Amsterdam
My dear Locanananda dasa,
Please accept my blessings. 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.
I hope this meets you all well.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/tkg