a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1971 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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Jul 28, 2006 Wednesday, 28 July, 1971 New York My Dear Visnujana Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 26th July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I never suggested to the GBC members that you should go to South America. If you are doing so nicely in Austin and neighbouring places, then go on with that program. And go on preaching on the college campuses, as you are planning to do in San Antonio. These colleges are our great future hope. So far the three boys you recommended for initiation, anyone you recommend, gladly I will initiate them. So do you think I shall send their beads duly chanted? On hearing from you I shall send them beads duly chanted. So take care of Isana. Sometimes he goes a little crazy. He is a good boy and his wife also is a very nice girl. I like them both, but sometimes they go amuck. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. letters | 19:29 | 28 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Gurudasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 21st July, 1971 and have noted the contents. The handwritten postscript was "is Not." You are right. But I have received one letter from Madhudvisa Maharaja that things are going on nicely in Bombay. So you need not go there. Better if you also form a party to recruite life members. From Giriraja's letter, and Tamala's also, I understand that only Giriraja is collecting money. So why not you do something in this connection? I suggest, since Jayapataka is engaged in temple work, that both you and Tamala find some time and recruit some members. So far the chief guest is concerned, I have written Tamala that if Indira Gandhi or some nice donor is not available, then forget this function. I was in Calcutta when there was an attempt to post one literature in which it was falsely declared that Indira Gandhi was to perform the corner stone ceremony, and I objected. Everything should be done very carefully. We are increasing in volume and we have got some prestige. Nothing should be done irresponsibly. I have learned from Giriraja that it is not possible to get any big donation. We have to construct the temple at Mayapur by collecting membership fees. So far I understand, the collection rate is at one member per day. So even it is so, then keeping this standard, we may collect 25,000 to 30,000 Rs. per month. Four months means one lakh. One year means three lakhs. So if we want to spend 25 lakhs at Mayapur, it will take 8 to 10 years. Do you think that is a practical proposal? So we should not imagine some big project unless we have got insurance from our admirers. This life membership program has proved a little successful, so continue it and form 3 or 4 parties to collect membership fees. As Giriraja and Revatinandana have formed one party, so you and Tamala form a party to approach respectable gentlemen to become life members. If there are sufficient men in Calcutta, then why not send some and try to develop Delhi? Subala Maharaja sometimes says that he will conduct the Vrindaban press and sometimes he says that there is no need. He is not fixed up. It was the program in Delhi that BTG in Hindi would be published. There was so much enthusiasm for this Hindi work in Delhi and now nothing is done. We are making members on the condition that there will be a Hindi BTG but no arrangement has been made to date; simply words. Ksirodakasayi left India all of a sudden. Dr. Rao is competent to translate but I do not know why he is silent. I first went to India some time last year at the end of August. So you are all in India for at least one year but still you cannot publish a second issue of Hindi BTG. So immediately arrangement should be made. We have to publish from India BTG in different languages. Whatever prestige we have got is due to our magazines and books. So in this connection, no attention is being drawn and, as Tamala is in charge of Indian affairs, I wish to draw his serious attention in this matter. What arrangements are there for printing our magazine in different Indian languages? Some Bengali man, Mr. Chaterjee's son-in-law, wanted to translate. What happened to that? So far I know, the Delhi dharmasala room can be had for our permanent office, and at least for printing our books and magazines in Hindi. So we should maintain the Delhi center. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 19:28 | 28 July, 1971 New York My Dear Madhudvisa Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21st July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I am so glad to hear that the gloomy situation mentioned with Tamala has now dissipated. If we keep to our principle of following the regulative principles and chanting of 16 rounds of beads daily, then it is a fact that Krishna will help us in every respect. I am so glad that the neighboring ladies are coming to string garlands for the Deities. They should be given some service. That will be very good for them. So you should remain there not only for six month, but unlimited time unless we find some suitable place. By law they cannot remove us. Take help from Devanji, our good lawyer friend. And we have got many other friends; they will all help. In the meantime, I have sent my decision on the Little Gibbs Road House in my last letter dated 23rd July, 1971, which I hope you have received by now. There is no objection to your program for book distribution. You should be able to make three or four members daily like that. Anyone can pay Rs. 100 immediately. So distribute as many books as possible by this method. Yes, avoid corresponding with your mother. Simply offer your obeisances, but as far as possible avoid correspondence. Yes, even an ordinary man absorbed in some other thought forgets his bodily pains and pleasures. So why not in Krishna Consciousness? I learned from an intimate friend of Stalin that he underwent surgical operation of the abdomen without any anesthetic. It was in the papers. He saw it that his own abdomen was being operated on. He was so strong minded. So when one is in Krishna Consciousness, he no more feels any bodily pains and pleasures. After all, we are not this body. But we should make progress steadily by following the rules and regulations, not making experiment. Just like Haridasa Takhur was beaten in 22 market places and he felt no pain. Prahlada was boiled in oil. So we have to take instruction from them, but not to imitate. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. While posting this letter, I'm in due receipt of you letter dated 16th July regarding a new house like a palace on Nepansy Road near the corner of Warden Rd. where a large catholic church stands. You can negotiate for this house with Mr. Chabria. It he thinks that it is worth 20 lacs, then you can consider this point and let me know further details to London address (7, Bury Place, London, W.C.1) letters | 19:27 | 28 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Jayapataka Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 18th July, 1971 and have noted the contents. I am very glad to learn that you are again president of our Calcutta center. In the beginning also I did not want the change. Anyway, let there be no change anymore. So far account keeping is concerned, are you taking assistance of a professional accountant? At the end of one year you will have to make a balance sheet and trial balance. That takes good experience. Tamala is going to audit the accounts by somebody else, but how can they be audited in the absence of trial balance? So if you have actually made a trial balance and balance sheet please send me a copy before it is audited. On the whole our account should be kept very nicely because we are dealing with the public's money. In Calcutta there is no International Society Book fund a/c. So all book fund money may be directly transferred by mail to Gowalia Tank Road Branch of Central Bank of India to account number 14876. Central Bank will dispatch free of charges. Gowalia Branch has already issued a letter in this connection that all mail transfer will be free of charges. Regarding exporting of mrdangas, I am very glad that you are in charge of this department. It is so nice that you are taking care of temple affairs and exporting of instruments, beads, etc. I am very glad to know that Yasodanandana has arrived there from Berkeley. I shall be glad to know how he is engaged in Calcutta activities. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 19:26 | 28 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Tamala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of July 20, 1971, and I have considered the contents carefully. So far the Book Fund in the name of ISKCON, I changed it in Bombay before leaving India and I have advised the Calcutta bank to transfer all balance to the Bombay account. So there is no anxiety about taxation as you are so much afraid. And another thing is, I do not know how you are going to audit the accounts without making the accounts perfect. The auditing of accounts is done when the business account is made perfect by drawing trial balance and balance sheet. Have you done these things? They must be made by an experienced accountant. I do not know how Jayapataka or Rsi Kumar can draw up this trial balance and balance sheet. Anyway somehow or other you have to prepare them, then talk of auditing. Send me a copy of what you have made. According to law our Society is registered within (less than) one year, so I don't think a one year trial balance sheet is necessary, therefore there is no question of auditing the account. Regarding our cornerstone ceremony, if Indira Gandhi is not available at any time, then forget this ceremony. But if she is so kind to you as you said in your letter then she can come at her convenience. Otherwise we don't require to have such elaborate ceremony. Because it appears that nobody is going to give us any big donations, at least for the time being it appears that there is no such prospect. Regarding giving contract for building our temple I think it is not a good proposal. We are not so rich. The plans made by Jaju's engineer is alright. We can engage our own men to construct the temple without any contractor. Nara Narayana is experienced, and there are so many experienced men in our Society and I think some of them may go to Mayapur and we will construct ourselves. Besides, in India many of our godbrothers have constructed big big temples but they have never taken the help of any contractor or engineer. The native masonry workers are very experienced so we can simply supervise. To give the contract to Martin, Burn or Ballardie is too big a scheme, because these contractors were engaged in building the Victoria Memorial Hall I don't think we can give them proper remuneration. So far I can understand from Giriraja's letter he thinks money is expected only from Life Members, not from big contributors. Revatinandana does not require to go to Bombay because I have received a letter from Madhudvisa and things are going nicely there. Besides Revatinandana is on the Mayapur Committee. so why he should go to Bombay? He is doing well in conjunction with Giriraja and Giriraja writes that he is his only helper. On the other hand, some of the rich men like Bajoria, Jalan and K. K. Birla may be added to the Mayapur Committee. I think this will help our Mayapur scheme very nicely. Have you taken deliver of the sales deed document of Mayapur land? Please send me a copy. There were some crops on the land with Rs. 4000/- worth of crops. Have they been sold and the money realized? Regarding land purchase. There is no need of purchasing land now because their impression is that Americans will buy the land so they have increased the price by three times. We shall purchase later at our convenience at the real price. Let us utilize this eleven bighas of land first, we shall see to more land later. We shall not artificially increase the price at the present moment by acquiring land now. Hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami n.b. Please reply this letter to our London address. ACBS/adb letters | 19:26 | Jul 27, 2006 Tuesday, 27 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 24th July, 1971 and after such a long time. I was a little shocked when I understood that you left the London temple for taking care of your wife. I do not know what is the disease of your wife but when I was in London she was doing very nicely and personally serving me also. I was very pleased. Why she has developed this tendency to give up Krishna Consciousness? I was so pleased to know that since Gurudasa had left London you had taken charge of our temple there, but later on you again left, so what can I do? I shall always pray that wherever you remain, you will continue your Krishna Consciousness and follow the rules and regulations. Now I am going to London very soon and after coming back I will be going to L.A. So you can come and see me at that time along with your wife and stay for some time. That will be very nice. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 18:44 | 27 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Tamala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. Enclosed please find a copy of a letter sent to the Manager, Central Bank of India, Camac Street Branch. Henceforward, you can send all book fund a/c collections to Bombay for credit in International Society for Krishna Consciousness Book Fund Account no. 14876, Gowalia Tank Branch, Bombay-26. Also I have received one letter from Gurudasa Prabhu dated 21st July, 1971 and have noted the contents. I have received report from Bombay that things are going on very nicely there, so there is no need for him to go there at the present time. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 18:42 | 27 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 25th July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. The arrangement you have made in Boston for me was very nice. There is no need of nice apartment. A sannyasi shouldn't live in a very nice place but because your country is so much opulent, even a poor man is offered a nice place. So whatever is offered in devotion and love is all right. It is our duty to offer the very best to Krishna and the Spiritual Master. That is reciprocal love. Enclosed herewith, some poems and articles for publication in BTG upon your approval. So far my writing is concerned, yes I want to settle down somewhere and write my books. That is my aim. So most probably it will be done by Krishna's grace. The subject matter of BTG should be very grave. It should not be made a joking, comical literature. The subject matter is that everyone should know who is Krishna. So present it in philosophical way but with simple language. The next subject matter is our relationship with Krishna. Then how we fulfill our life's ambition in Krishna Consciousness. So all these subject matters should be made understandable by the people in general, but we should be very grave in our presentation. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 18:35 | Jul 25, 2006 Sunday, 25 July, 1971 London Madame Srimati Sumati Morarji Baisaheba, Please accept my greetings. You will be glad to know that this time while coming to U.S.A. from Bombay I went to Moscow also, and arrangement is being made to start a center there very soon with the help of some young Muscovites. I hope that Sriman Madhudvisa Maharaja saw you in connection with dispatching some of my disciples to India. By the three Hare Krishna festivals perfomed in Allahabad, Calcutta and Bombay, it has been examined that people of India have not lost their Krishna Consciousness. During the festivals, especially in Calcutta and Bombay, daily 30,000 people were gathering and standing for three hours to appreciate our sankirtana movement. I have therefore decided to send more men from America to India to preach this cult all over the country. We require about 100 men minimum, out of whom there are about 40 men in Calcutta and Bombay and other places. I am therefore requesting you to carry these 60 men by your ships from N.Y. to Bombay or Calcutta. You are always cooperating with my movement and thereby getting blessings from Krishna more and more. Kindly arrange for this dispatch of 60 men to India. I think you can dispatch every month at least 10 men either as passenger or crew, whichever you like. So kindly do the needful and oblige. You wanted to contribute some pairs of Deities. Mr. R.D. Birla has already supplied six pairs of Deities from Jaipur. Similarly you can also donate Deities for being installed in these western countries. Things are going on here very nicely. From India I went to Moscow and then to Paris. Then I went to San Francisco and then to Los Angeles. Then I went to Detroit, Boston and now I am staying in N.Y. From here, I shall go to Florida to deliver a lecture in the Gainesville University, and then I shall go to London. So kindly reply this letter to my London address given above. Thanking in anticipation, I beg to remain Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 06:48 | 25 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Nayana Bhirama, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 22nd July, 1971 and have noted the contents. Also I have received your clippings. So far your American Express Money Order, sent to Bombay, I have not received it as of yet. Perhaps you should trace it, because it should have been forwarded to me by now. I was very glad to see both you and your good wife Daivisakti here in N.Y. for the initiation ceremonies. You are both doing so nicely in Krishna Consciousness. Thank you very much. And please offer my blessings to all the other boys and girls there in Philadelphia. Their presentations were so very nice, and they showed so much devotion also. You are all so very nice to me and I am so grateful. On Thursday next, 29th July, I am going to Gainesville, Florida, to lecture in the university there and then I will be going to London. So it will not be possible for me to visit New Vrindaban at this time. Perhaps in the future, when I return to U.S.A. The fig tree is not worshipable by us. Try to worship tulasi instead. That will include all tree worship. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:47 | 25 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Giriraja, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 14th July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. So far the Mayapur program is concerned, I received one telegram from Tamala Krishna that the date for the program has been postponed and I replied by cable that it is all right, but still this is a little disappointing. Anyway, let us hope for better things in the future. I am so glad to hear that you have acquired the flat on the other side of the upper floor at 3, Albert Road and that now there are ample facilities. We are arranging to send 60 devotees from different centers to India and I have written one letter to Sumati Morarji. Madhudvisa Maharaja is taking care of that. So I am very glad that you have accommodations for all the devotees in Calcutta. Your word of assurance that in two years time you will be able to collect 25 lakhs is very encouraging and I am sure that you will be able to do it. Krishna has given you the intelligence. But I am surprised that only Revatinandana Maharaja is helping you. Why not others? There must be at least two parties to collect funds. Is Tamala Krishna that busy? He can form another party also. That will be very nice. This coupon idea is very welcome. You can write one line on the coupon that please come and dine with us on Sundays. Like that. Thus it becomes an invitation and they will be pleased. I am glad to hear that Mr. Bajoria and Tarun Kanti Ghosh, as well as others, are coming regularly. Receive them very nicely. They are important men and if they are sympathetic, they can do tremendous help. T.K. Ghosh, when I first met him at Ballyganj, he ordered for all the books, so you can remind him and make him our life member. You can tell Tamala that in Bombay, the book fund deposit is in the name of International Society for Krishna Consciousness. The account no. is 14876, in Gowalia Tank branch of Central Bank of India. So you can directly transfer book fund money to Bombay by mail transfer. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:46 | Jul 24, 2006 Saturday, 24 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Vaikunthanatha and Saradia, my beloved son and daughter, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter dated 4th July, 1971 from Trinidad and it has encouraged me so much that I am now confident that my missionary activities will go on even in my absence. You young husband and wife are so nice that Krishna will shower His blessings upon you both incessantly. Please keep up the spirit of preaching work and you will be victorious wherever you go. I have received your press cuttings and they are very much encouraging. So you concentrate you energy for preaching in that part of the world. You are already popular there and you will become more and more popular. Nara Narayana may be required for constructing a temple in Mayapur in India, but if he doesn't go to India then surely he will go to Trinidad to construct a new temple there. So the public is in sympathy with our movement and I am sure that there will be no difficulty in extending your visas further. Work sincerely, keeping faith on Krishna and the Spiritual Master and everything will come out successful. Thanking you once more for your noble activities. Hope this will find you both in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 06:45 | Jul 23, 2006 Friday, 23 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Vrndavana Candra, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 20th July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. So far as mixing with society, we can do it. That is all right. But simply for jobs sake, we cannot. To mix with them intimately is not good. So that should be avoided. Lord Caitanya never said stop mixing with nondevotees. He was preaching himself. How a preacher can stop? The whole world is nondevotees. So far these plays are concerned, they are not meant for ordinary people and if they laugh, then that is a great offense. Just like in your play Putana Killed there was so much laughing. So these plays are not meant for the public showing unless they are very nicely done. The audience must give grave attention. If they laugh, that is the greatest offense. Lord Caitanya never played before ordinary men. Only before devotees. But for you to put on such plays for devotees only is not so practical. So plays of Krishna Lila should be avoided, unless it is very gravely performed.* Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami *Some instructive stories from Bhagavatam may be played before the general public. ACBS/adb letters | 10:43 | 23 July, 1971 New York My Dear Madhudvisa Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 10th July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. So far the Vakil Little Gibbs House is concerned, the offer mentioned by you is all right, but one point is that Mr. Vakil must take the responsibility of vacating the tenants on the first floor. We cannot become involved in such transaction. So he must see to it that they are moved out. So you can discuss it with him and make the following offer: We will pay 10-1/2 lakhs under the table. Then we pay 1-1/2 lakhs down and 3 lakhs in installments over three years time. So included in the 10-1/2 lakhs is 3 lakhs compensation for vacating the first floor tenants and he can pay them off immediately. The point is that we must have total occupation immediately upon payment of 10-1/2 lakhs under the table, 1-1/2 lakhs down. We cannot take on the responsibility of vacating the first floor tenant. So you can write me in London and let me know what is the decision. I will be going there bythe first week of August. So if Bhativalla is trying to evict us on legal grounds, and he cannot be defeated, then we will vacate. That is all right. Then, if we are unable to secure the Vakil house or some suitable place, then you should pack up and everyone immediately go to Mayapur. We have got some land there and the program is going on. So you can make plans accordingly. Your idea for a three day benefit to raise 4 lakhs towards our International University for Study of Vedic Culture is a very sound proposal, so do it and make the idea concrete. That will be very good. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. The ad is all right, provided you can keep all the promises made. letters | 10:43 | 23rd July, 1971 Brooklyn, New York My Dear Babhru (William), Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your very kind letter dated 19th July, and you will be glad to know that I have gladly accepted you as my duly initiated disciple. Your beads have been duly chanted on by me and they are enclosed herewith. Your spiritual name is Babhru Das Brahmachary. Babhru was a great personality in the Yadu dynasty. Goursundar Prabhu informs me that you are head Tulasi gardner at New Nabadwipa. Now ‘Krishna Tulasi’ is there also. You surely must be a great devotee. Tulasi devi is growing so profusely there and that is surely to your credit. So continue with this valuable service and become fixed up in Krishna consciousness. Chant all your 16 rounds faithfully, study all our literatures and go for street San Kirtan as much as possible. And by the grace of Srimati Tulasi Devi surely you will make rapid advancement in Krishna Consciousness. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb William Reed; c/o New Nabadwip I am so glad to note that both you, husband and wife, are qualified to teach and are anxious to do so in one of our community situations. That will be very nice. So if you like, you can make suitable arrangements for going either to Texas or to New Vrindaban, where they may have need for such qualified teachers. So correspond with those centers and find out if it is possible. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:06 | |
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