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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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8 November 2008 Friday, 8 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Rupanuga das: Please accept my blessings. I have seen your letter dated October 31, 1974 addressed to Brahmananda Swami and have noted the contents with care. I have not yet received the report from the Enquiry Commission, but there are four points to be enquired. The first is the meat eating and chicken eating in the temple and even in the Deity kitchen where the prasadam for the Deities is prepared. This is the most serious complaint. And, in spite of the meat eating Taittiriya was allowed to worship the Deity. The second is the complaint of abusing the devotees and exploiting their service for accumulating money and for aggrandizing himself and herself both. The third is her real identity. And, the fourth is whether actually the building negotiation is going on. So from your letter the first and second points are corroborated by the Enquiry Commission. Regarding the fourth point about the negotiations for the building purchase, I have written one letter just now to Taittiriya whether according to her letter dated September 11, 1974 she has taken possession of the 5th Avenue house. If it is not taken and no proper reply is received, then surely it is all bogus; and if the transaction is bogus, then the third point, her identity, is also bogus. So the conclusion is I like Bali Mardan and love him, but if he is still after this bogus wife then I shall have to take action. There is no alternative. Regarding Abhirama, in your letter you mention that in Miami it is so important center, 65 devotees, growing each day, ideal location. So Abhirama, has done this. He has done much service. He cannot be removed whimsically. Sex disturbance is the permanent disease of the Western people. Anyway I have already written you that the local members must agree for him to be removed by you, according to the Direction of Management. Regarding his divorce enclosed is one letter dated 1/10/74 regarding this. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: complaints, Direction of Management, Washington letters | 00:34 |8 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Taittiriya devi dasi: Please accept my blessings. With further reference to your letter dated September 11, 1974, I beg to inquire whether you have taken possession of the house at 5th Avenue, and if not please let me know why it is delayed. Please send Bali Mardan with detailed information and necessary documents. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 00:30 | 8 November, 1974 Bombay My dear Jayapataka Swami: Please accept my blessings. This is to inform you that yesterday Giriraja has sent by T.T. Rs. 2,25,000/- to American Express Bank a/c No. 090031. Now the wall and proposed rooms and other works must be finished by Gaura Purnima. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami cc: H.H. Gargamuni Swami, Calcutta ACBS/bs Labels: Mayapur letters | 00:28 |7 November 2008 Thursday, 7 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Rupanuga das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated November 1, 1974 with enclosed clipping. But, I have not yet received the report of the inquiry commission investigating the charges against Bali Mardan. (Later on heard something by telephone message to Brahmananda) Regarding your GBC report, at the Buffalo farm the deer were eating daily the crop or all at once? Regarding Boston, it is a better house they have now purchased? What is the price and what are the facilities? Regarding the book distribution increasing in Philadelphia, yes we are getting such reports of increasing book distribution from all over. In L.A. they have sold over 600 copies of the new Srimad-Bhagavatam in one weekend. Atlanta facility of 10 acre and 3 building sounds very nice. Purchasing or renting doesn't matter. Only here in India is a purchased house more important than a rented house. The prasadam program must be continued and increased. It is very good program for attracting the students. They have never tasted this kind of foodstuffs. Regarding Miami that you want to replace Abhirama, yes a capable man must be there, what can be done. But I have already written that he can marry that girl and divorce his wife. Regarding Washington, D.C., that Damodara is also resigning, we are increasing in so many ways, but our men are deteriorating. What to do? Regarding Gainesville installation of Gaura-Nitai, where did you get the murtis from? I hope this meets you in good health. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs N.B. Regarding replacing Abhirama and Damodara, I refer to the Direction of Management as follows: "Removal of a Temple President by GBC requires support by the local Temple members." Therefore you should take a vote of the Temple members and do the needful. A. C. B.S. Labels: report, Washington letters | 00:32 |7 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Sriji devi dasi: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your Vyasa Puja offering dated August 22, 1974, received just now and I am very glad to receive it. I thank you very much for your sentiments. Satisfaction of the spiritual master is the secret of advancement in spiritual life. The Lord is the original spiritual master, and a person in the disciplic succession can convey the message of the Lord as it is to his sincere disciple. We cannot manufacture our own process, therefore mental speculation does not at all help us in spiritual life. One simply has to surrender himself to his guru and everything will be revealed to him. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Mexico, Vyasa Puja letters | 00:32 |7 November, 1974 Bombay My dear Harikesa das: Pleaser accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 31, 1974 and have noted the contents. Thank you for giving me the account of Gurudasa. What is that hotel bill for Rs. 1200? I have already written you one letter of thanks for your taking care of the Vrindaban temple. I note that you are reducing the expenses, but why did the Treasurer leave? Even if you restricted the spending, then why did he leave? I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Vrindavana letters | 00:08 |6 November 2008 Wednesday, 6 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Sarvamangala devi dasi: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter and have noted the contents. I thank you very much for your sentiments, and I know that you are all working hard to make Bhaktivedanta Manor a very nice place. You should know it that our temples they are not in this material world. The temple is Vaikuntha, where Krishna and remembered and served 24 hours daily without stopping. So we already are in Vaikuntha by participating in the temple activities. So it must be done very nicely. You have mentioned controlling lust, and this is very important. In Bhagavad-gita Krishna says: tasmat tvam indriyany adau "In the very beginning you must curb lust by regulating the senses." Therefore we have the four regulated principles at the very beginning of practicing devotional life. In this way we turn the lust into love. This is our material life. Lust is there in everyone, because everyone is actually a lover of Krishna. It just has to be purified by proper training. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, Vaikuntha letters | 00:07 |6 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Gandharva dasa: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 19, 1974 and have noted the contents. So you have done you duty at the last moments of your wife's life so that she could hear them chanting. As to where she has gone, that depends on what she was thinking of at the time of her passing away. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: anta-kale ca mam eva smaran muktva kalevaram yah prayati sa mad bhavam yati nasty atra samsayah [Bg. 8.5] "And whoever, at the time of death, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt." To remember Krishna requires practice, and this is most easily done by chanting Hare Krishna mantra. I have told Nitai to spread the ashes here in the sea. The maha mantra is the only mantra that need be chanted. Do not neglect this. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 00:07 | 3 November 2008 Sunday, 3 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Lilasakti devi dasi: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 26, 1974 with enclosed photograph of your Krishna. Krishna is so kind that although he is ajit, unconquerable, He can be possessed by the devotee. From love He allows this. This is the great position of the devotee. I am glad to see that you are advancing in Krishna consciousness by this worship of the Deity. This is the practical application to what we find stated in the Bhagavad-gita, man manah bhava mad bhakto, mad yaji mam namaskuru. We do not speculate on what Krishna says but we follow whatever He says implicitly. I also follow this process. Every morning I go to the temple and see the Deity and offer obeisances, so I expect each and every one of my disciples should also follow what I have given in this connection, arising early, taking bath, attending mangal arati. yuktasya bhaktams ca niyunjato 'pi **. The Deity is non-different from Krishna Himself. This we have to understand. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 18:47 | 3 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Bali Mardan das: Please accept my blessings. I have sent you one letter dated 20/10/74 but not yet received any reply. The copy is enclosed herewith. I request you to come here and see me in India. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: New York letters | 18:46 |3 November, 1974 Bombay His Holiness Satsvarupa das Goswami, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated October 15, 1974 with enclosed copies of letters and the Bengali course advertisement. So they are putting me, as well as the others, for getting the students to learn Bengali. That's nice. I am very glad to learn that you are getting the orders and are increasing the men and parties for distributing the books. Regarding the number of libraries, I read in that book the Almanac that there are 75,000 libraries. Regarding those professors who say that Siva is the Supreme, in the Rg Veda it is stated: om tad visnoh paramam padam. The lotus feet of Visnu are the supreme devotional platform. There Visnu is accepted as the Supreme. So there are 18 Puranas. Six of them are for persons in the modes of ignorance, some for those in passion, and the topmost are for those in goodness, the sattvic puranas. If one intelligently reads the Puranas and Vedas, then he can understand that Visnu is the Supreme Person. But, for those on the stage of ignorance and passion, sometimes such statements are there. So it depends on the quality of the nature of the person that one accepts Lord Siva or Lord Visnu as the Supreme, but one who studies scrutinizingly all the Vedic literature and who accepts the statements of the acaryas who guide the destiny of Vedic culture of India who all accept Visnu as the Supreme Person, then he will also have the same conclusion. So far we are concerned in the Krishna consciousness movement, we are preaching the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita. Krishna is the Supreme Person even before all demigods including Lord Visnu even, and of course Lord Siva. Our fundamental principle is the teaching of the Bhagavad-gita. Those persons who cannot understand this on account of particular modes of nature, such persons require further education, and until such time is fulfilled, we are helpless. To an animal in the modes of ignorance, how can we preach? Then we are helpless. I have read your letter to the professor and it is a good challenge. You have written nicely. You have correctly cited the Vedas wherein it is stated: eko narayana asin na brahma na isano. . . In the beginning there was no Brahma, no Siva, only Krishna. The cosmic manifestation is from Mahat Tattva, and before the Maha Tattva there is Narayana. Sankaracarya is a Lord Siva worshipper and an incarnation of Lord Siva, and he admits that Narayana is the master, and Narayana is the Supreme. narayanah paro 'vyaktat. This is the best authority. What more evidence you want? This is in his Sanka Bhasya on Bhagavad-gita. This is not even the statement of the Puranas but of Sankaracarya's own writings. How can you deny if the incarnation of Lord Siva says that Krishna is Supreme? In the Puranas it is stated that another demigod is supreme just to convince the devotee. Just like a student in primary school, he thinks the primary education is everything and has no idea of higher education. This is to convince the devotees but from the Gita we understand that it is from Krishna that He gives the faith by which one can worship the demigods. Krishna says, aham adi hi devanam. Is Krishna speaking a lie? Mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. "Nobody is greater than Me," He says. Why should we reject Krishna's statement? Our mission is to put Krishna as first, and they may take it or not. We do not interfere with their choice, but we do it as our duty. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Los Angeles, Puranas letters | 18:46 | |
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