This evening we had very successful performances of Kirtana and discourses for two hours (7-9 P.M.) at the Himalayan Academy the Christian Yoga Church and there were about 100 respectable gatherings. All the ladies and gentlemen were cultured and decent and all of them appreciated our Kirtana and lectures. They profusely garlanded me and exposed me for photo snaps. Ranchor played the Harmonium and they were pleased with his playing and garlanded him. They handed over to me some collection about $12.00 and most probably they will invite us again for such performances. The students of this Himalayan Academy have built a very nice temple and I wish the students in New York also finish the proposed building as nicely as they have done at San Francisco. Tomorrow we are going to see Dr. Haridasa Chowdhury one Calcutta man who has a similar institution under the name of Self Realization Organization of San Francisco. An American gentleman Kriyananda (J. Donald Walters) will take me there by engagement. And in the evening tomorrow a couple will be married and two students will initiated prior to their marriage. And the same Kirtana function will be performed at California college on the 14th instant Tuesday. I think our popularity in this part of the country is increasing. I think in New York also you should arrange for such Kirtana programs in different churches and societies on off days like Tuesday, Thursday, Saturdays. Wherever we get opportunities we must perform such Kirtana.
Garland (Letters)
Correspondence
1967 Correspondence
1. The picture of Lord Caitanya with His party should be nicely decorated with flowers and garlands and Sankirtana should be performed regularly from Morning to evening. Just after seeing the Full Moon on the sky the days fast should be broken. I mean the devotees should observe fasting the whole day. In the evening the devotees should take food as in the Ekadasi days.
I have already instructed you that Gargamuni should get married. They should get a marriage certificate as soon as is possible. In the temple the ceremony should be observed by chanting Hare Krishna before the fire, offering the clarified butter with the word Saha, and the bride and groom should exchange their garlands before the Lord Krishna deity and promise not to be separated in life. They should know it that bodily relation between the husband and wife is secondary; primary factor is that both should help one another in the matter of advancement of K.C.
Regarding Gargamuni's marriage, I have already sanctioned it. Perhaps you did not receive the letters containing all instructions. I repeat: the bride and groom should sit before the Deity Lord Krishna or Jagannatha and you should ignite the fire to offer clarified butter; simply chant Hare Krishna, all of you, and offer the butter to the fire with the word SAHA. The bride and groom should exchange their garlands, and the groom should promise never to forsake his wife, and the wife should promise to serve the husband for all her days. Then when there is opportunity, I shall further bless them personally.
1968 Correspondence
Yes, please decorate Jagannatha with very attractive nice clothing and ornaments, helmets, as brightly and magnificently as possible. The sample of decorating Jagannatha is already instructed to Harsarani, and in that way you can make arrangements. There shall be sufficient flower garlands for them daily also.
1969 Correspondence
Regarding your keeping private deities, if you will have time it is all right, but the same energy can be utilized in the temple for decorating, dressing, cleaning, cooking. Actually, every day the dress should be changed with new ornaments, clothes, flower garlands. So we can increase even in one place the activities of deity worship. If you are having free time, I can give you a very grand list of activities for deity worship which will keep you occupied for twenty four hours each day.
To celebrate the Rasa Lila Ceremony decorate the Deities very nicely with flowers; as many as possible, ornaments, garlands, nice light demonstration, and much distribution of Prasadam. That will be a very nice day for opening the Radha-Krishna Temple. So if by chance I do not go, then Tamala Krishna, who is arriving in London this Monday, will go. He and Yamuna are both expert in the matter of Deity decoration, so there will be no difficulty for the opening ceremony. So arrange for this ceremony without fail, and let me know immediately if you have got a pair of Radha-Krishna Deities in the new consignment. If not, the Deities with me will go back there.
Regarding Citsukhananda, he needn't bother at present to translate into Spanish. Unless we have got branches in some country where the Spanish language is important, he should not divert his attention. Regarding the little boy named Jimmy and his mother, the mother may do work; just like sweeping, cleansing the temple, collecting flowers, making garlands, washing dishes, etc. The boy should be trained to be a nice brahmacari, but it is risky to keep a boy of this age away from the public schools. In your country the law is very strict to send such minor children to school. The best thing will be to send him to New Vrindaban to be taken taken care of by Kirtanananda, Ranadhira, Satyabhama, Syama Dasi and Paramananda. They are already taking care of some young boys who are there. They are trying to develop a school of our ideal in that place. So after some time, if the mother sticks to our principles, the child may be sent to New Vrindaban and she can remain in the temple and gradually be initiated. In the meantime, encourage her to read our literature and books, and be engaged in some service as above mentioned.
1970 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your nice letter dated 18 February, 1970, along with your beads for chanting and a pair of lovely flower garlands. Thank you very much.
I have immediately offered the flower garlands to Radha and Krsna and they are so nice looking. I am very happy to accept you as my disciple and I am glad to know that you are praying to Lord Krsna only that you may always remember that your position eternally is to serve and take shelter of His transcendental lotus feet. So I am returning your beads duly chanted by me, and your spiritual name is Manmohini Dasi. Manmohini is another name of Radharani and Manmohini dasi is the maidservant of Radharani. Now please chant Hare Krsna mantra and be sublimely happy.
Tulasi leaf is very, very dear to Visnu. All Visnu-tattva Deities require profusely Tulasi leaves. Lord Visnu likes garland of Tulasi leaves. Tulsi leaves mixed with sandalwood pulp and placed on the lotus feet of the Lord is the topmost worship. But we must be very careful that Tulasi leaves cannot be placed on the feet of anyone else except Lord Visnu and His different forms. Tulasi leaves cannot be placed even on the lotus feet of Radharani or on the lotus feet of the Spiritual Master. It is entirely reserved for being placed on the lotus feet of Krsna. We can place, however, Tulasi leaves in the hands of Radharani for being placed on the lotus feet of Krsna, as you have seen on the Govinda Album.
I thank you very much and all the devotees for offering me a garland daily as you were doing when I was physically present. If a disciple is constantly engaged in carrying out the instructions of the Spiritual Master he is supposed to be constantly in company with hs Spiritual Master. This is called Vaniseva. So there are two kinds of service to the Spiritual Master One is called vaniseva and the other is called vapuseva. Vaniseva means as above mentioned, executing the instructions, and vapuseva means physically or personally rendering service. So in the absence of physical presentation of the Spiritual Master the vaniseva is more important. My Spiritual Master, Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura, may appear to be physically not present, but still because I try to serve His instruction I never feel separated from Him. I expect that all of you should follow these instructions.
1971 Correspondence
Deity worship can be learned at not less than ten years by children. Before that they can assist. They can learn how to bow down, how to dance and chant, how to make garlands, clean arati utensils, etc. In this way they can be engaged. These are also different parts of Deity worship.
I am so glad that the neighboring ladies are coming to string garlands for the Deities. They should be given some service. That will be very good for them. So you should remain there not only for six month, but unlimited time unless we find some suitable place. By law they cannot remove us. Take help from Devanji, our good lawyer friend. And we have got many other friends; they will all help. In the meantime, I have sent my decision on the Little Gibbs Road House in my last letter dated 23rd July, 1971, which I hope you have received by now.
I understand that Ottawa is the seat of government and a very important place. A few days back, the Canadian High Commissioner to India, Mr. James George, came to our festival which we are holding every night for two weeks in the central square of Delhi as the special Guest for that night. He garlanded me and spoke many nice words about our Movement, which he has observed for some time in Montreal and Boston. He is very favorable to our Movement. It appears that more and more the gentleman class of men in your country is respecting this Krishna Consciousness Movement, so you should approach them one by one and convince them very tactfully to help us.
1972 Correspondence
I offer my blessings to your new child Manjari devi dasi. Have a feast, perform fire yajna, and Bhagavan may offer her a garland and announce "Our Spiritual Master has given her this nice name." So now your first duty should be to see your children develop nicely. There is no doubt they are advanced souls, so simply being in the association of their parents and other devotees they will very quickly make advancement.
The deity program must be improved very gorgeously. Flower garlands should be expanded, and all expenditures for the deities must be expanded without any miserly contemplation. Our temple should be so gorgeously decorated that we shall excel all Bombay temples. This is my idea. Try to fulfill it. When they hear that we decorate our deities so gorgeously, people will throng, and on festival days especially, like Janmastami, Jhulana Yatra, etc. So four or five devotees should be always engaged in deity worship.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated June 12, 1972 and I have noted the contents. I thank you very much for the nice flower garland you have sent, and the nice fragrance is very pleasing. Beautiful flowers are compared to Krishna smiling.
I am very happy to understand from you that the printing work is going on prolifically, that is our first business, to print and distribute this Krsna knowledge very widely. I am expecting very soon the delivery of Bhagavad-gita As it Is* and you may dispatch many copies to England also. I am very happy to hear of your daily walk through that Brooklyn neighborhood with the deities. That is customary in India, and all of the neighbors come out and offer incense, garlands and other gifts for Radha and Krsna, so you may encourage your neighbors there to also make offerings and chant with us, and their lives will be very much improved.
1974 Correspondence
14. No, Siva should not be wearing a garland of skulls. Yes, he can be wearing a short dhoti. 15. They should all be standing around the fire at the sacrificial altar. Do not show the horse there. 16. Yes, although you may not know what Maharaja Prthu or Sita look like, they are present in your paintings due to your consciousness.
I am always pleased and looking forward to seeing more beautiful pictures in our books. In India we make life members simply from the high quality and appearance of our books with illustrations. Our society is unrivalled in this respect and this is your credit who are working so selflessly to illustrate my books. Thank you very much.
From the pictures anyone will see that you have organized New Vrindaban very nicely. It is just like Krishna's Vrindaban. Now they are happy in New Vrindaban both animals and men. Here in one picture is Kirtanananda instructing the cow to chant Hare Krishna. In another picture the boys and the cows are being taken equal care. Everyone is living very peacefully and eating very nicely. There is so much land. This is real Vrindaban life. In Vrindaban Krishna calls the cows each by his own name. When cows were purchased in the beginning I have seen them crying because the calf was taken for killing. They can understand. Not that they are animal and cannot understand. The neighboring farmers come and they are astonished at the nice preparations made from their milk. I see in the small cottages they are living very, very happily. The cows are grazing, and the male members are doing the work. Local flowers are used for the garlands. Yes, New Vrindaban is almost a small state. Some of the rogues are envious. Rogues are always envious when they see something nice. Even Hayagriva will not leave that place. He is living very happily there.
1975 Correspondence
Please especially see that the Deity worship is going nicely. You are an experienced lady, and you can teach especially the girls there to cook nicely for the Deity, to prepare flower garlands nicely for the Deity, to clean and dress the Deity nicely. You organize this to the first class standard, as I have seen they are doing in Los Angeles and in London. Then people will be automatically attracted. You know how to do these things, and they must take instruction from you. And, you can let me know how things are going on there.
I am in due receipt of your two letters dated August 6th and August 15th together with the revised plans for the temple. The pujari room on the first floor behind the temple is not meant as living quarters for the Pujari. It is meant for storing the Deity paraphernalia, making flower garlands, etc. No toilets should be on this floor. Water taps will be needed however for washing the Deity utensils and prasadam plates of the Deity. Also on the Ground Floor on the first plan there were living quarters, but on the second plan there is only one big Library. Where will our men live? Living should be on the Ground Floor.
| Page Title: | Garland (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti |
| Created: | 25 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=22 |
| No. of Quotes: | 22 |