a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1971 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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Aug 5, 2006 Thursday, 5 August, 1971 London My Dear Sri Govinda Das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 5th August, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. It is so much encouraging to note how nicely you are distributing BTG. That is our main business, to distribute our literatures. This incense business is all right as a supplement, but we should give all our energy to distribute these literatures and magazines. Then we maintain ourselves and at the same time push on this Krishna Consciousness philosophy. Your idea for a festival much like the one we held in Calcutta and Bombay, at all the university campuses is a very good proposal, so do it nicely. Simply pictures of Guru Gauranga will do; there is no need of taking along Jagannatha Deities. And so far getting Jagannatha Deities from Jayapataka Swami, why you are making that extra expenditure? All our Jagannatha Deities are locally carved. Any boy who knows carving can carve Jagannatha. If you want you can order Gaura Nitai Deities; that is all right. So far brahminical rules for cleanliness, those I have already described in the letter mentioned by you. Brahminical means cleanliness. We are trying to create a brahminical society. So all the devotees under your care there in Cleveland should be trained up in that light. Cleanliness is next to Godliness. Please offer my blessings to the other boys and girls there. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 15:48 | 5 August, 1971 London My Dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 2nd August, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I am so glad to hear that you have brought the big Deities from San Francisco. You can install the Dieties according to the ceremonial functions you have already seen in Boston. Do it nicely with cleanliness, love and affection. That is required. I don't think I shall be able to return to L.A. by Janmastami day so I am authorizing you to do the function. Regarding your changing position with Bhavananda, I don't think L.A. can be managed at the present time without your presence. The original proposal was that if the presidents required the change then they could switch centers, but changing of your place will not be very favorable. So stay there and develop things nicely. I am so pleased to learn that you are opening a new branch in Fresno, California and are soon to open one in Long Beach also. So your presence is required there in the West. Your overseeing is most important position. What am I doing but overseeing. So continue there in L.A. In my opinion, Bhavananda is as much required in N.Y. as you are required in L.A., but he is wanting some change. So I think he can go to Mayapur to manage the building construction. Then Rupanuga can take over management of N.Y. center. Yesterday I talked with the high commissioner from India for the United Kingdom. So now we shall get missionary visas from here very easily. So either they can get missionary visas from there in U.S. or if there is difficulty then you can send me the names of the devotees who are going there and I will submit their names from here and then they can come to London to pick up their visas on the way to India. So this information should be passed on to all our centers. Forget taking sannyasa order for the time being. Unless your child is born, there is no question of taking sannyasa. We shall consider the matter further when your child is born. So now you should take care of your wife. The woman should be cared for, especially during pregnancy. At the time of the marriage ceremony there is a promise that the husband will care for the wife throughout her life and the woman will serve the husband throughout his life. When the child is grown up then the husband can take sannyasa. Of course Lord Caitanya took sannyasa at 24 years, but that is a special case. I think that now you're doing more than sannyasa. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 15:48 | 5 August, 1971 London My Dear Bhavananda, Please accept my blessings. I understand from Karandhara that you had some telephone conversation on the matter of changing places. In my opinion, Karandhara is required on the western side and you are required in N.Y. center. You have organized N.Y. very nicely; I give you all credit for this. But if you are insisting and require some change, then the best thing to do is to go to Mayapur and manage the building construction there. Tamala has written in his last letter that he has no experience in such building affairs and he wants to appoint some big contractors. That will be too expensive. We can save that amount by supervising ourselves this construction. That will be favorable for our purpose. If you decide that you will go to Mayapur then you should apply for missionary visa from there. If there is any difficulty then I can submit your name from here and you can stop over in London to pick up your visa on the way to India. That can be done for any number of devotees planning to go to India, so this information should be passed on to all our centers. Please offer my blessings to all the boys and girls there in N.Y. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb cc: Karandhara; c/o ISKCON L.A. letters | 15:47 | Aug 4, 2006 Wednesday, 4 August, 1971 London My Dear Bali-mardana, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 29th July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. So far the temple in Kuala Lumpur is concerned, we cannot be dictated by others. That is not possible. Yes, the touring program, preaching and distributing our literatures, is more important. Of course for the big cities a nice center is required. So if Kamala Devi is making so many demands there in Kuala Lumpur, then it is not advisable to stay on. So far Mayapur is concerned, I have not yet received the documents of the purchase of the land from Tamala. They had not yet arrived in N.Y. when I left there, on the 2nd August. So you can send a copy here immediately. Also you should send the temple plan made by Jaju's engineer, so that Naranarayana, presently in London, can be consulted. Regarding the Book Trust, soon you will be receiving copies of the documents from Karandhara and upon your approval we will draft a final agreement and sign it. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. The Madison Park program has failed on account of the documents not being received. Syamasundara is disappointed. letters | 15:46 | 4 August, 1971 London My Dear Sukhada Devi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your kind letter undated and delivered personally by Harer Nama Prabhu on 1st August, 1971 at New York. Upon his recommendation and the recommendation of Satsvarupa Prabhu I have gladly consented to accept you as my duly initiated disciple and have given you the spiritual name Sukhada Devi Dasi. Sukhada means one who is always giving pleasure to Krishna. That you can do by engaging in His service 24 hours. Surely then He will be pleased and bestow upon you all blessings for making rapid advancement in Krishna Consciousness. The process is simple. Follow the regulative principles of devotional life undeviatingly, regularly chant 16 rounds of beads daily and without fail, read all our literatures, attend classes and aratis, go for street Sankirtana. If there are any questions, always refer them to your elder godbrothers and sisters. So our method is not so difficult. Rather it is joyful. So engage yourself enthusiastically in this way and you will be happy and in the end go back to home, back to Godhead. I have chanted on your beads and they were returned to you personally by Harer Nama; you should have received them by now. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 15:45 | 4 August, 1971 London My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated nil and have noted the contents. So far the marriage of Shakuntala and Ajamita is concerned, I have no objection but you must brief them thoroughly on married life in Krishna Consciousness, how serious business it is, and that separation is not allowed under any circumstances. At one marriage ceremony in N.Y. Rupanuga had the boy and girl both sign documents saying that they promised never to separate under any circumstances. So you can correspond with him and do likewise. I have sent you tape no. 13 along with some poetry by separate post. I hope that you have received the package by now. Please offer my blessings to the other boys and girls there. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 15:45 | 4 August, 1971 London My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 28th July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. So far your question is concerned you should understand that a devotee is never under any karmic reaction. Whatever is happening is the mercy of Krishna. That should be the view point of the devotee. Once surrendered to Krishna, karmic reaction is immediately gone, but if he acts again independently, then he is again in the clutches of maya. That marginal state is always there but for a pure devotee who has actually surrendered to Krishna, he has no karmic reaction. The same example of the fan switched off; it is still running some rounds, but that will be stopped very soon. That is his position. Therefore a pure devotee who is having some adverse reaction, he doesn't take ill of it. He knows that the karmic reaction is already stopped but what is happening is the residual turning of the fan, even after the switch is off. A pure devotee therefore takes it as the mercy of the Lord because the Lord is finishing his karmic reaction by summary punishment. ___. To the devotee such adverse condition is seen as the benediction of the Lord and more enthusiastically he engages himself in the Lord's transcendental service. He is never hampered by such reaction, neither his Krishna Consciousness is hampered by the least degree. In the presence of such adverse conditions of karmic reaction, the Lord advises to tolerate; tams titiksasva bharata. My dear Arjuna, please tolerate these things without being perplexed. They come and go like seasonal changes of summer and winter. They have nothing to do with the pure soul engaged in devotional service. So the reaction is stopped, but the momentum is still there. Simply one has to tolerate. Please offer my blessings to the other boys and girls there. Hoping this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 15:42 | Jul 31, 2006 Saturday, 31 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Sivananda, Please accept my blessings. I was so anxious to receive word from you and now I have received your letter post-dated 22nd July, 1971 and after such a long time. Thank you very much. Your letter of appreciation will be published in this years Vyasa Puja publication. I am so pleased to know that in Berlin everything is going on all right. You will be pleased to know that on 2nd August I will be coming to London. So if possible you can come and see me there and we can talk further. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 19:33 | 31 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Sudama, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 23d July, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I am so glad to hear that you have again come to your senses and are arranging for your good wife Cintamani to return to Tokyo. She is a very nice devotee; that is a fact. And it is your duty to take care of her and see to it that she becomes Krishna Conscious. So work cooperatively, husband and wife, and make our Tokyo center most successful. That is my request. So far as translating our literatures into Japanese language, you should endeavor to do so vigorously. You have published only one Japanese BTG, but they should be regularly published. So if you go on and engage your mind in all this positive work, it will help you to rapidly advance in Krishna Consciousness. So far your going to the GBC meeting, if you cannot go there because of lack of funds, that is all right. In regards to Karatieya Swami, I have already written him one letter and replied the point. Most probably very soon I shall be sending another sannyasi there to help you. Please offer my blessings to your good wife Cintamani. Hoping this will meet you and Kartikeya Maharaja both in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 19:32 | 31 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Satadhanya, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your kindly letter dated 25th July, 1971. Very soon I am going to Europe; London and Paris, but soon thereafter I will be returning to USA. At that time I may very well visit New Vrindaban. In the mean time you work cooperatively with the others to make our New Vrindaban a very nice place. Then how I can refuse to visit there? So far your name, Satadhanya was a great devotee king. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 19:31 | Jul 30, 2006 Friday, 30 July, 1971 New York My Dear Narayani, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your kindly presentation of $20. check as daksina. I am so glad to hear that you are presently engaged in Krishna's service there in our Gainesville temple. It is very nice temple and Gainesville appears to be a very good place for spreading Lord Caitanya's message. So work cooperatively with Hrdayananda and the other devotees there and make our Gainesville center a grand success. Work sincerely and enthusiastically for pushing on this movement, regularly chant your 16 rounds of beads and follow all the regulative principles faithfully, then Krishna will surely bless you for making rapid advancement in Krishna Consciousness. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 19:30 | 30 July, 1971 Brooklyn My Dear Sri Aditya Sarkar, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 16th July, 1971 and have noted the contents. I was in India until 20th June, 1971. Why did you not come and see me then? If you want to come here to USA, then please contact either Calcutta center (3, Albert Road; Calcutta-17) or our Bombay center (89 Warden Road, 7th floor; Bombay-26 (Akash-Ganga Building)). You can become a life member of our society and then you can come to any one of our centers all over the world. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/adb letters | 19:29 | |
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