a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1968 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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4 Dec 2004 Wednesday, December 4, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Sivananda, Please accept my blessings. I have received your most recent letter (undated) and have noted the contents. I am so happy that by next week you will move into our new temple site and that you and Krishna das shall both be working so there will be no difficulty in financing. It is all Krishna's Grace. So far as Acyutananda and Jaya Govinda, yes one of you may write to invite them to your temple in Hamburg. In this connection I have already dispatched one letter to them and I am still awaiting their reply. Regarding your first question, is it offensive to think of Krishna's Pastimes while chanting, I think you should know that it is not offensive, but rather it is required. One must try for the point when he simply hears Krishna and immediately all of Krishna, His Pastimes, His Form, His Quality, are in his thoughts. So to always be immersed in thoughts of Krishna this is our process. When we are full in Krishna then where there can be any chance for maya in us? So this is our duty to remember Krishna's Pastimes. One who cannot remember Krishna, let him always hear Hare Krishna and then when he has perfected this art, then always he will remember Krishna, His Activities, His Qualities, etc. The answer to your second question is that when one becomes accustomed to inoffensive chanting, then his fruit is that he is promoted to the stage of pure Love of Godhead, or prema. This prema is the perfectional stage of consciousness and the most blissful by very far. So far as singing of the Christian hymns, if others sing this we have no objection, it is very nice, but in these hymns they have no definite idea of what is God. We are directly approaching and praying to Krishna for the highest benediction of eternal devotional service so we do not require to repeat the Christian hymns. Our point is to always follow the example of the acaryas and this will bring us to the perfectional stages with no doubt. For the Christian hymn you describe, the example may be given of where one person is appreciating that water is very nice and another is tasting water. So when we taste water the appreciation automatically is there and when we have taste for chanting, automatically the appreciation is there for God. I hope that you are well along with Krishna Das and Uttama Sloka. Please keep me informed of progress with our Hamburg center. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami NB: You may write to Jaya Govinda at Indraprastha Gaudiya Math Dina Ka Talab, Malkaganj Delhi-6 India Also Acyutananda at Radha Damodara temple Seba-Kunja, P.O. Vrindaban Dist: Mathura India. letters | 03:39 | 3 Dec 2004 Tuesday, December 3, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Mahapurusa, Please accept my blessings. I was so glad to receive your letter which was written by hand (undated). I had just been thinking of and wondering why you do not write to me. Although I am overcrowded by so many letters from my beloved spiritual sons and daughters, still if I don't receive a letter from one, I become anxious for it. So you and Murari should more often write to me. That will very much engladden me to my heart. I know that you are a sincere Vaisnava, and every one of your god-brothers praises you nice Vaisnava qualities. Chant Hare Krishna and always live peacefully. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:23 | December 3, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessings. Thank you for your letter of December 25, 1968. I am awaiting your pictures of the house which might be used for prasadam program. So far as the press utilizing this place it is not possible because the press is to be set up either in New Vrindaban or in New York. Here in Los Angeles we have a very nice place. The rent is very high, but if we can maintain this establishment it will surely have great future prospects. I am glad to know that you now have a nice apartment. Live comfortable there and try to improve the temple conditions to your best capacity. If there will be an opportunity to purchase the new house you have found, try your best for this. I thank you so much for having nicely appreciated the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. This book should be read by all of my students at least one chapter per day, and in kirtana class it should be discussed sloka after sloka. Practically, we have tried to explain in this book all of the basic principles of Krishna Consciousness. If you can simply cram Bhagavad-gita then you will surely become a very good preacher. Next January there will be an examination on this Bhagavad-gita. Papers will be sent by me to all centers, and those securing the minimum passing grade will be given the title as Bhakti-sastri. Similarly, another examination will be held on Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day in February, 1970 and it will be upon Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Those passing will get the title of Bhakti-vaibhava. Another examination will be held sometimes in 1971 on the four books, Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and Nectar of Devotion. One who will pass this examination will be awarded with the title of Bhaktivedanta. I want that all of my spiritual sons and daughters will inherit this title of Bhaktivedanta, so that the family transcendental diploma will continue through the generations. Those possessing the title of Bhaktivedanta will be allowed to initiate disciples. Maybe by 1975, all of my disciples will be allowed to initiate and increase the numbers of the generations. That is my program. So we should not simply publish these books for reading by outsiders, but our students must be well versed in all of our books so that we can be prepared to defeat all opposing parties in the matter of self-realization. Please keep me informed as to the progress of the prasadam program. I hope that this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Offer my blessings for Smt. Himavati my beloved daughter. letters | 03:18 | 2 Dec 2004 Monday, December 2, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of November 29th, 1968 and have noted the contents. I am encouraged to read how Advaita, Uddhava and Subala are all doing nice work in spreading our Krishna Consciousness movement. This is very encouraging to me and please thank them along with your other press men assistants for the nice work and accomplishment they are doing. The answer to your question about the marginal energy is that the jiva soul is always called marginal energy whether he is in the spiritual world or in the material world. There are instances where marginal energy jiva souls have fallen from the spiritual world, just like Jaya and Vijaya. So the potency to fall under the influence of the lower energy is always there. And thus the individual jiva soul is called as Krishna's marginal energy. So far as the letterhead is concerned, yes, you may go ahead with this, but first you may send me a drawing of what you are planning to make. Hope this finds you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami NB: You may send each month one copy of Back To Godhead to the following address; Asoke Kumar Datta 97, R.B. Ghosh Road Khoshbagan, P.O. Burdwan, West Bengal, INDIA P.S. I wish to publish continually Nectar of Devotion in BTG. Please let me know about it. Did Hayagriva send some article about N.V.? If there is any __ of N.V. it may be published. ACB letters | 07:15 | December 2, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Upendra, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of November 30th, 1968 and have noted the contents carefully. I have noted with pleasure that you have spoken before a group of the Catholic Church. You should know that as far as our Krishna Consciousness movement goes, we are better Christians than those who proclaim that they are following the orders of Christ. This is because we are following and generally they are not. Just like the 10 Commandments order that thou should not kill. But these so-called Christians are performing so much killing by meat-eating and wars. So how are they good Christians? You may ask them this in your meetings and try to convince them of their position. Also, we do not commit adultery, we do not take the Name of God in vain, in fact we practice that the Name of God is just as good as God. So according to the 10 Commandments, nobody is Christian, but in our own way we are following the principles of the 10 Commandments strictly. So I think you may explain to them how this Krishna Consciousness movement will help them advance to be better Christians. I have also noted that you write to say that you are having trouble with sex agitation. Why you do not marry then? Either you become grhastha or what other choice is there? Either you train yourself and pray to Krishna, begging that you may remain brahmacari or else get yourself married. On the Disappearance Day of my Guru Maharaja, you may hold meeting to discuss His activities and offer respect to His Memory. Practically, this movement is His because it is under His order that I have come to your country. So continue to chant your full 16 rounds daily, even there is effort and I am sure that you will be helped by Krishna through the difficulties of this inferior energy, maya. I hope this finds you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Gary is __ yesterday and his name is Gajendra das--ACB letters | 06:58 | December 2, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Kirtanananda, Please accept my blessings. I have received today your letter of Nov. 30th, 1968 and have noted the contents. I can understand from your letter that you are little concerned with remaining in New Vrindaban while the others are away, but in this connection you must remember that factually, you are not alone because you are always being protected by Lord Krishna. So I think that it is best that you stick to New Vrindaban, chant Hare Krishna, worship the deities and Krishna will send you help in men and money. So do not be agitated. If no one will come then you may live alone with Krishna and I am sure that Krishna will give you all facilities for progress in the very near future. Of course, you are always welcome to come see me, but while there is no one else to remain and to tend the deities, I think it best if you shall stay. So far as your question about arranging time, our first business is to regularly complete our chanting 16 rounds each day. Then we must offer to the deities mangal arati in the morning, and the other paraphernalia and activities shall be executed as time permits. If there is no time then we must disregard. When George Henderson shall becoming there try to keep him there to associate with you. Try discussing and convincing him of the principles of Krishna Consciousness. He is a good soul, I know, and if he can help you in New Vrindaban, it will be very nice. If he comes to see me in Los Angeles, I shall talk with him. In the beginning, he was taking Krishna Consciousness seriously but because he left our association he became slackened, so if again he may associate with us it will be so nice. Hope this letter finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:56 | December 2, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Jeffrey Hickey, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of November 28, in which you request to be initiated as my student. I have noted by your letter that already you are progressing nicely by associating with devotees and chanting 22 rounds daily so there is no more any need to wait. You may send to my Los Angles address your chanting beads so that you may receive initiation. I hope that this finds you along with Rupanuga, his good wife, Bhurijana, and Mr. Eric and all the others in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Please order Brahmananda to send you books for selling. I have Dai Nippon $6000.00 dollars--TLC now we must sell them to get money for the next publication Nectar of Devotion (400 pages). letters | 03:54 | December 2, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Gaurasundara, Please accept my blessings. I have just today received your most recent letter of November 30th, 1968 and have noted the contents with pleasure. We have registered the Hawaii address given by you. I am pleased with the progress that you, Mahapurusa, and Murari are making in establishing our Hawaii temple and also I have noted that you are making arrangements for accommodating me in January. You are making arrangements for me but also I think you should make arrangements for calling your wife. The husband and wife must live together for helping one another in developing Krishna Consciousness. So I think that you may write to your wife and request that she join you in your temple at Hawaii. I thank you so much for your regular reports of progess you are making. I hope that this finds you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Your drawings on Prahlada Maharaja are being published in London papers regularly. It has ____ nice. I hope you have received the copy. ACB letters | 02:52 | 1 Dec 2004 Sunday, December 1, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings to yourself and to your good wife Yamuna Devi. With the greatest satisfaction I have read your letter of November 25th and just yesterday I received our published pictures of Prahlada Maharaja. I thank you very much for your sincere endeavors and I am sure that Krishna will bestow upon you all blessings for your notable service attitude. This is the key to progressing in Krishna Consciousness that one learns to serve Krishna and the Spiritual Master in humble attitude and this attitude in you shall certainly bring you further and further in perfecting your life. In humble submission the devotee finds such sweet transcendental pleasure that no more he is interested in the nonsense material world and no more he is affected by the influence of the inferior energy, the maya. Your idea of arranging meeting with all of the influential people who are interested in your activities is excellent suggestion and may prove very good results. So certainly Krishna is guiding you in your thoughts and activities. This is very nice, and all very encouraging to me. As you may have heard, our Bhagavad-gita As It Is is now published and can be ordered from the New York temple by writing to Brahmananda. Please try to popularize this book throughout England as much as possible. Because if these books are read, there is no doubt that many sincere souls shall be attracted and will join you in your work for Krishna. So please try for selling these books, it shall be considered as the greatest service. You have requested of me to write one letter for opening the "board meeting" so when the meeting is arranged definitely I will send the same. So far as the dictionaries go, the Niruktih is the better of the two. I think that you may send me few more of the published Prahlada Maharaja prints so that other temples may be inspired and also may try to republish them in some American papers. Once again I thank you for your nice labors and hope that you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:34 | December 1, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Harer Nama, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated November 22, 1968 and I thank you for it. It is very nice that you are preparing these puppet stories of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Such program will not fail to have an uplifting effect upon the viewers as well as the players. So do this nicely, it shall be very good. I also understand from your letter that you and Tosana working outside to support the Santa Fe temple. This is all right and you should continue with this. Our program is that no matter what our engagement may be, we shall perform it in Krishna Consciousness, chanting Hare Krishna and thinking about something of Krishna, His Name, His Form, His Beauty, etc. This will bring the highest benediction of our life and by executing the same we shall elevate not only ourself but similarly we will elevate those with which we come into association. So far as explaining my letter to Kris, I have listed the ingredients which may use for preparing prasadam but these various varieties of foodstuffs may be prepared either in the given recipes or if you like you may invent nice new formulas for offering. The important thing is that your preparations be palatable for Lord Krishna and that the ingredients be within the groups of ingredients already listed. You have asked me about sassafras and yes, it may be offered. Mushrooms are generally not offered, but there is no prohibition, there is no harm in them. I hope that this has answered your questions. Please keep me informed as to the progress of your temple. Hope you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:32 | December 1, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Jayapataka, Please accept my blessings. With much satisfaction I have read your letter of November 24, 1968 and I thank you very much for this. From it I can understand clearly that you are making nice progress in your devotional service attitude. Your sincere and humble outlook is very nice. I am always praying to Lord Krishna to bestow His Causeless Mercy upon you. So far the phenomenon which you have questioned me about, I think that it is all Krishna's Grace because you are sincerely working for spreading His Cause. You needn't disclose this phenomenon to everyone, you have disclosed to me and that is sufficient. But you may know that it is a good sign. Continue to work sincerely and you shall be blessed in this life, there is no doubt. Regarding the money which you shall soon attain, I think that the book fund may use it very well as we have so many new expenditures due to our new books, Bhagavad-gita As It Is (already published) and Teachings of Lord Caitanya (to be published next month). So if you can send this money to me it will be very nice. Also, when these books arrive to your Montreal temple, it will be great service if you can help your god-brothers in arranging for widespread sales of these books. We are writing so many literatures and this is very good, but also we must make arrangement for distribution to the public at large. So jointly you may prepare for doing the needful in this matter. Once again, I thank you for your encouraging letter and I hope you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:28 | 30 Nov 2004 Saturday, November 30, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hayagriva, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of Nov. 24, 1968, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very much pleased to hear of your good reports of OSU Yoga Society--it is very much encouraging to me. I have also appreciated your tape, and I shall return it to you in due time. I have only one. Regarding the press you are thinking to purchase, yes it appears to be a very good opportunity. It may be that in the future we shall also purchase one offset press, but in any case, this is a good opportunity for buying this sort of press, so I think you should purchase it. So far your marriage idea, I think you should marry, and all questions concerning this we shall discuss when you come here to visit me on the 13rd of December. It will be very nice that you shall visit here for your vacation, and I shall be very happy to talk with you again. Regarding the boys, I shall ask their mother, Silavati, to open correspondence with you, and you write to her also. She is presently here in Los Angeles, along with one of her sons, Birbhadra das Brahmacari, and her other son, Girish das, is in San Francisco under care of Aniruddha das Brahmacari. Thank you once more for your letter, and I shall be looking forward to your visits after December 13rd, and shall be very happy to see you. Please keep me informed of your activities there. I hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:46 | November 30, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Kirtanananda, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of Nov. 7, 1968, and I have duly noted the contents with great satisfaction. It is very good news that so many students are attending your kirtana programs in Columbus, and I think this will develop into a very prosperous center very soon. So far your question whether you should stay at New Vrindaban, or help Hayagriva at Columbus, the best thing is to consult with Hayagriva, and work jointly. And do whatever needs to be done. That is the best program. I think by Krishna's Grace everything is improving nicely with the New Vrindaban idea, and please continue to make your program in this way. I hope you are all well there, and convey my blessings to Ranadhira, Hrsikesa, and Pradyumna and any others; there also I think Mahavisnu das and Rama devi are also, and please convey my blessings to them along with their little son, Haridasa. I very much appreciated also the nice cartoon-advertisements for your OSU Yoga society, and I think Ranadhira must have done them so nicely. Please thank him and encourage him to do much more such nice artistic work. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Please offer my blessings to Dr. Henderson. He is our old friend and let us join together to spread K.C. all over the world. ACB letters | 04:43 | November 30, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Himavati, Please accept my blessings. Yesterday my deities were dressed with the clothing you made and it appears so nice. I do not know whether you have time to make similarly a few other sets. It will be very nice. I know that you are the most expert in making dresses than all others so therefore I request you that you may make at least two or three sets of dresses as you have already made. I hope that everything is well with you. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:40 | November 30, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of the check for $321 Canadian dollars and I thank you very much for it. Just now I am going to send credit to Dai Nippon in Japan for $6,000 so I require some money for the book fund. You are thinking of accepting a job but you are already in the job of Krishna, so for the maintenance of Krishna's temple you can contemplate as Krishna desires. But I will suggest, why do you not start the prasada program? It was in our contemplation for a longtime and you and your wife are expert cooks. There's ample space in our temple. Why not organize the prasada program. That will be both spiritual propaganda and monetary gain also. Besides that I'll suggest instead of accepting job outside, why not try to sell our books? Bhagavad-gita is already published. If you want to sell, immediately ask Brahmananda to send you as many copies as you can sell and there also is a source of income. Next month we are getting Teachings of Lord Caitanya. Dayala Nitai knows how to sell books, so both Dayala Nitai, yourself and the others, if you attempt to sell our books that will be the most glorious job. Plus if you can distribute prasada [PAGE MISSING] letters | 02:38 | 28 Nov 2004 Thursday, November 28, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Hamsaduta, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of Nov. 28, 1968, and I have noted the contents carefully. I thank you for your kind sentiments for me, it is very nice. So far Janardana is concerned, I am anxiously awaiting to hear something from him. I consider him as one of the pillars of our society, so please request him to write to me and to inform me of the active interest he is taking in our society. He is very sincere thoughtful member and plus he is good speaker, so with these qualifications he can render most valuable service to Krishna Consciousness. So please ask him to be kind upon me and help in the venture of translating our various books and magazines. When Janardana goes to France, if he is willing to take charge of printing Back To Godhead French edition in France, rather then Canada, it will be very nice. Also in France he may open one center and many of my students may come to help him. In Europe I require 3 centers, one in London, one in Paris, and one in Hamburg. In New York, Advaita and Uddhava are preparing to start press to print our books and magazines, so in this endeavor they will require more manpower. I think that Vaikunthanatha is suitable in this connection so he may make arrangements to come to New York to work in bookbindery establishment and also take classes in bookbinding to be paid for by Advaita and Uddhava. The money he earns for his labor shall be utilized for our new press program. Regarding the "Inside Iskcon" journal, if it is not very troublesome the idea is all right. Since you describe a necessity for warmer shoes, leather may be utilized and their is no harm. So far as it goes in Los Angeles, everything is going very nicely with the Sankirtana Party and soon we are expected to have a new temple location. Hope that you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:18 | |
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