Prabhupada and Mandakini devi dasi

Expressions researched:
"Mandakini" |"Mandakinidevi"

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 18, 1972, Hong Kong:

Prabhupāda: Now here is Śyāmasundara. His father is very, very rich man, young man. He is always canvassing him that—he is only son—that "You come, do business. You take millions of dollars, whatever you like." He is not going. There are many like that. They cannot give up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And you know our Jagatāriṇī, wife of Bhūrijana, she was a theatrical girl and earning millions of dollars, but she has given up everything. You have seen his wife, you all, Bhūrijana's wife? She is a nice girl, educated, qualified. But she is satisfied. I asked her to go and marry Bhūrijana. She never saw her (him). She never saw her (him), what kind of husband she is going to accept. But simply on my word, she came, and she came from Los Angeles to Japan and got married. Similarly I am asking one girl. She is a French girl, Mandākinī. So I am asking her to go to Russia and marry one boy. She has never seen. So they obey in such a way. The Western boys and girls, they want to see and behave before marrying. But they are so obedient that without any consideration... Because marriage or no marriage, that is not their consideration. The only consideration is how to please Kṛṣṇa and his representative.

Room Conversation -- October 25, 1972, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Yes, Russians. Russian young boys are as good as Americans. By artificial means they have been checked. The Russian government is not good at all. Suppression. Simply suppression.

Indian man: But they permit this kind of thing?

Prabhupāda: They do not permit, but they are holding class.

Indian man: Holding class.

Prabhupāda: Yes, reading Bhagavad-gītā. And I am getting that boy married with my one French girl disciple. Then he will be strong. (laughs) We are also playing politics. You know that...

Gurudāsa: Mandākinī.

Prabhupāda: Mandākinī, yes. Very nice girl. You have seen her?

Devotee (3): Very nice pujārī.

Prabhupāda: Very intelligent, educated, beautiful, everything. And I have asked her that "You go to Russia and marry that boy." She has accepted.

Indian man: She has accepted.

Prabhupāda: Great risk.

Indian man: Great risk.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Car Conversation -- August 3, 1975, Detroit:

Prabhupāda: ...in this agreement that they signed in Finland was that Russia has pledged to make it easier for granting visas for families, members who are outside of Russia so that they can come to Russia and visit their family members.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Brahmānanda: So this will be good for our, what is her name? That devotee?

Jagadīśa: Mālatī? Himāvatī?

Brahmānanda: No. That girl devotee.

Prabhupāda: Mandakini.

Brahmānanda: Mandakini.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Arrival at Farm -- July 29, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Who will cook?

Bhagavān: We have Mandakini?

Prabhupāda: Mandakini has not cooked very nice last...

Bhagavān: There is Aditi, there is... The wife of Hari-vilāsa, she cooked for you before.

Prabhupāda: All right, she can cook.

Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Give Mandākinī these peas. Tomorrow she can utilize it for kacuri. I've asked her to make kacuri. Let them use this.

Room Conversation -- November 3, 1976, Vrndavana:

Haṁsadūta: Big country, very poor.

Hari-śauri: Moscow.

Haṁsadūta: In that city, one has to wait for years in order to get an apartment.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā?

Haṁsadūta: Yes, Anatol was telling me, that boy Ānanda-śānti. His whole family was living in that..., but you did not see his room. His room is very small, maybe two times the size of your kitchen and whole family was living in that. Mother, grandmother, father, him, and when Mandākinī went there she was also living there.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Haṁsadūta: Very small.

Prabhupāda: Pigeonhole.

Haṁsadūta: Pigeonhole, really pigeonhole.

Prabhupāda: So why this is?

Haṁsadūta: Only one room. Because there is no, economically they're...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Haṁsadūta: Not making progress. The situation is very bad. And all the buildings if you noticed, they were very old.

Prabhupāda: Yes I have already told...

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Yamuna, Mandakini, Ilavati, Jyotirmayi, Dhananjaya, Digvijaya, Jotilla, Prithadevi, Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 8 February, 1970:

I am so much obliged for your loving presentation of sweets, balusai, handkerchief, painting, flower, simply wonderful, sacred thread, dhupa, and gopicandana, and I have immediately tasted all the preparations so nice and distributed them to the devotees of the Temple. I have offered the handkerchief and dhupa to Radha Krishna, and placed the picture on the wall. Please organize this Sankirtana Movement under the leadership of Tamala, Mukunda, Syamasundara., and Gurudasa and be happy.

Letter to Mandakini -- Los Angeles 8 February, 1970:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 28 January, 1970, along with your beads. Thank you very much. I am very glad to accept you as my disciple because you want to learn how to serve Krishna, and I am returning your beads duly chanted upon by me.

Please chant sixteen rounds of beads daily following the rules and four restrictions and avoiding the ten offenses in chanting the Holy Name of Krishna. Please learn our Krishna Consciousness way of life from the good guidance of the older devotees there.

I am so glad to learn that you are nicely appreciating the bliss of Krishna Consciousness and are endeavoring to become pure in this association. If you continue in this attitude you will progress more and more in your service. So chant Hare Krishna Mantra and be happy. That is my desire.

Hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

N.B. Mandakini is the name of the river flowing through the heavenly planets. On this planet this river is known as Ganges. This water was kindly let down into this universe by the lotus foot of Krishna in His incarnation as Vamana.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 6 May, 1970:

I am so glad to learn that things are going on nicely in our London Temple. The most important point in this letter is second time initiation of some of the devotees, specifically Jaya Hari Das Brahmacari, Jyotirmayidevi Dasi, and Mandakinidevi Dasi. So I am sending herewith the sanctified Gayatri Mantra Tape and papers for holding the ceremony, as well as a sacred thread and special instructions for the devotees with the Gayatri Mantra.

Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 6 May, 1970:

I am so glad to learn that things are going on nicely in our London Temple. The most important point in this letter is second time initiation of some of the devotees, specifically Jaya Hari Das Brahmacari, Jyotirmayidevi Dasi, and Mandakinidevi Dasi. So I am sending herewith the sanctified Gayatri Mantra Tape and papers for holding the ceremony, as well as a sacred thread and special instructions for the devotees with the Gayatri Mantra.

Letter to Yogesvara, Gurudasa, Digvijaya, Lesley, Yvonne, Jyotirmayi, Paul, Prithadevi, Purnananda, Tom, Lena, Dhananjaya, Inga, Mandakini, Tirthapada, Trivikrama, Yamuna, Jaya Hari -- Los Angeles 21 May, 1970:

I thank you all very much for your Aksoy Treetiya card. This is the new years day of the appearance of Satya Yuga. Satya Yuga means the age when people did not know anything except the Absolute Truth or the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam we begin our reading by offering of obeisances to the Supreme Truth Satyam Param Dhimahi (SB 1.1.1), so those who are strictly on the Bhagavat line or in Krsna consciousness actually they are living in Satya Yuga age.

Our London Temple is replica of Vaikuntha, so live there peacefully, chant the regular beads, and follow the regulative principles.

I am so much thankful to you for your respective presentations—they are as follows: one golden cup, mysore sandal soap, some scent in snuff box, one picture of London Radha-Krsna Deities and one xeroxed interview report. So I shall be glad to know what is the contents and its formula in the box, then I can use it as snuff.

I beg to thank you once again for these gifts. Hope this will meet you all in very good health in Krsna Consciousness.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

P.S. Where is Mukunda & Janaki please inform.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Mukunda -- Bombay 13 April, 1971:

Please offer my blessings to Jeffrey, Tribhuvanatha, Mary, Ally, Milan, Nicholas, Josh, Richard (Rancor), Jim (Pratejas) Geoff, Philip, Terry, Adeti Devi, Martha, Adeline and Mandakini Devi Prabhus. I have received their very kind letters of appreciation and I am very much grateful. Take care of them and see to it that they all become pure devotees. That is your duty. They should follow the regulative principles strictly, regularly chant 16 rounds daily without fail, read all our literatures and attend classes, etc. and be happy in Krishna Consciousness.

Letter to Mukunda and others -- Bombay 12 June, 1971:

I beg to thank you very much for your very kind letters post dated 2nd June, 1971. You will be glad to know that very soon I am coming to London, and will be there for participating in the Rathayatra festival also. On the 20th June I will be going to Moscow for five days. From there I will go to Paris to see their new temple and from Paris I am going directly to London, by the end of this month.

You write to say that you are expecting 50,000 people to participate in the festival this year. That is very encouraging. So all of you work very fervently to make the festival a grand success and Krishna will surely bless each and every one of you. I am going there to London and Syamasundara. and Aravinda are going with me and probably Hamsaduta and his wife will also come.

Letter to Tribhuvanatha -- Brooklyn 17 July, 1971:

I have received the bead bag made by Malati, the karatala pouch made by Dinadyadri, the sweets and breads made by Mandakini, Aditi, Jill and Clare, the photos of the festival taken by Serge, and photos of the very beautiful paintings done by Vasudeva. All these presentations are so very nice. You are all so kind to me. Thank you very much.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Dayananda -- Los Angeles 20 May, 1972:

I have received notice from Mandakini that her Russia trip was very much successful and that she will be returning to marry Anatole as soon as she can get proper visa. So you please give her all assistance to get proper visa so that she may continue her work. She is very very nice devotee.

Letter to Bhagavan -- Vrindaban 5 November, 1972:

I have received report from Mandakini, she will soon married to that boy, Anatol, so you please give her all help and advice in this connection.

Letter to Bhagavan -- Ahmedabad 13 December, 1972:

I think by now Mandakini has again gone to Russia, so she may send report as soon as she is able. Under all circumstances, keep our preaching work in front, it will save us in all conditions from the clutches of maya, that we have learned.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Bhagavan -- New Delhi 8 November, 1973:

I beg to inform you that I have received a very nice report from Hamsaduta of the Moscow activities, and I may request you in this regard to please immediately send Mandakini there for being married to Ananta Santi Das. Both of them will get good strength from it. So please do the needful.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- New Delhi 8 November, 1973:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter with enclosures dated October 26th, and have noted the contents with great pleasure. It is Krsna's mercy that you were able to take in a copy of Bhagavad-gita to Moscow. It is very encouraging that the boy without any association is maintaining the standard. This is due to his chanting 16 rounds and following the regulative principles. Now he should be in your charge, so you kindly guide him and keep him in our atmosphere and utilize him properly, but steadily and cautiously. Yes, you arrange for their marriage. I am writing both Bhagavan Das and Mandakini, the copies herewith enclosed. Their marriage will be very good, and both of them will get some strength. So guide them both as you think best. Yes, have our literature translated into Russian. Why not have our Bhagavad gita distributed underground there as they are doing the Bible? So you support him in any way, and write Mandakini to immediately go there. So far his engagement is concerned, it is not necessary that he join the Christian order. Better as you have suggested to preach amongst their friends and to gradually induce them to take interest.

Letter to Bhagavan -- Vrindaban 19 November, 1973:

Regarding Mandakini, let it be clarified, then send her. Moscow is uncertain, and Paris is certain; so we should not sacrifice the certain for the uncertain.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Mandakini -- Bombay 29 December, 1974:

You mentioned in your letter that you are getting only a tourist visa for Moscow. But my original plan was that by marrying this man you would be able to get a permanent resident/permit there in Russia as his wife. But apparently this is very difficult. Therefore I think for now you should remain there in __, executing your devotional service, preaching nicely, caring for the Deities nicely. Try to get some type of permanent residence permit for Russia. If you can not get this residence permit then I think it is better not to go there. We shall see as Krsna desires.

Please continue engaging in Krsna's service with staunch determination, not to be defeated and engaged in Maya's service even for one second.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Mandakini -- Bombay 16 January, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 11th, 1975 and have noted the contents. Regarding your going to Moscow, if as you say, there is a chance of your getting a residential permit, then you should go there and try to get it. If your husband has a plan, that is very good. By Krishna's grace you may be able to stay there and spread Lord Caitanya's movement.