a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1968 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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25 Jul 2004 Thursday, July 25, 1968 Montreal, Quebec My Dear Hari Vilasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 8, 1968, and regarding your previous letter or any other letters, it is my habit to reply each and every letter. You have complained that in Canada your letters are missing. This is not a fact. Of course, since the last four days there is a postal strike, nation wide in Canada, and there may be some irregularities now. But I have received all your letters in the past regularly, and I replied them also, without delay. The letters are missing somewhere in your return address, because you are moving very swiftly, from one place to another. And I think if you want to do some real service to Krishna, and to the society, you should now fix up your mind to follow my instructions and do some tangible work. Unless you fix up your mind to serve your Spiritual Master, Who is direct representative of Krishna, it is not possible to approach Krishna. Krishna is approached through the transparent via media, of Spiritual Master. Anyway, the letter which you sent me 3 weeks prior was duly received by me and I have duly replied them point to point, and if you have not received that letter, I am enclosing a true copy of the reply which will clear all the points raised by you. Regarding the Murtis, the letter will explain. In your letter under reply, I find that you are now anxious to return to the USA. I do not think that you will be more serviceable in the USA than in India; I think if you try to remain in India in fixed up mind, you can do greater service to Krishna. The first thing is that many of my disciples are always ready to go to India, but I do not encourage them to go there at the present moment because practically we have no organized branch there. Acyutananda has formally opened a branch in Delhi, c.o Radha Press, but I do not think it is acting very nicely. Because you are not combined. If you combine together there, following my instructions, you can develop a branch in India anywhere very nicely. How to do it, that I shall give you instructions. You have simply to carry out my instructions in that respect. But at the present moment you are not prepared to follow my instructions. You are simply visiting different places, for sight seeing recreation. This sort of service is not accepted by Krishna. You are thinking of coming back to USA because your sight seeing business is now finished. But now you should think what service you have rendered to Krishna by going to India. Sometimes back, when you were in Navadvipa, I asked you to send some mrdangas, but you declined to execute the order. I asked you also to develop one asrama at Mayapur, that also you declined. Similarly, Acyutananda was bent on opening a center at Kanpur, and the result is that instead of opening a center, there, he has lost two typewriters, taken away by force by some rogue there. So, so long whatever you have done, both you and Acyutananda, let us forget those things. Now if you decide to work rigidly on my instructions in India, then I can give you necessary instructions. Otherwise, you can do whatever you like. Regarding your coming back, it is not very good that you are begging money from Indians to come back. I understand that you asked for help from Mr. Poddar, Rs. 5000 as loan for your coming back to the USA. Such kind of begging does not behoove for the American students. It is against the reputation of American wealth, as well as our society. Even though you get some money by such begging, the government will not allow you to return to USA with Indian money. You have to take money from your country for coming back, or you have to take help from your ambassador in India for coming back. The Indian government cannot pay anything from the Indian exchange to outside countries. So do not try to make collection for coming back to the USA. For your coming back, either your family members or your government or somebody here must send you money or a ticket for coming back. Last time when I was coming back the same difficulty arose, and I had to pay my ticket fare as well as Kirtanananda's ticket fare, amounting to Rs. 11,000, from my book-fund, which I dispatched to USA. I dispatched 13,000 Rs. worth books from India, out of which I have paid that 11,000 Rs. So this is the exchange condition. I think therefore, that when you have gone to India, for the time being you should forget your mother country, USA. A Krishna Conscious person is supposed to be without any designation. So why should you think yourself as a citizen of USA? You should always think yourself as servant of Krishna. And as servants of Krishna, you combine together and develop a nicer International Society in India. There are so many works to be done there. The Radha Press was entrusted for printing of my books, and he was paid 2000 Rs. in advance for printing of the books, but they have informed Acyutananda that they are unable to print the books. Now neither they are returning the money, nor printing the books, and I do not know what is the meaning. Please try to settle up this matter. Ask Hitsaran Sharma to return back the money and deposit in my bank so that I can pay the money to some other press and begin the printing of books immediately. I am very sorry that he has neither printed my books nor is giving me the chance to get it printed in another press. So all of you 3 immediately settle up this thing and let me know the result. I have already written to Acyutananda about this 3 times, but no effect is there till now. In the concluding part of your letter, you write to say, "All of the westerners here in Hrsikesa show keen interest in Krishna Consciousness and some even attended large Kirtana at Gita Bhawan with us." From this one line you should know and understand how much potency is there for preaching our philosophy of Krishna Consciousness to the western people. The western boys and girls, actually they are frustrated in their material opulence. They are searching after something spiritual. That is a fact. And you personally already know better than I can explain. So if you can consolidate all these western youngsters in search after some spiritual enlightenment, this will be a great service to your country, to your community, and to the world at large in the transcendental loving service of Krishna. Try to organize this movement in India. Attract the western youngsters to this Krishna Consciousness; have at least 3 centers, one in Hrsikesa, one in Vrindaban, one in Bombay. I am stressing on Bombay center for the fact that in Bombay, you will find a better atmosphere of English speaking people. In Bombay, 99% both men and women of all denominations, they speak English. So there you will have better chance for mixing with the Indian people. And in Hrsikesa, the westerners are attracted for finding out some recluse, for practicing so-called yoga. So if you can attract all the westerners in India in that way, it will be a great service, and I am repeatedly requesting you to take up this matter seriously and combine together. Yes, we are planning to go to London as a Sankirtana party of 12 heads, by the month of September. And Mukunda in San Francisco and Hamsaduta in New York, they are combinedly planning this scheme. But I think you have got better responsibility in India than to come here and join them. As they are doing the Sankirtana program here nicely, similarly, you can also combinedly do the same work in India to attract the westerners who go there for some spiritual enlightenment. I think you will understand me right and try to do your best to give a shape to this idea. Thanking you once more, and hoping you are keeping in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:23 | 22 Jul 2004 July 22, 1968 Montreal, Quebec Paramananda & Satyabhama's Wedding Prabhupada: Gurudasa, you don't feel? Gurudasa: Yes, very good. Prabhupada: (section edited)...So I am a sannyasi. I have renounced my family life. I have got my children, my grandchildren, I have my wife still living, but I have separated from them. This is called sannyasa. Why I am taking interest again, this family life of my students? Because I want to see them properly progress towards spiritual life. Therefore, although it is not the business of a sannyasi to take part in marriage ceremony, in this country, just to save my students, both boys and girls, from sinful activities, I am personally taking interest that they may become good gentleman and lady by marriage. So I am very happy that those boys and girls who have agreed, and they are now married and getting children, and they are feeling very happy. Many of them are present in this meeting. From their face, from their activities, it appears that they are very happy. So in this Krsna consciousness society we have got this program that if some boy or girl wants to get married, I help. So this marriage ceremony is today arranged on that principle. But the present bride and bridegroom must know it certainly that this marriage is not for sense gratification. This marriage is for purification of life. So there is no question of divorce. There is no question of separation. So don't get into married life if you have got such propensity. Our first principle is to become Krsna conscious, and other things, secondary. Putrarthe kriyate bharya. If you can produce nice children, Krsna conscious children, it will, you will do greatest service to the human society. Because the human society is producing children like cats and dogs, the whole human society is in trouble. How you can expect peace and prosperity in the society of cats and dogs? Therefore there is necessity. There is necessity to produce children of Krsna consciousness, to train them from the very beginning. You will be all glad to know that some of our students, very small boys in San Francisco, they are being trained, and they are making wonderful progress. So there is no fault of these hippie boys and girls. They have not been trained. Not only here, every part of the world, the educational system is not very satisfactory. From the very beginning of their life they are allowed to mix freely, and they are allowed to enjoy sex life unrestricted. This is neither good for their health nor for education. So therefore we are getting now the result of education: communists and hippies. So people, those who are guardians of the society, should take serious note of it and make life very regulated. So my dear children, boys and girls, I request you that live happily. There is no restriction. We don't restrict eating, sleeping, or mating, or defending. But do it in relationship with Krsna, pure life, and be happy in this life and next life. Thank you very much. Now come forward. I shall begin our... Where is your father and mother? You can please come here. Yes. You can sit down here with the girls. Or give them some pads. They will feel... They are not accustomed to sit. (chuckles) Yes. My disciples, they have been accustomed. (chuckles) Satyabhama: Paramananda's parents are here also. Prabhupada: Yes. Let them come also. Satyabhama: (aside:) Would you like to sit on cushions? Prabhupada: So both the parents agree in this marriage. Satyabhama's father: Yes. Prabhupada: Oh, thank you. Now those who are initiated, you can chant Hare Krsna on your beads. (devotees chant japa) (break) (recitation of fire sacrifice prayers) Prabhupada: Now, you are father? Satyabhama's father: Yes. Prabhupada: So you can say to your son-in-law that "So long my daughter such and such was under my custody. From today I am giving this daughter under your custody." Say it. Satyabhama's father: Kate has been under me until now, and I give her unto your custody. Prabhupada: You say, "Yes, I accept." Paramananda: Yes, I accept. Prabhupada: And you say, "Yes, I agree." Paramananda's father: Yes, I agree. Prabhupada: Now you say that "My dear such and such, I agree to serve you throughout my life." Satyabhama: Paramananda, I agree to serve you throughout my life. Prabhupada: And you say, "My dear such and such, I take your charge of life throughout without hesitation." Paramananda: My dear Satyabhama, I take your charge of life throughout without hesitation. Prabhupada: So there is no separation in any circumstances. Promise that. There is no separation in any circumstances. Paramananda: So there is no separation in any circumstances. Prabhupada: Yes. Now you garland this... You change the garland. Now you come to this side. You go to that side. Now you are legal husband and wife. Is that all right? Yes. Now chant Hare Krsna. (break) (prayers, fire sacrifice) Now offer this plantain like this, slowly. Thank you. Satyabhama: Hare Krsna. (devotees repeat last prayer of sacrifice after Prabhupada, the maha-mantra.) Prabhupada: Now bow down. (leads in recitation of pranama mantra) You chant Hare Krsna. (end) letters | 02:46 | |
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