a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1975 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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12 January 2008 Sunday, 12 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Nari devi dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 11-26-74 and have noted the contents. You must follow the principles that I have given at all times, under all circumstances. Without these four principles, there is no spiritual life. Even it may be very difficult you must follow. You should reject anything or anyone who advises you to break these principles. Association with such persons is worse than poison. If you like, you may come to Vrndavana and live for some time. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Buffalo, regulative principles letters | 15:38 |12 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Bhaktin Lesley Fordham, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter and have noted the contents. Thank you very much for participating in this sankirtana movement. I am glad to hear that you are enthusiastic about chanting. Keep chanting 24 hours if possible. This constant chanting of Krishna's names will assure you of not falling down from His service. Never leave the association of devotees, otherwise it will be very difficult to chant constantly. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, chanting letters | 15:36 |12 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Kirtiraja das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 31, 1974 and have noted the contents. Any householder devotee who is working full-time (with his wife) as a sankirtana book distributer, of temple managerial duties, artist, cook, etc. shall be provided food, shelter, and other bare minimum necessities by the temple itself. They should not cook their own meals separate from the temple meals. If they have children, then some minimal allowance may be given according to the number of children. If they want anything extra or over and above what the temple president sees as absolute necessity, then they should work outside - the temple cannot pay for anything beyond the bare necessities. And definitely, the BBT cannot pay any salary to anybody. Our philosophy is "simple living and high thinking" - not sense gratification. The temple presidents and leaders (elder students) must show this by example. Temple or asrama means for renunciation and renounced persons. If one is engaged in self-realization process, then his material necessities become almost nil. Persons who do not like this can work outside. Regarding food-stamps and welfare, if we have to fabricate some lie, that is not good. It can be done only if it is completely honest. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: householder, Los Angeles, simple living letters | 15:34 |12 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Mr. Lepesqueux, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Aug. 28, 1974 and have noted the contents. I am sorry for such a late reply, but I have just received your letter last night due to the poor postal system in India. I hope that you have had the opportunity to visit our temple in Paris. If not, please go there and you will be pleased to see our programs there. The address is: ISKCON, 4 rue le Sueur, 75016 Paris, France. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: France letters | 15:33 |12 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Gandharva das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated nil and have noted the contents. If you like, you can come to India and live with me for some time. During Sri Caitanya's appearance day festival, if you like you can come and live with me. Then everything will be alright. Please do not fail to chant 16 rounds, rise early, read my books carefully and follow all the regulative principles. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps letters | 15:32 | 12 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Jagadisa das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 31, 1974 and have noted the contents. Thank you very much for the nice book distribution report. Chicago temple is doing very nicely. Give them many thanks. There are so many devotees there in your zone. So, you must see that every one of them is chanting at least 16 rounds daily and observing our rules and regulations strictly. Keep everything nicely in this way. This is the duty of GBC, to see that all of our members are becoming fixed in Krishna's service. If you think it best, you can set up headquarters at Gurukula. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps letters | 15:30 | 10 January 2008 Friday, 10 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Patita Uddharana das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of you letter dated Jan. 4th, 1975 and have noted the contents. I very much appreciated your nice report on London and I am glad to hear how things are going on there. Many thanks to Prabha Visnu das. Yes, I'll come there, but the first opportunity may be in April. I am also hankering to go there. Please take great care, you are experienced. Co-operate with Prabha Visnu and make an ideal place for devotional service there. Regarding the incident with Mr. Mody, it was a mistake by Kausalya. Don't commit anything which will cause mistrust. This is not at all desirable. Keep peaceful situation with all men. There is no question of taxing someone for a donation. They can give donation and we will accept on friendly terms. Nobody should be pressured for contribution. Impure atmosphere can be counteracted by having kirtanas twice and thrice daily with dancing. So, keep the atmosphere very peacefully. Go on chanting and hold classes in Bhagavatam, etc. Don't allow anyone to engage in eating and sleeping alone or the devil's workshop will develop. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, kirtan letters | 15:29 |10 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Sri R. M. Patel, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your check for the amount of 200 dollars. Thank you very much for this kind offering. I hope by now you have been to our center in Montreal. If not, you are cordially invited at any time to visit there and take prasadam and associate with devotees. The address is: ISKCON, 1626 PIE IX Blvd., H1V 2C5. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Montreal letters | 15:29 |10 January, 1975 Bombay Sri Ram Patel Southall, Middlesex London, England My dear Mr. Patel, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter concerning your son Durgesh. I am very sorry for any inconvenience that has come upon you due to this misunderstanding. I did not receive any letter from you until now about the situation so I was not aware fully of the circumstances as you have given them. Your son should stay with you and abide by your instructions. I will be coming there in April and will be more than glad to meet with you and your son at that time if you so wish. Again, I am sorry for any misunderstanding that may have occurred. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: misunderstanding letters | 15:28 |10 January, 1975 Bombay Sri Caitanya Gaudiya Math Gaura Bat Sahta Road Swargadwar, Puri Orissa 1752001 My dear Asita das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter and have noted the contents. If you want to stay there I have no objection. For the time being you can perform your devotional service in Puri and when I return to Mayapur in mid-March, you can see me and we shall see what was the cause for your being asked to leave. It is a big establishment and sometimes disagreement happens and I am helpless. I am enquiring from Mayapur why you were asked to leave there. If you want to take initiation from Madhava Gosvami Maharaja I have no objection. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: disagreements letters | 15:28 |10 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Jayapataka Svami, Please accept my blessings. I have just received one letter from Asita dasa wherein he claims that he was all of the sudden asked to go away from Mayapur. What was the situation? Kindly let me know. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Mayapur letters | 15:27 |9 January 2008 Thursday, 9 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Rupanuga das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 2nd, 1975 and have noted the contents carefully. Regarding the new building, if it is suitable, never mind if it is a little more or less, you should get it. We can rent the unused space, and the householders can live in the building as long as they have separate floors. One thing is that they must be fully engaged. Don't make a hotel for free boarding and lodging. Everyone must be full-time engaged and the best engagement for them is to sell books. That will be very nice. Don't allow anyone to simply eat and sleep. All should attend classes 2 or 3 times daily, chant 16 rounds, and go out for street sankirtana. Eating should be minimized. Too much eating leads to too much sleeping, and then sex desire. So, management should be done very carefully to see that there is not easy-going, lazy attitude which will only end in fall down. Regarding the controversy about book distribution techniques, you are right. Our occupation must be honest. Everyone should adore our members as honest. If we do something which is deteriorating to the popular sentiments of the public in favor of our movement, that is not good. Somehow or other we should not become unpopular in the public eye. These dishonest methods must be stopped. It is hampering our reputation all over the world. Money collected for feeding people in India should be collected under the name ISKCON Food Relief. Not any other name. And every farthing of that money must be sent to India, or better yet, buy food grains there and ship them here and we will distribute. But every farthing collected for that purpose must be used for that purpose. I have already sent one letter to Ramesvara explaining these points. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami N.B. Your idea of having the summer institute at your farm is nice. ACBS/ps Labels: book distribution, controversy, fallen down, New York letters | 15:27 |9 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Devamaya devi dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 6th 1975 and have noted the contents. Thank you for your burfis. Regarding your questions, there is no special planet for the Lord in His form of Lord Jagannatha. This particular lila was performed with His brother and sister when They were on this planet. If you are attracted to worshiping this form of the Lord, then you will go to Krishna. Lord Jagannatha is Krishna. You ask about what kind of food He likes to eat most. That you cannot prepare. If you sometimes come to Jagannatha Puri, then you can see. You should not give them any clubs to hold. It is not necessary. Regarding astrology, you should not listen to any of these so-called astrologers - strictly avoid. Don't even see them. What is the use of seeing them? Astrology is meant for the materialist, but a spiritualist does not care for the future. Everything is dependent upon Krishna. So where is the necessity of astrology? The devotees' principle is, let there happen anything as Krishna desires. Let me remain sincere devotee, that's all. Pure devotee is never interested in this astrology. So, continue nicely with your deity worship there and read my books very carefully, and without fail chant 16 rounds on your beads daily. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: astrology, Jagannatha, London letters | 15:26 |9 January, 1975 Bombay Sri Mohan Masundar 402/1a Netaji Subhas Candra Bose Rd. Calcutta-47 My Dear Sri Mohan Masundar, Please accept my greetings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 29-12-74 and have noted the contents. Regarding my assistance in the producing of your film, if you are producing it in India, it is impossible for me to assist you with manpower. I have no sufficient men in India to give you. If you can join our asrama that will be very nice for you. But you have some business to take care of with your daughters, etc., so, finish up your business and then you will be free to join us anytime you like. I will be returning to Calcutta in March. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: cinema letters | 15:25 |9 January, 1975 Bombay Temple Presidents All ISKCON Centers My dear temple president, Please accept my blessings. This letter is to inform you that Hari das Brahmacari has received permission to go to all of our centers in the west for visiting and gaining the experience of preaching there. He is from Bengal and he can cook nicely, go out on sankritana, lead kirtanas, classes, as well as teach Bengali bhajans. Please give him all facility to engage in these ways while he is staying at your temple. He will be returning to India for the Mayapur festival in March, 1975. I hope this meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps letters | 15:25 | 8 January 2008 Wednesday, 8 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Tribhuvanatha das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 5th, 1975 and have noted the contents. Regarding your coming to India, I was told by Bhagavan das that you wanted to leave England and that it would be good for you to come to India, so I said that I had no objection of your coming to India. But if you can stay there in England and continue your festival program, that will be best. It is a very nice program. You should increase it as much as possible. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: festival, India, London letters | 15:24 |8 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Madhudvisa Svami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 16th, 1974 and have noted the contents. We can have the installation there in May if you think it is wiser. I have accepted Bhakta Wayne and Bhakta Rod as my firstly initiated disciples. Their names are as follows: Venugopala and Ramasaran. Also I have accepted Antaratma dasa, Ramai dasa, Gunavati dasi, and Camari dasi as duly initiated brahmanas. Their threads and mantra sheets are enclosed. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Enc: 4 sacred threads and mantra sheet. ACBS/ps Labels: initiation, Melbourne letters | 15:23 |8 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Malati devi dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 6, 1975 and have noted the contents. Thank you for the fruits and vegetables. Regarding the London situation, I have asked Brahmananda Svami to go there and see what is the position. He is most probably there by now. Please continue your service nicely as one of my elder women disciples always setting good example for others to follow. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor letters | 15:23 |7 January 2008 Tuesday, 7 January, 1970 Bombay My dear Brahmananda Svami, Please accept my blessings. I have received you telegram dated Jan. 3rd, 1975 which read as follows: TELEPHONED ALFRED FORD. PROPERTY TRANSACTION REGULAR. GOING LA MONDAY THEN LONDON GERMANY PER DEC 23 LETTER. JAYATIRTHA SAYS RUMOR YOU COMING HERE. PLEASE CONFIRM. BRAHMANANDA SVAMI. See what is the actual situation there in London. Study it very carefully and let me know how things are going. Hamsaduta was giving stress to selling records using all tricks, by any means. The incident in Germany has caused havoc all over the world. It is hampering our reputation everywhere. I do not want this record distribution to continue. It must be stopped immediately. I have already informed Hamsaduta. Distributing books is our real business, not these records. Has anyone ever become convinced in Krishna Consciousness by listening to this record? No. He will simply think it is nice magical sounds, that's all. But, if he reads one book, he will be convinced about spiritual life. That is our success. So, stop this record distribution immediately everywhere. And stress book distribution more and more. Enclosed is one letter from Ajita das who is the Stockholm temple president. He is expressing the typical type of anxiety and confusion which arises from this record selling business. The Bombay business is not yet finished. I am thinking to go to Honolulu as soon as it is finished and then on to Mexico and South America. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, book distribution, havoc letters | 15:23 |6 January 2008 Monday, 6 January, 1975 Bombay N. N. Bagai 1185 Sector 18-G Chandigarh My dear Mr. Bagai, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 30th, 1974 and have noted the contents. You have now got you identity card, so you can go if you like to any of our centers and live there for some time. If you like the atmosphere, then we have no objection to accept you into our institution. You should remain with us for some time, otherwise how will we know what work you are fit to do? You should understand of course, that we do not pay anyone in our society. After you have stayed with us for some time, then we shall discuss initiation, name and mantra. These things are not awarded immediately. When you take sannyasa, you can use the word svami - not before. We are not interested in these things like hatha-yoga and swimming. We do not encourage such useless activities. We would never take to such activities for earning money. We get money enough. We don't require to adopt any unauthorized means. At present we spend 8 lakhs of rupees every month and Krishna sends all money. Our process is to chant Hare Krishna. That is sufficient. You are welcome to Vrndavana anytime. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami Labels: India, initiation, yoga letters | 09:34 |6 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Candravali devi dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 25th, 1974 and have noted the contents. Your husband will be consulting with Gurukrpa Swami as to what his next engagement shall be. Your son's name can be Virat das. Wherever you are, you should always be sure to chant at least 16 good rounds daily and to read my books very carefully, as well as following all the rules and regulations strictly. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Miami letters | 09:31 |6 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Pancadravida Svami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 29th, 1974 and have noted the contents. I have sent one letter already responding to your most recent letter, via one life-member, but in case of it not reaching you, I am sending another. Three men have been recommended to me by one of our life-members here in Bombay as men who may be able to help by signing our registration there. Their names are, Mr. Panikar, Mr. Raman, and Mr. Chaisrikul (Thai National). We have sent word to Mr. Panikar to come and visit you and to bring the addresses of the other two gentlemen so you may contact them. I think it is all right to have men who are non-life-members sign our registration if they are good men, sympathetic to our movement. But, you should try to make them members if possible. As far as sending more men to Bangkok is concerned, we shall see if any of our men are forced to leave India on account of visa difficulties. They can go there. But my policy, as you know, is not to import devotees, but to create devotees out of the local men. That will be better. I did not import any Indian devotees when I first came to your country. Print as much as you can into the Thai language. That will be a great asset. Regarding the German situation, it is an attempt to suppress our movement there. We have become very popular and important in a very short time and now the Christian church, as well as the police are feeling much pressure that "now this movement is increasing." The son of one big police officer has joined us and therefore his father has a grudge and also one newspaper reporter came to our temple incognito and has some grudge. In this way they and others are trying to spread some counter-propaganda to destroy our reputation. It is not yet fixed up when I am leaving Bombay, but I will notify you beforehand of my arrival there. Please go on with you work with great determination. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Australasia letters | 09:31 |6 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Mahamsa Svami, Please accept my blessings. I have received one letter from Sucharu deva dasa whom you have transferred to Madras. He like to stay in Hyderabad to be engaged in the service of the deity, so what was the difficulty to keep him there? He is interested in worshiping Radha-Modanmohan deity and very very anxious to stay at Hyderabad. If there is not great difficulty, I think he may be called back. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps letters | 09:31 | 6 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Sucharu deva dasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated nil and have noted the contents. I have written Mahamsa Svami one letter asking him if it is possible for you to return to Hyderabad. Wherever you go always be sure to chant at least 16 good rounds and rise early, attend mangala-aroti, study my books and serve Krishna without stop. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever-well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps letters | 09:30 | 6 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Hamsaduta das, Please accept my blessings. I have considered this matter of record distribution and have decided that it should be immediately stopped. It has simply caused havoc. It should be stopped everywhere. The stress must be on books, nothing else needs to be sold. If someone hears a record, he will not understand anything of our philosophy. He will simply enjoy it as sense gratification. But if he gets a book and reads even one page, then he may very likely be induced to take part in our movement. These records are not important. My books are important. You should make arrangement to distribute them in as much quantity as possible. Enclosed is one letter from Ajita das (president of Stockholm) wherein he expresses anxiety and confusion coming from this record distribution. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, book distribution, havoc letters | 09:29 |6 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Ajita das, Please accept my blessings. I am due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 27th, 1974 and have noted the contents. Regarding dishonest means being used I have never advised or taught anyone like that. That is not my idea. This record distribution has caused havoc. It should be stopped immediately. I have also asked Hamsaduta to stop it. Book distribution is our real business. If we give them a record, they simply hear some magical sounds and take it for sense gratification, but if they receive one of our books and read even one page, they get eternally benefited. Therefore I am stressing this book distribution, not other things. Stop record selling completely. This is my order. I have accepted Gauracanda dasa brahmacari and Sriharini devi dasi as duly twice-born brahmanas and their threads are enclosed along with mantra sheet. You can hold a fire sacrifice and let them hear the mantra through the right ear from the tape of myself saying it. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: book distribution, havoc, initiation, Stockholm letters | 09:28 | |
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