Bhismadeva wanted to see Krishna angry, he knew that Krishna was very kind upon him, but to make a front he displayed a chivalrous mood, pretending to kill Arjuna, although he knew it very well that no power in the world could kill Arjuna while he was shielded by Krishna Himself as his charioteer. Yet he tried to agitate the mind of Krishna, but Arjuna he almost killed. Actually, Krishna thought it that Bhismadeva was to see Him in His angry mood and supposed to be broken in His promise, to fulfill the desire of Bhismadeva. He got down from the chariot and took a wheel of the chariot, going forward as if to kill Bhismadeva. Bhismadeva, as soon as found Krishna in that angry mood, he gave up his fighting weapons and prepared himself for being killed by Krishna. This attitude of Krishna pleased Bhismadeva very much, and at the time of his death he recalled back the angry feature of Krishna. He was a military man so he was pleased to see Krishna in military spirit, as much as the Gopis wanted to see Krishna as the most beautiful lover. There is no difference between the attitude of the gopis and Bhismadeva in the matter of exchanging transcendental mellows between God and His devotee. Krishna can be loved in any feature and because he is absolute there is no difference to love Krishna as a military man or as a simple Gopi.
Wheel (Letters)
Correspondence
1967 Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
In reply to your letter, Jan. 31 1968, which I received just day before yesterday, I have accepted you as initiated student and your spiritual name is Srimati Sudarsana devi. (One who looks forward on the Sudarsan wheel in the hand of Krishna)
Please follow the regulations and chant 16 rounds daily at least without any offense. The list of offenses, 10 kinds, are in my apartment in N.Y., and you ask your God-brother, Brahmananda, and he will supply you. Similarly, there is another list of the qualifications, as well as prayer for Spiritual Master, are also there. Try to secure them, and follow the regulations, and Krishna will help you in being elevated to higher and higher platforms of Krishna Consciousness. Thanking you very much.
When Gargamuni came here the other day he also described it so nicely and now you can understand the specimen of transcendental pleasure in which the human society as a whole can take part and realize transcendental bliss. The Car Festival was very simple. After all, it is a car with 4 wheels, but it attracted the people so enthusiastically because there was His Lordship, the Jagannatha. Atheistic people may call it that the Jagannatha Murti was made of wood, and the car was also made of wood, but the spiritual bliss can be exacted from anything, simply in Krishna Consciousness. Even accepting the whole affair as wooden, a Krishna Consciousness person can understand that wood is nothing but display of Krishna's energy. So it is the Krishna Consciousness energy that gives us transcendental bliss, just like it is the electric energy passing through copper cable which gives us electric light and heat.
I have just returned from a two days stay at our newest center New Vrindaban in Moundsville, West Virginia, near Wheeling. This New Vrindaban is under the direction of Sriman Hayagriva and Kirtanananda Maharaja and promises to be a great step forward for Krishna Consciousness in America.
It has a farmhouse and several other structures, well, streams, hills (govardhana, as named by Swamiji) pasture grounds (a cow will be acquired soon), ghat, pond, woodland, all situated on 138 acres.
Prabhupada has requested that 7 temples be established there. Its main activity will be cow protection and to show the world that simply by living with cows and land and chanting HARE KRISHNA a perfect society will prevail.
And I hope by this time you have reached your headquarters, at Wheeling, and I hope you are feeling well. And you have taken the dictaphone. Now immediate task is that you revise the 1st, 2nd, 3rd volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam. As soon as they are revised, we shall immediately print in one volume. Just we are going to print, volume one means canto one. So then you take up the second part, second canto, and keep along with you Pradyumna; he will help you in marking diacritic signs on the original verses, and be always in correspondence with me. And be seriously engaged in this task, and it will be a great service to Krishna. And try to finish the last act of Caitanya Caritamrta also.
Devaki is sitting in a different palace room and Visnu with His four hands (conch, club, wheel, lotus) in yellow dress appeared before her. In this scene, Devaki and Vasudeva are bowing down to Lord Visnu and praying.
3. Krishna is lying happily on the lap of Devaki just like He is an ordinary child.
4. Setting of the scene: Vasudeva saw that all of the doors were opened and that the gate-keepers were asleep so he went outside of the house and came to the bank of the Yamuna. He sees that the river is inflated with rainy season water and he thinks, "How shall I cross?"
1969 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your letter of July 28, 1969, and I could not understand from your half-finished letter whether Rathayatra Ceremony was performed according to a subdued program. But I could understand that you are immersed in great confusion on account of the wheels giving way just after starting. I have received one letter from Syamasundara dated July 25th in which it is stated that the magnitude of the Ratha was double than the one you had in San Francisco. So such a heavy structure was not properly attended as to its weight and the wheels which could carry such huge weight. I think it was a mistake of engineering calculation. The load was heavier than the wheels could carry. So there is no question of being disappointed. I have not received any detailed information either from you or from the others, but even if the Festival was not properly performed, you should not be discouraged.
The purport of my letter is that there is no cause for any disappointment, and you can perform this ceremony on Janmastami Day if you are able. From the description of your letter it appears that the structure of the Ratha was too heavy for the wheels to carry the load. From Gurudasa' letter it was not clear to me if you at all held a ceremony on a smaller scale. But in any event, I think we may take it as Krishna's Grace that the difficulty took place at the very beginning of the procession and not later on when the Ratha was in a more populated area. So do not feel discouraged at all. By Krishna's Plan everything will come out for the best. We have only to work very sincerely, depending fully on the Mercy of the Lord, and in this consciousness we can make very quick advancement in Krishna Consciousness.
That is the definition given in Srimad-Bhagavatam. The advanced devotee should be very much enthusiastic in preaching the transcendental message of Lord Caitanya, and temple worship should be entrusted to the newcomers, or neophytes.
Regarding the collapsing of the wheels during Ratha Yatra Ceremony, that doesn't matter. If possible, you may organize another procession on Janmastami Day. Regarding the footprint on Krishna's chest which you say is Radharani's, that is not correct. That footprint is of Bhrgu Muni.
As of this moment, my plans for going to Germany are not yet fixed up, but as soon as things are settled, I shall duly inform you. Please convey my blessings to the others.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 5th, 1969 and have noted the contents. When I first heard that the wheels of the car collapsed it was so great a shock to me that the whole day I was sick and morose, and now after receiving this letter and your pictures I am very much enlivened. The car was on the road and the photo is taken with a multitude of people. That is your success and as a result of this collapse you have got now the sympathy of the Indian community as well as all the people of London—so much so that next year you can timely and conveniently erect three cars like that.
Regarding your recording of Nama Om and Hare Krishna, it is very, very good and everyone says that it is technically all-perfect. So your endeavor to induce the Beatles to cooperate with us is successful to a greater extent.
1970 Correspondence
Regarding your question of an initiated person falling prey to the maya, the answer is that so long we are in this material world, there is always chance of being spoiled by Maya, so we must stick with vow to the Lotus Feet of Krishna. An initiated devotee is given the chance for becoming free from the entanglement of karma wheel. Initiated means beginning, not perfection. The Spiritual Master's business is to guide him to the perfectional point. But if one does not strictly follow the guidance of a bona fide Spiritual Master his initiation does not bear any meaning. The initiation performance is an agreement by the disciples to abide by the order of the Spiritual Master. Therefore, if the Spiritual Master is bona fide and the disciple is serious to abide by His order, then the success is sure. But if a disciple follows strictly the devotional way of life, he is no longer a karmi and all his activities which may appear to be like ordinary work, or it may be activity according to Scriptural injunction, are counted as devotional service.
Each party must consist of seven men as follows: two mrdanga, four karatala, and one dancer. One of the karatala players is lead singer, and the dancer dances freely up and down between the two lines of players three on each side as in the drawing. If there are only four parties, the arrangement should be that one party is on each side, and in back and front of the Ratha:
So the dancer should dance very freely, you may distribute Prasadam and especially distribute our literatures from a table on wheels for the purpose.
1971 Correspondence
Regarding printing our books and literatures, I may inform you in this connection that I saw one bulletin of "Indian Railways" in which it was specifically advised that every railway servant should see to it that the wheels of the carriages or vehicles must be moving always, which means that the railway is going nicely. Similarly all of us should see that our literatures are profusely distributed. That means that our missionary work is going on nicely. Otherwise we are simply sleeping and eating. The literature we have already designated as brihat mrdanga. So distribution of literature means great Sankirtana.
1974 Correspondence
Regarding the Ratha Yatra Festival, keep it always gorgeously alive, but do not change the principle. The principle should go on as usual. Yes, it is all right to make something in the park as you have suggested. Why you want to change the wheels? This is unnecessary. Don't do this. Keep the old system strong, and if necessary repair it. Don't change from this to that. That is your American disease. This is very serious that you always want to change everything. Spoked wheels will never be as strong and hard as the old way. Never do this. Neither there should be any separate float as you have suggested for me.
1976 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 21, 1976, and I have noted the contents with care. Your plan to have the Rathayatra on July 18th, down 5th Avenue, is approved by me and I shall try to be there definitely. However make the carts very strong, not that while the procession is going on, the wheel breaks on the cart. It is better to have one first class cart. The cart in Philadelphia was done very nicely. If you are unable to make three strong carts, then make at least one very nicely. But, if you can make three very strong, then I have no objection.
Concerning the house in Delhi, I am surprised to hear that the State Department in Washington has not yet received our application from their Delhi office. I am herewith enclosing a true copy of the application with explanatory note to this effect.
| Page Title: | Wheel (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Rishab, RupaManjari, Labangalatika |
| Created: | 16 of Jun, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=15 |
| No. of Quotes: | 15 |