Varanasi - Benares (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"Benares" |"Kasi" |"Varanasi"

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Juggannath Babu -- Calcutta 14 March, 1949:

In the Bhagavad-gita the last instruction is to surrender fully unto Him the author of the Bhagavad-gita but unfortunate men of demonic mentality misunderstood the teachings of Bhagavad-gita as a method of sophistry and therefore the same Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna in the garb of a transcendental devotee preach the same techniques of Bhagavad-gita i.e. full surrender unto the almighty God or His different potencies in a demonstrative way.

The method of His demonstration was also very suitable. He inaugurated the sankirtana movement accompanied with melodious song which method has been found practically very effective amongst the masses. It is not possible for the masses to study the Vedanta or to undergo the difficult mystic processes especially in the Kali-yuga when the general people is indolent, unfortunate, shortlived and always disturbed by physical and mental tribulations. So they the general mass of people are fallen in the estimation of the great saints and as such for them Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the only hope for deliverance. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Varanasi He was invited to a philosophical discourse by the Prakashananda Sarasvati a great giant scholar and sannyasi of the Mayavadi or Sankara sampradaya and discussion was made on the Vedanta philosophy. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was victorious in that discussion and converted the great sannyasi with his 60,000 followers to His cult of devotion and established His easy method of sankirtana movement the most suitable method for the deliverance of the people in general.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Sri Krishna Panditji -- New York 15 April, 1967:

Regarding your introduction to my disciples here, you can immediately note down the following address. He is interested in importing musical instruments from India. If you can immediately arrange to supply from Delhi things like Aggarbatti, Dhupa, Musical instruments, Varanasi Sari, Bronze cymbals, Printed matters, Printed cloths from Agra and Farukhabad etc, you can do very good business and make profit not less than Rs 200/- per month or more. Add only 5% on the purchase price or sometimes less than 5% on purchase values and you will be do good business. But if you can not write in English how you will make correspondence with them. You must write in English or get it done by some one who knows English. Unless you write in English how can you deal with them. Please note down the following address immediately and correspond with him giving reference of my name.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Radha Madhava Sharan -- Los Angeles 6 June, 1970:

Regarding your cooperation, I have got many things to ask from you, but because you are a 70 year retired man I do not wish to overburden you. For the time being if you kindly help us by sending some goods from Vrndavana just like some chanting beads, some brass murtis, gopi-candana tilaka and similar other things. I understand that you have got business in Allahabad, so if your sons and grandsons there can supply us Banarasi dhoti and saris from Benares as well as some brass utensils from there, this is one thing.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Niranjana -- Honolulu 10 May, 1972:

In your last letter you informed me that Dr. Rao (Ramananda das) had come to see you in Varanasi, but he could not find you at that time. Will you immediately open correspondence with him? His address is as follows: Dr. Ravindra Pratap Rao, Reader in Chemistry, Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, U. P., India. Just now I have received a report from Ksirodakasayi das of Vrindaban that Ramananda is not nowadays translating our literature into Hindi. You may know it from me that the idea of starting the Hindi paper generated when Ramananda took charge of taking the editorship of the paper. Now he is indirectly declining. I do not know what is the reason. Both Ksirodakasayi and Ramananda took charge of publishing the Hindi Back to Godhead "Bhagavata Darshan", but Ramananda has stopped translating, and Ksirodakasayi says that he is not a perfect translator. Another boy, Radharamana Goswami, he has left, so far I understand, so this is the position of the Hindi Back to Godhead. I shall be glad to know if you can translate our literature into Hindi with the help of some friends in Varanasi. Varanasi is the learning site for the Hindi language. Can you take charge of this translation work somehow or other? Then it will be a great service to the Lord. I shall be glad to hear from you immediately. Treat this letter as very urgent, and reply me by return post to our Los Angeles address.

Letter to Niranjana -- Los Angeles 21 May, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 15th, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. I am glad to hear that our Ramananda Prabhu has visited you in Varanasi and that he has still some feeling for me and for this Krishna Consciousness Movement. So far books are concerned you may get them either from Calcutta or from Bombay. You simply place your order and get the books sent to you, and as they are sold you, send the money for depositing in my book fund. Either Calcutta or Bombay office may inform you of our membership program details also.

Letter to Ksirodakasayi -- Los Angeles 26 May, 1972:

Regarding Hindi BTG, I have received one letter from Niranjana Prabhu in Benares and he is proposing to form a committee of yourself, Ramananda and himself, plus Guru das and others, for streamlining the Hindi BTG and book publication department. So you may correspond with him on this point. Also, there are some Hindi translators here in Los Angeles who are willing to send you regularly articles for Back To Godhead, so you may open correspondence with them also. They are named Vinode and Niranjana, husband and wife, and you may address them in care of Los Angeles temple. One thing, it is not good if we engage any professional translators, our own men must do the work. As soon as you receive payment for BTG's you may deposit immediately in the book fund account in Bombay and acknowledge to me. ISKCON Book Fund a/c is in Central Bank Gowalia Tank Branch, Bombay.

Letter to Niranjana -- Los Angeles 26 May, 1972:

Form the committee and whatever is needed, you do it. It doesn't matter if the Hindi translation is perfectly the same length as the English original, translate any issue of BTG or any book and send the manuscript after composing to Japan for printing, that is the best plan. For our English BTG's they have got the original photographs and negatives in Japan, so if you translate some issue of English BTG you can send there for printing and the cost will be cheaper because they have already got the photos, etc. In Benares there are many presses and they supply very cheaply. So you take quotations from Benares and find out the lowest quotation for soft binding, first-class paper, and printing in the size of our present Bhagavatam booklets, Easy Journey To Other Planets, like that. In Delhi and Mathura also there is very good facility for Hindi printing. So in this way cooperate with the others to find out either some printer there in India who will print our books in good quality and also very cheaply, or translate and compose the work there and send to Japan. Either way the work must go on and increasingly our literatures should be profusely distributed in India.

Letter to Niranjana -- London 5 August, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter from Bhilai dated July 7, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. I am sending the letter to Varanasi as you indicate that you will be leaving Bhilai by August 4. It appears that the working on the committee will be too much difficult for you, so it will be better if you can serve Krishna by translating into Hindi language. Ksirodakasayi is with me now in London and he will not be returning to India, so you may consult with Ramananda in Gorakhpur what should be your exact duty. For the time being, as you are studying in Varanasi and cannot leave that place, it is better for you to translate individually in cooperation with Ramananda, and at some later time when your studies are completed, then we can discuss further.

Letter to Yadubara -- Los Angeles 21 August, 1972:

Regarding Bhaktivinode Thakura's manuscripts, immediately we do not have any program for printing them. You keep them carefully and when I return I shall consider the matter. The translating work can be done both by Ramananda and Niranjana in Benares.

Letter to Niranjana -- Los Angeles 18 September, 1972:

I thank you very much for your letter from Benares dated 9 September 1972, and I have very much appreciated the contents. Yes, if you can come to Vrndavana in October to see me, that will be very nice. I shall be arriving there approximately the 15th and can remain for about three weeks before going to Delhi, where we will hold our second annual Hare Krsna Festival and Bhagavata-dharma Discourses. I am very glad to hear that all of your activities are going on successfully, that you have finished your exams in good order and you have increased your chanting also of rounds. And most of all I am happy to hear that you have begun some translating work. Now you work conjointly with Ramananda in Gorakhpur for producing all of my books in Hindi language, that will be your great contribution. You are a learned scholar, so is Ramananda, so the both of you together should head up this program of translating and publishing my books in Hindi language. If you require to have anything sent you from this country, I can arrange. You should be given all facilities to carry on this work with all expediency. Thank you very much for helping me in this way, may Krsna bless you more and more.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Jagadisa -- Bombay 21 March, 1974:

I am also enclosing sacred thread and gayatri initiation for the following second initiate recommendations. Girijadhava das Brahmacari, Kasi ram das Brahmacari, Taraknath das Brahmacari, and Sukra das Brahmacari. Have them hear the tape of the mantra in the right ear. I think you are aware that this second initiation should be taken very gravely and not childishly, so please impress upon them their new obligations.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Niranjana -- Vrindaban 2 April, 1976:

There was one Hindi translation of "Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu" which I saw, I do not know the name of it. It was published in Benares and I saw it at one friend's house. One of my Godbrothers attempted also to translate the same into Hindi with Sanskrit slokas but he only completed a few pages. If you like his address is Sridhara Maharaja, P.O. Navadvipa, Dist. Nadia, W. Bengal.

Letter to Ambarisa -- Melbourne 21 April, 1976:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated March 22, 1976 and I have noted the contents with care. I am happy to know that you are appreciating our work amongst the academic community. This is very important work to gain the acceptance of the academic world. If scientific men and scholars accept, the more that is a great stride. Here we have seen also in India. Burdwan University in Calcutta has taken a standing order. Also, in Benares the university there took 14 Standing orders. Please let me know how the restaurant is developing there, and also assist me in getting our books recognized by the academic circles there in Boston. That will be very nice.

Letter to Ramesvara -- New Vrindaban 24 June, 1976:

I am in receipt of one letter from Srivatsa Goswami, 45 Dumrao Bagh Colony, Assi, Varanasi 221 005, India. He has written that Santosa das met him at his residence in Vrindaban and proposed to give Srivatsa Goswami all of my books in exchange for a set of "Goswami literature" edited by Sri Puridasa; all this was done without my sanction. Why has Santosa asked him for this? No one told him to do so. Write to him and ask him who gave him permission to do this!

Letter to Vikas -- Vrindaban 12 September, 1976:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated 8 September 1976. I am very very sorry to learn that your father has expired. Your father was my class friend and neighborhood friend. During the time of your grandfather your whole family was living at Varanasi Ghose St. Our residence was on the same street and because we went to the same college, Scottish Church College, and were in the same class, we were very intimately connected since 1916, more than 50 years.

Letter to unknown 2 -- 28 September, 1976:

Bharatavarsa land is a sacred place. Bhagavan Buddha was born here. Buddhists from different places in the world come to have a darshan of Gaya and Varanasi. What harms them if the devotees of Shri Krishna come here to have a darshan of the birthplaces of Shri Krishna and Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu? They are after being initiated with Vaisnavism by having their head shaved and keeping sikha and yajna-sutra and adorning with twelve tilakas, being engaged in Hari sankirtana are not all these things a pride for us Indians? But it is a matter of great regret that recently in my birthplace, West Bengal, there are some who are making agitations and various uncalled for remarks without knowing the real facts. All these have pained me to a great extent. Shri Krishna and His name Krishna are the same.