a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
|
|
| Prabhupada Letters :: 1967 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
|
|
18 Mar 2004 Saturday, March 18, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Nripen Babu, Please accept my humble dandabats and blessings of Sri Sri Radha Damodara Thakura Dev. I am in due receipt of your kind letter of March 11, 1967 and have noted the contents very carefully. I am very sorry to learn that things in the Temple Srila Jiva Goswami has deteriorated so much. Please therefore immediately go to Vrindaban and make things alright. Stay in the temple for sometime as co-servant and do things as already planned by you. I am very much surprised to note that indulgence in liquor within the temple is going on. Of course I had personal experience that indulgence in Ganja was freely going on and now it has deteriorated to the utmost degree. Please do the needful immediately otherwise things will deteriorate to many more things. I think Governor Visvanatha Das is already aware of the condition of the temple. Many people at Vrindaban has complained against the Gosain of Radha Damodara Temple and consequently the Governor withdrew his promise to pay yearly Rs 500.- for Kirtana in the Temple on Janmastami day. He publicly promised this in the temple while meeting was going on Janmastami day organized by me. Unfortunately a demonstration was made by one woman who made a great show by crying that Panchu has cheated her by Rs 800.-. This show of the woman and subsequent adverse letters by other envious persons marred the whole project. Since then I could understand that no improvement in the Radha Damodara Temple can be made under such condition. The cheating of Panchu by 800. rupees was subsequently confirmed before me by one woman disciple of Gauracandra Gosain. I remained silent and this the first time I am disclosing the fact before you. Any way please try to save temple of Jiva Goswami because in very near future many people all parts of the world will come to see the Temple and Samadhi of Jiva Goswami and Rupa Goswami. If you get court permission to sell the land there will be no objection for purchasing __ so far I know that your maternal uncle and cousin brother are also ___ in the temple. Sunderlalla son (the Vakil at Mathura) told me like that when negotiation was going on for lease. But I think if court sanction is obtained it will be quite alright. As far as possible do not get into litigation with your cousin Gauracandra but try to settle things by your presence. Your presence in the temple is essential to establish your claim. In your absence some body as your representative must remain there. It is essential. And you can publish in the paper that no transaction will be valid without your signature as copartner. You have sought my advice and I beg to submit humbly that you must stay in the temple for some time till things are not out of order. If you feel inconvenient to stay with Gauracandra Gosain, you can stay in my rooms but I think you should remain in the rooms set aside for your staying. You must keep your claim intact. As you are going to restore order in the temple I am always with you because Srila Jiva Goswami's temple is my heart and soul. I think with your cooperation I shall be able to render some genuine service to the Gosvamis Who are staying in the temple. I shall be glad to hear from you now and then specially when you reach Vrindaban during the Holi festivals. My American students are all glad to have your good blessings for them. If Radha Damodara desires many Americans will go to see the holy place of Jiva Goswami in the very near future. I am just trying to [TEXT MISSING] Last time when I was in Vrindaban, you know how much attractive and pure Sankirtana was performed by my disciples. To arrange for 50 men's prasadam nowadays means daily expenditure not less than Rs 100.- daily or Rs 3000.- per month. I do not wish to disturb the position of the sevaits of Radha Damodara Temple, but simply if I am given the facility to live there with my disciples, it will be my pleasure to serve Their Lordships Sr Sri Radha Damodara to my best capacity. Now it is up to you all sevaits to decide on this fact. Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami cc. Nripendra Natha Banerjee Nathauram Goswami letters | 18.3.04 | 15 Mar 2004 Wednesday, March 15, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Kirtanananda, Please accept my blessings and offer the same to all the devotees there. I hope by this time you must have received another $100.00 from new york which was delayed on account of the Pass Book. The Bank has however sent me the debit note for this $100.00. I am anxious to know what you have done about editing my lectures. Have you done something or not. I shall be glad to hear from you in this connection. I was indisposed for four days on account sudden attack of cold. Now I am well. Please send me a weekly report for all the work that you are doing there. I understand that Jadurani is there and she is doing well. I am sending herewith a work for her. I am returning to New York by the 9th April 1967. ACB letters | 15.3.04 | Wednesday, March 15, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter. You have asked me something for which it is difficult to answer from such a distant place. You are grown up girl you should rather decide what to do. Fix up your mind always in Krishna and He will give you good counsel. I am sending herewith two pictures. I wish that you may enlarge one of them in painting. I like both the pictures but as an artist you can make your choice. I prefer the picture which contains all the body of Krishna on my right side. Anyway one of the pictures may be painted in three so that each branch may have one picture. I shall be glad to know how many pictures you have completed by this time. Hope you are all well by the Grace of Lord Krishna. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 15.3.04 | Wednesday, March 15, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Janardana, Please accept my blessings. I am glad to learn that your good wife is now days taking interest in Krishna Consciousness. Please offer her my blessings. I think a good and sincere husband's influence is working in her. Be happy in family life and both of you become blessed by Krishna consciousness. What about my books? Yours ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Enclosure:2 letters | 15.3.04 | 14 Mar 2004 Tuesday, March 14, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my thanks and blessings of Lord Krishna for your letter of the 12th instant describing your meeting with a Maya the illusory energy and combating her by Krishna consciousness. In future if any one challenges our philosophy one may put his questions in writing and must be prepared to receive the answers from human understanding. We cannot talk with anyone who is not within the purview of human understanding. You are completely right when you refuse to debate and accept invitation for chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Although we should not chant in a society which is disruptive but as soon as one invites us for chanting we take it for granted that they are friendly and we must take the opportunity. A female is never awarded the order of Sannyasam. Because a female is never considered independent and Sannyasam was never awarded to any female in the past by the great Acaryas like Sankara, Ramanuja etc. The female Sannyasins are to be immediately understood as pretenders or prostitutes. In India they have organized so many organizations where specially young females are maintained to attract rich women-hunters who pretend to pose as righteous in the society. This is the age of Kali which plunders away spiritual sense of the human being and it is only the Divine Grace of Lord Caitanya Who can protect us from all these dangerous pitfalls. You were not agitated by unfavorable criticism and yet you chanted Hare Krishna Mahamantra that is the way of chanting Hare Krishna. I thank you very much for this forbearance. I am very glad to note that you can know the foolishness of the modern society in spiritual understanding and I thank you very much for your appreciation of my association. This association is disciplic and as such all thanks are due to Lord Krishna Who infuses His powers through the bonafide disciplic succession. But I am very sorry to learn that Mr. Taylor is still playing in his own way. I do not know why. If the financier is paying him all cash what is the cause of delay. We have already handed over the amount $5000.00 and if things are still lingered in such a way it becomes really disturbing. I shall be glad to hear from you how things are taking place. In your last letter I was given to understand that while signing the agreement Mr. Taylor was not present. This was something like marriage performances without the bridegroom. In your last letter you informed me that you are going take possession of the house immediately. I hope you are going to do so and I may inform you that the possession must be taken on or before the 26th March 1967 because that is the day of Lord Caitanya's birthday. You shall observe Lord Caitanya's birth day as follows: 1. The picture of Lord Caitanya with His party should be nicely decorated with flowers and garlands and Sankirtana should be performed regularly from Morning to evening. Just after seeing the Full Moon on the sky the days fast should be broken. I mean the devotees should observe fasting the whole day. In the evening the devotees should take food as in the Ekadasi days. 2. The next day you can celebrate feasting on account of Lord Caitanya's appearance and read about His life as given shortly in my Srimad-Bhagavatam and you can read also from the teachings of Lord Caitanya part of which is going to be published in the present issue of Back to Godhead. If the pyschedelic men want to sell our Visnu pictures you can charge them at least $50.00 for each picture. For display you lend them one only returnable on demand. We require many pictures as painted by Jadurani for decorating the lecture-hall in the new building. You will be glad to learn that here also we have got another Jadurani whose name is Govinda Dasi wife of Gaura Sunder. Both the husband and the wife are good artist and they have printed a very nice picture of Radha Krishna. I am glad to learn that Donald has purchased Prof. Sanyal's book Krishna Caitanya. Late Prof. N. K. Sanyal was my Godbrother and his book Krishna Caitanya is approved and authoritative. Keep it very carefully and we may publish in Back to Godhead some articles from the book. It will help us a great deal because my Spiritual Master has given His approval to this book.* Please keep it carefully and when I return I shall see to it. I shall be glad to hear from you when you are going to take possession of the house. Inform all friends there that I wish that we may enter the house on or before the 26th March 1967. You have done right by removing the pictures which deal in Gopis and Krishna. They are never for public show. They are very confidential and meant for advanced devotees who know Krishna fairly well. The neophytes will be misguided by such pictures. I hope you will understand me right. With my blessings for you all. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami *The picture of my Spiritual Master in the book may be painted in color by Jadurani: this will be another type of picture of my Spiritual Master. letters | 14.3.04 | |
|
|
