Letter to: Ballabhi
—
New York
22 April, 1967
67-04-22
My Dear Ballabhi,
Please accept my blessings. I thank you for your letter of the 18th instant and I have noted the contents with so much pleasure. I know that you poor girl have been frustrated by the so called society and you deeply needed the shelter of Krishna Consciousness. Krishna kindly sent you to me and I have tried to give you whatever I had in my possession. Please go on chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna as you are doing now and this very chanting will give you all peace and prosperity both in this life and the next. Never expect any good from the so called society, friendship and love. Only Krishna is the genuine friend of all living beings and it is He only who can give us all benediction. The more you advance in Krishna Consciousness chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna the more you become spiritually advanced and happy in all respects.
The separation which you are feeling on account of my physical absence is good sign. The more you feel such separation the more you will be situated in Krishna Consciousness. Lord Caitanya felt this separation and His process of approaching Krishna is the feeling of separation. However I shall return to San Francisco as soon as possible. How is Nandarani and her husband Dayananda __ not hear from them since I have come back to New York.
Herewith please find some notes for Sriman Subala das and his wife Krishna Devi.
Letter to: Ballabhi
—
ISKCON Inc.,
26 2nd Ave,
New York, N.Y
5 May, 1967
LT_670504_D1
To: San Francisco
My dear Ballabhi,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 27, 1967. 1 am very glad to learn that you are making advance in Krishna Consciousness very sincerely.
While chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna you should always feel the presence of Krishna in Person and as soon as you remember Krishna in Person you can remember also about His talks with Arjuna. If you cannot remember Krishna in Person you should try to hear attentively the word Krishna, Hare as you go on chanting. The correct spelling of your name is Ballabhi. The meaning of this word is that one who tries to please Krishna in all respects.
The spirit soul does not evolve like the body. The body has got six transformations, namely, the body takes its birth, it grows, it remains for some time, it produces some by-products and it dwindles and then it vanishes. All these six changes of the body are not applicable to the soul. The soul is permanent. It has no development, no decrease, no destruction, nothing of the sort as compared with the body. The only difficulty of the soul is that in the conditioned state of material body, the soul is supposed to forget its identity; by chanting Hare Krishna gradually the soul revives its identity or it comes out from the forgetfulness. This is not exactly development, but it is reviving one's consciousness. Everything will be gradually clear as you go on chanting Hare Krishna. Please try to chant at least 16 rounds of the beads and while chanting try to hear each and every word. That will make you advance in every respect.
If you analyze yourself very scrutinizingly then you will find that you are spirit soul. How can you do it if you think of yourself, what you are, you will analyze that you are not this body, you are not this hand, you are not this leg, you are not this mouth, but you are something. And what is that something? That something is continuing. When you were a child that something was there, when you were a little more, a girl, then that same something was there and now you are a young girl,, the same something is there, and when you will be old enough, the same something is there. Therefore, this same something is there even you have changed your body in so many ways. Therefore next conclusion should be that even if you change to another body, that something will continue. Therefore that something will continue. All this truth about the soul will gradually develop as you go on chanting Hare Krishna.
If you try to follow my instruction you will feel that my body is in your presence always. I know that you all devotees of San Francisco are very much anxious to get me back there and I am also trying to go back there as soon as possible, in the meantime go on with your chanting and hearing and everything will be all right by the grace of Krishna. I hope this will find you all right.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami