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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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26 July 2008 26 July, 1974 Bombay My Dear Balavanta das: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 9, 1974 and have noted the contents. Regarding the initiations, I am pleased to inform you that I have initiated them as follows: Mike Munoz--Mahejya das Linda Hynes--Naradi devi dasi Doreen Mercado--Dhara devi dasi So you can have their beads chanted upon by Kirtanananda Swami. My only request is that you see to it that all our men are strictly following the rules and regulations as I have given. I am only concerned for your spiritual life. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Atlanta, initiation letters | 14:53 |10 June 2008 10 June, 1974 Paris My dear Balavanta, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 6, 1974 and I have carefully noted the contents. My point is that I cannot employ the society's money in political campaigning. Moreover it is illegal for the society which is a religious society to pay for political campaigns and would cause us to lose our tax exempt status. The alternative, to make a separate brain, separate funds, and separate manpower is a diversion from our spiritual goal. The other political parties are spending lavishly so how can we compete with them. We do not have enough money nor do I wish to spend our money in this way. Therefore I say it is better to stop. You say you plan to run for U.S. Congress. But for this, you can draw no money from the society. So your plan is utopian. Better concentrate on developing the brahminical qualities in the devotees there; that is more important than running for political office. I hope you understand my points. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Atlanta, brahmana, political sankirtan letters | 04:03 |28 April 2008 Saturday, 28 April, 1974 Tirupati Dear Balavanta, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 18, 1974. As for political speaking, first of all, don't go so much into the details of the affairs. Our message is that people should elect pure God Conscious leaders, that is our main statement. We cannot go into details. As a side touch you can speak on inflation. Yes inflation is due to paper currency. As for land ownership, in the Vedic civilization the land was given to the people for cultivation not for ownership, and a tax was collected which was 25% of the person's income. The land belonged to the state and the man would cultivate it and pay 25% to the state. If he has no income then he doesn't have to pay. If he doesn't pay tax he may be disowned of the land. One cannot get land from the government unless he agrees to produce something and if everyone produces food then there is no scarcity. At least he has his own food produced by himself. Now people are educated as sudras. They are going to work to produce what is not urgently needed by society. The actual social structure should be that the 1st class intelligent class, the brahmanas should be for studying and educating people for God Consciousness. The are the gurus of all other classes. They second class, the ksatriyas give protection from dangers and they can distribute the land. The third class Vaisyas are for producing. So after the first, second and third class, the remaining should help the upper three classes, then everyone will be employed. As for speaking this knowledge effectively, that requires a little experience. The more you are experienced then you will be able to give examples. Your work in America with the God We Trust Party is very inspiring to me. If anywhere they will take seriously the principles of Bhagavad gita As It Is, that will be America. We are getting good response and being taken seriously as I have seen in the reports from Amarendra there is even prospect that we may capture some post. I have written a letter to Rupanuga Maharaja and you may get information from him on the importance of our men themselves following the brahminical regulative principles, least in the midst of political work you forget the aim of life which is to remember Krsna. So go on as you are doing enthusiastically and give me information. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Atlanta, political sankirtan letters | 22:30 |21 March 2008 21 March, 1974 Bombay Dear Balavanta, Please accept my blessings. I have accepted the devotees for first initiation according to your recommendations, and their spiritual names are as follows: Gene Johnson--Jvarajit dasa Ron Brunch--Ramanotsuka dasa Elaine Magyer--Titiksa devi dasi You may send their beads to Rupanuga Maharaja for chanting. Instruct them carefully in avoiding the ten offenses, and make sure that they and everyone in the temple is chanting at least 16 rounds daily, without fail. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Atlanta, initiation letters | 11:22 |11 January 2008 Friday, 11 January, 1974 Los Angeles Dear Nadia das, Mayapur das and Godrumia das; Please accept my blessings. Gurukrpa Maharaja has recommended you for first initiation, and I have accepted you as my disciples. Your spiritual names follow respectively: Eddie Yazegean--Nadia das Ron Pala--Mayapur das Jesse Mathis--Godrumia das I am also accepting Kritagama and Pundarika das Brahmacaris for the second, Brahminical initiation. Your sacred threads chanted on by me are enclosed, as well as gayati mantra. Please secure the tape of me chanting gayatri mantra from the temple president there and hear it through the right ear, under his supervision. Receive further instructions on brahminical life from Gurukrpa Maharaja. I am very pleased that you are working together on travelling sankirtana to collect funds for Mayapur and Vrindaban. Please distribute as many of our books as possible and Krsna will be very pleased. And always be vigilant that you do not grow lax in following the regulative principles and always chanting 16 rounds at least, every day without fail. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Atlanta, book distribution, initiation letters | 15:18 | |
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