Training of Nanda Kumar dasa (Letters, 1970 - 1976)

Expressions researched:
"Account" |"Activities" |"BBF" |"BBFD" |"BBT" |"BKF" |"BTG" |"Back to Godhead" |"Bhaktivedanta Book Trust" |"Book Fund" |"Book Trust" |"Book Trust," |"Book" |"Books" |"Branch" |"Branches" |"Business" |"Center" |"Centers" |"Check" |"Checks" |"Consult" |"Consulting" |"Cooperate" |"Cooperated" |"Cooperation" |"Cooperatively" |"Dai Nippon" |"Debt" |"Debts" |"Deities" |"Deity" |"Deposit" |"Distribute" |"Distributed" |"Distributing" |"Distribution" |"Duty" |"Festival" |"Finances" |"Financial" |"Funds" |"GBC members" |"GBC" |"Governing Board Commission" |"Governing Board Commissioners" |"Governing Body Commission" |"Governing Body Commissioners" |"ISKCON" |"Initiate" |"Initiated" |"Initiates" |"Initiating" |"Initiation" |"Initiations" |"Iskcon" |"Kirtana" |"Language" |"Leader" |"Leaders" |"Leadership" |"Leading" |"Literature" |"Literatures" |"M-V trust" |"M-V" |"M.V trust" |"Macmillan" |"Magazine" |"Magazines" |"Manage" |"Managed" |"Management" |"Managers" |"Managing" |"Manuscript" |"Manuscripts" |"Mayapur-Vrndavana Trust" |"Mayapura-Vrndavana Trust" |"Meeting" |"Mission" |"Missionary" |"Money" |"Movement" |"Nanda Kumar" |"Nanda Kumara" |"Nanda kumar's" |"Organize" |"Our society" |"Preach" |"Preacher" |"Preaching" |"Press" |"Print" |"Printing" |"Program" |"Programs" |"Publication" |"Publications" |"Publish" |"Publishing" |"Rathayatra" |"Report" |"Reports" |"Sankirtana" |"Temple" |"Temples" |"The society" |"Translate" |"Translated" |"Translating" |"Translation" |"Translations" |"Zonal" |"Zone"

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Sridama -- Los Angeles 17 February, 1970:

I did not know where you were staying and I was very much anxious about your health, so I wrote to Subala and he has conveyed my message to you. Now I am relieved to learn that your are engaged in cooking and your injury is healing nicely. I am also feeling very well here in Los Angeles. Gargamuni has rented a nice house with a sunny compound for me, and I am being attended by two good boys, Nanda Kumar and Devananda.

Letter to Gaurasundara -- Los Angeles 26 February, 1970:

So far Devananda is concerned, he must accompany me. Two Brahmacaris, Devananda and Nanda Kumar, are attending me 24 hours in so many ways, so if I go to Hawaii at least one of them must go with me.

Letter to Yamuna -- Los Angeles 10 April, 1970:

I thank you very much for your burfi. It is so nicely made. Lest it go out of stock, I am eating only a very little quantity daily. But how you have made it, if you send the formula, maybe Nanda Kumar or Devananda may be able to prepare it.

Letter to Acyutananda -- Los Angeles 11 April, 1970:

Regarding long visa, as you say that you can arrange or advise how they shall apply for it. Sriman Nanda Kumar Brahmacari and Jayapataka Brahmacari are ready to start. So I do not know what to do in this connection. I do not think that writing to Madhava Maharaja for their accommodation from here will be right thing. Better verbally you can ask him whether he will allow two other Brahmacaris to stay there.

Letter to Jayapataka -- Los Angeles 17 April, 1970:

Regarding the proper dress, Acyutananda has advised Nanda Kumar to embark the plane wearing western clothes but to be sure to disembark wearing a dhoti.

Letter to Acyutananda -- Los Angeles 14 June, 1970:

So far Nanda Kumar is concerned, he has now decided to get himself married, so I think you are not in favor of Grhasthas because you are a rigid Brahmacari.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Madhudvisa -- London 14 August, 1971:

I am very encouraged to hear that people are coming. So please manage temple affairs nicely. Nanda Kumar is expert pujari and his wife is already going there. The Deity worship must be done very very carefully. I have already seen how Nanda Kumar is doing and it is all right. Everything must be kept very clean.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- London 14 August, 1971:

We have already submitted here for missionary visas and at least five men will reach India very soon. Nanda Kumar's wife has already gone.

Letter to Mahamsa, Ksudhi, Rsi Kumara, Nandakumara, Tusta Krsna, Krsna Tulasi, Gurukrpa, Madhudvisa, others -- London 15 August, 1971:

I beg to thank you very much for your kind feelings of appreciation of my humble self and service unto you. You are all helping me in pushing forward this mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu coming down by disciplic succession to my Guru Maharaja. So whatever you have spoken, it is simply due to them. I am simply the via media to receive them on behalf of my Guru Maharaja His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja Prabhupada.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Nairobi 5 October, 1971:

Along with the other names I see Nanda Kumar. Does it mean that he has left Bombay? Then who is taking care of the Deity? And why he has left Bombay?

Letter to Giriraja -- Bombay 28 December, 1971:

I think the Delhi deities along with Nanda Kumar will be coming there soon.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Atreya Rsi -- Los Angeles 13 September, 1972:

Regarding my personal servant, I have taken one boy, Srutakirti, as my personal servant and Nanda Kumar has remained in New Vrndavana with Kirtanananda Maharaja.

Letter to Bali-mardana -- Vrndavana November 2, 1972:

According to the list of names left in the file by Nanda Kumara, there are nine names listed for New York, as follows: Mike/Mahamuni; Steve Anderson/Sevananda; Steve Chichi/Satajit; Jeremy Darling/Yogendra; Jack/Jitasvara; Saul/Sunanda; Andrea/Alarka; Susan/Sikhandini; Rosemary/Ramesvari. So I do not know why they have never received their beads. I think best thing is to write to Nanda Kumara, who is now president of Laguna Beach temple, and he can explain.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Bhakta dasa -- Calcutta 4 March, 1973:

Regarding Nanda Kumar, try to help him. He is a good boy and he will come out again very nicely. But he must marry that girl, we cannot play with sex-life, that is not our business. If he shows he is faithful for three months, then he again can take care of Radha-Krsna.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Gurudas Prabhu -- Mayapur 14 October, 1974:

Letter to: Gurudas Prabhu

—

Mayapur

14/10/74

74-10-14_E1

Dear Gurudas Prabhu:

Please accept my humble obeisances. Your letter to Srila Prabhupad dated October 3, 1974 in transit has been received. Srila Prabhupad affirms that he never gave you permission to leave India, but only to leave Vrindaban. You left without informing me of you intentions. Now you are asking for him to write a letter so you can collect money. But what about the monies you have already received? Where is the account? So far I know you have received from Murtidas Dollars 4,000.00; from Nanda Kumar 1700.00; from Srila Prabhupad before he left India Rs. 60,000/-, and from Karandhar Rs. 40,000/-. You must present the account of how these monies were spent before getting any facility for collecting additional funds. As GBC I must request you not to try to collect any money until you account for this money.

What is the need of your going out side of India to collect? Ample money is already coming without your having to go, and Srila Prabhupad has taken responsibility for providing funds whatever you need himself. He wanted you to stay in Vrindaban and manage there. Why have you left?

I hope this meets you in good health.

Your servant

Brahmananda Swami

Personal Secretary, GBC

-/bs

Approved: ACBS

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Stokakrsna -- Vrindaban 7 September, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter undated and have noted the contents. Yes, you can come here and I know you can do many things, but whether you will stay here. It's like Nanda Kumara. He came and after one day he wanted to leave and return. So you should not uselessly spend money. If you are going to come, then you should remain and do work. You can come on tourist visa and stay for 6 months.

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. Originally I allowed that Gargamuni could start the incense business. I thought that the Ramakrishna Mission, they are doing and the incense we are using, so if we make some and sell it, then what is the harm. But now I see that Spiritual Sky, they have so many products. And now there is jewelry business going on. So why should the business increase? Nanda Kumar, he came here to India simply for doing business. This is not required. So I have given him sannyasa and now he is finished with all business, and he will go to Africa to preach. So this business should be discouraged, otherwise, if they do it, our men will again become karmis. Our business is simply book distribution.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- Mayapur 14 February, 1976:

If you are needed there, it is all right for you to miss the festival. You will have to accept the decisions made by the other GBC. You can gradually train Nanda Kumar. He is undoubtedly a good pujari.