a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1971 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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Feb 16, 2006 Tuesday, February 16, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Upendra, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 24th January, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. You have asked that somebody go there to Fiji to assist you so if you can arrange for passage, then one very intelligent boy, Amrtananda, who knows English, Hindi and Bengali, can go and help you. You can send the money to the Calcutta Address as follows: 11B Jatindra Mohan Ave., Calcutta-6, INDIA. Upon receipt of your money or ticket, he will immediately proceed. We could have arranged for the ticket from here but the government will not allow it. Best thing is if you send a ticket, as Bali Mardan also sent two tickets for two brahmacaris here. I am so glad to hear that you are beginning door-to-door Sankirtana. This door-to-door San Kirtana is the mission of Lord Caitanya. Even there is language barrier, this door-to-door Sankirtana will fulfill your mission and you can introduce our literatures to the higher circles as you have done by presenting Krishna Book to the Prime Minister. I have news from Bali Mardan that KRSNA book is in great demand in that part of the world. I do not know if in Fiji it is the same. Yes, progress of devotional service becomes choked up when there is gross offense to the Spiritual Master. So far I am concerned, you have no offense. You are carrying my order so faithfully in a far distant place. So you always have my blessings and Lord Caitanya's blessings. Do not think otherwise. Even if you think you have committee. offenses, it is like kicking of the small child, which is taken pleasingly by the parents. So don't worry about it. Krishna will give you all protection. I'm so pleased upon you that on my order you have gone to distant places and faithfully served the cause. I thank you for this attempt. The newspaper clipping sent by you was written in a different language. I could not follow it. What is the language? But I see there one name, Mr. Sri Dhar Maharaja. I'm sending back the clipping, keeping your photograph because I do not know the language, but I shall be very much pleased if you send me an English translation of the statement. I was thinking of sending further Hindi tape recordings. If such speeches as the one already sent is understood by the people, I can send you more tapes like that. So far other swamis and panditas are concerned, actually nobody would be equal to us because they do not come in the parampara system. As such their line of thought is null and void according to our understanding. Our movement is revolutionary to so called religious principles, gurus and swamis. This fact is being appreciated even in India. Gradually it will be more and more enlightening to the public. So please stick to our principles and preach Lord Caitanya's message anywhere in the world. Also I am so glad that your wife is preaching so nicely. Please offer her my blessings. Be happy together and preach Krishna's message. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:43 | February 16, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Ranadhira, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your telegram received by me on 11th February, 1971. Yes, I have all blessings for the happy marriage of Haladhara Prabhu and Joan Prabhu, so you may immediately do the needful in this regards. How are things going on there in Pittsburgh? I have reports that the temple there is doing very nicely and that our Spiritual Sky incense business is expanding in volume very rapidly. So please keep me informed. Our preaching work here in India is going on very nicely. Especially we are getting such good response to our life membership program. Have you initiated that program in Pittsburgh? It is a very nice way to distribute our literatures and gain support for our movement, especially from the higher circles. Also book distribution to the schools, libraries, and various institutions is most important. So try and increase on these programs more and more. Please offer my blessings to the others there. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:42 | February 16, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Hladinidevi Dasi, Please accept my blessings. I thank you for your kind letter dated 21st January, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. Yes, the mind is subject to so many impressions from past activities as well as so many past lifetimes, so when disturbing thoughts enter your mind you should simply ignore them. Actually the process is to always remember the Lotus Feet of the Lord, but this is not an automatic thing. It takes so much practice due to our conditioned state. The process is to follow the regulative principles and regularly chant 16 rounds. That is our strength in spiritual life and gradually all such problems will be resolved. And because you are sincerely desiring to serve the Deity, you can be sure that Krishna will help you in all respects. So simply be persevering and go on chanting attentively and all these temporary manifestations will come to pass. Presently our Indian preaching program is going on so nicely and wherever we go, we bring our Deities. And the people are so attracted by the purity of the arati ceremony. By March 1st I shall be going to Bombay where we will be having a one week Deity installation ceremony at our new Bombay temple, the address of which is given above. I shall be returning to U.S.A. by the first week in April. Please offer my blessings to your good husband Mahananda as well as all the other Prabhus there. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:40 | February 16, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Krsna Devi, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to have received your letter dated 23d January, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. So far as opening a center in Israel, I have all approval. Immediately you can open correspondence with one boy from Israel who has written me twice to come there and open a center. He is very eager to help. His name and address are as follows: Yacov Shames; c/o Dr. Ritchie; 79 Rehov Bait Vegan; Bait Vegan; Jerusalem, Israel. So make arrangements with the government and go there immediately. I have all blessings for this enterprise. Try and preach Krishna Consciousness in this part of the world. So you go there husband and wife with child and start a center. If you are successful in your effort, then I may stay with you a few days there before going to London. I'm so glad to learn that your daughter is growing into such a nice Krishna Conscious child and very soon she will be a great help to your activities. I've seen many pictures of our Krishna Conscious children. They are nicely chanting and clapping. It is very good sign. Here in India our preaching is very nicely going on, and especially to our membership program there is a good response. So work very enthusiastically and Krishna will bestow all His blessings upon you. Your husbands letter along with yours is very encouraging and I have answered it separately. I'm so glad to know that both of you are enhancing your Krishna Consciousness by mutual cooperation. May God bless you. You are all helping me by abiding the orders of my Spiritual Master, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami maharaj and He'll be pleased upon you who are His grand spiritual children. So this program to open a branch in Israel has got all my approval. Yes, you can set up a Guru-Gauranga altar and if you can offer full arati ceremony, that is nice. Panca-tattva are most merciful. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:38 | February 16, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Dinesh Candra, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 23d January, 1971 and enclosed with one letter from your good wife Krsna Devi. It is so much encouraging that you are distributing our books so nicely in the Boston area and especially that several bookstore chains have taken so many copies of KRSNA book and TLC So see to it that this program continues there in Boston with increasing volume. That will be a great success for our missionary activities. Yes, you can see to making more records, certainly. The more our movement is increased, the more the demand for these records will be there. People here in India are also wanting these records. So you can send one copy of every record as samples here immediately to the above given Bombay address. Records are exempt from our life membership program. Also the new recording described by you meets my approval, so do it nicely. You can send the booklet here as soon as it is ready. So far as your establishing one center in Israel, I have already written Krsna Devi about this. I have all blessings for you both in this regards, so you may go there immediately. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:36 | February 16, 1871 Gorakhpur My Dear Gargamuni Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter dated 2nd February, 1971, although it was redirected from one place to another. At the present moment, I am staying in a big bungalow of Gita Press of Gorakhpur. Temporarily we have installed nice big Deities and people are coming here to the fullest extent of the hall. Our preaching on the basis of Personal God is almost revolutionary in India also. Last night somebody said that Aurobindo is greater than Krsna. So this is the world situation. Somebody is Krsna Himself, somebody is greater than Krsna, somebody says Krsna has no form, somebody says that Krsna is dead and so on. Our program is to offer vehement protest against all these nonsensical declarations. I am so glad to know that you are preaching alone assisted by a Brahmacari at Gainesville and it is very encouraging that you are introducing our philosophy in schools, colleges, etc. This should be our present program of work. If you can introduce our books in the schools and colleges and libraries and preach there about our philosophy, that will be a great success. My suggestion to you for going to Pakistan was on the following point: if any mission goes to Pakistan from India, they will not allow. But Pakistan is on good friendly terms with the U.S.A. as far as we know from the political situation. Therefore my idea was that an ISKCON mission may go to Pakistan directly from America. I am sure that if a mission from America goes there they will not deny to admit them. It is not very difficult task, but it is difficult also, simultaneously. It is not a difficult task in this way: as we are going in so many countries, you can also go there with the Krsna Consciousness mission. But as they are not very advanced in culture, there is possibility of misunderstanding also. So both yourself and Brahmananda Maharaja may thoroughly consider this point also, before going there. On the whole, I am not insisting you to go there, but if it is possible for you to go there four to five men and preach this Krsna cult there, that will be a great achievement. Our point is that Krsna is neither Hindu, nor Mohammedan nor Christian--He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Proprietor of everything, the Supreme Enjoyer and the most well-wishing friend of everyone. We want to impress these three points everywhere and by such understanding surely there will be peace and prosperity all over the world. So there is no hurry. Think twice before going there. But if you think the circumstances are not favorable, then forget this idea. I am very glad to see the photographs and news articles sent by you. I am receiving similar photographs from Subala Maharaja in Europe and it is very encouraging. I have not heard from Brahmananda Maharaja and Visnujana Maharaja* since a long time. I hope I shall hear from them very soon. Hope you are in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami *Today I have received one encouraging letter from Visnujan Maharaja. He has presented a nice bulletin. ACB ACBS:ds letters | 06:33 | February 16, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Bhagavan das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 21st January, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I am so glad to hear that you are making a determined effort to increase the life membership program. The program has become so successful here in India and I am sure that it will become even more successful in U.S.A. So do it enthusiastically and with perseverance and Krishna will help you. Also your college program sounds very nice. Preaching in schools, colleges and universities, along with distribution of our books and prasadam will flourish the propaganda of our mission. It is good that you GBC members are meeting and conjointly discussing such things as life membership, book distribution, etc. The future hope of solid standing of our mission is on the proper management of our governing body. Now we are increasing in volume. The area of our activity is expanding. Under the circumstances, if our management goes on nicely to maintain our prestige and good name, that will be our success. Such status quo can be maintained only on our being freed from any kind of sense gratifying attitude, because pure devotional service means: anya avhilasita sunya or without any other desire than to satisfy Krishna. You have written one note to Hamsaduta that you have received a very nice offset press and you are contemplating printing a daily newspaper. About this I've already written to you in my last letter, that to start a daily newspaper involves a proficient staff to manage this affair as well as a good source of regular news. So the governing body may consider these points and do the needful. But if it is done, it will be a great achievement. So far as the three packages of slides sent here by you, so far we have not received them. Maybe they are lying somewhere because we are travelling from one place to another. So if you want to send duplicate copy, send to the Bombay address given above, because I am reaching there by the 1st of March, 1971. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:30 | Feb 15, 2006 Monday, February 15, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Syamasundara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your tow letters dated 8th February, 1971 and nil, respectively. From the beginning it was my program not to sell books but to make life members. The idea is that in India when we speak of price Rs. 64/ for KRSNA book or say Rs. 30/ for Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, practically their hearts begins to fade because in India most of them are not accustomed to pay so much price but when we speak of membership they agree to contribute very easily because Indian mentality is still charitable toward the cause of spiritual activities. So either reduce the price or not, if we endeavor to create life members it will be easier task. For example you are delivering a set of books; KRSNA, TLC, NOD, Handbook, one copy of BTG land you are taking favor for Rs. 101/ by reduction of price. If you take the real price of these books, it comes to somewhere near Rs. 220/ but if we make a member with the same delivery of books, we get the full membership fee. Therefore we should contribute more energy for making life members than selling. When there will be no possibility of making members, at that time we can sell books at reduced price. Actually if it is possible to sell 100 sets of books per month, then you can do that. We will discuss the point further upon my arrival in Bombay. Most probably I'll be able to reach Bombay by March 1st. In my next letter I shall let you know. Please offer my blessings to the others. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Please send at least 25 membership information pamphlets here immediately. ACBS/adb letters | 13:05 | February 15, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 24th January, 9171, and noted the contents. I was very glad to initiate Sandy and her spiritual name is now Srimati Kanta Devi Dasi. I have sent reply to her letter and her beads duly chanted by separate post. They should be arriving soon. I have also sent many other sets of beads and letters in the same package and I think you can more easily distribute them to their respective temples than we are able to do from here in India where things are costly to send by airmail. I am expecting to return to the States sometime by the end of March, so I think you may inform all the Temple Presidents that prospective initiations may wait until that time. In the meantime, however, if you see fit, you may offer the second initiation to Sriman Yasodanandana Das Brahmacari and encourage him to open a nice center in Quebec. That will be great service and I know he is very enthusiastic devotee. So if you have got the copy of the Gayatri tape, you may conduct the ceremony according to the instructions. If you do not have the full set of instructions, let me know and I will have Devananda write them up for you. I have received one letter from Dai Nippon in which they confirm our calculation of money deposited with our ``Bhaktivedanta Book Fund Deposit.'' So your calculation as I have pointed out is short by $500. I do not know how this error has crept in. Anyway, things are in our favor. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Have you deposited Sai's contribution in my checking a/c or not. On hearing from you I shall issue the check to Hamiltons whose house we are purchasing [TEXT UNCLEAR] ACBS:ds letters | 13:03 | February 15, 1971 Railway Circular Road, Gorakhpur My Dear Madhudvisa Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 8th February, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I am very glad to learn that there is good chance of presenting and preaching our cult in South India, so immediately I've sent you a telegram reading as follows: ARRANGE MADRAS PROGRAM READY TO JOIN FIRST WEEK MARCH LETTER FOLLOWS, and so you can arrange for Madras accordingly. The Sankirtana Party here will be free by the 28th February, 1971 and it will not be difficult for them to reach by 1st March, 1971. Provisionally the Sankirtana Party may remain there at least one week but if there is good chance of preaching, they may continue to stay there more than one week. So far I'm concerned, I'm trying to avoid traveling as far as possible, but if need be, I may also go there for a few days, but that will be settled up when you are actually in Madras. Madras is a good field because these people understand English very easily. So you will have very good chance for preaching in English. Please offer my blessings to the others. Hoping this will meet you in good health. your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 13:00 | February 15, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Sridama, Please accept my blessings and offer the same to your good wife and all the other Prabhus there. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 13rd January, 1971, along with one set of beads for chanting and recommendation for the initiation of Debbie. I have duly chanted her beads and given her the spiritual name Devi Dasi. I have sent her a letter along with her beads separately. I think you will receive them soon. I beg to thank you for the initiation gift of a fifty dollar check for my book fund. It is very welcome. Some kind of gift to the Spiritual Master from the new disciple on the occasion of initiation is required that the function be complete. I am expecting to return to the States by the end of March, so I will be very happy to see you all at that time. I think that from now on initiations may be held until I return to the States. That will be nice. Then there will be better opportunity to execute this business. Regarding your disease, if you have been given medicine by the Doctor, you may take it. The best news is that the college students are so much receptive to our message of Krsna consciousness. Try your best to present the matter to them in such a nice way as we have already established and they are sure to recover their rightful position as devotees of the Lord. Hope this will meet you in better health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:ds letters | 12:57 | February 15, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Daughter Devi Dasi, Please accept my blessings. I have received one letter from Sriman Sridama Das Adhikari in which he recommends you for initiation into our Krsna consciousness Movement. I have also received your beads, but I have not received any letter from you. Thank you very much for the contribution check for fifty dollars to my book fund. This kind of offering of some gift to the Spiritual Master at the time of initiation is the proper duty of the disciple. This makes the function complete and is required. I am very glad that a sincere soul like you has become attracted with this Movement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. That is your very good fortune. Now please take care of your advancement in Krsna consciousness by following strictly the prescribed methods for reviving your dormant love of Krsna. I am very glad to accept you as my initiated disciple and your spiritual name is Srimati Devi Dasi. I am returning your beads duly chanted herewith to you. Please continue to faithfully serve the Lord by chanting His Holy Names sixteen rounds daily on the beads, going on Sankirtana, following the regulative principles and avoiding the ten offenses, working in cooperation to spread this Sankirtana Movement, studying our philosophy carefully and keeping always happy in Krsna Consciousness. You can take good advantage of the association of devotees and be guided progressively by your elder Godbrothers and sisters in the matter of executing your Krsna consciousness without difficulty. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:ds letters | 12:54 | February 15, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Jagadisa, Please accept my blessings. I was very glad to receive your letter dated 31st January, 1971. As you have recommended, I have duly initiated the four new devotees and their names are as follows: John-- Yugalakisora, Carol--Kritimati Devi Dasi, Suzanne--Sujan Devi Dasi and Marlene-- Mayavati. I have replied their letters separately and they are sent along with their beads. You should receive them soon. It is very encouraging that we are being so favorably presented everywhere by the media. Just today two editors of Indian newspapers have informed me of their intention to print special issues devoted to our Movement as well as give daily one article on our philosophy. The article from the Toronto newspaper was very good report and our Sriman Rasananda has presented the facts very well. Please give him my thanks for this appropriate presentation. He is a very good boy. All our students, boys and girls become first class good by this nice process. Please keep me informed regularly how things are progressing with your center and your zone. I am always very glad to hear from you how you are doing in Krsna's service. Please offer my blessings to all the boys and girls there. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:ds letters | 12:49 | February 15, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Sriman Yugalakisora Das Brahmacari, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your repentant letter dated 28th January, 1971, and I am so much glad that you have again come to our camp after some time being mislead by Maya. You should take severe warning from this incident and not treat the matter as very light. Maya is always peeping for a chance to allure the neophyte devotees from the path of Krsna Consciousness and this potential danger is always there everywhere in the material world. The only solution to the danger of material entanglement and consequent unhappiness is to surrender unconditionally at the Lotus feet of Krsna because only He can give assurance of protection from all sinful reactions. So you are very much fortunate that Krsna has again taken you back into the company of devotees. I am glad to accept you as my initiated disciple and your spiritual name is Yugalakisora Das Brahmacari. The transcendental young couple of Radha and Krsna are known as Yugal Kisora. Please strictly follow the regulative principles of no eating of meat, fish or eggs, no illicit sex, no gambling and no intoxication. Chant Hare Krsna Mahamantra daily at least sixteen rounds and be happy in devotional service to the Lord. If you have any difficulties of doubt or question, you may put them to your elder Godbrothers or if need be to me. I shall be glad to help you advance in Krsna's service as far as possible. Try to learn the philosophy thoughtfully and teach others how to understand this transcendental science for the benefit of all. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:ds letters | 11:52 | February 15, 1971 Gorakhpur Central Bank of India Bombay-26 Dear Sir: Re: My H.S.B. Account No. 14538 with You. I beg to inform you that I am travelling all over the country and whenever there is some collection I transfer the money by mail transfer. I had no difficulty anywhere, but here in Gorakhpur it is the first time that a branch has charged for the transfer. Previous to this they did not charge. Neither in Surat, Amritsar, Allahabad, Indore, etc. did they charge for my mail transfer. So kindly issue a letter in my favor that your branches should not charge for my mail transfer. Also, kindly let me know what is the balance in my favor in the above account. I have just transferred Rs. 1611. Thanking you in anticipation. Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:ds letters | 10:59 | Feb 12, 2006 February 12, 1971 Gorakhpur My Dear Gunagrahi Das Brahmacari, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your nice letter dated 27th December, 1970, and I am so glad to know that you have been staying at our Buffalo Temple and you are now the Sankirtana leader there. This is very good news. The spreading of this Sankirtana Movement is the best service to the greater humanity and all living entities in general because it revives the divine nature of the soul in Krsna Consciousness. So your activities are now supposed to be on the pure spiritual platform and by continuation of this simple process faithfully you will increase your spiritual blissful strength and influence those who come in your contact to take part in this joyous revival of love of Krsna, the desired life of eternally liberated souls. I am very glad to accept you as my initiated disciple and your spiritual name is Gunagrahi Das Brahmacari. Gunagrahi means one who picks up or acquires all good qualifications or qualities. You can easily understand how Krsna is the repository of all auspicious qualities beyond enumeration; so you are to be known as the servant of the All-Good Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna. I have duly chanted your beads and they are returned to you herewith. Please fulfill your all requirements of advancement in Krsna consciousness by rigidly following the rules and regulations, chanting the sixteen rounds of beads daily, studying our literatures carefully and thoughtfully in the company of other devotees and try always to keep yourself engaged progressively in some kind of service of the Lord. I am sure that you are already well familiar with the requirements of devotional service and in any case they are fully elaborated in our various literatures like Nectar of Devotion. So you kindly become conversant with these transcendental scientific principles try to teach them to others while practicing them yourself. When you chant, avoid very carefully the ten offenses to the Holy Name. If you have any doubts or questions be sure to clear them by inquiry from either Rupanuga Prabhu, your other Godbrothers or if need be by writing to me. Be blessed and happy chanting Hare Krsna. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:ds letters | 12:20 | |
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