In my old age (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"fag end of my life" |"my old age" |"old age" |"this old age"

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Sally -- New York 13 November, 1965:

I thank you very much for your letter of the 9th instant and I am very glad to note that your little Bijo is growing to be more adventurous nowadays. Generally the son acquires the qualities of the mother and the daughter acquires the qualities of the father. And such children become happy in life. You have acquired the qualities of your intelligent father and your son will be as intelligent as you are and thus your son will be as good as your noble father. I wish that you be happy more and more with your growing children. You can take me also as Old Bijo and therefore even at my ripe old age I have taken some adventurous task and as your little Bijo requires your help always in his little adventures so also your old Bijo requires your help in his adventures in America.

1966 Correspondence

Letter to Sumati Morarjee -- New York 18 March, 1966:

In India when I started for America, your goodness promised to reply my letter regularly but I have not received replies for my two letters. Please therefore see that my letters addressed to you may be duly replied. I have come here in this old age neither for sight seeing nor for any personal interest. It is for the interest of the entire humanity that I am trying to implement the science of Krishna which will actually make them happy. So it is the duty of every devotees of Lord Krishna to help me by all means. Kindly reply this letter and oblige. Hope you are well. Kindly convey my good wishes to all your staff especially to Sarva Sriman Choksi, Nagarajam and Acarya.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Sar Maharaja -- San Francisco 11 March, 1967:

My Dear Sripada Sar Maharaja,

Please accept my humble obeisances at your lotus feet. I am in receipt of your letter dated February 20,1967. I am so much thankful to you all for encouraging me in my humble attempt to preach the message of srila Prabhupada in this part of the world. I am sure to be successful if I am blessed by you all Vaisnavas.

I can understand your difficulty in the matter of my publication work. I am glad to learn that your activities following the foot prints of our beloved Gosvami Maharaja is being conducted nicely.

By the by I may inform you that in the matter of permanent Visa in this country I require some certificates from India. Will you kindly send me a certificate in your personal form of letter as the President and Acarya of the Gaudiya Sangha (Regd) in the following words and oblige.

Wordings of the certificate: "This is to certify that His Holiness Tridandi Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swamiji Maharaja is a bona fide disciple of my Spiritual Master On Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Goswami Prabhupada. We have highly appreciated his publication Srimad-Bhagavatam in our Sajjan Tosani Patrika (Monthly Magazine) in June 1963. Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta was the Editor of the above magazine while the paper was started from Delhi. Subsequently he has accepted the renounced order of life (Sannyasam) from His Holiness Sri Srimad Bhakti Prajnan Kesava Maharaja the Founder President of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samity in 1959. He is therefore bona fide Preacher in the line of disciplic succession from Lord Caitanya Who preached the cult of Krishna Consciousness in India about 481 years ago. We all godbrothers of Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in India are very much pleased to learn that he is executing the mission of our Spiritual Master in the Western countries even in his good old age. We wish all success for him in his great and noble attempt.

Sd/——————

(Bhakti Saurabha Bhaktisar Maharaja)

President & Acarya."

Kindly send this certificate by return of post and oblige. Thanking you in anticipation.

Yours affectionately,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Letter to Sumati Morarjee -- New York 27 June, 1967:

I thank you very much for your letter dated June 20, 1967. As stated by you, my missionary work is really a great challenge to the western way of life. But Krishna is so attractive that He is accepted even by the Westerners when the consciousness is presented in the right disciplic succession. The challenge is to the maya, or in other words it is a fight with the maya, and I may inform you that the maya has given me a great stroke very recently. Due to my incessant hard work for the last two years, my health has been shattered. On the 25th May I had a heavy stroke between the heart and stomach. The boys here took all cares possible, and I am getting well day by day. At present I am on the seashore in New Jersey for recouping my health, but I am thinking of going back to India as soon as I get sufficient strength. I am now considerably old; I will be 72 years next September. But the work which I have begun in the western world is not yet finished, and I require to train some of the American boys to preach this cult all over the western world. So if I return to India I will have to take with me some of the boys for training. They are all nice boys to take up the training. So your cooperation in this connection is greatly needed. You have already allowed my men from India free passage; similarly, if you allow free passage for some of my American disciples they can come to India and take training from me at Vrindaban. The idea is that in this old age I do not know when death will overcome me, and I wish to die in the last days of my life at Vrindaban. If you kindly, therefore, cooperate with my mission of spreading Krishna Consciousness in the western world, then I wish to return to Vrindaban. I hope you will kindly grant this request.

Letter to Sumati Morarjee -- New York 20 July, 1967:

The whole idea is that due to my indifferent health in this old age, it may be that I may not come back again. But I must train up at Vrindaban some of my disciples. I can very well spread up this missionary work without any personal transfer. Please therefore cooperate with me as far as possible for Krishna's sake.

Letter to Brahmananda -- Vrindaban 4 August, 1967:

Don't be afraid of my being attacked by maya. When there is fight between two belligerent parties, it is always expected that there will sometimes be reverses. Your country and the western world is mostly under the grip of Maya and the modes of nature in passion and ignorance, and my declaration of war against the maya is certainly a great battle. Maya saw me very successful within one year, so that I got so many sincere young flowers like yourself and others, so it was a great defeat to the activities of maya: western country youngsters giving up illicit sex, intoxication, meat eating and gambling is certainly a great reverse in the activities of maya. Therefore she took advantage of my old age weakness and gave me a death dash. But Krishna saved me; therefore we should thank more Krishna than eulogize maya. So far my present health is concerned I think I am improving; at least I am taking my lunch better than in N.Y. So as soon as I am a little fit to return to the field of battle I shall again be in your midst.