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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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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 | 31 August 2008 Sunday, 1 September, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Gurukrpa Maharaja: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated August 27, 1974 and have noted the contents. I note that you have remitted for M-V total of $185,807.00. You say that after this last payment to Dai Nippon, you will not be able to send any legal payment out of the country. But, Ramesvara has just written that after this payment you will be able to make all future payments to my account direct. Please clarify this. But, there are Indian merchants there who can help you. If they understand that we are using the money here to build temples, they will help. You must use your best judgement. What can I advise? Regarding the allurements of money and women, Krsna will protect you. Caitanya Mahaprabhu at a young age took sannyasa and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya was also thinking like you are thinking. So as a friend Sarvabhauma wanted to teach Caitanya Mahaprabhu Vedanta. The result was that Bhattacarya had to learn Vedanta from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and became his disciple. So Krsna is always strong. If you are fully engaged in Krsna's service, attraction of women will be a myth only. It is only Krsna's grace. Of course we are old men now, but even old men they are attracted still by women. So even old man or young man, if one's mind is fixed up in Krsna's lotus feet, there will be no such mundane attraction. Even a woman in the dead of night with all attractive features could not affect even sligtly Haridasa Thakura. So it is a very pleasant job transcendentally. So much so that women and money is no attraction to a devotee. A devotee knows how to engage himself and others in the service of Krsna completely, as well as all the wealth of the world in the matter of propagating Krsna consciousness. Rest assured. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: MV Trust, Tokyo, wealth, women letters | 00:08 |13 August 2008 Tuesday, 13 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Amsu das: Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 23, 1974 and have noted the contents. Regarding the worship of our Gaura Nitai by women pujaris, we worship Lord Caitanya in His householder life when He was with His wife, and not as a sannyasi. So, it is alright for women to do this service. But, besides this, service is spiritual and there can be no material designation. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated by Lord Krishna, striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te'pi yanti param gatim. The principle is that everyone who is properly initiated and following the rules and regulations can worship. This activity can not on the material platform. According to the smarta vidhi, women cannot touch deity during menstrual period but the goswami viddhi allows. But it is better not to do it. One thing is that the seva can never be stopped for any reason. This also for the cooking. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs/ps Labels: Deities, Toronto, women letters | 06:34 |13 August, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Uttama Sloka, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 18th. Thank you for your report of the Toronto activities. Regarding the initiations, I think that everyone has been initiated in New Vrndavana recently. Regarding women worshiping the deity, in the Bhagavad-gita it is stated, striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te'pi yanti param gatim. The idea is that everyone who is properly initiated and following the rules and regulations can worship the deity. I hope this letter meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Deities, Toronto, women letters | 06:34 | |
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