a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
|
|
| Prabhupada Letters :: 1968 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
|
|
27 Nov 2004 Wednesday, November 27, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Gopala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. ___ __ great satisfaction ____ your letter of November 20th along with your very kind gift of one pull-over sweater. This gift is very much appreciated by me as the weather in Los Angeles is little bit cold lately and I had need of just such a sweater. Also please thank Satyabhama for her good taste of selection. I am pleased to learn how you are spending your time in meditation with Lord Krishna and I request that continue to chant Hare Krishna so that Krishna will surely bestow all blessings upon yourself. Once again I thank you for your good sentiments and thoughtfulness. I hope that you are well and shall continue to advance in your service to Lord Krishna. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Please try to improve the condition of the temple in cooperation with the members there. ACB letters | 02:16 | 26 Nov 2004 Tuesday, November 26, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hrsikesa, Please accept my blessings. I have read with pleasure your recent letter (undated). From it I can understand that you are advancing very nicely in Krishna Consciousness. You are correct in your estimation that all activities, even so-called frustrations, become a great joy when is working for Krishna. This is the clue to successful work which is revealed in Bhagavad-gita, that we should concern ourselves only with giving everything to Krishna and all the frustrations of sinful reactions will be no more. The reason men are suffering and frustrated is because they are accepting the sinful reactions from their sinful activities, so in Krishna Consciousness we are free from all such botheration because we have donated all of our fruits and reactions to the service of the Lord. When we keep our association with Krishna every activity is proper and liberating but if we should dissociate ourselves from the Lord's Mercy then like a hand which is severed from the body we become ugly and useless. Please continue your efforts to improve New Vrindaban along with your god-brothers there and no doubt Krishna will help you to make further progress in perfecting your life in Krishna Consciousness. Regarding the Christmas Day meal with your family, I do not think you should partake of the food prepared by non-devotees. Better you should prepare your own foodstuffs and offer to Krishna and then, if you like, you may offer these remnants to Lord Jesus. I think that Lord Jesus will also appreciate this. Of course you may sit down with your family and take fruits and milk which they offer but rather than taking the foods which they have prepared, you may prepare and offer your own prasadam for Lord Krishna, and then offer the same to Lord Jesus. So far as your studying the art of blacksmith goes, I do not see the necessity. Better is that you should develop your carpentry skills as this will prove a more valuable skill in the development of New Vrindaban. Hope this letter finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 13:27 | November 26, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Upendra, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of Nov. 22 and have noted the contents. I think that the troubles you describe in your letter are due simply to misunderstanding. Do not worry because next week Garry shall return to you and Krishna will certainly help you in your endeavors. Jivananda shall remain with the Sankirtana Party and similarly Harsarani shall stay with him in Los Angeles. We must always remember that the leader in charge of a temple must learn to successfully deal with the other persons there. No one is working as a paid servant so if the dealings are not friendly everyone will decide to leave. The leader of the temple must try always to be sober and tolerant and at the same time manage everything nicely. Please continue to try and cultivate this talent and I know you will be given all intelligence to do this. Regarding the prayers of Narottama das Thakura, you will be pleased to know that we have taped these prayers and this tape shall be reproduced by Danesh for all of the centers along with others and also to be sent out is the transliteration and translation of these prayers. So I think you may wait for these. It is nice that you are trying for recipes of Krishna Prasadam to be printed in local newspapers and if you can also have them run some of our articles from Back To Godhead this also shall be very beneficial. Hope this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 01:24 | November 26, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Candrabali, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of November 23 and have noted the contents carefully. Your plan of translating the three volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam is a great encouragement to me. We require that men of all tongues may know of the great message of Krishna and your rendering our books in the Spanish language will be a tremendous service to our Krishna Conscious movement. It is most encouraging news that you have begun this activity and by all means continue with it. If you will complete the first three volumes by June, 1969, as you have proposed, it shall be a most welcome asset for propagation of our society. Also, your carving and painting Lord Jagannatha deities is very nice, we shall require such deities in all of our temples. Regarding your opening a center in Mexico, I think that if some other brahmacarinis are available to go along with you that there will be no objection to this idea. However, where shall these brahmacarinis come from? For the time being, I think you may concentrate upon improving the temple already established in San Francisco as you have described that this temple is already short-handed. So kindly continue to work sincerely in developing your Krishna Consciousness and please keep me informed as to the progress of your translating work. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 01:22 | November 26, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Kirtanananda, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of November 20th and have noted the contents carefully. Also I have seen the newsletter of November 20th regarding the progress of our centers in New Vrindaban and Columbus. Both these centers are progressing nicely and I have no doubt that under your able direction the New Vrindaban will become a most prosperous endeavor in spreading Krishna Consciousness and attracting the attention of many new people. There is no need for discouragement because you are working sincerely and according to Krishna's plan your activities prove to be of great use in propagating our movement. So far as your life insurance policy is concerned, I do not think that you need sign this over to your father. The father's duty is to maintain the son so there is no necessity of you giving up this money to your father. You are serving the greatest Father and therefore all other fathers are automatically served. This money will be of greater profit if you keep it to further develop New Vrindaban. Regarding the six year old cow, it is too old and I do not advise you to purchase. Please thank Randy for the gift which he has sent along with your letter. Hope you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 01:02 | 25 Nov 2004 Monday, November 25, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Krishna das, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of Nov. 14, 1968, and I have noted the contents with great satisfaction. It is all very much encouraging to me. Your humble attitude of service is noteworthy, and this will help you more and more in advancing your Krishna Consciousness. I am so much pleased to note the address of our new ISKCON RADHA KRISHNA TEMPLE in Hamburg, Germany. Krishna is giving you all facilities for spreading Krishna Consciousness there--good storefront, and good job, and plenty of financial support--so it is very much encouraging to me! It sounds on good street, if train runs down that street, so many people must come there. With such good location it will soon be very successful. And you have very good enthusiasm that you shall make it the most attractive storefront in all Germany, or in the whole universe. Yes, do it nicely. So far Syamasundara. is concerned, if they come, I have no objection. You arrange with them by correspondence, and if they agree to come that is very nice. I think they will agree. So you can make correspondence with Malati and Syamasundara.. I understand you are going to apply for legal recognition of Krishna Consciousness as a bona fide religious organization, and try to obtain a tax franchise also. They have done this in London also, using the same preamble has been registered as we have done in New York, so you can do the same in Hamburg. And I am sending two separate letters, one to the Mayor of Hamburg, and the other to the chief of the police at Hamburg, as drafted by Sivananda Brahmacari. I am very glad to learn that you are endeavoring to make Hamburg as our central place for European activities. Although London was formerly very important place in Europe, I think at present it is not so. So if we try to centralize our European activities in Hamburg, it will be very nice. I am asking also Acyutananda and Jaya Govinda to come and join with you immediately, and if Syamasundara. also comes, you can all learn German language very nicely with the help of Syamasundara. and Uttama Sloka, and preach vigorously this Krishna Consciousness movement in Germany. Our Bhagavad-gita as it is, is now published, and I have got copies of it here. It will sell very nicely, and it is very attractive. So you can ask Brahmananda to send you copies. If you want mrdanga and harmonium, you can immediately order directly from Mssrs. Dwarkin and Son, and refer to our society's name, and they will allow 20% discount. Their address is as follows: Dwarkin & Son Private Ltd.; 8.2 Esplanade East; Calcutta-1, INDIA. I think you can order Dulcetina, model number 30501. This is very nice, and I am using this kind personally. And it is very handy also. So far Uttama Sloka's draft situation, by the time needed I shall give him certificate for being minister of religion student, as I have given to Karatieya. And I think when a boy is under religious ministerial order he can be saved. Please inquire about it, and if required, I shall immediately issue him certificate. I am recognized ordained minister of religion, and our society is religious society incorporated, and we are teaching our students to preach religion and theological concept of life. So, Krishna is so kind that He is giving you all financial facilities also to start the Hamburg center as perfectly as possible. And I shall await your invitation with great interest. And I hope this meets you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:01 | 24 Nov 2004 Sunday, November 24, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hayagriva, Please accept my blessings. Just yesterday I received your tape. I could not however play it immediately because the tape recorder that Govinda Dasi has wasn't big enough to hold the tape. So this morning I got Dayananda's larger tape recorder and heard with great enjoyment your speech and kirtana. Myself, Purusottama, Karatieya and Govinda Dasi joined with your kirtana clapping and we enjoyed transcendental bliss. Thank you very much for your endeavor and all blessings of Thakura Bhaktivinode and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati will be bestowed upon you because you are trying to push on their life long mission. Thakura Bhaktivinode, in the year of my birth, first attempted to introduce these missionary activities in McGill University and the same attempt is being renovated by your combined efforts. I am sure that Lord Caitanya and His eternal Associates, Bhaktivinode Thakura and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarisvati, will be pleased to bestow their mercy upon you. Please try to continue this attempt and I am sure you shall be successful. I shall keep this tape for a few days more and then return it to you. I hope you have received my previous letters. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:58 | November 24, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Syamasundara., Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of November 20th and it has given me great satisfaction to see how the London center is progressing nicely. All six of my disciples which I have sent to London are very sincere servants of Krishna and you simply remember to continue in this way and your activities will continue to bring nice results. When we remember always to have unflinching faith in the spiritual master and the message of Krishna then automatically we become free from the attacking Maya. In the material concept also everyone is trying to avoid the onslaughts of Maya but with no success. To the sincere devotee, however, this ocean of maya is easily crossed by the cool breeze of Krishna's Grace. So this is our business, to submit to Krishna's desire to have us back with Him in the eternal sky of Krishna Loka. And when we are determined in this way we become transcendental to the so-called hardships of place and circumstance. I am pleased to learn that you are singing the Cintamani prayers of Brahma Samhita. This Brahma Samhita contains the highest of all spiritual knowledge. In lecturing too if we sing a verse from Brahma Samhita and then nicely explain the meaning it will be very much appreciated. Just as Krishna is the All-Attractive principle so, similarly, these Krishna kathas of the Brahma Samhita are All-Attractive and will gain favorable attention from listeners. Also your description of progress in kirtana performance with Gurudasa playing sitar and Mukunda playing khole is encouraging. Practically we see that as we sincerely try to improve our chanting for the pleasure of Krishna, Krishna reciprocates and we feel our greatest pleasure which is devotional service to the Lord. So, you may continue with this method, it is very nice and approved by me. I have enclosed the letter to Mr. S. S. Dhawan which you have requested. Hope you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. The names you have suggested as floating members, are welcome. letters | 04:55 | November 24, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessing to yourself and your good wife, Himavati. I have read with pleasure your letter of November 18th and have noted the contents carefully. You describe that you are seeing more and more how Krishna is your friend and this is very nice. The more one understands that Krishna is my friend and my duty is to serve my Dearest Friend, the more one can know that his is advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Regarding your question about Supersoul, we take it from Bhagavad-gita philosophy that the distinction between Supersoul and individual jiva soul must always be there. The Supersoul never will fall under the clutches of this illusory maya and the jiva soul has this tendency. So there is distinction, yet, the two, Supersoul and jiva soul are also the same as much as the sunlight and the Sun are qualitatively the same. So this is Krishna's message that we are simultaneously one and different from Krishna. When the jiva soul accepts the dictates of the Supreme consciousness Supersoul, his activities will no longer be for the sake of personal sense gratification but will be only for the purpose of gratifying the senses of Krishna. This attitude of service is the perfection of the living entity. Please continue to try for the printing of Back To Godhead French edition. We work so that men of all languages and cultures may join us in chanting Hare Krishna and for this we need so many literatures in so many different languages. So please try for this. As you are His sincere servitor Krishna will provide you with the intelligence to do this nicely. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:51 | 22 Nov 2004 Friday, November 22, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Gargamuni, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Nov. 20, 1968, and previous to this letter I received another letter from you, dated Nov. 7 and iInstead of replying you directly I have said the following words in a letters addressed to Brahmananda dated on Nov. 12, and Nov. 16, that "If he feels too much inconvenience at the care of his father, he may come back to you and help you in New York." I was very much perturbed when I received your letter of Nov. 7, 1968, and I prayed to Krishna that He may put His merciful glance upon you. So by Krishna's Grace, I learned from Tamala Krishna that your father has already given you a nice apartment. So it is a sort of tug-of-war between your material father and spiritual father. And you are the rope in between. So in the first test I think I have come out successful. But this is a sporting. I have already told you that your father and mother are very good souls. They might be under the illusion of maya but still I must say that they are good souls, otherwise they could not have produced such nice children like Brahmananda and Gargamuni. We are trying to educate our disciples to produce Krishna Conscious children, but your father and mother, without being Krishna Conscious, have produced such nice Krishna Conscious boys, so I am very much obliged to them. The facilities which your father is giving you is going to his credit in Krishna Consciousness. The more he gives you facility, the more his balance in Krishna Consciousness. He does not know how his Krishna Consciousness balance is increasing, but one day will come when you will see that actually your father is a good soul. So you try to win the love and affection of your father some way or other. You are very intelligent boy and Krishna will also give you extra intelligence how to deal with your father. But you must treat your father as respectful as myself; even if you are sometimes ill-treated, you should tolerate. You should follow the example of Prahlada Maharaja. His father continually tortured him in so many ways, but he never protested against his father, but he never agreed with the opinion of his father. That should be your policy also, that you will never agree to your father's demoniac principles, but still you will try to serve him as faithfully as a nice obedient son. I am sure your father will be responsive and gradually our mission may be successful. I am always praying to Krishna to protect you because I know purposefully I have sent you in a fiery condition of maya. But our philosophy is different. We do not hate maya because we know maya is also a faithful agent of Krishna, but her task is very thankless. Our mission is to dovetail everything in the service of Krishna because everything belongs to Krishna. Your father or any other businessman may think it improperly that the business belongs to him, and he is entitled to enjoy the profit, but we think everything belongs to Krishna, and Krishna is entitled to enjoy the property. That is the version of Bhagavad-gita. When the Lord says, I am the Supreme Enjoyer of all the results of sacrifices, austerities, fruitive actions, etc. People try to be a renouncer of this material world, but we do not see the material world in that angle of vision. We see everything is the product of Krishna's energy and how everything can be dovetailed for serving the purpose of Krishna. Please try to follow this principle and always remember the vivid example of Arjuna, how he utilized his special talent in the matter of warfare to serve Krishna so lovingly. He sacrificed all his good sentiments for his kinsmen, but he accepted the order of Krishna and thus he came out victorious in the fight. We are therefore neither renouncer nor enjoyer, we are simply servitor of Krishna. Please follow this principle and you will be never disturbed in any frightened condition offered by the maya. I am glad also to learn that your father has also increased your salary to $100.00 per week. Chant Hare Krishna regularly and see the pictures of Lord Caitanya and Krishna and you will be happy. Thanking you once more, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 09:19 | November 22, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of Nov. 14, 1968, and have noted the contents carefully. I thank you very much for your good reports from London yatra. It is all very much encouraging to me. Yes, I have received a letter from Mr. Dindayal, and I have replied it as follows: "My Dear Sriman Petambar Dindayal, Please accept my hearty greetings and blessings of Lord Krishna. I am very much encouraged to receive your invitation and I shall consider it a great opportunity when you actually arrange to receive me at your place. When I was in India I heard there that many Indians, specially Hindus, are residing in that part of the world, (South America), even for generations, and they require spiritual guidance by their original Vedic culture. "I believe you have read Bhagavad-gita very well and you may remember that in the 15th Chapter it is said that the Lord in His Incarnation as Krishna Daipayana Vyasa compiled the Vedas. The objective of the Vedas is to know Krishna and the Bhagavad-gita is the essence of all Vedic instructions. "Lord Caitanya made it still easier by introducing the Holy Name of Krishna and it has now become so easy that the cult of Vedic knowledge can be preached all over the world without any difficulty. As evidence of this statement, you may know from me that the Hare Krishna movement is spreading like wildfire all over America, Canada, England and Germany. "If you kindly join this movement and help this inundation overflood South America, it will be a great service to the Lord. I am very glad to receive your letter and I accept your invitation. Now you can arrange for it and in the meantime I am sending herewith some papers in this connection, which you may please go through." I sent this letter on Nov. 6, but still I have not got any reply from him, so you can open correspondence with him. I know you are all trying your best there, and Krishna will help you. Even there is no temple, still your service to Krishna is recognized, temple or no temple--we have to do our work. Hope you are all well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:16 | November 22, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of Nov. 20, 68 along with the 1st tape of this term. The 2nd tape is already sent to you and the 3rd tape is enclosed herewith please find. When typing, please mention the tape No. I hope to send you new tapes regularly & I hope you will do the needful. I understand that the 3rd Canto full and 4th Canto up to date are with you. Please keep them with you & let me know when they are ready. Most probably we shall start our own press very soon. And as soon as the press is started we shall immediately begin printing of Bhagavatam & other books. Please let me know if Devananda has any binding experience. Whether he can teach some boys here to bind nicely. Unless I am certain that everything in all press department will be done by ourselves I am not inclined to start the press. I have duly received the copies of prospectus sent by you. Thanking you once more,. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:13 | 21 Nov 2004 Thursday, November 21, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Joy Fulcher, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your nice letter with some poems, as well as a nice picture of Radha and Krishna, by separate mail. Unfortunately, in transit the glass is broken into pieces, but still I have kept your picture in my working room, and everyone praises your artistic sense. It is very nice. I am very glad to learn also that you are attempting to paint similar pictures in larger size, that is very good idea. You have got some poetic sense also, and all these talents, the artistic sense and poetic sense, can be engaged in the service of Krishna. All devotees are more or less poets. Out of 26 qualifications of a perfect devotee, one is poetic sense. So we can write so many poetries in praise of the Lord, or about His pastimes. Similarly we can draw so many nice pictures about His different activities, and such engagements will give us chance to elevate ourself to the perfectional platform of spiritual understanding. By Grace of Krishna I am keeping well nowadays, but Govinda dasi is not keeping very well. As she has to go to Nandarani's house and again come, so it is a little troublesome so she is a little sick. But by Grace of Krishna everything will be all right. Please offer my blessings to all the devotees there, especially Harsarani, who I understand is cooking very nicely for the love feast. She is a nice decorator of the Deity and a nice cook also for preparing Krishna Prasadam. Hope you are all well, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:11 | |
|
|
