Regarding your questions, your first question was should the devotee always speak the truth to everyone in all circumstances? The answer is yes, one should always speak the truth, but qualified devotee will be able to speak the truth always very palatable to everyone so that it will sound pleasing even to his enemy, that is the art of speaking truth. It is certainly so that we must speak the truth to all people, but how you say it that is another thing: satyam bruyat, priyam briya. When you become yourself little more experienced in Krishna Consciousness by preaching work and if you are sincere and serious to make progress in spiritual understanding, you need not have to worry yourself further because the truth will always be spoken by you in the proper manner. Krishna will give you that intelligence, you need not be concerned for it. Simply try to please Him always by your sincere service and chanting, that's all. Of course, for doing business with businessmen you have to lie business. Just like Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sometimes He also had to also fabricate something in emergency situations.
That is another thing (Letters)
Correspondence
1972 Correspondence
I am very glad you want to start your own press, but one thing is that you cannot close it once it is begun. When your own press is very sound and established beyond doubt, then you may call back Yogesvara. Your proposal for making records is very nice program. As for your essay on drugs and KC, do it. You may transcribe the Ajamila tapes and produce a very nice book. You may send the manuscript to Jayadvaita or Hayagriva for editing and printing with Dai Nippon. So far making tapes of Ajamila series, I have told Los Angeles tape-making operation that they should distribute to our devotees at cost price—to nondevotee that is another thing. We should not make exorbitant profit by exploiting each other in the matter of vital Krishna Consciousness paraphernalia such as books, tapes, etc. which are vital for our preaching work and for the devotees' personal advancement in Krishna Consciousness. But if you think it is a good idea to sell such tapes for profit I have no objection. Regarding salesmanship, it is a great art. It can be used for selling KC also. I am very much engladdened that you are so much enthusiastic, and you may know it that Krishna will help such enthusiastic devotees. May Krishna bless you all round.
Sometimes Krsna may put us into some difficulty just to purify us and force us to advance in Krsna consciousness. The devotee should always see his difficulty in this light, that Krsna is so kind upon me for creating this condition of struggling, thus He is relieving me of so many billions of lifetime of sinful reactions by this very insignificant and temporary condition of suffering something. Or if our attachment for Krsna is not yet developed, and there is still attraction for the ordinary life of householder life, together with friends, family, children, working, like that, that is all right, by that process if one contributes something of his income to the preaching work and attends himself with family the temple for the class and kirtana, gradually he will get some enthusiasm and develop his attachment for Krsna. But that is the slow and troublesome way, and I know that you are so intelligent boy, along with your good wife Saradia, so you may do as you like, but it would please me very much if you will dedicate yourself and your wife completely to the preaching work. That is important. Running-on of factories, family, these are ordinary businesses and anyone may do them, any ordinary man, but you are not ordinary man, that I know. My best advice to you is that you do not bother yourself by so many speculative thoughts and thus only aggravate the situation further. But if you are unhealthy with liver infection, that is another thing. So first of all you must get back your healthy condition. For that, living in Europe or America may be better for you, that I do not know. But in any case, remember always that you have now got this golden opportunity of human form of life, and it is not by accident that you have met your spiritual master and have become involved in Krsna's work, therefore remember these things and try to utilize your best intelligence and energy to take advantage of the situation and without any further delay take yourself to the perfectional platform of your life.
1973 Correspondence
Yes, when I used to live in Delhi the Americans purchased many copies of my Bhagavatams and they left standing order for any further books which I might publish in future. So you may approach them and they will take minimum 18 copies per volume, as per our former agreement. When you come here you can discuss further with Yadubara all these things, such as the Thompson Press work and other things regarding the books. I have made order from Dai Nippon for 5,000 of each of our big books and 10,000 of each smaller book for distributing in India. We shall henceforward concentrate our full energy in this program of distributing books in India. We shall not be very much concerned any more with properties and big big temples, now we have got our place at Vrndabana and our place at Mayapur, that is sufficient, now let us spend our hard-earned money for printing Krsna's books and distributing widely all over India. If someone steps forward to donate us land or building, that is another thing, but we shall not be very much interested to spend for that.
1974 Correspondence
Regarding Sankirtana and book distribution, book distribution is also chanting. Anyone who reads the books that is also chanting and hearing. Why distinguish between chanting and book distribution? These books I have recorded and chanted, and they are transcribed. It is spoken kirtanas. So book distribution is also chanting. These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing. Book distribution must not be neglected. If things deteriorate that is another thing, but it is not the fault of book distribution.
Regarding the claim that devotees have difficulties maintaining Krishna consciousness by only doing book selling with not enough street chanting, Prabhupada remarked that if things deteriorate that is another thing, but it is not the fault of book distribution. Book distribution must not be neglected.
Seen: ACBS (initialed by hand)
1975 Correspondence
It is a very good idea that you have to be more attached to the Deities above marriage. But, it is not good to live at home because there is where meat is eaten. That will be offensive, so how can you worship the Deity under such circumstances. If your whole family become devotees, then that is another thing.
Actually I think that you can move from the Lord Jagannatha Deities to the Gaura Nitai Deities if that is your desire. That will be best.
1976 Correspondence
Life cannot be prolonged by heart transplant. You cannot increase the duration of life. One can perhaps give some relief to disease, that is another thing, but the duration of life is destined. From the dead body, one cannot bring life. Similarly, it may appear that one is prolonging the duration of life by medicines or heart transplant, but that is not the case. If one lives 4 years after having had a heart transplant, then by nature's law he was destined to live four years with or without having had a heart transplant. So what is the value of heart transplant?
| Page Title: | That is another thing (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Kanupriya |
| Created: | 24 of Aug, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=8 |
| No. of Quotes: | 8 |