a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1968 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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21 Feb 2004 Wednesday, February 21, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated Feb. 14, 1968, and I am happy to hear all the good news from our fine art department. I think I have already given you instructions in this regard. In my opinion your guiding the girls working under you for painting is very important, and if this business doesn't suffer, you can think of going to S.F. for organizing the asrama. If all the Brahmacarini's gather together and work under your guidance, at any place, I will prefer that proposition. For the time being drop the idea of going to S.F. better concentrate your energy in organizing the artist girls under your care. The Brahmacarinis at S.F. may be called at N.Y. or Boston. If the majority of the girls are in N.Y., why not have the other Brahmacarini's from S.F. go there and work under your direction, either in N.Y. or in Boston, as it is best. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:41 | Wednesday, February 21, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter Feb. 17, 1968, and have noted the contents. The sentence in question is, as you stated, Swayam Bhuva Manu and his wife, Satarupa (not Satsvarupa). The reaction that the hunter would have suffered, had he not received the Mercy of Narada Muni, is hellish life. There are different kinds of hellish life for different kinds of sinful activities. So, one has to undergo such punishment if he doesn't take to Krishna Consciousness. It is only the devotee who can save the living entities from falling down into hellish conditions, and by the Grace of Narada Muni, the hunter was awakened to Krishna Consciousness and was saved. Yes, the general principle is that one is sent to the particular type of hell, and when he is practiced to suffer the hellish condition, he is given a similar body as reaction. These hell planets are described in the 5th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam; there is no question of imagination. One who is particular about this may read the different descriptions of hells in the 5th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Yes, it is as you say, therefore we should keep always ourselves engaged so there is no possibility of falling down. So far mistakes done imperceptibly by such devotee engaged in Krishna Consciousness activities, "Swapada Mulam Bhagavatam Priasya", they are excused by the Lord as it is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Hope you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Satsvarupa, please note: N.B. Please send all the propaganda material so far published in relation to your center, to the following address: Sri Hit Sharan Sharma Radha Press 993.3 Main Road Gandhi Nagar Delhi-31, INDIA letters | 02:29 | 20 Feb 2004 Tuesday, February 20, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Krishna devi, I am very glad to receive your letter of 2.15.68. Please accept my blessings. I am expecting you every moment. Krishna is very kind. He does not let go anyone who might have done a little bit of service. So how can He allow you to forget Krishna? You may be dragged by Maya for the time being but by Krishna's Grace that will have only temporary reaction. I am very glad that you are doing so much for decorating Krishna's temple. I thank Danny also because he is helping you in the service of Krishna. So I am also with you and I shall do my best to help you in advancing your Krishna Consciousness. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:26 | Tuesday, February 20, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Robert, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Feb. 15, 1968, and you have done very good by staying in N.Y. under the guidance of Sriman Brahmananda. In your last letter you proposed to come here, but Krishna has given you good counsel that instead of coming here, you have stopped at N.Y. and expended the passage money for temple expenditures. It is very good. It is as good to see Brahmananda because he is my representative, and he can inform you everything which I could have done by meeting you. Anyway, please act under the guidance of Brahmananda, so long I am not able to see you, and probably it will be possible to see you in the month of April next, when I am going to N.Y. I thank you once more for your service spirit to Lord Krishna, and I am sure He will bestow upon you more and more service spirit. So far school is concerned, we know that modern education in schools and colleges is not very much helpful in advancement of Krishna Consciousness, but still we have to take advantage of such institutions in absence of any other good organization. But I shall advise you that by leaving your school, you have got immense books and literatures for studying, so you should form the habit of studying and understanding the philosophy very nicely and when there is difficulty in understanding, Brahmananda or Rayarama, or myself, will help you in all respects. School may be bad, but studying is not bad, it is very good. So we should not give up the habit of studying, especially Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and Brahma Samhita. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:23 | Tuesday, February 20, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your nice letter dated Feb. 15, 1968. I can appreciate your advancement in Krishna Consciousness by the sentiments expressed by you. As I have repeatedly said, that Krishna Consciousness is developed by following two parallel lines, means service of Krishna, and service of the Spiritual Master. This is the secret of success. The Spiritual Master must be bona fide, that is, he must come down from a bona fide Spiritual Master and must act according to the directions of the Spiritual Master, and by doing so, he gives proper directions about Krishna and the devotees serve Krishna under the direction of such Spiritual Master, and Krishna accepts service, and in this way the whole thing becomes beautiful and successful. I am very much pleased that you are following the same principle and there is no doubt that you will develop more and more in the service of Krishna. I always pray to Krishna for your advancement, and what I can do more than this. Regarding printing of the Teachings of Lord Caitanya: Dai Nippon is a very big concern. In my last letter I requested you to refer to their past correspondence and in which you will find they quoted $5,400 for 5000 copies of 400 pages. Now, this time the pages are only 230, and why they should charge so much as $6,400. There must be that there is something missing. So if you consult them, or ask them to consult their past files, they may reconsider. My idea is that their being a big company, their workmanship will be surely nicer than any smaller company. Of course, the last issue of Back To Godhead was very nicely done, there is not doubt about it, but if the Dai Nippon Co. comes to $5000, that will be very nice. Best thing will be therefore to consult the past correspondence, and if you find same thing as I said, $5,400 for 5000 copies of 400 pages, other details being the same, then they can come down to their original price. But if you do not find such opportunity, then you can hand it over to the printer Mr. Kallman has suggested. Regarding Srimad-Bhagavatam printing: It has already begun in India, and they have sent a specimen which I am enclosing herewith, please find. The $5000 donated to me by Jayananda will be used for printing in India. So I don't think in America anyone can print cheaper than India. But if you think Bhagavatam can be printed in America, which I have tried for the past 2 or 3 years and did not get opportunity, so I decided to print in India, so it is already begun. I thank you very much, now you are very serious about printing of books, so Krishna willing, we shall have this year at least 5 to 6 books printed. One volume Bhagavad-gita, 3 vol. Srimad-Bhagavatam, 1 vol. TLC, 1 vol. Transcendental Meditation, and maybe 1 vol. of Brahma Samhita. Please do not forget to add Thakura Bhaktivinode's writing, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the TLC. I think you are already in knowledge of this proposal. The Bhagavatam printing which is taking place in India will be almost of the same style and quality of the 3 volumes already printed. My special mission is to complete the Srimad-Bhagavatam in 60 volumes, so the most important thing on the part of the International Society is to organize the sales propaganda, of all the books that you are publishing. If there is less sales propaganda then the outlet of the books will be bottlenecked, and smooth printing work will stop. You have not only to print, but you have to sell them. So please consult Mr. Kallman how to do it. In your previous letter it was informed that some firm, European, is going to take the sole selling responsibility for Europe. What happened to that proposal? We must find out some selling agent. Regarding Krishna's being very kind upon us, should be on the principle as Arjuna followed: the principle is, that Krishna was Arjuna's most intimate friend. He could have brought victory to Arjuna, without any endeavor by Arjuna; neither was that principle advised by Krishna, neither Arjuna followed it. As a military man, Arjuna fought to his best, but the victory was brought him by Krishna. Similarly, we should try our best to our best capacity, and victory will come from Krishna. We should never sit idly and ask Krishna to do everything. That is the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. It is clearly said in the Gita: "Yuddhasya ca mam anusmara." So ordinarily, we have to try our best to our best capacity to achieve something, and by Krishna's Grace, all of a sudden we shall see everything is there. This sort of help from Krishna is transcendental happiness. Our principle should be therefore, that we should work for the mission with great enthusiasm, with certainty for its success, and patiently follow the regulative principles, and associate ourselves with pure devotees, and work being completely in Krishna Consciousness, that will make us happy and successful. I am glad that Krishna has sent $500 when you needed them very badly. It is all Krishna's Grace. Please take care of the boy very nicely. I have received one letter from him, and I am enclosing a personal thanks for the boy. Even Krishna is prepared to give us more, we should not accept anything from Him for our sense gratification; if anything is offered by Him, we should accept gladly for His service only; for our sense gratification or personal benefit, we shall not ever ask any favor from Krishna, although He is always willing to deliver such favor to anyone amongst His devotees. I am glad that the devotee has joined us who is a sculptor. I am trying to carve one Radha Krishna Sri Murti in wood, done by Gaurasundara, but Gaurasundara is not a sculptor, still he is trying to do it. But if this boy is actually a sculptor, he may immediately begin to carve one Radha Krishna Sri Murti in wood, 24" high. In San Francisco, Syamasundara. is preparing a nice throne, and in future we have to install Radha Krishna Sri Murti in all our temples. Regarding cracking of Jagannatha, whether it is being repaired or replaced, I shall be glad to know. The faith increases in Krishna Consciousness by our voluntary increase of serving Krishna. Serving Krishna is unlimited and he can accept our unlimited service, and award us unlimited transcendental pleasure in the unlimited service of the Lord. That is the meaning of unlimited. Yes, you can arrange as many lectures as is possible. The buzzing sound and the headaches has nothing to do with my activities or Krishna Consciousness, it is no more so acute and I have consulted my Indian physician, and it is no more such puzzling. I shall consult an American physician here also probably.* Yes, ask Bob to arrange lectures at a University and I shall deliver. Yes, we can go to Boston as you suggested and also to talk at the Vermont University. Ask Mr. Kallman to give us his nice car. Hope you are feeling well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami * I have done it just this afternoon. His opinion is there is nothing wrong in my general health. He will test my blood sugar tomorrow. letters | 02:14 | 19 Feb 2004 Monday, February 19, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Balai dasi, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for the Istagosthi notes, and also your nice letter of Feb. 14, 1968. I have read them over, and the question which was asked about why people did not see Krishna as blue, question no. 5; you can't see Krishna with material eyes. Please continue sending the notes from the meetings; I am very pleased to read how my students are relishing the discussions of Krishna and His Associates. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. All press cuttings and important publications from society specially BTG, all should regularly be sent to the following address. He will utilize them for supporting our Indian center. Please do the needful in this connection. Address where the above materials should be sent by First class mail educational. (Sri Hitsaran Sharma, Radha Press, Gandhi Nagar, Delhi 31. India.) letters | 02:11 | 18 Feb 2004 Sunday, February 18, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Upendra and Krishna Das, Please accept my blessings. If our Berkeley centre is not going to be fruitful just now, I think you may prepare to go to India where Acyutananda has opened a centre at Kanpur. Gurudasa is in contact with Acyutananda and you can talk with Gurudasa. Our aim of starting a centre in India is to attract Indian youngsters by American devotees. Combined together we shall be able to make a wide circulation of the Krishna Consciousness movement. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:09 | Sunday, February 18, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated Feb. 15, 1968, and noted the contents. I have already instructed Jayananda not to occupy the storefront in Berkeley if it is too much risky. We should not accept anything very risky because that will hamper us in our program of Krishna Consciousness. Our motto is simple living, high thinking; we should think of Krishna without being hampered by material disturbances, as far as possible. So too much risky thing is not for us. If something comes very easily for our manipulation we welcome it. You have got already a center in S.F. so it is better to make propaganda so that people may come there in throngs. Gargamuni can make this propaganda by sellng Back To Godheads. Personally, I shall advise you to try for our own temple, either in S.F. or in L.A. You wanted me to talk to some persons who are very rich and I am ready to go with you. In the meantime, as you want to do business and so also Gargamuni, now you can order any amount of Indian goods from Brindaban De, my younger son. And he has agreed to execute all your orders on 10% commission. I think you should agree to allow him that commission, because unless he gets some profit for his labor, it does not become very encouraging. So if you agree to give him 10%, he will supply all your goods and you may pay on presentation of the documents. If you confirm this then I shall write to him again and both you and Gargamuni can send your order to him without any difficulty. The dictaphone affair is still lying dormant. Most probably Rayarama is going to India by the middle of March so I would like that he may take with him the dictaphone suitable for Indian electricity. This will save me too much burden when I may return. If the arrangement is made that the N.Y. office of the firm with whom you are negotiating may deliver the dictaphone suitable for India to Rayarama, it will be very nice. Please think over this. Hope you are well, also your good wife. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Enclosure -1 letters | 02:04 | 17 Feb 2004 Saturday, February 17, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of Feb. 8, 1968, and have noted the contents. I thank you very much for your sincere appreciation, and for your feelings of imperfectness. The more you think as imperfect, the more you make actual progress in Krishna Consciousness. This hankering after perfection is seen in even the most perfect devotees. So we should never think of being perfect at any stage. Actually, Krishna Consciousness is unlimited, because Krishna is unlimited, so we do not know at which point the perfection is there. Even Krishna Himself thinks that he is imperfect to understand Radharani's feelings of devotion; and to understand the devotional feelings of Radharani, He became Lord Caitanya, to worship Krishna in the feelings of Radharani. So transcendental activities are so nice that it is all perfection, and still there is no perfect satisfaction. That is the duty of spiritual life. Please stick to your principles as you are now doing and serve Krishna to your best capacity, and Krishna will give you all protection undoubtedly. I am very happy to hear you are making nice arrangements for the Kirtana Party; I am anxious to see the idea take shape. Yes, the more you develop the attitude for service sincerely, the more opportunities Krishna will give you to serve Him, in so many varieties of ways. And I am so happy to hear that you are finding strength to be determined to spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world. My Guru Maharaja wanted like that, especially the Western world, and my only request is that you all sincere boys and girls, to spread this Krishna Consciousness to every home, to every village and town, and to take this mission very seriously. Please convey my blessings to your good wife. Hope you are both well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. organization of the Kirtana party for world tour should now be given our first consideration. ACB letters | 01:59 | Saturday, February 17, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Pradyumna, Please accept my blessings. I have received the transliteration of Brahma Samhita and also your letter of February 14, 1968. I am very much pleased with the nice job you have done. Presently I am using one copy of the Gita Press version of Srimad-Bhagavatam in connection with my translating work, but in due course I may send it to you and you may transliterate the second and third cantos at that time. So if you can do this transliteration we have enough assignments. You may work together with Gaurasundara in this connection. Regarding the book list: "Lord Gauranga" by S.K. Ghose and Veder Panchaya by Bon Maharaja are useless and you may not get them. The other books and the Gaudiya paper are acceptable. If you have free use of Xerox machine you may make copies, of some of the smaller works. Regarding Bhakti Puri, Tirtha Maharaja, they are my God-brothers and should be shown respect. But you should not have any intimate connection with them as they have gone against the orders of my Guru Maharaja. 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. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 01:55 | Saturday, February 17, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. Herewith please find one letter from Acyutananda Brahmacari, and read it carefully, and then return it back to me for filing. The boy is very much enthusiastic in opening an American House in India (Kanpur), and it is to be understood that the house is very much comfortable and commodious. We have got another opportunity of cooperating with Pandit Hitsaran Sharma, who is anxious to publish ISKCON magazine from India, and he is prepared to take the charge of it, and he wants our full cooperation. The copy of the letter received from him is also enclosed herewith, please find it. Now, I am anxious to know if you have delivered the manuscript of the Bhagavad-gita to MacMillan and Co., and whether you are now prepared to go to India. Acyutananda is very anxious to see you there and as you have already written him that you are going there. He wants to see you there by the middle of March. I do not know whether you are prepared to go there by that time. But one thing is very encouraging, that if you go there and manage the publication, both Srimad-Bhagavatam and Back To Godhead, print in cooperation with the proprietor of the Radha Press, it will be a very nice proposal. Printing in India is undoubtedly cheaper than in any other place, because the labor is very cheap there. Gargamuni is very much hopeful for selling Back To Godheads, even up to 10,000 copies. If all these proposals are actually practical, then it is lucrative to give it a try. If it is successful then my program will be 6 months in India and 6 months in this country; and if things go on nicely, we can prepare some preachers so that even if I retire, the missionary work will go on under the able guidance of some of my selected disciples, like you, Brahmananda, Rupanuga, etc. Please reply this letter by return of post. I am anxious to know whether the manuscript is delivered to MacMillan. Also, please send a copy of the new Back To Godhead to this address as soon as possible: Secretary; Sri Radha Madhava Seva Sansthan; Sri KrishnaNiketan; Rly. Circular Road; Gorakhpur; U.P., India. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Enclosure--2 letters | 01:50 | 16 Feb 2004 Friday, February 16, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Uddhava, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your nice letter, and have noted the contents. I have already sent copy of the instructions for celebrating my Guru Maharaja's Advent Day, to Syamasundara., as of yesterday, and you can read it to all the devotees at Istagosthi. Similarly, Malati has just recently asked about the 8 witnesses, and I have replied in her letter the question you may ask of Rayarama. I have written Upendra recently regarding the Sampradaya, and disciplic succession, and you may have gotten the information from him by now. After killing the demon Hiranyakasipu, the Lord Nrsimhadeva was pacified by Prahlada Maharaja, who offered prayers in hymns which are very instructive. I shall be preparing these for you in my Srimad-Bhagavatam. I will simply cite one nice verse: "Oh Benevolent Lord! Friend of the fallen! Oh the Tender-Hearted! Bound by my own Karma I have been thrown into the midst of these demons who are destroying every thing of Your devotees! I am therefore extremely averse to the unbearable and terrible miseries of this cycle of birth and death in this world devoid of service and devotion to You. Oh Lord! When will You be pleased with me and call me to the shelter of Your Lotus Feet which are soothing like the smiling beams of ten million autumnal moons?" Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 01:44 | 15 Feb 2004 Thursday, February 15, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Syamasundara, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter with designs of the throne. I am so glad that somebody has donated sufficient funds to construct the throne. Your design appears to be very nice, nicer than the design which I gave you drawn by Gaurasundara; but the former design was made with the proposal of covering it with silver foils. To make it less expensive because the whole thing has to be covered by silver foils, I made it plainer. But your design is not so plain, it is gorgeous and if it is covered with silver foils it will be still more gorgeous. My point is: with this design or former design, it does not matter, but it must be covered, major portion, with silver foil. I am glad to hear that someone is going to donate sufficiently for this throne. Now you make your own choice which one will be suitable for our purpose. If the friend who wants to donate is willing to pay any amount of expenditure, then your design is very nice. You do it nicely for the service of Sri Sri Radha Krishna. But the silver covering must be very prominent. I am returning the design as requested. I am feeling well so don't worry about me. As soon as you like me to go to San Francisco, I am ready to go. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:27 | Thursday, February 15, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for sending me the latest copy of Back to Godhead, which is so nicely decorated and painted. My special thanks are due to Jaya Govinda who--who has so nicely sketched the story of the Grand Procession. I think in each and every issue a similar story-sketch may be printed, and it will be very interesting for the American reading public. It is interesting and thought provoking. Therefore, the more we print such sketch-stories, it will be greater in appreciation. You wanted to write me after sending the picture at the following address.: Syamasundara. Mullick, 155.A Mahatma Gandhi Road, Calcutta-7, India,. Hope you are well. Please let me know if you have sent the picture in India as above mentioned. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:25 | Thursday, February 15, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your last letter dated Feb. 12, 1968, along with Dai Nippon Printing Company's material. Formerly, when Dvarakadhisa was in correspondence with this company, they quoted price for 400 pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam of the same size of binding at $5,400 for 5000 copies. So far I remember, I requested Dvarakadhisa to make it $5000 and I do not know what is the fate of the correspondence. But I remember that they quoted $5,4000 for 5000 copies. Now even the pages aren't so many. The pages are only 230, still they are quoting $6,390 for 5000 copies. Best thing would have been to search out the correspondence with Dvarakadhisa. So far printing is concerned, 12.14 Bembo on the paper 70 lb. is approved by me. Now you can search out the old correspondence with Dvarakadhisa if possible, and do the needful. Otherwise, as Mr. Kallman has said, you can find out somebody in New York. If it is published in N.Y. it is better, but I am sure no N.Y. man can give competitive price than Japan. I leave the matter to your judgement, and do the needful. Shipping time isn't very important, if you get competitive price, we should place the order to Japan. As requested by you, I am sending herewith the beads and respective letters of Yadunandana Brahmacari, and Sudarsana devi; which please deliver to them with your good wishes and hand over to them the requisite list of regulations, etc. Also, Bhaktijana is there in N.Y., he may be nicely treated as he has come back, so he will understand the philosophy nicely. I have asked him to chant 64 rounds instead of 16. Regarding apartments: we are Indians, especially mendicant, we can adjust things in any kind of place. But I shall stay in any place hell or heaven, if it is approved by you. Of course, on behalf of Krishna I am accepting your sincere service, but on the whole, I am servant of the servant of Krishna. Therefore I may be in designation your Spiritual Master, but actually I am servant of the servant of Krishna, and because you are all sincere servants of Krishna, I am your servant. I shall be glad to stay wherever yourself, Rayarama, and others like me to stay. In San Francisco, everyone is desiring Jadurani for at least two months for consolidating a Brahmacarini asrama. If I ask her to come, she will surely come here, but I am seeking your opinion, if her coming here may hamper the cause there she is now conducting. In my opinion, if we could get 5000 copies of Teachings of Lord Caitanya at $5000, that would have been a nice bargain. If possible try to contact Dvarakadhisa immediately, and see the whole correspondence, and do the needful. But do it as soon as possible. The sample of hardbound and the covering cloth, etc., are very nice. The paper is also nice, and the printing is also nice; now if they come down to the nice price, it all will be nice. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:25 | February 15, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Yadunandana das Brahmacari, Please accept my blessings. In reply to your letter of February 8, 1968, I thank you very much for it, and I have accepted you as my initiated student and your spiritual name is Sriman Yadunandana das Brahmacari (Yadunandana is another name of Krishna). Please follow the regulations and chant 16 rounds daily, at least, without any offense. The list of offenses, 10 kinds, are in my apartment in N.Y., and you ask your God-brother, Brahmananda, and he will supply you. Similarly, there is another list of the qualifications, as well as prayer for Spiritual Master, are also there. Try to secure them, and follow the regulations, and Krishna will help you in being elevated to higher and higher platforms of Krishna Consciousness. Thanking you very much. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:23 | February 15, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Sudarsana devi, Please accept my blessings. In reply to your letter, Jan. 31 1968, which I received just day before yesterday, I have accepted you as initiated student and your spiritual name is Srimati Sudarsana devi (one who looks forward on the Sudarsan wheel in the hand of Krishna). Please follow the regulations and chant 16 rounds daily at least without any offense. The list of offenses, 10 kinds, are in my apartment in N.Y., and you ask your God-brother, Brahmananda, and he will supply you. Similarly, there is another list of the qualifications, as well as prayer for Spiritual Master, are also there. Try to secure them, and follow the regulations, and Krishna will help you in being elevated to higher and higher platforms of Krishna Consciousness. Thanking you very much. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:21 | Thursday, February 15, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of Feb. 10, 1968, and have noted the contents carefully. The article was very nice, as I have written in Jadurani's letter. And the radio show man is very intelligent, this is good publicity for our movement. And I am happy to hear you are holding Kirtana at so many places, and spreading Lord Caitanya's message. I was very pleased to hear your statement about the tape, and about Brahmacari life. Yes, the anchor, as in the sketch-story "The Grand Procession" is sex life, and we are 50% liberated if we can make it nil. There isn't any difference between chanting the Holy Name at the same time washing the dishes of the Temple. So do not be worried when you are attracted for doing other work in the Temple. There is variegatedness in transcendental activities. Sometimes we like to chant, sometimes we like to wash dishes. There is no difference on the Absolute plane. I am sure Krishna will give you all intelligence to work transcendentally. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Please inform Pradyumna that I shall reply his letter later on. I have received the things wanted by him. letters | 06:28 | Thursday, February 15, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your nice letters of Feb. 8, and Feb. 10. As always, I am so happy to hear about all the nice artwork you and your associates are doing. Regarding your questions: The airplanes in Vaikuntha isn't exactly like the airplanes here, but it is something like the swan while flying, in shape, with a throne on the back, bedecked all over with golden filigree works, and looking very brilliant. It isn't a bird flying, but the shape of the plane is like the swan bird flying. The demons could assume any gigantic shape they liked. They can play jugglery; they are not ordinary human beings. You must know that a person with whom God had to fight is not an ordinary person. He could play almost equally with the Lord, but nobody can excel the Lord. Therefore, he was killed. To expand and to reduce the body is sometimes performed by a successful yogi. Yes, Varaha is very beautiful. Generally, the Boar picture is depicted as half human, and half boar, but in Bhagavatam it is stated that full boar. You can make the first 2 legs as 2 hands, and the rear legs and legs, and make it as beautiful as possible. Printing in India is out of the question now, because we have no sufficient fund. If something can be done with cooperation of Mr. Kallman, that is the next possibility. Better to consult Brahmananda in this connection. I am so please that you are guiding your God-sisters in N.Y. so nicely. But some of your God-sisters in San Francisco want you for 2 months. I have asked them to write you directly and if you can spare yourself for that time to organize a Brahmacarini asrama in S.F., please think it over. I have seen the article put in Boston newspaper about your activities there, and I am so glad to see your picture, just a Brahmacarini. The picture was very attractive for me, and I pray Krishna that you may make further progress in Krishna Consciousness so your spiritual beauty may come out more and more. The article was very nice. And also, I am thinking if you go to S.F., then work in Boston may suffer for want of you. Because you are only 3 in Boston, and under these circumstances I cannot advise you directly to go to S.F., but if you think it is possible then try to help them. My present plan is that I will have to go to S.F. most probably to open a center in Berkeley, during the Advent Ceremony of Lord Caitanya, and from S.F., I may go to N.Y. So if you come to S.F., at least for a few days then, we can meet there and see how the Brahmacarini asrama is going there. Regarding offering food: The custom is to offer the foodstuff first to the Spiritual Master; we cannot do anything directly. The Spiritual Master accepts the offering on behalf of his disciple, and offers the same to Krishna. After Krishna's eating, the Spiritual Master eats it, and then the devotees take it as Mahaprasada. This is the system. Everything is offered to the Spiritual Master first, with the prayer "Nama Om Visnupadaya . . ." If, in the cooking process, food falls on the floor, if it is raw and can be washed nicely, then it can be offered. But if it is prepared and cannot be washed, then it is not to be offered, but can be eaten rather than be wasted. Brijbasi Co. are not ordinary businessmen, they are devotees. So their pictures aren't poisonous. Even it is poison, because we are paying for their goods, therefore if poison is there, it becomes ineffective. Just like we are buying so many things at the market which are not fit for offering to Krishna, but because we are purchasing them, we can offer. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:23 | |
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