I thank you very much for your letter dated June 20, 1967. As stated by you, my missionary work is really a great challenge to the western way of life. But Krishna is so attractive that He is accepted even by the Westerners when the consciousness is presented in the right disciplic succession. The challenge is to the maya, or in other words it is a fight with the maya, and I may inform you that the maya has given me a great stroke very recently. Due to my incessant hard work for the last two years, my health has been shattered. On the 25th May I had a heavy stroke between the heart and stomach. The boys here took all cares possible, and I am getting well day by day. At present I am on the seashore in New Jersey for recouping my health, but I am thinking of going back to India as soon as I get sufficient strength. I am now considerably old; I will be 72 years next September.
Working hard (Letters 1967 - 1971)
Expressions researched:
"hard work"
|"hard working"
|"work hard"
|"work so hard"
|"work very hard"
|"worked hard"
|"worked so hard"
|"worked very hard"
|"working hard"
|"working so hard"
|"working very hard"
|"works very hard"
Correspondence
1967 Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
I am glad to know that you are working hard to expand the Krishna Consciousness propaganda in Boston. I may say that this practical devotion is the secret to understanding the Sastras. My Guru Maharaja used to say that for one who is not engaged in devotional service, reading all the books is simply like licking the outside of the honey jar. One who thinks the books is the thing is content in this way. But we should learn the secret to open the jar and taste the honey. In this way, if we can simply understand one book, or one sloka, the perfection is there. Lord Caitanya warned about reading too many books, although I see in America this is very popular to get volumes and volumes of books and not understand one. Anyway by sincerely working by carefully executing the instructions of the Spiritual Master, you will be all successful by Krishna's Grace. I am always praying to Krishna for your advancement in Krishna Consciousness, all of you, sincere souls. Hope you are all well.
Yes, if Mahapurusa is more needed in New York for his fine cooking service, then he may go there when necessary. Please convey my blessings for both Mahapurusa and Sivananda; they are very sincere souls working very hard to please Krishna and their Spiritual Master. You are all very good servitors of the Lord there, and I am very much anxious for your writings to begin, as they will be a great aid in our spreading of this Krishna Consciousness. Hope you are all well.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 1, 1968, along with enclosure of Acyutananda's letter. On the day of our departure I was expecting you in the airport, but I think as you are young man, you were tired on the last night, on the 30th April, on account of late arriving from the Long Island meeting, and you could not get up earlier from your bed. In that sense, I am more active than you because on that night also I got up from my bed at 4:00 a.m. instead of 2:00 a.m. as usually, and I worked on my usual duties. So you young men should not simply eulogize my hard working capacity, but I wish that you should also follow my example.
I know your community Patels in Gujarati are business community. And they can do lots of lucrative business, for material benefit. But you should know that we are not doing any business for material benefit. Gargamuni spends his profit for Krishna Consciousness. He is so much elevated that he works very hard for doing business diligently, but the profit made out of it, he spends for Krishna. If you wish to do business in that spirit, that will enhance your spiritual assessment. Generally, people are inclined to do business or make profit for sense gratification; such tendency is the cause of material bondage. But to act for Krishna is the cause for opening the door for liberation. So, I shall not try to implicate you in business if you are not ready to award the profit for Krishna's benefit.
I was happy to read your recent letter (undated) and to see how you are working hard and now you are sending your finished paintings to our various centers to be appreciated. You will be pleased to know that our London center has managed to have one local newspaper devote a two-page spread to a comic book feature of the story of Prahlada Maharaja as depicted by Gaurasundara and Govinda Dasi. This is very nice propaganda so as much as possible we should try for overflooding publications with similar of our stories. We have so many artists now in Boston and also New York so if someone can work on this idea it will be very nice.
So I am pleased that you are all working very hard to help us in this great mission. Please convey my blessings to Mahapurusa, Murari, Lilavati and to their child Subhadra. Hope you are all well.
In the future there will be great use for an artist who can take hints from me and paint at least four pictures of 8.5 x 11 size each week. We are planning to begin an illustrated book of all of Krishna's pastimes and stories, so a very good, hard working artist will be required. So if you can practice to do this, it will be great service. With such an artist I can dictate stories for books about not only Krishna, but also Prahlad, Bhismadev, Queen Kunti, and many others from the Bhagavatam. If you can assist me in such a project when we are ready to begin it, then I think that you can come here to take direct instructions. So work hard to develop in this way and we shall see what happens as Krishna plans.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 25, 1968 and I have carefully noted the contents. I am always encouraged to learn how you are working hard and progressing more and more in Krishna Consciousness.
In distributing the "perfection in yoga" leaflet, when people come to your temple you may explain to them the principles of yoga as they are described in the Bhagavad-gita. Such instructions by you may be preceded and followed by Krishna kirtana. If they are interested, you may show them how to sit, concentrating the eyesight on the tip of the nose. The concentration should be on Lord Krishna or Lord Visnu, as is explained in Bhagavad-gita As It Is. So if they come to know about hatha yoga you can show them in the authoritative scriptures how it cannot be successfully practiced in this present age of kali.
1969 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your two letters December 21 and December 23, 1968. I am very glad to know of your sincere activities in Krishna Consciousness. You are just a child and only by Krishna's Grace you've taken the courage to go to Germany to open a center and work very hard. So I am rather envious of your advancement in Krishna Consciousness because when I was of your age I had no such energy, although my father was always educating me in Krishna Consciousness from the very beginning. So I am sure that your efforts will be successful.
I was very pleased to read your letter of January 19, 1969. I know that you will always be thinking of me as you described in your letter because you are so affectionate to this poor old man. And by your sincere affection you have also made me think of you how you are doing there in Hawaii. I understand from your letter and from Gaurasundara's letter also that you are now engaged as a nice housewife. It is a great pleasure for me to know this. In London, the six couples who are working very hard there have been very much appreciated by the people of London, and their character, behavior, and devotion are attracting sincere people to our movement. I want similar thousands of couples for my disciples to propagate our movement throughout the world. You can always help me in this matter because you are an intelligent girl and you have many talents. So you can utilize your god-gifted qualities for utilizing in Krishna Consciousness.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 24, 1969, and I have noted the contents with care. Just yesterday I also received Back To Godhead, no. 22, and it is looking very good. This issue is very nice, and I thank you and all of your hard-working press men for their sincere efforts in this connection. I am confident that this magazine will be improving more and more under your direction.
I am in due receipt of your letter of February 11, 1969, and I was pleased to note the contents therein. I am glad that everyone at your temple is working hard and in full cooperation for keeping the temple nicely and spreading our movement as far as possible. This should be our motto. We have so many things to do for improving our Krishna Consciousness movement, and I am so glad to learn that there is a newspaper report wherein it is said that "Krishna Chants Startle London." Please send me at least one copy of the paper immediately. I want to read it. It sounds very much encouraging.
Regarding your wish to be married with a Krsna conscious family, that is nice. You will have your nice, fixed-up wife, and you will be happy working hard for Krsna together. I never discourage marriage, providing it is for Krsna's service and not for simply sex life. It is always meant for a higher purpose. In God's creation there is male and female even in the spiritual world and there is purpose for such creation. This purpose is so that male and female may join together, not for sex-life, but to glorify the Lord. From Srimad-Bhagavatam we learn that in Vaikuntha the women are much more beautiful in their figure, smiling, dressing, etc., but the men and women there are so much attracted by the chanting of Hare Krsna that they do not get any sex impulse even by intimate mingling. Here also we sometimes get very good example, because when our nice boys and girls are dancing together in chanting Hare Krsna at least for that time they forget all about the sex impulse. This is perfection of life, to be so much attracted to Krsna that all insignificant pleasures are utterly forgotten.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Feb. 27, 1969, and I am so glad to read it. Keep your health in good condition and work very hard for Krishna. That is our motto of life. I am so glad to learn that you felt too much inconvenience in the company of the karmis in your last tour to Los Angeles. There is a verse in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu in which it is stated, the more you advance in Krishna Consciousness, the more you become disgusted with the material modes of life. When the American boys are disgusted with cigarette smokers, or listening to rock music and meaningless chattering, it means there is Krishna's Grace. May Krishna bless you more and more, as you advance in Krishna Consciousness.
So actually there is no material advancement here. Here, I am seeing practically that Gaurasundara, such a nice intelligent and qualified boy, he has to work hard 12 hours simply for his subsistence. I think there are many instances like that, so this is not material advancement. You can call it capitalist advancement, and the reaction for such advancement is communism. Such movement is simply suppressed in your country, but actually the reaction is this. So the Western type of civilization, industrialism and capitalism, is no material advancement. It is material exploitation. When one gets the bare necessities of life, namely peaceful home, sumptuous eating, necessary sex life, and feeling of security, then it is called material advancement. In the absence of such four preliminary necessities of life, it is not at all material advancement—just try to understand. According to Vedic civilization, a man is supposed to be rich when he has got sufficient grains and cows. Here we have neither sufficient grains or cows, but you have got sufficient quantity of papers only—falsely thinking that it is money. When there is some catastrophe, this bunch of papers will neither supply milk or grain. They will be seen only and the man will starve.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 14, 1969 and I am so glad to learn that everyone in L.A. is working very hard. And Krishna Consciousness is so nice that you are aspiring for still more work. That is the sign of spiritual life. In the material world we want to minimize our activities and take rest more but in the spiritual world, there is no rest and there is no limit of activities. Krishna is unlimited, His service is unlimited, and the energy of His servants is unlimited. Although we are in the midst of ignorance, still if we keep ourselves alert there is no place of ignorance. I am glad that you have deposited $100 in the Bank of America for your consignment of goods. A similar consignment is being followed by Honolulu, and it is good that you are saving money for paying me $750.00 for 5000 BTGs coming out sometime in the month of June.
I thank you very much for your letter. I am very much pleased to note the list of engagements you have submitted, and I can see you have been working very hard to secure so many opportunities for spreading K.C. Yes, within those days stated in your letter of March 20th you can add more engagements as you like. I have no objection. I have not yet received word from Rupanuga, in this connection, but you can plan on your program as it is set up. In N.Y. we have got engagement and they are paying $100 for a meeting, so you try to settle fees not less than $50 per lecture. So you can engage the whole duration of my stay there, and I shall deliver every day one lecture.
If we adjust these bodily activities towards Krishna's side, then the labor is fruitful, but if we adjust towards maya's side, then the labor is useless. A little labor done for Krishna is never lost. But the greatest labor done for Maya is simply waste of time. So I think by the Grace of Krishna you are feeling nice now. Please try to work hard for Krishna, and your life will be glorious. By Krishna's Grace and by His desire, you are destined to go to Germany to take up the work of BTG in German. The three boys now working there are very sincere workers. You are also very sincere boy and I am sure when you go there you will find a very nice atmosphere of ISKCON workers. I am so glad to learn that you are feeling considerably the missing separation of ISKCON devotees. I am very much hopeful that Krishna Kirtana will be nicely introduced in the Western world by the Grace of Krishna, and by the efforts of our ISKCON DEVOTEES. I am very sorry too that in India you could not fill up the gap of such separation, and I know why you couldn't. So let India may do whatever they like.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 14, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. Now I am staying in New Vrindaban and it is a very nice spot for developing our community project. There is sufficient land for building great temples and houses for devotees. There is pasturing land, and sufficient grass and vegetables for the grazing of cows. I am glad to learn that you have already translated the foreword of Bhagavad-gita, and you have already sent it to Hamburg. The boys there are working very hard, and recently they have sent me some newspaper cuttings describing about their Sankirtana activities. They are expecting your arrival there at any moment. Jaya Govinda has got some experience of layout work, and when you go there you should do it jointly. Until then there is no need of corresponding with him about layout, and thus delay matters. I have already informed them that when you are there you will be the chief editor, and your name should be mentioned as editor of the paper. The boys there are very submissive, and I am sure when you go there everything will be done in nice cooperation.
I thank you very much for your letter dated June 23, 1969, and I have carefully gone over the contents. I am so pleased to learn that you are feeling very nicely in Buffalo temple and you are working hard and sincerely to push on this sublime movement of Krishna Consciousness. Regarding your question about marriage, the thing is that as I am a sannyasi, I am not concerned with family life, but because I want to see my disciples very happy in Krishna Consciousness, therefore, those who are feeling some sexual disturbance are requested by me to get themselves married. Another principle is that those who are brahmacaris, they should sacrifice all of their income and collection for the Krishna Consciousness Movement, whereas those who are married should work, earning money as much as possible, and at least 50% should be spent for the Krishna Consciousness Movement. So we have no objection for allowing you to get married, but it is up to you to consider if you will work hard and earn money both for Krishna and for your family. You cannot get married, and at the same time do not earn money. Of course, by preaching Sankirtana Movement, if you are satisfied with a small income, that is also nice. I think that your God-brother, Rupanuga is an ideal householder, and you should try to follow him.
I thank you so much for your letter of July 15, 1969, and I think of you very often that you are a most ideal devotee wife. Your husband, Advaita, is working very hard and nicely in Krishna Consciousness, and when the husband is executing his activities very nicely it is credit not only to the husband himself, but it is a credit to his wife also. In materialistic marriages generally there are too many troubles and frustrations because the basic principle for both the husband and wife is their own personal sense gratification. Therefore there is inevitable conflict and divorce petition. But in a Krishna Conscious marriage the basic principle is for both husband and wife to serve Krishna nicely and to help the partner advance in spiritual life. In this way both the husband and wife are true benefactors for one another and there is no question of any serious conflicts or separation.
Our basic Mission is to propagate the Sankirtana Movement (chanting of the Holy Names of God) all around the world as was recommended by the Incarnation of the Lord, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. People in this age are reluctant very much to understand about God consciousness on account of their unfortunate condition of life. They are working hard day and night simply for sense gratification. But this transcendental vibration of Sankirtana will knock at the door of their hearts for spiritual awakening. Therefore, they should be given the chance for this opportunity.
So you can pick up the principal point of a purport and make then a heading for the article. Just like in the next issue Satsvarupa has published an article, "Lord Siva, the Greatest Devotee". This was picked up from my translation and purport of 3rd Canto Srimad-Bhagavatam. So far as sales are concerned, if you don't sell, then how you will be able to maintain your establishment? If you want to maintain a nice place simply by all working hard—in the beginning that is all right—but if you cannot maintain it by selling literature and making collections, then that is not a good idea. How to sell our magazines and literatures you have to find out means and ways. On the whole, everywhere we are arranging to sell our BTG and maintaining our centers on this sale.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 29, 1969 and noted the contents. Things are going on nicely in every department, and it is very encouraging. But as I have already told you, your first business is to see about the publication of my books. I have already advised Satsvarupa and Brahmananda in this connection, and they will take the necessary care for it. I want to know if Nectar of Devotion is coming along at proper pace. So you will kindly manage in Columbus that the printing matters are substantially ready for the press. The press may not sit idly for want of printing matter. Then it will be very nice from all sides. Pradyumna is in charge of making the diacritic marks nicely, so I shall be glad to know if he is doing that work according to plan. Recently I received one letter from Arundhati that she wants to work very hard. So Syama Dasi should also do this as it was previously programmed. The main point is that the press should not sit down for want of printing matter. That you will kindly manage.
1970 Correspondence
So offer my thanks to all the boys and girls who are working so hard for my Guru Maharaja's sake. Certainly He will be very pleased and bless you all for making your Krsna Consciousness life very successful.
I have already written to Candanacarya to come back and help in the matter of layout. Brahmananda is already there; and please see that everything is managed nicely and at least one book is published every two months. We do not need to publish a large number at a time, but what I want is that all the manuscripts which are ready for printing may be published without further delay. That will give me much satisfaction.
You write to say that Paramananda is always thinking of me and he is working hard to develop New Vrindaban transcendental community. That is very good. I know Paramananda is a very good soul, and you together are good combination. So do everything enthusiastically to develop our New Vrindaban scheme and advance forward in Krishna Consciousness life.
I am very pleased to know that you have been strictly living according to our Krsna conscious way of life in the matters of daily chanting sixteen rounds, following the four basic restrictive principles, and working hard in Krsna's service. Please continue to live in this way and the success of your life in Krsna consciousness is assured. Always chanting the Holy Name, Krsna, observing the regulative principles, and working in the service of the Lord are the essential program for advancement in spiritual strength.
In my last letter to Bali Mardan I have already written that I was very much anxious to hear from you. Now this letter has given me much relief. Thank you very much that you are working so hard for this movement, and surely Krsna will reward sufficiently for your transcendental labor. Be blessed and preach.
I shall send you very soon detailed photographs of our new temple room and I think you will very much appreciate it.
Regarding Umapati and his wife moving very soon to Hamburg for composing on the new composing machine, that is very nice, the arrangement is good. Let them work hard for translating and composing, and his wife may also be engaged in this work.
All of you in the press are doing so hard work. I can simply pray to Krsna for your perfect advancement in Krsna consciousness. One thing I must inform you in this connection that so far our activities in Krsna Consciousness are concerned, everyone of us should read this book very attentively because all conclusive statements in the Kingdom of Bhakti are contained in this transcendental valuable book. It is the essence of all Vedic scriptures enlightening about Krsna Consciousness. If anyone will read this Nectar of Devotion very carefully, he will have all guidance in Bhakti cult. So in the temple class some portions of this book must be regularly discussed.
I am very glad to know that you are both, husband and wife, working very hard and sincerely for the mission of spreading Krsna consciousness, and therefore Krsna has provided these nice facilities for His service. From the appearance of the house it is very strongly built of stone brick and in good condition. The plans which you have drawn up indicate that the building is well suited to our purpose. So now develop your center with the help of the new boys and girls.
I am very glad that you are all devotees working hard to improve the temple in both appearance and program. I understand that you are doing very nicely on Sankirtana Party and now you have been able to purchase a Sankirtana van for travelling. So you do this work of pushing on Krsna consciousness movement very enthusiastically and Krsna will help you to overcome all impediments in the matter of discharging your sincere devotional service to the Lord.
Gradually it developed and at the present moment we have got 32 branches all over the world. We have got very huge expenditure for maintaining these establishments for example in Los Angeles, we are spending near about $3000 per month, which is in Indian exchange Rs. 24,000 per month. Similarly we have got expenditure in London, New York, Hamburg, Sydney, Tokyo, etc. The source of income is generous contribution by the public and a little profit out of selling our magazines and books. We do not get any lump out of sum contribution from any of various foundations, but our boys and girls work very hard and we maintain our establishment. The main source of income is Hare Krsna.
I think you are very sincere boy, so please follow the regulative principles strictly and chant your rounds of Hare Krsna faithfully. Attend the arati ceremony and take prasada and work hard in the service of Krsna and you will surely experience the bliss of the perfection of life in Krsna consciousness.
Now I have set up the Governing Body Commission to handle management, questions of philosophy, and personal problems. These things are too much botheration for me, I simply want time to write books to satisfy my Guru Maharaja. If Balimardan Prabhu has gone to open still another Temple that is certainly good news. Kindly remain there and teach Upananda das by nice example and work together with the devotees there. If we work hard for Krsna without personal consideration or ambition, then we are assured of success.
I am very glad to note that you are now realizing that without executing the regular routine work of spiritual life nobody can grow spiritual strength and without spiritual strength nobody can preach the Krsna Consciousness Movement. Both of you are my great hopes. You have done great service to the cause of the Society and I always consider you as two strongest pillars of the Society. Sriman Brahmananda Swami Maharaja joined me in my apartment in New York sometimes in 1966 and since then he is working so hard for upliftment of our activities and later on you also joined to help the Movement so strenuously. So your service to Krsna in this connection will never go in vain even though accidentally something contrary has been done. So far I am concerned, I am the same Spiritual Father and Guide of both of you and I have prayed all along to Krsna for bringing you back to your good conscience. I hope Krsna is already helping you sitting in your heart and thus you are executing the regulative principles.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated 8/11/70, and I have noted its contents with great hope and enthusiasm. Under the expert leadership of such sincere students as yourself and Rupanuga and Karandhara in the U.S. the GBC is taking on the responsibility that I desired. Similarly in Europe Syamasundara is working hard. So by Krishna's Grace everything is taking shape. Here in India also the work is pushing forward, and daily we are getting reports of support among the influential members of the community. Half of our devotees have just opened up another center on the other side of Calcutta, and last night there were more than 200 persons singing and dancing at our place.
I am very glad to learn that both you and your good wife, Krsna devi, and your daughter, Visnu Arati, are together in Boston. Your all engagements sound to be very suitable, so please execute your duties in Krsna Consciousness and be happy. I am especially pleased that you are taking charge in the Boston area of placing my books and literatures in the local school-college libraries and you have already had success with placing all our literatures in the two most important libraries of Harvard University and the Divinity School. When I spoke there sometimes back our Krsna Consciousness philosophy was very much appreciated, so I think this is an important place for our literatures to be available to the students and faculty. Please go on with this engagement enthusiastically and Krsna will give you all success in the venture. You are intelligent and hard working devotee of Krsna and Krsna will bless you for this very fine service which you are rendering unto Him.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27, Sept. I'm very pleased that you're opening a nice center in the important city of Pittsburgh. Please develop the Pittsburgh and New Vrindaban plan conjointly. If Pittsburgh center can help contribute financially to our New Vrindaban, that will help relieve many financial problems. I am often thinking of New Vrindaban and I'm so much glad that you have taken the initiative to establish that program. Before I came to your country, I was thinking to establish an ideal Vedic community. So please work very hard to make New Vrindaban grow.
It is always the difficulty with the karmis that they "have no time" for attending spiritual functions or gatherings. Sukadeva Goswami analyzes the situation for the karmis in the narration of Bhagavatam as sleeping and indulging in sex-life in the night and in the daytime working hard "Where is money? Where is money?" and when they have got money, how to accumulate household paraphernalia, etc. Anyway, by the mercy of Lord Caitanya even such materially absorbed persons can be extricated from their entanglement in the maya by contact with offenseless chanting of the Lord's Holy Names Hare Krsna Mantra. If you vibrate these transcendental sounds everywhere continually, it will pierce their ears and enter their hearts, and then their natural attraction for Krsna will be revived. So do not care for the temporary excuses of the unwilling and unfortunate persons, you simply carry our program forward distributing Sankirtana, Prasadam and literatures and the effect will take place.
I am glad to hear Mandali Bhadra and Haripriya are working so hard to translate my books. They are both sincere souls and combinedly I am confident that they will do their duty. Husband and wife engaged in the service of the Lord is real marriage, and man and woman combined without service to Krishna is animal life. So their example is very encouraging and instructive.
That you are working hard to build cottages there in New Vrindaban is very encouraging to me. I want very much to see this project grow, so you please continue to work in this respect. So far as what materials to be used to finish the cottages, I think whatever is easiest and least expensive is best.
1971 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings, and offer the same to all the hard-working crew in our Boston Art Department. I have received both your letter and a letter from Sriman Bharadraja some while back and just the other day I have received one telegram from the Art Department. I have also seen the article in our new issue of Back to Godhead and I am very much encouraged to see how you are all working so carefully in the service of Krsna in the matter of painting transcendental pictures of the Lord, His pastimes, His devotees, and illustrating His philosophy.
I beg to thank you for your kindly improving our mission in Western world by the hard work of all my students there, and for keeping my apartments and gardens nicely. Just as you are all feeling separation grief for me, similarly I am feeling for you.
Please offer my blessings to all the sincere boys and girls who are working so hard to make Lord Jagannatha's festival a grand success. Hoping this will meet you in good health.
So now this boy is working with you cooperatively; train him up nicely and give him all guidance. Any questions that you cannot answer may be referred to me. Krishna has sent you a sincere soul to help out there. So together work very hard to develop New Gaya and more devotees will come. Simply you must be patient and depend on Krishna, and He will give you all facility.
Please accept my blessings and offer the same to all the boys and girls there who have worked so hard to make Rathayatra festival in London, scheduled for today, a grand success. Please let me know how things have worked out, and how many people attended the function.
Presently I am still in L.A. and by the middle of this month I should be going to N.Y. From there, you will be glad to know, I will be going directly to London. Here in L.A. things are going on very nicely and just this week 40 new devotees were initiated. So the stock of japa beads I brought with me has been depleted. Malati Prabhu was supposed to have brought some beads with her from India, and so I would like that those beads be sent immediately to N.Y. center by air. I have instructed Tamala Krishna in Calcutta and he soon will be sending more beads to London, for distribution in Europe. So take care of this matter right away so that the beads will be there upon my arrival in N.Y.
I am in due receipt of your very encouraging letter dated 28th July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I am so glad to hear that you have gone to Mexico City with Jan and Bhutavhrt Prabhus and have rented a nice house in the central part of the city. From your description I can tell that there is great field for spreading this Sankirtana movement there and if you are sincere and determined in your efforts then surely Krishna will give you all facility. So go on and do things nicely and work very hard to make our newly formed Mexico City branch a grand success.
I am in due receipt of your letter dated 15th July, 1971 and have noted the contents. I am glad to learn that you had contact with my disciple Vaikunthanatha and his wife Saradia Devi there in Guyana. Presently Vaikunthanatha and wife are in Trinidad at the following address: c/o B.N. Singh; 258 Christian Drive; Plaisance Park; Pointe-a-Pierre; Trinidad, W. Indies, and are working very hard to push on this Krishna Consciousness movement in that part of the world. They are very sincere young couple and I am very much appreciative of the fine work they are doing there. Formerly they were in Guyana but when their visas expired, they were forced to leave the country, despite the local support. But I know that there are many people in Guyana who are wanting to see us establish one center of our International Society for Krishna Consciousness there in Guyana.
Regarding Ramananda at Gorakhpur, he is very important hand as Hindi translator. So I do not find any reason why Chopra or other members in Gorakhpur should complain against him. So things should be handled very carefully because everyone engaged in Krishna's service should be given a chance to exercise this transcendental business very nicely. I am getting older and the 76th anniversary of my birth observed by my disciples means that I am getting older. Naturally my health does not allow me to work very hard but still I am working as hard as possible to advance this mission and I request all my disciples to give their full cooperation in this great task.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 11th August, 1971 and have noted the contents. Also I have seen the article enclosed and it is very nice indeed. So it appears that things are going on nicely there in Detroit. So we have to work very hard and with intelligence and sincerity for this movement. It is a great movement undoubtedly but it takes a little time to convince the higher section of the society. Still that is one of our businesses because unless the higher section understands this movement, it will make progress slowly. If the higher section says yes, it is a nice movement, it will progress very quickly. Our mission is undoubtedly the highest welfare activity to the human society. Everyone has forgotten his real constitutional position. Therefore all of them are hovering in the air without any concrete knowledge of the goal of life. Actually we are in the position to teach everyone, never mind however great a philosopher or scientist he may be, but everyone must learn from us about spiritual activities. All the universities and educational institutions are in darkness and still they are very much proud of advancement of knowledge. This we shall challenge everywhere and come out victorious.
So Krishna will give you all intelligence how to push on this movement. Already you have a program for preaching at the university and you should continue this program more and more. The universities are always good field for preaching and distributing our literatures also. So work very hard and just depend on Krishna and surely you will be successful.
Hoping this will meet you all in good health, and working hard to make our ISAVASYA school a grand success.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter from Denver dated 3d October, 1971 and have noted the contents. It is very much encouraging that your center is improving daily and doing so nicely. There is good field there. So combinedly work very hard to make our new Denver center a grand success. We have all taken on a great responsibility for spreading Krishna Consciousness all over the world. Actually people are suffering on account of being enamored by the external energy. Krishna wants to deliver them. He comes personally, he comes as a devotee, and he sends His authorized devotee. So some way or other we have been entrusted to serve Krishna in this connection. Do it nicely. Follow the regulative principles and teach others to do likewise and we shall remain strong and it will not be difficult for us to push on this movement. I am so much obliged to you for your helping the cause. Please stick to this principle and Krishna will bless you with all benediction.
Another point is that I have advised Nairobi center and so we have already registered the society in the companies act and we have got a post box number also, as given above and we have our bank account also. We are getting membership fees very encouragingly. If they work hard then at least they can get one member daily, and besides that they are collecting nicely on the street Sankirtana. So I have proposed that 50% of the membership fee may be sent directly to Dai Nippon and 75% of the direct sales collection may also be directly sent, and that they get the books on consignment, or without paying on delivery. The idea is that 50% of the membership collection as it is already settled up should go to the book fund, so they will directly remit, whereas direct sales of books, 75% to the book fund and 25% they keep for expenditure. So how do you like this idea? Besides that whether you would like them to send money directly to Dai Nippon or to you. I think if they send directly to Dai Nippon and send you a copy for your information, then you can keep accounts properly and the matter becomes simplified. So consider over these points and let me know your decision.
Please offer my blessings to Muralidhara, Bharadraja, Kancanbala, Ekayani, Kirtimati, Sarita, and all the other hard working artists. I hope this will meet you all in good health.
The Guru says do this, do that—immediately they do—they go out and beg all day in the hot sun and come back with a little rice, then take rest on the floor with no covering. And they are enjoying, it is pleasurable to them to work very hard. So it is very important to train children to endure all sorts of hardships and restrictions at the boyhood stage. Later, no one will renounce what he has accepted as the standard of enjoyment, to accept a standard of less enjoyment. So I think you should begin immediately holding class regularly and advertising for it. I understand the German people are very fond of kindergarten schools, so let them send their children to us for receiving the highest education.
The difference between a devotee and a nondevotee is this, just like the bee and the fly: the bee always is attracted by the honey and flies go to the open sores. So the devotee is only attracted by the good qualities in other people and does not see their faults. He is friend to everyone and in this way he finds his life sublime. Of course we are not ourselves perfect, so sometimes there may be something, and we may lose our enthusiasm to do something—but these things come and go and you should not bother very much with them. Just be attached to Krishna and try always to think how to please Him, and He will personally rescue His devotee from all kinds of unfavorable situations. Even we may not like to do the work, if we work very hard for Krishna soon we lose our attachment and become satisfied just to be serving Krishna, and as long as at least 16 offenseless rounds daily are being chanted, know it for certain that our anxieties will disappear very soon.
So we must look out for them and take interest that they should be delivered from this miserable condition. They are our best customers. If we give them place to sleep comfortably and nice prasadam, and if they agree to follow the four rules and attend our aratis and classes, why not invite the hippies to live with us? Gradually they will become devotees. The American Ambassador to India, Mr. Kenneth Keating, is very much in favor of our Movement, especially on this point of giving you people the right advice and saving them from intoxication and being hippies. If your government would give us some help I can save all of them. That would be a great blessing for your country. Otherwise this hippie class will simply spoil everything they have worked so hard for.
I beg to acknowledge of your letter of November 13, 1971, just now received by me, along with a box of very nice slides. Thank you very very much for the color slides. I am very much satisfied with all of my disciples who have worked so hard on these paintings for Srimad-Bhagavatam. In fact, I think there is no other art existing which can in any way match them. They are truly transcendental to every mundane conception of art anywhere, and I can understand that Krishna is giving you all good guidance from within, because you have shown Him that you are all such sincere boys and girls. I have got good news from Rupanuga that MacMillan Co. will be printing our Bhagavad-gita As It Is, so why not they should print our Srimad-Bhagavatam as well? These color illustrations are not found so nicely in any other publications but ours, so we are unique in this way.
People are always willing to give anything for educational purpose. They think that if their children get the right knowledge then they will become very successful in life, and that is their concern, so they sacrifice everything for good educational cause. Now their children are all becoming hippies, and they do not want so much technology and knowledge which gives them no real satisfaction, so they are losing all interest in education and only they want to enjoy life, that's all. But if such children are given practical guidance on the transcendental platform, above the bodily and mental conception of life, then they will develop into perfect citizens—moral, honest, hard-working, law-abiding, clean, faithful to home and country, like that. That is the unmatched success of our Krishna Consciousness schooling system, so you introduce it nicely, so that your country's leaders will see something very nice and come to our assistance.
I beg to acknowledge your letter undated, and I am very glad to hear that you are finding such great pleasure in serving Radha and Krishna. Both you and your good husband are very sincere and hard-working, and practically you together have saved our European centers from collapse. Krishna has given you very nice ability to serve Him, better than most, therefore I have relied on you completely to save centers in Germany which had fallen into neglected condition, and because you have done so nicely, I am very very pleased with your both service. So there is no question of dissatisfaction. Because you are serving Krishna, that is my satisfaction enough. But because you are also preaching so nicely, and helping to spread this Krishna Consciousness movement all over the world by being big leaders, then I am more than satisfied with you, so never think dissatisfaction. There is no question of dissatisfaction. Rather I am very much pleased with your activities there and before that, as much as also with your attitude of humble and determined desire to reach the Supreme destination by becoming Krishna Conscious. You are more dear to me than my own sons and daughters.
So if somehow or other you can produce profuse books for these places, spend your all time translating, organizing, printing and distributing such books in foreign languages, then I think you will be able to improve the situation there. If there are amply books, everything else will succeed. Practically our Society is built on books. One book is not very impressive. Still, a blind uncle is better than no uncle at all, so it is very nice that one book has appeared, and that BTG is appearing at least several issues in other languages. But now try to produce at least four or five new books per year in several languages, plus regularly BTG every month. That will be your success. You are very sincere and hard-working boy—now just take good direction from your senior godbrothers and apply yourself fully to this very great responsibility of producing numerous books in foreign languages.
| Page Title: | Working hard (Letters 1967 - 1971) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 16 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=64 |
| No. of Quotes: | 64 |