Training of Gurudasa (Letters, 1967 - 1969)

Correspondence

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Janaki and others -- New York 10 April, 1967:

I am so much obliged to you for your devotion and affection for me. I thought of you all throughout my journey from Francisco to New York and I was praying to Lord Krishna for your more and more advancement in Krishna Consciousness. On my arrival here I was received by hundreds of devotees and friends although Mr. Ginsberg was out of the town. One young professor from India first greeted me and told me that Swamiji you are doing here real work whereas others who have come from India, have simply formed some groups of old lady students without any real information of Indian original culture. Any way the reception in New York was very good organized by our students here and there was distribution of varieties of Prasadam to about 100 men in the temple. I was not least tired and after landing from the air ship although there was some blockade in my ear still I continued meeting for three hours. I am now very well although I am feeling your great separation. Please continue Kirtana as usual with devotion and you will make more and more advancement in Krishna consciousness.

Letter to Mukunda -- New York 5 May, 1967:

I have also received a letter from her sister and her brother in law, Guru das, so I am replying to them separately. I think I shall address them care of our temple and when you receive you can re-direct if they are not there.

Letter to Gurudasa, Yamuna -- New York 5 May, 1967:

My dear Guru das and Yamuna,

I am very much pleased to receive your writing and short letter dated 25th April, 1967. Please accept my blessings. I hope you are living very peacefully and chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

I am very much pleased to see your good handwriting. I shall therefore request you to utilize your talent in the service of Krishna. I think if you write Hare Krishna Hare Krishna in the same style as you have sent me one specimen, on bigger type on canvas, say 30 inches by 20 inches in color or black and white, it would be a very good engagement for you and at the same time we can utilize those sign boards hanging in nice places. So if you have got time you can prepare immediately such signboards Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare, as you have sent me the specimen, on canvas. Make the canvas colored bluish Krishna color and write Hare Krishna in white. It will be very nice. I have very good appreciation for both of you, Guru das and Yamuna, you are 2 good souls, now you have combined. Live peacefully, chant Hare Krishna and be happy in your life.

Letter to Krsna Devi, Subala, Lilavati, Yamuna, Jayananda, Upendra, Malati, Gurudasa, Syamasundara, Haridasa, Mukunda, Janaki, Aunt Edna Howell -- New York 5 June, 1967:

My dear boys and girls I am so much obliged to you for your prayers to Krishna to save my life. Due to your sincere and ardent prayer, Krishna has saved my life. I was to die on Tuesday certainly but because you prayed sincerely I am saved. Now I am improving gradually and coming to original condition. Now I can hope to meet you again and chant with you, Hare Krishna. I am so glad to receive the report of your progressive march and I hope there will be no difficulty in your understanding Krishna Consciousness. My blessings are always with you and with confidence you go on with your chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Vrindaban 24 August, 1967:

I am so much pleased to receive your letter of 8/16/67, and it has given me much encouragement for your being advanced in K.C. Sincere souls who are engaged in the service of Lord Krishna are benedicted by the Lord by revelation. Sri Krishna, His Name, Form, Entourage, Paraphernalia and Pastimes are not material; they are purely spiritual. Therefore, in the beginning they are not appreciated by our materially conditioned senses, but as we go on chanting Hare Krishna with service mood and attitude, the Name, Qualities, etc., become revealed as Reality. For the Unbeliever Krishna and His Name etc are fictitious, but those who are advanced in K.C. realize that K.C. is pure and eternal.

I am very glad that you are gradually realizing these truths. I very much appreciate your attempt for a photo book of the Sankirtana movement. I have cent percent support for your noble attempt, and I am sure Hayagriva will be able to help you in this respect as he has so many facts at his disposal. I shall try to send some photo.

I am pleased to learn that you are teaching Spanish people English to help the mission. And you are worthy to become V.P. of our S.F. branch. Regarding Yamuna, your wife, I've got a very great regard, because she is very sincere girl. I'm sure you should feel fortunate to have such a wife. Please offer my blessings to her, and always cooperate with your wife in the service of the Lord. You'll be happy eternally.

Letter to Janaki -- Delhi 16 September, 1967:

I'm so pleased for your writing such nice sentiment. I've especially noted that you could express yourself so beautifully. I know both you and your sister have inherited a good heart from your good mother. Your eagerness to get me back in the states will surely be a success because I'm also eager to return. Tears for Krishna is as good as associating with Him personally. In the spiritual world separation is more valuable than meeting. So your feelings and tears of Krishna Consciousness will make you more enriched in spiritual advancement. Your husband Mukunda is a very very good boy and you are fortunate enough to have such a nice devotee husband. A similar combination is there in your sister and Gurudasa. You will be angry if I say that your sister is better than you but I think I'm right because Mukunda supports me. Rivalry between good hearts is very nice job, but I'm equally pleased with both your sister and yourself. Please convey my blessings to your sister and brother-in-law. I've received their good hand-writing and they have actually done it in full Krishna Consciousness.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Yamuna, Harsarani -- Los Angeles 15 January, 1968:

The plan of your husband and yourself, Yamuna, of going to India is approved by me, I am simply waiting for the place where you shall stay. I have already informed this matter to Guru das and he is preparing for this. We shall require at least one dozen students to go to India and stay there at least for 6 months, and be completely trained up on our line of activities.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 15 January, 1968:

Acyutananda and Ramanuja Brahmacaris are now at the following address. c/o N. Banerjee, 114 Elliot Road, Kanpur 4, India. They are contemplating to open a preaching center at Kanpur, and you can open correspondence with them before starting for India.

Letter to Gurudasa, Yamuna -- Los Angeles 16 January, 1968:

Be good boy and girl and always chant the HARE KRISHNA mantra and you will be so pleased with the result.

Yamuna you are little better than Janaki but don't get puffed up and be good to those a little less fortunate. Guru das your work is so nice and you are a very important member of our society. You and your wife work so well there shall never be any problems.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 13 February, 1968:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated Feb. 8, and have noted the contents. I have received also one letter from Upendra today, and I am so glad he is released within 10 days. That was my expectation when he came to see me, that he couldn't be incarcerated for more than a week. This instance of suffering by a devotee should be carefully noted. As Upendra was in the beginning incarcerated for 3 months, it was reduced to one week; similarly, when a devotee is seen in trouble, it should be accepted as God's Mercy. Just like Upendra's suffering for 3 months was destined by the law, but by the Mercy of God the suffering is reduced to one week only. So a devotee always accepts his distress as minimized by God's Mercy, although he would have to suffer many more times the suffering. Any one who accepts this philosophy of God's Mercy in suffering conditions, and still makes progress in Krishna Consciousness, it is said that he is sure to go back to Home, Back to Godhead.

Regarding Acyutananda's letter to you: it is a fact that in Brahmacari Ashram no Grhasthas are supposed to live, but the American House which we are now contemplating has no separate department for Grhasthas or Brahmacaris. Therefore for the present we cannot make such distinction in the American House. We are just beginning the American House there and gradually we shall make departmental division later on. Your quotation from Lord Caitanya that nobody should identify as a Brahmacari, Householder, Sannyasi, is quite correct. On the Krishna platform there is no such distinction. The only reason is that on the material platform sex life is very predominant. Therefore a Brahmacari is advised not to live with Grhasthas. But if there's strong sense of Krishna Consciousness, this distinction of material world will disappear in spiritual light. Anyway, so far you are concerned, I have received letter from Acyutananda which reads as follows about yourself: "Yamuna and Gurudasa are welcomed and they may come soon so I must have your decision." So you can prepare yourself for going there and keeping correspondence with Acyutananda, so that as soon as the house is settled there you can go with a car.

Letter to Upendra, Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 18 February, 1968:

If our Berkeley centre is not going to be fruitful just now, I think you may prepare to go to India where Acyutananda has opened a centre at Kanpur. Gurudasa is in contact with Acyutananda and you can talk with Gurudasa. Our aim of starting a centre in India is to attract Indian youngsters by American devotees. Combined together we shall be able to make a wide circulation of the Krishna Consciousness movement. Hope you are well.

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 24 February, 1968:

Regarding glossy photo, I am writing to Guru das but I think Rayarama has got many specimens of my photograph. If you so desire, you can select one of them. I am also writing to Gurudasa in this connection. I understand that you have ordered some books from Gaudiya Math and Mr. Kalman is cooperating.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 24 February, 1968:

I thank you very much for your letter dated Feb. 21, 1968, and I am glad to learn that you had some discussions with some non-devotees. You can take it for granted that nondevotee class who is not in Krishna Conciousness as we are teaching are all great fools never mind how ever they may advertise themselves as meditators, yogis, philosophers, religionists, and so on. We are presenting a scientific program of God conciousness on the basis of the highest authority, Bhagavad-gita. For a preacher there are four principles to be followed. One, he must be fully surrendered to Krishna. Two, intimately in friendly relationship with devotees trying to elevate conditioned living entities to Krishna Conciousness and rejecting the nondevotee class. So if you find a nondevotee eager to listen submissively you can show your mercy to elevate him to Krishna Conciousness, but a nondevotee who is already poisoned by the serpent of the demon class swami or yogi is very difficult to be dealt with, so the best thing is to reject them and not waste time for their elevation; but a person who is willing to hear us submissively must be given chance to understand the philosophy of Krishna Conciousness. I am very much obliged to you for expressing your good sentiments on account of my humble service to you all. Your appreciation of my humble service is thankfully accepted.

Regarding your going to India the house is not yet settled, so unless I definitely hear from Acyutananda and others who are trying to have a nice house for our Indian branch you may not be very much anxious to go to India but I am sure we are going to have a nice house very soon which I shall let you know in due course. Otherwise, when I return, you, your wife, and some other brahmacaris shall go with me.

I have received one letter from Brahmananda asking for a very nice glossy photo portrait of me so if you can arrange to send such a glossy photo it will be very nice. He asked to receive the photo as soon as possible. He has also advised me to take help of a professional photographer if your assistance is not available immediately because I am away from your place. Please let me know if you can send such glossy photo from many negatives which you have got in your possession. I understand also that Rayarama has taken some of the negatives from you in New York so if you like you can advise him to do the needful. Anyway the matter is urgent and I ask you to do the needful. I am expected to return to San Francisco by the 10th of March and I shall let you know the exact time and date later on.

Letter to Acyutananda -- Los Angeles 1 March, 1968:

I have received your letter addressed to Mukunda and Guru das, in which you write to say that I may send you a telegram sanctioning your return. This means that you have become very much anxious to return back to USA, and I have become very much anxious to return back to USA, and I have also already sanctioned it, in reply to your last letter post-dated Feb. 21.

Letter to Jadurani -- San Francisco 16 March, 1968:

So far the picture is concerned, Gurudasa has recently taken some very nice photographs, and I shall ask him to send some copies to you. Yes, to make posters as you suggest will be very nice, please do it.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Allston, Mass 23 May, 1968:

A few days ago I received one letter from you in which you desired to send me one manuscript for Nimai Sannyas drama, written by some Mr. Chatterji. Generally these dramas are sentimentalism. Those who are devotees of Lord Caitanya, they do not discuss much about the Lord's renouncing the householder life, but there are certain persons who floodlight the renouncement of Lord Caitanya in a materialistic sentimental way. I have seen such drama, written by Mr. Diliproy, and that was nearly nonsense. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu decided to accept this renounced order of life in a moment, and the business was finished in a day. But these people, in order to create a scene, they adulterate the Lord's renouncement in so many ways. so I guess in the drama of Mr. Chatterji similar such things may be included. Any drama or book written by unauthorized persons should not be indulged in. (In this connection I may mention that I have seen one copy of "Narada Pancaratra" sent here from San Francisco, and it is not good. Please stop circulation of this book, which is not authorized.) A pure devotee is always free from the four principle restrictions, and he has a tilaka on his forehead. At least these symptoms indicate one's purity in Krishna Consciousness. If one is not following these principles, he is not considered to be a pure devotee.

As a matter of recognition I am giving the second endowment of initiation, namely the sacred thread to those who are chanting 16 rounds regularly, and have followed the four principles of restrictions may be awarded this sacred thread. The first batch of six disciples are already given. When I return to San Francisco I shall offer the same sacred thread to some of you.

Page Title:	Training of Gurudasa (Letters, 1967 - 1969)
Compiler:	MadhuGopaldas
Created:	28 of May, 2010
Totals by Section:	BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=69
No. of Quotes:	69