Expressions researched:
"powder"
|"powdered"
|"powders"
Please locate and send to New York, the following medicines: Triphala-(brownish powder, appears like earth, and with faint sweet odor.) Baraillaich-(ground up nuts, very pungent odor—you ground up such nuts in S.F., after they were sent from Acyutananda in India.)*
ACB
*you can send them here (Montreal) when the strike is over
I have noted your questions carefully, and regarding your question about the Prasadam recipes; Krishna is offered foodstuff in goodness. The foodstuffs in the modes of goodness are wheat, rice, pulse (beans, peas), sugar, honey, butter and all milk preparations, vegetables, flowers, fruits, grains. So these foods can be offered in any shape, but prepared in various ways by the intelligence of the devotees. The ingredients are always the same as above, whether you fry them, boil them, bake them, powder them, or whatever way they are combined or cooked, the idea is that they must come from this group of foodstuffs. So you can make your own recipe if you like, so long as the ingredients are within this group. This foods group is stated by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita, and we follow accordingly. Now the thing is that you must consider by whom you are being taught what is healthy and what is not healthy. What is their authority? Actually, this healthy and non-healthy is a material consideration, and we are simply interested in what Krishna wants, so we offer to Him to eat whatever He wants. And He asks for food preparations from within this group. I hope this will clarify the questions about Prasadam preparations for you to understand.
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated February 10, and February 16, 1969, and I thank you so much for them. Regarding the ailments with your finger, I am describing here a treatment for it. Take turmeric powder and add the same quantity of limestone. Then mix with water and boil it to a paste. Then apply that paste while it is hot. I understand that Hayagriva had some backache so for him you take one part of a crushed to a powder red-pepper and add to it five parts of rubbing alcohol. Keep this for twenty four hours, then strain and add one part camphor. When it is mixed, just apply it on the painful part of the back three times daily.
Please accept my blessings. I thank you so much for your letter dated October 13, 1969 and I am anxious to know about the result of the church negotiations. If by the Grace of Krishna it comes out successful, it will be a great achievement for your activities in Honolulu. When you get the church I must go there. Regarding the French girl, she is so kind to join with us. I have advised Janardana, who is here in London for a few days, to write you how this girl can help us. Janardana liked her translation and good spelling, so she will be very much useful for transcribing or typing our French literatures. I do not know whether she will be prepared to go to her own country and assist the other devotees in Paris. That would be a very nice proposal. I am very encouraged to hear about your nice engagements there. I am enclosing herewith one note for Sai. You can hand it over to him. I have duly received the bananas you sent, and you can send me these dried bananas tons and tons. It is very useful and can be nicely used for our Ekadasi foodstuffs. After drying the bananas you can make powder, just like flour, and out of this you can prepare puris, halava, pakoras and other fruit products.
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated November 26, 1969 and have noted the contents carefully. I have heard from Tamala and Mukunda that there is good chance of preaching our movement in Germany, provided our Sankirtana Party is well organized. For this purpose I have asked Tamala Krishna to stay in Europe for some time, and whenever you will require his assistance in Germany he will go there and stay for some time. After I install the Deities here on December 14th, he will be free to go there. The Deity worship should be done very nicely and cleanly, as advised by Yamuna and Tamala Krishna. I thank you very much for your nice presentation of the photographs of my Guru Maharaja and Bhaktivinode Thakura fit in a nice powder case. So I see my Guru Maharaja everyday, whenever necessary. It is kept on my table. I thank you very much for this. Please dress the Deities in your temple as nicely as possible. Also decorate Them with some jewelry. I have received one letter form Mandali Bhadra, and he has told me that he is feeling some disturbances. Under the circumstances it is better that he may live in the temple.
In the vedic ceremony the paraphernalia required for the sacrificial ceremony includes five kinds of powder, five kinds of leaves, five kinds of cow products, five kinds of grains and five kinds of jewels. So these are required for offering to the sacrifice: Five items of five kinds. So because we cannot collect all these things conveniently, we simply are satisfied with five kinds of powders. In the vedic system also when eatables are offered to somebody, five varieties of dishes are offered. Another significance of the vedic system is that arbitration is also made of five men. So this "five" is mentioned in many places. Just like in devotional service. Narada has written also five kinds of literatures; They are called Narada pancaratra. So it is traditional vedic system. What for they were made in routine in terms of "five" that is very difficult to find out but traditionally it is followed by vedic disciples as far as possible.
The criss-cross pattern is simply decoration. After mopping the floor nicely, this kind of painting with colored rice powder is still prevailing in Hindu families of S. India. It is called alipna, or in other words after cleansing the rooms and floors such kind of auspicious paintings are done every morning or in every ceremony. In Bhagavad-gita is is said that they are part and parcel of religious life. In most cases these engagements are meant for the women. Women must be engaged otherwise they will be inclined to think of sex only. They are called kamini. Unless there is sufficient engagement their only thoughts will be concentrated on sex. As men are engaged in devotional service, similarly women are engaged in ritualistic engagements so that household life becomes very auspicious. These things are at the present moment impossible to perform regularly. Lord Caitanya therefore recommended Harer nama iva kevalam. Practically also we see our students being engaged in chanting Hare Krishna Mantra keeping free of all contamination. The vedic system takes especially care of women from illicit sex life. Illicit sex life is so dangerous that it produces unwanted children who create hellish life as described in Bhagavad-gita. In this age, all over the world, the sex indulgence is being unrestricted and religious principles are not being followed. The population is increasing with unwanted children like hippies.
(Kathy Prabhu)—Kumkum Devi Dasi. Kumkum is the red powder which is used extensively by the gopis and Krishna.
And Krishna has made himself available in the form of very nice brass Murtis from Washington D.C. It is not necessary also that Lord Jagannatha come along. Sometimes He is misunderstood also. The Deities can be installed in a temple and then taken for travelling. That will be best. So far Silavati's other questions: The large brass Deities can be bathed the same as the small ones if they can be handled easily; Cooking can go on after the Deities' plate is made. Without offering to the Deity nobody can be supplied, but after the offering if there are so many men and more is required then how can it be stopped?; In Vrindaban dhupa is offered without a flower sometimes, but either way is all right. If a flower can be offered, then that is nice; generally sandalwood paste is offered on the forehead, but on other parts of the body is all right; Kumkum powder should be offered on the feet.
And Krishna has made himself available in the form of very nice brass Murtis from Washington D.C. It is not necessary also that Lord Jagannatha come along. Sometimes He is misunderstood also. The Deities can be installed in a temple and then taken for travelling. That will be best. So far Silavati's other questions: The large brass Deities can be bathed the same as the small ones if they can be handled easily; Cooking can go on after the Deities' plate is made. Without offering to the Deity nobody can be supplied, but after the offering if there are so many men and more is required then how can it be stopped?; In Vrindaban dhupa is offered without a flower sometimes, but either way is all right. If a flower can be offered, then that is nice; generally sandalwood paste is offered on the forehead, but on other parts of the body is all right; Kumkum powder should be offered on the feet.
Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated September 5, 1972, duly delivered to me by hand of Syamasundara, and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding your questions, Seva Puja* means only for daily worship of deities. The building fund will construct, the book fund will maintain, and this fund is for daily expenditure of Seva Puja or worship of the deities only. So far your administrative duties as secretary of Mayapur-Vrndavana Trust Fund are concerned, that will be informed by you. For the time being, rents should be collected by Karandhara and sent to India. How it will be done I shall think over and let you know. As for the responsibility for proper spending, the man in charge or the president will be responsible in Mayapur and Vrndavana.
Regarding my personal servant, I have taken one boy, Srutakirti, as my personal servant and Nanda Kumar has remained in New Vrndavana with Kirtanananda Maharaja.
Now we have got a very big task before us to purchase the skyscraper building on 40th Street. So I am entrusting that you and Bali Mardan and the other big leaders there in New York will be able to do it. Cooperate amongst yourselves and try to raise the funds very scrupulously and if you remain serious and sincere in your efforts to get this wonderful building for Krsna, He will give you all help and guidance how to do it, without any doubt.
Hoping this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
* The Secretary may secure food grains and powder milk from U.S.A Government for distribution to the poor people in India for expanding Seva-Puja department in the matter of "Prasad" distribution.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Atreya Rsi — Los Angeles 13 September, 1972
| Page Title: | Powder (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 18 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=10 |
| No. of Quotes: | 10 |