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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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24 October 2008 Thursday, 24 October, 1974 Mayapur My Dear Srutadeva das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your Sankirtana newsletters No. 23 & 24. These statistics are very nice. I like very much to receive the report of my book sales. I think it also gives encouragement to the devotees who distribute the books. Here at Mayapur my Guru Maharaj was printing one paper. It was selling for only a few paise. Sometimes whenever one brahmacari would go to Navadvipa and sell even a few copies, I would see my Guru Maharaj become very much pleased. Even if the brahmacari was not a very important member, my Guru Maharaj would become very, very pleased with him. He personally instructed me that books are more important than big temples. At Radha Kunda he told me that since constructing the big marble temple at Bhag Bazar, there have been so many difficulties. Our men are envious over who will live in which room. I think it would be better to take off all the marbles and sell them and print books. He told me this personally. So I am always emphasizing book distribution. It is the better kirtana. It is better than chanting. Of course chanting should not stop - but book distribution is the best kirtana. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: book distribution, Gaudiya Matha, Washington letters | 03:08 |24 October, 1974 Mayapur Lisbon, Portugal My Dear Frederico: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 3, 1974 and have noted the contents. I am very glad to learn that you are translating the Bhagavad-gita As It Is into Portuguese. Be careful not to change anything but present it exactly as it is. This is how we receive Bhagavad-gita through the disciplic succession as stated in the Fourth Chapter. By this translating work you will learn our philosophy very nicely. It is very important to broadcast Krishna consciousness all over the world. This is the great need of modern civilization. If you are going to France why not visit our Paris center. There you should get chanting (japa) beads, and begin chanting Hare Krishna mantra on the beads. They will show you how to do it. This is most important for advancing in spiritual life. Yes, as you have understood, prasadam is offered only from the category of fruits, vegetables, grains, milk products, and sugar. This is according to the Bhagavad-gita wherein Krishna states what He accepts. We have four rules that all my students follow. They do not take any meat, fish, or eggs; no gambling, no intoxicants, including coffee, tea, or cigarettes; and no illicit sex life. Try to follow these four rules, and Krishna will bless you with quick advancement in spiritual life. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: disciplic succession, Portugal, regulative principles, translation letters | 03:05 |24 October, 1974 Mayapur My Dear Subaladas Swami: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 7, 1974 and have noted the contents. I am glad that you have arrived there on my order and have already begun the preaching. Krishna will supply everything to you, according to your capacity for preaching purely the message of Lord Caitanya. There I have found the Indians very cooperative for our movement, and you have had good experience in India preaching, so you are the right man to go there. You are sannyasi and the people will automatically respect you. So be ideal in behavior following strictly the rules and regulations. Now you are getting more men, so organize everything carefully, and inform me what is the progress. Brahmananda Swami says that because of his experience in Africa, you should be careful in registering the Society. Yes, it must be in the name of ISKCON, with my name as Founder-Acarya. Check to see that only Fiji citizens can register the Society there, and if necessary you can have others as the officers. I have already written you that I would like to come there when I return to USA in April, so please arrange for it. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Fiji, Indians, register letters | 03:04 |24 October, 1974 Mayapur My Dear Uttama Sloka das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 27, 1974 with enclosed plans for the new temple and it is all very nice. You are taking on a big responsibility, and I am very pleased. Toronto I think is a very important city in Canada, and it is fitting that you are contemplating to make a first class temple there. Do everything very carefully, in consultation with Jagadisa Prabhu, and do not spend anything unnecessarily. Whatever money we are getting it is from Krishna, so nothing should be misspent. You can make the interior of the temple in the same design as the Chicago temple with a balcony and the same type of Deity room. I liked the Chicago temple very much when I was there, so make it like that. We are making our temples very nice and gorgeous so that people will come and take Krishna consciousness. Just like here at Mayapur, because we have this very nice house, people are coming to visit and stay. They attend the aratis and listen to my lectures, and take prasadam. If we did not have this house, then they would not come. So this is the meaning of a temple. There must always be activity. Not that we have a nice house for comfortable living. We simply want to bring people back home, Back to Godhead. That is the purpose of our temples, of our books, and our festivals, and preachings. I will like to come and visit your temple the next time I return to USA. I think I can come to Toronto directly from London. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: construction, Toronto letters | 03:02 |24 October, 1974 Mayapur My Dear Jayatirtha and Sudama Goswami: Please accept my blessings. I am writing you because I have not received any letter from either of you regarding the banking business with Liberty Bank, Honolulu. I am very much anxious to know about this banking affair, so why are you not informing me anything? I have sent them my passbook and a withdrawal slip to pay $35,000.00 to Bank of America Branch 600, Los Angeles. I have also written Bank of America to transfer the amount to Punjab National Bank, New Delhi with special instructions to transfer the amount to Punjab National Bank, Vrindaban Branch, Account No. 668. Please immediately inform me about this matter. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs cc: Jayatirtha, Los Angeles; Sudama Goswami, Honolulu Labels: bank letters | 03:01 |23 October 2008 Wednesday, 23 October, 1974 Mayapur Dear Behari das: Please accept my best wishes. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 12/10/74 and have noted the contents. I could have recommended something for you, but you could not reply me a proper account, what was collected and what was spent. Several times you gave me different figures, so how can I recommend you. I hope this meets you in good health. Faithfully yours, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: collecting funds, Vrindavana letters | 03:00 |23 October, 1974 Mayapur Edinburgh, Scotland My Dear Balabhadra das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 10, 1974 and have noted the contents. I understand that all the others from Scotland have gone to Bhaktivedanta Manor, so why do you not go there also and get recommended by the temple President for Brahminical initiation. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Edinburgh, initiation letters | 02:59 |23 October, 1974 Mayapur My Dear Tamala Krishna Goswami: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 8, 1974 and have noted the contents. Your letter was forwarded from Bombay, but the letter from Ramesvara was not enclosed. Regarding Sankirtana and book distribution, both should go on, but book distribution is more important. It is brihat kirtana. In Tokyo airport one boy had come up to me asking if he could speak with me. I said yes, and then he asked me "Swamiji, where do you get all that knowledge in your books?" Of course it is Krishna's knowledge, not mine. But the effect is there. So for _ kirtana book distribution is better. Book distribution is also kirtana. Regarding making hundreds of travelling parties, yes do that please as far as possible. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: book distribution, New York letters | 02:58 |22 October 2008 Tuesday, 22 October, 1974 Mayapur My Dear Giriraja das: Please accept my blessings. Gargamuni Swami has returned with copies of letters from the BMC architect, the Bandra Asst. Engineer, and the letter regarding the land acquisition. Regarding the property evaluation, I have already written you how we have paid Rs. 200/- per sq. yard. From the developed portion we are receiving income per annum of Rs. 18,000/- including the tax deductions. The current rate of interest for an investment is 10%, so the value for this portion is Rs. 1,80,000/-. For the entire land we have paid Rs. 14,50,00/-; so the value for the undeveloped portion is Rs. 12,70,000/- (for 6,000 sq. yards) or Rs. 200/- per sq. yard. If they are calculating the value at Rs. 130/- per sq. yard, then we have paid more than the market value, not less. Regarding the road, you must immediately install at the front of the road a permanent iron gate, like the one on the opposite property, with one dharwan or guard. This is very important and must be done immediately. No tenant will be allowed for any reason to park his car on any part of the road. You can make one parking place for their cars on the portion of land opposite the well next to the block where my old flat was where the during the pandal there was the kitchen. But, not trees should be torn down. The tenants can pay something for the parking facilities. You should also make a formal request for increasing the rent of all tenants for the cost of the internal road, otherwise where will the cost of the road come from? I think we can enhance the rent for road improvement. If necessary, you can engage one lawyer for doing all these things, if Mr. Asanani is not helping. Regarding the construction, you should immediately begin work on all four of the remaining flats. The work must begin whether you have got sufficient cement or bricks. If you have to lay only one brick, then do that. I may be coming there next week, so you can prepare for that. Regarding distributing the books to all centers, they must pay for whatever they order, even if they order less. If they do not pay cash, then do not fill the order. Regarding their old debts, let them pay whatever they can. But, for what they order, they must pay for. You can ship them whatever way, transporter or whatnot, but it must be COD. I understand that Manasvi has returned, but he should not be given any responsibility, nothing. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Bombay, book distribution, construction letters | 02:58 | |
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