Training of Locanananda dasa (Letters, 1971 - 1976)

Correspondence

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Locanananda -- London 23 August, 1971:

Letter to: Locanananda

—

London

23 August, 1971

71-08-23

Jaya Pataka- Please give accounts for the Rs 9,400.00

Letter to Locanananda -- Delhi, India 8 December, 1971:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 29, 1971, and I am very pleased upon you that you have opened Geneva, Switzerland, center for pushing on the revolutionary Movement of Lord Caitanya. Our Movement is now growing like anything all over the world, and practically it is being recognized as the best solution for the general world crisis. One Japanese speaker speaking in Gujarat State, India, predicted that in 5 years time this Krishna Consciousness Movement would be the world religion, as was reported in the newspaper here. So now your responsibility has become very great. Practically, it is in your hands now to manage things, so I can translate and write books. So Krishna has given you good brain, good body, good education—everything—so you may use it in the best way for spreading knowledge about Him. He shows His special favor by making you a big officer because now you must become very responsible and serious to organize and administrate things, and as leader you must set the highest KC example, so in this way Krishna is forcing you to advance in spiritual life. Now just do all our routine work nicely. This routine program is the backbone of our Movement, and we stand solid on such program such as chanting, speaking, arati, reading scriptures, prasadam, like that. These things are sufficient for us. Any sane man will be attracted to such program. And if we perform everything nicely and always seize every opportunity to preach about Krishna, that is our formula for success. Of course management must be there, but if preaching work is strong, management will automatically be strong. So in all cases, become a very good preacher, and this will please me very much.

As preachers, we do not require elaborate temples for our work. No, we are content to live under a tree. So, as long as your preaching work is going on, never mind there is no temple. of course, in your western countries people must have a comfortable place to sit down or they will not come for chanting. So as soon as possible you may get a nice place and invite the general public by making it very attractive.

If Madama Vauthier is coming to India, I have no objection to seeing her if she wants to meet me.

SKP means preaching, so if your street SKP has been stopped temporarily by the police, never mind, as long as you are preaching, that is SKP.

Upon your recommendation, I am very glad to accept our devotee, George, as my duly initiated disciple. I shall be sending his beads, duly chanted, under separate post. I have given him the new spiritual name: GURUGAURANGA DAS.

So far your questions: No one can be avatara. unless he is authorized in the scriptures. We have no such record of avatara. in the present age, according to Srimad-Bhagavatam. Real God means he accepts a spiritual master, even He is God Himself. Like Krishna, His Spiritual Master was Sandipani Muni. And Krishna confirms in Bhagavad-gita, IV, that the supreme science is only received in disciplic succession, so where is the question of receiving this knowledge in nay other way? Are these people greater authority than Krishna? As for the teachings of Sri Aurobindo, his idea is not correct. Just like the whole material universe is the creation of the sunshine, so to go to the sunshine does not mean to sit down in the shade of a tree. If somebody argues that this tree is also a creation of the sun so why not sit under the shadow of a tree, this philosophy is not practical and is not accepted in BG. Krishna states that everything is resting in His impersonal feature, but that He is not there. Just like the cloud is sustained in the air, but that does not mean that cloud and air are the same thing. Why worship atom? If in deity there are so many atoms, is it not better to worship combination of atoms in nice form? This sort of philosophy is very misleading and damaging to people who become befooled by it. Try to defeat them, but if you cannot, don't mix with them. Or learn very nicely and argue with them strongly. All great acaryas worship deity, so why should we listen to some small man—Is Aurobindo greater than Krishna?

If you can arrange for the translating of my books, that is most pleasing to me. I hope this meets you in good health.

Letter to Guru-gauranga -- Delhi, India 10 December, 1971:

Upon the recommendation of Locanananda I have gladly consented to accept you as my duly initiated disciple. your beads have been duly chanted by me and they are sent under separate post. I have given you the spiritual name: GURUGAURANGA DAS.

I am so glad to learn that you have been such a great help to Locanananda there in our Geneva Center. I can understand that you are a very sincere boy and are very eligible for going back to Home, back to Godhead. And the process is simple. Follow the regulative principles, chant at least 16 rounds of beads daily, read our literatures, go for street Sankirtana, etc. In this way keep yourself engaged in Krishna's business 24 hours and you will be really happy in this life and in the end reach the Supreme destination.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Locanananda -- December 6, 1973:

am in receipt of your letter dated December 2, 1973. From the Vedic point of view a man can have more than one wife provided he can maintain each of them very nicely. The practical example is our Lord Krsna. He had 16,108 wives but for each wife he maintained a palace with servants and everything. We do not encourage more than one wife, but provided the man is highly responsible and conscientious and the woman agrees then we have no objection.

The thing is how you will maintain two wives? You cannot give up one and take another. We cannot be responsible. You will have to manage everything and if there is any legal implication then we cannot be responsible. The Temple cannot pay for you to have two wives so it must be arranged for outside.

I hope this meets you well.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS:Kda

Sriman Locanananda das

Iskcon

4 rue Le Sueur

Paris, France 75016

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Locanananda -- Bombay 16 January, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 31st, 1975 and have noted the contents. Your ideas are good and are surely worth considering. I have discussed them with Bhagavan das and he also thinks that it may be possible to unify Europe in this way. So, Bhagavan should be going back to Europe in a couple of weeks and we shall see how things are working out there.

Please keep yourself fixed up in Krishna Consciousness by strictly adhering to all the rule and regulations. Always be sure to chant 16 rounds and study my books daily. This will keep you strong in spiritual life.

Letter to Locanananda -- Evanston, Illinois 7 July, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 17, 1975 and am very pleased to read the contents. I have also received the copies of the Dutch pamphlet. The get up is very nice. I thank you very much. The picture of Krsna on the inside front cover is very nice. It is very natural. Krsna is so young, and I see on the following page that everyone is getting old. That is the difference of the spiritual world and the material world. On the whole this pamphlet is very nice.

Regarding your proposal for printing the condensed version of Bhagavad-gita, yes, do it. From your figures of book distribution you are doing real preaching. Which books are you distributing? Your prasadam program is also very important. Continue it. By chanting and giving prasadam you will get so many devotees. Yes, as you say the purity is attractive to people. Continue it. Our only asset is our purity. pavitram paramam bhavam. You cannot reach Krsna without being pure, because He is the supreme pure. Yes, on my next visit to Europe, I will certainly visit your temple.

Upon your recommendation, I accept the following as my initiated disciples and their names are: Henk van teylingen—Hayesvara dasa; Gabriel Sebach—Gabhiratma dasa; Ernesto Lucifero—Ekatma dasa.

I hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

N.B. The translation work of Bhagavad-gita in Dutch language is very important work. Do it nicely.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Locanananda -- Nellore 5 January, 1976:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 31, 1976 and have noted the contents carefully.

Your Deities shall be named Radha Gopinatha. Your report is very encouraging about book printing. The more we distribute books our mission becomes solidified.

Yes, we should always remember following the regulative principles and reading our books. That will give us spiritual strength.

Upon your recommendation I am pleased to accept as my initiated disciples: First initiation; Mr. Claude Nowe—Klesapaha-dasa, Bert de Vos—Vrsnivamsa-dasa, Belgin Kaya—Vedasmrit-dasi, and Maria Eugenia Jorquera—Marutvati-dasi; Second initiation; Jaya Gopala dasa, Janaraja dasa, Aharadi dasa. Now, hold a fire sacrifice and instruct the devotees to follow strictly the regulative principles and always chant a minimum of 16 rounds. Let Bhagavan dasa chant on their beads. Play the tape of me chanting Gayatri into the right ears of the second initiates and teach them how to count on their finger divisions.

Letter to Locanananda -- Bombay 10 January, 1976:

I beg to thank you for your letter dated November 28th, 1975. Your letter was received late so it was not possible to send you a reply in time for your Deity installation ceremony.

I have received the names of all the candidates for initiation and I accept them all as my duly initiated disciples. Their new spiritual names are as follows:

Jan Appelman—Jayagopal dasa

Freddy Van de Buerie—Mahasrnga dasa

Raymond Nota—Jnanaraja dasa

Henry Fluster—Akhiladhara dasa

Peter Vander Heyden—Divyasinhadasa

Patricio—Krtayajna dasa

Jannie Smit—Mangalaya dasi

Tettje Meursing—Aharada dasi

Francisco van der Linden—Atitagamana dasi

I also accept Yasodavatsala das and Bhasyakara das for second initiation. Enclosed you will find their sacred threads which I have chanted on. Now hold a fire ceremony and the brahmanas may afterward be allowed to hear the Gayatri mantra from the tape recording through the right ear. First initiated devotes must vow to always chant minimum 16 rounds daily and strictly observe the regulative principles. The Brahmins must practice cleanliness, internally by chanting the Lord's glories and externally by bathing regularly. In addition the brahmanas should study carefully, especially Gita, Isopanisad, Nectar of Devotion and Nectar of Instruction as well as all the small paperbacks. Soon we will have yearly examinations for brahmanas based on these books and those who pass will be awarded Bhakti-sastri titles.

Page Title:	Training of Locanananda dasa (Letters, 1971 - 1976)
Compiler:	MadhuGopaldas
Created:	04 of Jun, 2010
Totals by Section:	BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=8
No. of Quotes:	8