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Well versed (Letters)

Correspondence

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Mahatma Gandhi -- Cawnpore 12 July, 1947:

In the Katha Upanisad it is ordered that one must approach the bona fide Guru who is not only well versed in all the scriptures of the world but is also the realized soul in Brahman the Absolute—in order to learn the science of Absolute Truth. So also it is instructed in the Bhagavad-gita as follows:—

tad viddhi pranipatena
pariprasnena sevaya
upadeksyanti tad jnanam
jnaninas tattvadarsinah
(BG 4.34)

But I know that you never underwent such transcendental training except some severe penances which you invented for your purpose as you have invented so many things in the course of experimenting with the relative truths. You might have easily avoided them if you had approached the Guru as abovementioned. But your sincere efforts to attain some Godly qualities by austerities etc surely have raised you to some higher position which you can better utilize for the purpose of the Absolute Truth.

1966 Correspondence

Letter to Madhava Maharaja -- New York 1 August, 1966:

Now the chance for preaching the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the western countries like America and Europe is practically established and if the organization is properly managed I am sure there will be no dearth of financial facilities from the American citizens. But still I think this organization should have cooperation from all countries of the world specially of India and more specially from the Gaudiya Vaisnavas who are pledged to take the responsibility of preaching Caitanya cult in every village and town of the world. I am therefore inviting the first cooperation from my Godbrothers in this great adventure. I am very much hopeful of success of the attempt and I am seeking your good consultation if it is possible to have full sympathetic cooperation of my Godbrothers in India in this adventure. Sriman Brahmacari Mangalaniloy has already agreed to come here to assist me fully but I wish that each and every one of the different Gaudiya Math organizations may kindly send one person respectively to work under my direction in these foreign countries and thus become individually a member of the international organization abovementioned. The qualification of such intending candidates must be that he must be able to speak in English or be well versed in playing khol or singing. If one is qualified with all the above qualifications it is very good otherwise he must be qualified at least one of them. So far their coming here I shall take all the responsibility for passage and maintenance. Would kindly consider this proposal immediately and let me know your decision per return of post?

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Pradyumna -- Calcutta 17 October, 1967:

I've received your letters of Oct. 6&7. Acyutananda is learning Hindi & when he is well versed in the language probably he will be able to translate all the Puranas available in Hindi into English. Brahma Samhita is the gist of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Bhagavad gita as well as in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krishna is accepted as Supreme Lord & everything about him is nicely described there, similarly in the Brahma-Samhita everything about Krishna is perfectly described. In the very beginning of the book, Krishna is accepted as the Supreme Lord existing eternally in his transcendental form and is the cause of all causes. One who reads Brahma Samhita very carefully & scrutinizingly can understand everything of Krishna without any fault. I recommend, therefore that all my students read Brahma Samhita very carefully—especially because it was translated personally by my spiritual master Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja.

1968 Correspondence

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

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.

1969 Correspondence

[[Vanisource:Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 3 January, 1969 [Based on the 1st paragraph, we believe that the original letter was incorrectly dated. Our estimate is that this is the correct date.--Bhaktivedanta Archives]|Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 3 January, 1969 [Based on the 1st paragraph, we believe that the original letter was incorrectly dated. Our estimate is that this is the correct date.--Bhaktivedanta Archives]]]:

Next January there will be an examination on this Bhagavad-gita. Papers will be sent by me to all centers, and those securing the minimum passing grade will be given the title as Bhakti-sastri. Similarly, another examination will be held on Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day in February, 1970 and it will be upon Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Those passing will get the title of Bhakti-vaibhava. Another examination will be held sometimes in 1971 on the four books, Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and Nectar of Devotion. One who will pass this examination will be awarded with the title of Bhaktivedanta. I want that all of my spiritual sons and daughters will inherit this title of Bhaktivedanta, so that the family transcendental diploma will continue through the generations. Those possessing the title of Bhaktivedanta will be allowed to initiate disciples. Maybe by 1975, all of my disciples will be allowed to initiate and increase the numbers of the generations. That is my program. So we should not simply publish these books for reading by outsiders, but our students must be well versed in all of our books so that we can be prepared to defeat all opposing parties in the matter of self-realization.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Sacisuta -- Los Angeles 14 February, 1970:

It is good news that by joint agreement you are now established as a nice Krsna Consciousness family in Boston center where you are working on the press. Please do persevere and make advancement in this Krsna Consciousness movement. In this connection, I may inform you that now we are in need of devotees who are very well versed in the scriptures. The means of understanding the spirit of the scriptures is to chant regularly sixteen rounds daily without fail and follow the regulative principles rigidly. All our students must carry out these daily duties of regular chanting without offense of ten kinds, following the regulations, and studying our literatures, both in the weekly classes and individually, with close attention for thorough understanding of the transcendental subject.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 20 February, 1970:

So far we are concerned, every one of us must chant the beads according to the vow and follow the regulative principles in all departments of our activities, and this will give us spiritual strength to convince the audience about our aims and object. Some one of us in each and every center must be well versed in the Sastras so that he can meet scholars and philosophers, and if need be convince them about our movement and philosophy with great strength.

Letter to Vrindaban Candra -- Bombay 9 November, 1970:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your kind letter dated 30th Sept, 1970 and I am glad to see how nicely you are reading my books. Please continue to do this. We need so many preachers who are soundly versed in the scriptures to convince the world to take to Krishna Consciousness. I am glad that you and the others are each writing one hour daily essays. That is parampara. All of our previous acaryas on our line have written substantially on the science of God-consciousness, so I would also like all my students to do this and I am very encouraged by this nice program you have initiated.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Bhagavan -- Allahabad 21 January, 1971:

I am glad to see how you are so much enthusiastic for making our plan of a daily world newspaper a success. It is a very large task. To publish a daily newspaper requires a huge establishment and the editor must be very well versed so that he can comment on all fields. So far as advertising is concerned, you should not approach people for ads, rather they should approach you. Do not spend for advertising. Let them spend to advertise us. For example the Times of India is giving us very spacious opportunity to publish our letters. One copy written by Giriraja Das Brahmacari is enclosed. In these letters our books are also mentioned. So in this way you can make advertising.

Letter to Madhudvisa -- Kenya 15 September, 1971:

Yes, this program is very nice to try to attract the attention of the students seriously. That will be a great success. They should put intelligent questions and they should be answered properly with reference to modern science and philosophy. That will be very much convincing. I think if you read our books thoroughly you will get a supply of material to answer all the questions. Now I am preparing one book answering all types of philosophical arguments. Syamasundara. every morning is putting questions from different angles of vision beginning from Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc. and we are trying to answer. We shall discuss also Marx philosophy of communism. It will require some time but I wish that all our preachers should be well versed with all philosophical ideas and after studying all philosophical points of view we will put Krishna Conscious philosophy on the top.

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Nairobi 8 October, 1971:

So let Mandali Bhadra be seriously engaged in translating work and recruit some German devotees to help him so that we can print all our books in German language and you can develop the Hamburg center very nicely. You know very well that I went to India this time empty handed but we spent there not less than five lakhs Rupees during my 10 month stay and all the money was collected simply on the strength of our books and literatures. So when you have got literature and books, there is no question of poverty in our society. Simply we have to organize things nicely and manage carefully. I hope henceforward you will not feel at all discouraged. All of you there push on this movement in Germany which is the best country in Europe. The most intelligent class of men are there. Try to convince them about our philosophy. The German scholars are especially inclined toward Indian philosophy. There are many learned scholars well versed in Sanskrit. So our books with diacritic marks and original Sanskrit verses must be very much appreciated by all schools, colleges, libraries and the general public. So develop the press there very nicely. The press already has been declared as the greater mrdanga.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Jagadisa -- Bombay 5 January, 1972:

Krishna Consciousness has got scope to be preached everywhere. Just now two boys are leaving to go to Red China and three other students are leaving for New Zealand to open a center there. Brahmananda is doing very well in Africa and most likely Rsi Kumar will join him and be deputed to open a center in South Africa. So we have got a great mission, we should be very vigilant that the strong foundation remain solid. Encourage all the boys and girls to adhere to the regulative principles and chant daily at least sixteen rounds. And as much as possible all of my students should become very well versed in all the philosophy presented in our books.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Sri Pannalalji -- Bombay 16 May, 1974:

Your suggestion that "a few learned persons well versed in sanskrit and English be enrolled as members of the Society and then sent to foreign countries to preach"—is a very good suggestion. We are of course increasing the number of centers all over the world, but the difficulty is that as soon as foreigners accept the cult our men in India especially the rigid Brahmin society does not accept them as regular Vaisnavas. In some temples they are not even allowed to see the deity. The learned sanskrit scholars with English education must be well versed in the Vaisnava sastras, especially Bhagavad-gita and Srimad bhagavatam. In the Bhagavad-gita it is clearly said that anyone even from the lowest papayoni can be elevated to Krsna Consciousness and thus go back to home, back to Godhead. Similarly in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Artists -- Unknown Place Unknown Date:

In our devotional service, if the endeavor is right, then it is successful. So the painting is not very clear. The doer means the man. The place must be favorable. The activities must be authorized. The doer must be expert, the instruments must be fit and the help from the Supersoul may be adequate. These are the five causes for success and opposite are the five factors for nonsuccess. So I can give you hints only, but you must put life into the painting. For instance, from the business point of view, one man is doing some business. If he goes to the marketplace, it will be done very nice, since there are so many customers. Similarly one looking for spiritual life goes to where devotees are and associates with them. So one must go to a particular type of place for a particular type of activity. And the person acting must be well versed, or expert. Just as an expert salesman, his method of business is bona fide. The senses must be used in order to see if one is cheating, hear offers, etc. And above all is the help from the Supersoul who dictates in this way and so everything becomes successful, spiritually or materially, by these five factors.

Page Title:Well versed (Letters)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Serene
Created:21 of Dec, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=14
No. of Quotes:14