Training of Suridas dasa (Letters, 1970 - 1974)

Expressions researched:
"Account" |"Activities" |"BBF" |"BBFD" |"BBT" |"BKF" |"BTG" |"Back to Godhead" |"Bhaktivedanta Book Trust" |"Book Fund" |"Book Trust" |"Book Trust," |"Book" |"Books" |"Branch" |"Branches" |"Business" |"Center" |"Centers" |"Check" |"Checks" |"Consult" |"Consulting" |"Cooperate" |"Cooperated" |"Cooperation" |"Cooperatively" |"Dai Nippon" |"Debt" |"Debts" |"Deities" |"Deity" |"Deposit" |"Distribute" |"Distributed" |"Distributing" |"Distribution" |"Duty" |"Festival" |"Finances" |"Financial" |"Funds" |"GBC members" |"GBC" |"Governing Board Commission" |"Governing Board Commissioners" |"Governing Body Commission" |"Governing Body Commissioners" |"ISKCON" |"Initiate" |"Initiated" |"Initiates" |"Initiating" |"Initiation" |"Initiations" |"Iskcon" |"Kirtana" |"Language" |"Leader" |"Leaders" |"Leadership" |"Leading" |"Literature" |"Literatures" |"M-V trust" |"M-V" |"M.V trust" |"Macmillan" |"Magazine" |"Magazines" |"Manage" |"Managed" |"Management" |"Managers" |"Managing" |"Manuscript" |"Manuscripts" |"Mayapur-Vrndavana Trust" |"Mayapura-Vrndavana Trust" |"Meeting" |"Mission" |"Missionary" |"Money" |"Movement" |"Organize" |"Our society" |"Preach" |"Preacher" |"Preaching" |"Press" |"Print" |"Printing" |"Program" |"Programs" |"Publication" |"Publications" |"Publish" |"Publishing" |"Rathayatra" |"Report" |"Reports" |"Sankirtana" |"Suridas" |"Temple" |"Temples" |"The society" |"Translate" |"Translated" |"Translating" |"Translation" |"Translations" |"Zonal" |"Zone"

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Vamanadeva -- Tittenhurst 21 October, 1969:

In Japan Sudama and his wife are doing very nicely, and I have got encouraging letter that Bali Mardan is desiring to go to Australia to open a temple. Also, Suridas and his wife, Jotilla, with others have gone to Paris. As formerly the Europeans made colonization in different parts of the world, it is the same thing; colonization of Sankirtana in Krishna Consciousness.

Letter to Gopala Krsna -- London 8 November, 1969:

I thank your very much for your letter of October 18, 1969, and yesterday I received your gift of one shawl. This shawl is very nice, and it will be used when I go to some meeting in my dress garments. Please send some me the new editions of the French BTG. If you are able to print them nicely in outside press for a good price, then it is very good. But in any case this magazine should be published regularly. The addresses of the Paris devotees are as follows: Suridas Adhikari, 2 Place de la Chapelle, Paris, 18, France. Janardana's address is 6, rue Michelet, 94 Fontenay-Sous-Bois, France.

Letter to Jayagovinda -- Boston 25 December, 1969:

I am so glad to receive your letter dated December 17, 1969, and I can understand from the spirit of your letter that Krishna is fixing you in a particular type of duty which you may welcome for your benefit, for the movement's benefit, and for the benefit of the people in general. Yes, you secure an IBM composer and utilize it fully. Let Mandali Bhadra translate our magazines and books, and in the IBM machine you compose it, ready for being photographed and printed. You send the ready matters to Boston, and they will print the magazine without any price from you. The cost of the printing will be balanced by keeping some magazines here for sale; so in that way your center will not have any botheration for paying the price. The balance magazines will be sent to you by ship, and you clear it, sell it, and pay for the monthly installments of the machine. This is the general arrangement I have thought about, without any monetary botheration for any of us. Simply we have to render service. Similarly, you invite such reading matters form Suridas in the French language. You compose it and send the matters for printing here, and in the same way things will be balanced, and the magazines in French language will be sent to Paris and they should partly pay for the IBM machine. I am sending a copy of this letter to Suridas, as well as to Brahmananda for future guidance, and you immediately begin the work. In the same way, if Mandali Bhadra can translate my books also, you can help the German composition and get the books in the same way. This is my theoretical proposition, and I am sure that if you follow, it will come to be fruitful.

Letter to Suridas -- Boston 26 December, 1969:

Please accept my blessings and offer the same to your good wife, Jotilla, and the others. I request you to simply translate into the French language our Back To Godhead and send the matters to Jaya Govinda for composing. In due course of time you will get the magazines, by selling which you try to pay part of the composing machine that Jaya Govinda is going to purchase. So you begin this business immediately and open correspondence with Jaya Govinda

I hope this will meet you in good health.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Umapati -- Los Angeles 24 January, 1970:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21 January, 1970, and I have conveyed your good suggestion to Suridas and Jotilla to go to Hamburg. As Tamala is already informed of this fact, I am sure he will take this practical suggestion and do the needful.

Letter to Jayagovinda -- Los Angeles 3 February, 1970:

Krishna has sent one nice German scholar, ____. Please give her satisfactory care, especially in the beginning because she is new and not accustomed to our Temple habits. I am also glad to learn that Suridas is also going to join you. Most probably Hamsaduta with his wife also will go there. Krishna das in his previous letter wrote me that there are good possibilities for opening various centers in Germany, and Hamsaduta is experienced in organizing Sankirtana Party.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 4 March, 1970:

Organization of the European centers and the World Sankirtana Party later on—for these two reasons I called you in London. Now Mukunda, Hamsaduta, yourself, Krsna das, Umapati, Janardana, Suridas, etc., all of you are tested devotees, now do everything nicely in full cooperation. Always remain engaged in Krsna's service, then there will be no misunderstanding.

Letter to Suridas -- Los Angeles 17 March, 1970:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 15 March 1970, and noted the contents with great satisfaction. In the meantime, I have also received one copy of your first Parisian BTG. So while we are waiting for regular edition of French BTG, you may try to improve this small publication and sell it as far as possible. That is very nice. I have also received one similar letter from London, and I have sent the reply to Gurudasa, and the copy is enclosed herewith so that all of you may follow the same instructions and open hundreds of Temples in Europe combinedly.

Mukunda, Tamala, yourself, Syamasundara., Gurudasa, and if possible, George, as well as Hamsaduta and all your better halves just make a very rigid plan for opening centers in every nook and corner of the European countries. I am arranging with Indian sympathizers to get some nice Deities like those in London. So try to install Deities and centers as many as possible.

Actually the modern human society is in need of Krishna relationship, so as soon as they will come in touch with our movement, surely they will feel very happy. So kindly execute this responsibility to your best capacity, and Krishna will be very happy upon you.

Your combination with your good wife, Jotilla, is very good, and now with greater enthusiasm execute Krishna activities as I have advised Gurudasa also. We must be fully equipped, and the preaching work by pairs of husband and wife will be an unique example to the world. Formerly the Acaryas were generally all Sannyasis, but Lord Caitanya, in His instruction to Roy Ramananda, who was a confidential devotee of Lord Caitanya, but a householder and responsible government official, Governor of Madras, has given open instruction that it does not matter what is the social or ecclesiastical order, if one is fully in Krishna Consciousness, he can act as Acarya. So all you boys and girls who are now married, follow this instruction of Lord Caitanya, and show vivid example to the world how man and woman can be united, not for sense gratification but for the service of the Lord.

Letter to Umapati -- Los Angeles 30 March, 1970:

I think Janardana is very busy in preparation for his Ph.D. because I have also not heard from him for a long time. So let him continue his studies. There is no need of disturbing him at present. Better both you and Suridas take up this translation work seriously. I think there are some devotees in Montreal who can also translate into French language. Anyway, arrange for this work immediately, without waiting anymore.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 1 May, 1970:

So far translating our literatures, if you simply send the matter, our press will immediately give you so many books. You can print books in small sizes and distribute them profusely. Small books like "Easy Journey to Other Planets" and "Isopanisad" will be very quickly sold more than the larger volumes of TLC and Srimad-Bhagavatam. So if Suridas and Umapati engage themselves five hours for translating work, there will be no difficulty to publish our French language books immediately. So arrange for this.

I have received one copy of the latest French BTG, published from Montreal. It is printed in our ISKCON Press in Boston, and they have done it very nicely. If for the present this BTG published from Montreal can be useful? I am sending by separate airmail one copy which you can examine, and if you think they are useful for your purpose, you can immediately ask them to send you as many copies as you need.

Your suggestion for Murari's opening a center at Amsterdam is very much welcome. His wife, Lilavati is very intelligent and both of them can do the preaching work very diligently in that place, so try to give effect to this proposal.

Regarding this Temple, actually it is simply Krsna's grace that we have such a nice place very suitably arranged for our all purposes. Both the devotees and myself are living very comfortably, and the Temple is in the center between us. The kitchen is very nice and the frontage with a small garden space, as well as sufficient place for parking, on the junction of very important roads—all these facilities make the position of this building unique. Besides that, the banks, stores, laundry, medical house, everything is within easy reach, so we must consider this as Krsna's gift.

Regarding the appointment of Suridas to the post of president, that is a very good proposal. He is intelligent, sincere devotee, and similarly his wife is also.

Letter to Harivilasa -- Los Angeles 14 June, 1970:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd June, 1970, along with recommendation of Sriman Suridas Adhikari. So immediately I have accepted you as my disciple. Your spiritual name is Harivilasa Das Brahmacari. Your beads are sent back to you by separate air post. Here is enclosed the list of regulative principles and offenses. Further assistance you should take from Tamala Krsna Das Adhikari, Suridas Das Adhikari and Umapati Das Adhikari. Follow their example, and whenever there is difficulty, try to understand from your Godbrothers.

Letter to Harivilasa -- Los Angeles 14 June, 1970:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd June, 1970, along with recommendation of Sriman Suridas Adhikari. So immediately I have accepted you as my disciple. Your spiritual name is Harivilasa Das Brahmacari. Your beads are sent back to you by separate air post. Here is enclosed the list of regulative principles and offenses. Further assistance you should take from Tamala Krsna Das Adhikari, Suridas Das Adhikari and Umapati Das Adhikari. Follow their example, and whenever there is difficulty, try to understand from your Godbrothers.