SKP, Sankirtan Party

Expressions researched:
"skp" |"tskp"

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 23 January, 1970:

In the meantime, I have received one letter from Krishna das in Germany, and he reports that in Germany there is very good scope for preaching our Krishna Consciousness Movement. In this connection he writes as follows:

"If it is Your desire Prabhupada, with the organization of Germany's Sankirtana Party we would like to make a tour of Germany during the summer and if it is with Your blessings, to open a second temple at least by the end of 1970, either in Berlin or Munich.

Germany (West) has a population of over 50 million, and that is not including East Germany. In England there are over 60 million, but the difference lies in the concentration. In England there are a few large cities (London, Birmingham, Liverpool, etc.) whereas in Germany the folk are spread in hundreds of towns all over Germany, and these towns are situated only short distances apart. Another hint of Germany's importance is that the German Mark (currency) is one of the stablest monetary systems in the whole world. As you have said many times previously, the Germans are a very intelligent people. Now the only problem is to reach the people in large numbers, and this will be through SKP and new temples. Especially in main cities (Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne, Munich, Stutgart, etc.) all of which have a population of half a million to a million (except Berlin which had three million), but they are centers of industry, trade, art, travel and all have Universities."

So he suggests that your assistance in Germany would be very much favorable. Do you think that for some time you can go to our German center and organize it very nicely in cooperation with other members. If so, then you decide for yourself and when you come here we shall talk further on this matter.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Krsna dasa -- Vrindaban 30 November, 1971:

I am especially pleased that you want to organize a travelling SKP in Europe. We are doing the same thing here in India with very good results. And from all over the Society I get reports that such parties are having good success. So try to organize it very nicely in Europe also, especially to distribute our books and magazines, as many as possible.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Vrindaban 30 November, 1971:

I am currently in Vrindaban with a party of 40 devotees, and we are having daily parikrama of the holy places. We shall return to Delhi tomorrow by coach. The officials and residents of Vrindaban have greeted us very nicely, and they are simply astounded to see our SKP chanting with great jubilation through the city streets. The Mayor has publicly proclaimed that I have done something wonderful, and practically speaking, they realize that before I went to the western countries no one there knew about Vrindaban. Now hundreds of visitors and hippies from your country come here to see Krishna's place. The Vrindaban devotees have understood that Vrindaban is now world-famous due to my preaching work, so they are all very much appreciating their hometown Swamiji.

Letter to Locanananda -- Delhi, India 8 December, 1971:

SKP means preaching, so if your street SKP has been stopped temporarily by the police, never mind, as long as you are preaching, that is SKP.

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Delhi 12 December, 1971:

I am especially pleased that your travelling Sankirtana Party is being organized nicely under your supervision, and that it is meeting with good success. This travelling SKP is busses carrying tents is very encouraging. It should be continued all over the country. One thing is that all the students on the party must strictly follow the rules and regulations. Cleanliness is most essential, rising early, taking bath, etc. It is not that because we are travelling that we can neglect our routine work and become irregular in our habits. No, we must make every effort to remain regulated and clean, this is the solid basis for our work. When our routine work, like chanting, reading books, nice arati, deity worship, etc., is very nice, then our preaching will have effect. That is the secret.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Kulasekhara -- Bombay 10 January, 1972:

Your songs and poems are very much liked by me. Syamasundara. informs me your proposal for travelling party for roving all over England and Wales, just like Kirtanananda is doing in America. I think this is a good proposal, and you may compose many such nice songs for attracting the young people from villages and towns. I very much approve of such travelling SKP program. And if you are able to infiltrate into schools and colleges for introducing Krishna Consciousness and selling our books, that is also very nice. In this way, keep yourself always 24 hours engaged in Krishna service, and very quickly you will advance to the highest platform of life. Somehow or other, Krishna has sent me sincere souls like yourself and others to assist me, therefore there has been a little progress. Thank you very much for helping me to spread Lord Caitanya's movement.

Letter to Jagadisa -- Bombay 5 February, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your report of January 28, 1972, and I am very pleased to hear that you are putting your full energy into distributing books and magazines very widely all over Canada. It is not so much the numbers of books sold, it is the sincerity which Krishna appreciates, and I am encouraged by your determined enthusiasm to increase in every respect. The travelling SKP and teaching in the schools and colleges which you are organizing is excellent proposal, and I think that this is the best program for pushing on this Lord Caitanya's Movement: simply travelling and preaching, and infiltrating the schools where young boys and girls are interested to learn something which will satisfy them. In both activities you may distribute many of our literatures, and that will please me very much.

Letter to Chaya -- Calcutta 16 February, 1972:

All the children should learn to read and write very nicely, and a little mathematics, so that they will be able to read our books. Cooking, sewing, things like that do not require schooling, they are learned simply by association. There is no question of academic education for either boys or girls—simply a little mathematics and being able to read and write well, that's all, no universities. Their higher education they will get from our books, and other things they will get from experience, like preaching, SKP, etc. Alongside the regular classes in reading and writing, the other routine programs they should also participate in, like arati, kirtana, preaching, Sankirtana, like that.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Sydney 2 April, 1972:

Your idea for printing books with Dai Nippon and concentrating on distributing is very good idea, so I very much approve of your techniques for selling our literatures, and this have very much relieved me to know that this program is progressing rapidly under your control. Also, you ideas for travelling SKP are very much liked by me. Here in Australia they have got one double-decker bus, like you have seen in London streets, and they have painted it very brightly, and as it moves there is kirtana party chanting very loudly inside, and on top floor there is sleeping space and kitchen. On the whole, it is so nice that I am suggesting Dayananda that he supply you and Krishna das with information, how you may purchase such busses in London and drive them all over European continent, and these "Hare Krishna Movement" busses will make us famous all over the world. I am enclosing one photo of their Australia bus in Sydney.

Letter to Revatinandana -- Sydney 2 April, 1972:

I think your idea to canvass the youth groups and colleges in England is good proposal, so do it nicely in cooperation with Dayananda and the others there, and I am sending Kesava there to England soon to organize the book-distribution and travelling Sankirtana Party, so you know him, now you help him very seriously to increase these two programs, because I think especially that England is the best field in the world for distributing our books, as good or better than USA, so I want that you all should be very active to increase the scope there. Kesava is the recognized expert in these fields, so you take direction from him how to do it, and you preach wherever you go throughout the British Isles, and make this travelling SKP a great success, a greater success, than it is now in your country.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Sydney 10 April, 1972:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 17, 1972, and I am very much pleased to hear from you that everything is going nicely at our Gurukula school, and also that two travelling SKP parties from Dallas are having such good success by turning in $3000 to my Book Fund in one month only. That is such nice service to Krishna, and it is news that makes my heart gladdened. Actually, I have very great hope for these travelling parties, our Gurukula school, and all our other projects, that by engaging ourselves in these ways, so long we do not forget the purpose of such activity then we shall very much revise the nasty situation in the world as it exists present moment, and we shall observe that angelic persons like you all nice devotees will be very much prominent in public life everywhere. That is my hope.

Letter to Dayananda -- 26 April, 1972 Tokyo:

Actually, I have just received invitation today from Harivilas prabhu inviting me to come to one Hare Krsna Festival in Paris around that time also, so I am considering very seriously. Especially if there is good prospect for getting that church at Oval Cricket Ground. I want that you should get that place immediately. You may get books, as many as possible, from Karandhar, at cost price and sell them profusely for as much price as you like and all profits above cost price you may use to buy the church. That is my plan. And when I come there I shall appeal to the Hindi community personally to help us buy this church. Now I am sending Kesava there to help you organize widespread distribution of books and traveling SKP, and he may stay for two months minimum, or at least until I leave there.

You may begin advertising that I will be there, and I shall speak to the Hindus at the Hindu Community Center on that night and make appeal to them to help us buy this church.

Letter to Gargamuni -- Tokyo 26 April, 1972:

Plans of the temple, detailed program—all these things are already taken care of, they are not your job. The real thing, money, is in your hands. Tamala Krishna has already taken his party to Bangladesh, so any assistance you can give him by way of advice or addresses will help. But you should concentrate on book sales and collecting with your SKP in various rich quarters in India. Now we have sent many books lately to India, Gurudasa has got a full description, and he is getting CCP clearance permission. Now you settle amongst yourselves on some programme for distributing these and many other books, I don't care at what price __ sell, because all you can collect will go for building for Vrindaban, and Mayapur only, no question of 50/50 division. The books are being sent to you free, so you raise money __

Letter to Jagadisa -- Hyderabad 18 November, 1972:

Your question about travelling SKP parties in other zones I have answered several times before, so you may see the letters to Dhananjaya in London and others. The thing is, our main business is to distribute books, either here or there it doesn't matter. So if there is transcendental competition for increasing sale of books, that is good. If he buys one book his life may be turned, that is best preaching work. But everything must be done in the spirit of cooperation, without any irritation. If one party wants to travel into another zone, that's all right, but there must be prior agreement between the GBC men and mutual consent. If by going there the book sales will be increased, what is the harm? But supposing if there is any harm, that is to be judged by the local president, and if he has good reason to think that another party will be unfavorable to his temple's operations, then he may order them to leave, that's all. So local temple officers should be the final judge to allow or disallow anyone from outside to sell books there. And if some outside party comes, they must sell books only, no collecting without selling books. They must live in the local temple and not separately, and they must follow faithfully the instructions and directions of the local president. They can purchase books from the temple at regular wholesale price and sell, and whatever profit there is above wholesale price they must give at least 50% to the local temple out of good will. That will be nice. So we shall not think that this is my zone, that is his zone, just like the Indian and Pakistan nation are thinking, and then there is war, no. Lord Caitanya has given us the task to spread His message all over the world, and any process which may be useful for facilitating this business, that we shall gladly adopt, never mind his zone or my zone, that is material designation. But we shall always do everything in cooperative spirit and avoid any fighting amongst us, that is Vaisnava attitude because Lord Caitanya has advised us to always offer all respects to others, especially to the devotees of the Lord.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Pusta Krsna -- Hyderabad 23 March, 1973:

I said it long ago, that we are trying to make Brahmanas from anywhere in the world. We can offer the intelligent person the opportunity to be trained up in the highest spiritual knowledge and train him up as a preacher himself. That is a very attractive offer, so in your traveling SKP you can preach like that, and quote some important slokas from our books and wherever you go you will be respected and you can recruit some solid devotees for pushing on this movement. So kindly go on with your program.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Hrdayananda -- Vrindaban 17 August, 1974:

I am also enclosing sacred threads and sheets for Havi das, Purujit das, Urdhvabhaga das (CARACAS); and SAN JUAN; Raghupatiprana das, Vaisnavananda das, and Bhuvana Rasini das; TSKP—Kirtideva das.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Rupanuga -- Ahmedabad 29 September, 1975:

So you get from all the farms all your necessities, then it will be successful. Fodder, milk, grains, vegetables, and animals and man will be satisfied, and you can chant Hare Krishna. No unnecessary cow killing, and no unnecessary needs of the body. The woman's SKP party, that is very good.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Ramesvara -- Mayapur 26 January, 1976:

Regarding supplying the Radha Damodara TSKP books at discount, there is no harm. The BBT should charge them the printing cost only and the balance they will send to India. It is the same as before, but instead of the money being sent to the BBT and then to India, this is shortcut and the money will go directly to India. As their collections depend entirely on book distribution, whatever amount they transfer here plus the amount paid to BBT in Los Angeles may be combined for listing in your monthly ratings as book distribution. In this way they will be encouraged to go on increasing the book distribution more and more and at the same time they will be encouraged to send more and more for the construction.

Letter to All GBC's in the U.S.A -- Honolulu 4 May, 1976:

I have met with Tamala Krishna Goswami and it appears impractical to send anyone to China at this time. I am requesting him to resume his old position as manager of the Radha-Damodara TSKP. Book distribution is my most important concern and these devotees should be given facility to distribute books profusely throughout America. They are also helping with substantial contributions to construct the Temple in Mayapur. Please do the needful to see that everything is done very nicely in a cooperative Krishna Conscious spirit.

Letter to Radha-Damodara TSKP -- Honolulu 5 May, 1976:

As it is impractical for anyone to be sent to China at this time, I am sending Tamala Krishna Goswami to resume his old position as manager of Radha-Damodara TSKP. Now all of you work cooperatively. I was very pleased to see how you were working so hard last year to distribute so many books. There is no instance of religious books of philosophy being distributed in such magnitude in history. Now go on enthusiastically and increase this book distribution unlimitedly.

Letter to Alanatha -- Honolulu 26 May, 1976:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 7, 1976, and I thank you for the copy of Easy Journey to Other Planets in the Finnish language. Now go throughout all of Europe with your travelling party and distribute my books profusely, just as the Radha-Damodara TSKP is doing in America. You must remain strong by following the four regulative principles, and chanting 16 rounds of japa daily, and go on distributing my books unlimitedly in Europe.

Letter to Sridhara -- Los Angeles 4 June, 1976:

I was very pleased to note that you are willing to go to China as we have just printed a Chinese Bhagavad-gita. I am most eager to see this distributed throughout Southeast Asia to as many Chinese speaking people as possible. For this reason I am sending Trivikrama Maharaja to Hong Kong immediately, and he will be followed by two of the big book distributers on the Radha-Damodara TSKP, being sent by Tamala Krsna Goswami. I wish that you will meet Trivikrama Swami in Hong Kong and combinedly organize distribution of the Chinese Gita profusely. It will be a great triumph. After all, one third of the world is Chinese speaking, and they are also human, they have a very old culture, so why shouldn't they be benefited by Lord Caitanya's movement.

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Hrdayananda -- Calcutta 16 January, 1977:

Yes, I am very pleased with your book distribution because nobody was able to defeat Radha Damodara TSKP previously. Radha-Damodara is Himself pleased upon you. sometimes the Lord wants to be defeated by His devotee. Nobody can defeat the Lord, but still He desires like that sometimes. That is His mercy. Pancadravida Swami is very intelligent in every way. He is a very competent, nice devotee. I am very much pleased, so go on increasing the distribution more and more.