Charity (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"charity"

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Members -- Bombay:

Please try to contribute the expenses for one, two, three or more up to 2 x 12 issues in a year. If not at least for one month in a year, you can accept the burden for God's sake and distribute the same with YOUR GOOD NAME PRINTED ON THE ISSUES AS A DONOR. This service of spiritual value with your hard earned money on behalf of Godhead, will be recognized by the Lord and you will be blessed with spiritual enlightenment in your life without fail. Please experience it factually exactly like a man fed in hunger.

Sacrifice, charity and penances are three essential things for attaining spiritual light. The suggested way to you is the easiest one to cover all the above three important spiritual activities. Do not miss this opportunity. Kindly adopt it immediately and see the result how it acts.

May good counsel prevail upon you. Please read the current issue of the paper which is donated by an enlightened soul and follow the example for your as well as the world's good.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 27 January, 1970:

It is so satisfactory to understand that you are preaching from house to house recruiting members for our London center. This was the procedure of Lord Caitanya and Nityananda when they began preaching. I think the charity box system will be very nice success especially from the Indian store owners.

The manager of the airplane company offered us some place in Bombay, but you have not written anything about it. Is he serious about this?

You prepare now all kinds of nice films as far as possible and ask L.A. also to do this and other centers if possible, so when we go to India they will be very much appreciated.

Letter to Ekayani -- Los Angeles 10 February, 1970:

We do not press people to contribute, and even though we do so, it is for the good of the contributor because everything is employed for advancing this Krishna Consciousness movement. The initiated householders are supposed to be Brahmins, and according to scriptural injunction a Brahmin can accept charity for employing the income in the service of the Lord. The boys and girls who chant in the street are also giving in charity the highest benefit to the people in general. So far such Brahmins or Brahmacaris or Sannyasis asking contributions is not against the law, actually that is the way of livelihood for persons who are not karmis.

Sometimes such persons in India go door to door for collecting alms.

Letter to Jagadisa -- Bombay 26 November, 1970:

There are innumerable departments of knowledge being presented in the universities, but there is no department of knowledge for understanding the science of God, Krishna and therefore we want to introduce such a department of knowledge.

Yes, Krishna Consciousness is simple. Chant, dance, take prasadam and always try to think of Krishna. In the Bhagavad-gita it is stated by Krishna that whatever you do, eat, give away in charity or sacrifice should be done as an offering to Him, and by this principle of work, surely you will come to Him. So everyone has to eat and work. Simply we should do so on Krishna's account and that will make our life perfect.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Upendra -- Nairobi 9 October, 1971:

That is the position. The Vedic instruction is so nice that the soul, when he jumps over this material ocean, the Vedic instruction teaches him how to swim and come back again to the shore. This swimming process, according to Vedic instruction, is called sacrifice, charity and penance. One who learns these techniques of swimming over the ocean of nescience, he goes back to home, back to Godhead. One who does not take to this swimming process, he becomes drowned. In the Bhagavad-gita this is stated iccha dyesa samutthena . . . svarge yanti parantapa which means deluded by desire to enjoy the material world and becoming envious of Krishna, one comes to this material world. (Bhagavad-gita, 7/27). So read our literature profusely and you will get sufficient knowledge.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Prajapati -- Mayapur 25 February, 1972:

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.

Letter to Karandhara, Tamala Krsna, Bhavananda, Giriraja -- Vrindaban 19 October, 1972:

I am in due receipt of your letter of October 18, 1972, jointly signed by all of you and delivered to me by Syamasundara. If the Charity Commissioner refuses us the permission then there is no point continuing, and in that case we shall try to get the two lakhs we have paid back and go away. But it appears the Charity Commissioner permission is delayed and not refused, it is not a very grand mistake, and we can chastise for that the lawyers. I have read the clause 11, in the original Agreement for Sale and I do not find any mention of there being any six month time limit for obtaining the Charity Commissioner's approval, as you have told Syamasundara. So there is only some delay, that's all. That will not be sufficient grounds for him to rescind the contract. Rather, our position is very strong so long we are in possession and we have paid him the earnest money and more.

Letter to Karandhara, Tamala Krsna, Giriraja, Bhavananda -- Vrindaban 24 October, 1972:

We have finished the business. He is entrapped because he has received the money. Our boys do not understand. Anything, as soon as you receive money the transaction is finished. And even it is six months passed, it is our option to rescind, not his. Charity Commissioner has delayed, that is not very serious for disqualifying us. There is no time limit mentioned for getting permission from Charity Commissioner. Still, try for the permission from Charity Commissioner as quickly as possible, then we shall go on with the terms of the original agreement, either voluntarily or we shall have to force him through the courts. One thing is, you have said that we shall have to pay "entire additional Rs. 70,000 stamp duty," so does this mean we must pay only an additional 5% of Rs. 70,000 or Rs. 3,500 extra, or again pay Rs. 70,000 plus 5%? That is not clear.

Letter to Giriraja -- Vrindaban 1 November, 1972:

It will be too much trouble, so if nice deities can be gotten from Jaipur as we have done before, that is better.

Now first business is to get the permission of Charity Commissioner. One MP from Assam has forwarded his letter to Chief Minister Naik urging him to help us get that permission. If we cannot settle, then get the Charity Permission and sue in the court. Our position is strong. We can sue even without Charity Commission permission.

You and Tamala Krishna arrange the pandal programme in Bombay to be the first-class presentation, and inform me of the dates. I think Tamala told me once from December 20 to January 10th. From Bombay I shall go to Calcutta, and after the 20th January I have been invited by Madhudvisa to go to Australia for about one month or six weeks, and then I shall return to Mayapur.

Letter to Tamala Krsna, Giriraja, Manusvi -- Vrindaban 7 November, 1972:

My position from the very beginning has been, give us our money back, we vacate, otherwise we take legal steps for acquiring the land according to the purchase agreement, as well as steps for insuring our protection, that's all. So work according to this plan and keep me informed.

What have you done regarding the permission from Charity Commissioner? That is essential, take that permission immediately.

What is the programme for Hyderabad? Bhavananda has not yet sent the tickets for train or plane-fare, neither anything definite has been informed us. Whether there will be nice arrangement for deities there, and which deities they are putting there? Please inform.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Hon Pei -- Bhaktivedanta Manor 30 August, 1973:

Arjuna also thought like that "I shall not fight and fell silent" but Krsna did not approve of this sentimental attitude of the Great Arjuna. The whole Bhagavad-gita was spoken to Arjuna simply to convince him that he should work for the satisfaction of Krsna. Therefore Krsna plainly says, "Whatever you do as work, whatever you eat, or give away in charity, do it for Me." This is real Krsna consciousness, to work for the satisfaction of Krsna. So you have good opportunity to serve Krsna by your nice education, go on finish up in the university and simultaneously follow the regulative principles, chanting 16 rounds, and associate with the devotees as much as possible. Your talents can be utilized for Krsna and in due course of time how this is so Krsna will reveal to you more and more. So do not be worried, be jolly in the service of the Lord.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Guptaji -- Vrindaban 7 February, 1974:

Sometime back, in your letter dated 23 September, 1973, you wrote as follows, regarding the front portion of our Vrindaban temple land given in charity by Geeta bai, wife of Kasiramji Saraf:

"Sri Nandalal Saraf has already arrived and visited our temple. I introduced him to Swami Gargamuni Maharaja. We discussed with him for the donation and transfer of land at Vrindaban. He said that sometime back he has already replied a letter to Vrindaban that you can utilize the land in the manner you want. you can take it into construction."

Now as we are very much eager to utilize this land as a nice front entrance, so I sent one telegram to Kasiramji Saraf, as follows:

"Hare Krsna Prabhupada now in Vrindaban until the 13rd. Now settle up front piece of land as promised."

Letter to Guptaji -- Vrindaban 7 February, 1974:

I received one telegram from him, reading:

"Front part of land will be used for other purposes, as decided earlier. Letter follows."

This statement of Kasiramji has given me much concern. He said personally to me that under dictation of Srimate Radharani he has given the land to us in charity. We have invested already lacs of rupees for constructing a temple, and now if he uses the front portion for other purposes there will be great damage to the view of the temple. As for your letter under reference, you said Nandalalji gave us permission to use the land as we like, but still we waited for final decision. But this is the position. Will you kindly see Mr. Nandalalji, brother of Kasiraj and settle this up so we can go on in our progressive construction work. Kindly treat this as very urgent and reply to us at our Bombay Center because I am going there on the 13rd.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Dr. Jagadisa Bhardawaj -- Vrindaban 3 September, 1975:

Learned circles have positively concluded that the infallible purpose of the advancement of knowledge, namely austerities, study of the Vedas, sacrifice, chanting of hymns and charity, culminates in the transcendental descriptions of the Lord, who is defined in choice poetry." (Bhag. 1.5.22)

Generally it is very difficult to understand Krishna tattvatah, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, manusyanam saharasresu/ kascid yatati siddhaye/ yatatam api siddhanam/ kascin mam vetti tattvatah. "Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth." (BG 7.3) But, Krishna is available through the process of devotional service, bhakti yoga, bhaktya mam abhijanati (BG 18.55), and anyone who actually understands about Krishna, about His appearance and disappearance, he goes back to home, Back to Godhead, janma karma ca me divyam/ evam yo vetti tattvatah/ tyaktva deham punar janma/ naiti mam eti so 'rjuna (BG 4.9).

Letter to Mahamsa -- Vrndavana 21 September, 1975:

From Bombay I will start for Mauritius on September 30th.

You have invited me to come to Hyderabad and yes, I will certainly come. It is a very nice place there and I shall come either by the end of October or early November. Yes, if you like we can also go to Nellore. Your idea for the bullock cart sankirtana is very good. So now do it. And your program for distributing the literature, the charity and the prasadam, this is all very nice. And that you yourself will do it personally, that I thank you very much.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Mahamsa -- Mayapur 18 January, 1976:

We can simply have our Radha Krishna Temple with facilities for the people in general to study our philosophy joining us in our Krishna Consciousness Movement and as we are doing in our other centres we shall act accordingly.

If they refuse to give us in so-called charity the whole land then we can purchase the vacant land at the price mentioned in the document and because we have already installed the foundation stone, we do not wish to go back. We shall construct the Temple and Residential Quarters as we see fit. But we cannot follow their dictation. The idea is that the land, both vacant and occupied, must be given in a real charitable mentality, not to take advantage of our ability and get a temple and then create some trouble. This is not at all possible. We are also prepared to purchase the main land with garden and building by paying the the fixed price. If they are not interested in selling, we can accept charity. But in either case we can allow the two sisters to live in one portion of the building as devotees.

Letter to Mahamsa -- Mayapur 26 January, 1976:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your telegram regarding the Nellore affair. I have already written you one letter on 18th January in this regard. The summary is, don't relax the conditions. We can either purchase for the price mentioned in the deeds or take in charity, but we cannot accept any conditions. My letter makes everything explicit. If they decline then try to acquire the land through Government because we have already installed the Foundation Stone.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Mayapur 21 February, 1976:

Regarding the purchase of the Washington temple, that is all right if it is certain that all the monies paid out will be applied toward the cost price. Better purchase than rent. And I think that Brisakapi should follow the example of Rupa Goswami. Rupa Goswami took sannyasa and gave 50% in charity, 25% for family use, and he kept 25% for emergency. Krishna wants to see that the life is sacrificed, but also accumulation, money, should be given to Krishna. Life to Krishna and money to wife is not a good decision.

Thank you for getting this chaplaincy. Now it should be done nicely and started in other places. It will be very nice if we can get it in every school.

It is nice they are maintaining and increasing the Rathayatra program in Philadelphia. Last year's program was very nice.

Letter to Internal Revenue Service -- Washington D.C. 5 July, 1976:

This is to certify that Miss Elizabeth Luise Reuther contributed the amount of U.S. $50,000 (fifty-thousand) to the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust which is a registered charity whose head office is in Bombay. This contribution was made in March, 1975, and these funds are being used for religious-charitable work.