a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1968 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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19 Dec 2004 Thursday, December 19, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Rukmini, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of December 16, 1968 and I thank you very much for it. Regarding marriage with Nandakisora, the situation is simply that he is desirous of marrying and I had asked Purusottama to see if you are agreeable to this proposal. In your letter you have written that you are desiring to remain as brahmacarini for a few years longer and this idea is alright. In India the marriage between a boy and girl is arranged by the parents but in this country such arrangement is not possible so we never request our students to marry if they are not desiring to do this. I am happy to learn that you are painting a portrait of my Guru Maharaja and that it is coming along nicely. As our movement continues to spread around the world we will be requiring so many of such paintings so that so many devotees and friends may engage their eyes in seeing Krishna and His devotees. So please try to improve your artistic abilities as far as possible. I am sure that Jadurani will always be a help to you in this matter. So far as offering to Krishna apple cider, this can be done only if it is prepared by devotees. These food manufacturers do not take proper precautions in cleanliness nor do they have devotion to Krishna in their labors so it is not very acceptable offering. If you can make this preparation yourself then it will be alright. So please continue to engage yourself in Krishna's service very sincerely and I am sure that Krishna will help you in all ways to advance more and more. I am always praying that Krishna will give you strength to continue to go on nicely. Please convey my blessings to all of your good god-brothers and god-sisters in Boston. I hope that this letter finds you all in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 13:03 | December 19, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Aniruddha, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of December 17, 1968 and I thank you so much for it. From this letter I can see that you are taking serious interest in the welfare of Girish and this is very nice. You are quite right in your estimation that engagement in Krishna's service will help him to progress more and more. And keeping him engaged will similarly keep you engaged so I can see that there is all round benefit for you both. I do not think that at this time it will be necessary for you to obtain a teacher's certificate. You have so many other important duties to perform in your center. Also, I understand that in West Virginia that the qualification for being teacher is simply that one has graduated from high school so there will be no necessity of such teacher's certificate. Before long we are hoping to obtain a schooling program in New Vrindaban where our boys may be trained up in the principles of Krishna Consciousness as well as reading, writing and arithmetic. In Los Angeles, Visnujan is taking care of Birbhadra and this boy is also doing very nicely. Certainly this boy is very good soul to be in contact with Krishna Consciousness even at such an early age so be patient with him and I think that he will continue to progress very nicely. Please convey my blessings to Cidananda. I have received his letter and am encouraged that he is taking interest in selling our Bhagavad-gita As It Is. You may all try to distribute this book as far as possible and it will be a great service to our movement. If any sincere person reads this book I think that he will be impressed by the solid footing on which our Krishna Consciousness is based. All of the nonsense Bhagavad-gitas that deny Krishna are simply bluffs so if one is intelligent he is sure to get some inkling of the authorized nature of our Krishna Conscious philosophy. So try to promote sales as far as you are able and Krishna will surely help you in this important endeavor. Please convey my blessings to all others at your temple. I hope that you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 01:58 | December 19, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Janardana, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter of December 11, 1968. I have already acknowledged receipt of the French Back To Godhead and I have sent my hearty thanks for you all. May Krishna bless you to advance this attempt far and wide. It is encouraging to me that you are going to France and will acquaint yourself with theistic philosopher's on a Personal God. Actually when one comes to realize the Personality of Godhead, only then is his theistic knowledge complete. We have discussed this point very elaborately in the Bhagavad-gita As It Is and your high intelligence will help you to present this idea before the learned scholars of France who are already inclined toward a Personality of Godhead. Please impress them logically and scientifically and it will be a great achievement for our mission. France is considered to have the most cultured people in Europe and if we can have some footing in France in the matter of Krishna Consciousness certainly this will be a great success. I am very glad that this subject matter is entrusted with you and I hope you will do it to your best capacity. Although I could not read any of your article, I have learned from Purusottama that they are written very nicely. He is not fully conversant with the language but he could read most of it. So far as reviews I think that there is no need to review nonsense books and give them publicity at our cost. The sincere theists and philosophers will surely appreciate our presentation of Bhagavad-gita As It Is so you can write some articles on the basis of our discussions in this book or in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Regarding the six Goswamis of Vrindaban, actually they are our guidance in Krishna Consciousness. Sanatana das Thakura has said that anyone who follows the footprints of the six Goswamis he will wish to be his servant. So we should always try to follow the footprints of the Six Goswamis and it will be easy to understand the Krishna Conscious philosophy. Dayala Nitai is a very nice boy, a sincere soul so please try to train him as your assistant. I am very glad to learn that he is automatically improving in Krishna Consciousness on account of his sincere service spirit to Krishna and the Spiritual Master. That is the secret of success in Krishna Consciousness. I you want, I can send you the theistic vedanta interpretation which you can edit and translate into the French language for publication in Back To Godhead. There are four chapters of Vedanta Sutra and the first one called Janmadyasya. I have explained in my Srimad-Bhagavatam at the very beginning. You can see it and if you think it is nice then I'll try to explain the other sutras in the same way. I am enclosing herewith the sanskrit transliterations and meanings as requested by you. Please try for your Ph.D. very seriously and I am sure that Krishna will certainly help you in this matter. I hope that this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 01:55 | December 19, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of December 15, and December 17, 1968. I have carefully noted the contents of both of these. You have requested my suggestion for the neon signboard outside of our new temple and I think that the bigger sign may say "International Society for Krishna Consciousness" and the other may say the Hare Krishna Mantra if it is not too much expensive. Regarding the listing of the Bhagavad-gita in the religion catalog of MacMillan, they have spelled it Bhagavid Gita and not Bhagavad-gita As It Is. I do not know why they should commit such mistake, I hope that this will not hamper the sales. Please point out this discrepancy to Mr. Wade. The list of names you received from MacMillan of reviewer copies should be kept carefully so you may approach them with copies of Teachings Of Lord Caitanya. Try to convince these reviewers that these literatures are very badly needed at the present time when people are becoming confused on account of godlessness. Our Krishna Consciousness movement is a re-orientation movement for reviving the dormant Krishna Consciousness so these reviewers should cooperate and help our movement as far as possible. I have seen the Teachings of Lord Caitanya documents and as requested by you I am returning them for your files. I am also sending back the voucher of the bank duly signed by me for debiting my account for the charges. But one thing I must inform you is that out of my account almost $7,000 has been withdrawn in so many ways. Now this should be filled up as soon as possible because a bank balance in my favor is required in this country. Due to this bank balance I got my permanent visa and also due to this bank balance we have got the nicest temple in Los Angeles. So in case of a need I may require to show this bank balance under different circumstances and especially because I am a foreigner. Therefore the bank balance's blank or vacancy already created by drawing out about $7,000 must be filled up by selling books as far as possible. My only suggestion for this selling is to get the books widely reviewed in different papers and that is the only standard method of promoting this publication. By such reviews as soon as there is some demand all the book sellers will purchase from the publisher at least three copies each. That is the way of propagating sales organization. Regarding my apartment, if it is possible to keep it with no strain on your financial condition it is alright. Otherwise I am not very serious about retaining the apartment. Everything should be performed with no strain because too much financial strain will hamper our progress in Krishna Consciousness. Purusottama is helping me since he has come and I think that he should remain with me always. I require a male secretary because there are so many letters coming daily and which require expert management. At the same time he will be securing advertisements for Back To Godhead so I hope that you will not feel very much inconvenience because he is not there in New York. Regarding my health, I am glad to inform you that it is in better condition than that last year when I returned from India. I am feeling no more headaches nor any severe buzzing sound--but still some buzzing is going on. After all it is a broken house and I cannot expect all the comforts of a newly built house in an old broken residence. I thank you once more for your noble sentiments about me and I can simply say that for this nice attitude Krishna will certainly help you. I am fully aware of your sincere service and therefore I pray always to Krishna for your all-round welfare. You have got a nice temple by the grace of my Spiritual Master. It is very encouraging to me. You should always pray to His Divine Grace because naturally He will be more affectionate to you than to me. Generally one is more affectionate to the grandchildren than to the children directly. So I am sure that my Guru Maharaja will be easily inclined to your prayers than that of mine. You will do good always by offering your prayers to His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Goswami Maharaja. Please convey my blessings to all of the devotees in New York and I hope that you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami NB: So far as you performing the marriage ceremony in exchange for a nice rug, the idea is alright and if you request I will send you instructions. Enclosures. letters | 01:50 | December 19, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Gargamuni, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 5, 1968 and I have noted the contents. I have also heard from Purusottama who has spoken to Brahmananda on the telephone yesterday that your father has made it clear that he will not confide in you or trust you to make advancement very easily in his business. Also I have heard that you have decided to leave back to the New York temple. This idea is alright under the circumstances and I think that your father will one day come to regret that he has not cooperated with your plans. Purusottama has also heard that you are considering to open a store of Indian imports in the new temple on 61 2nd Ave. This idea is approved by me and please try to do it nicely to help support and make improvements in the new large temple. If this temple can be made very attractive then surely it will attract many people to join us in kirtana and to take interest in Krishna Consciousness. Also you may resume your job as circulation manager, we have a much improved Back To Godhead since you have last done this job in New York and I know that you may do very good service in this regard. If you can help your god-brothers in selling ads also, it will be very nice. So I think that Krishna has seen that your services can be better utilized in the new temple and all the other work that is going on and He has seen fit to give you clue to leave your father's business and come back to the temple. So because you are sincerely in Krishna Consciousness there is no loss. Actually, for the devotee who is working for Krishna there is only gain of spiritual advancement. The fruits of our work is always given to Krishna and so Krishna accepts the responsibility of what these fruits shall be. So this is our principle of work and I request you to always remember this. I have also received one nice letter __ from you several weeks ago and just now I am taking the opportunity to thank you for this. I hope this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 01:46 | December 19, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Uddhava Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 17, 1968, and I have noted the contents carefully. From your letter it is clear that as of yet you have no idea of how much the price will be to print our books. This is a very important factor and I think that now that Vaikunthanatha and Patita Uddharana are in NY to help you you should utilize their labor to arrive at some figure. As you know, Dai Nippon is printing our books for a price of approximately $1.20 per book with shipping paid. I do not know if our own press will be able to compete with such price. I there is good milk available plentifully in the market place there is no need to keep a cow. So similarly, if we can get our books printed and cheaply and with no trouble of labor then it is an adequate arrangement. From the beginning Advaita and yourself have been very sincere and enthusiastic about this project but now I think we must be very businesslike in investigating the price which will be required to print our books. So immediately you should look seriously into this question and inform me of your findings as you are able. I am so happy that you are looking to your marriage with Lilasukha and she also is happy with this arrangement. On Christmas day, Hayagriva and Syama Dasi are to be married in LA and this is very encouraging because we will welcome the arrival of nice KC children to carry on this movement for which we are laying ground. Please convey my blessings to the others and I hope that you are well. Your ever well-wisher, ACB NB: Please convey my thanks to Patita Uddharana for his nice letter. I will be looking forward to seeing the epic poem which he promised to be sending me soon. P.S. I have asked Hayagriva to invest some money in purchasing press and he has almost agreed. Apart from labor and other cost you can give me an estimate of price of the materials required. ACB letters | 01:01 | 17 Dec 2004 Tuesday, December 17, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Lilasukha, Please accept my blessings. With great pleasure I have read your letter of December 9, 1968. I thank you for your kind sentiments expressed and your nice attitude of humbleness and devotion. It is very good that you and the other girls are preaching in school to your class mates. This will bring the greatest benefit not only to them but also it will help you to progress more and more in your devotional service. Krishna Consciousness is so nice that when one makes some gain it does not detract from anothers' gain, but, rather, it means that there is gain for the whole world. When one is chanting or speaking of Krishna or working for Krishna then so many living entities hear him or help him in some way and thus find benefit also. This is why the devotee is dear to all creatures and to Krishna. So always be engaged as you are doing and with your all good qualities Krishna will surely bestow his full mercy, rest assured. So all of the girls you have mentioned, such as Ekayani, Kancanbala and Indira are similarly very good souls and I am always praying that Krishna will help you all more and more. I was pleased to note that you are happy with your plans for marriage to Uddhava. He is a very good boy and please always serve him nicely as a good wife. You are fortunate to obtain such a nice husband and he is also fortunate to obtain a nice wife. So all in all it is very nice arrangement and certainly it is Krishna's special mercy upon you both. Please convey my blessings to all other of my students in the New York branch and I hope this finds you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:52 | December 17, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Sivananda, Please accept my blessings. I have just received your letter dated December 14, 1968 and I have noted the contents with some surprise. You have written that you will soon be leaving Hamburg and this news has caused me some distress. I have always been glad that you were in Germany to take care of the temple and you have written that Krishna Das is also disturbed at this sudden turn. From your letter it is unclear as to where you are going, to Montreal, to New Vrindaban, to work for your mother, it is all unclear as to your plan. I think that you must stay in our Hamburg center until you write to me why you are leaving Germany, and where you are expecting to stay. It could be that you are experiencing some difficulty in Germany, in which case please inform me of the same so we may solve the problem. You mentioned that leaving is the best thing for your devotional service, but you should know that without the instructions of the spiritual master that there is no question of devotional service. So I think that you must remain in the Hamburg center until I advise you further. I am anxiously awaiting to hear your reply. I hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:48 | December 17, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Ananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 13, 1968 along with the Hare Krishna Mantra card. I am glad that you have already started a center in small scale and please try to improve it as far as possible. There is no question of doing anything very hastily so please try to make steady, even if slow, progress. So far as the Indian population is concerned, we have no such discretion that we have to pick our members from a particular group of people. Everyone is Krishna's part and parcel and wherever we find it convenient we will pick up a person to be trained in Krishna Consciousness who is interested in going back to home, back to Godhead. I think that the Canadian people especially will be suitable for your membership. Try for this as far as possible. For the new souls who have already joined you, try to encourage them as far as possible. Thank you again for your letter and for the important service you are rendering to Lord Caitanya's movement. I hope this finds you in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:41 | December 17, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Gaurasundara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 12, 1968 and I have noted the contents. I am glad that you have also received my previously sent letters. I have also handed over your letter for Govinda Dasi. I am very sorry to learn that this girl Madhavi Lata has gone there and created some disturbance. If she is still there, ask her to live separately and she may come only during kirtana performances. This girl appears very disturbing and every place she goes there seems to be some trouble. Please try to keep her away carefully and ask her to come back here because immediately there is no chance of my going to Hawaii. Just today I have got one press conference in the temple and after this there will be more propaganda work. There is scheduled another press conference by January 22, 1969, so at least for one month more there is no chance of my going to Hawaii. If I leave abruptly now the program here will be disturbed. Better is I wait until we finish the engagement in Los Angles. In the meantime I will try to pick up some devotees to join you. I am glad to note that an asrama will attract interested students from all over the world. Please try to organize this asrama in cooperation with Murari. I am asking Purusottama and others to search out some brahmacaris to go there to assist you. I am also still more encouraged that you propose to build a temple and secure some land in the main island of Hawaii. I think that my presence in Hawaii will be nice when you are still more in sound footing there. So you arrange your program in that way. Better would be that you and my other dear disciples try to manage all centers as far as possible independently. For me, in my old age, moving constantly does not suit my health. The Los Angeles climate is not unsuitable for me so I am thinking of making my head-quarters here because it is very important city also. But as soon as there is the need of my presence some place I must go where I am required. On this principle please prepare to work. Regarding Govinda Dasi, she can immediately start for Hawaii if you send her the passage fare. Please convey my blessings to the others with you and I hope this finds you all in good health. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:37 | 14 Dec 2004 Saturday, December 14, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your nice letter of Dec. 9, 1968, and I thank you very much for it. It is very much encouraging to me to hear of so many activities of performing kirtana there. Kirtana is the universal principle, therefore, if you chant Hare Krishna offenselessly, that is to say, avoiding the 10 kinds of offenses, the vibration is sure to act. And anywhere this vibration is made, it will be liked because it is done on the spiritual platform. And on the spiritual platform, there will be certainly agreement. So long one is on the material platform, there is no agreement. So our movement is directly taken to the spiritual platform. So do it nicely, offenselessly, and it will be successful anywhere. It is just like that in the milk, there is butter, but if you want concentrated butter, you have to churn milk and take out the butter. Similarly, Krishna is spread everywhere by different potencies but when there is question of love, we have to be in direct touch with Krishna. That is personalism. The heat of the impersonalist sunshine and the heat in the sunglobe is far different. One who is in personal touch with Krishna, their spiritual bliss is incomparable. The spiritual bliss derived from impersonalist realization is just like a drop of water in the presence of the Atlantic Ocean. That is the difference between personalism and impersonalism. Your question, "How did Prakasananda Sarasvati see or think that Lord Caitanya was the Lord Narayana Himself when he only realized Brahman?"--by personal audience of Lord Caitanya they could realize Him as Narayana because they were sincere in searching out the Absolute Truth. As it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, that an impersonalist, if he is sincere in searching out the Absolute Truth, then ultimately such impersonalist can reach to the point of the Personality of Godhead. So Prakasananda Sarasvati was submissive to Lord Caitanya, because he begged Lord Caitanya to occupy superior seat, while Caitanya Mahaprabhu out of His extreme humbleness, was sitting in a place where they were washing their feet. A Vaisnava is always humble, and if a person does not misuse this humbleness of a Vaisnava, he gets a chance to be elevated. But if somebody misunderstands the humbleness of a Vaisnava then he is doomed. Just like in the Caitanya Caritamrta, the author Kaviraja Goswami says that he is lower than the stool, and Sanatana Goswami says that he is born and associated with most degraded persons. If such humbleness of Vaisnavas are taken verbatim, then we are misled. Prakasananda Sarasvati appreciated the greatness of Lord Caitanya, even though He was humble, and therefore Lord Caitanya's Mercy was bestowed upon him, and thus he could accept Him as He is. The Mayavadi philosophers even they do not follow Sankaracarya because their philosophy itself is offensive. Sankaracarya has accepted Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Mayavadis take Krishna as a great personality only. That is their misfortune. On account of successive offensive attacks on the Supreme Person. So therefore the subsequent result of Mayavadi philosophy, on account of their rigidity to this misleading philosophy, they cannot make progress. Besides that, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, the Personal Feature of Krishna is very difficult to be understood by the non-devotee class of men. So the Mayavadi philosophers are, as a class, non-devotees. Naturally they are misled almost in all occasions. But some of them were extraordinary to come out and accept Krishna's personality. This is explained by Arjuna also in the Bhagavad-gita. We are sending you a tape record also, of a short paper entitled "Manifestos of Krishna Consciousness" which I have written. Yes you negotiate for the building there. And if you have got a temple then you can write for Deities. The installation will take place when I go there. But if you order Deities, order Them not less than 20" high for Radha and Krishna. I have also written them about this. The thing is, what for you will contact this Vinode Vani dasi?* What kind of help do you want from them? They are already not cooperating. The history of this Vani dasi is that she is an old lady, and has a house and has hung a sign, Gaudiya Math, but that is all. So make clear to me exactly what sort of help you want to get from her, and I will advise you duly. In the meantime, you can one day make a courtesy visit to her, and see what is the situation with her, if her place can be used for our purposes. But I do not think that place is very nice or suitable for our purpose, as it is outside the city I think, so far I know, and we want a place inside the city. Still if you let me know what kind of help you want from them, then I can advise you what to do. I hope you are all well there, and executing Krishna Consciousness happily also. Please convey my blessings to your good wife Yamuna, and also to Syamasundara. and Malati, and Janaki and Mukunda. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami *Did she accept your invitation? Did she come to dine with you? If not how you can expect any co-operation with them? etad nirvidyamananam ichhatam akutobhayam yoginam api nirnitam harer namanukirtanam letters | 04:19 | December 14, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your nice letter of Dec. 4, 1968, and I have noted the contents very carefully. I have looked at the two small pictures you sent, and I approve of both of them. This is called Rajasthan style, and it is very nice. These two pictures, if nicely painted, will look very good in our temples. Also, there is one very nice photograph of my Guru Maharaja which I want you to paint, and I will send it to you there. It was found by Gurudasa in London and he has sent me two copies of it. It was taken just after His acceptance of sannyasa, and with the Srimad-Bhagavatam opened before Him. So I shall send it. So far Los Angeles temple is concerned, we have just now leased a very big church, with large meeting hall and various compartments, so here we shall need many very large paintings for making the hall attractive. If it is possible, you can paint very large ones, as large or even larger than the one you sent to Montreal of the Gopis. Regarding the gesso sizing of the canvases: If they last for 20 years that is fine and plenty long enough. The other process sounds too complicated, and this plastic sounds to be very nice. Deity worship is for such persons who have ample time. The thing is, Deity worship is compulsory, and you can increase if you have got time to do so. But Mangala aratrik is essential (morning arati), and Sandharatrik (evening aratri) is essential, and offering of Prasadam to Deity is essential. And nice dress, decorating the Deity with sweet-smelling flowers, colorful and very opulent dresses, jewels, incense, etc, to make Them very brilliant and attractive, that is real Deity worship. I hope you are all well there, and happy in Krishna Consciousness, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 02:16 | 13 Dec 2004 Friday, December 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of December 9, 1968 and have noted the contents. Regarding the material for canvas protection I think that there is a tar which is made from coals (coal-tar) which may be used. Or else if this is not available or cannot be used then you may use any material which will do the job nicely. I have just received a copy of Back To Godhead number 21 and please convey my appreciation to Satsvarupa for his excellent article of Lord Ramacandra. Such articles give enjoyment and spiritual benefit to all readers so he should do more of such writing as he is able. As soon as possible, I will require some artist who will paint pictures from the Bhagavatam as I give hints on what to paint. But the artist must be very quick. Two or three pictures must be done every week. These pictures will be used for my new book, "KRISHNA", which I will begin as soon as I get the assistance of a quick painter. I am sure that you could do this but you are already engaged with so much work. There is one girl in Seattle, Joy Fulcher, who is nice artist. Would you like her to go to you to do this work under your guidance? I think that you know this girl. If you think this idea is alright, you can call her at Boston. As usual, I shall send "KRISHNA" tapes to your husband with hints for you about the pictures so you and your husband can send me the complete materials for the final printing. Please consider these suggestions and do the needful. Kindly convey my blessings to Devananda, Saradia and Rukmini. I hope you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 05:28 | December 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Paramananda, Please accept my blessings. I was so pleased to receive your letter of December 8, 1968 and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. Such attitude of humbleness which you have so nicely expressed along with your very good service attitude is very beautiful and will take you far to advance more and more. I am happy that you and your very good wife, Satyabhama, are finding such satisfaction in executing your Krishna Consciousness activities and such pleasure will only increase more and more as you continue to advance further. This is my blessing upon you both that your lives may become happy and successful. So my one request to you is that you keep yourself always engaged in Krishna's service sincerely and that you help your wife in this matter also. Now there is enough engagement with popularizing our books and magazines so you will have enough work to utilize all of your time in this important endeavor. You are strong, intelligent boy so there is so much of such service that you can render and be a great asset to this Krishna Consciousness movement. In the future there may be facilities to start schooling in our New Vrindaban and when this is begun I think that Satyabhama and yourself may consider to go there to teach and assist with the work going on there. So as Krishna desires we will see what happens. Please convey my blessings to all others and I hope that you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:26 | December 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Girish, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of November 30, 1968 and have noted the contents with pleasure. So far as your question about the Krishna stories, you will be glad to know that soon we will begin working on a book called, "KRISHNA" which will have stories and illustrations of all of Krishna's Pastimes. These stories come from the 10th canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. You have also written that you wish to obtain some pictures of Krishna in his childhood and such pictures can be obtained by writing to Brahmananda in New York about prices and which pictures he has available. I think that now that you are going to public school that you must study hard especially keeping in mind to learn how to read and write and do arithmetic. Perhaps after the summer we will have our own school in New Vrindaban and you will be a student there. But in the meantime, try to acquire these skills. They shall be a great asset to you in reading our literature and so many other services. So now that you are in school, you may make the best of it and become expert in these abilities. Thank you again for your nice letter and I hope that you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 03:24 | December 13, 1968 Los Angeles, Calif. My Dear Jagadisa, Please accept my blessings. Enclosed please find your prayer beads which I have chanted one round upon and initiated you with. Your spiritual name is Jagadisa das Brahmacari. Jagadisa means Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe. So please continue to be very sincere about developing your Krishna Consciousness and Krishna will give you all facilities to return with Him to His Spiritual Abode. Take instructions from your god-brother Rupanuga, chant your sixteen rounds daily, follow all regulations strictly, and you will have all blessings from the disciplic succession to advance nicely. So now you have this all important opportunity so I request you to take full advantage and perfect yourself in Krishna Consciousness. This is my request to all of you. This will be great service not only to yourself, but also to all the living entities with whom we come into contact. Please convey my blessings to all others. I hope that you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I have not heard anything from Rupanuga since a long time. ACB letters | 02:22 | |
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