a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1967 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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28 Nov 2004 Tuesday, November 28, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Nandarani, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter dated Nov. 16, 1967. I was as much anxious to return to San Francisco and then to your place Los Angeles. It was almost finalized that I should start on the 23rd Nov. but due to the political strikes in Calcutta things have taken a different turn. I am just waiting for the opportune moment. Most probably everything will be alright by the end of this week and I am start for your country by Monday next via Japan. Anyway, I am reaching your place as soon as possible. In the meantime have some patience till my arrival. I am very sorry that Subala das has assumed such air of importance. We should always remember that we are on the path of perfection, but we are not perfect. If Subala das or anyone thinks that he has attained perfection he will be wrongly directed. I have asked you all to address your Godbrothers as prabhu. This prabhu means boss. If everyone of us thinks of his fellow worker as boss there is no question of misunderstanding. The mistake is that being addressed as boss or prabhu one thinks himself as exactly Prabhu or the boss. One should not forget himself as humble servant even though one is addressed as prabhu. The spiritual master is offered respects as they are offered to the Supreme Lord. Unfortunately if the spiritual master thinks that he has become the Supreme Lord then he is doomed. A bonafide spiritual master always think of himself as the servant of the Lord. One should never forget __ be humble in dealings. If everyone of us would conduct our business in that spirit of prabhu and servant then there is very little chance of being misunderstood. Sometimes misunderstanding may take place but it should be adjusted in a spirit of service attitude to the prabhu. I know that my presence is very urgently required. Arrangement is already completed circumstances alone have checked my departure. Please therefore don't be worried. I am coming to your place within a fortnight. Convey my blessings to Dayananda and others. I am Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 28.11.04 | 23 Nov 2004 Thursday, November 23, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter Nov. 19, 1967 and I am sending by air mail the purports of verses 16-28 of the Ninth chapter. Please set them nicely and at the end if you add the general purport which you have written, I have no objections. My return to your country is already settled. My ticket was booked for starting on 23rd Nov. but due to certain political strike my starting has been held up. I think that everything will be alright by the end of this week and I may start by Monday next via Japan. You may not write anything to Miss Bowtell. I think she will not be helpful in our scheme. The best thing is that you finish up the Gita Upanisad hand it over to Messrs. MacMillan Co. and then make practical progress to start for England. Certainly I shall be in need of your assistance in finishing Srimad-Bhagavatam. On my return I shall make practical progress so that both of us may go on compiling Srimad-Bhagavatam and opening different centers in all parts of the world simultaneously. We are completely dependent on the Supreme will of Krishna. Let us try our best to serve Him and He will give us all facilities in our mission. Our San Francisco friends may be very anxious because I sent them two telegrams, one informing of my arrival and the other cancelling it. You can inform them of the real position as you understand by this letter. The booklets which you have sent are very much appreciated. Printing and painting are our life back bone. Our nice Guru who have been sent to us by Krishna are trying their best and I am sure we shall be successful. More when we meet. Hope you are well. Convey my blessings to all prabhus. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 23.11.04 | November 23, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Lynn, Please accept by blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter (undated) and I thank you for it. It is very nice and encouraging. Krishna Consciousness is so nice that if one takes part in it in either ways, like hearing, chanting, remembering, worshipping, praying, or even simply by eating prasadam, the transcendental effect will be visible. I am very glad that you have developed these nice sentiments and now you are living with other devotees. If you continue like this I am sure you will make rapid progress in Krishna Consciousness. I am returning to San Francisco very soon and soon after that I shall go to your city also. When I meet you, surely you shall be initiated. I thank you once more for you nice appreciation. ACB letters | 23.11.04 | November 23, 1967 Calcutta, India My Dear Umapati, Please accept my blessings. I am so glad to receive your letter dated 15th Nov. 1967. You're very anxious to see me back in New York and I may inform you that I had settled to be in San Francisco on the 24 of Nov. but due to a petty revolution in Calcutta I am not able to leave. Future arrangements are pending. I wish to go from San Francisco to the other two new branches and then return to New York. I am so glad to learn that you are now getting the fruit of chanting Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna is so nice that it clears the dirty things from the mind of the devotee and the more one is used to chant the Holy Name offenselessly, the more one develops love of God, forgetting the whole material nonsense. It is my duty to deliver you the right thing in right earnestness and it is the duty of the receiver to act in the standard spiritual regulation. When you left us I simply prayed to Krishna for your return to Krishna Consciousness because that was my duty. Any good soul who approaches me once for spiritual enlightenment is supposed to be depending on my responsiblity to get him back to Krishna, back to home. The disciple may misunderstand a bonafide spiritual master being obliged to do so under pressure of Maya's influence. But a bonafide spiritual master never lets go a devotee once accepted. When a disciple misunderstands a bonafide spiritual master, the master regrets for his inability to protect the disciple and sometimes he cries with tears in the eyes. We had an experience while my Guru Maharaja was alive. One of His disciples who accepted sannyasa was one day forcibly dragged by his wife. My Guru Maharaja lamented with tears in His eyes saying that He could not save the soul. We should always, therefore, be careful in the matter of being attacked by Maya's influence and the only means of guarantee is to chant Hare Krishna offenselessly. The greatest offense is to defy the spiritual master and to act sinfully, thinking in the strength of chanting. If a man thinks that chanting will save him from all kinds of sinful reaction deliberately committee. by him, then he becomes the greatest offender. By chanting Hare Krishna certainly we become free from all sinful reactions, but that does not mean that we shall deliberately commit sins and counteract it by chanting. Your reference to Kirtanananda and Hayagriva is very nicely appreciated. We shall silently pray for them to Krishna and shed tears for them for our inability to save them. Let us honestly pray and go ahead with Krishna Consciousness. More when we meet. Hope you are well Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 23.11.04 | 22 Nov 2004 Wednesday, November 22, 1967 Calcutta, India My dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. You will be pleased to know that I am arriving in San Francisco on Nov. 24 at 12:45 PM by Pan Am. flight no. 846. I've sent this news to Mukunda. I am enclosing a separate letter authorizing you to sign the contract in my behalf. I've already written a letter to D.S. Agarwal and when he goes there Acyutananda will see him personally to settle up the matter. The books from Swami Bon are already with the shipping agent and will be sent with all my books mrdangams and karatalas on the 7th of December. Hope you are well, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Nov, 22, 1967 Calcutta, India Mr. Bruce Scharf c.o Iskcon Inc. 26 Second avenue New York 10003 NY Dear Mr. Scharf, I hereby authorize you to sign the contract with Messrs. MacMillan and Co. in the matter of publishing my Gitopanisad. You are also authorized to recieve payment on my behalf. Yours sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 22.11.04 | |
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