Whatever letter you send I immediately reply. But whether you have received my telegram and letter telling you to go to Agra. We have received one letter from Cox and Kings who are very big tourist guides and they have asked that they would like our Society to help them in meeting the increasing demand of tourists to India who come to India for spiritual and religious reasons. So Agra is a very big tourist center. There is one man Mr. Bansal, you may remember that he came to Delhi and Vrindaban trying to arrange for a pandal program in Agra. He has one house in mind which he says will be very suitable for our needs. So I want you to go to Agra immediately to see this house and give me your report. If your report is favorable we can purchase that house. You may also see the Maharaja of Bharatapur and try and convince him to give us the house. Mr. Banasal or his manager are expecting you and they will take you to see the house and the maharaj. Mr. L. D. Bansal, Bansal Building, Subhash Bazar, Agra-3. So as soon as you see this house report to me what is your opinions. I think if it is possible you should get a Post Office Box or if that is not possible then make a letter box. Then we will be sure to receive all mail properly.
Delhi (Letters 1972 - 1973)
Correspondence
1972 Correspondence
If you so desire I can go to Bhuvaneśvara for holding Sankirtana festivals along with my foreign students maximum for ten days continually as we have already held in other large cities like Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Allahabad, etc. We last held this festival in Delhi in Connaught Place from 12th November to 21st November and it was very, very successful as you may know it from the newspapers.
The Delhi municipality has promised to give us land, so why they are not giving? Secure the land in Delhi which the municipality has promised and you immediately save the Rs. 500/- from rent. And from the Building Fund we can immediately construct a building also. Somehow or other secure the land and in the beginning pitch camp and then later on we can build.
In Madras Giriraja reports that there is good field. He is expecting to make at least one life member daily and distribute many books to bookstores. Two men have already joined him from Delhi. So as long as there is good field he should remain there. Thereafter he may return to Calcutta.
Just now Syamasundara has gone to Delhi for some meetings with important government ministers. So presently I cannot send the airline ticket for Aravinda, because Syamasundara has kept it somewhere. So as soon as he returns which should be within a few days, then the ticket will be immediately sent to Calcutta.
Rohininandana will return to Delhi by 25th this month or as soon as possible after finishing the Jaipur programme.
Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your father is serving nicely in Delhi by printing our books and magazines in Hindi language, and I am very much pleased with him also. Now you protect your good mother and brothers and sisters, help them to advance more and more in Krishna Consciousness by holding chanting in your house regularly daily and by having altar. If you become very serious to have the ultimate satisfaction of life, then I think that you will practice this KC process very enthusiastically and be successful in all respects.
Regarding Mayapur festival, if we cannot do anything there, then because there is very good prospect in Africa I may remain there and not return to India. I especially wanted to stay in India for this Mayapur celebration, but if there is no scope, or if our men are not able to do anything, then I can return via Africa. But why not it is held? Nobody will check us if we simply go there as ordinary pilgrims. But you try for permission for all our men. One form has been sent to all our men outside of Calcutta to apply for the permission. I understand that all Calcutta men they are already applying directly from there. These forms will be sent to you immediately by our men, and you can push seriously with every possible effort to get permission for all. Such festival should be held very grandly. Gurudasa has gone to Delhi, so he can take further permission from there. There is good chance the ban may be lifted by the 15th, so as soon as five men can go, they should go there immediately to make preparations for a grand festival. I do not think there will be difficulty if we just go there like the ordinary pilgrims and set up our camp there for kirtana continuously. Anyone will see we are only serious devotees of Lord Caitanya and not Pakistani spies. So I think you should plan that we shall definitely be coming to Mayapur and hold a grand festival there for Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day celebrating. You may collect advertisements for Mayapur on this basis that somehow or other we shall go there.
One thing is, I left on February 11th from Bombay and still there was neither intimation nor waybill for the 2000 BTG's, and you say "receipt no." and then there is blank, so I am curious how you are doing things, when you say everything was dispatched on the 5th. In 6 days mail cannot travel between Delhi and Bombay? Also, I understand that you were requested to send the magazines immediately upon returning to Delhi from Jaipur, which ended on the 23rd. Why you delayed so long? Now we have no Hindi magazines to distribute, either in Madras or Visakhapatnam, so I think things are not being managed very well, because, even there may be now 2000 magazines in Bombay, also there is no one there now to distribute them, nor will anyone be there until March, so you must take all these things into account, because unless the magazines are distributed nicely, what is the use of printing them? Also, I note that only Rs. 850/- was collected from Jaipur, but I was told by you and by others that more than 1000 magazines were sold. Kindly clear up this matter. And why no magazines (by 10th February) have been sent to Calcutta. There are many Hindi-speaking people there, practically the business community is all Hindi-speaking, so why they have not received any BTG's?
So far the visa is concerned for Missionary Lecturing, you may send the papers as suggested by you immediately, one for a guarantee and the other with Society seals and notarized, and as I shall be in Delhi by tenth of March for finishing up some business in Vrindaban, you may send them at once to me c/o S. K. Joshi, 4-A Kamla Nagar, Delhi-7. But I do not think there is time to get letters from Los Angeles in this regard, so you can do the needful, but main thing is that papers should reach Delhi no later than, say, 8th or 10th of March, 1972. For our part, we shall also be sending you our letter of application, as suggested by you.
I am in due receipt of your letters dated 14th and 26th February, 1972, and I had very much hoped to meet you in Mayapur to chalk out a programme for press work in future. But anyway I think I shall be coming to Delhi very soon to settle up our business in Vrindaban in two respects. First, concerning the Saraf land, I want to sign the documents before going to Bombay within a few days from now, and if there is possibility to lay down the corner-stone there I can also do that before leaving from India. This will please me very much and give me great relief to know that we have done something solid in Vrindaban before I leave, and the credit is yours.
I beg to inform you that very soon I shall be going to Tokyo from here, and I wish to arrange with Dai Nippon to send many of our books to India, via Bombay, for selling in India. It has proven to be very troublesome to send money from America to India, but you can get books as many as you like, sell them there to the public at large, and in this way you can raise funds for our Mayapur, Vrindaban and Juhu projects. So I do not know about our CCP license, whether permission further is needed to import these religious textbooks? So kindly enquire in Delhi what is the present position, and if there is further work to be done to get the permission, please do the needful and inform. I shall be sending the books very soon, so we should be certain that they will allow them without any difficulty like last time.
There is one Ish Kumar Puri, who is at the firm of Atma Ram & Sons, Kashmere Gate, Delhi-6, and I think you and Tamala Krishna have had some dealings with him before, and I think he has promised to help us in this respect, so kindly also visit him and take his help. In this regard, you please correspond with Mahamsa and Giriraja in Bombay, and with Bhavananda in Calcutta, and all of your work conjointly.
For this reason, ISKCON Bombay is appealing to the AID Program of the government of the United States of America to finance, in whole or part, by direct grant and/or long-term, low-interest loan, the Society's expansion scheme in Bombay as outlined above. We shall be glad, upon request, to furnish further details, including all relevant documents and extensive blueprints of the Usman property, and anything else you may require; our representatives are prepared, as well, to call on your Delhi office should you desire a personal interview.
*It is a fact that an active cultural exchange between the U.S.A. and India is much needed at this time, and __ continue can profit greatly from such an exchange. The Society proposes to facilitate this by offering a place where __ from abroad can study __ residential basis, and __ indigenous __ trained for teaching posts in foreign lands,
Mr. Deewanji has done very nice service for Krishna, please offer him my heartfelt thanks. Always consult with him on these matters before doing anything. You can form the Hare Krishna Cooperative so we shall avoid the stamp tax, that's all right. So far CCP permission is concerned you should be more in correspondence with Gurudasa in this matter, as I have sent him all the details and he has assured me that getting the license will not be at all difficult from Delhi.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 4/24/72, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. The Life Member meeting in Delhi is very important, so do it nicely. Also, about 20 men have come from U.S. to Bombay, so I think some of them may come there to help you. You may request Giriraja to send four or five men to help you, I fully approve.
Your plan for collecting Rs. 6000 to 11,000 for each room, that is very nice process. Then rooms will be there always to receive the owners. There is a system, bhetnama, it means the person who contributes, for his lifetime the room is reserved for him and after his demise it goes to the temple. There are many buildings in Vrindaban which are constructed on this principle, and for Delhi men it will be very convenient. It takes only two hours by car—they can come on weekends, associate with the devotees, take prasadam, hear lectures on the philosophy. That will enlighten them. In Vrindaban, we must do something very grand and gorgeous, both in the matter of preaching and accommodating the educated class of devotees.
Do not bother yourself for designing for Vrndavana Temple. The work has been taken up by one very qualified architect in Delhi and also Saurabha is assisting. So I can understand that you are very talented boy from your wonderful script, so I think you should apply your talent for painting nice pictures of Krishna and the acaryas in our line, and also you may help Mohadananda in designing work for his press operation there in Sydney.
In Delhi my books were printed by one Mr. Kanshiram and his son Omkar at the New O.K. Press in Churiwalla, Delhi. So you may approach them and as soon as they hear about my books they will print them very cheaply. Enclosed find the carbon copy of one letter to Sriman Omkar and also one letter to Mr. Isho Kumar Puri of Atmaram & Son Book Publishers, so kindly note their contents carefully. I am now interested to print our books in India and distribute them very widely. So our Ksirodakasayi is finding difficulty by himself, so they are thinking to form one committee of Ksirodakasayi, Ramananda and Niranjana, yourself and others, and I want that all of you conjointly chalk out some plan for translating, composing, laying out and printing our books in Hindi language and also in English language and distributing them very profusely.
Since I saw you and your father in Delhi in November, 1971, I did not see you any more. Now we are thinking of publishing our books in India, both in Hindi and English languages. So I shall be very glad if you are interested in publishing my books. Here In America, Europe, Canada, et cetera, we are selling our books in huge quantities. At the present moment we are publishing our books in Japan, because in India there is no high class printing. But now just to supply cheap books in India, I want to publish there, so I shall be glad to know if you are interested in publishing both our Hindi and English literatures. On hearing from you I shall send my representative, Sriman Gurudasa Adhikari, whose address is c/o Radha Damodara Mandir, Seva Kunj, Vrndavana, U.P.
Now our society is well known both in India and around the world and in India we have got our headquarters in Bombay, Vrndavana, Calcutta, Mayapur and very soon we shall have our center in Delhi also. Besides that we are exporting our Hindi books especially to Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong and other places where there are Hindu communities in the world. So if you get opportunity to see any of our places either in India or we have got over 100 centers in other parts of the world, I cordially invite you to stay with us and see how the things are going on.
In Benares there are many presses and they supply very cheaply. So you take quotations from Benares and find out the lowest quotation for soft binding, first-class paper, and printing in the size of our present Bhagavatam booklets, Easy Journey To Other Planets, like that. In Delhi and Mathura also there is very good facility for Hindi printing. So in this way cooperate with the others to find out either some printer there in India who will print our books in good quality and also very cheaply, or translate and compose the work there and send to Japan. Either way the work must go on and increasingly our literatures should be profusely distributed in India.
I heard that you were married during my absence, although I had been in Delhi there was not a chance to see you and your father. But I am remembering always you and your father, that you so selflessly aided me in my preparation for coming to the western countries and distributing the great gift of Srimad-Bhagavatam to the western society.
Now I want to print some of my books in Hindi and English there in India. The size of the books is about 9-1/2 inches x 6-1/2 inches on the average. So kindly let me know the composition and printing prices per page for such booklets and then we shall send you the matter and do the needful. We have got already our office in Vrndavana and my representative from Vrndavana, Gurudasa Adhikari, my American disciple, whenever he goes to Delhi I will ask him to see you.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated May 22 and May 30, 1972, from Delhi and Vrndavana camps respectively. I am very, very pleased to hear that you have accomplished your task for getting the CCP license, it is a very great service. I have instructed Karandhara to always send accompanying cover letter and statements of quantity of books, individual cost of books, total cost of books, in Rs. and dollars for the future shipments to India.
I am very glad to hear that the American officers in Delhi are very much favorable to our movement. It is very good news. If you can persuade them to give us foodstuffs directly, then we shall use it properly and America's prestige will be widely spread throughout India. We can organize for distribution of prasadam all over India, in factories, schools, and so on. If we simply have kirtana and distribute nice prasadam, everywhere there will be good respect for us. So I hope you will stick very closely to this matter of acquiring surplus foodstuffs from your government and seeing to it that the food is distributed widely throughout India by our Krishna Consciousness devotees.
I am in due reciept of your letter dated June 2, 1972, and I have noted the contents. I am very pleased to hear from you and from Guru das that your preaching work in Delhi is continuing on very nicely and that you are meeting with very good success by making many life members. Actually, this making life members is the certain sign that our preaching work is successful. If somebody pays us, that is almost the same as converting him. So the more life members that you make in Delhi, the more I can understand that your preaching work is very pleasing to Krishna. Krishna is most pleased by His servant who preaches by canvassing others on His behalf.
I am very pleased to hear that the collecting work for Vrndavana project is going on by cooperative endeavor amongst yourselves there. ___ to interest the life members and richer class of men to purchase rooms in our Vrndavana Temple on the Bhetnama system for staying with us on weekends. Many high class gentlemen in Delhi who are also devotees would relish the chance to live with us on weekends and it will be for them just like Vaikuntha. I very much appreciate your courageous preaching work and I can understand that Krishna is giving you all facilities for making your spiritual advancement.
Regarding the proposal that Yamuna devi has given of the Deities I shall consider. There is no haste. We have already got murtis in Delhi and I think you told me in one letter that somebody has promised Rs. 30,000 for murtis, whether it is a fact? Another thing, where are the important documents for Vrndavana, like the Deed of Gift, etc.? They should be kept carefully in a safety deposit box at the bank. And what is the present condition of Mr. Saraf, is he still holding the job as treasurer, as originally proposed? And whether the front portion of his land can be included in our garden?
Your touring party has done a very excellent job of spreading Krishna Consciousness in Bihar state as I have seen from the newsclippings and other enclosures which you have sent. One thing, our Subala Maharaja is preaching alone in Kanpur and I do not very much approve of alone preaching, so if you like you can request him to join with your party.* Also, Gargamuni Maharaja has left Bombay with his party for touring in Gujarat state and other places. Your touring and the publicity is a tremendous service. Krsna will be very much pleased. This touring and preaching, along with sankirtana party, this is our actual mission. And if you go to Bangladesh and do the same work there, it will be a great achievement for you and all of the world if you are successful. So I will pleased to learn if you have got the visas in Delhi, and if you go to Bangladesh make certain first to get the money from Mr. Jayan and sent the requisition order with signatures duly.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter from Delhi dated June 23, 1972, and I am pleased to note that you wish to take up publishing our books. Enclosed you will find information of several of our major works, such as number of pages, size of pages, etc. So far number of copies to be printed, that you can decide between yourselves and our ISKCON representatives there in India. I wish to publish with your firm less expensive editions of our existing English language books, keeping as far as possible to the high standard we have established, and also to print Hindi language books.
I do not know what you mean when you mention the government is discouraging Americans from Vrindaban area, and that Subala may be deported. Kindly elucidate. So far the Delhi deities, one man here in London, Dr. Shah, wants to pay for the freight to bring them to Edinburgh where we have got one nice center for installing them there. But I do no know how it will be done. Anyway, keep them safely and we shall see later on.
Yes, start a center in Dvaraka immediately ____ achievement for us. Subala can join you immediately ___ not needed in Delhi.
So far the Board of Trustees, you can add some men in Calcutta, Delhi—I think all of the big men in Calcutta are known to you, Birla, Bajoria, etc. It is nice that Mr. Nair is on the committee. He can keep the equitable mortgage, I have no objection. He can simply give us receipt, that's all. One thing is, we have sent you transfer for Rs. 70,000 and Rs. 29,000, so this has to be returned as far as possible.
You mention that Ananda Prabhu has left us, why he has left? I am very glad to hear that things are going alright in Vrindaban and that the students are happy there. One thing is, I am very engladdened to hear that you are planning the second annual Delhi pandal festival for sometimes in November. I think it will be the best plan to do as we did last year, that is, I shall go to Calcutta first for holding one pandal festival in the last part of October, then I shall come to Delhi for the Delhi pandal program. Is that all right? Better we hold our annual ceremony as near the Connaught Circus as possible, as we did last year. Do not try so much or work for the land which was so-called given to us by the Delhi Government. We have got so many other things to develop. So if you arrange everything very nicely for the pandal festival in November, I shall be very happy to come there as before.
n.b. The Delhi deities have arrived safely. Presently we are looking for a large temple in London to install them, and I shall remain in London until we have got something.
I am in due receipt of your letter from Delhi dated 2 August, 1972 and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. I am very glad to hear that we shall be holding another Hare Krishna Festival in Delhi this year, and I am hoping that I shall also be able to attend as before. That LIC grounds is no longer available, but we must find another suitable location within the city center of New Delhi,* as close to Connaught Circus as possible. That will be very nice. So you and your good wife kindly give Gurudasa all assistance for organizing the festival, and I shall also come if I am able.
Your program for preaching in Delhi is very much approved by me, preaching Krsna is the same as remembering Krsna. I can understand if one of my students is making spiritual advancement if he is also making many life members and devotees. So you have not to minimize the preaching program in order to study independently, no, continue as you are doing, preach as much as possible, collect, make life members, and whenever you have time read and study and never neglect to chant your sixteen rounds daily, and this will be the perfect program.
Regarding the questions by Tejiyas, unless there are local men in Delhi who are interested and who will do the work, then it is all right to attempt to expand there by renting building, etc. But on our own attempt that is not good. And this also applies to the pandal program. It will be expensive, so local persons must come forward to cooperate. Last time Dalmia and others were there, and they gave us all assistance. Therefore the program was very successful. So if such men are willing to come forward again to help us and organize everything, then we should try for it, otherwise, it is too much endeavor. My plan is to come to Vrindaban sometimes near the 12th or 15th of October for the Karati Varta and I want to sit down there in the Sri Radha Damodara Temple until some time near the end of November. I will lecture daily in the courtyard on the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, especially for the benefit of the devotees. So you can make arrangements in that way.
In Delhi, one architect asked for 2%, but I thought that somebody may contribute his service for this great cause. If not, the charges may not go more that 2-2 1/2%. In this connection, you may consult Gurudasa. I think that 5% is too much. Anyway, you are on the spot, you can do the needful by consulting amongst yourselves. Formerly it was understood that Mr. Nair would not charge interest. Anyway, if you have to charge interest, better go to the bank. There is a proposal that somebody wants to donate seven acres of land at Ahmedabad, 17 miles from the town. This proposal was sent by Paramahamsa das Brahmacari, and I have already replied his letter. So if it is convenient, some of you can go see the land, and if it is favorable, we shall go and develop an asrama there.
I am especially encouraged that you are planning another wonderful festival of Hare Krsna festival in Delhi, and that you are trying to get again the LIC grounds. Then it will be first class. One thing is, Tamala Krsna has invited me to come to Hyderabad starting 17th November, and I have accepted his invitation. So I think you may begin the Delhi festival from 5th November and it must be finished by the 16th November, and then I can fly to Hyderabad on 17th as agreed with Tamala Krsna. Anyway, you consult with Tamala Krsna and Gurudasa and make the program accordingly. I am coming to Vrindaban by 15th October, and it is not necessary for me to stay the full month. I may stay up until the 6th and then go to Delhi for our pandal program there and then by the 17th fly to Hyderabad. So arrange in that way.
I am very happy to hear that you are having nice programs in Vrindaban of kirtana and lecturing in various places. That will make us well-known in those parts and respected by everyone. I am glad to hear also that you have made my rooms very nicely painted and cleansed. Now I shall be coming there by early October and I want to stay in those rooms, so you may prepare them for me very nicely and decorate with flowers, etc. I think that Tamala Krsna, Bhavananda, and Subala have returned to Vrindaban for assisting Gurudasa in the construction work and for helping Tejiyas to organize the Delhi Pandal program, so you may host them very nicely and see to their all comforts and facilities for swiftly working on these programs.
I beg to acknowledge your letter from Vrndavana dated September 3, 1972, with the letter from Mr. Suri's firm in New Delhi, and I have noted the contents carefully. The first thing is to develop our own place. There we must immediately build a temple. I wanted a temple like Govindaji's, is it so difficult that for the last six months you have consulted so many engineers? Any ordinary engineer can draw up the plans and get it passed. There has been so much unnecessary correspondence. We have sent two sets of plans, how is it that all the plans are being lost and you have not received them? So we cannot divert our attention further, but if they donate then we can spend very elaborately to renovate those temple. As for purchasing Kesighat Temple, we can see later on, we have to see to our own plot first. One thing is, are there any tenants in these temples? If so there is no question of purchase as there will be long process of litigation to remove them.
I shall be coming to Vrndavana by 15 October so let me know what are the arrangements in Vrndavana and also at Delhi festival. I have written to Tejiyas one letter, and you may see it, regarding the proposal for Delhi Pandal. Many other of my disciples from U.S.A. will be coming to Vrndavana also, so you may expect to accommodate many devotees there in Radha-Damodara Temple and if there is not sufficient room then you should find other accommodations also. Kindly keep me informed regularly.
Now I am returning to India in middle of October, and I am coming first to Vrndavana and New Delhi for holding our second annual Bhagavata-dharma Discourses and Hare Krsna Festival, and if Krsna desires it, we may meet again at that time.
Yes, if you can come to Vrndavana in October to see me, that will be very nice. I shall be arriving there approximately the 15th and can remain for about three weeks before going to Delhi, where we will hold our second annual Hare Krsna Festival and Bhagavata-dharma Discourses. I am very glad to hear that all of your activities are going on successfully, that you have finished your exams in good order and you have increased your chanting also of rounds. And most of all I am happy to hear that you have begun some translating work. Now you work conjointly with Ramananda in Gorakhpur for producing all of my books in Hindi language, that will be your great contribution. You are a learned scholar, so is Ramananda, so the both of you together should head up this program of translating and publishing my books in Hindi language. If you require to have anything sent you from this country, I can arrange. You should be given all facilities to carry on this work with all expediency. Thank you very much for helping me in this way, may Krsna bless you more and more.
I am leaving Los Angeles around 6th October and we have a few days program in San Francisco. From there we shall fly to India, stopping three days in Manila, and we should land in Delhi by the 16th October. I shall inform you details. One thing, I want to know how the preparations are being done for the second annual hare Krsna Festival and Bhagavata-dharma Discourses at Delhi starting around the 6th of November. If you can get that LIC grounds again that will be first class. Now we have got many many books in India and I want to raise the funds for our building projects at Bombay, Vrndavana and Mayapur by selling these books widely all over India, so these pandal programs are a golden opportunity to sell many many books, so make arrangements like that.
Now I am going to India very soon from Los Angeles and I shall be stopping for three days in Philippines, Manila* before going on to Delhi. I don't know if it is possible, but if you like you can come there to meet me. Otherwise, I shall be happy to visit you in Djakarta on my return from India next year.
We shall be leaving Los Angeles by the 6th October for San Francisco, thereafter we shall leave for India, arriving in Delhi by 16th October. Kindly keep me informed daily what is the progress in this connection. Karandhara is in Germany and London on some business, so if it is required he can come there immediately to assist you. I want that this conveyance business be finished up immediately. I am sending also Tamala Krishna and Bhavananda there to help you do the needful. You may inform me by cable if you have got the bank loan or not, or if you require Karandhara to come.
All of this appears to be very complicated, and Giriraja is finding difficulty, from his letter I can understand. So I think you have to revive your position as GBC again and look after all the business of India affairs nicely. May Krsna bless you with all good sense. Your program submitted by you all jointly is tentatively accepted by me. Our meeting time in New Delhi will be informed very soon by letter and telegram both.
n.b. Syamasundara is in London now for settling up the London house, and he will fly to Bombay very soon on his way to meet me in Delhi, so why not take his help to finish this business?
I am writing this letter aboard the airship from Hawaii to Manila. I am reaching Manila in the morning 7:00 A.M. on the 11th October 1972. As scheduled I am reaching Delhi on the night of the 14th, so if need be you can see me at Vrndavana on the 15th or 16th, but my definite instruction is this,
I am expected to go to Delhi by 20th March, 1973, for holding our pandal programme, as we have done last year, coming there from Mayapur. So I shall look forward eagerly to seeing you again at that time.* Meanwhile, I am hoping that this meets you in the very best of health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/sda
*If I visit Delhi in the meantime, I will inform you. ACB
Yes, we were in Vrindaban during the Urja-vrata season, but now we are having our programme in Hyderabad until December 1st. From here I shall go to Ahmedabad for some few weeks, and from there to Bombay. I do not think we have got any programme planned for going to Punjab at present moment, but if you get opportunity to meet me at Ahmedabad or Bombay, that will be nice. Otherwise I shall be for some days in Delhi in March, but I think you are returning to California before that time. But if we get chance to meet again, I want to discuss frankly how we may co-operatively push on this Krishna Consciousness movement, especially in India. Let us see what Krishna desires.
In Mayapur they are also requiring about Rs. 50,000 monthly for the work, and for that they are managing with travelling party and temple collection of Calcutta. So you collect from Delhi and spend, and for the rest these other parties will send. I have got report that Yasodanandana has collected more than Rs. 20,000 for Vrindaban, so you have not to worry about anything. But you must keep accurate accounts how it is spent and send me. So far Saurabha is concerned, I have left him at Hyderabad to design our temple there on the land donated for that purpose in the busiest marketplace of central Hyderabad city. But if you invite him to come there from time to time, I have no objection.
If you can finish the work by Janmastami next, that will be a very great credit for you, and I shall come there from any part of the world just to install the deity. But now you must work very, very hard to make good your promise to me, otherwise I shall be very disappointed and become very, very angry upon you. You may purchase deity from Mayapur-Vrindaban Trust Fund, about that I shall inform you later. One thing is, I have received report that Tejiyas is having difficulty in Delhi because no men are there to assist him. Delhi is the cultural capital of India, but we have not yet done very much to develop in Delhi. Tejyas is very sincere and hard-working boy, so we must encourage him. So I have asked Tamala Krishna and Syamasundara to find some men to go there, and they will do the needful. There are so many intelligent boys and girls in Delhi, that I have marked, and I think there is more potential there than other places in India, so if you and Yamuna go to Delhi from time to time to help Tejiyas with the preaching work, especially preaching to the student class of young persons, that will be nice. If there is shortage of men, we must recruit some men, first-class men, to help us do the work. If that is attempted sincerely, this preaching work, Krishna will provide men to help us. Krishna does not like to see His men suffer or become frustrated and depressed on His behalf, no. If we remain always faithful to Him, working very hard despite all difficulties, very quickly you will meet Krishna face-to-face, you may know it for certain.
Yes, I have seen Vaikunthanatha in Ahmedabad and he appeared very sickly. So he may have to go back, that's a fact, but I shall send you some other good men to assist you. So far Dvija Hari is concerned if he is acting in that way, that is abominable. He has collected some money, so my direct order for him is that he should immediately leave Delhi and return to his country, using the money has got. He may go to Los Angeles and stay in the temple there, taking instruction and help from Karandhara. If he tries to commit any further harm to you or attack you physically, inform the police and have him arrested. Or he may use that ticket of Vidura and give Delhi temple the money he has collected, that is better idea. You may inform him like this. If he has got question, he may write me, but I think he should leave at once without further delay. In Los Angeles there is better facility for making film, that he should know.
n.b. I think that if no one is there to help you at present moment, and no one can be spared from Bombay due to Cross Maidan pandal work, then you may come Bombay along with Puranjana and work here, then after the program is finished in Bombay, say about January 22nd, you may return to Delhi with a full party of strong men selected by you from the men in Bombay. But if there is urgent business, you may remain there and we shall make other arrangement as you suggest.
Thank you very much for the sincere sentiments expressed therein, and I am very much pleased that you are happy in Krishna Consciousness. For the time being, you may assist Subala Maharaja by working there in Delhi for collecting and making Life Members for the Vrindaban project. At present there is shortage of men to help there, so kindly give your full co-operation. For now, I am not making any more sannyasis, but we shall see later on.
Your letter of December 23, 1972, is in hand and I can very well understand your dilemma, it is apparently a common feeling amongst the devotees from your country who come to India for some time. Of course you are educated and trained up in another way, so the style of living as it is found here in India may not be to your liking. That is natural. And if you are also at the same time little sickly, that will aggravate your disappointment. So I have no objection whatever. You may do as you think best. But that is a fact, many good men such as yourself are required here in India to complete the works that are started in various places such as Vrndavana, Mayapur, Hyderabad, Delhi, like that. But this is difficult work, and it will require very strong devotees, who are also healthy. There may not be always the facility for regulative practice of devotional principles as you have found them in your country, therefore since you are adjusted in that way, you have lost your enthusiasm due to irregular habits. Of course, in the more mature stage of Krsna consciousness one is not affected by such conditions of material nature, being always fixed in his idea and determined to push on on Krsna's behalf despite all kinds of unfavorable circumstances, but that stage of mature realization will come later. For the time being, you are having little difficulty, so I think you will require the regulated household life as you are suggesting.
Now some of our men have met with the Maharaja of Bharatapur here in Bombay, he sent his men to fetch us, and in a bitter mood he requested us immediately to return his idols of silver Radha and Krsna. So let us return them to him, we do not want any ill feeling to be against us. So you may return those deities to him at earliest opportunity, either at Delhi or at Govardhana. He also has requested his book. I do not know which book that is, but he said that Acyutananda has it and he wants it back without delay, so return him.
1973 Correspondence
Your letter dated 21 September 1972 is in hand and I am especially glad to note that you have got that apartment in Bengali Market, Babar Road. Now you have got facility for spreading Krsna consciousness in Delhi, and I know that you are very sincere and serious preacher, therefore Krsna has given you to utilize on His behalf. You have mentioned one life member meeting and some queen is helping, but I do not understand what queen that is or what is that life member meeting. You may please inform me everything in connection with the Delhi business, I am always anxious to hear from you. I think that they have sent you books from Bombay so now you distribute them as profusely as possible and make also life members, as many as possible. I am informed there are many so-called hippies staying at Delhi, so you try to recruit some of these men or other local men to assist you there. Your description of struggling is to be understood as the mercy of Krsna, and when He is satisfied by your giving energy in this way just to please Him despite all conditions of difficulty, then you need not worry for money, there will be sufficient and more.
I am including herewith one letter to the Minister of Home Affairs. You present him with a full set of our books, including Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, like that, and give him also my letter. Try to present them personally to him. Actually you may take this opportunity of being situated at Delhi to make every Parliamentary member our life member also. You can get the list of addresses and systematically approach each and every member of Parliament to become our member also. So many big big lawyers, doctors, government ministers, professional men are there in Delhi, I think more than any other city of India, and they are all intelligent men, they can be easily recruited for life member by simply showing the books and requesting them to kindly help us in this way. So make many, many life members amongst this class of men, that will be your great contribution. Whether there were any news clippings on the Parliamentary proceedings that you sent me?
I am very happy to learn from you all of the valuable assistance that you are giving to our Tejyas there at Delhi. He is very sincere boy, along with his good wife, and there is excellent field for our preaching work in Delhi city. So as much as possible you may give him your attention and energy for helping me to push on this Krsna Consciousness movement there. You are householder, and you are teaching your family Krsna consciousness, that is the best example of grhastha model life. So go on in this way, and become the perfect example of grhastha devotee family. I think that you may also assist Tejyas by approaching the big men and professional men like members of Parliament, doctors, lawyers, like that, in your city, and enroll them as our life members. This activity of preaching, along with your daily program as you have given me, that will be sufficient to bring you to the platform of perfection in spiritual life in very short time. Thank you for helping me in this way.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 1, 1973, and I am very happy to learn from you about all of the progress in Vrndaban and Delhi. You are coming to Bombay very soon, so we will speak at more length when you see me. When you come we shall discuss with Mahamsa and Yasodanandana about the funds for Vrndaban building work. I am very glad to hear that Puranjana has been able to obtain the CCP Certificate for Rs. 2 lakhs. That is very important business. Without books we will make no progress in India, because practically everything we have done so far in this country has rested on these books. So I am very glad to hear that they are selling nicely in Delhi also, now try to tax your brain for finding new ways and better ways for distributing our books widely to the intelligent men of Delhi city.
Yes, when I used to live in Delhi the Americans purchased many copies of my Bhagavatams and they left standing order for any further books which I might publish in future. So you may approach them and they will take minimum 18 copies per volume, as per our former agreement. When you come here you can discuss further with Yadubara all these things, such as the Thompson Press work and other things regarding the books. I have made order from Dai Nippon for 5,000 of each of our big books and 10,000 of each smaller book for distributing in India. We shall henceforward concentrate our full energy in this program of distributing books in India. We shall not be very much concerned any more with properties and big big temples, now we have got our place at Vrndabana and our place at Mayapur, that is sufficient, now let us spend our hard-earned money for printing Krsna's books and distributing widely all over India. If someone steps forward to donate us land or building, that is another thing, but we shall not be very much interested to spend for that.
Yes, we shall be happy to come that side while leaving India sometimes I think in April, and when we come there we shall install the Deities, after consulting with Brahmananda whether you will be able to maintain them properly. You may request Brahmananda to send me his opinion in the matter also. But I think we can install if you both agree. So I am sending Rsi Kumar, Yasodanandana Swami and Gurukrpa Swami from Bombay to Nairobi very soon, they shall reach there by ship, and they will remain with you for the month of February to help you prepare everything and enhance the preaching work amongst the Africans population. By March they may be freed for going to South Africa to arrange things there for my coming there also, after I leave Nairobi. You all big leaders make these arrangements however you think best, by your mutual consultation. But one thing is, you should send the three plane fare-tickets from India, I think we shall be at Delhi at that time, to Nairobi, and then from Nairobi to Johannesburg and other places, for three men including myself. Rsi Kumar has told me they would pay for some portion of the tickets in South Africa.
You may also discuss together the question of whether a pandal program in Delhi will detract from our collection of funds for the Vrindaban program. I do not think this will be the case, but it seems the collection field will increase with the pandal program. But you please discuss it with the senior men there in India, and then you may send me your joint decision for approval.
You can purchase immediately one membership ticket for ISKCON. It costs only Rs. 1111/-, and on this ticket you can stay in any temple for as many days as you like. So you can secure a membership ticket from our membership office at the following address: ISKCON, 66 Babar Road, Bengali Market, New Delhi.
I have read your report on Hyderabad and the present state of affairs there, and it is all right. Regarding Delhi, Madhavananda has also gone there and I have written to him how he can be engaged collecting with Tejyas at the government offices.
I think all respectable gentlemen will come and you can arrange for that. Our temple is the only Krsna Balarama temple in Vrindaban and it will be so attractive that people will automatically come and see. That quarter is aristocratic and our temple is unique. From Bombay and Delhi we can rent rooms in the temple. This is called bhetnama. Perhaps you may know. The room is used by the contributor for lifetime then it becomes again the property of the temple.
I am very pleased to note that in Delhi they are doing the life membership programme. Previously I suggested this to Madhavananda and now he is doing it, that's nice. I also was meeting big Government officials and distributing my Back To Godhead in that way, at that time there were no books.
It is good news that you have got the L.I.C. ground for holding our festival, maybe I shall be back in India at that time. Last time the L.I.C. festival was unique and successful many gentlemen wanted to increase the period, so try for the maximum period provided with Prasadam distribution. If possible arrangements should be made so that the kitchen can continue to cook and Prasadam distribution may go on continuously, in Delhi this is not difficult. If you do so the richer section of the public will contribute food grains, flour, ghee etc.
You posed 5 questions regarding Radha Damodara temple and I shall answer them one by one. I was not actually living in Vrindaban, but Delhi and when I came to Vrindaban for short periods I would stay at Radha Damodara Temple. I began paying rent in 1960 at that time I was staying in two rooms upstairs then one of the Goswamis asked me if I would like to stay in the two rooms below where one Babaji who was taking care of the tombs was staying. The rooms were very dilapitated so he proposed that I fix the rooms and whatever I pay as rent would be all right. I invested about 1,000 Rs/. and paid him 5 Rs/. monthly, recently I have increased the monthly payment to 10 Rs/. to meet the rise in general standard of living. I do not know anything about any breaking of looks.
I have requested our Delhi Temple President Sriman Tejyas das Adhikari to find out the best way how these men can come to India and not be bothered by visa difficulties after coming. He has written me as follows:
"1. Entry visas for one year should be applied for and triplicate carbon copies sent to me and I will follow up here in pushing it through.
2. The occupation should be listed as student-trainee or some such thing but not minister or preacher.
3. I should get a complete list of the devotees by Karmi name, spiritual name, and all details such as Passport number and issue date, previous visits to India, etc.
4. The entry visa should be multiple entry."
I may be coming to New Delhi by the second week of November, so if possible you may try to see me there. We are conducting a large pandal from November 9th-18th at the most important area, LIC Grounds, Connaught Circle.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 6, 1973 and have noted the contents. I am glad to learn that your festival preperations are well under way. My program is that by the 25th of October I shall go to Delhi for one or two days and then to Vrindaban up to the 8th of November. I will come to Delhi on the 9th for the festival, and on the 19th or 20th I shall have to start for Nairobi.
Now as I have been delayed in Bombay I wish to get leisure from this business by the 25th(?) instant. Then I shall go to Vrindaban and Delhi, and stay until the 18th November, then go from there to Nairobi. Brahmananda is there and we shall go with him for the installation ceremony and remain there until the end of Nov. Then I go to south Africa until Dec. 10, then Sydney, and remain say up to 15th Dec., then Hong Kong, and if your Japanese program is fixed I can go there or I can go to Hawaii on my way to L.A. by Dec. 20th.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 13, 1973 and have noted the contents. Regarding your new place, yes, if many more devotees actually remain there, it is a good scheme, but as we have got four or five branches in India I do not wish to increase more centers. Indians are not joining. This is the deficiency of our movement. Only mediocre Indian men are joining and not the very intelligent class of Indians. But, Delhi is a nice place. Formally you proposed Sundar Nagar. What happened to that? If the book distribution facility is there, then it is a first class place. The more we distribute books, the more we get solid ground of preaching work. So far continuing the Deity worship after the festival, that is a very nice proposal. Try to give it a shape.
So between 20th to 25th instant I am coming to Delhi for going to Vrindaban. So I may stay in Delhi for one or two days, and then come back from Vrindaban during the festival. In the meantime please inquire if from Delhi to Nairobi there is any flight 747.
My program is to start within the next several days for Vrindaban and Delhi. We are having a big festival in Delhi. Then I will go abroad. I expect to be returning to Calcutta for our celebration in Mayapur of Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day in March 1974, and I look forward to seeing you at that time.
My itinerary is to start for Vrindaban within several days, then go to Delhi for a pandal they are arranging. On November 20 I shall go to Nairobi, then to South Africa until mid December, when I shall start for Australia.
My program is to go to Delhi on November 1 for our pandal program starting November 9. The new address there is: ISKCON, G 12 Anand Niketan Extension, New Delhi 110023. So you can come and see me there.
Tomorrow I start for Delhi. The new address there is ISKCON, G 12 Anand Niketan Extension, New Delhi 110023.
Here in Delhi arrangements are going on for holding a Hare Krishna festival, and they have secured a very nice house, for the Delhi center. If so required I may stay here at least for a month to organize this new center. You can reply to me at the above address.
I am at present in New Delhi awaiting for our festival here, so your telegram has been redirected from Bombay. I am so much pleased to read it because I know that all of you, Siddha Svarupa Maharaja, Sudama Vipra Maharaja, and yourself, are all good souls, and so I also know that Gaurasundara is also of this same level, but I do not know why this disruption has taken place.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated 21/10/73 in Bengali and have noted the contents with thanks. At present I am in Delhi. I left Bombay on the 1st after finishing the land dispute there and shall return to Bombay again on my way to Nairobi by the 23rd instant. Then I shall return back to USA via Rome and shall come back to India in the month of March during Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day.
I am glad to hear about Geneva. It is a very important place to establish a center. Now in Bombay after much difficulty we have purchased the property spending about 18 lakhs, having to pay so many claimants, but now it is ours, although still there remains one item. Arrangements are being made for the temple construction is going on locally. Our Delhi festival is now finished, and it was nice. Now I am in Vrindaban staying in my house on our Raman Reti land. Wednesday the 21st I shall proceed to Bombay.
I am anxious to know if there has been any response from the Home Minister of India to the letter I wrote him while I was in New Delhi regarding the Indian Government assisting us in the development of our Juhu Beach Project. Our idea is to construct a hotel for American and European tourists to come and learn about factual spiritual life. While they are coming, there will be foreign exchange and the Indian Government is very much in favor of this. In this way, if we can convince them to help us by granting permanent visas for 100 to 150 of our men it will be a solution to our visa problems. Also, why not solicit a loan from the Government for 2 crores for developing our Juhu Beach Tourist Hotel. We will repay them in foreign exchange. You can point out that we have already invested up to 20 lakhs in foreign exchange so our projects in India are advantageous to the Indian economic development. This is the key to Governmental support in India.
Since leaving India, I have not heard from you. Guru das has written that the work has stopped in Vrndaban for want of finances. What is the position of your collections in New Delhi? I am arranging to collect and send money from here for the Vrindaban project and I also want you to concentrate on collecting there. We want to finish this project as soon as possible so that we will have our Center firmly fixed up in Vrindaban. Kindly report to me the progress in this connection.
How things are going on at our Delhi Center? There is a good opportunity for cultural discussion to be held there, especially amongst the foreigners, so try to arrange some programs.
The news of the preaching work in New Delhi is very nice—continue with it. There are many intelligent men in that quarter, mostly European. So far as the Russian correspondent, try to convince him about our philosophy. We want to unit the world on the platform of Krsna Consciousness under one state, one government, one religion and one scripture. It will be successful if we work cautiously and maintain our standards.
| Page Title: | Delhi (Letters 1972 - 1973) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 23 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=92 |
| No. of Quotes: | 92 |