I am planning to leave India just after the appearance day of Lord Caitanya, in the beginning of March. First I shall go to Hong Kong for a few days, and from there I will go to Australia and perhaps New Zealand. Three devotees are leaving here shortly to open a center in New Zealand. So after that, say by the end of April, I will come to Japan. It would be very nice if you can organize a pandal program as they have organized here in India. There are so many people in Tokyo, that a pandal program will attract thousands of Japanese people. So if you can organize such a program that will be very excellent. Perhaps the Indian community would be able to help you. Try and arrange as many engagements as possible at places like universities where English is understood.
University (Letters 1972 - 1977)
Correspondence
1972 Correspondence
Krishna book distribution is our greatest propaganda for spreading Krishna Consciousness. You must secure one letter from Temple University stating that our Nectar of Devotion is being used as a text. This will be very helpful in introducing our literature in all the big Universities all over the country. This is very important, so you may do it immediately.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of January 17, 1972, and I am pleased that, despite some difficulties, you are progressing steadily in pushing this Krishna Consciousness Movement in the Austin city. Actually, all such hardships should be understood as Krishna's favoring us, so that by enduring them we shall enhance our spiritual progress. I am encouraged by the amount of books you are selling, that is very, very good sign, and also by our course you are teaching in the University. That is our most important program: to teach in the schools and colleges and distribute many books and literatures. I have just heard from Sankarasana that you are planning to close down your center there. I cannot understand why this should be done if there is such good field for preaching and if you are having a university course. Our policy is not to decrease, only increase, therefore I do not think it is a good idea to leave Austin just because you have not got a temple house there. Better to stay there and work very hard, and then Krishna will provide a nice house where you may open your center very soon. There have been cases of closing down, but only where the field was absolutely hopeless and there was waste of time. But Sankarasana does not think you should close down, and he has offered to stay as President, and from your report it appears there is good prospect, so I think you should remain there and preach with increased determination.
I am in due receipt of your letter of January 22, 1972, and I am very much encouraged that you want to remain in Austin city because the people there are in desperate need of Krishna Consciousness. Actually, that is the mood of the devotee, that he is always concerned for the general mass of people, that they should stop their sinful activities and become delivered from the most dangerous conditions of life by taking to this Krishna Consciousness or devotional service. So I am very much pleased that you do not want to leave. Actually, that is our policy, once we enter a place, to sit down, then gradually to lay down and occupy everything! So because there is such good possibility there for preaching, especially in the university, then I am recommending that some men must remain there are work very hard to get a permanent center. If the preaching work is sincere, then there will be no lack either of temple or of devotees to fill it. Now you have sat down, and although you are squeezed a little tightly, if you push a bit harder there will be enough space, and very soon you will find yourselves laying down and occupying the big space!
I am especially encouraged that that professor has become my initiated disciple, and because he is very intelligent and has a good position of influence in the university, he can utilize this opportunity to serve Krishna very perfectly by influencing the intelligent students to take up this perfectional science. Also, he has got good income, so I don't see there is any difficulty there, in fact, very soon I think you enlist many students to help and have a thriving KC center. And if you like if I come to Dallas to see, I may also come there to speak to the students, as suggested by Sri Galim. Hoping this meets you in good health.
All the children should learn to read and write very nicely, and a little mathematics, so that they will be able to read our books. Cooking, sewing, things like that do not require schooling, they are learned simply by association. There is no question of academic education for either boys or girls—simply a little mathematics and being able to read and write well, that's all, no universities. Their higher education they will get from our books, and other things they will get from experience, like preaching, SKP, etc. Alongside the regular classes in reading and writing, the other routine programs they should also participate in, like arati, kirtana, preaching, Sankirtana, like that.
Because your wife is fully trained as classical dancer, even she taught in such big university, so she can organize classical dancing to portray stories about Krishna and His Pastimes and that will be very nice proposal. Recently in Bombay we have held a benefit charity performance called "Hare Krishna Benefit" performed by the Javeri Sisters, a famous classical dancing group from Manipur. These dancers were depicting stories from Krishna's Pastimes, and the dancing was very nice. So this art of dancing, as any art, can be also employed in the service of glorifying the Supreme Lord. If she is expert dancer, your wife can organize a dancing group to depict very exquisitely stories from our Krishna Book.
That is one of our most important branches especially because it is located just in a very large university area, well known in your country as a famous seat of learning. So now it will be very important to flood Berkeley city with our books and literatures, because if we can convince the intelligent class of men of our Krishna philosophy then our success for changing the position of your country and the rest of the world from a very dangerous condition is assured. Just see that our routine programme such as rising early, cleansing, reading books chanting, street Sankirtana, deity worship, and so on, if these items of regular programme are maintained to the highest standard and not neglected for anything, then everything else we try for will come out successful without fail. So you are now big officer, and I think Krishna has favored you by this position, because now you will be forced to always be the best example of KC person and be very very responsible, because you must make sure that all the devotees in your temple are always satisfied as far as possible by being happy in spiritual life.
In every college and university all over the world, there are so many different courses available to help the student become more entangled in the material world and to forget his real occupation. But none of them offer any instruction on the nature of the spirit soul and his relation with the Supreme Soul. So our program at these colleges is so important, because we are giving all these young people an opportunity to develop real knowledge and make their lives successful. I am so pleased to know that all of you are very enthusiastic for pushing on this program. Always keep this enthusiasm, and increase it more and more, and Krishna will give you all help and guidance.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 16, 1972, and I have noted the contents. I am very much happy that you are convinced of this Krishna Consciousness movement and philosophy, and that you are sincere to manage everything in a spiritual manner just pleasing to Lord Krishna. When I shall come to Los Angeles by 20th May we will fix up some program for going to San Diego, if you desire that I shall come there. If your Hare Krishna Festival is held at that big big university at the end of May, I may attend, why not?
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.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter from Buffalo dated June 21, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Especially I am very much pleased to hear that the University of Buffalo has given to you more than $1200.00 in grant. I can understand by your enthusiastic preparations for Rathayatra in Buffalo that you are very sincere boy and capable devotee. This is very much wanted throughout the society of men, that some few of you will come to the understanding that by serving the Lord with my full energy that this will be my happy position of life and that no other occupation will give me any, not even an ounce of pleasure.
In this connection, I am requesting two of my disciples there to either correspond or meet with you to discuss the matter thoroughly. Sriman Gurudasa Adhikari, President of our Vrindaban ISKCON center, can supply you with all samples of our literature, etc. His address is c/o Radha-Damodara Mandir, Seva Kunj, Vrindaban, U.P. In addition, the editor of our Hindi publications, Dr. R. P. Rao, Reader-in-Chemistry, 20-K Hirapur, Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur, U.P., will be contacting you very soon regarding the work in Hindi language.
I beg to acknowledge your letter from Berkeley dated nil, and I am very much pleased to learn that you are trying to find out some place where I can give two or three times a week lecture-class to university students in the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness or Bhagavata Dharma. But one thing is, the sannyasi has no such thing as teaching credentials or "academic vitae." So they can simply decide on the basis of my books and teachings. But I am not an ordinary teacher, I can do it only if I am a guest lecturer. Otherwise they will not take me very seriously. But I should be honored as a guest lecturer and paid well, as well as they should give me a nice house, not very big, but nice. And I will speak twice or thrice in a week to as many students who will come, intelligent boys and girls, and they will get regular instruction in our Vedic knowledge as it is.
I have heard from Bhakti das that that University in San Diego where I spoke is willing to have me there, so unless you are able to arrange something there at Berkeley or San Francisco, I shall probably teach at San Diego. Accredited or not accredited, it doesn't matter, I simply want to present this great philosophy to serious students who will understand it and deliver the world from the present-day ignorance of misinformation, so if you can help me in this way I shall very much appreciate.
Yes, that is the sannyasi business, to travel from center to center and instruct the devotees in spiritual life. That is a good program for you, to learn the books very thoroughly and practice the knowledge you are learning. Without practice of the knowledge, what good is the knowledge? But I do not think it is necessary for you to return to your university for taking further education. Your education is to be found in our books, the material education is finished. If you want to teach in universities and colleges, they must accept us on our high degree of Vedic learning, not on our so-called credentials. They must accept our system of scholarly learning from the spiritual master. So do not bother yourself anymore with this idea but go on learning from our own scriptural evidence how great is the supreme science. Your depth of understanding it will be the credentials, let them accept us on that basis. I shall be reaching New Vrindaban by the end of this month, and we shall discuss further.
| Page Title: | University (Letters 1972 - 1977) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 29 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=97 |
| No. of Quotes: | 97 |