Butter (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"butter" |"buttered" |"butterfat" |"buttermilk" |"butterpot"

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Brahmananda -- Vrindaban 4 August, 1967:

I have already instructed you that Gargamuni should get married. They should get a marriage certificate as soon as is possible. In the temple the ceremony should be observed by chanting Hare Krishna before the fire, offering the clarified butter with the word Saha, and the bride and groom should exchange their garlands before the Lord Krishna deity and promise not to be separated in life. They should know it that bodily relation between the husband and wife is secondary; primary factor is that both should help one another in the matter of advancement of K.C.

Letter to Brahmananda -- Vrindaban 22 August, 1967:

Regarding Gargamuni's marriage, I have already sanctioned it. Perhaps you did not receive the letters containing all instructions. I repeat: the bride and groom should sit before the Deity Lord Krishna or Jagannatha and you should ignite the fire to offer clarified butter; simply chant Hare Krishna, all of you, and offer the butter to the fire with the word SAHA. The bride and groom should exchange their garlands, and the groom should promise never to forsake his wife, and the wife should promise to serve the husband for all her days. Then when there is opportunity, I shall further bless them personally

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Delhi 6 October, 1967:

I can understand the hint which you give me about Himavati and Hamsaduta. As a matter of fact woman is like fire and the man is like the butter pot. They must keep apart for healthy atmosphere. But in your country the social system is different. In fact in our society, at least, we should make separate arrangement of residence for the boys and girls. Gradually we have to organize like that.

Letter to Jadurani -- Navadvipa 26 October, 1967:

The brahmacarini asrama is not yet started. You should not bother about it at the present moment. When the brahmacarini asrama is established then you should consider going. Most probably I also will go to San Francisco directly from India. When I am there I shall see if your presence is actually required there. In the meantime you can continue with your painting as usual & enjoy the spiritual life. In the Scriptures it is said that a woman is just like fire & a man is just like a butter pot. The butter melts in the pot while in contact with fire. In your country association of man and woman is very common without restriction; thus the result is known to you better than I am able to explain. In spiritual life attraction of man & woman in the understanding of material body hampers very much, therefore, some sort of restrictions are necessary to check this hampering problem.

Letter to Himavati -- Navadvipa 2 November, 1967:

My Dear Himavati,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 26 Oct. and I may advise you that in your pregnant condition you may not take any pungent foodstuffs. Your husband knows how to prepare nice capatis and you can take them nicely buttered. Don't be mortified with Kirtanananda's behavior. The present feature of Kirtanananda and Hayagriva are temporary manifestation of maya. They will be corrected as soon as I return. You have rightly said that he and Hayagriva came like two children and took their things from the temple. Don't you think that all this is childish activities? If Kirtanananda donated the candle holders and clothes to the Temple of Krishna how could he take them back for his own purpose. If they think impersonally that Krishna is present everywhere, how could they think of Krishna not being present in the New York Temple. So all their activities are befitting children; so as children commit mistakes and again reforms similarly they will be reformed in due course.

Letter to Rayarama -- San Francisco 21 December, 1967:

My first concern is that you are not eating well. It is a case of anxiety. Please don't eat dal and spices. Simply boiled vegetables, rice and a few capatis. Take butter separately and eat only as much as you may require for taste. Drink milk twice, morning and evening. Don't eat at night. Eat some fruits in the evening. Use some digestive pill after each principle meal. I think soda-mint tablets will help. Be careful about your health first. This information is not only for you but all my noble sons. I am an old man. I may live or die it does not matter. But you must live for long time to push on this Krishna Consciousness movement.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Kris -- Los Angeles 13 November, 1968:

I have noted your questions carefully, and regarding your question about the Prasadam recipes; Krishna is offered foodstuff in goodness. The foodstuffs in the modes of goodness are wheat, rice, pulse (beans, peas), sugar, honey, butter and all milk preparations, vegetables, flowers, fruits, grains. So these foods can be offered in any shape, but prepared in various ways by the intelligence of the devotees. The ingredients are always the same as above, whether you fry them, boil them, bake them, powder them, or whatever way they are combined or cooked, the idea is that they must come from this group of foodstuffs. So you can make your own recipe if you like, so long as the ingredients are within this group. This foods group is stated by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita, and we follow accordingly.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 14 December, 1968:

It is just like that in the milk, there is butter, but if you want concentrated butter, you have to churn milk and take out the butter. Similarly, Krishna is spread everywhere by different potencies but when there is question of love, we have to be in direct touch with Krishna. That is personalism. The heat of the impersonalist sunshine and the heat in the sunglobe is far different. One who is in personal touch with Krishna, their spiritual bliss is incomparable. The spiritual bliss derived from impersonalist realization is just like a drop of water in the presence of the Atlantic Ocean. That is the difference between personalism and impersonalism.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Jadurani -- Los Angeles 15 January, 1969:

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 6, 1969, and I have noted with pleasure that you are almost done with the first five Krishna pictures which I have suggested to you. I think that you may immediately send these pictures to me in Los Angeles. So far as photographing these pictures for the book, I think that it is essential that these pictures be with bright attractive colors, so please do them in this way.

I am enclosing herewith the instructions for the next four paintings.

1. Nanda Maharaja (an old man of not less than 50 years) is observing celebration. Many cowherd boys are coming with milk and curd on a balancing stick on their backs (see enclosed picture). Nanda Maharaja, who is the chief amongst the cowherd men, is giving them presentations of cloth, ornaments, fruits, etc., and there is feasting going on. Some of them are enjoying by throwing butter upon their friend's bodies.

Letter to Upendra -- Los Angeles 1 February, 1969:

Regarding your question, maya comes from Krishna. Everything comes from Krishna, but when something is found in Krishna it is just as good as anything can be. Just like Krishna has the stealing propensity. As such He is called the Butter Thief, and he is worshiped as the Butter Thief. He is worshiped by His devotees all over the world with love and affection, while the same propensities in us would result in our being handed over to the police. That is the difference between Krishna and ourselves. He being Absolute, everything in Him is also Absolute. In the relative prospective it is very difficult to understand what is the Absolute. From the material point of view, one cannot understand that one plus one equals one, and one minus one equals one. It requires a little time to understand this axiomatic truth. But in time such truths will become revealed to you without any mental speculation.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- New Vrindaban 10 June, 1969:

The article was very nice, and I can appreciate how you are assimilating this Krishna philosophy and conveying it nicely to others. Your descriptions of the Dadhibhanda Celebration sounds very thrilling, and here in New Vrindaban there is also nice supply of butter, ghee, milk and cheese due to the cow that they are keeping here. Regarding the draft lawyer, please try to expedite the matter, because there are many of our boys who may take advantage of this facility of being excused from the draft service.

Letter to Labangalatika -- Los Angeles 24 June, 1969:

I am just looking over the letter that you had given to me in New Vrindaban, so I shall reply to it herewith. You are a very good girl, and I have seen with pleasure your advancement in Krishna Consciousness. It appears that in your previous life you had cultured this knowledge, and on account of your pious life, you have got a very good son who is developing in Krishna Consciousness. So New Vrindaban is the right place for you now, simultaneously to advance in Krishna Consciousness and to take care of your boy directly in your presence. I have advised Kirtanananda Maharaja that girls who are living in New Vrindaban should be engaged in the following activities; 1) taking care of the children, 2) cleaning the temple, kitchen, etc. 3) cooking, and 4) churning butter. So for the time being, you remain in New Vrindaban, follow the principles carefully, and I am sure that your life will be successful.

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Los Angeles 24 June, 1969:

Two brahmacaris, Purusottama and Sridama, are always taking care of me, but at the same time, I am always thinking of your New Vrindaban. The first thing I find in the taste of the milk. The milk which we are taking here is not at all comparable with New Vrindaban milk. Anyway, there must be a gulf of difference between city life and country life. As poet Cowper said, "Country is made by God, and city is made by man." Therefore, my special request is that you should try to maintain as many cows as possible in your New Vrindaban. The first thing is that whether the girls and women who live there are agreeable to work as I have suggested; namely 1) to take care of the children, both from health and educational point of view, 2) to keep the whole temple, kitchen, etc. very clean, (At the present moment, things are not kept very clean. You are right that if some outsiders come, they will view our situation as not very hygienic.), 3) cooking, 4) churning butter. If they agree to all these four principles, that is to say, if they cooperate with the boys, then surely very quickly New Vrindaban will develop as nicely as possible.

Letter to Gargamuni -- London 20 November, 1969:

Tamala Krishna has gone now to Germany with the Sankirtana Party to install Radha-Krishna Deities there. I hope by this time you have received the shipping documents and invoice sent by the Bank of Baroda as well as by me. So after clearing the goods, please let me know how you have received them. Regarding your expenditures, we do not mind if there is no saving. Our policy should be to collect millions of dollars and spend also millions of dollars or sometimes more. But we should be very careful that we may not be extravagant. For necessary expenditures we have no grudge. I do not know what you are eating, but the eating program should be nutritious and simple, not luxurious. That means capatis, dahl, vegetables, some butter, some fruits and milk. This is necessary for keeping good health. But we should not indulge in sweetballs or halevah or like that daily. Too much first-class eating may stimulate our sex desires, especially sweet preparations. Anyway, eat Krishna Prasadam, but be careful that we may not indulge in luxury.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Sudama -- Surat 30 December, 1970:

I am very glad to learn that Krishna has given you such a nice new temple with so many nice facilities. If you can get one cow that is very auspicious. Then you can have fresh milk and butter. Also the garden mentioned by you should be cultivated. In India the system is that no matter how poor a man is, still, if he has a little land, he can grow some flowers or vegetables and offer to the Deity. In this way take advantage of all that Krishna has so kindly provided. In addition if you can begin production of of spiritual sky incense there, that will be helpful. Your temple can be named as New Gaya.* Gaya is the province where Lord Buddha flourished. Japan is Buddhist country and we accept Lord Buddha as incarnation of God.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Acyutananda -- London 28 June, 1971:

From Calcutta I went to Bombay and then to Moscow. We stayed there for five days. There are many younger Muscovites who are very much anxious to join our movement. Unfortunately the government is so strict that it is difficult to take their cooperation for starting a center there. Every thing is strictly under government control. Still we are trying to open a center with the help of local men. The city is very big and there are many nice buildings, roads, etc., but life is not very happy. One cannot live according to his own choice. Fruits and vegetables are very scantily supplied, but milk, butter and yogurt are amply available.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- London 28 June, 1971:

I hope things are going well there and Mayapur development is going on and that the fencing is being done also, as I instructed you in my last letter. So far my travels, from Bombay you may have heard, I went to Moscow. We stayed there for five days. There are many younger Muscovites who are very anxious for joining our movement. Unfortunately the government is so strict that it is difficult to take their cooperation for starting a center there. Everything is strictly under government control. Still we are trying to open a center with the help of local men. The city is very big and there are many nice buildings, roads, etc., but life is not very happy. One cannot live according to his own choice. Fruits and vegetables are very scantily supplied, but milk, butter and yogurt are readily available.

Letter to Madhudvisa -- Los Angeles 29 June, 1971:

You will be glad to know that we arrived safely in Moscow and stayed there for five days. There are many younger Muscovites who are very much anxious to join our movement. Unfortunately the government is so strict that it is difficult to take their cooperation for starting a center there. Everything is strictly under government control. Still we are trying to open a center with the help of local men. The city is very big and there are many nice buildings, roads, etc. but life is not very happy. One cannot live according to his own choice. Fruits and vegetables are very scantily supplied. Milk, butter and yogurts are amply available, though.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Von Paul Reed -- Bombay 2 January, 1972:

We can have a great many such communities all over the world so that people everywhere can see how by leading a pure and simple life of Krishna consciousness, all one's needs in life can be satisfied. Actually, the so-called civilization of the Kali yuga with its over industrialization, has not been able to give to man the happiness he is seeking. So as you say that your land is very suitable for cow protection and for Tulsi to grow, then Krishna is giving you the opportunity to develop this program. Protect some cows, grow crops, and if possible provide fresh milk and butter for the Temples nearby. And the rest of the time chant Hare Krishna and read my books. In this way you can live very peacefully without any disturbances from anyone.

Letter to Chaya -- Calcutta 16 February, 1972:

A woman's real business is to look after household affairs, keep everything neat and clean, and if there is sufficient milk supply available, she should always be engaged in churning butter, making yogurt, curd, so many nice varieties, simply from milk. The woman should be cleaning, sewing, like that. So if you simply practice these things yourselves and show examples, they will learn automatically, one doesn't have to give formal instruction in these matters.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Los Angeles 12 January, 1974:

Regarding what to do with the skim milk after the ghee has been produced. So far I have experience in India, after churning the butter the remnant is called gohle this gohle is called sour milk. Sour milk can be taken by the members of New Vrindaban along with food. In India in villages they have enough milk and sour milk is taken in place of water or in dahl with salt and pepper. So sour milk should be taken by the devotees and ghee used. Cheese is very valuable. Sometimes it is used by sweet meat shops in India and it is called khurcha. If you like you can make cheese but we require much quantity of ghee.

Letter to Madhavananda -- Mayapur 6 October, 1974:

From the pictures it appears that the Deity worship is going on very nicely. Krishna is very satisfied by His face. He looks very healthy. He is very fond of milk and butter. He is a butter thief. You have now got cows, so offer nicely. I have asked that the picture be framed. I think that the Deity worship is almost better than our Los Angeles center. The Life Member room is very nice. They should have like that here.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Jayahatakosthaka -- Tehran 14 March, 1975:

Your name means all glories to Krishna who performs the transcendental pastime of breaking into the storeroom (of butter).

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Kunja Behari -- Bhuvanesvara 19 January, 1977:

My instruction is that whatever food they serve, you should not eat meat, only bread, some butter, milk, vegetables and fruit if available. And always chant Hare Krishna. Then, it doesn't matter whether you are in heaven or hell. Yes, it will be a great service, even in prison, if you can preach there. You should inform the authorities for protection if other prisoners attack you. We have no business there except chanting Hare Krishna.

Letter to Subhavilasa -- Mayapur 16 March, 1977:

The farm you describe sounds nice and if you can supply grains, butter, etc. to Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa as you suggest, it is very good. From the photos it seems that it gets very cold there. Whether the weather will hinder the farming as happened at the Vancouver farm? There they were forced to sell the farm. The farm may be called "Subha Farm". I have already given general guidelines for our other farms.