Training of Ananda dasa (Letters, 1968 - 1972)

Correspondence

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Balai, Advaita -- Montreal 19 August, 1968:

And I have also advised Purusottama that he trains somewhat in taking photographs, and some of the girl students, especially Annapurna, she knows how to use typographic machine, and her future husband, Ananda, he has also some idea of press work.

Letter to Purusottama -- Montreal 19 August, 1968:

As soon as Advaita and Uddhava says the press can be started now, we must start our own press. That I have decided. And here, Anapurna, she has agreed and her future husband, Ananda, he has also agreed to work on the typographic machine.

Letter to Anapurna, Ananda -- Montreal 4 September, 1968:

I have received your two long letters, when I was in Montreal; since then I have come to New York on the 31st of August 1968, on my way to San Francisco. I shall go to San Francisco on the 8th instant, and I shall see what is the situation there, then I shall proceed to Seattle, and from Seattle, I may go to Vancouver.

So far your marriage is concerned, I am very sorry that Ananda's parents are not willing in this marriage ceremony; now it is up to you for deciding whether you should get married or not. But I think you should, under the circumstances, the best thing will be that you get yourself married legally, according to the state laws and get a certificate and I think, Ananda, you should try to remain in Vancouver, and work. And by your labor you try to open a branch in Vancouver, and that will be very nice thing. And when I go to Vancouver, from Seattle, I shall offer my blessings in observing the rituals of our marriage system.

I shall give you one engagement and if you secure one dictaphone then I shall send you regular tapes for transcribing it into English version, and you will make two copies. One copy shall be sent to me, another copy shall be sent to Hayagriva Brahmacari. As Govinda dasi and her husband, is trying to help me in compiling essays and texts of Caitanya Caritamrta, similarly, I shall give you a task for the Science of Devotion. So that will be nice duty for you, because both of you are well versed in typewriting, so you can do that. At the same time, if you organize a center in Vancouver, simply by chanting. It is not very difficult to open a center for our activities. You can remain in any apartment as husband and wife, and invite persons there to hear your chanting and topics, that is our center, and let it be gradually improved. I think this program will be very much suitable for you at the present moment.

As for your going to London, I do not think it is required. Because as Ananda's parents have not approved of this marriage, it may be that Anapurna's father may also not like such combination. So in your country generally the boy and the girl picks their own consort, so if you have decided to get yourself married, then without any consent from your respective parents, you can get yourself married. But Anapurna's father is very much anxious to see Anapurna, so under the circumstances, if you want to go there, then I have no objection. And I am also going there very soon, because I have received letter from Malati, that they have already entered England, and they have got 6 month visa. So it may be that I shall be going there very soon, but the fact is that when you have decided to get yourself married, I think without the formalities of taking consent from your parents, you can get yourself married legally. And be established as husband and wife anywhere, wherever you like, it doesn't matter.

So far your desire, especially Anapurna's desire, to live wherever I go, I may inform you that I am a Sannyasi, and there is no fixity where I go. Under the circumstances, if you establish yourself in one place, and engross yourself in transcribing the tapes, so that a nice book will come out in due course of time, that will be a great service for the society, and to me also. You can reply this letter to San Francisco address, because I am going there on the 8th. Another thing, you may inquire if there is any American Consulate office in Vancouver. If there is, please let me know the address also.

The conclusion is that in my opinion, both of you should legally be married, and Ananda may work to maintain the center in Vancouver. That is my desire. And Anapurna may go on with the typewriting business. If this does not suit someway or other, then we shall later on discuss what to be done.

Letter to Mukunda -- San Francisco 14 September, 1968:

Gargamuni has already started one center at Seattle and Ananda Brahmacari from Montreal has gone to Vancouver.

Letter to Jaya Govinda -- San Francisco 15 September, 1968:

Gargamuni has already opened a grand center in Seattle. Similarly, Annapurna and Ananda are going to open a center in Vancouver, and you know also that Hayagriva and Kirtanananda, with the help of several other devotees are developing New Vrindaban in 138 acres of land in West Va.

Letter to Ananda -- San Francisco 20 September, 1968:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Sept. 10, 1968, and I have noted the contents carefully. I think your program is very nice, and Anapurna is here. We had a good talk yesterday, and it is understood that her parents are agreeable in this marriage proposal, and she wishes that the marriage may take place in London, when she goes there. It is understood also that her father is impressed with our society's work and her mother especially liked all the members of our society who have gone in London. So you work very diligently and secure some money. I am coming to Seattle by tomorrow evening and if you can see me at Seattle it will be very nice. You can also inform Mr. Renovich and Mr. Windisch that I am going to Seattle by tomorrow, and they can correspond with me for my visiting Vancouver and attending lectures, so that I can make my program there and come to Vancouver for a few days.

Letter to Ananda -- Seattle 11 October, 1968:

I may inform you that I may go to Vancouver sometimes in the next week or so. When exactly I shall go there, I shall inform you in my next letter.

In the meantime, you please drop this enclosed letter in the mail box, after putting on it an airmail stamp (Canadian), immediately. This letter is very URGENT, and should be posted immediately upon your receipt of it.

And please reply this letter immediately.

Letter to Ananda -- Los Angeles 12 December, 1968:

I have heard from Upendra that you have had some success in arranging for a temple in Vancouver. This is most encouraging news, but why you are silent? Please inform me of your progress there as I am always anxious to hear from you.

You will be very glad to know that our Montreal center has mimeographed a very fine edition in French language of Back To Godhead. I think that in Vancouver there may be good opportunity to circulate this publication so you may write to Hamsaduta in Montreal to make arrangements for ordering copies.

I hope that this finds you very well and that you will notify me immediately of what is happening with you.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

P.S. Are you getting BTG from New York? We have now Bhagavad-gita As It Is published by MacMillan Company. Copies can be had from New York.

Letter to Ananda -- Los Angeles 17 December, 1968:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 13, 1968 along with the Hare Krishna Mantra card.

I am glad that you have already started a center in small scale and please try to improve it as far as possible. There is no question of doing anything very hastily so please try to make steady, even if slow, progress. So far as the Indian population is concerned, I think that the Sikh are useless for our purpose. They do not understand our philosophy nor are they interested in spiritual advancement of life. We have no such discretion that we have to pick our members from a particular group of people. Everyone is Krishna's part and parcel and wherever we find it convenient we will pick up a person to be trained in Krishna Consciousness who is interested in going back to Home, back to Godhead.

I think that the Canadian people especially will be suitable for your membership. Try for this as far as possible. For the new souls who have already joined you, try to encourage them as far as possible.

Thank you again for your letter and for the important service you are rendering to Lord Caitanya's movement.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Tirtha Maharaja -- Los Angeles 7 February, 1969:

9. Vancouver ISKCON

271 East Georgia Street

Vancouver 4, B.C. Canada

President: Ananda das Brahmacari (Eric Cassidy)

Letter to Mr. Windisch -- Hawaii 21 March, 1969:

Your writing in the second paragraph is so much encouraging for me and your appreciation of devotees like Upendra and Ananda is super excellent.

Letter to Ananda -- San Francisco 3 April, 1969:

I thank you very much for your letter dated March 30, 1969, and I have noted the contents very carefully. Krishna is very much pleased on you because you are alone conducting the Vancouver temple. Don't worry, you will get some men to assist you very soon, and I am searching after someone. In the meantime Mr. Windisch and his wife, Barbara, will return to Vancouver after the initiation ceremony. As you have said, they are very much helpful, and they will continue to help you with your venture.

Have you any correspondence with Annapurna since last August or September? I have not heard from her since then. After returning to her father's house she wrote me one letter, but since then I do not know about her whereabouts. If you can, please let me know her address. My program for next summer is not yet fixed up, but I am booked for various lectures till the middle of May. After that I shall fix up my program for June. If I go to Montreal, then this time I will go to Vancouver also. Mr. Windisch has spoken very highly of you and your decision to not keep unwanted boarders at the temple is nice. Don't feel yourself to be alone because Krishna is always with you. Krishna is always with every living entity as Supersoul, and to His devotee especially He talks and gives instructions how to attain the perfectional stage of meeting Him. So don't feel alone. Always chant whenever possible, read our books, and there will be no great difficulty.

I shall be returning to New York by the 9th of April, and I shall then send you a new set of beads chanted upon by me. I know you are a sincere, silent worker, and if it is not too much inconvenient for you, you can send me at least one letter in a fortnight. That will encourage me and I can then give you necessary instructions how to develop.

Letter to Vrndavanesvari -- Allston, Mass 26 April, 1969:

I am glad that Ananda is executing the Krishna Consciousness movement there in Vancouver very intelligently with determination and sincerity. Please offer him my blessings, as well as to your husband and child.

Letter to Ananda -- Columbus, Ohio 14 May, 1969:

I thank you very much for your letter dated April 29, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. As you have suggested, I have sent one letter to Annapurna, in care of her father, and without writing my return address. As of yet I have not received her reply. I am very pleased to note that there are some nice boys and girls who are joining you at kirtana. Try to show them the importance of our movement, and the best way of doing this is by Sankirtana. Here in Columbus we had a very big meeting at the Ohio State University and more than one thousand students were chanting and dancing along with us. So there is very good potential for spreading our movement amongst the college students, and if we simply present them with the opportunity of chanting with us, and then we lecture on Bhagavad-gita As It Is, then surely many intelligent people will become attracted. So Sankirtana Party in the streets and Sankirtana Party in school engagements should be our chief business. This will assure success in our propaganda activities.

Please convey my blessings to Mandali Bhadra and to his good wife, Vrndavanesvari, as well as to his nice little boy. I hope this will meet you all in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

NB: Enclosed is a few nice poems by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura which you may hand over to Mandali Bhadra for translation into German and to be submitted for publication in German Back To Godhead.

Letter to Ananda -- New Vrindaban 25 May, 1969:

I have learned from Mandali Bhadra and Vrndavanesvari that you have been disturbed in your center by some rascal boys, and now you are living with Mandali Bhadra. So what is your program? Would you like to close the Vancouver center, or are you finding out some better place? I have received one letter from Rupanuga in Buffalo that two boys are going to Toronto to open a center there. Would you like to go there for the time being, or will you try for another place to keep yourself in Vancouver?

At present I am living in New Vrindaban. It is a very nice place, but there is no facility of modern amenities. It is completely aloof from city life, and we have to adopt so many things. In comparison to city life it is very inconvenient. But still the atmosphere here is very pleasant. As of yet I have still received no answer from Annapurna.

Letter to Mandali Bhadra -- New Vrindaban 25 May, 1969:

I am writing to Ananda also, and you may kindly hand over to him the letter enclosed herewith. Ananda has good experience, and you also have seen how we worship the Deities in the temple and offer prasadam, so you may kindly follow in the same way.

Letter to Upendra -- Moundsville 29 May, 1969:

Another possibility is that Ananda may be called from Vancouver to help you in maintaining the church in Seattle. You may correspond with him in this connection. Or else if you feel that Vancouver may be a nicer place, then you may join Ananda there.

Letter to Ananda -- New Vrindaban 8 June, 1969:

I am very glad to receive you letter (undated), and I have noted your new address. I am pleased to note that you have already paid for the place for one month's rent. I thank you very much that you are struggling there alone and silently, and Krishna will surely bless you for this. I suggested in my previous letter that you join the Toronto party if you are feeling alone. But if not, you go on with your present program, and I have got all support for that. In all the centers everyone is trying his best to improve his own center, and gradually there is becoming factual evidence of very nice progress.

Mandali Bhadra and his wife have to go to Germany to take charge of our publications in German language. It is already settled, and it is understood that they are leaving on the 27th of June. So they will not be able to help you personally by their presence. You can write, however, to Hamsaduta, and he may go there for some days with his Sankirtana Party and help you in establishing your center firmly. I am also writing to Hamsaduta in this connection.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- New Vrindaban 8 June, 1969:

As you are feeling for a little change, I thing you can go with your Sankirtana Party to Vancouver for some time, and help establish a center firmly because Ananda is struggling there alone. He had been helped by Mandali Bhadra and Vrndavanesvari, but soon they are leaving for Hamburg. So why don't you go for a few days to Vancouver?

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 13 July, 1969:

Please convey my blessings to Himavati and Ananda and the others.

Letter to Cidananda -- Tittenhurst 16 October, 1969:

Ananda is a very silent worker and sincere devotee, and I am glad that two other brahmacaris, Ravindra and Rudra das, are also there to accompany you on the Sankirtana Party everyday.

Letter to Rudra -- London 11 November, 1969:

Cidananda is a very good organizing leader, Ananda is a good soul, and you are also a sincere devotee, so combinedly together push on this Krishna Consciousness Movement. Surely you will be successful.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Cidananda -- Los Angeles 30 January, 1970:

Please offer my blessings to Ananda, Rudra das, Ravindra das and our new friend, Mr. John.

Letter to Cidananda -- Los Angeles 29 April, 1970:

I have referred the matters concerning Ananda, temple management, etc. to Gargamuni, and He will advise you further in this matter.

Letter to Gaurasundara -- Los Angeles 22 May, 1970:

You sent three tickets out of which two are returned herewith, and one will be utilized by Ananda. Ananda is a very nice boy, silent worker, I think he will be of great help to you.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Gurudasa -- London 1 August, 1972:

You mention that Ananda Prabhu has left us, why he has left?

Page Title:	Training of Ananda dasa (Letters, 1968 - 1972)
Compiler:	Alakananda
Created:	03 of Jun, 2010
Totals by Section:	BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=26
No. of Quotes:	26