Fun (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"fun" |"funny"

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Hayagriva -- Los Angeles 18 November, 1968:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Nov. 12, 1968, and I am very much pleased to note the contents. The handbill of Dr. Frog, Ph.D. is very funny, and we should try to fight with these frog philosophers overcrowding all over the world. Your success in kirtana performances in the University campus is also very encouraging.

New Vrindaban should be taken up very seriously because actually I want to develop a replica of Old Vrindaban. I have got ambition to construct there 7 temples as follows: 1. Radha Madan Mohan, 2. Radha Govinda, 3. Radha Gopinatha, 4. Radha Damodara, 5. Radha Raman, 6. Radha Gokulananda, 7. Radha Syamasundara. The whole modern city of Vrindaban was established originally with these temples, started by different Gosvamis.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Svati -- Unknown Place January 1972:

I have recently explained to Aniruddha in Dallas school and you may write to him for details. The most important thing however is to see that somehow or other the children are always engaged in some kind of Krsna conscious activity, then they will naturally develop a taste for it and think it great fun even to work very hard for Krsna's pleasure.

So in this way you as mother and father must take responsibility to deliver these nice children and that will be a very great service for Krsna.

Letter to Aniruddha -- Bombay 10 January, 1972:

Encourage them to chant as much japa as possible, but there is no question of force or punishment. If there is need you may shake your finger at them but never physical punishment is allowed. Try as far as possible to discipline them with love and affection, so that they develop a taste for austerity of life and think it great fun to serve Krishna in many ways. Rising early and mangal arati, this is enough austerity. Besides that, let them learn something, chant, dance, eat as much prasadam as they like, and do not mind if they have playful nature—let them also play and run, that is natural. It is nice if they eat often—if children overeat it doesn't matter, that is no mistake. Boys and girls should be educated separately.

Letter to Satyabhama -- Mayapur 28 February, 1972:

Children will always do as they see others doing, so if by the good association of their parents and the other older persons, they will come out nicely fixed in Krishna Consciousness, and because they are not spoiled by an artificial standard of sense gratification, they will think that performing austerities is great fun, just like in India we see the young brahmacaris are sent out to beg for their spiritual master to teach them humility and non-attachment, and they spend the whole day in the hot sun and come back at night, take a handful of rice, and sleep without blankets on the hard floor—and they take this type of life as very much enjoyable and great fun. This is how we train our children in Krishna Consciousness, just be keeping them always attending our regular program and associating with Krishna devotees, teaching them in spiritual realization by giving them the idea that sacrifice and tapasya for achieving the highest goal of life is a very nice way of life.

Letter to Damodara -- London 6 August, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 30, 1972 and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding your debt to the book fun and Back to Godhead fund and incense from 'Spiritual Sky', these debts must be paid, that is important business. Along with our preaching and propaganda work, we must also give attention to financial matters, otherwise the whole thing will collapse and it will be a farce. If there is good financial standing it is understood that Laksmi is favorable because her husband Narayana is being served nicely. If Laksmi is unfavorable, then we must increase our preaching efforts, and strive for pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Letter to Damodara -- London 6 August, 1972:

As I will be in that vicinity in September, if you arrange some meetings with some big government leaders there in Washington, I shall be happy to come down there from New Vrindaban.

So far your purchasing that building is concerned, if it is a great endeavor, how can you manage? If you have so many debts to the book fun and Spiritual Sky business, how can you take more debts to the book fund? We are not very much for owning buildings, our real business is to preach and propagate Krishna Consciousness widely. Washington D.C. is the capital of your country, and therefore it is a very strategic location for preaching amongst the nations leaders. Concentrate on this work, and the sankirtana and book distribution activities, and if you wait until there is solid financial basis before purchasing, what is the harm? But if we spend our whole time simply to earn money to pay for big, big buildings and decorations, what is the value? I am more interested in preachers than builders and decorators.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Dhruvananda -- Bombay 4 January, 1973:

Yes, the leaves of Srimati Tulasi Devi may be offered to all Visnu-tattva expansions of Krsna, including Nityananda and Balarama.

You may dress Lord Caitanya in the standard way, main things is do it nicely, don't make it funny. In your Western countries Lord Caitanya should be entirely covered, He should not appear bare-chested.

Why you are pouring water over the head of Radha and Krsna deities? Big deities should not be bathed in this way, using water or other things. Rather they are bathed daily by mantra, do you not know these things? Under no circumstances shall we bathe the Jagannatha deities with anything water or liquid, they should be bathed with mantra also. Now you are asking if Lord Jagannatha carries flute?

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Kurusrestha -- Ahmedabad 26 September, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 13, 1975 and have noted the contents with pleasure. The District Court has given us the permission "for as long as the country lasts." Were these exact words used in the judgement? This is very funny. The judge is a very funny man. He should be sent a congratulation letter. This should be quoted. Actually any gentleman should be a little humorous.

So Krishna has given you the chance to spread Krishna consciousness so long your country lasts. So try to sell a similar quantity of books every day as you are now doing and that will encourage me. And you can offer your heartiest thanks to the justice because he has given us such a great facility. May by the grace of Krishna your country last forever, and may the justice also live a long time and may you go on selling books. That is my desire.

Letter to Ramesvara -- Bombay 7 November, 1975:

I have received your report on the telephone to Harikesa. This is very funny thinking in our society that you want to spend for this boat, and that Tulsi das wants to take sannyasa because he is feeling sex agitation. First of all there is no sanction to purchase this boat from the BBT. We are not interested.

Tulsi das is affected by sex, and he wants to take sannyasa? This is nonsense. Is sannyasa so cheap? He will be a victim. He is not fit for sannyasa. His mind is not fixed up. Everyone wants to fulfill their whimsical desires; this is going on. Let him stay with Tamala Krishna for sometime, and if he is recommended, then he can take sannyasa. He cannot make any separate program. He is not fit to stay separate. He must remain with another experienced sannyasa and be trained up.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Ramesvara -- NEWSLETTER 26 November, 1976:

Temple it may not be played. What is the use of playing in the temple?

GKd: I know from practical experience Srila Prabhupada, I just played the record, it is all current pop music with English philosophy wording and the brahmacaris were so agitated. They came to listen to it and they were taking fun of it like the pop songs.

Ak Sw: Because that style of music reminds us of the night club.

S.P.: Therefore I said it is better not to make these records.

GKd: Just your records and parampara records should be played I think. There are so many tapes of your records.

HSd: Yes, but this style they are doing now they explain that they wanted it because then that way they will be able to get them played on the radio; otherwise, they won't play bhajans or anything on the radio. But there's a distinction between that kind of music and pure Krishna Consciousness music.