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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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31 December 2008 31 December, 1974 Bombay My dear Hamsaduta das, Please accept my blessings. Now, considering the European situation in a meeting between Myself, yourself and Bhagavan das, I think Madhavananda should become president of London and Prabhavisnu should become president of Amsterdam and you can arrange this. Regarding the grhasthas living in the temple, I have already discussed with you in detail, so do the needful. The principle is that we make propaganda for devotees to come. Don't ask any of them to go away. That is not our principle. So, make nice arrangement for all the devotees there. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps cc; Madhavananda, Prabhavisnu Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, grhastha letters | 10:06 |22 November 2008 22 November, 1974 Bombay My Dear Krsnakatha Das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due reciept of your letter dated September 30th, 1974 and have noted the contents. So far I know the paintings are coming out nicely from the press so if you like you can remain with your wife in Montreal. You can also paint like Devahuti does by the instructions of the press managers. There is no hindrance of your being a householder so far as distributing books are concerned. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu had many householder disciples who would preach Krishna Consciousness. I understand recently in Toronto the entire temple distributed many Isopanisads and other books. So you can engage your self in spare time in this book distribution without any hindrance. Side by side you can also paint pictures for Krishna. In this way fully engage yourself in Krishna's service. That is what I want. Nothing else. I hope this meets you in good health, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/BS/vdd letters | 06:25 | 6 September 2008 7 September, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Batugopala das; Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 21, with enclosed photographs. So Kirtanananda Maharaja has installed Deities. But without twenty devotees how you can have Deities? Your men are coming and going so why you are having Deity installation? You must have twenty devotees. Kirtanananda Maharaja, he should supply those devotees since he has authorized the installation. You can name the Deities, Radha-Muralidhara. Regarding taking the Deities out on sankirtana as advised by Tamala Krsna Goswami, occasionally the Deities may come and go, however you can let Tamala Krsna Goswami guide you in this connection. Regarding having your wife do the management, if there are no men available then what can be done? But now there is some difficulty in the management there is no question of opening up any restaurant. Do not open any restaurant. I am glad to see that you are living an ideal grhastha life. That is very good. The more you will become Krishna conscious the more you will forget sex life. Sex life is the original root cause of material bondage. When one takes to Krishna consciousness gradually sex at last becomes abominable, then he is fit to enter back to home back to Godhead. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/hdb Labels: Cleveland, Deities, grhastha, restaurant letters | 02:07 |9 May 2008 9 May, 1974 Bombay, India My Dear Visala and Visalaini, Please accept my blessings. Thank you very much for your gift of Rs 500/. So you are both exemplary Vaisnavas and I want that you, husband and wife, preach together. So you are part of our Vrindaban center. When you can return there spend your time always studying my books, chanting and preaching to the people of Vrindaban, with real understanding of this science of Krishna consciousness. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: grhastha, preaching, Vrindavana letters | 04:30 |5 May 2008 Sunday, 5 May, 1974 Bombay Dear Jayatirtha, Please accept my blessings. I have received your recent letters of April 16 and April 25 and have noted the contents. You have also written in a letter to Satsvarupa that temple donations are being put toward the Indian BBT debt. Please, let me know in this connection what is the amount taken from donations and transferred to the BBT account for the book debt by India? Also I will request you that as much book debt amount as you receive from donations you should again dispatch that amount in new books to India. There is not sufficient stock of books here. Whatever variety of books are in stock send according to the amount paid against the debt. I think you are aware Gargamuni Maharaja has formed a spiritual sky tours program and will be bringing about 70 life members on a world tour including of course the United States. I need to know from you whether the BBT has sufficient capital in the bank to cover the amount of $130,000.00. This amount will be required to cover their expenditure. Regarding the grhasthas houses, we have given these houses with the purpose that they should execute devotional service exactly like the Brahmacaris and sannyasis. Otherwise, why purchase houses near the temple? The whole idea is to live near the temple and take advantage of the temple program, which means morning arati, classes, sankirtana and all services connected with the temple. They are also members of the temple. Locana das may deposit his contributions with the Mayapur Vrindaban fund which will also go for the Krsna Balarama temple as is his desire. I am still not aware how fast the remittance is going from the Union Bank to the Punjab National Bank in Vrindaban. For example I have not received a report on when the interest for April, due payable April 10, actually reached Vrindaban. I have written the Punjab National Bank about this and am awaiting their report. You have asked about Gaura Nitai deity worship by the householders in Los Angeles. That is for those who live far away from the temple and cannot attend. Otherwise, such worship is redundant; there is already deity worship going on in the temple and they should attend the aratis, not install their own deities. The impression of Lord Caitanya's feet which you have there may be kept in a picture, not that it is worshipped as a deity. Keep it as a picture. Regarding your invitation that I attend the Rathayatra festival in San Francisco, on July 7th, it is possible that I may attend depending on when I finish my European tour. I am due to arrive in Rome on May 23, then after a week Geneva, the Paris and possible Stockholm, Germany and England. If there is time I can fly directly from Europe to Los Angeles and go to the festival, then as you suggest, go to Australia Rathayatra via Hawaii. This is known as jet-age parivrajakacarya. For the present I will be staying in Bombay for about two weeks, then to Delhi and Vrindaban before leaving for Rome. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I want the monthly interest from the Union Bank to go to account 668 at the Punjab National Bank, Vrindaban, called "ISKCON Mayapur-Vrindaban Trust Fund". At present they are sending the interest to the account number 6112. "A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami". So please go to the Union Bank and find out how this change may be brought about and and let me know. Also I am enclosing a check for $21.00 (twenty one dollars) which I have received here. I want you to deposit this for me in the Union Bank, ISKCON MVT, and the savings deposit slip is enclosed. Labels: BBT, Deities, grhastha, itinerary, Rathayatra letters | 07:43 |1 May 2008 1 May, 1974 Bombay My dear Jaya tirtha, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 16, 1974 and have noted the contents. Concerning how to induce grhasthas to take part in Krsna Consciousness activities rather than in activities of May it is very simple: they should attend the temple program rigidly. Morning arati, classes, sankirtana. We have given houses with the purpose to execute devotional service exactly like the Brahmacaris and sannyasis. Otherwise, why purchase houses near the temple? The whole idea is to live near the temple and take advantage of the temple program. Regarding the apartments, how is the rent being collected and where is it being deposited? Locana das may deposit his contributions with the Mayapur Vrindaban fund for going to the Krsna Balarama temple. Kindly advise the Union Bank to send the monthly interest to ISKCON Mayapur Vrindaban Trust Fund. I still don't know how many installments they have sent or how quickly they are getting the money to the Punjab National Bank in Vrindaban. As for grhastha worshiping Gaura Nitai deities that is only for those who live far away from the temple and cannot attend. Otherwise such worship is redundant: there is already deity worship going on in the temple and they should attend the aratriks, not install their own deities. The household community in Los Angeles or any of our temples is not meant to be independent from the temple program. The impression of Lord Caitanya's feet which you brought from India may be kept in a picture, not that it is worshiped as a deity. Keep it as a picture. I will look forward to your regular reports. I know you have multifarious and complicated affairs to manage in our Los Angeles Center, and I know you are doing your best there. Just pray to Krsna to give you intelligence how to manage it all. The most important thing is that we must be ideal Krsna Conscious persons, and then we can attract others. This means chanting, reading my books, going on sankirtana, following the regulative principles and worshiping the deity. Whoever takes part in these things, no matter what he has done of sinful activities before, will automatically advance in spiritual realization. This is the simple process and if we follow it we will become ideal. Otherwise, they will become victims of women and wealth. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: grhastha, Los Angeles, management, standard practices letters | 09:38 |27 March 2008 Wednesday, 27 March, 1974 Bombay Dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 21 March and I have examined the contents. That the standard of Krsna Consciousness deteriorated while you were away two weeks, and three brahmacaris have left Bhaktivedanta Manor is not good. But neither do I think your proposals are very good for organizing a strong center by stopping Revatinandana Swami's travelling party and having the president of the London temple Prabha Visnu and others stay with you at the center. It seems you are always asking others to come for some time to work with you and organize, then after they leave you turn to some one else to come and help. Madhavananda is here with me in Bombay and I think he is the right man to work with you permanently at the Manor. I sent him there for that purpose, to organize things as he has experience of the management and organization of a temple life. So between you and he, if you will mutually cooperate, there should be sufficient power to run things nicely. Revatinandana Swami should not stay there but his travelling party should go on for preaching and distribute many books at the colleges and schools. Also Prabha Visnu is supposed to stay in London as he is the president there. As far as separation of men and women in Bhaktivedanta Manor, that should be strictly observed in the main temple building; between single men and women there must be strict division and strict observance of no illicit sex. The householders may continue stay as they are in the cottage house, living peacefully as grhasthas. Whether grhasthas, sannyasa or brahmacari everyone has to be completely engaged all the time in devotional service. That is the meaning of good management, to see that everyone is engaged 24 hours a day, and not sleeping unnecessarily or talking idly. I think Madhavananda has good ideas and is a good organizer. So he is returning to you in a few days; you two please work together so that devotees will be enthusiastic to remain and work at the Manor. We have such a nice variety of engagement there, sankirtana, deity worship, gardening - there is no scarcity of important work. I shall be eager to hear from you further how things are going in all departments, at our European Headquarters. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, grhastha, management letters | 19:14 |23 March 2008 23 March, 1974 Bombay Dear Murti das, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your recent letter in which you propose to come to Vrindaban with your wife to help with deities, construction and preaching at our Krishna Balarama temple. After consulting with the authorities there, we all agree it would be a very good idea. So please make arrangements for your transfer here. Our Vrindaban temple is perhaps our nicest building in the whole movement and I want at least 25 good men here at all times. Because it is Vrindaban, those who come should be exemplary so that all the people of Vrindaban, even those who would be prone to criticize, will see that we are actually following the six Goswamis headed by Rupa Goswami. I want that those who come here, whether grhasthas or sannyasis, behave on the level of real goswamis. Goswami means controlling the senses and always glorifying Krsna by varieties of engagement in devotional service 24 hours a day. You may write to Gurudasa further about your plans. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: grhastha, Los Angeles, sannyasa, Vrindavana letters | 11:28 |15 March 2008 15 March, 1974 Vrindaban Dear Ranchor, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 1st, 1974, and I have examined the contents. It is all right if you live independently as a grhastha provided you follow the rules and regulations. Chant together husband and wife and speak the philosophy exactly right as it comes in disciplic succession. You must speak Krsna Consciousness knowledge with no interpretation of your own. As for supporting your preaching financially, if you are a preacher you can take a donation from the audience. When I was in the U.S.A. I was taking collection and the people were paying. Don't demand but you can ask and there is no harm. Yes, I did not approve of your starting you own magazine. You can write articles for Back to Godhead magazine. Why attempt separately? The drawing of the proposed temple for Bhaktivedanta Manor which you have enclosed is very interesting and it is done on a grand scale. I am studying it and will consider its use. Thank you very much. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, grhastha, Manchester, preaching letters | 14:25 | |
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