that we are not the controllers of nature, rather we are controlled by nature, and because they do not see that there is a Supreme Controller who is controlling even the nature, therefore their vast research and display of intelligence is only so much waste of time. It is just like a child. A child may play with the imitation of another child and the child will hold the doll and play with it as if it is real. But the parents who gave the child the doll, they know good and well the child is nonsense but they tolerate and enjoy sometimes. Just like my sisters used to prepare for me some imaginary puris from their toys of very small cooking things, and I used to pretend I was eating them and we were quite happy that this was the same thing just like our parents were doing. We did not know we were nonsense, one nonsense cooking, another nonsense eating, but our father knew we were nonsense. So it is like that in this material world, everyone is acting more or less like children clinging to some play things provided by the Father and taking them very seriously. But when we become actually wise and see things from the point of view of our Father and take his instruction, then we make progressive advancement out of the childish nonsense state of life or life in this material world.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Jayapataka -- New York 12 April, 1973:

Please accept my blessings. When I was there last there was one boy who was for making dolls. I want to know how the samples are coming out, if they are nice. Can he teach our students how to do this art? If so, our men can go there and learn, or should he be sent here to USA? Please write to me in this regard at L.A.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 27 April, 1973:

Some men from U.S.A. are going to Mayapur for doll making, so teach them nicely and we shall be asking doll exhibit in London. Many tourists come there, and it will a great attention for the tourists.

Now all you senior members work very hard and let me retire for writing books.

Letter to Bhavananda -- Los Angeles 4 May, 1973:

I have requested men to come there to Mayapur. They will bring paintings for decorating the building especially the temple hall. Please see also that they get trained up nicely in making the dolls and the mrdangas. I want to solve these two problems. We will want these dolls in London and other places, so please do the needful.

Letter to Bali-mardana -- Los Angeles May 6, 1973:

I am pleased to learn that the devotees who will be going to India are taking twenty paintings with them to our Mayapur center. I want that all rooms and verandas and especially the Deity hall should have first class paintings. They will appreciate how expertly the American artists are doing.

We want to solve this big problem of supplying mrdangas and also learn how to make dolls for exhibiting pastimes of the Lord. Therefore I want devotees to learn these arts in Mayapur.

Letter to Jayapataka, Bhavananda -- Los Angeles 9 May, 1973:

Many students from America will very soon go there to learn the art of doll making as desired by you. It is better to go there and learn the art instead of the teacher coming here. Mayapur is already wonderful being the transcendental birthplace of Lord Caitanya. By utilizing western talents to develop this place certainly it will be unique in the world.

Letter to Jayapataka, Bhavananda -- Los Angeles 9 May, 1973:

I know there are many weavers who daily go from this side of the river to Navadvipa side for working in handweaving enterprise. So if we can employ some of them along with our own men for manufacturing first class saris we can purchase all these saris produced by you. Such small scale industries are also supported by the Bengal Government. Tarundada is in charge of such industry. I have consulted with Karandhara that we can purchase the saris and the government will be glad to cooperate with us for exporting Indian goods to outside of India. Similarly we can import nice dolls here. Gradually as our men become expert they can manufacture the same thing here. So Mayapur inhabitants can be engaged in such a small manufacturing enterprise as well as farming to become self sufficient. Side by side increase our spiritual consciousness by attending to the temple routine work, Deity worship sankirtana, attending class. The idea is we must have the necessities of our life as far as possible independently. But we should not be business minded. Our main business is to develop our dormant Krsna Consciousness. Side by side we may take to such enterprises as will maintain us very nicely. There is no need of sending the artisan to U.S.A. better send our disciples from here and learn the art there. In this connection manufacturing the mrdanga shells as well as the skin work on it is very essential. If possible our men may learn how to make karatalas also. At Navadvipa, there are many artisans for this purpose.

The summary is that our men must learn these four things: doll making, mrdanga making, karatala making and if possible making saris.

Letter to Jayapataka, Bhavananda -- Los Angeles 9 May, 1973:

We want to display doll exhibitions in every center of our society depicting some narration from Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Caitanya Caritamrta, Bhagavad-gita like that. Just like the picture that Arjuna's chariot is placed by Krsna between the groups of 2 soldiers. The Pictures are already there in our books and they are to be demonstrated by doll exhibition. The Krsna-Balarama Deities if it is very successful you can send one photograph to Yamuna in Vrndavana and if needed they may be sent to Jaipur as a model for carving our Krsna-Balarama Deities to be installed at Vrndavana. If possible you can send me some photographs of the dolls already manufactured and I shall give you further suggestions in this connection.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Calcutta 29 June, 1973:

In Mayapur we now have facilities to accommodate more than a thousand people. We have a four story building and enough space so that even on the balcony we can accommodate thousands apart from the rooms. There are all marble floors and there is always natural ventilation. At least next March we must meet together. We have in Mayapur a doll-making department and we are manufacturing mrdangas also. If possible, some of your men may be sent there to learn these two works.

Letter to Jayapataka -- New Delhi 12 November, 1973:

I am glad to hear that the doll making is improving, so please continue it.

All blessings of Krsna are unto you. You are such a sincere devotee of Krsna, that He must be pleased upon you.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Jayatirtha -- Vrindaban 14 September, 1974:

Now Bharadraja and his wife have become expert doll makers. So give him all facilities. Let all those with artistic talent assist him. I want very extensive doll exhibits in every center. My guru maharaj used to spend lots of money on doll exhibitions on Srimad-Bhagavatam. So I am sure that if we make doll exhibitions very prominent many tourists and visitors will throng in our temples. Bharadraja and his wife have made here some dolls superexcellent successful. So utilize their talent and get others to assist them.

Letter to Prabhas -- Vrindaban 17 September, 1974:

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter in Bengali. I request you to learn the doll making more perfectly, and when I shall go the the foreign countries by the month of April to New York, I will take you with me. In the meantime learn more perfectly the doll making.

Letter to Ramesvara -- West Bengal 25 October, 1974:

There will be the main temple that will extend upwards the full 30 stories, as well as different levels depicted in doll tableaus, first the material world, devi dhama; then mahesa dhama, then vaikuntha dhama, and finally goloka vrindaban. Already a competent engineering firm in Calcutta, which is the only firm in India to use an IBM computer in its calculations, has been contacted for making the foundation. "It will not be difficult", assured Srila Prabhupada. He further revealed, "I have named this temple Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, the Rising Moon of Mayapur. Now make it rise, bigger and bigger until it becomes the full moon. And this moonshine will be spread all over the world. All over India they will come to see. From all over the world they will come...Krishna will supply the money. Don't bother. The money will come either locally or from USA."

Letter to Rupanuga -- Bombay 18 December, 1974:

You mention that in our Buffalo project that Saptaratha Prabhu is there making nice doll display for the temple. You should tell him that others should also learn from him how to make these dolls. We have to make these doll displays for all of our temples all over the world, on all different subject matters, from the scriptures. It is a very nice way of attracting all people especially in the West.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Kalacanda -- Honolulu 31 May, 1975:

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Trivikrama 1,489 and have noted the contents. Thank you for the nice photos. I saw one photo there of Bharadraja's doll studio along with the others. You can tell him that we want many Panca-tattva Deities made out of cement or plaster paris. They can be made the same size as the L.A. Gaura-Nitai Deities.

Letter to Saptaratha -- Detroit 4 August, 1975:

Please accept my blessings. I have seen a photo of the dolls you have made of Krishna lifting Govardhana Hill and also Balarama. Your son has sent the photo. So you have done it very nicely. Go on with this work.

Letter to Bharadraja -- Bombay 18 November, 1975:

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated November 1, 1975 with enclosures and thank you very much. From the photographs I see that the work you have done is superexcellent. It is very, very nice. I very much appreciate it. The dolls of Lord Damodara are very nicely done. The face is so nice.

Your plans for including restaurant and bookshop in the museum is very good. So far your future plans are concerned, you should understand that at every center there should be such doll exhibitions. So wherever it is suitable, you should take up in that place first. We want that at every center there should be this doll exhibition. In the new New York building, one flat should be for this exhibition.

Letter to Jayatirtha -- Bombay 20 November, 1975:

I am very pleased with the distribution that the new Dvaraka temple is going. When I hear of your advancement of devotional service by book distribution, it invigorates me although I am an old man. Although I am traveling all over the world, my mind is always in Los Angeles. So do everything very nicely so that very soon I may go there and see the improvement. The mrdanga-making is very important. The new bhaktas, they can be engaged in the mrdanga-making and also help Bharadraja with the doll-making. The nursery school program is very good. That is good that the mothers are being freed to increase their devotional service. It is not that women should only produce children, but they are meant for advancing in devotion.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Vrindaban 7 December, 1975:

Upon seeing the pictures of the doll exhibit I thought it was some of our devotees play acting. This boy Saptaratha Das has done the dolls very very nicely, now make a museum for the public. This doll making was one of the programs of my Guru Maharaja, and the exhibit used to tour India. That same exhibit, although falling apart, is still touring India today and people are appreciating it. So develop this program, I am very pleased with this boys work, encourage him.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Saurabha -- Bombay 23 December, 1976:

I have no objection to your going to visit your family and then to Los Angeles to discuss the doll exhibitions for the planetarium.

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Ambarisa -- New Delhi 11 May, 1977:

Recently I have received some photographs of the Doll Exhibit which they have prepared in Los Angeles. From the photographs it appears that they have done everything very nicely. This idea of doll exhibitions to demonstrate our philosophy has long been proposed, and my Guru Maharaja was very keen to execute this idea. Therefore I am just trying to give some shape to what my Guru Maharaja wanted. There is a proposal to make a very grand exhibition in the capital of the country, Washington D.C. It is proposed to have a restaurant and bookshop attached, and everything will be held within a specially built building. Formerly you told me that whatever money you had, it is my money. Of course I do not take it as mine, but it is a fact that everything belongs to Krsna: "isavasyam idam sarvam yat kinca jagatyam jagat (ISO 1)." I thing you can utilize some of your money to try to give some shape to this idea of a doll exhibit, restaurant, and bookshop. I have seen that in Washington so many tourists came daily to see the many monuments and museums. So why not let one of the museums be about Krsna. Everything should be done first-class, and I am suer that it will become the most popular place to visit in Washington. I shall be very glad to hear from you whether you think it is possible to execute such an ambitious project.

Letter to Ramesvara -- New Delhi 11 May, 1977:

All of the photos of the doll exhibit are very nice. As you have suggested I have written a letter to Ambarisa encouraging him about the doll exhibit for Washington D.C.

Page Title:Doll (Letters)
Compiler:Labangalatika, Mayapur
Created:21 of Aug, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=25
No. of Quotes:25