Trade (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"trade" |"traded" |"trader" |"traders" |"trades" |"tradesmen" |"trading"

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Mr. Bailey -- Allahabad 14 September, 1951:

When we speak of Philosophy it is something higher than the attempt of combining the East and the West. The whole cosmic situation is a complete unit and unless and attempt genuine is made for harmonizing the whole disturbed system and partial attempt on our part however large in magnitude will fail to approach the ultimate goal.

Sages of India realized this by a perfect deductive process which descends on human consciousness by the transcendental unbroken chain of disciplic succession—that material civilization is a gigantic temporary demonstration of a rabid process of sense-gratification. In that mode of civilization the sense organs are given unrestricted liberty to gratify ever-increasing desires and the whole show of cultural advancement in science, art, education, trade, industry economics and politics is only varied activities of the sense organs.

Letter to Mr. Bailey -- Allahabad 7 July, 1953:

Sages of India realized it by a perfect deductive process which descends on human consciousness by a transcendental chain of unbroken bona fide disciplic succession that material civilization is a temporary gigantic demonstration of a rabid process of sense gratification. The sense organs are given uncertain liberty to gratify their desires and the whole show of science education, trade, industry, economy and politics are but different spheres of activities in the realm of gratifying the senses.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- San Francisco 25 January, 1967:

Further, $200.00 may be transferred to my account in the Trade Bank And Trust Co. at 4th street for purchasing some musical instruments for Mr. Jonathan Altman. This month as usual the check may not be sent to him but advice may be sent to him that the amount has been paid to my account for purchasing his musical instruments in India. The cost will be about $500.00 out of which $200.00 has to be sent immediately. So after transferring the above amount you can let us both know about it so that I can take the necessary steps.

Letter to Brahmananda -- San Francisco 14 February, 1967:

I have also received the letter of Mr. Altman and I shall act according to his desire. So you can transfer $200.00 for Altman and $6000.00 altogether $6200.00 to my savings account No. 19282 at the Trade Bank And Trust Company and letter of transfer is enclosed herewith. I have duly signed the letter and you also sign it and forward it to the Bank. They will do the needful. This $6000.00 will be transferred forth with by me as soon as there is a Sale contract for purchase of the house. Till then it will remain in my Savings Account.

Letter to Mukunda -- Delhi 29 September, 1967:

I think the picture you have must belong to the N.Y. branch. So far as musical instruments are concerned I don't think it is worthwhile. Shipping charges and packing and duty come to more than that one could purchase in the states. To send one tamboura by air the total price would come to $163 and by ship 110. If you wish to purchase 20 items at a time then you can get trade shipping rates. Please send my blessings to all the boys and girls in San Francisco.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Manager of Bank of Baroda -- Los Angeles 29 January, 1968:

I beg to inform you that today I have advised the Trade Bank & Trust Co. of New York to transfer by air mail three hundred and eighty dollars and no cents ($380.00) for credit of my S.B. account No. 1432, with you.

Letter to Brahmananda -- Seattle 16 October, 1968:

Besides that, I have got some money in the Trade and Trust Bank, and some money in Bank of America. In the Bank of America, Haight Clayton Branch, San Francisco, Cal., my account number is 262101746. I think that is sufficient reference for them, and they can draw the bill at 60 days sight, and supply the books to us.

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 31 December, 1968:

So far as your safe, I will send some papers for safe-keeping later on. I have also a safe deposit box in the bank here, and there is no charge for its use. I am wondering if there is any charge for the box at the Trade Bank. You have written that you have received the 2nd canto Srimad-Bhagavatam, and please keep it carefully in my room for the present time.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 28 January, 1969:

I am so pleased to know that Uttama Sloka and yourself are now working in the printer trade, and Sivananda is busily engaged in decorating the temple. Similarly, it is very good that you are holding outside engagements for organizations outside of the temple and you are meeting with interested people. But perhaps the best news of all is that soon we shall have our own press for printing Krishna Consciousness literature in the German language. Our life and soul is kirtana and presenting literature to the public at large, and I can understand that Krishna is dictating to you from within how to carry this out successfully. I think that translation work should be done on such articles that may be included in a German edition of Back To Godhead, as well as my Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is. I am wondering if there are people there who can speak English with you. Please inform me on this matter.

Letter to Krsna dasa -- New Vrindaban 13 June, 1969:

I can understand from your attitude that your father must be good gentleman, otherwise how could he have such a nice son? So there is no need of playing hide-and-seek. If you continue learning the jeweler's trade, he will not be displeased. Besides that, some of our men must work, otherwise it is difficult to maintain all the expenses in the European countries.

Letter to Gargamuni -- London 22 September, 1969:

I am pleased to note your attitude regarding business. Our policy is nirbandhe krishna sambandha: We shall accept all kinds of civil activities, including business, trade, industry, only in connection with Krishna. I am glad that you are following this principle, and Krishna will be very, very pleased upon you to make you advance in Krishna Consciousness. Regarding Dwarkin & Sons, don't bother about it now. I shall see later on. I am keeping the invoice, and when it is required, we shall utilize. Hope this meets you in good health.

Letter to Manager The Bank of Baroda -- London 25 November, 1969:

Therefore, you can cancel the previous instruction in connection with the INDO CRAFTER payment for Rupees 2,600. In this connection I beg to remind you that when I was in the States last year I sent you $400 and odds through the Trade Bank and Trust Company, and the purpose also was declared there for printing of books. Since then, the arrangement for printing books has not materialized, so I want to utilize this money for commercial purchases from India. Please let me know if there is any difficulty in this connection due to exchange control. If so, please let me know what to do in this matter. Thanking you in anticipation of your early reply.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Janardana -- Los Angeles 16 January, 1970:

This means as stated in the Bhagavad-gita there are different symptoms of different classes of men—just like a Brahmana is truthful, clean, self-controlled, equipoised, tolerant, simple, full of knowledge, theist, and so on. Similarly a Ksatriya has symptoms—a tendency for ruling over others, martial spirited, charitable, does not flee away from the battlefield and so on. Similarly, the symptoms of a Vaisya is his tendency to agriculture, trade, cow protection and banking. And the Sudra's tendency is to some way or other work anywhere and get some wages.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 23 January, 1970:

Especially in main cities (Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Stutgart, etc.) all of which have a population of half a million to a million (except Berlin which had three million), but they are centers of industry, trade, art, travel and all have Universities."

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 10 February, 1970:

I think if George writes a small foreword, then we can include it along with other description in the pamphlet. I think if we issue such prologue pamphlet and put it within the paper cover of the album, we can expect some order from many customers before the book is out of the press, and in that case perhaps we have to mention the price and delivery terms to save time. If the shopkeepers who will sell the records will send us order, we shall give them sufficient trade discount. So I shall be glad to hear from you how you like this idea. If you like it, then please let me know by return mail the latest date on which you will require them, so that I can arrange for that.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Chief Controller of Imports and Exports -- Calcutta 25 May, 1971:

As before, we wish to reiterate that the religious books received from either Japan or our New York Press, are gifts, and there is no intention to sell these books in India, nor is there any question of foreign trade in any of our activities.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Bali-mardana -- Bombay March 22, 1972:

I have just now noticed in the clause no. 6 that it appears we are allowed to distribute by "direct distribution through non-book-trade outlets," so it appears the contract is all right because we have not got much to do with bookstores anyway, so I have no strong objection to this contract. Let us try it as an experiment.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 5 December, 1973:

So far as the arrangement with Australia for trading books for ghee, go ahead and do it with my permission. Karandhara has agreed.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Revatinandana -- Los Angeles 9 January, 1974:

I know you are a very good cook and I can understand that you have found the books useful for distribution. I have no objection to your printing it with the name "Revatinandana Swami's Cookbook", but the royalty should go to the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Just as I am publishing Bhagavad-gita As It Is with Macmillan Co. but the royalty is going to the BBT. I think this method is appropriate. If you yourself take the royalty it will be personal interest in money and trade, and this will deviate your principle of sannyasa. Sannyasi means he is in renounced order and lives by begging alms for the bare necessities of life. It is not good to make trade to get money for personal expenditure. If the royalty is given to the BBT, we will keep a separate account from this royalty and necessary expenditures for your preaching may be supplied from the BBT.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Digambar Singh -- Johannesburg 20 October, 1975:

The Krisans shall live comfortably in the cottages. They should produce their food, their milk, and their cloth. Everything produced will be used by themselves. If there is any excess production then the question of trade will arise. That we shall see later on. All the products produced will belong to Krishna-Balarama.

Letter to Palika -- Bombay 13 November, 1975:

If you produce milk, you should not drink milk very much. Rather, you should save it and convert it into ghee and then sell it to the householders and centers and thus maintain your asrama. The excess quantity of ghee may be exchanged by trade. Kirtana is our first duty. The Deity worship should be simple and the eating should be as meager as possible.

Letter to Jagadisa -- Bombay 20 November, 1975:

Regarding the New Orleans' farm, do not make sugar. Just boil it and make molasses. You can eat the molasses instead of sugar. Just boil it and keep boiling it until granule forms and then keep in a pot. Don't try to make sugar and sell it. That will simply increase the botheration. If you start trading business, then so many problems will be there. You should produce just enough for our own use. Trading leads to envy and jealousy and cheating, then everything is lost. I am seeing now that the business activities in our society, they are increasing.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Jayatirtha -- Mayapur 22 January, 1976:

Just try to improve the Prasadam system so nicely that one will not want any other arrangement. Another thing, is that the grhasthas may be encouraged to do agriculture. In the Indian villages like in Vrindaban, they get enough ghee for their personal use, and sufficient excess to be sold to the merchants, who then also get some money. Cow protection means good food and good trade. So I can give you suggestions how to manage everything, but it is up to the GBC to practically execute all these points.

Letter to Yasomatinandana -- Chandigarh 14 October, 1976:

They may keep whatever they require for their maintenance and the excess production may be traded or sold. But we are not going to develop a competitive farming enterprise for making money. The basic principle is to become independent of artificial city life, working in factories producing nut and bolts. Gandhi had this Idea, the one defect was that there was no Krishna in the center. So the same idea of village organization, but keeping Krishna in the center should be introduced on our farm projects.

Letter to Yasomatinandana -- Vrindaban 28 November, 1976:

You say we must have a gosala trust, that is our real purpose. krsi-goraksya-vanijyam vaisya karma svabhava-jam, (Bg 18.44). Where there is agriculture there must be cows. That is our mission: Cow protection and agriculture and if there is excess, trade. This is a no-profit scheme. For the agriculture we want to produce our own food and we want to keep cows for our own milk. The whole idea is that we are Iskcon, a community to be independent from outside help. This farm project is especially for the devotees to grow their own food. Cotton also, to make their own clothes. And keeping cows for milk and fatty products.

Letter to Yasomatinandana -- Vrindaban 28 November, 1976:

Our mission is to protect our devotees from unnecessary heavy work to save time for advancing in Krsna consciousness. This is our mission. So there is no question of profit, but if easily there are surplus products, then we can think of trading. Otherwise we have no such intention. We want a temple, a gosala and agriculture. A community project as in Europe and America. We are making similar attempts in India in several places. Immediately I'm going to Hyderabad to organize the farm project there. We have 600 acres. We have the permission from the government. There is no question of ceiling.