a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1967 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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27 Aug 2004 Sunday, August 27, 1967 Vrindaban, India My Dear Jananivasa, Please accept my blessings. I am very glad to recieve your letter of 8.20, and glad to hear that everything is going so nicely at our newest center. It all sounds very beautiful, and I am very anxious to come to you personally. Perhaps in October I shall go directly from here to San Francisco, and then to Santa Fe, before going to N.Y. About your question: The Spirit Soul is certainly eternal and changeless; and the fall is superficial, just like the relation between father and son cannot be broken ever. Now we are simply in a phase of forgetfulness, and this forgetfulness is called Maya. There is a nice example in the waning of the moon. To us the moon appears to be changing, but in fact the moon is always the same. So as eternal servitors of Krishna--our constitutional position--we fall down when we try to become the enjoyer, imitating Krishna. That is our downfall. Krishna is the Supreme Enjoyer, and we are constitutionally to be enjoyed by Him, and when we revive this constitutional position where is no more Maya. K.C. gives us the opportunity of rendering service to Krishna, and this service attitude only can replace us on our original position. Please therefore, continue to chant faithfully, and Krishna will reveal Himself, by His Causeless Mercy, and you will know everything automatically. I shall, of course always be ready and anxious to answer any question you have. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 27.8.04 | August 27, 1967 Vrindaban, India My Dear Subala das, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter dated 8.15, and pleased to read the contents. By Krishna's Grace you have gotten a nice old castle, and converted into a K.C. temple. I am also pleased to learn that people are taking an interest in the temple, and that you are getting some publicity started. K.C. is so that it will bring more and more, If you but go on chanting with heart and soul. It is Lord Caitanya's desire that you have opened this branch in such a distant place, and surely it will be a successful attempt. I have nothing to instruct you newly, but the same: simply chant in the beginning for 30-45 minutes then read something from the Gita or S. Bhagavatam, and then chant again in the usual way. Please offer my blessings to Krishna devi dasi, Harsarani, Aniruddha das, Rasikananda das, and Jananivasa, and any others who may be with you. I am so pleased you have started this branch, as Kirtanananda did in Montreal. Please always keep the temple nicely cleansed, and put as many flowers as possible, burn candles and incense, offer fruits and nice food stuffs, chant and dance! If you would like some paintings, you can ask Jadurani in N.Y., and she will send you some. I have already sent 3 mrdangas, and very soon will send more; and when they reach N.Y. you will get a mrdanga and a few pairs of kartel. Please keep in touch with you by your weekly reports. So far my health is concerned, I am improving slowly, and I expect to return to you by the end of October next, as I too am missing you very much. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 27.8.04 | August 27, 1967 Vrindaban, India My Dear Mrinaline, Please accept my blessings. I have your letter of 8.22, and thank you very much for it. I am so glad that you have returned to Krishna. Krishna is kind that He does not let us go, anyone who sincerely takes to Him. And therefore you do not wish to leave Him anymore. This decision will lead you to your eternal life of bliss and knowledge. Certainly in your past life you must have had been a devotee of the Lord, otherwise you wouldn't have felt like becoming a nun at such a young age. Anyone who has a natural tendency for rejecting sense-gratification is considered to be advanced or liberated in spiritual life. Your appreciation of Maya as false and Krishna as the only reality is a great asset. Nobody has ever gained anything by becoming a tool in the hands of Maya, but everyone has become eternally happy by serving Krishna. The feeling which you had by becoming compassionate to the fallen bum is very good, but the best way to deliver a bum is to revive his dormant Krishna Consciousness. If you can do that then give the bums good food and shelter. If you cannot do that, then simply supplying food and shelter, is serving the Maya. But there is no benefit to serving Maya, as you know, as it is all false, temporary or illusion. We are concerned with Reality, not Maya, and that should be the object of life. I am very glad to learn that many of my devotees are coming to India. Students who will come here for studying Krishna philosophy as scholar and devotee will have ample opportunity. My god-brother Swami B.H. Bon, has agreed to give them free boarding, lodging and tuition, at least for ten students at a time. So they are welcome. I am also trying for their concession of passage as well as a permanent home in Vrindaban. Let us depend upon the will of Krishna. Your letter is certainly full of sense, and a K.C. boy or girl cannot be "nonsense". I am proud to have disciples like you, who think freely, but correct their mistakes by consulting me without any resevation. I am always feeling separation for you all. Let Krishna help us meet again. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 27.8.04 | August 27, 1967 Vrindaban, India My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. Your nice letter of 8.18 in hand. Your nice philosophy that Krishna takes and Krishna gives, is very nice. This means Krishna is not impersonal. He is the Supreme Person and fully reciprocates. The impersonalist cannot reciprocate. Krishna does not take anything from them, neither does He give them anything. The Impersonal, therefore, simply enjoys the troubles of speculation. I have received news from Sante Fe that they have opened a nice branch there in an old castle, and it is very much pleasing to me. Now Kirtanananda Swami is going very soon to the U.S.A., and I expect that all of you will combine together to open at least 108 centers before I leave this world. I hope by this time you have seen Mr. Nehru; I am anxiously awaiting your report. I am also glad to learn that MacMillan is going to publish our books, and are including Gita and Bhagavatam on their spring lists. So I shall not bother to arrange for printing in India. Please confirm this. I am going to Delhi next week (Sept 5), and may not be returning to Vrindaban, so please direct all mail from now on to P.O. Box 1846, D Delhi 6. The 10.00 dollars monthly contribution from each center will be a nice resource for development of the Vrindaban House. I am so much pleased to learnt that you are getting a car from a friend; now please take care of it carefully. Offer my blessings to all the devotees. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 27.8.04 | 25 Aug 2004 Friday, August 25, 1967 Vrindaban, India My Dear Pradyumna, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters of the 15 and 16th inst., as well as the Janmastami day circular. I am so much pleased that everything is going on so nicely in Montreal, and that you are ever more actively engaged for Krishna, even in the absence of myself and Kirtanananda. It is a great credit to you, and I thank you for it. You should know that it is all due to your sincerity of heart; when we are sincere, Krishna will always help us, either in external direction by the Spiritual Master, or internally by His Paramatma expansion. The program you have decided on for the Lord's Advent Day is nice. I also very much appreciate the work you are doing in trying to promote my books and record, and I am very glad to know that the new BTG is selling well. These publication are the backbone of our movement, and if we can distribute them successfully, then everything will be all right. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 25.8.04 | 24 Aug 2004 Thursday, August 24, 1967 Vrindaban, India Dear Gurudasa, Please accept by blessings. I am so much pleased to receive your letter of 8.16.67, and it has given me much encouragement for your being advanced in K.C. Sincere souls who are engaged in the service of Lord Krishna are benedicted by the Lord by revelation. Sri Krishna, His Name, Form, Entourage, Paraphernalia and Pastimes are not material; they are purely spiritual. Therefore, in the beginning they are not appreciated by our materially conditioned senses, but as we go on chanting Hare Krishna with service mood and attitude, the Name, Qualities, etc., become revealed as Reality. For the unbeliever Krishna and His Name etc are fictitious, but those who are advanced realize that K.C. is pure and eternal. I am very glad that you are gradually realizing these truths. I very much appreciate your attempt for a photo book of the Sankirtana movement. I have cent percent support for your noble attempt, and I am sure Hayagriva will be able to help you in this respect as he has so many facts at his disposal. I shall try to send some photo. I am pleased to learn that you are teaching Spanish people English to help the mission. And you are worthy to become V.P. of our S.F. branch. Regarding Yamuna, your wife, I've got a very great regard, because she is very sincere girl. I'm sure you should feel fortunate to have such a wife. Please offer my blessings to her, and always cooperate with your wife in the service of the Lord. You'll be happy eternally. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 24.8.04 | 22 Aug 2004 Tuesday, August 22, 1967 Vrindaban, India My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter of 8.17.67, and have noted the contents. Krishna's Janmastami ceremony may be celebrated in the same way as last year. I understand that Acyutananda is coming here on Janmastami Day, but I have received no word from him. Anyway, if he comes it will be a great joy for us. You will see in the letter to Brahmananda that any student who comes here for studying further in K.C. will have no difficulty for room, board, and tuition. It is a good opportunity for our students, and I shall be very glad to learn how many of you desire to come. In the meantime, I am trying to get other facilities for passage. Please give your primary attention for improving BTG, the backbone of our movement. Kirtanananda is going to be the first sannyasa among my disciples. I am improving gradually. Hope you are all well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 22.8.04 | Tuesday, August 22, 1967 Vrindaban, India My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 8.15.67, as well as the one to Kirtanananda. It is very good news for me that you are going to have $5300 very soon, and I thank you very much for offering the entire amount to me. I think the whole amount should be utilized for further publication of my books. I am very much anxious to know if any arrangement has been made with MacMillan. If not, then either we have to print the books here in India or in Japan. Please therefore let me know what is the fate of the contract. I am also anxious to know if you saw personally the Ambassador Mr. B.K. Nehru with my books. These things are very important for our future. Regarding my health, everyone says that I am much improved, and I also feel that way, except that I'm not in normal condition of movement, but the doctor says that that is mainly due to the heat, not my heart. So far my eating is concerned, I am doing it with more relish than N.Y. If the improvement goes on at the present rate, I think I shall be able to return by the end of October. Here in Vrindaban I have secured full cooperation of my god-brother Swami Bon, and he has very kindly offered me full tuition, room, boarding, etc., for at least ten students among my disciples, who may come for further study in the matter of Krishna Consciousness, as enunciated by the authorized Goswamis, who are direct disciples of Lord Caitanya. So immediately, if some of you come here for such studies, there will be no difficult; but at the same time I am also trying to have our own house, and probably it will be done. Regaring Gargamuni's marriage, I have already sanctioned it. Perhaps you did not receive the letters containing all instructions. I repeat: the bride and groom should sit before the Deity Lord Krishna or Jagannatha and you should ignite the fire to offer clarified butter; simply chant Hare Krishna, all of you, and offer the butter to the fire with the word SAHA. The bride and groom should exchange their garlands, and the groom should promise never to forsake his wife, and the wife should promise to serve the husband for all her days. Then when there is opportunity, I shall further bless them personally. Rayarama wants $300 loan. So you can judge on the spot, and if possible try to help him. We received the fuses. Thank you. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 22.8.04 | August 22, 1967 Vrindaban, India My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter along with Brahmananda's. Yes I am definitely improving, and I expect to return soon. In the meantime it has been decided by me to transform Kirtanananda into a Swami, and he may then go back to Montreal for improving the center, and for opening more centers in that country. He has no complaint now for his health, and I hope, by Krishna's Grace, he will keep well here. Please give one painting to Yogi Denkar, and charge what you like. I am so satisfied with your service for the cause of Krishna Consciousness, and I shall simply pray to Krishna for your good health, sound mind, and steady progress in the matter of K.C. Please offer my blessings to all the girls especially who are living with you. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 22.8.04 | |
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