That is the difficulty (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"that is the difficulty" |"this is the difficulty"

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Pradyumna -- Tittenhurst 28 September, 1969:

I do not find any mistake in the composition, but sometimes you have spelled Caitanya as Caitanya, and sometimes you have spelled it Caitanya. so why there should be two different spellings? On page #3 you will find this difference. Otherwise, I do not find any difficulty. Regarding Isopanisad, I have no books here with me, so I cannot actually refer to the book what is Mantra #9. This is the difficulty of editorial work. I do not know in the absence of the book how I can help you. But the way of English synonyms given by you on page #3, under heading "Sri Isopanisad English Synonyms, Invocation and Mantras I-V" is set up very nicely. If you follow this principle throughout in all our books, it will be very, very nice, super-excellent work. But if you sometimes refer me on my touring program, it will be difficult for me. Of course, after my return from Europe I am sitting down tight for book work, and then it will not be very difficult job for me if you refer any sentence for correction. In the meantime, I think you are doing nicely. Just pray Krishna and do your best.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Yamuna -- Los Angeles 26 July, 1970:

So your program for training your Godsisters is very nice, so do it nicely as you have got experience in arcana. There is no matter if there is a little change here and there—the real duty is love and devotion. But you say that the women with children make their schedules around their children. That is the difficulty for family men, their first worshipable object becomes the children. What can be done? You are fortunate that you have got Krsna as your son.

The slides which you have sent of recent temple innovations is very, very excellent. One Bengali gentleman from London has sent me a letter praising your decoration of the Deities. The exact words he has used are that one cannot turn his face once turning towards the Deities. I have also seen the slides and my opinion is also the same. Please, therefore, go on getting credit for your service to the Lord. I am very much happy to learn it.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Madhavananda -- Los Angeles 1 January, 1974:

The main difficulty there seems to be lack of full cooperation. I have written to you to become responsible and to manage things. However, at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, as anywhere, the local president is in charge. That is Mukunda. The reason why there is difficulty and competitive spirit is that everyone wants to be supreme. That is the difficulty. You have experience in the standard of our Krsna Consciousness Temples so you have to work together with Mukunda and combinedly raise the standard of the English Temples to our Krsna Conscious standard. Everyone should follow the rules and regulations. This is very important. There is a standard of behavior for devotees living in the Temple and everyone who lives in the Temple must follow that standard, or else we will automatically fall down. We have been given such a nice big facility at Bhaktivedanta Manor so it is not for our eating and sleeping. Rather, on receiving such a nice place from Krsna we should take it as an indication that we must now work harder.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Vrindaban 12 September, 1974:

I made the GBC to give me relief, but if you do like this, then where is the relief. It is anxiety for me. This is the difficulty, that as soon as one gets power, he becomes whimsical and spoils everything. What can I do? If anything has to be changed, that can be decided at the annual GBC meeting, but not whimsically.

I am not in favor of closing even a small temple. It is not a plaything to close a temple or to start a temple. When we open a temple we are inviting Krsna. So you can't say to Krsna, go away. You have no feeling what are the ideals of a temple. You should always consider that we have invited Lord Caitanya, Lord Jagannatha, and Radha Krsna, and if we close it, it is an insult. How can we call Them, and then say get out. We should always feel when we open a temple that the Deity is living and not dead stone or wood. It is a great offense. Before opening a temple it must be considered a hundred times, and after opening it cannot be closed. It must be maintained.

Letter to Jayatirtha -- Bombay 16 December, 1974:

Regarding the GBC meeting to be held in Mayapur 1975, the meeting should be held five days before the actual festival is to begin and it will be held in my presence. As far as your proposals are concerned the real thing is that we must make broader constitution of the management by GBC. But the difficulty is that our GBC men are falling victim to maya. Today I trust this GBC and tomorrow he will fall down. That is the difficulty. If the GBC men are so flickering then what to speak of the others. Unless this problem is solved whatever we may resolve it will not be very useful. We shall discuss this at our meeting. If the GBC men can ever manage properly then I shall get some time for writing my books.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Bhakti Pramode Puri Maharaja -- Vrindaban 7 September, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 27, 1975 and have noted the contents. Yes, it is Bhagavan's special mercy upon me that I am getting such immense wealth. You will be pleased to know that my books are selling to the extent of one million of dollars per month. But this money is coming from the mlecchas and yavanas. That is the difficulty. This money is not coming from the brahmanas. Therefore I am afraid to contribute to you as you request. How shall I give to you and pollute you?

They are all mlecchas, and you are a rigid brahmana, pukkha. So how will you accept it? If you like, you can hand over the management charge of your temple, and my devotees will manage.

Letter to Gurukrpa -- Bombay 30 September, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter addressed to Rupanuga das dated September 16, 1975 and have noted the contents. Why is there this politics? This is not good. If politics come, then the preaching will be stopped. That is the difficulty. As soon as politics come, everything is spoiled. In the Gaudiya Math the politics is still going on. My Guru Maharaja left in 1936, and now it is 1976, so after 40 years the litigation is still going on. Do not come to this.

Letter to Alanatha -- Bombay 10 November, 1975:

Now has the GBC become more than Guru Maharaja? As if simply GBC is meant for looking after pounds, shilling, pence. The GBC does not look after spiritual life. That is a defect. All of our students will have to become guru, but they are not qualified. This is the difficulty.

Letter to Hrdayananda -- Bombay 13 November, 1975:

Now I have come back, so let me stay in India. I will remain in Bombay, Vrindaban, and Mayapur. As you have desired, now let me do that, to sit down tightly and concentrate on the translating business. But, if you disturb me, then my mind will be disturbed. I want that what I have established may go on nicely, but I see that some of the devotees are reviving their old "good" qualities. That is the difficulty. If the old habits come back, then everything is finished. If my mind becomes disturbed in this way, then how can I concentrate on book writing. It is not possible. Better not to inform me anything, and let me sit in Vrindaban.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Dixit -- Vrindaban 18 September, 1976:

So if anyone is very serious to go to the other side of this material ocean for him to be completely freed from material attachment is absolutely necessary. Unfortunately people are reluctant to give up material association: that is the difficulty.

So wherever we may remain we can chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra without any offense and that will help us in the future how to become detached from visaya and yosit, or sense gratification and women.

So far our Gurukula is concerned, we require some practical assistant who can teach the boys how to be controlled in the mind and senses, how to rise early in the morning, chant the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra, go to the Yamuna for bathing, then study some Vedic literatures like the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam, remain always for the benefit of the guru, and work for him as a menial servant.

Letter to Dr. Chatterjee -- Vrindaban 27 September, 1976:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated 6th inst. and have noted the contents. I have no objection to your proposal and I can finance this proposal also. But I am afraid there will be hardly any students—that is the difficulty. I have seen in foreign countries that practically no students join high philosophical and scientific classes. People nowadays are only interested in money-earning philosophy. Nobody goes to the philosophical classes in universities. A similar institute was imagined by my Godbrother Bon Maharaja in Vrindaban, but it has not become very successful. There are many difficulties in the line, but I like the idea; therefore if some practical solution can be made we can discuss personally, but I appreciate your idea. The only difficulty I'm feeling is whether we can get sufficient students.