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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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27 December 2008 27 December, 1974 Bombay Southall, England My dear Durgesh, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter 10-12-74 and have noted the contents carefully. It has been recommended to me by the leaders in London that you should move into our temple as a permanent brahmacari and that your father will allow it if I also recommend. After studying your letter carefully and seeing the devotion and sincerity that you possess I am also very much in favor of your staying at our temple as a brahmacari. In my previous letter I had said that you could go to school during the week and live in the temple on the weekends. But I did not know how serious and determined you were to become Krsna Conscious. Someone as determined as you should be given facilities to spend cent percent of his time in Krsna Consciousness. Therefore I would be very happy to see you living in the temple, following all of our principles of pure life and becoming an expert scholar in Vedic knowledge, through studying my books diligently. This is real education. The so-called education that they are teaching in the schools and universities today is simply useless knowledge which is all based on atheistic and speculative theories. The teachers themselves are following no real authorities in wisdom neither do they set any good examples for their students. By going to school today there is always the danger through bad association of becoming entangled in so many unwanted things such as illicit sex, intoxication etc. Therefore definitely the best thing for you is to live in our temple in London. Please request your father on my behalf to let you do this. If there is any hesitation on his part please request him to write me and I will try to clarify things. If you go to live at our temple, because of your age, you should have a written statement from your father showing that he has given permission. Then authorities will not think that you are a run away. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps letters | 06:34 | 25 December 2008 25 December, 1974 Bombay My dear Malati, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 21, Dec. 74 and have noted the contents carefully. I want you to stay there in London. This is my order. Hamsaduta cannot make you leave. If necessary you can show him this letter. To prove that your Guru Maharaja wants you to stay there and execute your devotional service in London. Concerning that remark by Himavati about your being guilty because you are the wife of Syamasundara. who has done horrible things, therefore you must suffer, that is not a fact. Your husband has done nothing horrible. Maybe he has made mistake but he has not done anything horrible. I have asked Brahmananda Swami to go to London as soon as possible from Hawaii and investigate the situation there. I am very concerned about this problem and I hope Brahmananda Swami will be able to clear things up there. When he comes you can inform him of what has happened there. If your husband, Syamasundara is not even keeping correspondence with you how can we know what is his position. Please try to advise him to return the money he owes as soon as possible. Chant 16 rounds, follow all of our regulative principles then everything will be alright in a very short time. I am hoping he will do like this. So you please continue your devotional service, cooking etc, and you can also keep giving Bhagavatam class if you like. Women in our movement can also preach very nicely. Actually male and female bodies, these are just outward designations. Lord Caitanya said that whether one is brahmana or whatever he may be if he knows the science of Krsna then he is to be accepted as guru. So one who gives class, he must read and study regularly and study the purport and realize it. Don't add anything or concoct anything, then he can preach very nicely. The qualification for leading class is how much one understands about Krsna and surrendering to the process. Not whether one is male or female. Of course women, generally speaking are less intelligent, better she has heard nicely then she will speak nicely. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps letters | 04:32 | 8 December 2008 8 December, 1974 Bombay My Dear Malati devi dasi: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated November 19, and December 3, 1974, and have noted the contents. So why the devotees in London are unhappy? What is the situation? Yes, it is a very good idea to join with your husband. Try to bring him in line. Induce Syamasundara. to follow the regulative principles and chant Hare Krishna, and then his position will be secure. Do you think his business is improving or not? I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 06:06 | 6 December 2008 Friday, 6 December, 1974 Bombay My Dear Dennis: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated November 22, 1974 and have noted the contents. So regarding the situation that if you leave your wife and your son, she will be broken hearted, therefore I asked you to stay. It is better for you to remain with your wife and son and chant Hare Krishna as much as possible, and Krishna will personally give you direction. It may be that Krishna will make your wife agreeable to your line of action. And if your wife agrees, and your son he is already doing, that will make your life very happy in Krishna consciousness. The best policy is to chant Hare Krishna all together husband, wife, and son at least a half hour daily. If your wife joins with you in chanting, then the whole problem will be solved. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 09:36 | 3 December 2008 Tuesday, 3 December, 1974 Bombay Harrow, England Dear Sri Mody: Please accept my best wishes. I am in due receipt of a copy of your letter addressed to Sriman Madhavananda das dated November 1, 1974. I did not know anything about this incident. I am very sorry for it however, and I am inquiring into the matter further. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs N.B. Are you visiting India sometime in April 1975? If so kindly let me now where you will stay. ACBS Labels: London letters | 05:11 |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 | 8 September 2008 8 September, 1974 Vrindaban My dear Ksirodakasayi dasa; Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Sept 1, 1974, and thank you very much for it. By the grace of Lord Nrsimhadeva I have recovered from the danger and am improving daily and I thank you for your prayers. I am very glad to learn that you are reading my books and preaching. That will make you happy, and the audience listening they will also become happy. I am very glad that you are taking up this active service of preaching. In Amsterdam you just try to deliver the fallen souls. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is known as patita pavana, the deliverer of the fallen souls. So as you have taken the vow of service you can deliver the most fallen souls by this Krishna consciousness movement. There in the temple they have got now Jagannatha Deities so let them worship and do it nicely. When you have got practice and twelve brahmana devotees then Radha and Krishna can be installed. Regarding the incense factory; yes, you can guide them but you should not be very much involved with business. Be on the sidelines and help them. Regarding the Hindi printing, no, you do not have to send the manuscript here, you can print there. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 02:17 | 26 July 2008 26 July, 1974 Bombay My Dear Daughters: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your notes, and I thank you very much for your daksine. It was a very nice visit to the Bury Place temple. It is from there that we started our London activities, and I am so glad to see that the Deities are being decorated there the best. You are all working very hard, and this will not go in vain. Whatever we do for Krishna, that is to our eternal credit. Thank you very much. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 14:55 | 17 June 2008 Monday, 17 June, 1974 Frankfurt My dear Jaya Hari, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of 11 June 1974. I am presently travelling through Europe and in the past weeks have held many programs in Rome, Geneva, Paris and now Germany. I, therefore, have no time to carefully study and decide on your proposals. The best thing is if you can come and meet with me personally after I have finished this present tour. I am planning to go to Vrindaban for Janmastami, for the opening installation ceremonies of our Krsna Balarama Temple. If you can come to see me in Vrindaban I would be glad to discuss and plan with you what is best for your devotional service engagement. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: London, Vrindavana letters | 06:14 |8 June 2008 8 June, 1974 Paris My dear Revatinandana Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of 25th May, 1974. It is very good news that you are out preaching free from too much entanglement in temple life. That is your proper engagement and I am glad to hear you are touring to 120 colleges. Now cooperate with Hamsaduta. This is Krsna's business. We shouldn't form different parties. Hamsaduta is a sincere worker and has given evidence of success in Germany. Now Syamasundara has relinquished his position and I am enclosing a copy of my letter to him in this connection. Try to pacify all the opposing elements and you will also make me happy. Your ever well-wisher A. C., Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: college preaching, cooperation, London letters | 03:03 |11 May 2008 Saturday, 11 May, 1974 Bombay Dear Ksirodakasayi, Please accept my blessings. Since the Mayapur and Vrindaban festivals in March I have been mostly staying here in our Hare Krishna Land. It is a large estate and requires much management. Today I was talking with Caitya Guru das Brahmacari who is the ground manager here and he suggested that your good self come here to take charge of general management here as the younger devotees are having so much difficulty. Actually the idea of a more mature Indian for management here is very suitable to me. The karmis who the boys deal with here are always cheating them, and only because I am here I catch so many things. As I am leaving on the 23rd May for a tour starting in Rome, I am fearful what will happen here in my absence? I take this suggestion of yourself a manager of Hare Krishna Land as a very sound idea. If you are agreeable to help by service in this way then come immediately to Bombay and help the situation. Giriraja das Brahmacari is the president here, Manasvi and Yasomatinandana and Caitya guru and the important managers, but they are all very young men with not much experience of the world. I understand you are now prepared to take on full time service of this nature, so I think this is the best place for you. I have invested about 20 lacs in this property and already the routine devotional service, deity worship and sankirtana is going on, but at present the police commissioner has denied us sanction to build our big temple according to our plans, and also the status quo is threatened as I do not think the boys can manage the buildings and land which we own here. Potentially things can be very wonderful here but it requires strong management which I think you can do. So consider my proposal seriously and I hope you will be able to come and lead management of Hare Krsna Land. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg PS. I am coming to Paris by the 9th of June 1974. Labels: Bombay, Hare Krishna Land, London, management letters | 05:35 |24 April 2008 Wednesday, 24 April, 1974 Hyderabad Dear Mahadeva, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 17, and I have noted the contents. Syamasundara has invited me to go to London and if he sends tickets as promised then I am going by the first week of May. I shall personally study the situation as mentioned by you and make my judgement personally. At that time I shall consult with Syamasundara. But why is your presence necessary? As a devotee you should be satisfied serving the Lord anywhere. Why are you so anxious to return to London? Therefore I shall request you not to start yourself in that way until I personally go there. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg letters | 22:26 | 9 January 2008 9 January, 1974 Los Angeles My dear Revatinandana Swami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter Jan. 4, 1974 with the enclosed cookbook. I know you are a very good cook and I can understand that you have found the books useful for distribution. I have no objection to your printing it with the name "Revatinandana Swami's Cookbook," but the royalty should go to the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Just as I am publishing Bhagavad-gita As It Is with Macmillan Co. but the royalty is going to the BBT. I think this method is appropriate. If you yourself take the royalty it will be personal interest in money and trade, and this will deviate your principle of sannyasa. Sannyasi means he is in renounced order and lives by begging alms for the bare necessities of life. It is not good to make trade to get money for personal expenditure. If the royalty is given to the BBT, we will keep a separate account from this royalty and necessary expenditures for your preaching may be supplied from the BBT. Mukunda das has sent me a pamphlet in which the pictures are objectionable. The name of the place at Letchmore Heath we have already named Bhaktivedanta Manor, European Center of ISKCON. He has printed "Gokula Vrindaban." In the last picture there is a cowhead like a slaughterhouse cow with t-lock on. I have sent him a telegram to stop it and a detailed letter will follow to Mukunda. The telegram reads as follows: "Pamphlet picture most objectionable. Stop immediately. Letter follows." Please see that this is stopped by Mukunda. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. Regarding taking snuff, I myself take it sometimes at night because I am working at night on my books, and sometimes I become dizzy. But it is not for you to take. You should not imitate this, neither you work like me at night. Labels: London, objectionable, sannyasa letters | 15:15 |1 January 2008 Tuesday, 1 January, 1974 Los Angeles My dear Madhavananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of December 19th, 1973. I can understand that you are seriously absorbed in trying to push on our movement in England. Regarding your point about the tax returns from donations made to our Society, this can be a good opportunity for us so please go ahead and try to make our status like the churches in England who are receiving 40% tax refund from donations. There should be no difficulty since we are a registered group in getting this status. So please do it in cooperation with Bhaktipramode who is an experienced businessman and understands how to do it. You also work with the accountant, Mr. Amin, and manage the affair. Since one Center has to be our leading Center in London, you may make it the Bhaktivedanta Manor for the legal purpose of registration. You say that one person must be in charge of the accounting so you are getting experience with your friends Mr. Amin and Bhaktipremode so you become the responsible person for this affair. Take instruction from them and do the needful. The very hopeful program, I want to construct very big Temples in England so please take care and do it nicely and expertly. Regarding expanding the various programs such as Sankirtana in England, if you work combinedly you can do it. Hamsaduta may also come and assist you. He has good experience in Sankirtana. As for sending devotees to India, I may have said to send 14 men, but if you have 2 or 3 experienced men who are ready to go now, send them immediately. You should not send devotees who do not intend to stay and work there. That is simply a waste of money. The English boys are able to stay 3 years in India because they are citizens of the Commonwealth so we should take advantage of this. Hence they should go as soon as possible, especially those who are fixed up and steady. The main difficulty there seems to be lack of full cooperation. I have written to you to become responsible and to manage things. However, at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, as anywhere, the local president is in charge. That is Mukunda. The reason why there is difficulty and competitive spirit is that everyone wants to be supreme. That is the difficulty. You have experience in the standard of our Krsna Consciousness Temples so you have to work together with Mukunda and combinedly raise the standard of the English Temples to our Krsna Conscious standard. Everyone should follow the rules and regulations. This is very important. There is a standard of behavior for devotees living in the Temple and everyone who lives in the Temple must follow that standard, or else we will automatically fall down. We have been given such a nice big facility at Bhaktivedanta Manor so it is not for our eating and sleeping. Rather, on receiving such a nice place from Krsna we should take it as an indication that we must now work harder. So I know that all the boys and girls there are enthusiastic to follow, so you leaders see that the Krsna Conscious standards in regard to initiation, cleanliness, dress and activities of the devotees, the restriction of association between men and women, all be strictly followed. Devotional service cannot be done whimsically. In regard to security, yes there should be security. There should be 1 or 2 men who are in charge of the Deity room. I have written a letter to Mukunda in this connection and I hope you will together see that this is done. I am asking you to take a new heart and try to cooperate with each other there. There is always some difference because we are not impersonalists, we are personalists and everyone is different. However we have our standard so everything must be conducted on the basis of Krsna Consciousness as I have taught it. You and your wife are there and you are both experienced members so why not take advantage and try to improve the situation there rather than think of moving? If we have to constantly move until we find the situation where there is no personal difficulty in relationships then we may never get down to our real work. Just put our differences aside and work for the greater cause to organize a nice Temple there. I will be glad to hear from you on these points. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:sdg Labels: cooperation, London, management letters | 17:48 |1 January, 1974 Los Angeles My dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. I have received one letter from Madhavananda in which he mentions that the Deities at the Bhaktivedanta Manor are not protected. So you are the president of the Temple and therefore you are responsible for all areas. Who is in charge of the Deity room? It must be secured at night, every window and door must be locked and you must personally see to this. You have had sufficient experience at Bury Place that the Deity was attacked. You have already experienced that so you should not be negligent in this matter. Please see that adequate security is given to the Temple, especially to the Deities, so that They will not be exposed to any attack. I have answered Madhavananda on various points so you may see his letter. The main thing is that if the matter is to go ahead there must be a cooperative spirit between yourself, Madhavananda, Syamasundara and the others. I understand from Madhavananda's letter that there is great opportunity for spreading Krsna Consciousness among the Indians and expanding all our programs there in England so I shall be glad to hear from you on these matters how you are pushing forward to make our mission successful in England. I hope this finds you well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. What happened to immigration matter? ACBS:sdg Labels: Deities, Indians, London letters | 17:42 | |
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