a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1968 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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13 Nov 2004 Wednesday, November 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Kris, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your nice letter and have noted the contents carefully. Yes, you were very kind to massage when I was there in Santa Fe, and I thank you very much for this. I have noted your questions carefully, and regarding your question about the Prasadam recipes; Krishna is offered foodstuff in goodness. The foodstuffs in the modes of goodness are wheat, rice, pulse (beans, peas), sugar, honey, butter and all milk preparations, vegetables, flowers, fruits, grains. So these foods can be offered in any shape, but prepared in various ways by the intelligence of the devotees. The ingredients are always the same as above, whether you fry them, boil them, bake them, powder them, or whatever way they are combined or cooked, the idea is that they must come from this group of foodstuffs. So you can make your own recipe if you like, so long as the ingredients are within this group. This foods group is stated by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita, and we follow accordingly. Now the thing is that you must consider by whom you are being taught what is healthy and what is not healthy. What is their authority? Actually, this healthy and non-healthy is a material consideration, and we are simply interested in what Krishna wants, so we offer to Him to eat whatever He wants. And He asks for food preparations from within this group. I hope this will clarify the questions about Prasadam preparations for you to understand. Regarding your question about Y, you write to say that you "received the impression from his autobiography that he was a genuine saint who dedicated his life to serving God." But the thing is that you do not actually know what is a genuine saint, and what can you understand about saintly life from reading his autobiography. I may inform you that just recently I visited his so-called asrama retreat, and it was simply a hodge-podge of all nonsense. There was a Buddha statue, a Christ statue, a Gandhi's memorium labeled as "World Peace Memorium"--and what world peace he has brought? None. And what does Gandhi have to do with spiritual realization anyway? Gandhi was simply interested to get the Britishers out of India--what has this to do with self-realization, the prime goal of life? And here and there, there were signs of all sorts, like "Be still and realize I am God"--what is this, by becoming silent and still one becomes God?! The stone is silent for millions of years, does that mean it has become God? This is all conglomeration of nonsense ideas. Practically, this Y has no philosophy or authority, he simply drags in Buddha, Jesus Christ, Gandhi, and whoever else he can think to put, so that whatever you like it is in his shop. He is just a good shop keeper. Krishna says--Give up all nonsense engagements and come here and surrender unto Me!--that is real philosophy. Krishna says that anyone who is worshipping any demigod, it is all nonsense, and just give it up and come to me. Our philosophy is to worship Radha and Krishna. We don't make any hodge-podge or any compromise. If you like you can accept it, and if you are fortunate you will accept, and be happy, but this hodge-podge nonsense will never help you. Just like we prescribe certain rules and restrictions for our disciples so that they can make real advancement in spiritual life. This Y gives no restrictions or regulative principles to his disciples, and thereby collects all nonsense class of men. But if you put restrictions then not so many men will come, but sincere ones will come, those who are actually sincerely searching after real spiritual life. This Y accepts everything as bona fide, because he simpy doesn't know what is bona fide and what is nonsense. So there is no need to waste your time. I can understand you are planning to go on world tour, but I think there is no need for wasting your time on such world tour. Better you chant Hare Krishna sitting in one place, that is far better. What for you want to go on world tour--people everywhere are doing the same thing, eating, sleeping, mating, and defending--each in some slightly different way, but same substance is there. There are the same streets, same people, same cars, same trees, etc. everywhere, somewhere a hill, somewhere sandy, somewhere some water--but what is the profit of seeing so much scenery? It is better if you want to travel, you can travel to preach and spread this Krishna Consciousness to the suffering humanity at large. You can travel with our Sankirtana party if you like. They are presently here in Los Angeles, and they are making program to go to London, then over Europe, then eventually on to India, etc. So if you want to travel I recommend you travel with them, and chant Hare Krishna with them wherever you go. And you will profit by this sort of travel, whereas the other is a waste of time practically. So that is my opinion, that you would do far better not to waste your time in this way. Thanking you once more for your letter, and hoping this meets you in good health and I remain Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:57 | November 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Upendra, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your nice letter of Nov. 7, 1968, and thank you very much for it. Regarding your question, Sayamrupa means the Original Form. Sayamprakash means Balarama. And Tadekatmarupa is the purusa, just like Mahavisnu. It is not necessary to remember or fully understand all these different forms, at the present, but it is like if you simply stick to the master faithfully that is very good, but if you know that my master is so great, and so rich, and great in this way and rich in this way, and that way, then your veneration for your master will increase. To know Krishna is great, how He is expanded into different forms, that enhances our attachment to Krishna more rigidly. You ask about the desire for fame. Fame is a material desire, but to desire fame in Krishna Consciousness is not bad. If you think that people may know me as a great devotee of Krishna, that they may acknowledge me a nice devotee of Krishna, that is not at all bad. But even one is highly elevated in Krishna Consciousness he should not think himself a great devotee, he should think himself always humble. You can celebrate Rasa-lila by having nice kirtana and prasadam distribution, that is our way of celebrating. Your question, "When one has become pure enough, Krishna conscious, does one take regular dictation from one's Guru Maharaja? I know you to confirm yes, but how is this so? Understanding that each individual has a certain particular rasa with Krishna, how would one relate with another soul of a different rasa? Especially between that of the Guru and disciple?" That doesn't matter. The Spiritual Master's position is to train the disciples. Just like a teacher, he may be a very expert mathematician, but in the lower class he is teaching English. The Spiritual Master's duty is to train him, but when he comes to the perfectional stage of training, then he realizes his position. That is not a gift of the Spiritual Master, the Spiritual Master helps him to realize his relationship with the Lord. Just like the student in lower stages has to study so many things as preliminary education, English, history, math, etc., but in higher stage of education, he has got a particular taste for a special subject, so he specializes as a mathematician or a historian, etc. So that special qualification reveals in the higher stage. So these topics are not to be discussed in the conditioned stage, and when we come to the liberated stage we can understand. This is useless talks in the preliminary stage. In the beginning let us do the preliminary routine work very nicely, and be cured of the disease (out of maya), then we can know what taste you have for what particular type of food. So these things are not to be discussed at the present moment. Yes, you can pray to Krishna--Krishna may be prayed that I am unwilling to become Krishna Conscious, so you can force me to become so. You put me under certain circumstances so that I may be forced to accept Krishna Consciousness. You can pray like that. It is Krishna's special favor and mercy that He sometimes forces a devotee to surrender fully to Him. Hoping you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:54 | November 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Tosana Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter (undated) and thank you very much for it. Your sentiments are very kind, and I very much appreciate them. Regarding your question about what determines our fortune, generally when we are in the material world, we try to be prosperous by material opulence. Just like a common man tries to have a good house, a good wife, a good property, good social prestige, and this way, go on increasing the bodily concept of life, and possess more and more in relationship to the body. This is unfortunate. All living entities beginning from Brahma down to an ant, everyone is trying to increase such materialistic way of happy life without knowing that any amount of material comforts of life cannot make the spiritual living entities happy. Therefore, when a living entity becomes very serious to become really happy and gets into touch with Krishna Consciousness by the Grace of Krishna and the Spirtual Master, that is the beginning of his fortunate life. And the more one becomes advanced in that fortunate way of life, the more he becomes happier and happier. This is the difference between fortunate and unfortunate. The beginning of contact with Krishna Consciousness is the beginning of good fortune. That some people may come and others may not, this is also due to association. Suppose a man accidentally comes in contact with our society and gives some service willingly or unwillingly, that is the beginning of his fortunate life. We go from door to door canvassing people to join Krishna Consciousness movement means that we are trying to make them fortunate. Anyone who gives some service to this Krishna Consciousness movement is fortunate proportionately. At least the seed of his fortunate life is sown there. Whether he gives service of some sort, willingly or even unwillingly, the seed is sown, and the fortune will come proportionately. Even if somebody looks shabby and unclean, if he simply says this Krishna Consciousness is very nice thing, even he is not able to take full advantage of it at the time, still he is far more fortunate than any Rockefeller. And your question about Bhisma deva, after he left this planet, he went to Vaikuntha. Because he was Narayana worshipper. In Bhisma's prayer, it is clear that he is worshipper of Four Handed Narayana. Although he knew that Narayana and Krishna are non-different, but his affection was for Narayana. Therefore he entered the Narayana loka. Those who are devotees of Narayana or Krishna, they are not afraid of any planet, even they are sent in the heavenly planets or the hellish planets, because they have Narayana within their heart, they are equally situated. Hope you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:51 | November 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Patita Pavana, now, Patita Uddharana, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter, and thank you very much for it. That you are chanting and reading with great delight is very good. Please continue this practice and the delight will continue to increase the more you increase sincerity. I understand also that your family is now reading Back To Godhead, and this is also very good. Just try to explain this philosophy to them, and convince them in this way. I understand that there is also a devotee in N.Y. with similar name, so I am hereby changing your name to Patita Uddharana. The meaning is practically the same. Patita means fallen, and Pavana means deliverer of, and Uddha means to lift up. So Patita Uddharana means One who lifts up the fallen souls, or Deliverer of the fallen souls. I hope you are all well, and just continue and try to make the temple there very successful. There are many young people searching after the real path of spiritual realization, and you simply have to make it readily available to them. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:49 | November 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Harer Nama, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter, undated, and thank you so much for it. Yes, your place is very nice, don't try to change it, but try to improve it. Better try to have Sankirtana and get one mrdanga from New York by paying them, and in this way try to improve the attendance of the temple. Your ideas you mention are very good. Try to search out jobs, and eventually if you can establish your own means of income that will be very nice. Please keep me informed at least once in a fortnight of your progress there, and I shall be looking to hear from you all, and hoping you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:48 | 12 Nov 2004 Tuesday, November 12, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Syamasundara., Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Nov. 4, 1968. The description of your letter reveals that you want to serve Krishna more and more. This is very good sign. Service of Krishna is so nice that one becomes enthusiastic to serve more and more. That is the nature of spiritual service. I can understand also that because you could not start a temple in London you are feeling little disappointed, but there is no cause for such disappointment. I can understand that you are doing very well there even though we have not got our own temple. The pictures which Malati has sent me are nice, very very nice. From the pictures I can understand how sincerely you are working there. So even we could not establish a temple, there our preaching work is not in vain. So there is no cause of disappointment--you go on with your work as you are doing and everything will come successful in due course. Yes, it is your good fortune that you can serve Krishna in so many ways--to work, to write, to speak, to paint, to build--all of these talents must be employed in Krishna's service. That will make you perfect. We are so fortunate to be in this human form of life, and to have the opportunity and the capacity to serve Krishna, and as there is very little time, we must do as much each day as we possibly can to serve Krishna, and to become always engaged in thoughts and activities of Krishna. Maya may try to pull us from Krishna's service, and try to engage us in her service, but we must simply persevere, and try to do as much as possible for Krishna each day, and gradually it will be easier and easier to keep engaged in Krishna Consciousness activities. And pray to Krishna to please keep us always engaged in the service of His Lotus Feet. Krishna is very kind, and He is never ungrateful, and will give you more and more opportunity to serve Him. That is His Mercy. I hope this meets you all in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:43 | November 12, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Malati, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your nice letter of October 29, 1968, and I have noted your nice sentiments. Yes, we should always think ourself as the most fallen, the most ignorant, and it is simply by the Mercy of Lord Caitanya that we have even the opportunity to serve Krishna. We have no qualification of our own; it is simply by the merciful glance of this Most Munificent Appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that we have been given the chance to serve Radha and Krishna. Your questions are very nice. Yes, the Supersoul and soul both are unchanged. The difference is that in material contact, the soul appears to be changed. But the Supersoul is not affected by material contamination, therefore there is no sign of change. The change of soul is like that water becomes ice in contact with refrigerator. And as soon as there is temperature the ice again becomes water. Similarly the changing nature of the soul is just like change of water to ice. The tendency of ice is to melt and become water again. So due to contamination of matter, the soul by illusion identifies with material existence. But the tendency is to melt again to Krishna Consciousness. So when there is sufficient temperature in contact with bona fide Spiritual Master and devotees, the soul again becomes Krishna Conscious, like the water. If someone is fortunate enough to find out a bona fide Spiritual Master, his life is successful. And to be fortunate, there must be sincerity, and Krishna will lead him to a bona fide Spiritual Master. Purusa means God or Krishna. Atma, there is Paramatma and jivatma. Both are atma because they are spiritual, but the living entities are called jivatma. Jivatma means the small particle of atma which has tendency to fall down in the material atmosphere. He is called jivatma. And Atma or Supersoul, Who never falls in material contamination, is called Paramatma or Supersoul. And because He does not fall under material illusion, His another Name is Acyuta--Acyuta means never fallen. I hope you are well with your good child, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:41 | November 12, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Mukunda, and My Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I have received your respectful letters dated Nov. 7, 1968, and I have noted the contents with great interest. I shall reply them separately. Dayananda has told me that Mr. George Harrison is interested to see me, and he is going to stay one week more, and so let us see what happens. Hope you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:39 | November 12, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your two letters dated Nov. 5, 1968, and previous to this I received your other letters along with Rayarama's, with enclosure of Parvat Maharaja's letter, and I think I have replied that. I have written also a separate letter to Acyutananda requesting him first of all to go to Bombay with Jaya Govinda, and if their trial in Bombay failed then he can stay in Vrindaban with determination. But I think if they go together to Bombay there will be good success. And as Jaya Govinda is going to Bombay, I think you should send him a letter of indemnity. When you write to Jaya Govinda please acknowledge receipt of 6 phials of medicine which I have this morning received intact, forwarded by you. This packing was very nice, and there was no loss of medicine. But remind him that 12 phials of medicine which he sent previously by surface mail to Montreal address is not yet received. Ask him to lodge a complaint to the post office there, referring to the parcel registration number, and date. Regarding press, if the Dai Nippon Company has not come to conclusion and the matter is prolonged so much then we cannot wait any more, in that case, the 6000 dollars which I have kept aside for their payment may be invested in press work, and the book printed in our own press. Please think over this matter seriously. Regarding book commission, if you think 30% to the temple is suitable you can allow such 30% instead of 40%, keeping aside 20% for the book fund. I have received a letter from Gargamuni. It is very much depressing. I thought that your father and mother will receive him as beloved child, but instead they are ill treating, or at least not treating as beloved child. I am very much sorry for this behavior, and I do not think Gargamuni will be able to do anything good in that situation. When he comes next in the temple, you can inform him about my opinion in this connection. As he is not very comfortable in that position there, I think he may come back and join you again. He has got his own independent talents, and he can very easily become a big businessman himself. We shall try to help him in that way, instead of pushing him into the blazing fire of karmis' activities. I was induced to send him there because your father was so anxious to get him as his assistant. But he is not prepared even to give him a good apartment and what to speak of a good car. So I don't think the situation is very favorable. Hoping you are all well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:36 | November 12, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. Regarding your calendar dates, I have already written to the following Sannyasis to send you the calendar dates. If you have not received them, then please remind them. Their addresses are as follows: His Holiness Shraman Maharaja Sri Caitanya Math P.O. Mayapur Dist. Nadi West Bengal, INDIA His Holiness B. V. Trivikrama Maharaja Sri Devananda Gaudiya Math P.O. Navadvipa Dist. Nadia West Bengal INDIA Hoping you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. The new prospectus may be sent in lots in all centers and charged for the cost. ACB letters | 03:34 | 11 Nov 2004 Monday, November 11, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Umapati, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Nov. 1, 1968, and with pleasure I have noted the contents. When you were in Montreal I told you that you continue to work at present and give me $400.00 per month for my literary propaganda work. I require so much money for purchasing a printing press as well as paying the bill of Dai Nippon. So do not quit your job, but try to earn some money for feeding our missionary activities. Regarding your proposal to open a center in Paris, it is very very nice idea. But for the present until we have opened two centers, one in Hamburg and one in London, I think it will be premature to think of opening a branch in Paris. So you can accumulate some money for this idea, or keep the money with me as I have already proposed, and as soon as there will be opportunity I shall ask you to go to Paris and open a center there. It takes a little time to understand the philosophy of Krishna Consciousness but I am glad that now you are prepared to do anything for Krishna's sake, this is a great causeless mercy of Krishna upon you. Please continue your present attitude of serving Krishna and His cause, and certainly you will be successful in the matter of Krishna Consciousness even in this life. You know that your intimate friend, Hayagriva, is devoting his whole energy and money now. Similarly other students they are also doing that and the more we do so, it is better for us. Exactly if we supply nice nutritious foodstuff to the stomach, it is better for all the senses. Similarly, to serve Krishna more nicely is better for our own interests. Krishna is not in need of our service but if we sacrifice everything for Krishna, that is for our good. You should always remember this maxim. Hope you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. You can deposit your contribution in my a.c S.C 430K0131 with the First National City Bank, Grand St. Branch, Grand St. at Bowery. New York 13 N.Y. ACB letters | 20:24 | November 11, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Sivananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Nov. 1, 1968, and I am glad to inform you that as directed by you I have sent the 3 letters to the following personalities: Minister in charge of cultural and religious affairs, Mr. Michael Weyl, and Dr. Irvin. The body of the letter is the same as you drafted. Now you can do the needful and inquire whether they have received the letters. I hope very soon you will find out a suitable place in Hamburg and start the temple and if required you can take assistance from Syamasundara. for the Deities. I am glad to learn that Krishna das has got a job in a jewelry shop, similarly both you and Uttama Sloka may also find out some job and immediately take a nice apartment. If storefront is too costly then you can start the center in some apartment and try to invite people there and live together. Regarding your question, about living alone, living alone is a general tendency for a person who wants to get disassociated with the materialistic persons. That is also recommended by the Goswamis in their instructions. It is better to remain alone than to mix with materialistic persons. But this is not applicable when we have the opportunity to get the association of pure devotees. Our program is negative and positive simultaneously. We want to negate the materialistic side and make positive the spiritual side, it is not one sided. If you have no positive standing, negating only will not make you successful. Therefore it is better to remain positively within the society of pure devotees. That is also recommended by the Goswamis. That one should be occupied in activities in the modes of goodness and associate with spiritualistic persons, that will make one's advancement very quick. Persons who want to take advantage of cheap reputation they imitate great personalities like Haridasa Thakura, who was alone chanting 300,000 of Holy Names daily. By such chanting, lonely chanting he got so much spiritual power that he could convert even a harlot to become a great devotee whereas an ordinary person falls easily a victim to such allurement. So one should not imitate such great personalities but one should try to see how much taste he has developed for chanting, so that one can remain alone simply being engaged in chanting. If one can remain alone simply being engaged in chanting, that is very good, but it is difficult also. A conditioned soul in conditioned life it is very difficult to concentrate our mind in chanting absolutely. Better to be engaged in preaching work, that will make one gradually successful. Besides that, when we are actually engaged in with the preaching work, we gradually acquire our spiritual strength without failure. Regarding Radha Damodara temple, because it is one of the most important temples in Vrindaban, I took shelter in this temple, just to improve the dilapidated condition. The present proprietor or the men in charge of this temple, they are most materialistic men, and simply utilizing the temple and its property for their sense gratification. If Radha Damodara likes, in future, I may be able to do something for this temple, but until I have got the opportunity probably I am not going again into that temple. I have now New Vrindaban scheme and I shall try to develop all the important temples of Vrindaban including Radha Damodara temple in our New Vrindaban site. No, the moon's phases has nothing to do with spiritual. Yes, the students should agree to be malleable by the Spiritual Master, then his success is sure. In your western part of the world, people are falsely taught not to become slavish. Everyone wants to assert his personal views and opinions, without following any authority. That is the general tendency. But although such persons claim not to be slaves, actually they are slaves to the senses. So instead of being a slave of the senses, if one voluntarily becomes the slave of Krishna, or His representative, that is good for him. This is maya, thinking that we are independent. We are slaves--every moment we are serving our senses. We are slaves to so many abominable things, to drugs, intoxication, sex, doing the most abominable things in the service of the senses. So it is not slavish when one agrees to become slave of Krishna and His representative, then this is liberated position, liberated from being slave to the senses. Yes, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura said, My Dear Vaisnava Thakura, Spiritual Master, let me become your dog, and I shall remain at your door, and I shall guard against any nonsense persons trying to enter, and whatever food you will give me, I shall eat, and I shall remain as your dog. Your specific talents are to be engaged under direction of the Spiritual Master. Everything, every talent can be employed in Krishna's service, and how to do it is known to the Spiritual Master. You have the tendency for botany, you can grow nice flowers and fruits for Krishna, that is the utilization of your natural tendency. If you have got specific training in this connection, then after establishing this center in Hamburg you can come to our New Vrindaban and grow things, or you can grow things in Hamburg also. Fruits and flowers can be produced anywhere. Yes, these your questions are very intelligent questions. Hoping you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:26 | 8 Nov 2004 Friday, November 8, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Yamuna, Mukunda, and Syamasundara., Please accept my blessings. I have duly received your letters dated Nov. 1, Nov. 2, and Oct. 25, respectively, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am confident that you are all trying your best so there is no question of doing things hastily. You can execute your respective duties peacefully and I am confident that you will be successful. I understand from Yamuna's letter that one English boy has given you rent-free a four story small building for living accommodations. This is all Krishna's Grace. Regarding the challenge in the International Times, I am sorry to read the letter of a rascal advertising himself as Swami Gitananda, but from his letter it appears that he is neither a Swami nor has ever read Bhagavad-gita. He is so rascal that he describes the River Yamuna as metaphysical in lower consciousness, although the River Yamuna is flowing so happily all over the Northern India. He is claiming yogi, but he does not know that the greatest yogi is the devotee of Lord Krishna. So we can reply him in so many ways to teach this rascal a good lesson, but the more we continue such corespondence, we give unnecessarily some publicity to a rascal. Mukunda has already protested such rascal and we have to go on with our own work positively. Fault-finding men will always be there, that is the history of the world, but one has to execute his prescribed duties. Regarding meeting Ravi Sankara or Mr. Harrison, Dayananda is trying his best to contact them, so also Nandarani is also trying, but so far there is no trace about them. I do not know how far this attempt will be successful. So keep me informed about your activities weekly. You sent me one letter, a nice letter, from Laksmidasa, and I have replied him. Encourage him to cooperate with you. He appears to be a good boy. Keep contact with him. Regarding giving protection to our students called by the draft board, I think the botheration may be stopped in future as there is a clause under form No. Cal-301 (REV.12 FEB 60L); Budget Bureau No. 33-R 140.3, the "Questionnaire for Registrants Claiming IV-D", which when filled up with my certificate of teaching, our men can be saved. As experiment I am giving certificate to Karatieya who is already called, and let us see the result. I think it will be fruitful because another student, Dindayal das, he is also fighting on this point. I think Krishna will help us in this connection. Hoping you are all well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 20:17 | November 8, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hayagriva, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Oct. 31, 1968, and I am so much pleased to read the contents. I understand that you have started to firmly initiate a campus society, called OSU Yoga Society. It would have been better to name it as Bhakti Yoga Society, otherwise the society may be understood as one of the many yoga societies. Anyway, whatever the name may be, it does not matter. If you are successful in capturing the students for chanting in the auditorium, it will be a great success. I think you have already been informed that this time I entered USA on Immigrant visa, that is to say, I have been admitted as permanent resident on the order of ordained religious minister. So this was a great problem, and Krishna has now solved it. I have got also my landed immigrant visa in Canada, but I think I shall surrender it. I also understand that you do not want to get married now, but if you marry at all, you should marry now. Because after the age of 30, marriage is not so pleasing. Practically I am giving in charge of the different centers to the Grhasthas. If you decide to marry, there are many devotee girls, and one of them may be a very nice companion for your devotional life. You prefer to be free, but a devoted wife is as good as freedom. The Grhastha disciples, just like Syamasundara., Mukunda, and Gurudasa, with their wives, are doing very nicely in London. Similarly Dayananda and his wife Nandarani are doing very nicely here. Similarly Satsvarupa and his wife Jadurani are doing very nice in Boston. Another Grhastha, Gaurasundara, has gone to Hawaii, and his wife may go there also, and he will organize the Pacific Region. So we have taken this New Vrindaban scheme, and it has to be developed very nicely. Now because I have got my permanent visa there is no question of my convenience. Whenever you think I should go to New Vrindaban, I am prepared to go there. But I think I shall go there when there is electricity, because I want to work my dictaphone with me, and I understand the electricity is not connected there still. And I shall be glad to know when you expect to have electricity connection. I have already left Montreal, and from Montreal I went to Santa Fe, and then I have come here on the 28th of Oct. Regarding the Bhagavad-gita, yes you must get a considerable discount. You will get 40% less than the list price, and I wish that you will distribute at least 1000 copies amongst your students, and thereby you will be able to save at least $1000 for developing New Vrindaban scheme. There are 42,000 students in your university, and if 5% of them purchased our Gita, then we can sell at least 2000 copies there. So I hope you will try for this, as far as possible, and it will be both propaganda as well as income for the New Vrindaban scheme. When you order to Brahmananda you can mention this statement of mine, and in the meantime when I write to him again I shall also inform him about that discount. In the meantime, recently I have received 40 complete sets of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and if you so desire you can order some sets immediately. I have not heard from Kirtanananda for many days and I have received from Pradyumna one letter and I have replied him. I am anxious to know also when I shall get the 1st canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam completely revised. Then we shall begin our 2nd canto. The New York boys are very much anxious to start our own press immediately and we must have sufficient matter to print in the press continually. The Deity worship must be continued by everyone. Another secret of success is that when one is very much sexually disturbed he should think of Lord Krishna's pastimes with the Gopis, and he will forget his sex urge. To think of Krishna's pastimes with Gopis, but not to try to imitate. Hoping you are all well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 08:20 | 7 Nov 2004 Thursday, November 7, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. I have received a very nice letter from England, sent to Mukunda, by an Indian gentleman named Laksmidasa. If it is possible, maybe you can make an editorial column, with letters to the editor or to our various centers, and use it in that way. It is very nice letter and I would like to have it printed in our magazine. Hope you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:23 | |
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