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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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10 December 2008 Tuesday, 10 December, 1974 Bombay My Dear Aksojananda Swami: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 10/12/74. Upon your recommendation I am accepting for twice born brahminical initiation Sriman Muktananda das Brahmacari. Enclosed is his sacred thread duly sanctified and his mantra sheet. Now hold a fire sacrifice, and let him hear the mantra through the right ear, and impress upon him that he is taking vows before Radha and Krishna, the spiritual master and the Vaisnavas. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: brahmana, initiation letters | 20:34 |8 December 2008 8 December, 1974 Bombay My Dear Radhavallabha das: Please accept my blessings. I have seen your letter addressed to Brahmananda Maharaja dated November 26, 1974 and I am glad to learn that the situation in New York is proper again. Thank you very much. So now do everything nicely and cooperate together, and keep everything purified. That is the brahminical qualification, truthfulness and cleanliness, satyam and saucam. These are the first qualifications. Then controlling the mind and the senses, simplicity, full knowledge, and practical application of knowledge, and faith in the Vedas and the spiritual master. Those who are initiated by the brahminical thread, their first duty is to maintain cleanliness and truthfulness. I hope you can understand the importance of this. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 06:05 | 19 September 2008 19 September, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Mahamsa Swami: Please accept my blessings. I have seen your letter to Bhagavan das and upon your recommendation I am pleased to accept the following as twice initiated brahmanas: Sriman Vasugosh das and Madhavendra Puri das. Enclosed are their mantra sheets and sanctified threads. You can hold a fire sacrifice and they can hear the mantra from my tape recording through the right hear. The mantra must be murmured at three times daily. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: brahmana, Hyderabad, initiation letters | 04:37 |18 June 2008 Tuesday, 18 June, 1974 Frankfurt My dear Jaya Tirtha, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of May 25, 1974 with the list of names for initiation. I appreciate that you say you have very carefully considered the names and the candidates have had several interviews and written statements before you would consider them, both for first and second initiation. I am especially concerned that the second initiation not be taken cheaply and devotees who do not even rise early be recommended for brahmana. Therefore I have accepted the devotees recommended by you and their new spiritual names are as follows: John Maley--Caitanya Simha dasa Rhonda Maley--Racitambara-devi Eugene Edwards--Urjasvat dasa Mark Molinero--Mahesvasa dasa Kathryn Ruesnik--Kusala devi Joe Masters--Jitamrtyu dasa Sharamine Bruce--Sailodgata devi Alfredo Ruiz--Abhipraya dasa Michael Pickup--Manya dasa You may hold a fire yajna and chant on their beads and impress on them they are taking vows before Radha-Krsna, the spiritual master and the Vaisnavas. They must always chant at least 16 rounds daily and avoid the four sinful activities. The brahmanas threads and gayatri are enclosed for brahmacaris Hasyapriya, Bopadeva, Dharmaksetra and Anila and the girls Meena Arcana, Pancali, Mulaprakrti, and Mahati devi. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: brahmana, initiation, Los Angeles letters | 06:15 |10 June 2008 Monday, 10 June, 1974 Paris My dear Amarendra, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 6/6/74 and have carefully noted the contents. I can understand that you want to run for political office, but we can not spend money even if we have money. If you have money of your own and you want to spend it for running for office you can do that. But for running we not only have to draw on the society's money but also on our men. This is not desirable. By competing with the politicians we may drop from our spiritual ideal. Our actual business is to become brahminical. We want to train some ksatriyas but that we can do in our own communities. Where is the money for this political work, that is my main question? And also, so much attention paid in this area is a diversion from our spiritual life. Your every well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: brahmana, Gainesville, political sankirtan letters | 22:02 |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 |9 June 2008 9 June, 1974 Paris My dear Rsabhadeva, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of May 4, 1974, just received here in Paris. I have accepted as my disciples the devotees recommended by you and their spiritual names are as follows: Gary--Gopta dasa Joe--Jyotirganesvara dasa Peter--Padmagarbha dasa Steve--Stavapriya dasa Paya--Papaharini devi Rebecca--Rangavalli devi Jayatirtha prabhu may chant on their beads and you may hold a fire yajna. Initiation means to begin so now these devotees, under your supervision must take the vow with utmost seriousness to chant everyday at least 16 rounds on beads and to refrain from the four sinful activities. I have also accepted Bhojadeva dasa and Hrsikesa dasa for second initiation trusting that you have carefully examined their devotional behavior for the past year and that they have not deviated from the regulative principles. It is not that automatically we have to award a devotee second initiation after he has been with us for a certain time, but the qualifications have to be there. Enclosed find their threads duly chanted on by me and gayatri mantra. Have them hear the mantra in the right ear with the tape I have made. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: brahmana, initiation, Laguna Beach letters | 06:12 |27 May 2008 Tuesday, 27 May, 1974 Rome My dear Trai das, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 25, 1974. Upon your recommendation I have accepted Neal Buyers as my initiated disciple and his new spiritual name is Niranjana dasa. Keep him carefully now. Krsna Consciousness means to create ideal men, so you must set the example in following the rules and chanting Hare Krsna mantra and see that others are doing it also. I am enclosing brahmana threads and gayatri mantra for Adi Kesava das and Vivasvan das. You must be very careful before you award the brahminical thread by recommending a man to me. Now that we are dividing our society into the four orders as much as possible, it is not that every man has to be made a brahmana after a year. Especially if one cannot even get up early and go to mangala arati he cannot become a brahmana. So consider it carefully before you recommend further men to me. Sometime in the past Rupanuga Maharaja reported that you were not sending him regular reports so he could compile his GBC report to me; please cooperate with him in this so our huge organization can run smoothly in all its parts. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Boston, brahmana, initiation letters | 03:41 |25 May 2008 26 May, 1974 Rome My dear Sudama Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of letters from devotees of Hawaii ISKCON dated 4/23/74. Based on their declarations of sincerely following all the prescribed Vaisnava regulations for one year, and on your recommendation, I have accepted Jagat Prabhu das, Praghosa das, Kanva das and Nitai Gauracandra das for second initiation and I have enclosed sacred thread and gayatri. You were present in Hawaii when I was there and was particularly stressing that the presidents must be very careful on recommending gayatri initiation. After all, we are criticizing false cast brahmanas, if we ourselves are bogus brahmanas then our position is very bad. Now that we are more and more trying to implement the varnasrama divisions of society, we should not think that everyone has to become a brahmana. For example you are developing a farm there; so those who work the farm do not necessarily have to be a brahmana if they are not inclined to the brahminical standards. In this way, be careful about awarding the second initiation. In my upcoming touring programs I am going to attend Rathayatra in Australia from June 26 until about July 2, then I am going to the U.S. for Rathayatra. So it may be that I will break my journey in Hawaii and see you then. I shall inform you further. Please keep me informed of all developments with the land and devotees there. I will be in Paris from June 6, to June 15. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: brahmana, Hawaii, initiation, varnashram letters | 05:34 |11 April 2008 Thursday, 11 April, 1974 Bombay Dear Dayananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of March 29, 1974 and I have noted the contents. It is extremely assuring to me to hear that Gurukula is doing nicely. The importance of the school in Dallas cannot be overestimated, both for our ISKCON movement, and for the outsiders as well, indeed it is important for the whole world. I was discussing this point in my lecture last night here in Bombay, that human life means tapasya, and tapasya must begin with brahmacaryena, life at Gurukula. The boy is supposed to lie down on the floor, collect alms for the spiritual master - not that they are trying very hard to make a comfortable material arrangement. But the result is that although in this age everyone is born a sudra, we are producing first class brahmanas who can actually do good for their fellow man. I think also that you are the right man to be in charge of our school. It is especially nice to hear that the boys are becoming first class preachers; that is especially needed. Without preaching, our institution becomes all rubbish. So it is very good they are becoming good preachers. So along with Jagadisa you investigate the practical aspects of expanding by purchasing new buildings. Expand, develop and make it a unique institution. As for Canakya sloka, I think the best thing is if I translate it myself and send it to you for printing, rather than wait for Pradyumna. Please go on developing nicely. When I come to the U.S. next time I would like to go to Gurukula and stay there for some time. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: brahmana, Dallas Gurukula, varnashram letters | 12:08 |26 January 2008 26 January, 1974 Honolulu Dear Bhakta das, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 22, 1974. Your report is a very good one and very pleasing to me. Your combining enthusiastic programs of both sankirtana and temple worship in San Diego, should be followed by all our centers. As for first initiations, I have accepted the devotees whose names you have recommended to me, and their spiritual names are as follows: Jeannie Pennera--Kamatavi devi dasi Ray Flores--Rudravapu dasa Mark Weldman--Natanga dasa Daniel Koenig--Dhanadhyaksa dasa Regarding Second initiation, I have been asking the presidents to reconsider the devotees they want to put forward for brahmana before asking me to accept them. The criteria is that they must be initiated for one year, and during that time they have to be following the prescribed chanting of at least 16 rounds, and all the regulative principles. I am also asking that they write a statement before you in all seriousness stating that they have not broken any of the promises of the first initiation, and that they will go on steadfastly chanting the prescribed rounds. In this way I am hoping to stop whimsical recommendations for second initiation. So please follow this rule. You can ask me freely to make devotees initiated for first initiation provided they are enthusiastic and following the rules, but be very cautious before awarding second initiation, even though you have a need for brahmanas in the temple. Regarding Rathayatra, I think there is no need for you to have a separate festival since you are so near San Francisco. But you may hold other festivals in San Diego, as you describe in your letter. That will be very pleasing for everyone. I shall be glad to see you and the devotees from San Diego at our grand meeting in Mayapur for Lord Caitanya's Appearance Day. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: brahmana, festival, initiation, Sn Diego letters | 12:18 |23 January 2008 Wednesday, 23 January, 1974 Honolulu Dear Sahadeva, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 11, 1974. Regarding second initiations, I have become very concerned lately, that some of our older students who have been given the second initiation, have not been strictly following the rules and regulations. So from now on I want our presidents to be very sure about the devotees they are recommending to me for second initiation. I think sometimes in the past devotees have been recommended chiefly because some more helpers were required in maintaining the deity work. Of course, necessity is there. It is just like in government, the government has need for a number of men to fill important posts, but first the persons must be qualified before they can award the post. Even though there may be a pressing demand, first the man must be qualified. Our system is that after one year from the first initiation, if the devotee is strictly following our principles without deviation, and if he will sign a statement in seriousness, that he will not deviate from the chanting and regulative principles, then, on your mature consideration you can recommend him to me. It is not that we are stopping second initiation, but I want to be sure it does not become a farce and names be sent to me without proper qualification. We are criticizing the caste brahmanas for saying that the Americans and Europeans cannot be awarded brahmana initiation, because according to Vedic sastra, anyone who is properly trained up under a bona fide spiritual master, can become twice born. But if our brahmanas do not take their second initiation seriously, then we will be deserving of criticism. So on this basis, if your think the men you have recommended are still eligible, you can resubmit their names to me and I will accept them. You have also submitted two names for first initiation. With this first initiation, we can more readily give them a chance. Provided they are enthusiastic and you observe they are following the devotional practices then you can submit their names. I have accepted the names submitted by your and their names are as follows: Brent Chevaliar-- Clarice Sandoz-- You may hold a fire yajna for them and instruct them in avoiding the ten offenses to chanting Hare Krsna Mantra. So I am counting on your own example in these matters as the most effective method of instruction for all the devotees in you care in the Houston temple. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: brahmana, Houston, initiation letters | 12:16 | |
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