a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1967 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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23 Oct 2004 Monday, October 23, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of Oct 16 with great pleasure. Now I feel certain that you will get my immigration visa, in the meantime as I have already informed you I've gotten a visitors visa immediately on presenting passport. So please let me know whether I should wait for the immigration visa as you intend to send me or should I start on the strength of the visitors visa. On the whole now I can start any day I like but if you think I should wait I shall wait. You must write me immediately. I'm leaving Calcutta the day after tomorrow for Navadvipa, the birth place of Lord Caitanya and my address is given on the overleaf (please find). You will reply this letter to my Navadvipa address and on hearing from you I will do the needful. When coming from San Francisco I promised to Janaki and other girls that this time when I come back I shall first come to San Francisco. So I shall return by Pacific route and possibly make a break in the journey in Tokyo and Hawaii. I have duly received the copies of your correspondence with SS Brijbasi. I understand that there was no mistake on your part. Along with your letter I have the note of Janaki's Aunt Edna. Please convey my greetings and good wishes to her. She may remain there with you till my return. I have duly recieved your telegram as well. ACB letters | 23.10.04 | October 23, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Lilavati, Please accept my blessings. I'm just in reciept of your letter. Your child should be named Subhadra, the name that you have already chosen, this is nice. Regarding the horoscope, it is a nice idea and if I meet a good astrologer I shall try to get one for your little child. I'm glad that you have sent me the exact time and date of birth, this will help. N.B. I have purchased one Tambura for you costing Rs 106.- from Dwarkin & Sons. They have allowed me 20% discount (special) on the price. This Tambura is going to be booked by air cargo tomorrow by Ramanuja. The charges will be too much. But hence forward you can order directly to M.S Dwarkin & son, 8.2 Esplanade East, Calcutta-1. The price is Rs 125.- Less 20% and there will be no sale tax charges if you send the amount by Bank draft in dollar direct to the firm. The will pack & ship the instruments by surface which will be very cheap. Always order in the ISKCON Stationery which are printed with my name. ACB letters | 23.10.04 | 22 Oct 2004 Sunday, October 22, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Umapati, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated Oct. 15. It is so nice & enjoyable. Your appreciation of Krishna Consciousness is much improved by the grace of Krishna--because you are chanting Krishna's Holy names constantly. There are some truths which you have expressed as really sublime, especially the portion where you write to say "even though He Himself is unchanging, His glory will always increase." Krishna's name is Acyuta, unchanging, but He is Bliss although always full, still increases, to increase the blissful existence of the devotee. Please continue to think of Krishna & you will feel more & more the Blissful pleasure transcendental to all material contamination. I am very thankful to you for appreciating my humble service. You will be glad to know that I have already secured a visitor's visa to your country & have asked my travel agent to book my seat on the earliest possible date. I think I shall be in your midst by the middle of Nov. I went to your country with a mission & you all good souls were sent by Krishna to me. So let us cooperatively work together to vigorously spread Krishna Consciousness, to the suffering humanity at large. Your country is great & you are all good sons of America. Spread this knowledge so that America will be still greater in the eyes of the world. Keep this point of view in front of you & all your God-brothers combine together may execute this mission. I am very glad to learn from Rayarama's letter that both you & Satyavrata (Moskowitz) are regularly attending class. So I thank you again. Hope you are well. You over well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 22.10.04 | October 22, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated Oct 11, & Oct 18. I have noted the contents. I have received stationery & prospectus both from Montreal & New York. So far as Kirtanananda's chapter is concerned, forget all this, Maya's play. We shall be sorry for Kirtanananda's plight under Maya and may not waste our valuable time talking about him. The best thing that you have done is that he should no longer speak in our temples. We shall all pray to Krishna for his recovery & only by His grace can he come back to his real identity. I've already informed you that a visitor's visa has been granted to me. & as you say that on my return this visitor's visa may be converted into a special immigration visa as a minister. So on my return necessary arrangements may be made as suggested by the clerk at the U.S. immigration dept. On Wed. next I am departing for Navadvipa, I shall stay there for at least a week & after coming back my program is to start for U.S.A. But as you say that permanent visa can be arranged from here on the basis of certificates which you intend to send me. So you will immediately let me know whether or not I shall start on the visitor's visa. I inquired in U.S. Consulate about this & the man who immediately granted me my visitor's visa told me that a permanent visa will take a long time for decision, so I accepted the visitor's visa. My Navadvipa address you will find on the envelope. Tomorrow I shall take information of Mr. William Stuart, The U.S. vice consul in Bombay. Regarding final typing of Gita Upanisad; the copies must now be ready as I am expected to return soon. So if MacMillan Company does not respond we shall try to get it published by another U.S. publisher, failing that we shall publish in India. Your suggestion for opening a center in Russia is welcomed as the Europeans were very enterprising in the Middle-historical period for colonization. Similarly we should be enthusiastic to open different branches in different parts of the world other than India. In India they are opening many such branches, but our responsiblity is to open branches outside India. So it will be a great endeavour if you four go to Russia to open a center there. I am very much appreciate your lecturing arrangements in different educational institutions & I have full confidence in both you and Rayarama. Indian things may be exported but I do not know the varieties of goods that would be saleable there. For the time being I have arranged for musical instruments with Dvaraka & sons, & so also I am arranging for incense. If Indian Saris are required, that also can be arranged. But unless I definitely hear from Mr. Kallman what particular things he wants I can not guess what is to be done. The most important thing is that you let me know immediately whether or not I should start on the visitors visa. Visitors visa I've already got. I could start without delay but if you want me to apply for permanent visa it will take some time. So I shall await your immediate reply. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. If Kirtanananda honestly believes in his new doctrine, he should honestly return the certificate of his Sannyas which he very tactfully secured from me. He should not utilize this certificate without any allegiance. letters | 22.10.04 | 19 Oct 2004 Thursday, October 19, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Hayagriva, Please accept my blessings. Your letter dated Oct. 3rd, sent to my Delhi address is redirected to Calcutta & therefore I have delayed in replying. We are again leaving this place for Navadvipa & you can reply there, the address you will find on the envelope. It is so nice to read your letter & the reply as to how you are always thinking for Krishna. When you write to say that "I would like very much to be teaching them Krishna Conscience instead of English" it reminds me of Lord Caitanya. For some time Lord Caitanya was conducting a Catuspati, which is a small tutorial village class run by a learned Brahmin. When Lord Caitanya was teaching grammar to his students he was explaining Krishna. There is a chapter in Sanskrit grammar which is called Dahtu, it is verbal denominations. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was explaining Dahtu as Krishna & He would continue to explain Krishna in every step. When the students felt that the teacher was crazy the Transcendental Teacher closed his class. So your desire to teach Krishna Consciousness to the students instead of English is very nice & Krishna will be bestowing his blessings upon you for your thinking in that way. From my part as I am your ever well-wisher I wish that you may preach Krishna Consciousness to the students of the entire western world. You are a sincere soul & both your mother Father are happy to see you in Krishna Consciousness. Please continue this attitude throughout your life & you will be blessed not only in this life but in your next eternal life in association with Krishna. Krishna has given you a very nice chance in the city of Wilkes-Barre Penn. & the idea of purchasing land as you have suggested is very nice. I think you can negotiate for this land immediately & the Society will be able to pay $3,000.00. After purchasing the land you can gradually develop it into an asrama by dint of your personal labor as teacher in college. From N.Y. the members may visit the place every weekend because it isn't very far away. They take a 4 or 5 hour journey every week end so a 3 hour journey is not much. If you think you shall stick to your present occupation you can seriously think of this scheme. I am already preparing for returning to U.S.A. & I have obtained visitors visa the day before yesterday. Most probably I shall take the first chance to return to USA upon my return from Navadvipa. Regarding the Gita. I fully agree with your suggestions. So far MacMillan is concerned I shall be so glad to hand over the matter to them for publication, but in case they do not do it--please negotiate with another publisher & in the mean time keep the MSS ready, at least in 2 copies. I think there is no need to employ a professional typist. Our dear typist, Satsvarupa is always ready to do this work. He has already finished my book, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, & he is now free to type the Gita. So you can send it in installments & when he acknowledges receipt of first part you can send him the second, and so on. Or if possible you can hand it over to him personally, as you can conveniently arrange. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 19.10.04 | October 19, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of Oct. 11. It was a great pleasure to note the contents, now you have nicely expressed your real mind, In your previous Letter in which I saw a little tendency of being turned by foolish Kirtanananda. but I was confident that Kirtanananda was not so strong as he would be able to defeat you. I was completely confident of your sincerity of service & my choice of your being president of the society is right. I may disclose herewith that I never took Kirtanananda into complete confidence but I was trying to improve his position because he has also rendered much personal service to me. I am very much obliged to him for the service as I am to my other disciples & I am very sorry that Maya has taken advantage of his disobedience & he has fallen to Maya's illusion--but he should not continue for a very long time as I will always pray to Krishna for his recovery. For the time being he should simply chant Hare Krishna without any attempt at lecturing. The impersonalist cannot render any service to Krishna because he is a great offender. Under the circumstances, Krishna will not accept food prepared by Kirtanananda in his present diseased condition. If he at all wants to render service to Krishna he may be engaged at washing dishes & this will improve his condition. You will be glad to know that the US consular office has granted me visitors visa and yesterday I've asked the travel agent to arrange for my seat. So in all probability I am sure to return to USA as early as possible--just after my return from Lord Caitanya's birth place. Be assured always that Krishna is transcendental Personality & men with poor fund of knowledge cannot understand what is this transcendental form. Our Society for Krishna Consciousness stands pledged to this philosophy & I require strong men such as yourself for preaching this cult in this world. I am very glad that you are trying to understand this philosophy & there is nothing to be sorry about your being misled by Kirtanananda. It is not in his power to mislead a sincere soul such as yourself; but I must congratulate Gargamuni, the simple boy, who never believed in impersonalism. He is your younger brother as important as Lord Laksmana was younger brother to Lord Rama. I am very glad that that this simple & honest boy has saved you from calamity. I am praying to Krishna to bless you, your brother Gargamuni, Rupanuga etc. for their eternal life in Krishna Consciousness. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta, Swami letters | 19.10.04 | October 19, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Gargamuni, Please accept my blessings. I was very glad to receive your letter dated Oct. 13. I congratulate you for your successful dealing with your good brother, Sriman Brahmananda, against His falling back a prey to Kirtanananda's recent propaganda. To save a man from impersonal calamity is the greatest service to humanity. I also thank Rupanuga & Rayarama for helping you in your very laudable action. Brahmananda is very pure at heart. He might have been misled by Kirtanananda for the time being but Krishna did not allow him to fall back. According to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Lord is full in six opulences & the rascal impersonalists says that the Lord has no form & the most dangerous accusation for the Lord that He assumes a material form when he descends. The Impersonalist is of the opinion that the absolute has no form & He appears in a particular type of form according to the whim of nonsense; The impersonalist presents any form nonsensical by his imagination & worships it as God. This accusation of the Lord is the greatest offense of the nonsense impersonalist. Such offender can never realise the transcendental form of the Lord & the Lord puts such nonsense into more & more darkness so that the dangerous impersonalist can never know the Supreme personality of Godhead. I do not believe that Kirtanananda has gone to such an extent of ailing situation but if he does not rectify himself immediately his future is very dark. If he is sincere in his concept of impersonal Absolute he should enter into correspondence with me & I shall refute all his arguments; but I understand that he could not answer you even when you hit him with some questions. I shall request that you save this poor creature from impersonal calamity. You will be glad to know that I've already secured my visitors visa for going to U.S.A. & I am advised by travel agent to book my seat conveniently. I am going to Navadvipa, the birth place of Lord Caitanya next with Acyutananda & Ramanuja. My next mailing address is; c.o Sri Caitanya Saraswat Math, Kolergunge, P.O. Navadvipa. District Nadia. W.B., India. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta, Swami letters | 19.10.04 | 18 Oct 2004 Wednesday, October 18, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your telegram reading as follows; "Swamiji Now Filling third Preference Visa with Documents" Today I have been to the American Consular office & upon presentation of the invitation letters from the different centers I was at once granted visitors visa under #B2. The officer whom I met was very sympathetic & he said that Immigration visa from this side would take a long time for being granted better I took the visitors visa--so I have accepted it. Now for the present you may not take any steps until my arrival. Tomorrow we shall get your tamboura. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 18.10.04 | 17 Oct 2004 Tuesday, October 17, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Pradyumna, Please accept my blessings. I've received your letters of Oct. 6&7. Acyutananda is learning Hindi & when he is well versed in the language probably he will be able to translate all the Puranas available in Hindi into English. Brahma Samhita is the gist of the Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Bhagavad gita as well as in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krishna is accepted as Supreme Lord & everything about him is nicely described there, similarly in the Brahma-Samhita everything about Krishna is perfectly described. In the very beginning of the book, Krishna is accepted as the Supreme Lord existing eternally in his transcendental form and is the cause of all causes. One who reads Brahma Samhita very carefully & scrutinizingly can understand everything of Krishna without any fault. I recommend, therefore that all my students read Brahma Samhita very carefully--especially because it was translated personally by my spiritual master Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja. Regarding Kirtanananda, he is undoubtedly a good soul, but lately he has been attacked by maya; he thinks too much of himself--even at the risk of disobeying his spiritual master & talking nonsense about Krishna. As a man haunted by a ghost talks so much nonsense, so also when a man is overpowered by the illusory energy--maya, also talks all sorts of nonsense. The last attack of maya upon the conditioned souls is impersonalism. There are 4 stages of attack of maya; viz.: 1 stage is that a man wants to be a protagonist of religion, 2 is that man neglects religiosity and tries to improve his economic development, 3) is to be protagonist of sense enjoyment & when a man is frustrated in all the above mentioned stages he comes to 4, which is impersonalism, and thinks himself one with the Supreme. This last attack is very serious and fatal. Kirtanananda has very recently developed the 4th stage malady on account of his negligence & disobedience to his spiritual master. Sometimes a foolish patient when he is out of feverish attack by the grace of the physician, thinks that he is cured and does not take precaution against relapse. Kirtanananda's position is like that. Because he helped the society in starting the Montreal center I thought he is now able to start other branches & when he asked me to give him sannyasa I agreed taking the opportunity of his presence in Vrndavana. Simply by his Sannyas dress he thought himself as cured of all material diseases & all mistakes but under the influence of maya, he thought himself a liberated patient, just as the foolish patient thinks himself cured from the disease. Under the spell of maya, he deliberately disobeyed me by not going to London & consequently his disease has relapsed. Now in N.Y. he has began to dictate nonsense in my name--such as giving up robes, flags etc. Instead of opening new centers he has began to deliver his nonsense sermons amongst his God-brothers which are all against our principles. For the present he should simply chant Hare Krishna & cease to deliver lectures because he has not understood the whole philosophy very nicely. Regarding the hippy religion; we must distinguish ourselves from the hippies. The hippies generally maintain long hair & beard & in order to distinguish ourselves from them we should be clean shaved. When our devotees go outside I have no objection if he dresses as nice American or Canadian gentleman. Up to date gentlemen are all clean shaved so if we do not keep long hair & dress ourselves nicely with tilaka, flag & beads on the neck, apart from our devotional service, then certainly we shall be distinct from the Hippies. I think we should follow this principle rigidly & there is no question of giving up robes in the temple. We do not wish to be estranged from the material world. That is another nonsense. We have to deal with persons in the society & perhaps we are the only community in the world which can render the best possible service to the society. Ramacandra's victory celebration is observed in the last day of Durga Puja. Vaisnavas are not concerned with Durga Puja. Dipavali or Devali is observed as new years day by certain mercantile community. The Vaisnavas have nothing to do with this ceremony but just on the last day after Devali the Vaisnavas observe Annakuta ceremony. This celebration is the day when Lord Krishna lifted the hill & Madhavendra Puri established the temple in Gopala. Use brown or unrefined sugar if you can find it. Hope you are well. ACB letters | 17.10.04 | |
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