4. The fourth item is to organize the much discussed caste system as a solution of natural division of the human beings all over the world. Nationalistic division of human races is artificial but scientific division of the caste system as envisaged in the Bhagavad-gita is natural. We shall have to pick up brahmanas and others not only from the Indian people but from the peoples of all over the world. The vitiated caste system of present India is never sanctioned by the scriptures. But the caste system is made by God according to quality and work of the subject and it was never designed for the benefit of accidental birth right. Thus whatever is made by God cannot be destroyed by man. Destruction of the caste system as contemplated by some exponents, is therefore out of question. By the modes of nature different persons are imbued with different qualities and the scientific way of division of human society, from the qualitative aspect, by the caste system is quite natural. But the basic principle of such caste system is to serve the plan of Godhead and by doing so the four orders of caste system make a headway by the co-operative method. When such spiritual progress is definitely made, the materialistic progress is automatically effected as a matter of course. That makes a real classless society.
Design (Letters)
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
The present environment is undoubtedly different from the old. And if we compare the present with the old—we can very easily discover that
1. People in the present age are generally shortliving. The average duration of life being 30 years or so.
2. They are generally not very simple. Almost everyman is designing and crooked.
3. They have no scope for high thinking because they are perplexed with different relative truths.
4. Unfortunate as they are in this age their problems remain unsolved for the whole life even though they are tackled by their leaders. They make the best effort to solve a problem but unfortunately the same becomes more acute and stringent.
In reply to Srimati Suluxmona's letter, I am sending herewith one letter for her which may be delivered to her. I came here to improve my lot but I see that my bad luck is impossible to be improved. For the last two years approximately I have met expenses from this business to the extent of Rs 600/- month. Calcutta, Allahabad, Ranchi High-Court & Ry Journey altogether five different items of expenses have been so far met. But all of a sudden my sister opponent firms have designed to remove me from this place. By their trick the Drug Controller has suspended my business for the last one and a half month with the result that about Rs 1000/- has been locked up & sealed and I have been put to shame by my servants. I require immediately Rs 300/- to meet the establishment charges without which I am much humiliated.
1967 Correspondence
Jadurani also has drawn one design for the Montreal Prospectus enclosed herewith please find.
Enclosure: one design for Syamasundara for carving.
Regarding separation, you may know that I am also feeling ____ it is all Krishna's design that we can not separate ________ transcendental field, the feeling of separation is more __ feeling of meeting. Physically I am trying to go back to your states as soon as possible. I have got a fancy for your country, and being inspired by that, I first went to your country, and still I feel that way. I am improving, although slowly; but I am eating and sleeping better than in N.Y. Regarding your speculation as to whether or not you should accept a position: Krishna wants that everyone should utilize his talent as far as possible. Arjuna was a great fighter, and Krishna encouraged him to fight.
I have already requested Brahmananda to stop Kirtanananda's speaking at any of our functions till my arrival. If he wants to preach anything he can do it on his own in a different place. Krishna is certainly one and different, but his oneness is stressed by the impersonalists which is distinct from our philosophy. Our philosophy of Krishna's oneness & difference is explained in the 9th ch, 4th verse of B.G. in which it is clearly stated that Krishna is one by distribution of his diverse energies. When Krishna controls his diverse energies he does not become impersonal. If Kirtanananda believes in one-Self, why does he stress the vibration & not the words? Why does he find difference in vibration & words? If he believes in one there is no difference between vibration & words? And why shouldn't one be attached to the chanting? All this means that he has no clear idea & he is talking nonsense. If Kirtanananda does not understand this philosophy then better he should stop speaking nonsense. I can understand his designs but I cannot help because I am far away from the place. I am leaving here with a note to Kirtanananda which you please show him & do the needful. Hope you are well.
1968 Correspondence
I am in receipt of your letter with designs of the throne. I am so glad that somebody has donated sufficient funds to construct the throne. Your design appears to be very nice, nicer than the design which I gave you drawn by Gaurasundara; but the former design was made with the proposal of covering it with silver foils. To make it less expensive because the whole thing has to be covered by silver foils, I made it plainer. But your design is not so plain, it is gorgeous and if it is covered with silver foils it will be still more gorgeous. My point is: with this design or former design, it does not matter, but it must be covered, major portion, with silver foil. I am glad to hear that someone is going to donate sufficiently for this throne. Now you make your own choice which one will be suitable for our purpose. If the friend who wants to donate is willing to pay any amount of expenditure, then your design is very nice. You do it nicely for the service of Sri Sri Radha Krishna. But the silver covering must be very prominent.
I am returning the design as requested. I am feeling well so don't worry about me. As soon as you like me to go to San Francisco, I am ready to go. Hope you are well.
I am receiving your twigs for washing my teeth very regularly and I thank you very much. What about Krishna's flute you attempted to prepare? I think you can prepare one silver flute and I am inserting measurement. It should be with golden relief work—raised embroidery-like designs—on the body of the flute. The length of the flute may be 5 inches, and it should be 1/4" thick. Now I shall be glad to know what is your credit balance in the bank. It may be that I may call you to go with me to India at any moment.
I beg to thank you very much for your note along with the paperback cover of the Bhagavad-gita as it is. And I have very much appreciated the whole thing. The design and the painting and everything. So far Swami Bhaktivedanta, it is not very important thing. The Swami title can be given, in the beginning or in the end, that doesn't matter. So you need not be very much worried about it. So far my name being inserted just on the left hand of the Lord, is also very much appreciated. It is not exactly on the Head, but it is on the left Arm, so we are Arms of the Lord, because we are fighting against the influence of Maya, or the non-devotees.
1969 Correspondence
Regarding the change of altar, you can do it later on, but your making up the feast room you can take care of immediately, because I understand that 70 or 80 people are coming to eat Love Feast. So if you decorate that room nicely, necessary equipment being there, it will attract more people. Regarding changing altar, I think you should postpone it for the time being unless you get Radha Krishna Deity from India. Immediately there is no need of change of altar—when the Deity is arrived I shall give you suggestion how to do it. In the meantime, a throne may be prepared just on the sample drawing by Muralidhara. My thanks are due to Muralidhara for designing the throne which I have received. Here both Gaurasundara and Govinda dasi have very much appreciated the design, and they also convey their thanks to him. Your decision to fix up the feast room first is approved by me.
Advaita and his press contemporaries have agreed to pay me 10,000 per year for the printing of my books. So you can print at least two books, 5,000 copies each by that money. I hope you have by now settled something with Dai Nippon, and if they have agreed, you can hand over the Second Canto, Srimad-Bhagavatam immediately. There is one copy of Caitanya Caritamrta (No. 18) which is received from Calcutta with Bengali titles. This may immediately be sent to Gaurasundara by mail. You will find it on the shelf in my room. It is understood that MacMillan Company was to pay some hundreds of dollars to Gaurasundara for his design, so I do not know whether they have already paid or not. Anyway, you can immediately send him the above-mentioned book, and the price may be paid from his pay from MacMillan. I am awaiting your letter describing your progress with Dai Nippon.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 22, 1969, and I have carefully noted the contents. I have already acknowledged receipt of your nicely taped kirtana recording. I think that the mrdanga sound should be a little more increase, and the tampura sound should be decreased. When the chorus is chanting in response to the leader, the mrdanga is not very distinctly heard. Therefore, it should be increased. As for when this record will be pressed, I think this should be done as soon as possible, because everyone is already wanting this record. If you cannot get it pressed immediately, then I have asked Brahmananda to arrange for the pressing. I have heard that Dai Nippon Company can give such pressing at a competitive price. The jacket design you have described sounds nice, so you may develop it in this way.
Regarding the manuscripts of the First Canto, Hayagriva will send you a few chapters immediately, so you may do the needful with the MacMillan company. So far as the Exposition Press is concerned, this man is another Mr. Kallman. He wants to print himself and distribute himself, and when he'll print he'll charge $15,000 instead of $5,000 or $6,000, and he'll charge 40%-50% for distributing, and with condition that if they are not sold the books will be returned to you. The net result is if we give him the printing charges, he will spend $5,000 and charge us $15,000, immediately making $10,000. So far as selling is concerned, he promises to sell, but he is unable to so he returns the books. That is his policy and the reason he does not give straight answers. Once I talked with him, so I can understand his dealings. His disagreement with the design of TLC means that he wants to do this himself and charge. So I don't think we can trust this man.
Regarding the altar, the design which you have submitted is nice, but I wish to add that underneath the Jagannathas a throne of Radha-Krishna should be there. I am enclosing herewith a picture of the throne, and on the back side is my idea of an altar design.
Regarding the throne, it should be made exactly to the design made by Muralidhara. It is 40 x 40 x 45 (length, breadth and height). I am enclosing this design, so you make the throne in that pattern for Radha-Krishna.
P.S. I have already sent the design of the altar and throne to Syamasundara. Please do it accordingly.
ABOUT ISKCON MEDIA.
I understand from Mukunda's letter dated June 25th that the lease agreement has duly been completed. Now I think you are all happy to have a nice place for our London temple, so just organize it to your best capacity. It doesn't matter when I go there. In the meantime, you give your full attention to decorating the temple, and I am very glad to learn you are making the throne and altar according the the design I sent to you. I learned that Mataji has arranged for the Radha-Krishna Deities for our temple. Is this a fact? If not, let me know, I have already one pair of 24" Deities from Vrindaban that will be dispatched, and as suggested by you, by Janmastami the Deities may be installed.
Regarding Mataji Syamadevi, she wanted to give us some pairs of Deities, but since she has left the USA she has not mentioned what she is going to do. So you can ask her straightly whether she is going to contribute the 24" Deities. If not, then we shall have to arrange for that. In any case, if Mataji does not contribute the Deities, I shall take with me some Deities when I go to London. In the meantime, Syamasundara may prepare the nice throne of which I have given him the design.
The Deity of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical. Krishna can act through the Deity perfectly. As I have given several times the example, the mailbox can act perfectly as the post office because it is authorized. Similarly, when the Deity is installed under authorized regulative principles, the Deity is as good as Krishna Himself. So you may advise your friend on this principle. But I am so much pleased that he is coming forward to offer his hard-earned money for Krishna's purpose. I am also glad to learn that George has purchased one nice house for his family, and there he will be building a very rich altar which will be bedecked with jewels and gold work. I have already given you one design for the throne. If such throne is made with golden or silver pillars, platform, ceiling, and canopy bedecked with jewels, and if the Deity is kept within such throne, it will be a super-excellent manifestation. So when you do such work you can consult me, and I shall give you some right directions.
I think you have already got the design of the throne and the measurements also. It should be 40" x 40", and the height is 57", including the canopy. The front pillars are three on each side, and the whole throne is supported by four lion claws. I shall send you very soon a real photo of the Los Angeles throne, Jagannatha altar and Vyasasana. They have done it very nicely and perfectly. So I wish that in every center similar arrangements may be done.
Regarding Murtis, you will have to prepare a nice altar and throne. The LA temple has done it very nicely, and I am sending herewith the specific design in picture. So your next business will be to construct a throne and altar, and as soon as they are ready, the Deities will also be received, and maybe I shall go and install Them. But when the Deities are installed in the temple, you have to take personal care. Deity worship is very regulative. You have to follow the regulative principles very rigidly. I shall be glad to know how many initiated members are there in Montreal, so I can chalk out the program for Radha-Krishna Deity worship there.
It has very good potency, and I am very glad to learn that you have got a nice house also and the rent is also not very high. But unfortunately you have only one year's lease, so how you can install a lifesize Deity there? Therefore, for the time being to install a lifesize Deity may not be feasible; but if you can pay 250 dollars, I will get for you from India 24" high brass Radha-Krishna Deities, one pair, for installing in Berkeley. In the mean time, I may remind you to fix up the altar exactly like Los Angeles. You have seen it personally, and I am also enclosing herewith a picture of the Los Angeles altar. I wish that this design of the altar should be followed by everyone. This Los Angeles altar has been erected under my supervision, especially the Radha-Krishna throne, and I would very much like to follow this idea everywhere. Get for your temple nice devotees and monetary help. I hope you will stick to this center organizing, husband and wife, and in the very near future it will be as good as our Los Angeles temple.
Regarding the questions you have asked about the Radha-Krishna throne, I am enclosing herewith a diagram by Shyamsunder which should help you. If you have further questions about constructing the throne, you may consult with the Los Angeles temple. They will be able to give you the information. Try to make the set-up in your temple like the photograph I have sent you of the Los Angeles temple. If there is difficulty keeping the Vyas Asana as it is in the picture, then keep it where it is, and use the entire back wall for Lord Jagannath and Radha-Krishna , as per design in the picture. Regarding my meeting with Allen Ginsberg, don’t bother with this now. I wont be there while he is there, so there is no need of arranging for such engagement.
1971 Correspondence
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.
Regarding Kamala Devi, the clear idea should be that if she is interested in us being there, then she should construct the temple according to our design and we shall keep at least ½ dozen men there for keeping the Deity nicely and eventually to organize an ashram there also. She should give us proper facility. How else we will work?
We are making a very nice design for the Mayapur temple here and some expert men who know building well will go there to supervise. Henceforward all who go to India will have missionary visas. The high commissioner will help us in this connection. As soon as the plan is made, somebody will take it to India. At least four or five men will go there this month.
I am sending herewith, please find, complete plans for a temple there in Trinidad, drawn by Rancor Prabhu here in London. So as soon as you receive the deed you should give these plans to the government, get them sanctioned and begin construction. In the design you will find a portion especially meant for my residence. So it will be a great pleasure for me to go there and live with you for some time. Since 1965 or before that there was a plan for me to go to Trinidad. I had some correspondence with one Mr. Kuldap. I do not know if you have met this gentleman. He was very anxious to get me there. At that time it was not possible for me to go there. Now, by Krishna's grace, if you arrange for my going there it will be very nice.
I am very much encouraged that the school building may be purchased in the near future. But one thing, how the $30,000 is to be paid and wherefrom you have got so much money? I am very much anxious to open schools for educating children of responsible leaders in our Krishna Consciousness way of life, especially also in India. If these leaders simply become a little convinced about the real purpose of human life, there is tremendous potency for improving the world. Last night the topic of my lecture at our Delhi pandal was the necessity for teaching Krishna Consciousness in all our schools and colleges. This is a revolutionary thought. But we have seen that the practical outcome of so much hippies, one after another. What is the use of their skyscraper buildings if their sons will not maintain them? The old system of gurukula should be revived as the perfect example of a system designed to produce great men, sober and responsible leaders, who know what is the real welfare of the citizens. Just as in former days, all big big personalities were trained in this way. Now you have got the responsibility to inject this idea in your country. Please do it with a cool head, and very soon we shall see the practical benefit for your countrymen.
The Mahattattva may be shown underneath the lotus if it is required for design purposes.
1972 Correspondence
I am very much thankful for the letter of Yamuna. Now you two work cooperatively for making our Vrindaban a dazzling success, along with others you work nicely, and I think Ksirodakasayi may spend more time on laying out the Hindi BTG and doing that printing and translating work and you take mostly charge of supervising building work. I have requested Saurabha, our new Holland devotee in Bombay, who is an excellent designer, to send you plans for the Vrindaban scheme, but meanwhile you should concentrate on collecting as much cement, sand, stone chips, and steel as possible and stockpile them, along with bricks, etc. Meanwhile Gargamuni is collecting very nicely in Bombay for Vrindaban scheme, so you have not to worry about money as he will be in charge of that department, so you may correspond with him frequently and work together all of you for making this Vrindaban project a heaven on earth.
I am advising Saurabha das, our new Holland devotee in Bombay, who is an expert designer, to draw up the plans for Vrindaban project, and he will be sending you in due course. Meanwhile you must stockpile enormous quantities of cement, sand, rock chips, bricks, etc., along with steel, so you may cooperate with Gurudasa and others to work very hard for securing ample supply of these things. Gargamuni is collecting funds in Bombay for Vrindaban scheme, so he will be in charge of getting money, and you may also help by getting rich men to contribute.
In Bombay there are many charitable institutions and Trusts, so if you approach them and they are convinced about our activities, enough money can be collected intelligently. I never suggested for a round building. Every inch of the available land should be utilized for a skyscraper. I do not know if Saurabha has made any designs. If so, let him send them to me, along with site plan, so I may make suggestions and give him direction how to do it.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of Gurudasa's letters dated 8th April, 1972, and nil, respectively, and Yamuna's letter dated 9th April, 1972, and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. I am much very happy to hear that hut and fence are finished. You may submit the bill to Gargamuni with my approval that he can pay it. I don't think there is any question of Ksirodakasayi's ability to manage everything there, and he is appointed president by me, so what is the question? So far designing the temple is concerned, it is nice that you have got the honourary services of one Mr. Suri to help us. Govindaji temple is there, and a common 3-story as residential quarters may be built, so there is no difficulty for designing. One set of plans should be drawn up of Govindaji's temple, including dimensions, and one copy of them may be sent to Saurabha in Bombay.
So far Vrindaban plan, it is also very nice, have you sent copy to Gurudasa in Vrindaban? If not, do so immediately. They have already got one architect to design something, but if they like, they can use your plan or combine them. Gurudasa and Ksirodakasayi will do everything there, so you need not bother about supervising yourselves.
Why you have not mentioned Mayapur in your letter? Now the Building Fund is fixed up in Bombay, and all the Life Member collections and Building Fund collections must go there. Giriraja has written you one letter but you have not replied it. Life Member money cannot be spent for eating and sleeping. The landlord K. Prasad Singharoy has written me one letter complaining that there was a fight between our men and some outsiders, servant class men, and he says that it is disturbing to the whole area. Perhaps he's designing to eject us on these grounds. I shall be glad to hear from you what is the actual position.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter undated in your very nice handwriting. 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.
So we have made friends with the Singhanias. Padmapat Singhania can alone construct the temple. He is a Vaisnava devotee of Lord Krishna and he wanted to construct one temple in New York but the government did not allow exchange. Guru dasa can go to see him and ask him to construct one temple on our behalf. He can tell him that he wanted to help us in New York, and in this way, very mildly, if he is canvassed he alone can construct the temple and we shall construct the residential portion. So far the temple design is concerned, in cooperation with these two gentlemen architects we can build in Vrndavana on a very grand scale. It is a new thing that American and European Vaisnavas will come to Vrndavana, so it is the duty of rich men like Singhania to construct something very nice for the foreigners so they will come and see. And if he is impressed with our kirtana then it will be very easy to convince him and many other rich men. In Kanpur also we can hold Hare Krishna festival. There is a big open field, it is called "Parade." There is a big park, "Mall Road," so any of these places a Hare Krishna festival can be held like Calcutta.
I am very glad to hear that you are using your talents very nicely to do artwork and photographic designs to make brochures. It is very important to have such brochures for presenting to important men of the Indian society, so make them very elegantly and just to the points of interest.
That is a good idea to print the articles which I have written and insert with photos and advertisements. Visakha will be the leader of designing pamphlets, and she has written also one article, "Hero of India," and she has written it very nicely. One thing is, in one letter to you some days back I gave you notice to send Rs. 1,000/- to Puri Maharaja to his address in Rajhmundry, so if you have not yet sent, do so immediately. After sending, write to me the acknowledgement.
I am in due receipt of your two letters from Yamuna dated July 22, 1972, and August 6, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding the plans for Vrndavana, enclosed please find the plans drawn by Saurabha which I like very much. You may submit these plans to the municipal council, as they are drawn. The plan of Mr. Suri is too much burdensome and costly, he simply wanted his 2 1/2% commission, so he has befooled these Americans. Better if our own men design and build the temple in our way. So I like these plans from Saurabha very much, and you may submit them as they are.
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.
1973 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your letter dated January 20th. and February first along with your enclosed plans of the Radha Govindaji Temple in New Vrindaban. From these plans everything seems to be in order except the domes are making the temple look like a mosque. Therefore you please eliminate these domes and consult the Mayapur plan which can be obtained by writing Calcutta for design of the domes. The Deities should be facing East. If you are laying the foundation stone to this temple there is a ceremony which you can observe.
Actually one can be perfectly Krishna-Conscious without being literate. Education is not necessary. Simply it is required to accept the fact, that we are the eternal servants of Krishna, and engage in some tangible service. Otherwise, there are so many convincing arguments, i.e. the Bhagavad-Gita, to bring us to the right point of surrender. Even the Karma-Kanda, and Jnana-Kanda, sections of the Vedas are designed to bring to the proper Sidhanta, conclusion. And that conclusion is made by Krishna in the Gita, that one who knows the purpose behind the Vedas, surrenders unto Him.
I am pleased to hear how you are completely absorbed in the project of our Vrindaban temple and taxing your brain how it can be carried out. I am also always praying to Krsna that He may give you intelligence to carry it out rightly.
If you let me know actually how much money will be required to complete the temple, then I can make some financial scheme so that you can quickly get money and finish the project. You and Tamala Krsna das Goswami can make an estimate and send it to me so that I can work on a scheme to arrange for that amount.
Regarding Saurabha, I think he can stay with you in Vrindaban designing, and he can also go sometimes to Hyderabad, as required, and then return to you.
For the small cottages I suggest to construct as the diagram below—wooden beams and between the beams fill with gravel cement. The roof may be tile. The size may be 12' x 15'. This design is especially suitable for grhasthas, who can feel very comfortable there, and you may house four brahmacaris in such place. Every day you can build one such house, ten may be required, and in one month you will have 30 such nice shelters.
Furthermore, please come here to Los Angeles or return to the Temple in Hawaii. Karandhara and Sudama goswami are prepared to help you in every way. Your husband has gone away so what can be done. But you should return to our Temple and again take up devotional service as I have designed and directed at our Centers.
1974 Correspondence
It is very good news for me that you are stressing regulative temple life in your new quarters in Hong Kong. The regulative principles are designed to take us gradually to the platform of spontaneous love of Krsna, which is the perfection of human life. Those who think they have already attained such perfection and give up the regulative principles are called sahajiya, or those who take things cheaply and simply imitate. This early rising, holding classes, going out regularly for sankirtana, worshiping the deity are the very substance of devotional life. You will certainly by your sincere devotional example attract more and more sincere Chinese boys and girls to Krsna Consciousness. Even if, due to family ties, they cannot move in the temple, try to engage them as much as possible in translating work, sankirtana, reading, and at least coming to the temple to take prasadam.
I have just received a copy of Back to Godhead number 62 and I wish to express to you how pleased I am with the layout and design of the magazine. I have been especially admiring the pictures in the story of our Los Angeles center, and the way the pictures are placed and the use of the color throughout the magazine is very pleasing to me. I think this American company Donnelly, is better than Dai Nippon and the magazine is improving more and more. Try to keep up this present standard and think of new ways to make it always fresh and attractive. Krsna is all attractive and evergreen, and you must use your talent to layout the magazine so that Krsna appears in print as He is. Thank you very much and offer my good wishes to Jayadvaita and everyone who has worked on this issue.
You can make the interior of the temple in the same design as the Chicago temple with a balcony and the same type of Deity room. I liked the Chicago temple very much when I was there, so make it like that. We are making our temples very nice and gorgeous so that people will come and take Krishna consciousness. Just like here at Mayapur, because we have this very nice house, people are coming to visit and stay. They attend the aratis and listen to my lectures, and take prasadam. If we did not have this house, then they would not come. So this is the meaning of a temple. There must always be activity. Not that we have a nice house for comfortable living. We simply want to bring people back home, Back to Godhead. That is the purpose of our temples, of our books, and our festivals, and preachings.
1975 Correspondence
The sample that you sent me of the new design for the BBT logo is approved by me. For the sake of consistency, you can also use it on the cover jacket.
Concerning our use of analogy. We do not bring in imperfect analogy, but we follow the instructions of the Sastras strictly. Our authority is on the basis of Sastra, not analogy. So, Vyasadeva while giving the history of creation says "Janmadyasya . . . adhikavaye" . . . so He impregnated the heart of Brahma with all the designs of creation. So what is wrong there? If I instruct someone you do like this, and he does it, then what is the difficulty? This is the system. Our authority is sastra. We give analogy for the general mass of people who have no faith in sastra. Analogy is not proof; sastra is proof. Foolish people cannot understand or accept, so we use analogy. The conclusion is not drawn from the analogy but from the sastra. We don't use a combination of logic and authority, we use authority. Logic we use to convince someone who doesn't accept the authority. The basic principle is authority. Vedas say that cowdung is pure and we accept it. There is no logic, but when we practically use it we see that it is correct. The logic of using analogy is called in the sastra "sakha candra nyaya." It is easier to focus on the moon through the branches of a tree. The moon is great distance away, and you say that it is just through the branches. So you can focus more easily on the moon because 2 points joined make a straight line. So focusing on the nearby object helps us to focus on the far-away object. This is the use of analogy.
1976 Correspondence
If you carry out your plan to hold Rathayatra, be certain that the Ratha-cart is very strongly made, so that it does not break during the procession. They had a very good cart made in Philadelphia and you can take hints from the devotees there how they designed their cart.
n.b. also send photos of the altars and Vyasasana to Fiji as they will need these for making the designs.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 11, 1976 and have noted the contents with care. I fully approve of your temple design, it is very nice.
Yes we shall begin work immediately. Where is that Rs. 10,000 which you have already collected. With that 10,000 plus 10,000 from us you can begin work immediately to construct a boundary wall. I am going to Mayapur by the fifteenth instant. From Mayapur I may go to Haridasapur and begin work immediately. Our architect has been ordered to make a design plan. The boundary wall you can begin immediately.
| Page Title: | Design (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 25 of Jun, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=57 |
| No. of Quotes: | 57 |