Please accept my blessings. Your letter dated December 21 along with the picture of the new house was duly received by me while I was in Boston and we enjoyed the few days of meeting together in that Temple. It was a great transcendental pleasure to meet you all. Your statement in the letter, "All glories to Sankirtana, Prasadam and Srimad-Bhagavatam" is very welcome. Before coming to your country, when I was in India and I was planning to come here, I was thinking in the same way. I was thinking that my preaching work in this country would be a difficult job for me on account of the country's position being completely different from the principles of Bhakti cult. At that time I was also thinking of chanting and dancing in Sankirtana as well as distributing prasadam in the matter of my preaching Bhagavatam. So this planning has by the grace of my Guru Maharaja and Krishna become successful in the practical field. Forty years before when two of my eldest God-brothers came to London with this mission they simply devoted their time in lecturing in some renowned public place and inviting some leading politician to preside over the meeting. You know very well that when I began my preaching work in New York I never followed this policy of lecturing amongst the stereotyped politicians or elites of the society. And if I would have followed such a policy, I think I would also have gone back to India without any success. I think this policy of Sankirtana, Prasadam and Srimad-Bhagavatam has been successful in all the centers. Please therefore follow this transcendental policy with heart and soul and make your center as spiritually opulent as far as possible.
Successful (Letters 1970)
Expressions researched:
"succesful"
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Correspondence
1970 Correspondence
I thank you very much for your letter dated January 9, 1970 along with your check, dollars 15, for my maintenance. For a servant of Krishna, there is no distinction of hell and heaven. Our only ambition should be to serve the Lord. It does not matter where the service is demanded. It is exactly like the soldiers are asked to come forward to fight and there is no question of selecting the place. There are many sincere souls like you in the western world and my Guru Maharaja wanted me to come here and to pick up as many of you as is possible. And I am trying my best. By Grace of Krishna, you have joined me to help in this Krishna Consciousness propaganda and Krishna will surely be pleased upon you very much. Please try to continue this activity of cooperation and we are sure to come out successful.
Regarding Volcer marrying, for the time being they can be married by the civil court without delay. Both the husband and wife may be allowed to associate with you and after a few days, if you recommend for initiation, then you can send their beads and they will be initiated by post. At that time you can perform our regular wedding ceremony as usual. That will be nice. Uninitiated couples cannot be married by us. We shall not take the responsibility of an ordinary marriage maker. Our practice is to help devotees for advancing in Krishna Consciousness. In such activities, when there is necessity, we get them married also.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 5 January, 1970 and I am glad to learn that your process of approaching the Supreme is in order. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's philosophy is that we will neither try to become equal with the Lord nor we should attempt to approach Him directly. That will make us successful.
Perhaps you have received a copy of the letter from N.Y. wherein it is admitted by the draft board that the ISKCON is a religious society. So our members who are strictly following the regulative chanting process, observing the restrictive regulations and serving the Lord faithfully will have natural ministerial status and as such they will not be called by the draft board. So please see that all the members of our Temple are following the rules and regulations which are very simple namely to chant Hare Krishna 16 (sixteen) rounds, attending the classes, reading the books, going out for Sankirtana and taking prasadaum.
It is very good that you are trying to find out a mansion like Boston, but that house was specially required because we wanted to install the press. So far other centers are concerned even though we do not have our own house, there is no cause for perturbation because our most important thing is on the street. So there is no hurry. We have lived in our present location for the last three years and we may live there for another three years, it does not matter, but Sankirtana program must be executed very nicely.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your two letters post dated 2 and 4 January, 1970 respectively, the former redirected here from Boston.
I am pleased to note that although you have not yet secured a Temple building you are moving our program forward on other fronts. The arrangement for the composing and printing of BTG in French and German languages is already settled, and if you all continue to translate my books and articles and write articles yourselves; that will make the work successful. The people in general can be reached very well by the distribution of our literatures and by the propagation of Sankirtana in the streets. These are our two mrdangas for reawakening the sleeping conditioned souls.
I am especially enthusiastic for our Krishna Consciousness philosophy or the teachings of Lord Caitanya to be advanced for the benefit of the learned circle and in this connection your well received expose at the university is encouraging. Please continue your efforts to convince them of the great universal necessity of this scientific philosophy to solve all the knotty difficulties of life by practical application of the Vedic knowledge according to the Parampara prescription of the bona fide Acaryas.
And Srimad-Bhagavatam says that the Kiratas, etc. can be purified by a pure devotee because the influence of Lord Visnu is so strong. Prabha Vishnave means the powerful Lord Visnu; prabha means that the light or heat of Visnu is so strong that it is possible to melt them. Only the devotees of Lord Visnu or Krishna can be purified, not the devotees of any demigod. They will have to wait for their next birth according to their own karma.
So under this formula the whole European and American people who are so intelligent and materially advanced can be converted into pure Vedic Brahmanas, and thus their mission of human life becomes successful, and the whole world becomes a garden of blooming flowers.
Take all these words very seriously and try to propagate Krishna Consciousness with all serenity. It will be a great gift to the human society. You are a learned and intelligent and young man; think over the formula and try to execute to the best of your capacity. That is my request.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 17 January, 1970 along with your maintenance fund check and the copy of the incorporation documents. You have done a great service by incorporating our Society in Canada. Please immediately send a copy to Cidananda in Vancouver branch so that he can do the needful also.
I am glad to learn that you are realizing about Krishna's providing us with more and more facilities and that you are appreciating for my following purely the instructions of my Spiritual Master. Yes, that is the secret of success. In the Caitanya Caritamrta it is said that one is successful in Krishna consciousness by the combined Mercy of the Spiritual Master and Krishna. By the Mercy of Krishna we come in contact with a bona fide Spiritual Master and by the Mercy of a bona fide Spiritual Master we can approach Krishna.
So, both of Them are cause and effect of either of Them. Krishna is the original Spiritual Master known as Caitya Guru and He manifests Himself as the Instructor Spiritual Master. So this principle of following Krishna and Guru simultaneously is the secret of success, and if you follow this policy in the chain of disciplic succession than there is no doubt about your final achievement.
I thank you very much for your encouraging letter dated 11 January, 1970 from Gauhati. It is so very much pleasing that you are preaching the message of Lord Caitanya throughout Northern India beginning from Lahore to Gauhati. Similarly, I am also trying my best to execute this service in my humble capacity as far as possible.
You will be pleased to know that very recently we are going to send some preachers to Australia. We have got already our center in Tokyo; and I am sending two devotees, one from Tokyo; and another from here, Los Angeles, to Sydney (Australia). I hope you will kindly bestow your blessings for successful execution of this new adventure.
Srila Prabhupada sent His disciples for preaching work mostly as Brahmacaris and Sannyasis; but I have adopted the method of sending young married couples for such preaching work, and you will be pleased to know that this system in these countries has proved more effective.
I am so obliged to you for giving shelter to Sriman Acyutananda Brahmacari when he was in Calcutta. Sriman Jaya Govinda das Brahmacari who saw you in Vrndavana is now staying in our center in Hamburg, Germany where he is in charge of "Back to Godhead" in German language. We are now publishing English "BTG" 50,000 copies per month, German "BTG" 5,000 copes per month and French "BTG" 5,000 copies per month. And very soon we may be able to publish a Spanish "BTG" from Mexico where two devotees, husband and wife are going to open a center.
Regarding our London Math at 7 Bury Place, it was very successfully opened and the seva puja operations are going on very, very nicely under the care of Srimati Yamuna Devi. It is always full with devotees since its opening and all kinds of people Indian and European are participating in the daily functions. You will be glad to learn that one Mohammedan boy in London became my disciple under proper initiation besides a few Indian Hindus also.
Extend your activities to the University campus because the younger generation is our future hope. Bamboo while it is green can be bent and carved, but while it is yellow and ripe if there is any attempt to bend it, it cracks. Krishna is evergreen youthful Original Person and He gathers around Him all young boys and girls as cowherd boys and gopis in His eternal Vrndavana Lila. So try seriously to impress upon the young hearts and you will be successful. Try to get that fraternity house as soon as possible.
Your first question: are disciplic successions from Brahma and from Arjuna different? No. Brahma's disciplic succession accepts Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Arjuna also accepted Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So that is not a new disciplic succession. Krishna says in the fourth chapter that I am again reintroducing unto you—so anyone who accepts Lord Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be understood as belonging to the same disciplic succession.
To face such reverse conditions of life and to suffer thereby the results of actions is considered as the greatest penance and austerity in the matter of spiritual advancement of life.
To sit down in a corner without preaching risk and to make a show of chanting Hare Krishna Mantra is condemned by my Spiritual Master and He has written a very nice song in this connection, which I am recording. The substance is that to become very dear to Krishna or Balarama or in other words to Lord Caitanya and Nityananda is to take the task of preaching work very seriously at all risk. Please always remember this and you will be successful.
So I see in your letter that you are also being bold in Krishna's service in the matter of the preaching work.
So you can see the great necessity of following the prescribed duties of chanting regularly and following strictly the instructions of the Spiritual Master and the regulative principles. In addition to this everyone should go on the streets with Sankirtana Party as much as possible and preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement to his best ability for the benefit of all people.
Please continue your efforts in Krishna Consciousness with great determination. Yes, Patience is is a qualification in the successful execution of devotional service. So study our literatures, discuss philosophical points and problems with your God-brothers, and especially chant regularly sixteen rounds daily without offense and go on Sankirtana. We must always remember that chanting of Hare Krishna Mahamantra is our life and soul.
So you have got good facility, you are a sincere boy, you have got a good Krishna Consciousness wife, good association of devotees and good scope for spreading this movement in Washington. Always be engaged in Krishna activities and be happy. That is my desire.
Please try to understand the questions I have asked in my last letter to you, scrutinizingly, so that you may know to avoid being agitated by any trickings of Maya in the future.
Krishna has sent one nice German scholar, ____. Please give her satisfactory care, especially in the beginning because she is new and not accustomed to our Temple habits. I am also glad to learn that Suridas is also going to join you. Most probably Hamsaduta with his wife also will go there. Krishna das in his previous letter wrote me that there are good possibilities for opening various centers in Germany, and Hamsaduta is experienced in organizing Sankirtana Party.
Please be in correspondence about German BTG publishing with Brahmananda. He is now staying in Boston and coming to New York every weekend.
Yes. We must have close cooperation between America and Germany for the successful publication of our BTG regularly in French, German and English languages. So now you are collecting a staff of translators in Hamburg and they are all very qualified to do the work. Please organize everything nicely so that the French and German editions may be prepared for printing at the same time as the English edition. But you must see that all work is thoroughly correct by mutual checking so that errors of spelling and grammar will not appear in the printing. I do not know the technical details, but I think your idea on standardized columns is very nice.
I have asked Devananda to give you a Deity worship chart because he is actually doing the job. I am so pleased to learn that you are trying to make Hamburg center as important as L.A. This center three years before, when I first visited, was in very poor condition but for the last year, since we are regularly sending Sankirtana Parties, the situation has improved with great speed. Now we are negotiating for a property which has got a big church as well as a residential house attached, and let us see if Krishna will help us.
Our simple process of chanting and distributing Prasadam and selling BTG will surely make our Movement successfully advance.
In India, especially in Bengal and Orissa, there are millions of followers of Lord Caitanya. In Maharastra a saint of the name Saint Tukaram was also follower of Lord Caitanya and he has overflooded the whole Western India with Sankirtana Movement. So Sankirtana Movement in India in all the provinces is very much popular and anyone who is taking part in Sankirtana Movement is specifically devotee of Lord Krishna or Lord Rama. There is not a single Hindu in India who is not more or less Krishna Conscious. So far descendants are concerned, material nature is so strong that she does not allow anything to go on steadily. But sometimes we find that the descendant of Hiranyakasipu is Prahlada Maharaja and the second generation descendant of Prahlada Maharaja is Banasura.
I am asking Hayagriva to send you the MS for Bhagavad-gita, and you can also write him directly to send a copy. Krishna's causeless Mercy is always there. If we take up that causeless Mercy a little seriously than further causeless Mercies are bestowed one after another unceasingly. Krishna is more anxious to bestow His benediction upon us than we are ready to take it. If we therefore sincerely engage our selves in Krishna Consciousness activities, certainly we will advance more and more by the causeless Mercy of the Lord. So by the Grace of the Lord you have got a very nice engagement. Try to execute this with all attention and then certainly you will feel transcendental bliss and your life will be successful without waiting for the next.
I am so happy to see that you have introduced our Bhakti Yoga or Krishna Consciousness classes in two universities, St. Louis University and Washington University. This is the real course of study for human beings and we should use such good opportunities to give the young collegiate boys and girls this education of spiritual science. So please conduct these courses diligently to influence the hearts of the students and encourage them to participate in your temple's activities as well as weekly classes at the universities.
I am glad to learn that your Sunday Prasadam love feast has grown to fifty persons attending and participating in our Krishna Consciousness Program, and also you are holding successful Kirtana in the high schools. These young people are our future in Krishna Consciousness so try your best to convince them of the importance of this movement.
I have replied the letter from Anil Grover duly, and I hope these answers will satisfy his questions. You may further encourage him to chant regularly on beads, follow the four restrictive principles, and study our Scriptures with your help. If this chanting is sincerely performed and the regulative principles strictly followed, Krishna will give intelligence in such way to remove all doubts and answer all questions of philosophy from within the heart of the devotee. This regular program is essential.
Another way is if you can spend about Rs. 25,000, you can come here at any time as a visitor at least for six months. When you come here, you can try for a suitable job in any respectable firm or whatever you like you may be free to move and search out within that period. but if you come as a visitor you will not be allowed to work here by law, but by arrangement everything may be done. So these are the three ways of getting you here, and whichever way you find suitable can be arranged.
You will be glad to learn that our Sankirtana Movement in the Western world is going on very successfully. Your fathers Spiritual Teacher, Mother Anandamayee, is very much fond of Sankirtana. So I wish that your father may send us mrdanga (Khol) and karatalas for this great Sankirtana Yajna. Mother Anandamayee has got many rich followers, if some of them send us this khol and karatalas for our different centers all over the world—Europe, American, Canada, Japan, Australia then it will be a great cooperation. I hope you will ask you father to do this service for Lord Krsna or Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Who foretold that in every city, town, and village of the world His Holy Name would be celebrated, and we are trying in our humble way to spread this message.
Herewith please find one cover addressed to George Harrison, and I hope you will deliver it with my blessings. I am very glad that his service is effectively working on him, and that is the way of realization, Krsna Consciousness.
The description of Krsna Consciousness movement in London gives me a great pleasure with hope and interest. Lord Caitanya was also checked in His Sankirtana movement by the then police officer, and He led a procession of one hundred thousands of men to the house of the Kazi. So I think Lord Caitanya is planning a situation which will help us in pushing the Krsna Consciousness movement throughout the whole world. I therefore request you all to chant Hare Krsna mantra very rigidly sixteen rounds a day and thus be fixed up in your spiritual strength and everything will come out successful.
The cover of George Harrison is open, and after reading it you can close it and deliver it to him. So far his contribution is concerned, I shall duly acknowledge it as I do usually in the Krsna book also. Besides that, I wish to put his good name on the dedication page of devotional service.* I would have done this in the Isopanisad, but this book was already printed. I hope you like the letter which I have addressed to George.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3 February, 1970, and I have also received the copy of the article printed in the Japan Times Weekly. I am so glad to learn of your successful activities in spreading our Krsna Consciousness movement in Tokyo.
The potency of spreading Krsna Consciousness is everywhere the same. That was experimented by me in your country, where I came alone without any support; and Krsna is so kind that He has sent me so many boys and girls like you. Lord Caitanya said that every village and town on the surface of the world will know the message of the Sankirtana movement. This very statement affirms that in every village and town all over the world there are many candidates who are awaiting this message.
Please therefore work very seriously. Chant your daily beads regularly. You have got a very nice devotee wife, she will help you in all respects. So try to follow the footsteps of the disciplic succession, and everything will come out successful.
In London there is some clashing between the police and our men, but the reaction is in our factor. Probably there will be a great agitation in this connection, and the whole world will know automatically the importance of this movement.
Gaurasundara has intended to call me at Hawaii during Lord Caitanya's birthday, somewhere by the end of March 1970. Similarly, whenever you are also nicely established, you may also call me and I shall be very glad to visit your center.
By the by, I may request you that you may take quotation of our BTG for printing 100,000 (one hundred thousand) copies per month from some of the leading printers in Tokyo.
I am happy to learn your plans for celebrating Lord Caitanya's appearance day, and please make the meeting very successful.
In the Vedic literature there are many recommended processes for spiritual realization, and Lord Krsna says that all of them can be avoided and if one is simply engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord that is the highest perfectional platform.
There is a great future for this Krsna Consciousness movement in every part of the world, and I am getting such indications from every where. So please continue these activities by travelling on your good truck, assisted by some sincere devotees like Yadunandana and others, and I am sure you will be successful in your mission.
Now I am hopeful that our New Vrindaban will be an exact replica of Vrindaban in India. I think it was ordained by Krsna that you went there, took your Sannyas order of life in the presence of Rupa Goswami and Jiva Goswami, and now you have got the opportunity to execute their will. Perhaps you may remember that after you accepted the Sannyas order many hundreds of people congratulated you, and you were looking so beautiful at that time that some of them were murmuring that this Sannyasi is looking exactly like Sri Caitanya. So all those utterances are the blessings of Sri Sri Radha Damodara.
So carry on this work more enthusiastically and you will feel more and more jubilant in transcendental bliss. So far I am concerned, because our relationship is father and son, so nobody will be more satisfied than me by seeing your successful preaching work. Nobody in this world likes to be defeated by somebody else, but the father when he is defeated by the son feels more pleasure. Therefore, I may once more request you to try your best to construct New Vrindaban an exact duplicate of Vrindaban, and that will give me the highest pleasure.
Brahmananda and Advaita have come here yesterday, and I am giving them advice about our future press activities. They have already printed Isopanisad paperbook very nicely and the price is also very cheap. You may ask Boston to send you copies for sale there in London.
Please see that the French and German issues of BTG are published as soon as possible. I hope Hamsaduta has met you by this time, and when you go to Germany along with him I think he may be situated as the president of the center being the seniormost member. I am so glad to learn that you expect to open another center in London in the hippy quarter as soon as possible. When I was in London I went to Oxford and there was a very successful meeting. Therefore I think Oxford will be a good center for our activities.
Please offer my blessings to all the boys and girls there, and keep me informed of your further progress. The Krsna manuscript is already handed over to Messrs. Dai Nippon Co. for printing.
Regarding Yugoslavia, the communist country, if they are anxious for our association why not take this opportunity immediately. The communists are first class disciples of Kali; therefore our attention should be more upon them because of their serious materialistic fever. So you can make immediately correspondence with the Yugoslavian friends, and as Tamala is going there very soon, he can immediately open a center with the cooperation of local people. So, with George's recommendation letter, if somebody goes there, I am sure it will be a successful attempt. Actually I am very much eager to start a temple in the communist country.
Regarding civil-disobedience movement, I do not think there is need of it. Our people have been arrested on the charge of blocking the pedestrian path; so if some friends give evidence that we did not actually block the way, then the case will certainly be dismissed as you said that the members of the public were in sympathy with us. Our people are still going with Sankirtana Party, so government does not prohibit us so far Sankirtana is concerned. Therefore, civil-disobedience on this ground would be unnecessary.
I will suggest one thing—that you can organize a mass Sankirtana procession on the Advent Day of Lord Caitanya, 22 March, 1970; that day is also Sunday. Therefore if George and John Lennon both lead the procession, that will be a great service. Because of their presence many young men especially will join the procession. And if you carry flags, festoons, and pictures in that procession, starting from a big park like Hyde Park or St. James' Square and then pass over some important streets, especially the residential quarters, that will be a great success. In that procession, you can distribute our literatures of various kinds—books and magazines also. I think that will be a great successful program.
I have already written a letter to George and it is sent through you. In that letter I have suggested the importance of Krsna Consciousness movement, so if George elaborates this idea in his foreword that will be very nice. The suggestions I may repeat again, that every living entity has a dormant propensity of love for somebody else. That is exhibited not only in human society, but also in the animal society. That love is exhibited primarily in five kinds of relationship—especially as master and servant, as friend and friend, as parents and children, and as lover and beloved. This stock of love in every living entity is dormant eternal love for Krsna, but because the living entity has forgotten Krsna since a very, very long time, even before this creation was manifested, therefore all of us are misplacing that dormant love in a perverted way. Therefore there is always frustration. Even so-called "sincere" love between lover and the beloved or husband and wife or even parents and children are so many instances of frustration. Therefore the only remedy for this repeated frustration of our life after life is revival of original Krsna Consciousness.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your very encouraging letter dated 18 February, 1970, and I have noted the contents carefully. It is also very much pleasing that you have liked the company of Upendra, and both of you combined together will surely carry successfully our Australian Yatra.
I am very much pleased with your behavior in the matter of progressing our Krsna Consciousness movement. You took up very seriously my desire for opening a center in Australia, and you volunteered to take up the responsibility. So all these things are very much encouraging. In our Krsna Consciousness movement the first qualification required by the devotees is enthusiasm. Then work it out patiently and with conviction that it will surely be done. But at the same time we must be very, very strict in following the regulative principles and completing the sixteen rounds chanting. Our dealings should be very clear with others and we must always keep company with devotees.
Please do not hesitate to write me at least once fortnightly so that I may be kept informed of the activities.
Upendra said that the Australian public does a great deal of reading and there is good chance for selling our magazines and books. Immediately after publication, in L.A. they are selling Isopanisad up to 40 copies per day. Perhaps because it is only paperback. Henceforth we shall issue many such books with pictures on the covers. Upendra has seen it, and if you like, send orders to Brahmananda immediately for dispatch from Boston.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 15 February, 1970, along with a check $15.00 for my maintenance account. Thank you very much for it.
I am very pleased to learn how things are going on very well in Washington center and that you are nicely celebrating the various Advent days of our great Acaryas. But I am especially glad to know of your very successful work amongst the students. This is very encouraging to me. I know that the young people of your country are all eager to take up this Krsna Consciousness movement, simply we must sincerely present our program to them in such a nice way by chanting Hare Krsna, dancing, speaking something about our philosophy, advertising and selling our literatures, and distributing Prasadam.
In this connection, I may inform you that in order to maintain our status of spiritual strength, everyone of us must very rigidly chant daily sixteen rounds without fail and follow the regulative principles strictly. This is essential for understanding our philosophy clearly and for being able to impress Krsna Consciousness in the hearts of others; so our sincerity in this respect is most important, and all such duties should be observed regularly by everyone. I hope that you will see that all the boys and girls there are following this process, and studying our literatures carefully.
I am in due receipt of your gift of Lugloo Mahaprasadam and the enclosed kind note from you, and I thank you very much for these. I have immediately tasted these lugloos,* and I can understand also how you are happily advancing in the service of Lord Krsna, they are prepared so nicely.
I am so happy to know that you are finding Krsna Consciousness to be the sweetest thing in life, and actually it is so. Please continue your good service attitude more and more and be certain to chant daily the sixteen rounds of beads duly, and Krsna will surely bless you with better and better intelligence for advancing your Krsna Consciousness. Always be sincere and eager to perform your duties allotted by the Lord to you and be successful and joyful in your life.
Astanga Yoga is better than Karma Yoga and Jnana Yoga is on the level of Astanga Yoga. But the Bhakti Yoga is the ultimate goal of all Yogas. In other words, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Astanga Yoga by proper execution culminate in Bhakti Yoga. So far yogis who meditate on the Paramatma form of the Lord within their hearts, if they see Him in that way actually they become pure devotees, but if they do not perfect the process they may remain on the lower level of incomplete realization or Paramatma realization.
I am happy to learn that your Sankirtana party is very successful. If you have some extra money, you can contribute to the book fund because I am contributing to purchase a large church here to the extent of 20,000 dollars; and try to send the maintenance charges to me regularly.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 26 February, 1970, and I am glad to know that you have liked my detailed letter of 5 February, 1970, with enclosures. The books are already on the way.
Regarding my permission for issuing a detailed account of my work in a book form by some kind friend, it is very much welcome. I have asked my London office to send you more pictures and newspaper-cuttings in this connection. This book will enthuse me as well as the whole Vaisnava society. I can see that this Krsna Consciousness movement has such a vast potency that by its philosophy the whole human race can be united politically, socially, religiously, and culturally. If important personalities like you will kindly join with my activities, I am sure it will come out successful and India will be culturally united with the whole world.
For the present, I have got ambition to start at least 108 centers. My disciples are already scattered from Hamburg to Tokyo, and from Tokyo to Sydney. And more youngsters are joining us daily in this movement. By the grace of Krsna this Society is purchasing a very big church estate on the Venice Boulevard, one of the important highways of Los Angeles, and we shall remove there next April. When we go there, we shall be able to invite many important men of the city and try to convince them about our high philosophy. The atheist class of men foolishly inquire "Where is God?" And we present them Krsna—here is God, and if you have got sense and intelligence just try to understand Krsna, whether He is not God.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3 March, 1970, along with the "Govindam" record. The record is so nice that I am playing it at least once in a day and it is giving me transcendental pleasure with tears in my eyes. I am sure this record will be the first-class "hit" as already opined by the experts.
Certainly this has has come out so successful because of George's sincere effort in Krsna Consciousness. I am so pleased that he is advancing towards perfectional stage of Krsna Consciousness; and your association will greatly help. Try to convince him to avoid the four principles of sinful life and chant Hare Krsna mantra as much as possible, then he will find everything is successful in his life.
I think on account of this record, many people, at least from different parts of Europe, will come to see our Temple. Many tourists also may come there. So you do not take it as gloomy, but you should welcome them in our Temple. Regularly try to sell our books and magazines to them. So far taking away the shoes is concerned, you can make the following arrangement: just after the entrance door, arrange for a movable railing so that anyone willing to enter the Temple room, but who does not like to take of his shoes, may be allowed to enter the door but stand near the railing and see the Deity from that place. Anyone willing to go inside the railing boundary must have to get out of his shoes. And exactly by the side of the Altar another railing may be fixed up. This railing should stand between the Vyasasana and the Altar.
I thank you very much for sending me the transcribed copies of two tapes #17 and #18, and I see it is well done. Although there are some minor mistakes in spelling of the proper names, that is not a problem. In my next letter I will point them out and give the correct spelling.
So offer my thanks to all the boys and girls who are working so hard for my Guru Maharaja's sake. Certainly He will be very pleased and bless you all for making your Krsna Consciousness life very successful.
I have already written to Candanacarya to come back and help in the matter of layout. Brahmananda is already there; and please see that everything is managed nicely and at least one book is published every two months. We do not need to publish a large number at a time, but what I want is that all the manuscripts which are ready for printing may be published without further delay. That will give me much satisfaction.
Your article published in the college newspaper is very nice regarding the eclipse. If we stick to our principle, certainly very soon we shall be recognized as a bona fide institution; and who can give better information than us in the matter of Spiritual understanding?
The first volume of KRSNA may be delivered with pictures to Dai Nippon. I do not know whether it shall go directly to Japan or through their N.Y. office, that is up to Brahmananda. So as soon as possible, please deliver to them—it is already delayed.
I am very glad to learn that you have engaged one older Japanese lady for translating our lectures. This is a great opportunity that you have got a good translator. Give her sufficient work for translating, and certainly she will turn to be Krishna Consciousness. Regarding your projected study of all aspects of Japanese language—writing, reading, and speaking—for spreading Krishna Consciousness to all the Japanese speaking people all over the world, that is just our program, and you should do this without fail. As you have written that Tokyo is the largest city in the world and there is no limit to the scope of our preaching work there, your work there is very important to spread our mission.
I am so pleased to learn that you have held several successful kirtanas and also you were on the T.V. program. So now we are in the news and people will be inquiring more about our movement, so your progress in preaching Lord Caitanya's message in Tokyo is very much encouraging to me, and I am so happy to note your sincere determination in this matter. When you are able to find out a house for inviting interested persons to live in our Krishna Consciousness community, that will be very much helpful.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 8 March, 1970.
At first, I must thank you very much for your slides and the viewer, which I enjoy whenever I find some time. The pictures of London Temple immediately get me there, and I enjoy your company. So I can understand that everything is going on well in London Temple. The service of the Lord should be so nicely executed that Radharani will bestow upon you blessings, raising Her right hand palm. You have got a very nice wife, a devotee and intelligent. So both husband and wife combined together please see that the Temple service is being executed regularly and nicely, and thus make your lives happy and successful.
Side by side, both of you should train your junior brothers and sisters in the service of the Lord, so that in case both of you go for preaching work, the scheduled program of the Temple may not be hampered. We should follow two important lines, namely the Pancaratriki Bidhi as well as Bhagavata Bidhi. The Bhagavata Bidhi is preaching work, and Sankirtana, and Pancaratriki Bidhi is Temple worship of the Deities. The Temple worship will keep us sanctified, and when we shall preach in sanctified, pure heart, the preaching will be immediately effective. So we have to follow the two parallel lines simultaneously for successful execution of Devotional service.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 19 March, 1970, and have noted the contents.
Yes, I am very glad to learn that Hamsaduta and Himavati have arrived with Tamala Krishna, and they have in such short order set up a good program of activities. So now your Deities are being cared for under Himavati's direction, and Sankirtana Party is more successful led by Hamsaduta and Tamala. Now with this good organization please continue to work combinedly for spreading our Krishna Consciousness movement throughout Germany. You have said that there is such great scope for preaching there, so I am very hopeful that you will be very eager to carry out this preaching work, starting many new centers.
Our first business is this preaching work, especially to organize centers, and you write to say that now this spreading potency will be utilized, so you should join wholeheartedly in this program. If you think that the time spent for studying 2 1/2 years more can be better used immediately to push our Krishna Consciousness movement, then you can turn your efforts in this direction. That will be very nice.
Thank you very much for sending the article, which appears to be very nice. Unfortunately, none of us is able to read it. And thank you also for the enclosure of $15 as contribution to my maintenance fund.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21st March, 1970, and I am so pleased to learn that your University meeting was very successful. It is very engladdening to learn that hundreds were singing and dancing. A similar experience I had when we met in the Ohio State University along with Ginsberg. I think you have already read the news in our BTG. And similar experiences are being gathered by Kirtanananda Maharaja and Rupanuga Dasa Adhikari because they are now moving in different colleges and universities, and getting good response.
I take it for granted that you are one of the selected devotees of Lord Caitanya, and therefore from within your heart He has inspired you to go to such a distant place, leaving your parents and home, just to satisfy Krsna. This is a great transcendental adventure. Try your best, and I am sure you will be successful. Formerly your forefathers, many European and American gentlemen, were courageous to go outside their country for colonization, and Australia is vivid example of such adventures. Now, by the grace of Krsna, yourself and Upendra, the descendants of your adventurous forefathers, have gone there with a great mission, and try to execute it to your best capacity.
Krsna will certainly help you. The only thing we require for this purpose is to remain in our spiritual strength by chanting regularly and following the rules and regulations. I am sure you are already strict on this point, and still it is my duty to remind it for your steady strength.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated 26th March, 1970, along with transcription of tape #23.
Regarding opening of a branch in Providence, Rhode Island, it is very encouraging. Both Nandakisora and Sri Dhama are nice devotees and I am sure they will be successful in conducting the new center. It is a good news for me. To open a center for us is not very difficult job. Simply the devotees who volunteer their service must be very serious and sincere.
Both Sri Dhama and Nandakisora are good administrators of Prasadam which is our peak medicine for driving away Maya; so I have all blessings for them. Let them chant Hare Krsna and distribute Prasadam, and things will come very quickly.
In this way, when someone is fortunate, he, by the grace of Spiritual Master and Krsna, revives his Krsna Consciousness. And if he makes progress under the direction of the Spiritual Master, then he revives his original Krsna Consciousness in full and thus he regains his position in the eternal Kingdom of God.
So you know very well all these facts, and while preaching you have to explain all these things nicely. Then you become a good preacher. Now you try your best in this line of preaching work and be successful as you have taken birth as a human being. Our Vaisnava philosophy is in summary the Teachings of Lord Caitanya. You read them very carefully, word to word, and immediately begin translation into French language so they may be published in French BTG as well as in future they may be published in a book.
I think Janardana is very busy in preparation for his Ph.D. because I have also not heard from him for a long time. So let him continue his studies. There is no need of disturbing him at present. Better both you and Suridas take up this translation work seriously. I think there are some devotees in Montreal who can also translate into French language. Anyway, arrange for this work immediately, without waiting anymore.
You have not written anything whether you have been able to find out a suitable place for our Temple. It was understood that when George goes there, he would help us in this matter. So I shall be glad to know how far you have been successful in this connection. It is all Krsna's grace that you have been favored with some publicity and more people are coming weekly for Kirtana. It is very much satisfactory, and I hope Krsna will help you more and more.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 31st March, 1970, and in the meantime I have received one small tape record. Your teaching of Sanskrit pronunciation has been very much successful. I was just thinking of teaching our students the pronunciation of the Sanskrit verses in the Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc. and by Krsna's will you have already begun this. It will be a great help for me if the students are taught to pronounce in Sanskrit vibration. It will be another effect of transcendental sound vibration.
But we should always remember that our aim is spiritual realization, so in such classes in the beginning there must be Kirtana and at the end also there must be Kirtana. And they should not only pronounce the verses, but they should also understand the meaning and purport of each verse, then it will be grand success.
If possible, you can make another complete tape for use in other centers. You should make several copies and perhaps Dinesh can help you in this connection. Then distribute these specimen tapes to all centers and they may be asked for the charges.
About word endings, when we speak about sabdharupa it is just like the sabdarupa is gunin or svamin, but when we actually articulate, we speak the nominative form. In the place of gunin we speak guni (nominative form). So the nominative part of speech is used when we articulate, not the pratipadika. That is usage. Similarly in the matter of atman, we should speak atma. So I do not know what the scholars in this place want to have.
I think in the very near future you will be required to move from center to center to teach this verse vibration. So in each center, by hearing your tapes and by your personal presence they will become very expert in pronouncing the Sanskrit verses.
Regarding your last point that you shall try to learn the various literatures very carefully and present everywhere in classes and books, that is very good. This is a nice idea and if you can do it, it is great service and Krsna will bless you. I am sure you will be successful in this attempt, but don't forget to chant sixteen rounds regularly. then you will get spiritual strength more and more.
I do not know much about Mukunda dasa, but I think Jiva Gosvami did commentation on Bhakti-rasamrita sindhu and that is accepted by my Guru Maharaja.
When we love the message and serve Him, automatically our devotional love for the physique is done.
I am so very glad to learn that Srimati Tulasi Devi has favored you so much. If you can actually grow this Tulasi plant, and I am sure you will do it, then you must know it for certain that your devotion for Krsna is testified. I was very much anxious to introduce this worship of Tulasi plant amongst our Society members, but it has not become successful til now, therefore, when I hear that you have got this opportunity, my pleasure does not have any bounds.
Please take care of the Tulasi plants in the following way. This is the best season for growing Tulasi plants. From 15th April to 15th June is the best season for growing this plant. Now I understand that the seedlings are coming out, so the whole spot if possible may be covered by some net because the seedling stage creepers being very delicate are sometimes eaten up by the sparrows, so we have to give a little protection from attack of the sparrows. All the devotees should pour water at least once in the morning before taking prasadam. The watering should not be very much large in quantity, but it should be poured just to keep the ground soft and moist. Sunlight also should be allowed. When the creepers are grown at least 7 inches high, then you can take them out from the planting soil and transplant them in a row in a different place. Then go on watering and they will grow like anything. I think this plant cannot grow in cold countries, but if the plants are dispatched from your place and if the devotees take care of the plant with a little care in a flower pot, then it may grow.
In our various centers (26) everywhere there are at least 30 to 40 devotees. Some of them are householders and some of them are Brahmacaris. I don't encourage very strictly increasing the number of Brahmacaris and Sannyasis because in this country men and women are very freely intermingling. Therefore I am encouraging householder's life strictly restraining them from sinful activities principally based on the following four points: 1) no eating of meat, fish, or eggs 2) no illicit sex-life 3) no taking of any kind of intoxicants including coffee, tea, and tobacco 4) no gambling. So this scheme appears to be successful, and in most cases the Grhasthas are preaching very satisfactorily.
Last December I have established our London temple at 7 Bury Place in a five story building, and it has become a great attraction because people from distant places come to see this temple. Our Radha Krsna Temple has become very popular because of two record albums published by Mr. George Harrison who is a world known musician. This young boy is very much sympathetic with our movement and he has very kindly contributed 2 lakhs of rupees for publishing my book, KRSNA.
So things are coming out very successful although slowly, and your good cooperation is earnestly solicited.
New York is the best city of your country, therefore the prospect of preaching in New York City is especially very great. I began my preaching life in this city, therefore I have got some special attraction for New York. I wish, therefore, that a fitting and imposing temple may be situated in New York. I understand that you are trying your best to secure a house, so in consultation with Brahmananda you can do it very earnestly.
Regarding Sankirtana Parties in New York, Krsna will provide devotees, don't be worried. Krsna can provide anything and everything within a moment, but He waits to test a devotee. And when the devotee comes out successful from the test, He gives him all opportunity for devotional service. So everyone of you should go on with the Sankirtana Party and gradually Krsna will send more and more devotees to join you.
Regarding our books, yes, they are being printed in our press and they will come out very shortly. The books are being written specifically for my students and I am so glad to learn that you read them so carefully. The words are ambrosial because they are not my personal words, they are instructions of my predecessors and I am just trying to administer them to my best knowledge. That is the way of Parampara system. We have nothing to manufacture, but simply carry the message as a faithful peon. That will be effective. One should be very sincere to his Spiritual Master and Krsna simultaneously. Then everything comes out successful. That is the verdict of the Vedas and Lord Caitanya.
Thank you very much for your letter dated 16th April, 1970, with an enclosed check for $15 on the temple account in India, Mayapur. Thank you very much for your first contribution.
I am very glad to learn that you are doing spiritual activities very nicely and you are always alert to see whether you are committing some offense. This is a very nice attitude. In rendering service to Lord Krsna and His representative the Spiritual Master, we should always maintain this fearful attitude which means careful attention. This attitude will advance you progressively in Krishna Consciousness.
Regarding the French edition BTG, your attempt is coming to be successful and the present copy looks very nice. Regarding Sanskrit, you can learn it in your leisure time. For Indians it is not difficult to learn Sanskrit.
So, whether you have decided to marry in this country or in India? I think you can marry some girl in the Western country who is in Krishna Consciousness, but if you want to marry in the presence of your parents in India, that is a different thing. In our Society there are many nice girls, so if you decide to marry here, then I can ask somebody to correspond with you. What is you age at present?
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 20th April, 1970, along with a Canadian money order for $278, and thank you very much for this.
I am very glad to know that your Maha-sankirtana. with coordination of Buffalo are so successful. Please continue this program as you have suggested and surely Krishna will see that your more vigorous efforts to spread His movement are successful more and more.
Regarding Brijbasi posters, just take out pictures portraying Krishna with cows, with Gopis—just Krishna pictures, no pictures of demigods. Those pictures are alright.
Regarding your questions about how and from where did the conditioned souls fall, your first question if someone has a relationship with Lord Krsna on Krsnaloka, does he ever fall down? The souls are endowed with minute independence as part of their nature and this minute independence may be utilized rightly or wrongly at any time, so there is always the chance of falling down by misuse of one's independence. But those who are firmly fixed up in devotional service to Krsna are making proper use of their independence and so they do not fall down.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 22nd April, 1970. Til now I have received none of the amounts mentioned by you. So far Berkeley amount is concerned, I understand that they are going to purchase a house, so it will be utilized for that purpose. So far the other amount, I have not yet received any intimation from the bank.
I thank you very much for your kind appreciation of my humble activities, and you always pray to Krsna that the remaining days of my life may be thus engaged in executing the orders of my Spiritual Master. So far you are concerned, I request all my spiritual sons and daughters to help me in this great adventure, and if you all help me, I am sure I shall be successful
Now our next program will be to lead a Sankirtana Party round over the world. It is already advertised in India from mouth to mouth that I am coming there next year with forty disciples. So I think we must keep this program in the beginning of our next year. There is already invitation in Africa. One party may go from London via other countries to Bombay, and another party may go from here via Japan to Calcutta, and then they will meet together.
We have been offered a very nice place in central India. I am negotiating with the proprietor of this place, and if by Krsna's grace we get this central place in India, then from this center you can go to any extremity of Indian boundary and it is the same distance of about 1000 miles.
So the time has come as per my dream, by the grace of Krsna you are carrying on this program. Please therefore organize this moving Sankirtana Party as you are already doing from one school or college to another. If we can rightly impress the Krsna Consciousness idea in some intelligent student's heart, it will be of great service. Perhaps sometime after, I will request you and Kirtanananda to go to India and execute this program in the student community there.
I am negotiating with a gentleman in India to get the management of a very old Radha Krsna Temple, and if this negotiation is successful, we will organize a very nice preaching center in the center of India. From this part, any side extreme boundary is not more than 1000 miles. I think that will be a very nice preaching center. So try to recruit more members for our Society because we have to open many centers, and from each center we shall organize this moving Sankirtana Party. That will be nice program for executing the will of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
I have replied the boy, and the letter is enclosed herewith, please forward it to him.
I am very glad to learn that you have the Prahlada pictures in your safe custody because I want to print up many small books with text accompanied by illustrations, and the first one may be of Prahlada Maharaja. Sometime ago you wrote me that you wanted some new topics for writing subjects, so I think you can begin by compiling information from my past lectures on Prahlada Maharaja, then add the pictures and print it. Then you can do many other such books like this. Some other books may be about Dhruva Maharaja, Ajamila, etc., and I am sure these stories with their very significant purports will make very successful books, and they can be very easily sold. So if you can begin on this project and arrange everything carefully, that will be very nice.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your encouraging letter, dated 8th April, 1970, and I am so happy to note your steady enthusiasm to work harder in Krsna's service. So this enthusiasm is very good sign, and if you continue to become more and more enthusiastic to be always strictly engaged in devotional service while observing carefully the rules and regulations, Krsna will surely bestow upon you full success in Krsna Consciousness and thus your life will be happy and successful.
Regarding the color of Balaramaji, He is colored like milk white with little bluish tint and rosy luster. Our idea of whiteness is of the milk foam. Regarding whether ivory is offerable to Krsna, yes, ivory is pure. Although it is a bone of an animal, still it is as pure as the conchshell which is also the bone of an animal.
The six armed form which Lord Caitanya disclosed to Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya had two hands of Lord Ramacandra, two hands of Krsna and two hands of Lord Caitanya. Perhaps you have seen the picture in our New York temple which was brought from India by Kirtanananda Swami.
If you recommend, I shall initiate them, so you can send sets of new beads with their letters and some donation for the book fund. The standard form is that the initiate collects some alms by begging and offers it to the Spiritual Master as daksina or presentation.
That is nice if you get that land in Miami and open a center there. You are intelligent and eager devotee, ready to spread Lord Krsna's teachings, so do it. That will be very good, it is an excellent proposal.
So as you say the deep Southern part of this country is virtually untouched, but I think Kirtanananda Maharaja has gone to several places there, and he has been very successful. So try to attract the students, they are our great future hope, and they will take up this matter very quickly because the students are not very contaminated.
The first two lines of the song "Haraye Namah Krsna" were sung by Lord Caitanya and His followers, but the other lines of song were composed later on by Srila Narottama Das Thakura.
Please follow the rules and regulations for advancing in Krsna Consciousness beginning with strict observance of the four restrictions, and chant daily the prescribed number of sixteen rounds on the beads, and you will grow strong in spiritual strength. Study our literatures with the cooperation of your God-brothers and sisters in Buffalo, and any questions you may have may be submitted to Srimad Rupanuga for answering. So in this way always find some engagement in Krsna's service and you will be supremely happy and successful in your life.
Always follow the prescribed program of Krsna Consciousness as it has already been established by the Spiritual Master, and thus executing your prescribed duties in the loving service of the Lord He will reveal himself to you in proportion to your sincere efforts to satisfy Him only. So now you are Krsna's servant, and if you give your life completely over to Him, He (Tejas) the All-powerful Lord will protect you from all dangers in all circumstances. Please always chant Hare Krsna Mantra without offense and be happy.
Now please take the good opportunity to learn how to practically prosecute Krsna Consciousness Movement so that you may help start new centers for expanding our program to every nook and corner, village and city. This is our business, to carry the message of Lord Caitanya to every person for his ultimate welfare. Help Rupanuga in the Buffalo Temple or otherwise as he may advise you to do, that is the best program for now—to become very well trained up in Krsna Consciousness—and then you can preach.
You are all helping me in the execution of my mission so please do not try to do anything beyond the jurisdiction of my instructions. My will I have already disclosed to you all that each and every one of you should chant the Mahamantra regularly in sixteen rounds, follow the four regulative principles, chant Hare Krsna mantra on the streets, try to distribute our books and literature, and specifically in San Francisco you should observe the annual Ratha Yatra festival very gorgeously. I can assure you that if you follow my instruction as above mentioned there is no doubt about it that through me my spiritual Master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura will be pleased, and through His mercy Lord Nityananda will be pleased. In this way Lord Caitanya and ultimately Radha Krsna will be pleased, and thus your life will be successful.
As it is natural for a gentleman to try to stop a person committing suicide when it so happens just in one's presence, similarly when we see that so many men and women are simply committing suicide as described in the Isopanisad ye ke catma-hano janah, let us try to save them through this Krsna Consciousness Movement.
I am very glad that you are going with Kirtanananda Maharaja to colleges. So try to understand the philosophy* nicely and spread it to your best capacity so that these suiciding men can be saved as far as possible. It is not, however, possible to check the suiciding policy of the modern society, but my Guru Maharaja used to say that if he could save one person then He would consider His mission successful. Similarly, if we individually could save at least one person, many of the suiciding men can be saved.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 16th June, 1970, along with two copies of Nectar of Devotion.
Yes, it is made very excellent. At least I can safely say that there is 80% perfection. This means we can hope very soon books printed from your press will be cent per cent successful as we are expecting to get from Dai Nippon. In some of the pages, the ink impression is not sufficient, otherwise it appears everything very nice. The paper is first class, the sewing is also nice, and I hope the cover binding will be nice when it is done professionally. The pictures have also come out very excellent. So everything is very hopeful. You are trying your best, and Krsna will give you proper intelligence to execute these press responsibilities.
All of you in the press are doing so hard work. I can simply pray to Krsna for your perfect advancement in Krsna consciousness. One thing I must inform you in this connection that so far our activities in Krsna Consciousness are concerned, everyone of us should read this book very attentively because all conclusive statements in the Kingdom of Bhakti are contained in this transcendental valuable book. It is the essence of all Vedic scriptures enlightening about Krsna Consciousness. If anyone will read this Nectar of Devotion very carefully, he will have all guidance in Bhakti cult. So in the temple class some portions of this book must be regularly discussed.
The first volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam can be printed if it is composed. From second Canto they are printing chapter-wise. That is alright. So otherwise whatever is already composed KRSNA, volume 2; Bhagavad-gita AS IT IS, revised and enlarged edition; Srimad-Bhagavatam, first Canto; etc., any one of them may be printed.
In the picture of Krsna and Balarama at Their spiritual master, Sandipani Muni, it is alright that They appear with sikhas. Why Krsna should deviate from the brahmacari principles?
I have received the printed copy of Nectar of Devotion. It is very nicely done. The style and the printing are 80% successful. So gradually our policy should be to make our press perfect so that we may not go outside at least for printing our books.
Now my desire is that I completely devote my time in the matter of writing and translating books, and arrangement should now be done that our Society be managed automatically. I think we should have a central governing body for dealing with important matters. I have already talked with Gargamuni about this. So if you come back by the Rathayatra festival, we can have a preliminary meeting at San Francisco in this connection.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated June, 1970.
We must stick to our Krsna consciousness business at all circumstances. This determination will make us successful. Although according to Vedic system there is restriction that boys and girls should not freely mix, the brahmacaris are strictly prohibited to talk with young women, but in the Western countries this rule is not valid. As such, we have to accept both boys and girls in the same standard. But if each of us follow the regulative principles and chanting of the mantras hardly there will be any chance for sex indulgence. So we have to be little careful about it and Krsna will help us.
I do not know why you wife has not yet got her visa.
The devotees who are trying to join our movement may be called by some Vedic name, but ultimately change of name will take place after first initiation. In the meantime there is no harm in calling them by some suitable good names.
Speaking or anything all depends on practice and study. I remember when I was first called for speaking by one of my senior Godbrothers. I felt very much hesitating because I was not practiced to speak. Later on by speaking and hearing or reading I got experience and now we can speak 45 minutes, 50 minutes or one hour at a stretch. So you have to read our books very nicely and gather thoughts, then you can speak for hours without any difficulty. It requires practice. So read your books carefully, especially Nectar of Devotion now published, and practice speaking. It will be alright.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 12th June, 1970, and noted the contents carefully. I am very glad to learn that you are appreciating the importance of very nice Sankirtana activities for the purpose of attracting people to our movement. This was the simple program of Lord Caitanya and it is our business to follow His Sankirtana Movement for the welfare of everyone. So please see that your Sankirtana program is made as attractive as possible.
You write to say that your preaching work has not been very successful at the Ohio State University, but your visits to several other nearby have been well received. This is good news that in several university campuses Krsna Consciousness movement is well liked and you are giving a credit course next winter. So do not be discouraged that some of the young students are too much involved with some other business to listen, but go on with the work undaunted. Actually the younger generation, especially the hippies are our best clients, so they are feeling very keenly the frustration of material life and it is our duty as Vaisnavas to be very sympathetic with them and give this Krsna consciousness to them some way or other.
I am very glad also to know that you are managing the schedule of your center very capably. Of course Sankirtana is our most important engagement, but all the temple activities must go on regularly without any pause. This following of the daily duties will carry us to the spiritual platform very rapidly. I have looked over the sample of test paper from Srimati Joanne and it is very nice. This question and answer practice should be encouraged amongst the devotees. Then they will become trained to reply questions from outsiders.
So as you are given full facilities for the execution of Sankirtana activities you must do it wholeheartedly and especially try to encourage the hippies to accept this Krsna consciousness movement. They are our best clients. They are feeling very keenly the frustration of material life and it is our duty as good Vaisnavas to be very sympathetic with them and bring them to take up this Krsna consciousness, then their lives will become perfect and our mission successful.
I have read the article sent by you cut from the newspaper and it is very nice. They have presented some of our philosophy very nicely and favorably. I beg to thank you also for the check which you have sent as contribution to my book fund, I think it was for $50.
Regarding your questions: Hindu means the culture of the Indians. India happens to be situated on the other side of the Indus River which is now in Pakistan which is spelled Indus—in Sanskrit it is called Sindhu. The sindhu was misspelled by the Europeans as Indus, and from Indus the word "Indian" has come. Similarly the Arabians used to pronounce sindus as Hindus. This Hindus is spoken as Hindus. It is neither a Sanskrit word nor is it found in the Vedic literatures. But the culture of the Indians or the Hindus is Vedic and beginning with the four varnas and four asramas. So these four varnas and four asramas are meant for really civilized human race. Therefore the conclusion is actually when a human being is civilized in the true sense of the term he follows the system of varna and asrama and then he can be called a "Hindu." Our Krsna Consciousness Movement is preaching these four varnas and four asramas, so naturally it has got some relationship with the Hindus. So Hindus can be understood from the cultural point of view, not religious point of view. Culture is never religion. Religion is a faith, and culture is educational or advancement of knowledge.
I am very glad to learn from your letter dated 2nd July that both yourself and Acyutananda went to Babu Ghat for chanting Hare Krsna. I am very glad to learn it. The same process I adopted in your country when I started my Sankirtana in Tompkins Square, New York. Krsna was so kind to send to me all these boys and girls who are helping me now. Babu Ghat is a very nice place. Similarly, in front of Babu Ghat there is the Eden Garden that is also a very nice place. After all it is not the question of the place, but it is the person who chants which is important. A sincere soul like you, so much devoted to Spiritual Master and Krsna is sure to be successful anywhere. So you adopt the same principle as we are doing here.
So far collection is concerned, if somebody offers money there is no reason to refuse it. Certainly there are many pseudo-Vaisnavas collecting money for sense gratification, but that does not mean that a pure Vaisnava will not collect.
Yes, get nama Sankirtana organized, it is very nice program. It is all encouraging. Nityananda Prabhu was doing this although He was attacked by Jagai and Madhai. In spite of His being injured by them, Lord Nityananda delivered these two brothers. That is the way of preaching. Certainly there will be thousands to follow a large Sankirtana Party, so you do like that. Regarding the Math, naturally because they are getting great name and fame by your service they will not like you to leave, but if more men go where they will live. I do not know why there is hesitation still. We must have our own place. I hope you have replied this point in my previous letter. As soon as you settle up in your own place, we shall send many magazines and books for distribution.
You have inquired whether to illustrate Balaramaji's Rasa Dancing with expansions of Balaramaji just like Krsna expanded Himself for Rasa Dancing. No, we do not find such description in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. But He had His dancing pastime with the Gopis in a different place known as Ramaghata on the bank of the Yamuna.
Yes, you all must read Nectar of Devotion in your spare time. I am very glad to learn that your Boston Sankirtana Movement is very successful. If you are getting enough money now, you can send some extra money to me. I have given a loan to the BTG Department for $3000, so inform this matter to Satsvarupa and if he has got extra money he may return it. All books in soft cover which we have printed should be bound each one copy and sent to me for my library.
I have also read the newspaper cuttings in which I understand that people accept our Society as genuine and religious. So it is Krsna's grace that they are giving you permission to chant on the streets. I am sure if we work very sincerely all facilities will come from Krsna. It is stated in Bhagavad-gita that Krsna personally carries the necessities of His devotee and gives protection to his status quo.
So let us all believe in the words of Krsna and serve Him to our best capacity and thus we will come out victorious in every field of action. By the grace of Krsna you are a beautiful young man with nice intelligence, devotion and spirit, so employ all of them in the service of the Lord along with your good wife and be successful in Krsna consciousness.
Regarding harassment of our devotees, Yes, this is not a new thing in the history of the world that preachers are sometimes persecuted. But at the present status of civilization I do not think anybody will be crucified like Lord Jesus Christ. Hiranyakasipu persecuted his own son and only five years old. So the demons and atheists are always prepared to give trouble to the devotees. Sometimes the demons like Kamsa are prepared to kill God even. During Lord Caitanya's time Thakura Haridasa was also persecuted and put into jail. Not only that, he was whipped in twenty-two market places, but still the demons could not come out successful in the snubbing down of the Hare Krsna Movement. So do not be worried about this. Go on about your business. Krsna will give you all help, rest assured. Simply stick to you work seriously and sincerely.
Rathayatra festival was successfully performed in San Francisco, London and Tokyo also and you may write to Durlabha about the films.
Regarding your question—What does it mean: "We are all originally Krsna conscious entities."—We are always with Krsna. Where is not Krsna present? So how you can say that we were before? You are always with Krsna and when we forget this fact we are far, far away from Him. In the Isopanisad it is clearly stated that tad dure tad vantike "He is very away, but He is very near as well." (Iso. mantra 5). So this forgetfulness is our falldown. It can take place at any moment, and we can counteract this forgetfulness immediately rising to the platform of Krsna consciousness.
I beg to acknowledge your nice letter dated 8th July, 1970, and I am very glad to learn that you have been living at our Sri Sri Radha Krsna Temple for the last four months.
I understand that you are a very sincere girl and you are also following the regulative rules and regulations as well as chanting sixteen rounds of Hare Krsna Mahamantra daily. So I am very glad to accept you as my initiated disciple as you have requested and you are recommended by Sriman Jagadisa. I have chanted one set of beads for you and they are returned to you herewith. Your spiritual name is Srilekha which means "everything very beautiful." I please request you to continue to execute the regulative principles of Krsna consciousness as you are already doing and your life will be fully successful and sublime.
Please always keep the association of your good Godbrothers and sisters and work very cooperatively with them for pushing on this movement. If you are always engaged seriously in Krsna's service, Krsna will give you all opportunity for advancing in Krsna consciousness or blissful spiritual life. Study our literatures carefully and try to understand the philosophy nicely and if you have any questions you can ask them of Jagadisa and other elder devotees who know the science.
Since the publication of the book in 1968, which I understand is now in its third printing, I desire to publish the GITA according to the original manuscript. In this expanded version, each verse is authoritatively presented with the Devanagari script, roman transliteration, English synonyms, translation and elaborate purport, and would be a 800-900 page book.
Many verses in the present shortened volume, especially in the final chapters, lack any purport, and so I am not quite satisfied with the book. I have received many requests from interested readers asking for an expanded and more complete version, and so I am confident that the original manuscript will make a more successful book.
And if you can illustrate these books with pictures they will certainly become very, very popular in the schools. Sriman Yogesvara is also doing this work in London. So in consultation with your husband make some nice Krsna conscious children's books and we shall then see to printing them. You are also a skilled painter so I think this venture will be successful.
Yes, I am so glad to know that the St. Louis temple is doing so well. I know that Sriman Vamanadeva and your sister, Indira are a very exemplary couple in Krsna consciousness householder life, so you kindly follow their example.
Regarding your questions, the first answer is that it is correct that the body transcendental of Krsna and Krsna Himself are nondifferent. So what is the difficulty to understand that the soul of Aghasura merged into the body of Krsna? In other words Krsna benedicts the demons Whom He kills personally with the impersonal liberation of merging with Him.
There is a difference between the activities of Krsna which are exhibited to the perception of the conditioned souls in this world and His activities in Goloka Vrndavana. Because Krsna was playing as an ordinary human being, His activities here appear just like ordinary human activities, but in the Spiritual Sky there is no such requirement. There in the spiritual sky Krsna has His activities also but they cannot be understood by the conditioned living entities how they are going on without any resemblance of the mechanical workings of things in this material world.
I have also received the beads and I have chanted them duly. I am sending them back by separate air post. and the letter addressed to your wife is enclosed herewith.
I am so glad that you are at last happily married. Now utilize this nice opportunity of working combinedly in the service of the Lord. You both have all my blessings for working on in spreading Krsna consciousness movement to the German people and elsewhere in European countries. I think your wife will be of great assistance because she is a fluent linguist. I have given her the spiritual name of Indrani devi Dasi.
It is good news that you are so quickly successful in your Sankirtana and distribution of literatures in Berlin. I am sure that this so large city will prove a very important center for European ISKCON activities. Thank you for your keeping to our regulated program of chanting, study and Sankirtana, etc. If you simply stick to this program which I have given you in so many ways, you will come out successful in your mission, of this there is no doubt. So do it very seriously and enthusiastically and receive the blessings of Lord Krsna for your sincere efforts to spread His Holy Name.
There are many places in this country where it is important to have our branches.
I am very glad to note your eagerness for expanding your service. This attitude is very nice and it is required of the devotee at every stage. So do it very enthusiastically with great faith and patience strictly following the regulative principles. Your good wife and yourself should set the example as model Krsna consciousness householders by your careful observance of all our Krsna conscious principles and thus make your lives successful.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 5th August, 1970. I am very glad to know that you are very fully engaged in the duties of chanting regularly 16 rounds, going out on Sankirtana, performing arcana for the Deities and painting.
It is very encouraging for me to learn that you are so enthusiastic in the execution of your devotional services. So please be engaged 24 hours daily in sincere transcendental loving service of the Lord and your life in Krsna consciousness is sure to be successful. Many of our Temples are now requiring pictures of Pancatattva and Acaryas, principally your Spiritual Master and my Spiritual Master, for their Guru Gauranga worship. So I am confident that you can help them in this connection by painting many of these very important pictures of our Temples. No we have got so many new branches of our Society, so your assignment is already given to provide them in this way with paintings.
I beg to thank you for your nice letter dated September 14th, 1970, and I have noted the contents. I was very much hopeful about the house, but you have not got it. Don't be worried, Krsna will provide you with a better house very soon.
Regarding the quotation, it appears to be cheaper, but there is no mention of the quantity. So in your next quotation clearly state the quantity.
In India, from the very moment we stepped down from the airplane, there is good propaganda work going on. We are following the same principles as in the U.S.A. by sending Sankirtana Party and it appears to be very successful. We have had many meetings and still we have got many engagements and the functions are going very nicely. The boy Bruce is improving and becoming more interested. He has now sacrificed his hairs for Krsna—that is a good sign.
I hope the methodical way you are conducting our Tokyo Temple will improve more and more and there may not be any more poisonous effects as it happened in the past. Kindly let me know at least once in a fortnight about your nice actions.
I am in receipt of your letter dated Sept. 5, 1970, and the essay "THE SPIRITUAL MASTER: EMISSARY OF THE SUPREME PERSON" enclosed therein. I have read it, and am glad that you have understood the matter so thoroughly, and have now substantiated your conclusions with so much scriptural proof. Actually, that is our method of preaching, simply to repeat the message as it is coming down from higher authority. Here in Calcutta everything is going nicely. Hundreds of people join in our Sankirtana Party daily in downtown Calcutta, and I am confident that this mission of Lord Caitanya's will be successful if only we continue to push on this great movement, without any personal motivation.
I am in receipt of your letter dated Sept. 13, 1970, and I congratulate you on the good news of opening the Portland center so successfully, and I am very pleased that things are going on nicely. I received your telegram, and also receipts for three deposits to the BBT at Dai Nippon; and I received your other letters, but on account of Devananda's disposition, I have not been able to reply them. Today I am taking the help of Kirtanananda. Please go on sending the reports.
On the whole I am very pleased with your management. The Ekadasi program is very nice. Krishna is giving you good sense and intelligence. Take care of your godbrothers and godsisters very carefully.
Regarding Deity worship, Silavati and Yamuna Devi may be considered expert, so if some new hands come and take their help, that is a good proposition. Once established, however, Deities should not be removed. We should treat the Dieties as the Personality of Godhead, and to invite Him to come to your home you must worship regularly. You cannot remove. If there is scarcity of pujaris, then Deities should not be installed, only pictures of Guru and Gauranga should be worshiped. Irregularity in worshiping Guru and Gauranga can be tolerated, as they are always kind and forgiving, but irregularity in worshiping Lord Jagannatha and Sri Sri Radha Krishna is not good.
Your proposals for increasing our popularity and familiarity among influential circles in the U.S. is very good. You may know that when I was in L.A. I especially wanted to use the new temple to attract some influential persons to our movement, but nothing much was done in that regard. Now if you can do something, that is more important than coming to India immediately. Lord Krishna says in B.G. that what great men do the common man will follow. So if we want actually to be successful we must convince the influential men of your country, then everything will follow automatically. So I request you to take this matter very seriously, as I think you have some special talent for it. Regarding the motion picture, it is a great opportunity, and if they actually want to do something wonderful I can come there personally and see to its direction. If it is an important film I think my personal direction is necessary. If not, then I think you can send me a synopsis of the script so that there may be nothing objectionable from the start. If this film is properly done it will be very profitable, even from the commercial point of view; and if they are interested, we can give them hundreds of stories from Bhagavat which will make wonderful films, and simultaneously the people will be educated to the proper religious and moral standard. So please try very seriously for this and I think Krishna will give you all intelligence and facility.
Do not be discouraged that you are only four devotees at present moment in Philadelphia. Simply you very strictly follow the routine schedule of devotional service and chanting Hare Krsna and do your best to spread this Movement amongst the local people. Krsna will send you many more sincere souls very soon to help you. So go on with your work with new efforts of increased enthusiasm and Krsna will bless you more and more in Krsna consciousness. Please increase your program of distribution to the public as well as trying to place our books and magazines in the libraries. This is very successful in libraries in other centers.
I am very glad to know that Mr. Gajjar is continuing his interest in our Movement, so please encourage him in this way. It is very good that is brother, Mr. Navin Gajjar, from Taiwan, is also interested in a center there. Please contact Bali Mardan immediately in this connection. He has got great eagerness to open branches in that part of the world and he has got already invitation from Hong Kong and Fiji. So this will be added impetus to his work if you kindly give him further information regarding our friend in Taiwan.
Regarding your proposed marriage, if you think it is nice then you have all my blessings upon you both. If you do not think you can remain brahmacari, then it is better to remain in Krsna Consciousness as householder and not pretend to brahmacarya artificially. From your description the girl seems very qualified and sincere, so you continue to train her in our Krsna Conscious way of life and she will work together with you as your helpmate in Krsna's service.
I am very glad to know that you are going on with your work undaunted in spite of police harassment. Now you are seven devotees there, so please see that everything is done regularly and strictly to the standard devotional practice. All our literatures are for guiding you in your successful prosecution of Krsna Consciousness, so follow these instructions of mine implicitly and your perfection of life in Krsna's service is guaranteed and you will have the spiritual strength for attracting and training others in this bhakti cult.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 15, 1970. I am so much pleases that you are carrying on the Street Sankirtana Party as we have instituted in the Western countries even though you have sometimes only one companion. This spirit is most satisfactory and this work is proven as the basis of our successful movement in the United States, so please go on more enthusiastically than ever with my blessings and you may rest assured that Krsna will always help you in any difficulty.
Please keep the standard in our Calcutta center and certainly things will be further increased by Krsna's grace.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of October 15, 1970, and the contents have given me great encouragement.
When I first came to your country I had no idea how much the American people would cooperate with my Krsna Consciousness mission. But now good boys like yourself and all my other spiritual sons and daughters all around the world have been giving me great hope that I may be able to successfully fulfill my Guru Maharaja's plan. I have formed this GBC for that purpose, to keep the devotional standards at the highest level and at the same time to manage a world-wide organization.
I have just now received a letter from Brahmananda Maharaja, one from Gargamuni Maharaja, and one from Visnujana Maharaja. From his letter I think that Brahmananda is feeling discouraged and not very enthusiastic. So I am asking him to come to India and live with me. In the meantime Gargamuni and Visnujana can work together for establishing a nice temple in Coconut Grove, near Miami, Florida, and that will please me very much. Please go on opening thousands of centers all over the world.
Please accept my blessings and offer the same to all the devotees of our Sydney Temple. I am so glad to receive your letter dated 14th October and have noted the contents.
The test of preaching ability is whether one is making some disciples or not. So it appears that your preaching is going on nicely. The standard of purity which I have introduced in the Krsna Consciousness movement will give you the real spiritual strength needed to preach. If you will simply stick to your principles, you will gain the respect of the whole world and our preaching work will be successful.
Please maintain the program of Temple worship, distribution of Prasadam, Sankirtana Party, distribution of literatures, study and Krsna work all in order and make everything as nice as possible. The school college and university students are very receptive to this Movement, so we must present them with an excellent example. They are very intelligent and bad experience has taught them to be cautious, so if you keep all your programs to the standard as I have already instructed in so many ways, then they will easily become satisfied that this is the real way of life for any intelligent person—Krsna Consciousness.
Your plan of the Buffalo Temple is very nice. Please develop it more and more for serving the Lord. It is a very good house. The picture in which your wife and child are engaged in preaching work—it is simply wonderful. You are ideal householder and you are teaching the world who to live with wife and children as a householder. My Guru Maharaja generally used to make a Sannyasi from Householder, but I have created householders for preaching work and your example is proving my attempt successful.
Here in India we are very encouraged by the favorable response of the Indian public, especially in Bombay. We shall begin on December 2nd a tour to Indore, Surat, and other places. Still, Guru Maharaja has instructed me to take this movement to the western countries, and especially he was favorably disposed toward London, so the West must be our first order of business, and I am most pleased that my disciples are opening many new centers there. Why don’t you open some more centers in the British Isles? If you can do this, in cooperation with your zonal secretary Shyamsunder, it will be to your great credit. New centers must be managed by strong men, trained in philosophy, samkirtan, deity worship, cooking and temple business. With these qualifications there is every chance for a successful program in any city of the world. So kindly train up men in your London center to open many centers in England.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your two letters dated November 9th and 11th, 1970.
You had mentioned going next to Singapore from Hong Kong. Singapore is also a nice place for organizing a center. There are many Indians and they will support the Movement there. Yes. The several cities you mention are all important cities in the Far East portion. Originally they all had Indian culture. But I do not think you should spend your time at this stage of life in trying to learn so many different local languages. That is not practical for us. Our most successful program is to begin preaching with the help of an interpreter from the local people and later train up some intelligent men who speak English. When they are conversant with our philosophy, they can preach to the general public. The Hare Krsna Mantra is international mantra. Simply try to induce people to chant and they will understand everything. Externally, English language is understood everywhere.
Your enthusiasm for starting centers for educating the people of the world in this sublime Krsna Consciousness process is very good. You are actually authorized agent of my Guru Maharaja and through Him, Lord Caitanya. He predicted that in every town and village of the world His Name will be well known and you are trying for fulfilling His mission, certainly He will give you all strength and blessings. We simply have to work sincerely and automatically all other things will come. Recently one very responsible Indian gentleman was in our Temple in Sydney and he has given very good certificate for our activities there.
I am in due receipt of your informative letter dated November 15th, 1970, and noted the contents. I know you are a very qualified and sincere devotee and now Krsna is offering you a nice opportunity to perform responsible devotional service as the president of our Seattle Temple. Please conduct the affairs there very nicely and with great care and Krsna will provide you all facilities for making the center even more attractive and successful.
Please see that the standard of devotional practice is kept very high by strictly observing the regulative principles and executing devotional activities with determination and enthusiasm. If the standard practices are followed then the atmosphere will naturally be joyful and enthusiastic for working cooperatively for the satisfaction of Krsna.
I have seen the pictures of your new altar and temple renovation and everything is looking gorgeous. Always be sure that the Lord is pleased and your success as His genuine servant is assured. I am glad that you have decided to give your time now fully to serving Krsna directly, but do not misunderstand the position of "outside" jobs. Any work which is performed by a devotee in Krsna Consciousness is never work on the material platform although it may appear to be so. Such a Krsna Conscious person is never associating with the materials of mundane work or with the mundane workers, he is always associating with Krsna by devotional service whatever his position may be. Krsna is maintaining everything at all times, but those who are less intelligent do not see that everything is working by direction of the Lord and they think things are running on automatically somehow or other. That is the view of atheists and fools. Persons in Krsna Consciousness always are fixed in knowledge that the Lord is the Supreme Controller of all that be.
I hope you are trying to place our books in the libraries and school/colleges. The program is everywhere very successful, so you please do this very thoroughly in your area and it will be a great service.
That the sannyasis have gone is all right. Also Gargamuni Maharaja is trying for Florida. That is good. I've written to him one letter encouraging him. I think things are going nicely. So please cooperate with the sannyasis. Work with them so that they may go on with their missionary activities.
I've advised all the GBC members here to keep regular correspondence with you. So what is the cause for mistrust? I do not know.
These engagements at schools and colleges is a most important task. If schools become interested with our philosophy and we can introduce these books, then it is our success. A little effort in this direction is sure to be successful because these are completely new thoughts for the Western world, this science of God. And because the West is scientific minded, they will take it up. We should try for this vigorously. Once they take up Krishna Consciousness in the colleges, it will be the greatest success. We've got books and we've got the Dr. Staal correspondence. Let the school authorities inquire about it. These are the propoganda items. This task should especially be entrusted to Hayagriva Prabhu because he is in one university. Not just Hayagriva, but all of you who are college graduates. You know better than me how to introduce these books into the schools. Also recently I have received one report from Jagadisa and he is distributing our books nicely.
I went to America and some of the souls were accepted by Lord Caitanya and today the Bengal being Lord Caitanya's place they are in such pitiable condition, so I wish that some of you among my American disciples may try to reclaim these fallen souls to the order of Lord Caitanya's Vaisnavite platform.
When I was in Calcutta, many Naxalite and Communist youths used to see me. They were arguing with me, but I defeated them smilingly. They left after offering me their respects. I think they can also be reformed provided we diagnose and administer the proper medicine for them. I am not very much hopeless about Calcutta situation or even if there is some risk we should try to reform them and if we are successful, the people of India will hail us to great estimation and adoration and that will give us good impetus for pushing on our Movement, Krsna Consciousness.
Although there are many places in Calcutta we can have at cheap price, my advice is that you try to raise this one lakh of rupees for advancing to the Hamilton people and keep it ready. I have already sent you a telegram reading like the following: "If they accept 6.2 lakhs, I will immediately go there to complete transaction." So, if the Hamilton people accept the offer of Rs 620,000/, I shall immediately go and finish the transaction. I hope you have received the telegram and I am expecting your reply at any moment. The location of the Hamilton House is very nice and absolutely suitable for our purposes. In the meantime, I am also addressing one letter to the Hamilton Co. and the copy of which is enclosed herewith. Please do the needful. Keep yourself brave and fit to face the situation with faith in Krsna and Spiritual Master. Let us do something tangible in Calcutta.
I hope everything is going on with good prospect in Calcutta. I have decided to come there for the meeting with Mrs. Birla at the Birla Academy on the 6th January, 1971.
Our program here in Surat is very successful and we are terminating it for the time being when we depart for Bombay on the 2nd January. From Bombay we are catching the 1 down (via Nagpur) Howrah Mail Train leaving on the 3rd at 6.45 PM and reaching Calcutta on the 5th at 8.25 AM. So I will be glad to see you there if you can arrange a nice reception. We shall be coming either two men or four.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 26th, 1970. In the meantime I have received one other letter from you and I have replied the same just the other day.
I am very glad to learn that you have begun worship of Tulasi in your Toronto Temple. The presence of Tulasi is proof of true devotional atmosphere there. Please offer Her all respects and carefully tend and Srimati Tulasi will be pleased upon you in gaining the auspicious favor of the Lord.
I am so pleased to know that your efforts at placing our books in the local libraries is successful and it is especially heartening to learn that they already have got our books on their shelves. That is factual proof that these purely transcendental literatures are very attractive to the reading class of the public. It is also good news that your recent marriage celebration in Krsna Consciousness was filmed for display by a large television station. People will very soon come to appreciate the Krsna Conscious way of life as distinct from the dull repetition of materialistic activities. I have noted the news article sent by you and it appears very nice. I beg to thank your good wife for the gorgeous handkerchief which she has so thoughtfully offered to my Radha Krsna Deities. I am also glad that you are regularly sending the maintenance checks for your Temple to Karandhara. Thank you very much for this.
| Page Title: | Successful (Letters 1970) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 04 of May, 2013 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=85 |
| No. of Quotes: | 85 |