Yesterday evening when we were talking at your veranda we had some talks over the advent day of Lord Caitanya which falls today the most auspicious Dol-yatra purnima day and as such I myself along with some members of my family today observing fast till the advent moment of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu just in the evening. Guru Maharaj Sastriji advised the members assembled yesterday to observe fast today and this is being done as a matter of course on the occasion of Gaura Jayanti day. I was so glad to hear from you that you know Lord Caitanya as the incarnation of Godhead. Yes he is so and there are ample proofs of His being so in the different Sastras such as Mahabharata, Bhagavata, Upanisads and many other Puranas. So on the occasion of Lord Caitanya's 463rd advent ceremony, I am taking this opportunity to remember about him which will help my vrata observed to-day. I hope you will not mind for intruding upon your time with this statement.
Family members (Letters)
Expressions researched:
"family and society members"
|"family consists of a few members"
|"family member"
|"family members"
|"family where every member"
|"family whose members"
|"member in the family"
|"member of His family"
|"member of Kamsa s family"
|"member of a family"
|"member of a great family"
|"member of a low-grade family"
|"member of any of their families"
|"member of the Kuru family"
|"member of the Lord's family"
|"member of the family"
|"member of the same family"
|"member of their family"
|"members of God's family"
|"members of God's family"
|"members of His own family"
|"members of Pandu's family"
|"members of a brahmana family"
|"members of brahmana, ksatriya or vaisya families"
|"members of her family"
|"members of her paternal family"
|"members of his demoniac family"
|"members of his family"
|"members of my family"
|"members of rich family"
|"members of such families"
|"members of such highly elevated families"
|"members of that family"
|"members of the Aryan family"
|"members of the Kaurava family"
|"members of the Pandava family"
|"members of the Yadu family"
|"members of the demoniac families"
|"members of the family"
|"members of the royal family"
|"members of the same family"
|"members of the spiritual master's family"
|"members of the whole Kuru family"
|"members of their families"
|"members of this family"
|"members of your family"
|"we are members of Krishna's family"
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
(5) If you cannot go to others outside your hearth & home, you can do the preaching work amongst your family members only and in this meeting your other friends, neighbors & relatives also can join.
The highest benefit that is possible to do to the humanity is this act of preaching for receiving the Divine Consciousness of the living being. By doing so, we do not only send a living entity back to home & back to Godhead but at the same time we ourselves also go back to home back to Godhead. Rise up to the occasion of this preaching work & be a real benefactor to the people in general & your family members in particular.
1967 Correspondence
I am glad to learn that Srimat Bahuji and other members of your family are all doing well by the Grace of the Lord and I wish that you be happy in your execution of Harbhakti in which Lord Rama has already engaged you.
1968 Correspondence
I hope this will find you in good health, with my good wishes for Ma Gosain Panchu, and other members of your family.
I am in due receipt of your kind letter dated May 25, 1968, and I am very pleased that although you are the youngest of my disciples, amongst the boys, your sentiments are very highly developed. Please continue to feel Krishna in the same way, and chant regularly, without fail, you will improve more and more. By your gracious connection with your family, all the members of your family, namely, your sister, your two younger brothers, as well as your mother, are coming in contact with Krishna Consciousness. As you are the eldest son of your mother, it is your duty to guide them properly so that they can also become advanced in Krishna Consciousness. Certainly it is a fact that all of you are combined together in a family way by the Grace of Krishna. And by His Grace only you have come in contact with me. Personally I have no credit for myself, but I am trying to act as faithful servant of my predecessors and just presenting without any adulteration the message which I have received from my Spiritual Master. Similarly, if this message is presented by you all who have accepted me as the Spiritual Master, then all the people of the world may be benefited by receiving this transcendent message of Krishna Consciousness. Try to execute this mission wholeheartedly and faithfully, and all of you try to broadcast the message to your best capacity. I am so glad to learn that your two brothers are growing very nicely, and I hope in future they will be great help to this missionary activities, and so I think also of your nice sister, Saradia. Please try to guide them properly.
Regarding your coming back, it is not very good that you are begging money from Indians to come back. I understand that you asked for help from Mr. Poddar, Rs. 5000 as loan for your coming back to the USA. Such kind of begging does not behoove for the American students. It is against the reputation of American wealth, as well as our society. Even though you get some money by such begging, the government will not allow you to return to USA with Indian money. You have to take money from your country for coming back, or you have to take help from your ambassador in India for coming back. The Indian government cannot pay anything from the Indian exchange to outside countries. So do not try to make collection for coming back to the USA. For your coming back, either your family members or your government or somebody here must send you money or a ticket for coming back. Last time when I was coming back the same difficulty arose, and I had to pay my ticket fare as well as Kirtanananda's ticket fare, amounting to Rs. 11,000, from my book-fund, which I dispatched to USA. I dispatched 13,000 Rs. worth books from India, out of which I have paid that 11,000 Rs. So this is the exchange condition. I think therefore, that when you have gone to India, for the time being you should forget your mother country, USA.
The lump of iron stone which was delivered by Samba, the members of the Yadu family wanted to destroy it, by rubbing on a stone, and the pulp made out of the stone gridded down on the bank of a river, and gradually it grew into log. So at the end all the members of the Yadu family when they were fighting, took advantage of the log and beat one another and thus the whole family was dead and gone.
So my conclusion is that Buffalo is doing well because you are doing well. I am so glad to see that one of my sincere disciples has sacrificed everything for spreading Krishna Consciousness, and I am so pleased upon you that you are showing the example of an ideal householder. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura was also a householder, but he lived in so perfect Krishna Consciousness that he is better than many Sannyasis like us. So far I am concerned, I could not live like Bhaktivinode Thakura because I was disgusted with my family members and I was obliged to give up my family life. But Krishna is so kind that although I left my few children born out of this physical body, Krishna has sent many nice beautiful obedient children for propagating my mission. And you are one of them. So I am very much obliged to you.
So all material energy that are working in the material world, can be engaged in the service of the Lord. Actually, if your father fortunate, and I think he is fortunate, because he has got two nice sons, so Krishna is certainly pleased on him. His present demoniac qualification is no bar for getting mercy of Krishna, because you are two sons present for his salvation. Just like Prahlada Maharaja—his father was atheist, and he was always inimical to his great son, but still the son was so good that he arranged for the salvation of his father. So Vaisnava son in a family can give the best service to his family members, and you are ideal two brothers in this country, and you show the example how everything can be adopted, in the service of Krishna. So I am glad that you have got all these ideas, and Gargamuni has got the energy and your father is also willing, that you should cooperate, so let us take this good chance, and try to utilize it for Krishna Consciousness movement.
1969 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your letter of January 13, 1969 along with the kirtana tapes and pictures of Buffalo temple. I cannot tell you how very much I enjoyed listening to this wonderful tape recording. All of the super-excellent qualities of kirtana were present on this tape and it was thus a great joy to hear it. On this tape Rupanuga has set an example for all householders because there was singing on this of Hare Krishna by all of his family members. It was all sounding very nicely, and I am going to show this tape to the Sankirtana Party which is here in Los Angeles so they may take example from such nice kirtana.
As stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, Second Chapter, Twenty-Seventh Verse, Krishna is sitting in everyone's heart and He is purifying one who is Krishna Conscious. The symptoms of advancement in Krishna Consciousness is gradually feeling detached to materialistic way of life. Although you are young man, you have got your nice young wife and child, and by Krishna's Grace, everything is all right so far as your family is concerned, still you are feeling detached. That is very nice. But when your wife and child all are cooperating in your Krishna Consciousness, there is no hampering in your progress. So keep yourself always in Krishna Consciousness with your family members, raise your children to that standard, and employ your energy for serving Krishna. Then, even though you are in family life, you are as good as sannyasi.
I thank you very much for your letter post-dated May 27, 1969, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. I am pleased to note that through your influence your family is gradually taking to this sublime process of Krishna Consciousness. This is the proof of how the presence of one devotee will have an uplifting effect upon all of the people he comes in contact with, whether family members or acquaintances. I am very pleased also to note your appreciation for our Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and I want that all of my students will understand this book very nicely. This will be a great asset to our preaching activities.
I am very glad to receive your letter (undated), and I have noted the contents that you had left the temple but now you have returned again. This is most encouraging, because it means that Krishna is very kind upon you. Although you left Him, He did not allow you to go away. It is His special favor upon you. As individuals there may be disagreement sometimes, but that is quite natural. Even in ordinary family affairs there is sometimes disagreement, but that does not mean immediately the disagreeing members shall leave the family. Similarly our Krishna Consciousness Movement means we are all gathering together in families of Krishna. Actually we are eternal family members of the Lord, but due to our misuse of independence we have now forgotten our eternal relationship with Krishna, exactly like a man who is mad forgets his family relationship and loiters in the street. But when he is again in his normal mental condition, he remembers his family members and goes back to them. Similarly this Krishna Consciousness Movement is a treatment for reviving the memory that we all belong to Krishna's family. So we are trying to establish a replica of Krishna's family in this material world wherein there is no material activities. To avoid the material activities means to follow the four regulative principles and to engage ourselves constantly in Krishna Consciousness activities and to have the association of pure devotees. We should not give indulgence to our senses more than what is required just to keep body and soul together. We should not engage ourselves in very difficult tasks, and we should not talk anything more than what is necessary for spreading Krishna Consciousness. We should follow the regulative principles, regard being had to situation, circumstances and objectives. We should not be greedy and we should not mix with persons not interested in Krishna. In this way, we can make steady progress and maintain our membership in Krishna's family. Thus, at the end of this life we will enter actually into the spiritual world. So your main business should be to spread Sankirtana, becoming tolerant as the tree and becoming humbler than the grass. If you have anytime any difficulty, please try to settle up in the above way, but do not leave the company of devotees. That will not help you, even though there may seem to be some difficulties.
You should not take anything beyond the group of grains, fruits, vegetables, flowers, milk and milk products, and that also only after offering to Lord Krishna. You should not accept any kind of intoxication, including drinking coffee, tea, or smoking cigarettes, chewing pan, etc. Finally, you should not take part in any gambling, including so-called sports, cinema, theater, or any such entertainment. Then you will have to be first initiated for chanting the Hare Krishna Mantra under regulative principles, avoiding 10 kinds of offenses and following the above regulative principles. Then, on or before the completion of one year, you will be finally initiated. In the meantime you will read our books like Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Nectar of Devotion, etc. These books are all in English, and in addition you should read our monthly journal, Back To Godhead. You should go on inquiring about your pros and cons ideas in the matter of the Krishna Consciousness. Along with this you chant Hare Krishna in the assembly of friends and family members regularly, morning and evening, and then Krishna Consciousness will become revealed unto you. Krishna Consciousness is already in you—not only in you, but in every living being. Such consciousness is aroused just like a sleeping man is aroused from slumber by vibration of sound. Similarly, a conditioned soul is aroused by the vibration of the Hare Krishna Mantra into Krishna Consciousness. This is the process. We will be glad to give you all instruction on this point, providing you are serious to accept it, and to propagate it.
Regarding Nityananda Prabhu breaking the sannyasi rod of Lord Caitanya, the explanation is that this was to show that Lord Caitanya was Krishna, so He had no necessity of taking sannyasa. In the higher sense the Vaisnavas are meant for being members of the family of Krishna to serve as friend, to serve as parent or to serve as lover. So for such elevated devotees sannyasa is superfluous. But still, Lord Caitanya took sannyasa just to prove it factually that so far as the material conditions are concerned, they must be given up. Without knowing this fact some so-called Vaisnavas have turned to be sahajiya. This means one who takes everything as very easy. All the acaryas, beginning from Lord Buddha, Sankaracarya, Ramanuja, etc., all of them renounced this world. So renunciation is required, but when one makes further progress after renunciation towards spiritual life and enters into the Pastimes of Krishna, then things become perfect. The summary is that sannyasa is renunciation, which is imperative for all. Nityananda's breaking the sannyasi rod of Caitanya Mahaprabhu was with the purpose to show that Lord Caitanya is transcendental to all material conditions (CC Madhya 1.97).
So Lord Krishna has advised in this connection that we have to learn tolerance. Your example of dedicated life is very noble. You are handling thousands of dollars for Krishna, but you ask your mother for helping your personal needs. I very much appreciate this example, but it is my order that whenever you are in such trouble, you should not minimize any expenditure. You must have the best kind of treatment available, and you can spend from the money you are collecting on behalf of Krishna. Your mother's assistance is welcome, and as a child you can very affectionately ask her for such assistance. But in case of denial or inability, you should not hesitate to spend from Krishna's money. You can take it from me. By this contribution of your mother out of her affection, your mother has benefited undoubtedly. She is already benefited to have two such nice sons, and she will be more and more benefited. Not only your mother, but also your father and all family members will be benefited by your dedication of life for Krishna's sake. Be rest assured. Krishna Consciousness is so nice.
1970 Correspondence
Yes, be engaged always in Krishna's duties, and you all members, husband and wife, family, friends, brothers, and sisters, all combined will feel transcendental bliss.
Yes, I am very glad that temple arrangement in Boston is nicely being carried out and new devotees are joining—this is the success of preaching work. Preaching work means increasing the number of our family members. Krsna is our head man in the family; Kartamarshi means head man. According to Vedic system, Kartmarshi is asked in the morning by his wife what kind of foodstuffs he will like to take on that day. And the kartamarshi or the head man of the family will dictate some preparation, and that will be the accepted as the foodstuff for everyone on that day. Similarly, our principle should be to act in the way as Krsna will feel satisfaction.
Wanted qualified Brahmins to preach Bhagavad-gita all over the world. Educated candidates accepted without any discrimination of Caste and Creed.
Apply ISKCON
Life Member can send any member of his family for being trained up as qualified Brahmin who can preach Bhagavad-gita as it is all over the world
1971 Correspondence
Yes, please offer my blessings to your good wife Laksmimoni and son Nimala Candra. Please make them ideal Krishna Conscious family members. That will be a great example for our society.
1972 Correspondence
I have received one copy of the German BTG from ISKCON Press, and it is done very nicely. Sivananda can be given sannyasa, and when I go to Los Angeles, I shall let you know regarding this. I must know who the other boy is and then I can consider his case. Actually, all of you are more than sannyasis. Anyone who has dedicated his life to Krishna, he is sannyasi, yogi, and everything. That is the statement of Bhagavad-gita—one who does not work for his personal benefit is a sannyasi. It doesn't matter what is his dress. So all our devotees are more than sannyasis. We are members of Krishna's family. Our aim is not to become a Mayavadi sannyasi, but to become family members of Krishna's devotees. Krishna maintains 16,000 families, and if you get a chance to serve in one of the families, then your life is a success. Real sannyasa means no more interest in material activities, but simply dedicated to Krishna's service. That is real sannyasa. So you are greater than a sannyasi. You train all these boys to be practical sannyasis in the service of Krishna.
So far the deities being worshiped by Mr. Bajoria, if this deity worship is introduced in other respectable families, that will be a great success of our movement. The family members of Mr. Bajoria may also hold kirtana at home before the deities. Try to introduce this.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 18, 1972 and I thank you very much for your cordially welcoming me back to Los Angeles. Your letter is very nice and you have praised me very highly so again I thank you you very much. Your son came to see me the other day so if you have time you may also come to see me by making an appointment* with my secretary and I shall be very glad to welcome you here along with your family members. I have decided not to give Jayananda das the sannyasa order of life at this time, let him wait. I shall be going to Mexico city around June 1st for a few days so if you come here you may come either before that time or after I shall return.
You remain the beautiful maid servant of Krishna. That is your business, and you should dress yourself always very nicely so that Krishna by seeing you will be pleased. Don't try to be ugly before Krishna. Krishna does not like ugly gopis. We are transcendental artists, musicians, writers, so everything should be beautiful for Krishna. After all we are members of Krishna's family, just like Krishna had 16,000 wives and each wife has thousands of servants and maid-servants and all of them are very beautiful for serving Krishna and His Queens. So the servants of the gopis and queens cannot be ugly, they are as beautiful as the queens. In the Vaikuntha world there is no need of serving anything because everything is already clean and beautiful. It is so clean that just like a mirror when the maid-servants would sweep the floor they could see the reflections of their bodies. So remain always compact in Vaikuntha yajna, simply by thinking of the Glories of the Lord. Don't try to do anything artificially. That is sahajiya, which means a class of men that take everything very cheap. You want to perform sacrifice so continuously read our Vedic scriptures and perform the Vaikuntha yajna.
Yes, if there are African girls also who want to join us, and if they get the consent of their elder family members to live with us, they may live in the temple provided there is separate place for them so that boys and girls will not mix freely, just as we are doing everywhere. If that boy wants to marry your African girl, I have no objection as long as she obtains the permission of her parents and elders, and provided they live separately in the temple, or if they live together, they must live outside. Mr. Shah has sent me one letter of complaint in financial matters, so I have forwarded it to Brahmananda. Now you together deal with these money matters and Mr. Shah, should I always have to be consulted in these things? Enclosed find the copy of amendment, duly signed.
1973 Correspondence
I shall be going to Mayapur by the 15th, remaining there up to the 22nd. I hope to see you soon and I hope this meets you and your family members in good health. Hare Krsna.
I am encouraged to hear that you have recommended a total of ten devotees for first initiation from our St. Louis temple. Preaching means to increase our family members, so I can see that the preaching at ISKCON St. Louis is going on very sincerely, otherwise so many would not be interested in becoming devotees. So on your carefully considered recommendation, I am accepting these girls and boys as my initiated disciples and their names are as follows:
Recently Mr. Brijmohan Mohata, along with his wife, niece and other family members, came to see me at Mayapur. He is very much pleased with our movement. He has given me one idea to educate our men in Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati for preaching work in the interior part of Bombay. I think it a good suggestion. If you are really serious in this matter you can immediately engage some of our men to learn these different languages. He has already given us a place to stay and for this proposal he will continue his patronage. So try to execute this part of our propaganda immediately.
1974 Correspondence
I am thinking to go to Hyderabad by the end of March and certainly it would be great pleasure to me to stay under your shelter and I am looking forward to this opportunity.
Hoping this will meet you in good health and my all good wishes for all your family members and servants, and my sincere regard for you.
I am also enclosing the names of 13 new disciples recommended by your. This is the result of our preaching propaganda, when our family members increase. Now be very careful to see to the growth and protection of the devotional creeper of these new devotees in your charge.
MEMO TO ALL CENTERS
To all GBC and Presidents:
Please accept my humble obeisances at your feet. Srila Prabhupada has especially requested that henceforth there should be no approaches made to Alfred Ford or his family members for donations for temples. Prabhupada will personally handle these types of communications between Alfred Ford and our Society.
Also all devotees when writing a letter to Srila Prabhupada should include the return address on the letter and not only the envelope. Sometimes the envelope gets lost, and if there is no return address on the letter it is difficult to address the reply. All temples should be sure to print their full temple address on their letterhead, and not just have the name of the society with a blank space for the camp address which is sometimes omitted by the writer of the letter.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your servant,
Brahmananda Swami
Approved:
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
1975 Correspondence
I have duly received your card sent through my devotees and I am so glad to hear from you after so long a time. I am sending herein an invitation card for our Vrndavana festival from the 20th through the 26th of April. And it will be my great pleasure if you attend the ceremony along with your mother. I hope this will meet you in good health along with your brothers and other family members.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 13, 1975 hand delivered to me by my disciple Jnana das Adhikari and I am pleased to note the contents. I am glad to note your determination to be freed from the material entanglement by chanting Hare Krishna mantra. This is the recommended process for this age of disagreement for achieving Krishna consciousness. It is authorized, very easy, and it does not cost anything. I understand that you have got japa beads, so this is very good that you are seriously taking to the process. So if you continue Krishna will bless you, and you will go back home back to Godhead. I also understand that you have Bhagavad gita As It Is, so try to read something regularly, but do not neglect the chanting, that is the important thing.
I hope this meets you and your family members in good health.
1976 Correspondence
To the members of the family of Hirjibhai Gelabhai Baba.
Respected ladies and gentlemen of the family:
I am very sorry to learn that His Holiness Hirji Baba has recently disappeared from this material world. Last time when I was in Nairobi, I had some talks with him when we were preparing to take lunch at the house of Damji Devji. That was our last talk. So it is a great shock that he is not visible to our eyes. But as we know, the living being does not die. It is said about the saintly persons: moro va jivo va which means that the saintly person devoted to the lotus feet of the Lord is always glorious, either physically present or not present. So I wish that the devotees who took shelter of this saintly person continue to progress in spiritual life. May Krishna bless all of you in spiritual life.
I received your kind invitation to attend your daughter's wedding and I thank you. As you know we are constructing the Hare Krishna Land project in Juhu Beach and we trust that you and your family members will take advantage of the facilities for generations to come.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 27, 1976, and I have noted the contents with care. The best thing is that you engage yourself in chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra as many times as possible and Krishna will save you. I wish that all your family members should chant, your wife especially, for your prolonged life. Whenever you find time please go to the Bombay temple and offer your sincere obeisances to Lord Krishna. Nobody's life will continue in this material world but if we practice Krishna Consciousness, then certainly by giving up this body one goes back to Home, back to Godhead.
After a long time I have received a letter from you with mixed information. I am sorry to learn that one of your sons is in mental disorder, so do your best for treatment and depend on Krsna for the ultimate result. The chequered history of family life is the same for everyone. According to our philosophy we call it samsara dava nada lida loka the blazing forest fire of material life. In the forest fire takes place without any human effort and it burns into ashes all the trees and animals without any relief. The relief comes from the cloud above the head.
Similarly the relief from this material world comes from above as we have got instructions in the Bhagavad-gita. So if you like you can retire from family life—you are old enough—and it may be possible for us to give you some shelter. I am in Vrndavana at present and shall remain here at least for one month. If you so desire you can come here and meet me. With my good wishes for all your family members,
This is to introduce Sri Radha Pada das Adhikari. He is a family man and an electrician. He wants to join with us wholeheartedly with all family members. Please talk with him personally and do the needful.
You can open a center along with all the members of your family. Just make sure to follow all the regulative principles. Wherever you stay just chant the Holy Name.
1977 Correspondence
Your suggestion that I come to Fiji for recovering my health is very good. We are now thinking of going to Kashmir. When my program is definitely fixed up then I will let you know further. I know that your new house is very nice with a good view and that you and your family will take very good care of me. Let us see our program here then I shall let you know. My health is very slowly improving. I am simply trusting in Krishna.
I hope this meets you and all your family members very well.
Now I have come to the West in a broken condition of health. In such condition no one would think of touring. An ordinary man would prepare for death. But I am not afraid of death, so why not let me see once again all of my beloved disciples and the Temples all over the world. When I go to Hawaii this winter I shall be very much eager to come to Fiji and to see you at that time. Until then go on very enthusiastically and try to make all of the citizens Krsna conscious.
Hoping this meets you and all of your family members in the best of health.
| Page Title: | Family members (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 14 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=42 |
| No. of Quotes: | 42 |