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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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19 December 2008 19 December, 1974 Bombay My dear Vipini das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 7, 1974 and have noted the contents carefully. I have received your check for $200.00 and appreciate it very much. As far as your engagement is concerned I think it is most appropriate for you to consult with the GBC men. But one thing that everyone should understand is that I am not so interested in selling incense as I am in selling books. Distribution of my books is the most important thing. These other things such as selling incense, records etc., are not so much important as this. If Spiritual Sky is a separate concern then what is the need of our own men who are capable preachers to be engaged in that way. I want that my books be distributed in huge quantities, and thus we will be able to thoroughly convince the majority of the population especially there in America. But finances are also needed. Therefore for further direction you please contact the GBC men and they will give you consultation. The more one preaches the more he becomes expert and the more he is able to convince others. Concerning your marriage ceremony that is to be sanctioned by the temple president or GBC. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: business, GBC, Washington letters | 02:20 |26 November 2008 Tuesday, 26 November, 1974 Bombay, India My Dear Damodara das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated November 12, 1974 with enclosed photograph. The photo is nice. Thank you. Yes, it is all right that you retire from the president post to do preaching. You are one of the elder students, so you should be careful to always set good example for the others. Maya is undoubtedly very strong, and we have to be very vigilant like soldiers in a fortress. We should not let maya enter into our activities, but keep all of our activities Krishna conscious. I have faith in you, so always try your best to serve Krishna and your spiritual master, and you will be all successful. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Mayapur, retire, Washington letters | 02:14 |16 November 2008 16 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Srutadeva dasa: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of the Sankirtana Newsletters Nos. 27-30, and I thank you very much for assisting me in this mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. These reports are very encouraging to me, and I think our men will also be encouraged to increase the book distribution. This I want. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: sankirtan, Washington letters | 11:43 |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 |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 |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 |8 September 2008 8 September, 1974 Vrindaban My dear Srutadeva das; Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 15th, along with the sankirtana news letter #19, and I thank you very much for it. You can continue sending me these news letters as you publish them weekly. It is this sankirtana which is the life and soul of our movement. Sankirtana and book distribution should go on together side by side. I am always glad when these activities are increasing and my pleasure is always increasing. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/hdb Labels: sankirtan, Washington letters | 02:16 |3 September 2008 Wednesday, 4 September, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Rupanuga das: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters dated August 17 1974 and August 26, 1974 and have noted the contents. As you are appreciating my books, so if all educated people in your country also appreciate, that will expand our missionary activities. One thing I received one letter from Gurukula regarding the Krsna Bowl contests, and I want you to know that nothing new should be added. Whatever I have introduced should remain. Nothing new should be added. New things means their brain is not clear. Carefully manage things what I have established. I am glad to learn that in Philadelphia they are increasing Sankirtana. It is our life and soul. Sankirtana should be increased as much as possible. Side by side is book selling. Then our mission will be successful. It is also good that in Atlanta they are doing college courses. Similar attempts should be made in other places. Regarding the Buffalo project, New Vrindaban is the example. You should develop in a similar way. Have milk, vegetables, simple living, and chanting Hare Krsna. The whole world is engaged in unnecessary hard labor with their factories. It is a brain killing civilization. Let them come to free life. Spend time chanting Hare Krsna, reading books and making their lives successful. This is very essential propaganda. People must be informed. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: farm, gurukula, nothing added, Washington letters | 01:58 |8 June 2008 Saturday, 8 June, 1974 Paris My dear Damodara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of June 5, 1974. I have asked you to stop the political program because actually you cannot organize as the others can. We cannot manage with separate money, separate brains from our regular ISKCON propagation. It is not so easy to do politics, moreover it is a filthy atmosphere. So do not indulge in it. I am glad to hear all the participants have stopped. So you convey to them my instructions in this matter. We have an immense field of work in distributing books, reading and chanting and working for Krsna in many fields. And the aim of it is to always remember Krsna. Some philosophers think that in response negatively to the nasty consciousness of material life we should become 'thoughtless' but this is not Krsna Consciousness, nor is it possible to become void or like a stone. Our process is to purify the thinking by always thinking of Krsna, actively and positively. You have asked about Rupanuga. So I have asked him to not remain secluded but to work vigorously as grhastha now that he has returned with his wife. There is nothing wrong in his preaching as you are and so many GBCs, as grhastha. So although it is officially a falldown from sannyasa, there is no loss if he will become more enthusiastic by this way. So please continue to cooperate with him and implement all our regular programs. Your ever-well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg P.S. Yes you should give up the political offices and our men should return to working in the ISKCON centers. Labels: fall down, political sankirtan, Washington letters | 03:04 |28 May 2008 Wednesday, 28 May, 1974 Rome My dear Rupanuga Maharaja; Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 21st, 1974. I am not interested to spend money for your political party neither engage our men to divert attention from spiritual progress for political propaganda. So studying your letter thoroughly I have come to the conclusion you may stop the political program. It will not benefit our real spiritual position. My only idea was to point out to the public that unless you have purified leaders there is no possibility of advancement even in the material condition. I had no idea to spend money and energy of our society in a way which is not our real spiritual life. As for the Harmonist articles, they are not bad, but the same thing could be presented in our Back to Godhead. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: political sankirtan, Washington letters | 03:44 |23 March 2008 Saturday, 23 March, 1974 Bombay, India Dear Damodara, Please accept my blessings. I have accepted the devotee recommended by you for first initiation and his spiritual name is as follows: Douglas Duty,...Dandi dasa His beads may be chanted on by Rupanuga Maharaja. Please hold a fire yajna and speak to him on the ten offenses against chanting. Personally see that he is chanting at least 16 rounds daily, without fail. By your own example you have to keep all the devotees enthusiastic and that is done by strict adherence to the regulative principles. Hope this finds you in good health, and I will be glad to hear of your progress in political sankirtana. Your political sankirtana Godbrothers, Balavanta and Amarendra are here in Bombay helping us for some time, but I have informed them that their real work is in the USA. So you are in the nation's capital and if you can get support it will be grand preaching for our movement. Anyway, we are simply presenting the truth, which is that outside of Krsna Consciousness there is no hope for betterment of the troubled conditions of modern affairs, rather they are going to hell without check. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: initiation, political sankirtan, Washington letters | 11:31 |16 January 2008 Wednesday, 16 January, 1974 Honolulu My Dear Damodara, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 3, 1974. I have accepted as my disciples, those devotees recommended by you, and their spiritual names are as follows: Edward Striker - Aindra dasa Neil Kallmyer - Nilambara dasa James Machuga - Jagara dasa Pamela Machuga - Padma malini devi dasi Now instruct them very seriously about their responsibilities. To promise to follow the four prohibitive rules and to daily chant sixteen rounds means they cannot deviate. You can hold a fire yajna and inform them that in promising before the Deity and before the spiritual master, one cannot later break the rules without being punished, just as in the law court one is held for perjury. If we simply follow these instructions however, spiritual life becomes very simple and we can go back to Krsna in the spiritual world at the end of this life, which is the success of the human life. You may send their beads for chanting to Kirtanananda Maharaja. As for the second initiation, I have accepted those disciples whose names you have sent me, Laksmivan das, Varuthapa das and Krsnabhava devi, and I am enclosing two sacred threads and three copies of the gayatri mantra. Please instruct them and show them by example as well what is the character and practice of a brahmana. They should hear the tape of me chanting the gayatri mantra through the right ear. Your political preaching is encouraging to me. We should expose before the public eye that the lowest class of men are now taking the posts of leaders, and therefore there can be no peace or happiness. I have given the idea for a poster which shall be entitled: "Select Real Leaders - Don't Spoil Life." It will depict devotees as leaders, illustrating that real leaders have to be free of meat-eating and animal slaughter, illicit sex, intoxication and gambling. This poster is being prepared in L.A. and I want it distributed all over the world, and you can use it widely in your campaign for Mayor of Washington D.C. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: initiation, politicians, Washington letters | 17:13 | |
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