Training of Revatinandana dasa (Letters, 1969 - 1976)

Correspondence

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Revatinandana -- Allston, Mass 6 May, 1969:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 1, 1969, and I have signed the letter to the draft board as you have requested. If it will be of help to you, I shall also send you one certificate stating that you are my disciple. I thank you very much for the nice sentiments you have expressed, and surely this nice attitude will be a great asset for your further advancement in perfecting your life in Krishna Consciousness.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Revatinandana -- Los Angeles 25 March, 1970:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your nice letter dated 18 March, 1970, along with a check for my book fund paid by blessed Roy Richard. I am enclosing one letter to him herewith, which please hand over to him.

From the description of your letter it is to be understood that things are going very nicely in your center. Our line of action is very simple, and if you stick to the principles, then success is sure.

Regarding your question about the various demoniac species of life: the Lord's condemnation, although appearing to be very harsh, is not so. The Lord being Absolute, His condemnation is as good as His blessings. Whenever the Lord or anyone of His pure devotees condemns somebody, it is to be taken as blessing. You know that the great sage Narada condemned the sons of Kuvera to become trees, but as a result of this, they were able to see Lord Krsna which is very difficult even for the great mystic yogis.

You have been a little bit perturbed that the demons are eternally condemned, and I thank you very much that you have been compassionate with the demons. That is the sign of Vaisnavism. The Lord may condemn the demons, but because the Vaisnavas are there, there is ample chance for the demons to become blessed by the devotees of the Lord. The devotees of the Lord are so powerful that each and every one of them has the power of delivering many demons, even condemned by the Lord. The preaching work of Krishna Consciousness Movement is specifically meant for delivering the demons. Therefore, if you remain faithful to the Lord, you shall be able to deliver many such demons.

So there is no cause of being disappointed because of the demons being condemned by the Lord. It is the duty of the devotee to deliver them. And the Lord is so powerful that through His pure devotee anyone can be delivered, never mind how he is fallen or condemned. I think the answer of your question is now clear and you can do the needful.

I have gone through the newspaper articles sent by you, and they are very important. Continue to work like this in cooperation with Dininath Prabhu who is a very good devotee. Prabhavati's husband, Harer Nama, is here in L.A. now.

Please convey my blessings to all the Prabhus there working under your good direction.

Letter to Damodara -- Los Angeles 4 May, 1970:

Letter to: Damodara

—

Los Angeles

4 May, 1970

70-05-04

Bahulasva Berkeley Rshi Kumara New York

Satsvarupa Boston Umapati Paris

Harer Nama Boulder Subaladas Philadelphia

Rupanuga Buffalo Sridama Providence

Jaya Gopala Columbus Vamanadeva St. Louis

Bhagavan dasa Detroit Madhudvisa San Francisco

Hamsaduta Hamburg Citsukhananda San Jose

Gaurasundara Hawaii Revatinandana Santa Barbara

Durlabh Laguna Beach Gajendra Seattle

Gurudasa London Bali Mardan Sydney

Sripati Montreal Sudama Tokyo

Hayagriva New Vrndavana Jagadisa Toronto

Cidananda Vancouver Damodara Washington

My Dear Damodara,

Please accept my blessings. I hope everything is going on well in your center.

As each and every ISKCON Center is my life and soul for preaching this movement, I hope you are doing your best to conduct the regular routine duties of the Temple—chanting regularly the beads, observing the restrictive regulations, taking Sankirtana Party to the streets, and selling our magazines and books.

Now at the present moment, I am concentrating my energy in this Los Angeles Center as ideal for all other centers in respect of Deity worship, Arati, Kirtana and other necessary paraphernalia. As I have curtailed my moving program, I wish that you may come here at your convenience and stay here for a few days and see personally how things are going on, and by meeting with me personally for necessary instruction, I hope simultaneously in all Centers that activities will be of the same standard.

Letter to Revatinandana -- Los Angeles 13 June, 1970:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated 6th June, 1970, along with a check for $100, and thank you very much.

Regarding your question whether you may go to Rathayatra festival, yes, you may go because in your present temple the Deities are not regularly installed. So you can close the temple for a few days keeping in front of the Deities some dried fruits and a tumbler of water. When the Deity is installed it is called niyama seva. That means the routine seva prescribed after installation you cannot stop. But Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very kind to the fallen souls of the Kali Yuga and He is satisfied with chanting of Hare Krsna mantra. And for chanting the Hare Krsna mantra there is no hard and fast rules and regulations, so if you are absent for chanting Hare Krsna mantra somewhere else, it is as good as to chant the Hare Krsna mantra in the temple. Your chanting may not be stopped; it does not matter where you chant.

The next question, about the living entities falling down in this material world are not from the impersonal brahman. Existence in the impersonal brahma is also within the category of non-Krsna consciousness. Those who are in the brahman effulgence they are also in the fallen condition, so there is no question of falling down from a fallen condition. When fall takes place, it means falling down from the non-fallen condition.

The non-fallen condition is Krsna consciousness. So long one can maintain pure Krsna consciousness he is not fallen down. As soon as he becomes out of Krsna consciousness immediately he is fallen down. It does not matter where a living entity stays. In the material world also there are different stages of living conditions, and to remain in the brahman effulgence is also another phase of that fallen condition. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that conditioned souls by their pious activities are elevated to the higher planetary system, but as soon as the stock of pious activities is finished he again comes down on the earthly planet. Similarly those who are elevated beyond the planetary system to the brahma effulgence, they are also prone to fall down as much as a living entity from the higher planetary system.

As such those who are thinking that they are liberated by being situated in brahman effulgence are described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam as impurely intelligent. In other words, they are actually not liberated, and because they are not actually liberated they again come down to the material world as much as a living entity elevated to the higher planetary system comes down to this earthly planet. So we do not accept anyone elevated to the brahman effulgence as actually liberated.

I hope this will clarify the matter for you.

Letter to Revatinandana -- Tokyo 27 August, 1970:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your encouraging letter dated August 15th 1970.

I am very glad that you are all following the regular chanting of sixteen rounds daily very strictly. This schedule which you have made is very satisfactory, so follow the rules and regulations according to schedule and execute your duties in Krsna's service and everything will be alright. These regulative functions of chanting the rounds sixteen daily, rising early in the morning to attend Mangala Arati, holding classes for studying our scripture and gong on Sankirtana, these items must not be neglected. They will quickly advance us in Krsna Consciousness and clear up all doubtful activities which have been causing mischief in our Society.

It is very good news that people are gradually taking more interest in your activities there by attending love feasts, classes, Arati and Sankirtana performances. In Japan they are doing nicely and similarly I have not good report from Los Angeles that they are doing nicely also, and in Boston also they are doing nicely.

Please offer my blessings to Bansidhari, Devarsi, Patraka, Divyasuri and Sriman Jim as well as all the other boys and girls.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Jayapataka -- Gorakhpur 23 February, 1971:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 17th February, 1971 and have noted the contents. You have asked for some men so immediately another batch of two men, Revatinandana and Durlabh Das Adhikari are going today carrying this letter. Durlabh Das has got camera films and machine and so he will be very good for your work there, and Revatinandana is very well known Sankirtana leader.

Letter to Whom it may concern -- Bombay 14 March, 1971:

Letter to: Whom it may concern

—

Bombay

14 March, 1971

71-03-14

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Resolved in a meeting of the International Society For Krishna Consciousness held in Calcutta at 3, Albert Road, Calcutta 16 in the presence of the Acarya Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, GBC Secretary Tamala Krishna Das Adhikari and initiated members as Ksirodakasayi Das Adhikari (Kedar Natha Gupta) and Revatinandana Das Brahmacari (Robert Stephen Cusimano) that a checking account of the society be opened in Central Bank of India, Delhi and Ksirodakasayi Das Adhikari (Kedar Natha Gupta) and Revatinandana Das Brahmacari (Robert Stephen Cusimano) will jointly sign the checks. Their specimen signatures are as under.

Tamala Krishna Das Adhikari

Secretary GBC

Acarya

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Ksirodakasayi Das Adhikari

(Kedar Natha Gupta)

Revatinandana Das Brahmacari

(Robert Stephen Cusimano)

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Bombay 25 April, 1971:

Yes, Revatinandana and Madhudvisa Swami will go there just as soon as you send money for their passage, and they will take the marble Deities with them also. And I shall be going there also by the 13rd May via Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. For the throne design you will have to write Gurudasa in Delhi (c/o S.K. Joshi; 4-A Kamala Nagar) about it. There is no such photo here. You have got idea of the length and breadth of the throne already. It should be as you have done in Gorakhpur.

Letter to Giriraja -- Brooklyn 25 July, 1971:

Your word of assurance that in two years time you will be able to collect 25 lakhs is very encouraging and I am sure that you will be able to do it. Krishna has given you the intelligence. But I am surprised that only Revatinandana Maharaja is helping you. Why not others? There must be at least two parties to collect funds. Is Tamala Krishna that busy? He can form another party also. That will be very nice.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Brooklyn 28 July, 1971:

I have learned from Giriraja that it is not possible to get any big donation. We have to construct the temple at Mayapur by collecting membership fees. So far I understand, the collection rate is at one member per day. So even it is so, then keeping this standard, we may collect 25,000 to 30,000 Rs. per month. Four months means one lakh. One year means three lakhs. So if we want to spend 25 lakhs at Mayapur, it will take 8 to 10 years. Do you think that is a practical proposal? So we should not imagine some big project unless we have got insurance from our admirers. This life membership program has proved a little successful, so continue it and form 3 or 4 parties to collect membership fees. As Giriraja and Revatinandana have formed one party, so you and Tamala form a party to approach respectable gentlemen to become life members.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Brooklyn 28 July, 1971:

To give the contract to Martin, Burn or Ballardie is too big a scheme, because these contractors were engaged in building the Victoria Memorial Hall I don't think we can give them proper remuneration. So far I can understand from Giriraja's letter he thinks money is expected only from Life Members, not from big contributors. Revatinandana does not require to go to Bombay because I have received a letter from Madhudvisa and things are going nicely there. Besides Revatinandana is on the Mayapur Committee. so why he should go to Bombay? He is doing well in conjunction with Giriraja and Giriraja writes that he is his only helper. On the other hand, some of the rich men like Bajoria, Jalan and K. K. Birla may be added to the Mayapur Committee.. I think this will help our Mayapur scheme very nicely.

Letter to Giriraja -- London 12 August, 1971:

Too many cooks spoil the broth. I have therefore asked Tamala and Gurudasa to go to Delhi for organizing a center there. Jayapataka can take care of the accounts and you and Revatinandana Maharaja along with other assistants be engaged in collecting funds. That will be nice. Tamala wants our accounts audited but I have asked for the trial balance and balance sheet, but Tamala is silent on this point. How things will be audited unless accounts are kept systematically according to the scientific accounting system? Scientific keeping of accounts is tested by the trial balance and balance sheet.

Letter to Sankara -- Delhi 9 December, 1971:

n.b. if you have desire to begin immediately translating one book, then you may request Jayapataka or Revatinandana or any of my disciples at Calcutta branch to hand over to you whatever book you shall require for beginning translating. Take "Easy Journey to Other Planets" first.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Caturbhuja -- Mayapur 28 February, 1972:

Thank you very much for your questions. You enquire about the mode of goodness, and why such people do not worship Krishna. Actually, this is not the final stage, one has to go further ahead to suddha sattva. In the material mode of goodness there are sometimes tinges of the modes of passion and ignorance, but in the suddha sattva stage there is only pure love of God or pure mode of goodness, that is the difference.

Regarding Sandipani Muni, he got knowledge from his Spiritual Master, but there is no mention who he is.

Krishna Prasad is always all right. The consideration of spoiling foodstuff after 3 hours, that is ordinary or it is so for persons who are not advanced in accepting Krishna prasada as transcendental, just like Ragunatha Goswami: he was collecting rejected rice from the cooking of Lord Jagannatha and he was eating only that. So this is a higher stage, so for the time being you should know that Krishna prasada is never contaminated by any material source.

Now I am pleased that you are making serious study of this our Krishna philosophy, so I want that you go on like this until you will able to defeat any challenge from atheists and rascals, then your preaching work will have real potency and combinedly with your Godbrothers around the world and at London Temple you shall preach so strongly that one day this Krishna consciousness movement will change the world from the most dangerous condition; that is the wish of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and tomorrow we shall be celebrating the Lord's Appearance Day by laying down the corner-stone for our World Headquarters here at Mayapur.

Because you want to understand in this way, I have instructed Revatinandana Maharaja to take special attention for your questions to him, and I think he will answer them to your

satisfaction, but if he is unable, then you may ask them to me instead.

Letter to Revatinandana -- Sydney 2 April, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3/10/72, and I am very much pleased upon you for taking up the matter of preaching work in England especially, and also other places. I am happy to hear that new centers are being opened by you and others in Europe. This is our best field, and practically I am observing here in Australia that you western boys and girls are becoming angels by taking up this Krishna Consciousness process, and that our Indian boys and girls will not take it up. They think that to have a good wife and sufficient income, bas, that is the goal of their life. But you all are joining me and you are coming out very nicely by Krishna's grace, so I am very much thankful. One thing, if we are not very careful to always stick to the point of regulative principles and purest standards of high living, then everything will spoil very quickly and the whole show will be a farce. So impress this point in your preaching for training the younger devotees, they will follow your example in all respects.

I think your idea to canvass the youth groups and colleges in England is good proposal, so do it nicely in cooperation with Dayananda and the others there, and I am sending Kesava there to England soon to organize the book-distribution and travelling Sankirtana Party, so you know him, now you help him very seriously to increase these two programs, because I think especially that England is the best field in the world for distributing our books, as good or better than USA, so I want that you all should be very active to increase the scope there. Kesava is the recognized expert in these fields, so you take direction from him how to do it, and you preach wherever you go throughout the British Isles, and make this travelling SKP a great success, a greater success, than it is now in your country.

Regarding your questions, 1) The devotee always takes bodily pains as the mercy of Krishna. 2) Everyone who is chanting Hare Krishna is getting benefit. Sanatana Goswami says that one should not hear from an aVaisnava, or non-Vaisnava. So people who are imitating are hearing from a Vaisnava. They are not a Vaisnava, because the Hare Krishna Mantra is introduced by us only into the western world, so whatever they have heard is from a Vaisnava.

Letter to Dayananda -- Los Angeles 20 May, 1972:

Another thing, I have heard that Revatinandana wants to return to USA but I do not see any need that he should return. It is simply sentimental feeling. You report that he is doing very nicely by speaking at colleges and schools so let him continue in that way. He may take as many assistants as he requires and very strongly preach this philosophy to the student class of men. That is the greatest service. But if we allow ourselves to wander here and there without any fixed-up program that is not good. So at least let him remain there until I come and then we shall discuss further.

Page Title:	Training of Revatinandana dasa (Letters, 1969 - 1976)
Compiler:	MadhuGopaldas
Created:	31 of May, 2010
Totals by Section:	BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=48
No. of Quotes:	48