a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1968 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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29 Jul 2004 Monday, July 29, 1968 Montreal, Quebec My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. Krishna will save you do not worry. Let us forget about our past incidents with Hayagriva and Kirtanananda. Treat Kirtanananda as bona fide and address him as Kirtanananda Maharaja. He should be first offered obeisances and he will return the respect to his Godbrothers. I am expecting you here as Vamana das has informed me. The strike is still going on. If you do not come then talk with me by phone. Please be brotherly with Hayagriva and Kirtanananda. They have come back with sincerity. Hope you are all well. I am fit. ACB letters | 06:25 | July 29, 1968 Montreal, Quebec My Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your two letters dated 21 and 23 of July. I am very glad to learn that some new devotees, boys and girls, are coming to the temple, and I request you to take care of them carefully. What about that boy, Patel? I do not hear about him. Regarding London-yatra: Fifteen means including you and your wife. The calculation is 3 pairs from San Francisco, and 2 pairs from here. These 5 pairs is 10 heads. Myself is 1, so it is 11. And 2 or 3, utmost 4, Brahmacaris. So your name was never excluded; if you do not find your name mentioned, it is a mistake. So there is no reason for you to feel disturbed. I am very happy that you are putting the London plans into "full gear" now, and please do it, and as nicely as possible. I very much appreciated your nice pictures and as well, the news clipping. It is all very much encouraging to me. I hope both you and your good wife are well, and all is going nicely there. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:00 | July 29, 1968 Montreal, Quebec My Dear Madhusudana, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of July 17, and of July 25, 1968, and have noted the contents carefully. Yes, by keeping engaged in Krishna Consciousness activities we can keep out of Maya's clutches, and there are so many nice engagements, as you have stated. By your sincerity and service attitude you are making good progress; by your letter it is shown. Regarding your question about the picture of Lord Caitanya with six arms: This form was shown to Ramananda Roy, and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya. This is called Sadbhuja Murti. This Sadbhuja Murti is worshipped also by the devotees of Lord Caitanya, and especially the Murti is situated in the temple of Jagannatha Puri. Sometimes when you may go to India and visit the temple of Jagannatha, you will find this Murti. Affection for God-brothers is nice, it is a good sign. Affection for God-brothers as well as for all other living entities, even they are not God-brothers, these signs are seen in the advanced devotees. There are three kinds of devotees: The lower grade devotees, they have high regard for the Deity in the temple, but not very much regard for devotees or people in general. The second grade devotee takes compassion with innocent non-devotees. In that stage, he has got 4 kinds of vision. One is that he always keeps Krishna as the most Lovable Object, second is that he makes intimate friendship with his devotee God-brothers or any other devotees, third is that he takes compassion with innocent non-devotees, and tries to convince them about the importance of Krishna Consciousness, and fourth is that he does not take any serious interest for the atheist class of men. The first grade devotee, of course, sees everyone in relationship with Krishna and as such, he makes no distinction between a devotee or non-devotee. His vision is high grade, because he sees that everyone is engaged in Krishna's service directly or indirectly. This position of high-grade devotee should never be imitated. It was possible only in Lord Caitanya or Lord Nityananda, or Haridasa Thakura. Thakura Haridasa was so powerful that he could convert even a harlot. But we should not try to imitate Haridasa Thakura or Lord Caitanya. Our position is in the second grade platform. We should not be satisfied remaining in the third grade platform. But we should try to elevate ourselves in the second grade platform. So far the first grade platform is concerned, it is not attained by our endeavor, but it is possible when we have full Grace of Krishna. It completely depends on the causeless Mercy of Krishna. Subhadra is yogamaya. The spiritual energy is called yogamaya. And she has 16 different expansions. Out of these 16 expansions, Subhadra is one. The mahamaya of the material energy is also expansion of the energy of yogamaya; and both yogamaya and mahamaya are equally important to Krishna as much as any government department is equally important for functioning of the government. The police department may be horrible for the criminals, but to the government it is a department as good as university department. Similarly, mahamaya is horrible to the conditioned soul, but to the liberated soul, there is no fear of mahamaya, because he is protected by yogamaya. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita when Krishna said the following: "I am not visible to everyone on account of being curtained by yogamaya." So when a conditioned soul surrenders unto Krishna, the yogamaya winds up the curtain and Krishna is visible to the devotee. Hoping you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:32 | |
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