a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
|
|
| Prabhupada Letters :: 1967 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
|
|
31 Dec 2004 Prabhupada Letters :: 1967 contains 242 individual letter reproductions in chronological order from January - December 1967. View them in their entirety in the archive section - 1967 letters - below right. Use Google Custom Search (immediate right) to search for specific letters from 1967. View - Today's Letter - at Letters :: Anthology >> letters | 31.12.04 | Sunday, December 31, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. My joy has no bounds when I received your calendar so nicely imagined. Now I think Krishna has selected the right person for our propaganda department--Sriman Rayarama Brahmacari! A sincere worker is always recognized by Krishna. I do not know how shall I thank you, but I am confident of my future hopes in the sincere students like you, Brahmananda and others; & now if I die I will die blissful, the work will go on. Here, all the students, especially Gaurasundara and Govinda dasi are taking my personal care. Upendra and Uddhava they are personally cooking for me, and Mukunda is personally looking after my permanent visa. So I see all round hopes; there is nothing to be disappointed in my service to Krishna. Let us go on with our work for Krishna for His satisfaction and for the benefit of the whole world. Thank you once more for your great service. I have already sent the contract signed by me and given Brahmananda full power of attorney to do best as he likes. I think if they accept our philosophy in total, we can make some compromise with Hayagriva and Kirtanananda. But they cannot interpret our philosophy in their own way. Thanking you once more for your great service. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Enclosure-1 Labels: legal, publication, visa letters | 31.12.04 |30 Dec 2004 Saturday, December 30, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Madhusudana, Please accept my blessings. I am so happy to read your letter dated Dec. 28, 1967. And I am very concerned that due to your sincerity and service mood you have improved in Krishna Consciousness excellently. Whatever allocation of duty there may be, if we try to execute such specific duty sincerely, that alone can make us much more advanced in Krishna Consciousness. In the Bhagavad-gita, it is stated that for the fixed up devotee there is one duty. This duty is understood through the transparent medium via media of the Spiritual Master. It is better service to Krishna and Spiritual Master in a feeling of separation; sometimes there is risk in the matter of direct service. For example, Kirtanananda was giving me direct service by massaging, cooking for me, and so many other things; but later on by dictation of Maya, he became puffed up, so much so that he thought his Spiritual Master a common man, and was existing only on account of his service. This mentality at once pushed him down. Of course, those who are sincere devotee, they take direct service as an opportunity, but the illusory energy is so strong that it acts on this doctrine of familiarity breeds contempt. Kirtanananda was thinking I was existing on his service, instead of realizing I was giving him opportunity to do me some service. My advice to you is to continue your good attitude that you are keeping now and this alone will help you in advancing your cause of Krishna Consciousness. I am pleased that you are very diligently assisting Rayarama. Rayarama is a sincere worker and by assisting him you will be benefited. You are doing your best and I shall advise you to continue this attitude. Regarding smearing on the Body of Lord Jagannatha: You should always know that the Body of Lord Jagannatha is spiritual. We are given the chance of serving the Spiritual Body and according to Revealed Scriptures, we should serve the Transcendental Body of the Deity just as we try to serve our worshipable personalities. To continue a sense of devotion, it is better to wash the Body of Lord Jagannatha with hot water so that we may have the feeling that Lord Jagannatha is more comfortable. We should offer foodstuffs to the Deity and allow enough time to eat them. These are all transcendental sentiments. At Vrindaban, the Deities are offered foodstuffs and time is allowed as in the case of others. Yes, before offering anything to the Deity you must be satisfied that it is a first class offering and there is no objection if you taste it by smelling. But you should not smell for other purposes. The whole idea is that devotional service should always be immune from sense gratification. I am very glad that you are prepared to go to Vrindaban. Many students, boys and girls, are also prepared here to go to Vrindaban. I am just in negotiation for a good place for you and as soon as it is fixed up, we shall go to Vrindaban, at least one dozen students. Acyutananda and Ramanuja had very good reception and they are planning to preach Krishna Consciousness and to open a branch there, and I have encouraged them in that idea. My dream is that at least one dozen students shall remain in Vrindaban and trained up nicely, and sent for preaching work all over the world. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: deity, maya, Vrindavan letters | 30.12.04 |December 30, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I have received back the tape which you have typewritten. The inquiry about porce should be force. Today I am sending you two Krishna Conscious lectures, tape recorded into the dictaphone. Please write them properly and send me one copy. The best thing will be as soon as you typewrite the two, send me one copy after editing as you were doing formerly. I'll keep one copy with me, you keep one copy with you, and if further editing is required for which another copy should be kept with you. You will be glad to know that yesterday I have signed the agreement with MacMillan for publishing Gitopanisad, and also, Mr. B. K. Nehru was met by me day before yesterday and he has promised to help me in getting the permanent visa. So far my health is concerned, Gaurasundara is keeping me quite fit by massaging and Govinda dasi is supplying me upma. Perhaps you have never tasted what is upma. But if Jadurani can prepare it I shall send the formula. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Bhagavad-gita, contract, publising letters | 30.12.04 |December 30, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Acyutananda and Ramanuja, Please accept my greetings. I have become too much anxious about you. Please accept my blessings and let me know the news of Delhi affairs. I have sent you a letter to Vrndavana address but have received no reply. Here I am well and delivering lectures with evenings meetings. Yesterday I met Mr. B. K. Nelson and he's arranging for my permanent visa. Yesterday I have also signed the agreement with MFS MacMillan Company for publication of Gita. Please reply to this letter immediately and let me know all the reports. Hope you are doing well by the grace of Lord Krishna. Awaiting your early reply. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Bhagavad-gita, contract, India letters | 30.12.04 |29 Dec 2004 Friday, December 29, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 12.27.67, along with the MacMillan Co. agreement form. Prior to this letter I have received your other two letters, but I was expecting this letter, so I did not reply your prior letters earlier. I am sending herewith the agreement duly signed by me. Regarding Mr. Alan Watts introduction, I may inform you if the books will sell nicely by Mr. Watts introduction I do not mind his nonsense. The other gentleman Professor Edward Dimmock of the University of Chicago who is a student of Vaisnavism is willing to give some introduction. But you say he is not well known. For me, either Professor Dimmock or Mr. Watts both are nonsense. Now for selling purpose, if you think Mr. Watts is nice, I have no objection. I give you full power of attorney in this connection. Whoever you like you can accept. Regarding other books printed by, published by, or distributed by some European firm is very welcome. You have got also the full power of attorney in this connection. Krishna has sent you to me to help me in my mission. As you are my sincere spiritual son, Krishna will dictate to you what to do in this connection. So I have full faith in you and you can determine as Krishna speaks within your heart. Regarding Hayagriva and Kirtanananda, if they come again we should accommodate them and should not continue the misunderstanding that has been engineered. I think Hayagriva is anxious in having his name printed in the publication of Gitopanisad. I do not have any objections that his name may be mentioned as one of the editors helping in the editing of Gitopanisad, just to encourage him and keep him in our camp, in case that he may come back and accept our philosophy and resume his editing talent. He has commited a blunder, but just so that he may be encouraged to come back you may mention his name also along with Rayarama's. He is not so convinced of his impersonalist philosophy. It is only due to Kirtanananda's influence that he has left us. Yes, please send the $500.00 to the United Shipping Co. as I have instructed. When you go to India you may see the manager of Scindia and talk with her with the letter of introduction that I shall give you. It is my decision that you do not leave until the MacMillan agreement is completed. Your idea of manufacturing the incense in one center is my idea also. Here in S.F. Gargamuni has told me that he is arranging for it to be produced. From here all the temples will be supplied, not that every temple should make it. I have received the Dwarkin and Sons letter. I have not received any letter from Acyutananda as of yet so please wait till I have received a letter before you write him. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. Please deliver MSS. to M.s M&Co. as much as already complete. Labels: Bhagavad-gita, editing, media letters | 29.12.04 |December 29, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of Dec. 23(?), 1967, and I am glad to hear you are doing so nicely in Krishna Consciousness. Regarding your questions: This incidence is in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhismadeva, when he was lying on his arrow bed before passing away, Lord Krishna, accompanied with the Pandavas, came to see him. Ordinarily, Bhismadeva was worshipper of Lord Visnu, but he knew also that Krishna is the same Lord Visnu. When Krishna came to see Bhismadeva on his death bed, Bhismadeva remembered Krishna in His fighting feature at the battlefield of Kuruksetra. Bhismadeva wanted to see Krishna angry, he knew that Krishna was very kind upon him, but to make a front he displayed a chivalrous mood, pretending to kill Arjuna, although he knew it very well that no power in the world could kill Arjuna while he was shielded by Krishna Himself as his charioteer. Yet he tried to agitate the mind of Krishna, but Arjuna he almost killed. Actually, Krishna thought it that Bhismadeva was to see Him in His angry mood and supposed to be broken in His promise, to fulfill the desire of Bhismadeva He got down from the chariot and took a wheel of the chariot, going forward as if to kill Bhismadeva Bhismadeva, as soon as found Krishna in that angry mood, he gave up his fighting weapons and prepared himself for being killed by Krishna. This attitude of Krishna pleased Bhismadeva very much, and at the time of his death he recalled back the angry feature of Krishna. He was a military man so he was pleased to see Krishna in military spirit, as much as the Gopis wanted to see Krishna as the most beautiful lover. There is no difference between the attitude of the gopis and Bhismadeva in the matter of exchanging transcendental mellows between God and His devotee. Krishna can be loved in any feature and because he is absolute there is no difference to love Krishna as a military man or as a simple Gopi. During the day the two sides would battle, and at night they would visit one another's camps, just like friends, talking and eating together. Bhisma was accused of not trying hard enough to kill the Pandavas, due to affection for them. So, he said, tomorrow I will kill all five brothers, and these five special arrows I shall kill them with. For safekeeping Bhismadeva gave the five arrows to Duryodhana, who had accused Bhisma of too much affection for the Pandavas. Formerly, Duryodhana had made promise to Arjuna that he could someday ask for some favor, so Krishna, knowing all these things, sent Arjuna to Duryodhana for asking favor of giving the arrows to Arjuna. So as the promise was made, Duryodhana gave Arjuna the arrows, that night. Next day, Bhisma knew it was Krishna who arranged all this, and so he told Duryodhana, today it will be either Arjuna or I, but one of us will die. And so he fought very hard to kill Arjuna, but with Krishna as Protector, no one in world could kill Arjuna. Krishna's body was pierced, here and there, all over as you like. As military man, Bhisma had no right to shoot the chariot driver, but he knew Krishna's body is not material, and will not be harmed, so he took pleasure in piercing the body of the Lord. Bhismadeva became so pierced with arrows that he laid down and with the arrows all standing on end, all over stuck through his body. Yes, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva came and were there in the sky with many demigods, and throwing flowers. You can consult Srimad-Bhagavatam second part. The picture and contents of the article appearing in Harvard Crimson is very nice. Krishna has already recognized you as one of the prophets of this missionary work, and I approve this statement. Please go on in Krishna Consciousness and I'm sure even in my absence you will be doing nicely acting as prophet. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I have received your Namakali wrapper. Thank you very much. - ACB Labels: questions letters | 29.12.04 |December 29, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Balai dasi, Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter of Dec. 26, 1967. In reply I am very happy to hear you are doing so nicely in executing this Krishna Consciousness. Please go on chanting Hare Krishna, and typing, cooking, cleaning or whatever the engagement for Krishna; that way you will always be happy. To answer you question regarding your names: Balai is the name of Baladeva., Krishna's elder brother. His wife is called Balai dasi, or His girlfriend is called Balai dasi. Baladeva. is not different from Krishna. He is first expansion from Krishna. All the incarnations and expansions begin from Baladeva. Lilasukha is name of Bilvamangala Thakura; this Bilvamangala Thakura was a great devotee of Krishna and he wrote a famous book Krishna Karnamrta, recognized by Lord Caitanya. Kancanbala was one of the gopis in the association of Krishna. Indira was also one of the gopis in the association of Krishna. Ekayani was the wife of a great sage who was in the Satya Yuga when all persons were paramahamsas or liberated persons. Ekayani's husband was a liberated person. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 29.12.04 | 24 Dec 2004 Sunday, December 24, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Nandakisora, Please accept my blessings. I am very glad to accept you. I am in due receipt of your letter of Dec. 24, and I am very glad to accept you as one of the servitors of Krishna. You are right when you say our past life is a dream only. Just like at night we see so many dreams and in daytime we forget everything. Similarly we forget everything of our past life and as such so long we do not be reposed to our spiritual factual life, all these changes of lives one after another are considered to be dreams. Less intelligent persons are very much interested in dreaming life, but one who is intelligent enough he searches after eternal life. The modern civilization does not understand what is eternal life. They are busy with the spot life of 50 or 100 years. Fools cannot think that one is not for 50 or 100 years, but one is for eternity. Krishna consciousness is the life of eternity and I am glad you are interested in it. So I am sending you beads chanted by me and your name is Nandakisora Brahmacari. Please follow the rules and regulations and ask Brahmananda about these rules and regulations. He will help you. Krishna consciousness is the process of eternal life. The process is simple and the results are sublime. You follow it and you will be happy in this life as well as in the next. I do not know whether you sent me these beads from N.Y. with stamped envelope; if you sent it, that is all right. Otherwise someone has sent them and I am missing his name. Anyway you can chant on these beads and inquire if anyone is missing his beads. Then I can send another (if these are not sent by you.) Hope you are well, Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: initiation, philosophyt letters | 24.12.04 |23 Dec 2004 Saturday, December 23, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. Your letter dated 17, Dec. duly in hand. I am preparing the text in dictaphone for sending you as usual, but you must have a dictaphone there, otherwise how you can hear the tapes? So arrange for this, either one to hire or on purchase system. And as soon as you let me know that you have one dictaphone there, I will send you the tapes regularly. I have already written to Rayarama about Lord Caitanya's Teachings, that there is no need of editing the final manuscripts. Better let us prepare for its printing. He had some correspondence with Dai Nippon Printing Company of Tokyo, and our Dvarakadhisa did all the negotiation. Please contact him immediately, and ask him to send me the correspondence he had with the printing company. I also do not like too much editorial work. This too much editorial work on Gitopanisad has created some misunderstanding between the editorial staffs. Anyway, in future, one man should edit it and be sufficient for our printing. And I do not want that Lord Caitanya's Teachings should be edited again and typed again and waste time in that way. I have also informed Rayarama of this, and you can also inform him like this. The book should be printed immediately without any waste of time. That is my desire. Regarding Boston and Harvard University Kirtana, I quite appreciate your noble activities. Our Kirtana movement is genuine, and if the unsophisticated students take it seriously, it will be a great achievement. I know that all these Bogus Yogis they are cheating the public, but at the same time your countrymen also want to be cheated. They are cheating the public by words of extravagancy, saying that anyone can meditate even he is a drunkard. These cheap words attract people and these rascals become popular. So we don't want cheap popularity; I was very glad to learn from Gargamuni that Brahmananda refused to place my identification with so many cheater Swamis. We shall always remain distinct from all these cheaters. If we can convert one person in Krishna consciousness, that is our success of life. We don't want too many rascal followers. Let us perform this movement sincerely with faith in Krishna and people will gradually appreciate our service. I thank you very much once more for your ardent desire to cooperate with my missionary work. Krishna will make you happy. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Labels: Bhagavad-gita, Dai Nippon, editing, kirtan, TLC letters | 23.12.04 |December 23, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Jadurani, Please accept my blessings. Your letter dated Dec. 15 in hand. I am very glad to know that you are helping your God-brothers in Boston, just like the Queen of King Jadu. King Jadu was a very powerful King and Jadurani was his constant companion. Krishna selected to appear Himself on this earth planet, selecting the Jadu Dynasty as His Predecessors. So your help to your God-brothers just apt your nice name. Regarding your coming to San Francisco, I have no objection, but because you are only three in Boston, your absence may be felt by your other God-brothers. So if Satsvarupa agrees to leave you, you can come to S.F., otherwise, wait for the proper time. Now by Krishna's Grace, we have got many fine art students like Govinda dasi, Indira dasi, and Malati and many others. So as director of the art dept., you should organize them in one place and overflood with pictures. We require these pictures in large quantities both for selling and for decoration. So I think you should immediately organize these potential artists in one place, either in S.F. or N.Y., or wherever you like, and give daily at least one dozen pictures. You should think of this line and how we can help you and how your God-brothers can help you. I have no objection to your sending to N.Y. for the print of Panca-tattva. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 23.12.04 | 21 Dec 2004 Thursday, December 21, 1967 San Francisco, Calif. My Dear Brahmananda, Please accept my blessings. Your handwritten letter of 12.18.67 is a great pleasure. Your handwritten letter is more valuable than type written. Regarding Damodara's plight, we are very sorry but we must always expect that some of the weak soldiers may fall down in a fight waged against the great Maya external energy of Krishna. The sex attraction is very great in the material world. But in the spiritual world it is different. From Srimad-Bhagavatam we know that the opposite sex namely the female members of Vaikuntha are many many times more beautiful than they are in the heavenly planets. Their hips and attractive smiles cannot stimulate sex urge passion of the man or male devotees. In the Vaikuntha planets the opulence is very great and yet they are all engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. It is very difficult to conquer over the influence of Maya, but who firmly fixed up in Krishna Conciousness cannot be a victim of Maya. Anyway, we cannot stop our fighting with Maya, neither we can expect that all our soldiers will remain unhurt. You know Arjuna's son Abhimanyu was killed in the battle in which Bhismadeva was a party. Fight Krishna's cause sincerely and you will be gloried with victory. I was glad to hear from Gargamuni that you refused to set me in the N.Y. Times columns along with the other so called Swamis or yogis. We have a distinct position that we are neither cheated nor cheaters. We are the genuine representative of Krishna who is the friend of all living creatures. We must play our part independently only on faith in Krishna and His bonafide representatives. Krishna was very kind to me when He sent you to me for cooperating. My hearty thanks for you when you write to say that "Krishna Consciousness is the full perfection of life". Lord Caitanya was eulogized by Rupa Goswami as the latter understood that Lord Caitanya was there to distribute Krishna Consciousness. The only gift for the humanity at large. Lord Caitanya wanted that the message should be distributed in every village and town of the globe. Let us do this service as far as possible in all seriousness. We can not make any compromise with anyone for cheap popularity. Regarding the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, it must be very nice. I think Dai Nippon Printing Company agreed to print our books 6 1.2" x 9 1.2" size best paper 400 pages 10 to 12 point composition with best hard back binding with gold lettering on the backbone at $5000.00 for 5000 copies. I think you will immediately contact the company and send the manuscript for printing without any delay. Contact Dvarakadhisa and he will help you in this connection. He is good boy. Regarding business, Gargamuni has already began the experiment and he will send the estimate for starting the business. If Mr. Kallman wants we can import either from India or from Japan. When you go to India, you let me know and I shall give you some introductory letters to Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, Navadvipa, Jayapur, Kanpur, etc. Perhaps you have to visit Udaipur also. But in Europe wherever you will go, you must arrange for opening a centre. May Krishna give you more and more strength my dear child. I am very poor but Krishna is very rich. I can simply pray to Krishna. But Krishna is very great and magnanimous; He can do everything for you and for us all. Thanking you once more. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. While going to India please take with you the empty typewriter box (Olympia). This typewriter is with Acyutananda and the case (box) is required there. And when you come back, you please bring back my personal books (3 or 4) left with Acyutananda. I am making here a series of lecture on K.C. yoga system. They are tape recorded. If Mr. Kallman wants to make some gramophone records on this series of lectures, he can do so at least in those long time records. Please talk with him and let me know if he is agreeable. I think the magnetic tapes for Dictaphone are lying in my compartment. If so please send them here and oblige. Gargamuni's first experiment in Dhupa mfg. has come out very successful. He is making more & more experiment. letters | 21.12.04 | |
|
|
