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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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21 August 2008 Wednesday, 21 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Bhagavan das: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of all the letters requesting initiations. I am pleased that you are treating this matter of initiation as a serious business. I have accepted the following as my disciples: BOYS Amyot, Robert--Avyaya das Cochet, Gerard--Krtajna das Bouvant, Bernard--Bhutakrd das Brinster, Phillipe--Bhima das Mougard, Yves--Mahabala das Perrin, Jean--Prakasatma das Verraes, Jurgen--Viruha das Voyer, Bernard--Vrsakrti das GIRLS Chabaud, Odile--Sasvatpavana dasi Giralt, Carmen Guptalaya dasi Heudebourg, Marie--Homavatsala Jako, Gislaine--Jalapriyadasi Schaufuss, Ann--Satarupa dasi Vautier, Annie--Visesa dasi I am also enclosing a sanctified thread and mantra sheet for the second initiation of Abhinanda das. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: initiation, Paris letters | 04:18 |20 August 2008 Tuesday, 20 August, 1974 Vrindaban Dear Mr. Rameshchandra Lalidji: Please accept my blessings. I have received a report of the progress of Hyderabad. I am pleased to note that the construction has already started and the columns have come up to beam level. I appreciate very much your interest in propagating the teaching of the Bhagavad-gita, and it is because of the assistance of men like you that we are constructing a temple in Hyderabad. I am pleased that the work is proceeding now at good speed and request that you assist in completing the temple by next Janmastami, and I will come to inaugurate the opening ceremony. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: construction, Hyderabad letters | 21:17 |20 August, 1974 Vrindaban Mathura My dear Richard, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Aug. 2. Regarding thinking of Krishna at the time of death. It is stated in Bhagavad gita 8th chapter as follows; abhyasa yoga yuktena/ cetasa nanya gamina/ paramam purusam divyam/ yati parthanucintyan [Bg. 8.8]: "He who meditates on the Supreme Personality of Godhead his mind constantly engaged in remembering me, undeviated from the path, He oh Partha is sure to reach Me." The proccess for remembering Krishna is very easily done by chanting Hare Krishna Maha mantra. How one should think of Krishna, that is given in the next verse [Bg. 8.9]: "One should meditate upon the Supreme Person as the one who knows everything, Who is the oldest, Who is the controller, Who is smaller than the smallest, Maintainer of everything, and Who is beyond all material conception, Who is inconceivable, Who is always a person and luminous like the sun, and Being transcendental, beyond this material nature." So Krishna is not something impersonal or void. So you should read my books and try to understand the nature of Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then it will be easy for you to think of Him. I thank you for your desire to distribute the Goswami literature. Right now we are publishing Caitanya Caritamrta in 12 volumes. It is a big expense so if you would like to contribute something give money to my book trust. You can make some contribution and help in this great mission. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: Bhagavad-gita, Caitanya Caritamrta letters | 21:17 |20 August, 1974 Vrindaban P. Damodara Shastri Dairy House 1st Floor Sevasi, Baroda, Gujarat Dear Mr. Shastri, Please accept my best wishes. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Aug 3rd 1974. I am sorry for any misunderstanding. You are welcome to visit any of centers as a life member and enjoy all the facilities. The tour around the world has been called off, however you cannot expect for us to pay all transportation costs. When you go to Europe or America you be sure to visit our temples and they will receive you nicely and that you use the facilities there. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: life member letters | 21:17 |20 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Mahamsa Swami: Please accept my blessings. I am enclosing herewith a bank draft on Punjab National Bank No. 224835 dated 20/8/74 for the amount of Rs. 60,000/-. Please acknowledge receipt. The balance Rs. 40,000/- will be forwarded to you at the end of this month. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Hyderabad letters | 21:16 |20 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Panalalji: Please accept my blessings. I would like to thank you for the Rs. 15,000/- that you have pledged towards the construction of the Hyderabad temple. I am also pleased to hear from Mahamsa Swami that the construction has started and the columns have come to beam level. Since you are the most elderly devotee, I request that you please overlook the construction and fund raising from time to time. If the temple is completed by the coming Janmastami, I will come for the installation ceremony. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Hyderabad letters | 21:16 |20 August, 1974 Vrindaban Munchi Dear Swami Jara Kumar, Please accept my best wishes, I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 10th 1974. In this age the spiritual revolution was recommended by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He demonstrated that the Yuga Dharma for this age is the Sankirtana chanting of the holy names. If we want the degraded mass of people to be elevated, we must stop their sinful activity. To stop sinful activity one must purify the mind and the best process for purifying the mass mind is the chanting of the maha mantra Hare Krishna. This can be done in public where everyone has a chance to hear and be purified. We experience that people are becoming more friendly and helping our movement in America simply because we are performing this sankirtana yajna. I hope you can understand this. This movement is authorized and confirmed by great acaryas as well as the sastras and also by Lord Caitanya Himself Who is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, non different from Krishna. I am presently here in India and will be staying here for some time. If you like you can visit our temple located in Munich at 8042 Oberschliessheim Dr. Hoffmeister Strasse 7, Munchen, West Germany. I hope this meets you well. Yours faithfully, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 21:15 | 20 August, 1974 Vrindaban My dear Dixit das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 23rd and have noted the contents. Yes your idea about minimizing the expenses of the Juhu project are very good. I have just written a letter to Giriraja suggesting that they do this and the way is to localize the collecting program. They should collect their funds from the local people in Juhu and Veille Parle Scheme. So I have given them a plan for taking subscriptions from respectable men who are living in that area. So I may request that you help them to make these subscriptions amongst the local inhabitants. I think if you work with them in this way then everything will be alright. Service to Krishna is the perfection of all relationships. You may know that we have had to postpone our temple opening here due to the buildings not being completed, but we hope to complete by three months time. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: Bombay, monthly subscriptions letters | 21:07 |20 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Sri Badruka: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 7, 1974 and have noted the contents. I am very pleased to hear about the progress of Hyderabad centre preaching and construction. With your active interest I am very confident that everything is going on very smoothly. I have sent to Mahamsa Swami Rs. 60,000/- so that the immediate construction may not be hampered. In the meantime please see that the life members there start collecting. If the temple is completed by next Janmastami, I will be pleased to come to inaugurate the opening. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: construction, Hyderabad letters | 21:06 |20 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Mr. Asnani: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 17, 1974 and have noted the contents. I have today informed my centers at New York and Dallas to receive Mr. & Mrs. Malkani and arrange for their accommodation. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Bombay letters | 21:02 |20 August, 1974 Vrindaban My dear Mr. Arora, Please accept my best wishes. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter undated. I thank you for your very nice sentiments. I appreciate the affection that you have for our movement. Please continue to go to the temple and upon recommendation from the president, we shall see about initiation. I shall be glad to see you either here in India or when I return to the West and we can talk further. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: Toronto letters | 20:59 |19 August 2008 Monday, 19 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Atreya Rsi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 28th 1974. I am glad to note that you had nice Rathayatra festival for the Indian community there. I am especially pleased to note that for Vyasa Puja and Janmastami you have so many Iranian devotees there. This is your real success if you can convince the local men to become Krishna Conscious. This is preaching. You know that I went to your country America alone. None of my godbrothers helped me. But, I was able to convince you to become Krishna Conscious. Now you can convince others. This is Krishna Consciousness. Please increase the preaching activities there and I will surely visit you there on the next opportunity. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps letters | 20:56 | 19 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Hiranyagarbha das, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 26th 1974 and have noted the contents. Jagadisa prabhu has informed me that he has already gone over the points with you at New Vrndavana recently. In teaching the children, you should refer very carefully to my books. The qualities of a brahman as mentioned in BG chapter 18: sama dama tapasocam. You must teach these qualities. These qualities will naturally come out, if you just give the process purely. The information is there in my books so if you strictly adhere to them then your program of teaching will be successful. First of all you must teach by your personal example. This is the principle of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu (apani acari bhakti pracaram). So you yourself must chant 16 rounds and follow the regulative principles and automatically they will do as you are doing. Then they will become strong Vaisnavas. Regarding the initiation of Jon Walsh, please let me know if he was initiated there in New Vrndavana. If not then I will initiate him. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: gurukula, New Vrindavan, regulative principles letters | 20:55 |19 August, 1974 Vrindaban El Cerrito Dear Miss Johnson, Thank you for your letter dated July 15th 1974. Regarding the lecture that I gave at the Rathayatra festival, I think if you contact our San Francisco temple, they might be able to provide you with a transcript. If you speak with the president there Bhakta dasa, he may be able to suggest ways that you can use your public relations in the service of Krishna. First of all you should get our books and read them, especially our Bhagavad gita as it is and Srimad-Bhagavatam. As you begin to understand the philosophy then you will be able to present our movement so that many people may become attracted to this authorized process for developing our dormant love of God. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Rathayatra, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 20:54 |19 August, 1974 Vrindaban Sintra, Portugal Dear Mr. Lourenco, I am in due receipt of your letter and thank you very much for it. I am glad to learn that you are so much keenly interested in our books Bhagavad gita as it is. It is stated in the Bhagavad gita that out of many thousands of men only one is searching for perfection. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati sidhaye [Bg. 7.3]. So even in your young age you have taken to this process of Krishna Consciousness. This means that in your previous life you were advanced in yoga but somehow or other you were not able to complete but now you have taken to it as if automatically. This is also explained in the Bhagavad gita 6th chapter regarding the yoga bhrastras those who have fallen from the process of yoga and who automatically take to the principles of God consciousness in their next life. Regarding performance of Sankirtana yajna, this is explained in my book the nectar of devotion. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given us the chanting of the Maha mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. It may be performed as sankirtana congregational chanting in public. This is done by our sankirtana parties that go daily into the streets in many cities of the world. Or this yajna may be performed quietly and privately with one's self by chanting on beads. This is known as Japa. So this I think can be performed by you very easily. We have a temple located in Paris at the following address: 4 reu Le Sueur, 75016 Paris, France. You are welcome to go and stay there for some time to learn Krishna Consciousness. You can write to them and they can give you information on obtaining many of our other books. We have a book on the story of Krishna. It is called Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I think you will like this book very much. These books are in disciplic succession. They are authorized and they are giving the real process of Krishna Consciousness never before made available to the English speaking world. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: sankirtan letters | 20:54 |19 August, 1974 Vrindaban My dear Bankatesh das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter and have noted the contents. I suggest that you confer with Hamsaduta prabhu who is in Germany. Perhaps you can go to another temple either in Germany or in Paris. Hamsaduta can check with Prthu prabhu to take care of this matter. Paris is the nearest temple to you so if you like you can go there. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 20:53 | 19 August, 1974 Vrindaban My dear Madhukara das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 25th 1974 and thank you very much for your nice sentiments. Just as you were pleased that I was able to visit New Vrndavana, so did I also enjoy my visit to New Vrndavana. You are producing nice vegetables from the earth and ample supply of milk from the cows so what more do you want? Just chant Hare Krishna and everything will be alright. Regarding the two twenty dollar checks that you had sent previously. It has not been recorded because of the change of secretaries. I suggest that you contact your bank whether or not the checks have been deposited and you can inform me. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: New Vrindavan letters | 20:53 |19 August, 1974 Vrindaban My dear Sri Ganatra, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for greeting telegram from Bombay dated Aug 12th on the occasion of Vyasa Puja. You may know that we have had to postpone the opening of the temples due to the temple and asrama not being completed. This is due to difficulty in getting cement. They are expecting to complete the temple for the opening ceremony by three months time. Then we can have our opening ceremony. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: Bombay, construction letters | 20:53 |19 August, 1974 Vrindaban Wilingford, Pennsylvania My dear Vidarbha Kanya dasi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 2nd 1974. In spiritual life it is very important to set a good example. The teachings of the parampara are simply based on this principle of acarya. Sometimes the wife must bring the husband to Krishna Consciousness, so you yourself must chant 16 rounds and follow the devotional practices and reading my books. If it is difficult for you and you are falling down then it would be better for you to live in any one of our temples. All of you are coming from backgrounds of bad habits, so to make progress in Krishna Consciousness we must overlook the faults of others. You must be patient with your husband. Chanting offenselessly is the remedy for all of these diseases. Therefore I have established that the duty of the president of each temple and also the GBC is to see that each devotee is following the rules and regulations, chanting 16 rounds so that they may be spiritually fit. So if you are having difficulty then it would be better for you not to live apart but to associate with other devotees. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps letters | 20:52 | 19 August, 1974 Vrindaban My dear Sridhara das, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Aug. 14th, 1974 and have noted the contents. Yes you are correct that even though you do not consciously try to create misunderstanding still it seems to always come to you. Samsara davanalalidha loka tranaya karuna gana ganatvam praptasya kalyana gunarnavasyam vande guroh sri caranaravindam. This is the nature of the material world. I am glad to hear that now in Bombay finally you have good facilities for eating and sleeping, other-wise how will you live? It is also good that Mr. Candrai has donated a water filter. Regarding your question about eternal spiritual and temporary spiritual, the temporary spiritual is the impersonal brahmajyoti. The impersonalists by severe austerities and penances arise to the Brahman effulgence. But it is only temporary. Eternally we cannot remain aloof. As living entities, we want pleasure in association; therefore we see in the material world where for sense gratification the karmis take so much responsibility. First of all they accept one wife. The more he enjoys the wife, the more he becomes implicated. So, this means that we must have pleasure even at the risk of gross implication. Therefore our Krishna Consciousness movement is that we want pleasure but without any implication. This is happening actually. All of our Krishna Consciousness students they are enjoying life without any implication. The impersonalist who prefers to merge with the Brahman effulgence has no shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna. Therefore such impersonalist even though raised to the Brahman platform come down again to the material world for pleasure's sake. In India you will find many sannyasis who merge into the Brahma effulgence, but without any pleasure there, they come down to the platform of material activities of opening schools and hospitals - Daridra Narayana, etc. Such men with poor fund of knowledge do not know that in the material world however you try to arrange things very right, it will always fail. But in the spiritual world the spiritual varieties displayed by Krishna along with his associates gives eternal pleasure. That is wanted. The Brahma effulgence, there the pleasure is temporary. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: Bombay, brahmajyoti letters | 20:52 |18 August 2008 Sunday, 18 August, 1974 Vrndavana My dear Madhudvisa Swami, Ksirodakasayi das, Nayanabhirama das, Purnaprajna and Narayani, Balbhadra das and Ratnaranjini, Nalinikanta das and Ratnesvari devi, Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your kind appreciations on the Vyasa Puja Day. Your sentiments are appreciated by me. It is stated by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura it is only by pleasing the Spiritual Master that one can be assured of pleasing Krishna. So my only request to my disciples all over the world on this day is to go on pushing on this movement with determination and sincerity, rigidly following the principles I have given you. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Vyasa Puja letters | 08:26 |17 August 2008 Saturday, 17 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Spiritual Son Bhurijana das: Please accept my blessings. I am very glad to receive your letter dated 8/7/74 from Singapore. I am very pleased that you have gone to that place simply on my order, alone, to preach the message of Lord Caitanya. I like this kind of spirit in you very much. You know I went to your country also alone, in old age, because of the order given to me by my spiritual master. So I get great pleasure when I see my own disciples from America going to far off places leaving their rich nation with all facilities and their families, to preach. The secret of success in spiritual life is to satisfy one's spiritual master. This is the essence. You have captured this. So now go on in this way and do not falter. Follow the regulative principles and devotional practices I have given you. This will keep you fit. Be patient and determined, and ask everyone you meet to please chant Hare Krsna. I shall be very glad if you send me regular reports of your attempt. I hope this meets you and also your good wife in best of health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: preaching, satisfy spiritual master, Singapore letters | 08:47 |17 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Hrdayananda das Goswami: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 16, 1974 and have noted the contents. Upon your recommendation I have accepted the following students as my initiated disciples, and their spiritual names are as follows: CARACAS: Walter--Vanasancari das; Miguel--Munipriya das; Elba--Adhara das; Thais--Tadakari das; Janoski-Jayahatakosthaka das SAN JUAN: Magaly--Manohara dasi; Americo--Adhari das; Guillermo--Gopa das SANTO DOMINGO: Rafael--Rasakeli dasi; Ramon--Rajivalicana das MEXICO: Orasess--Prabhudas; Miguel Angel--Mantri das; Fernando--Kutahanta das; Georgina--Jaladhosa dasi; Malena--Mathura dasi. I am also enclosing sacred threads and sheets for Havi das, Purujit das, Urdhvabhaga das (CARACAS); and SAN JUAN; Raghupatiprana das, Vaisnavananda das, and Bhuvana Rasini das; TSKP--Kirtideva das. So hold fire sacrifices and you may chant on the beads. Impress upon the students that they are taking vows before Radha and Krsna, the spiritual master, and the Vaisnavas. Everyone must always chant 16 rounds. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: initiation, Mexico letters | 08:47 | |
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