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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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10 May 2008 Friday, 10 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 1, 1974. I am glad to hear that you are agreeable to and making plans to come and join with me. Everyone has some potency. You have special potency. Do not waste it in the service of maya, but use it in the service of Krsna. Although there is inconvenience, we must endure it with a vow and finish our business in Krishna conscious service. As for you joining me, the following is my schedule; I will be leaving India on May 23 for Rome where I will be going to Via Misttetta 2, near Piazza Lodi, Rome 00182. On the 30th of May I will go to Geneva, Switzerland and will be at 9, chemin du Credo 1213 Petit Lancy. And on June 9 I will be arriving in Paris and will stay in Paris for a week. After this our program is not fixed up. I may tour in Europe or travel. So I hope you will be able to join me either in Rome, Geneva or Paris. I am very eager to meet with you so please try your best to arrive in Europe while I am there. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: distubance, itinerary, Los Angeles letters | 12:35 |10 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Jagadisa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 26, 1974 and noted the contents. I can appreciate that you are traveling widely in your recently expanded zone and you plan to first become acquainted with the temple presidents by traveling is good. As far as you leaving Uttama Sloka in charge of Toronto and sending Sripati to Montreal, that is alright. I know Sripati was already there in Montreal and he is experienced. Regarding your Gurukula report, why are the older boys being sent to New Vrindaban? What are the facilities like, what is the program there, what is the need for them to move? As things are not fully explained in your letter, I am inquiring regarding this very important change. As for buying a new house and land in order that the pre-school children may go there, what is the need of them being separate. If they cannot rise early, why should you take care of such young ones at Gurukula. But if they are rising early and attending arati, then why must they be separate from the other little children? Please explain further. You are right when you say Deity worship must be maintained. This is most important. I know Nandarani is expert in Deity care but I think she is working with the children. Your wife is also expert, so she can maintain the sewing and Deity worship program. But the standard must always be kept up. Sankirtana is also a part of Vaisnavism. All our activities are a part of Vaisnavism. So Sankirtana should also be developed at Dallas. Yes, I have heard myself about Winipeg, that it is a big city in Canada. So if you think it better to move Regina center there that is approved by me. Yes, you plan to keep headquarters 1/2 year in Chicago and 1/2 year in Dallas, that is approved by me. Please send regular reports. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Canada, Chicago, Deities, gurukula, sankirtan letters | 12:34 |9 May 2008 Thursday, 9 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Gangamayi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your undated letter. I am glad to hear that you are determined to stay and live in the temple now and that you are becoming very much attached to the Deity worship and very serious about serving the Deity along with Malati Prabhu. I hope your restlessness is finished and that you will remain a faithful servitor in your duties with the Deities. Your comment is well taken that you have little or no knowledge of the politics. So you remain uninvolved and just continue to simply follow the authorities and concentrate on improving the Deity worship. If you chant at least 16 rounds daily and read our books, no contamination can touch us. I hope to see you in the near future at Bhaktivedanta Manor. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, standard practices letters | 04:33 |9 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Madhava devi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 1974. Yes there is no objection to your casting clay forms of Deities into plaster. I understand you are a nice artist in this medium, so make Deities of Gaura-Nitai and send me photographs of the forms. We can discuss this further when I come to Paris. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg letters | 04:32 | 9 May, 1974 Bombay, India My Dear Visala and Visalaini, Please accept my blessings. Thank you very much for your gift of Rs 500/. So you are both exemplary Vaisnavas and I want that you, husband and wife, preach together. So you are part of our Vrindaban center. When you can return there spend your time always studying my books, chanting and preaching to the people of Vrindaban, with real understanding of this science of Krishna consciousness. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: grhastha, preaching, Vrindavana letters | 04:30 |9 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Tejiyas, Please accept my blessings. I have received your letters of May 6 and May 7. You have requested 9 checks listed as follows: Rs. 193/60--Munna--Sand Rs. 2975/60--Munna--Sand Rs. 895/00--Allahbux--Painting Rs. 110/70--Munna--Labor Rs. 8804/00--Allahbux--Labor Rs. 25079/65--Yourselves--draft to Orissa Cement for hundi repayment Rs. 3500/00--Rockwin India engineering for consultation Rs. 384/83--Munna--Daily wages Rs. 19858/70--Sri Girraj Cement Co.--white cement marble chips The checks are duly enclosed. Please continue to keep accurate accounting and send me the ledger sheets periodically. This will enable me to keep up-to-date records. As for how checks will be handled when I am out of the country, I will arrange for this so do not worry. Regarding moving our New Delhi center from its present location to a smaller place, I would advise you to first investigate the building which is now being rented by an old disciple of mine, who you have met, Acarya Prabhaker. He is located at C-121 Kirti Nagar in New Delhi. He is paying only Rs. 1200/ a month for this place. So go and see if it is suitable then we can investigate further. So my present plans are to leave for Europe from New Delhi. Therefore we will be able to personally discuss things in a couple of weeks. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:sdg Labels: disciple, management, New Delhi letters | 04:30 |9 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Radhavallabha, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated. Now you are preparing the publications of Vol.1 and Vol.3 of Caitanya Caritamrta. As far as subtitles, all the volumes should have on the cover just as it is on the cover of Vol.2, 'The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.' As for the subtitle on the inside title page which is now printed in Vol.2 as 'Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the renounced Order of Life,' you can make a subtitle suitable according to the subject matter of the subsequent volume. But the phrase 'The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu' should appear on the cover of every volume. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Caitanya Caritamrta, New York letters | 04:29 |9 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Caru, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 29, 1974 and have noted the contents. I am glad to hear, although there were many difficulties, that Madhudvisa Maharaja will be able to return to Australia with permanent residence status. Please have him write me as soon as he returns. I do not have the exact date of your Rathayatra in June, although I think it is June 21. As for going there my present itinerary is that I am going to Rome on May 23 for a week, then a week in Geneva and then a week in Paris. So I may not be in London when it is time to go to Australia. You have written that you are arranging tickets for London-Sydney-Delhi. It is a little difficult to make exact arrangements at this time. But I plan to leave for Australia from Europe. Then from Australia I plan to go to San Francisco via Honolulu, in order to attend the July 8 Rathayatra in San Francisco. Your entering politics is good. You should make political propagation on the basis of reforming the whole human society. The leaders must be an ideal class of men, with ideal character, free from the four sinful activities: no meat eating, no gambling, no illicit sex and no intoxications, as well as chanting. They should chant the names of God. This is essential for leaders. Leaders must be ideal men so others will follow them. So make propaganda on this basis. We are Krishna Conscious candidates, so our political propaganda must be 100% Krishna Consciousness. As to importing the HARMONIST or doing one locally, do as suitable. It is a nice proposal to distribute such a newspaper. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Melbourne, political sankirtan, Rathayatra letters | 04:29 |9 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Ramesvara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your two letters dated April 28 and 29 and I have noted the contents. Your letters are a great pleasure for me to read. You are always broadcasting the glories of the Sankirtana movement in the shape of ISKCONs book distribution and surely you will be recognized by Lord Caitanya for your unbounded enthusiasm and expertise in seeing that my books are distributed all over the world. In your letter of April 29 you give the astounding report that in the year 1973, 4,169,004 total books were bought by the temples from BBT. What is the calculation of money collected for that amount? This regular reporting is very encouraging for everyone of our devotees and I have faith in your words that next year the figures will be far beyond what they were last year. It is the nature of the spiritual energy, it is always increasing if we just apply our energy. The report of the BBT traveling library party is something new for us and this is also only the beginning. Please give my heartful thanks to the boys, Sriman Maha Buddhi dasa Brahmacari and Sriman Ghanasyama dasa Brahmacari. These books are specifically meant for the intellectual class of people in your country and I have great hope in the results of this preaching at the Universities. I received one rumor that the Sankirtana parties in the US would soon be stopped by political repression and lack of money by the people. Some so-called devotee was thinking like that but you can assure all your men that I have great hope for Krishna Consciousness in America, more than any other place. And there is no question of repression provided we go on sincerely. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: library party, Los Angeles, sankirtan letters | 04:28 |9 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Jayapataka and Bhavananda Maharajas, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 28, April, 1974. You write that you are very careful utilizing funds that are sent for that particular purpose. In all matters of management this careful attitude must be taken. I have been requesting my disciples for sometime to release me from the management aspects of ISKCON so I can be free to translate. And you two are managing one of our biggest centers. I cannot close my eyes when there are big management difficulties, so when I see things going wrong, money mispent, things not used properly, then I have to take part. But if you can relieve me of worry of management in Mayapur it will be a great relief for me. Krsna will give you more and more intelligence on how to do this if you sincerely endeavor. Up to 5,000 to 10,000 rupees for purchasing land there is always available from the Mayapur-Vrindaban Trust fund. You write that you now have Rs. 9000/ so another 10,000/ will be made available to you for this purpose. As for the hand-tiller from Japan that you are using on a trial basis, you should ask Bail Mardan to supply you this Japanese machine. He has good connections in Japan. He can provide you that same Japanese motor hand-tiller much cheaper or even free. The news that you are able to keep up the prasadam program which is now up to 1500 persons on Sunday is very welcome and I hope you can continue this without stoppage. The success of Bhavananda Maharaja's English lessons of the Varnasrama College has given me great pleasure and I am sure many devotees will come from this program. It is a first class idea. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: management, Mayapur, varnashram college letters | 04:27 |9 May, 1974 Bombay The Manager Liberty Bank, Main Branch, Honolulu Dear Sir, This is to introduce Mr. Brent Selden, who is the president of the Honolulu branch of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. I am authorizing him to make a withdrawal from account no. 35785 in the amount of $5000.00. I have mailed him a withdrawal slip for this purpose. Kindly oblige. Thanking you in anticipation. Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg letters | 04:14 | 8 May 2008 Wednesday, 8 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Sri Govinda Das, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 30, 1974 and have observed the contents. The enclosed newspaper story, "Krishna followers freed from police harassment," is just further testimony of the great victory made by Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Chicago. I understand that the Chicago area is the most lucrative place in the world for distribution of our books and that you have done very careful work in getting all permission. Therefore this rumor that within a few years there will be police repression and people will have no more money to buy books and sankirtana will stop is completely bogus. Whoever told you that is a rascal, saying it in my name. I never said that. Rather sankirtana movement will expand, continuing so long as we are sincere. When I came in the beginning I began to expand it and it is now going on and there is no question of it stopping. Therefore go on with your life time plans making secure in distributing of books. There is no cessation. This movement is eternal. It is very wonderful news that you have permission to hold Rathayatra downtown on the main street on Saturday, July 6 and tens of thousands of people will view the cart. I have been invited to attend the Rathayatra in San Francisco which is July 8. So I am hoping also I will stop in Chicago on my way to San Francisco and observe the festival with you. I will inform you further regarding sending us plane tickets, when our European tour is more fixed up. We can discuss further your plans for securing a new building when I come there. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: book distribution, Chicago, Rathayatra, sankirtan letters | 04:27 |8 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Sudama Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 25, 1974 and have noted the contents. It is good news that you have so sufficiently taken possession of the 40 acres of land there in our society name, under control of Gaurasundara. Now you require $5000.00 to cover expansion for cows, farming and unpaid debts of Gaurasundara. As for the devotee, Bhavatarini Devi, who is there, she has asked me what to do with her large inheritance of $41,000.00. I have asked her to deposit it in our Mayapur-Vrndavana Trust Fund which we have at the Liberty Bank in Honolulu. Now you can withdrawal $5000.00 required by you from this balance by the Mayapur-Vrndavana Trust at the Liberty Bank. The account number is 35785.* I am enclosing one withdrawal slip authorizing you to make the above withdrawal. Please keep consulting with Bali Mardan on financial matters. It is possible that I may stop at Honolulu sometime in July on my way to Rathayatra Festival, Australia. I will keep you informed. Acknowledge receipt. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Enclosure: one withdrawal form $5000.00.*Please return this amt by $1000.00 per month at least letters | 04:26 | 5 May 2008 Sunday, 5 May, 1974 Bombay Dear Jayatirtha, Please accept my blessings. I have received your recent letters of April 16 and April 25 and have noted the contents. You have also written in a letter to Satsvarupa that temple donations are being put toward the Indian BBT debt. Please, let me know in this connection what is the amount taken from donations and transferred to the BBT account for the book debt by India? Also I will request you that as much book debt amount as you receive from donations you should again dispatch that amount in new books to India. There is not sufficient stock of books here. Whatever variety of books are in stock send according to the amount paid against the debt. I think you are aware Gargamuni Maharaja has formed a spiritual sky tours program and will be bringing about 70 life members on a world tour including of course the United States. I need to know from you whether the BBT has sufficient capital in the bank to cover the amount of $130,000.00. This amount will be required to cover their expenditure. Regarding the grhasthas houses, we have given these houses with the purpose that they should execute devotional service exactly like the Brahmacaris and sannyasis. Otherwise, why purchase houses near the temple? The whole idea is to live near the temple and take advantage of the temple program, which means morning arati, classes, sankirtana and all services connected with the temple. They are also members of the temple. Locana das may deposit his contributions with the Mayapur Vrindaban fund which will also go for the Krsna Balarama temple as is his desire. I am still not aware how fast the remittance is going from the Union Bank to the Punjab National Bank in Vrindaban. For example I have not received a report on when the interest for April, due payable April 10, actually reached Vrindaban. I have written the Punjab National Bank about this and am awaiting their report. You have asked about Gaura Nitai deity worship by the householders in Los Angeles. That is for those who live far away from the temple and cannot attend. Otherwise, such worship is redundant; there is already deity worship going on in the temple and they should attend the aratis, not install their own deities. The impression of Lord Caitanya's feet which you have there may be kept in a picture, not that it is worshipped as a deity. Keep it as a picture. Regarding your invitation that I attend the Rathayatra festival in San Francisco, on July 7th, it is possible that I may attend depending on when I finish my European tour. I am due to arrive in Rome on May 23, then after a week Geneva, the Paris and possible Stockholm, Germany and England. If there is time I can fly directly from Europe to Los Angeles and go to the festival, then as you suggest, go to Australia Rathayatra via Hawaii. This is known as jet-age parivrajakacarya. For the present I will be staying in Bombay for about two weeks, then to Delhi and Vrindaban before leaving for Rome. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I want the monthly interest from the Union Bank to go to account 668 at the Punjab National Bank, Vrindaban, called "ISKCON Mayapur-Vrindaban Trust Fund". At present they are sending the interest to the account number 6112. "A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami". So please go to the Union Bank and find out how this change may be brought about and and let me know. Also I am enclosing a check for $21.00 (twenty one dollars) which I have received here. I want you to deposit this for me in the Union Bank, ISKCON MVT, and the savings deposit slip is enclosed. Labels: BBT, Deities, grhastha, itinerary, Rathayatra letters | 07:43 |5 May, 1974 India Dear Jayatirtha & Ramesvara, Please accept my blessings. I received a letter from Atreya Rsi das dated April 18, 1974. In that letter he mentions your name as follows: "I have just received one letter from Jagadisa Prabhu who has been told by Tamala Krishna das Goswami Maharaja and Ramesvara Prabhu that recently more than one million dollars in funds from BBT, MVT and other contributors have been transferred into your personal accounts and that only yourself is in knowledge of the exact details of deposits and withdrawals." This report is inaccurate and very dangerous and it has concerned me very much. Since your name is mentioned here as making this report kindly write to me and let me know what is the actual fact as to what you said. Your ever well-wisher A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 07:37 | 4 May 2008 Saturday, 4 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Prabhaker, I thank you very much for your letter dated nil, and I have carefully noted the contents. I have the same feeling upon you as my beloved son. And I still maintain the feeling hoping you will be a great help in the Krsna Consciousness Movement. The ideas given by you are provisionally accepted and it is possible for us to join together. Still, we need to meet to talk in detail. I am leaving the country by the 23rd May and before leaving I may go to Vrindaban via New Delhi to see how the temple construction is going on. I am glad to know you met Tejyas which I requested you to do in my last letter. Anyway, if we meet in Delhi before I leave the country that will be nice. I shall inform you of the exact date of my going to Delhi and I will be glad to meet and discuss with you. Thank you once more for your letter. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg letters | 08:58 | 4 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Bhavatarini, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 23, and I have noted the contents. Your enthusiastic response to my instructions is very encouraging. Actually the disciple is supposed to find relief from all his problems just by carrying out the orders of the spiritual master. Just as Arjuna in the beginning was completely confused and lamenting, but after accepting Krsna and hearing from Him he said, "Now my illusion is over, and I am prepared to do whatever you say." If the guru is a representative of the Supreme Lord in disciplic succession and the student is sincere, only then he can get him out of the clutches of the material energy to become situated in spiritual happiness above all material desires, in Krsna Consciousness. As you say you have on hand a check for $41,880.83, I request you deposit that in the Mayapur Vrindaban Trust Fund. The last time I was in Hawaii I established an account in this name in one Honolulu Bank. You will find a Savings Deposit slip enclosed. You can just fill in the exact amount and deposit it with the main branch of the Liberty Bank in Honolulu account 35785, in the name of Mayapur Vrindaban Trust Fund. As for the $150 you will be receiving each month for the next five years, I think that will be sufficient tuition for your two children at Gurukula, and that will oblige your debt to Gurukula. As for Sudama Maharaja, it is better that he write to me separately; I will send him money from here for his projects. If you like to come to India you will be most welcome. The sites at Mayapur and Vrindaban are just for my American and European students who can come and get the benefit of these holy places. You seemed to have taken a new grasp on Krsna Consciousness when you say, "As for where to live, my only concern now is to live where I can best serve you." A pure devotee actually has no problems for himself; wherever he is he can read books like Krsna Books and chant Hare Krsna, get some prasadam and always think of Krsna. Prahlada Maharaja prayed like that: I have no problem for myself. The only concern of the devotees is that so many rascals are suffering in the concocted civilization of illusory sense enjoyment, how can they be saved? So our Krsna Consciousness movement is made for that saving the rascals. This donation you are making in all sincerity will also help us to push on and make some effect in bringing persons back to home, back to Godhead. I will be glad to hear from you, how you have disbursed the money and how you are settling up your personal situation. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: disciple, gurukula, Hawaii, spiritual master letters | 08:56 |4 May, 1974 Bombay The Management Tirupati-Tirumala-Devasthanam Tirumala, Andra Pradesh Dear Sirs; I wish to express my heart-felt gratitude for the kind treatment given me and my disciples, members of the Hare Krishna Movement on our recent two day visit in Tirumala. The special excess we were given for darsana before Balaji is something we will always remember favorably, and for my American and European followers it was a rarely given privilege for which they are fully appreciative. We all left Tirupati feeling very much inspired by the darsana and by your excellent management, and we hope to return when we are able again. If there is any land available, either for purchase or donation, we would be interested in constructing a cottage for the exclusive use of members of our society when they make pilgrimage to Tirupati. Please advise us on the availability of such land. Again thanking you for your excellent hospitality, Yours faithfully, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Tirupati letters | 08:48 | |
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