a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1975 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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12 December 2008 Friday, 12 December, 1975 Vrindaban Raman Reti, Vrindaban, Mathura My dear Vishvambar Dayala, Please accept my blessings. I acknowledge receipt of donation* from your mother Srimati Narayani Devi, which donation shall be used for the purchase of Gurukula land. The stone bearing your mother's name in both Hindi and English will be laid down at the proper place just after the registration of the land. Thanking you, Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami *received with thanks Rs. 53,000-00 in cash. ACBS/AKS letters | 01:41 | 12 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Jayasacinandana Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. I beg to aknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 2, 1975. Now you have made some discovery. All along you have been hearing the recording of Yamuna devi and now you want to change. It is not ordinary singing, it is concert, many people are singing, so it is not bad. Just like Sankirtana, many voices are there, men and women, so it is the same thing, sankirtana. I approve of it. Here in Krishna Balarama Temple we are hearing the same recording every morning, so if it is good here why not there? I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: controversy, Los Angeles, sankirtan letters | 01:41 |11 December 2008 Thursday, 11 December, 1975 Vrindaban Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa My Dear Yashma Sarna, Please accept my blessings. Thank you for your letter. Thank you also for your kind donation of 800 Shillings. The process of Krishna consciousness is very simple. Everything belongs to Krishna, so our only duty is to give everything for Krishna's service, and chant Hare Krishna. So you chant regularly and make advancement. In February I am going to Calcutta and then Mayapur, so you can see me there. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Nairobi letters | 02:40 |11 December, 1975 Vrindaban Evanston, Illinois My Dear Uttamasloka Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. I read your Sankirtana news letter with great relish. Europe and America are in great danger, this Hare Krishna movement is enveloping them. The Sankirtana devotees are very very dear to Krishna. Because you are doing the field work of book distribution, Krishna has immediately recognized them as true servants. Just like during war time, a farm boy or ordinary clerk who goes to fight for his country on the front, immediately becomes a national hero for his sincere effort. So Krishna immediately recognizes a preacher of Krishna consciousness who takes all risks to deliver his message. It is called 'dhira vrata' - determination. These boys and girls are mahatmas. mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah bhajantyananya manaso jnatva bhutadim avyayam [Bg. 9.13] "O son of Pritha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible." This verse is applicable here, if these boys were under material nature they would not take so much risk, they are mahatma, they are real mahatma, not that long beard and saffron cloth mahatma. They are unswerving in their determination, dhira vrata. All glories to the American devotees! I hope this letter finds you and all the sankirtana devotees well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda letters | 02:39 | 11 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Hrdayananda Swami, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 25, 1975, I have noted the contents carefully. The deities in the picture you sent appear nice. Also the article, Visa to the Kingdom of the spirit looks favorable, although I cannot read the language. Your idea of printing a deluxe edition and an ordinary edition is all right, everyone should get a book that is the idea, so do it. The idea of GBC changing zones for 2-3 months of the year is also good. Bring up this point at the Mayapur meeting and vote on it. I accept the below listed students as my initiated disciples their new names are given and you may hold a fire ceremony and chant on their beads. Instruct them to chant 16 rounds daily and refrain from the four sinful habits of material life. The second initiates should hear the Matra from the tape recording through the right ear, instruct them in habits of cleanliness, and brahminical qualifications and behavior. Brazil: Amaro--Srivatsa Das Sergio--Jagajjaitra Das Helio--Kalanemiha Das Evaraldo--Anantakirti Das Antonoi--Visvandya Das Rogerio--Kuladeva Das Pedro Paulo--Yajnatrata Das Ariel--Dvijapriya Das Argentina: Oscar--Jayadhvaja Das Hector--Sadhyasrestha Das Ramon--Sahasranama Das Humberto--Dharmananda Das Maria--Rasasun Devi Dasi Lilian--Yogini Devi Dasi Silvia--Rasavasini Devi Dasi Kamala Carana Das--second initiation Premaprayojana Das--second initiation Mexico City: Arturo--Dvija hari Das Rafael--Yajnaphalada Das Vivara--Visvaksena Das Alfredo--Devyahpati Das Ricardo--Kripalu Das Ricardo A.--Adityesa Das Isabel--Bhutabhavya Das Efren--Sananava Das Raul--Stutya Das Jorge--Vedasara Das Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Argentina, Brazil, initiation, Mexico City letters | 02:38 |9 December 2008 Tuesday, 9 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Dr. W.H. Wolf-Rottkay, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 23, 1975. Because your letter to Nairobi was a long letter I sent it to Svarupa Damodara, he is also one of my trusted disciples. I do not know why he has not replied it yet, and since I do not have a copy with me I am also unable to reply it. How is the German translation work going on? I hope this letter meets you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Los Angeles, translating letters | 20:30 |9 December, 1975 Vrindaban Sri Tikandas J. Batra Bombay My Dear Tikandas, Please accept my blessings. Thank you for your letter dated December 6, 1975. In the beginning of publishing Back to Godhead I was printing with Sarasvati Press in Calcutta, but the others I cannot remember. Regarding your question, There is really a place as Vaikuntha, beyond this dark material universe. In the material world if our consciousness is changed to Krishna then even here is vaikuntha consciousness. This is very easy to understand. Suppose one is a foreigner in India, but still he can continue his European or American consciousness. The process for doing this is bhakti yoga and the beginning of that process is hearing and chanting the Holy Name of Krishna, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. Please chant Hare Krishna and be always in Krishna consciousness. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: vaikuntha letters | 20:29 |9 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Mahamsa Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 5, 1975 and have noted the contents. So Gaura Govinda Maharaja has to go to Orissa to get that land in Bhunesvara, so I have given him the documents for necessary action. Unless he is absolutely required in Hyderabad he may go there with the other Orissa devotee. I have seen his Orissa literature about our movement and it appears to be very nice, any common man can understand it, and it is set up very nicely. He is very much hopeful to sell our books there amongst the higher class. I have already given him all instructions how to organize a center there. So I wish that he may go there and do his best to show his ability. You have taken a loan from me to the extent of 2 laks but I think you have not returned even a part of this. So kindly send me as statement of accounts. I require a huge amount for the Kuruksetra project, not less than one crore, so now I wish to get it back. By 15th December I will be in Bombay, so you can reply this letter to the Bombay address. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda letters | 20:29 | 9 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Ramesvara Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 1, 1975. I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding sending money, you have promised to send 50,000 per month to Bombay. So now the project is underway, so you have to keep sending. You keep your enlivened position. I was just talking to Hamsaduta about the good fortune of America, that Krishna consciousness is there and if you can cover the whole America with Krishna consciousness that will be good for the whole world. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Los Angeles letters | 20:28 |8 December 2008 Monday, 8 December, 1975 Vrindaban Sri Krishna C. Batra Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry Dear Sir, In reply to your letter dated 26 November 1975, I beg to submit herein that our International Society for Krishna Consciousness is a Bhakti yoga asram as it is enunciated in the Bhagavad-gita. The main purpose of the society is to understand the nature of God and our relationship with Him. The very word yoga means connecting link with the supreme being. We accept Krishna as the supreme being, and nobody is equal to him or greater than him. How he is supreme is lucidly explained in the Bhagavad-gita, and we try to revive our eternal relationship with him. In the Bhagavad-gita itself there are different processes of yoga systems, karma yoga, jnana yoga, dhayana yoga, hatha yoga, bhakti yoga and so many patterns of yoga. Others may practice different patterns of yoga, and we can understand that everyone is trying to pass on the path of yoga, but bhakti yoga is the ultimate goal, and if anyone is actually interested to understand God as he is, he has to come to the platform of bhakti yoga. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that after many many births of practicing yoga, when one is actually mature he surrenders himself at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19] So this bhakti yoga is practiced by varieties of rendering service to the Lord, They are divided into nine prescribed methods as it is called sravanam, kirtanam visnoh, smaranam pada sevanam, arcanam vandanam dasyam, sakhyam atma nivedanam [SB 7.5.23]. The actual path to understand God is bhakti yoga as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, bhaktya mam abhijanati yevan yas casmi tattvatah tato mam tattvato jnatve visate tad anantaram [Bg. 18.55] "One can understand the Supreme Personality as he is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." This bhakti yoga is identical with Krishna consciousness this is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, Yoginam api sarvesam, mad gatenanteratmana, sraddhavan bhajate yo mama, sa me yuktatamo matah. [Bg. 6/47] "And of all yogis, he who always abides in me with great faith, worshiping me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with me in yoga and is the highest of all." So we teach our students how to think of Krishna 24 hours and thus become devotees of Krishna. When one becomes a devotee he worships Krishna by the above nine varieties of bhakti processes and remain always an obedient servant of Krishna, and the vivid example is Arjuna, how he engaged himself on the battlefield of Kuruksetra although he was not willing to kill the enemies on the other side, although they happen to be very near and dear kinsmen of Arjuna. The conclusion is, when one gives up his concocted ideas of perfection and takes to Krishna consciousness just to render service to the Lord by following his direct order this perfection is actually attained by a pure devotee, so much so that a pure devotee constantly engaged in the service of the Lord can get direct orders from the Lord, and then follow perfectly the instructions of the Lord. Our society is open to everyone without any discrimination of cast, creed, color, sex, or position, anyone can join us and be trained up in Krishna consciousness. That is evidently proved that we have got more than 100 centers all over the world, including Africa, or other supposed backward countries. Everywhere the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra is being chanted without any difficulty and all of them are becoming pure Vaisnavas. They are completely giving up the four principles of sinful activities, namely illicit sex life, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling, and thus they are making progress in the matter of understanding Krishna consciousness very perfectly. The addresses of our India centers are listed as follows, ISKCON Bombay, Hare Krishna Land, Gandhi Gram Rd. Juhu 54. ISKCON Hyderabad, Hare Krishna Land, Nampally station Rd. Hyderabad. ISKCON Delhi, 19 Todar Mal Lane, Bengali Market, New Delhi. ISKCON Calcutta, 3 Albert Rd. Calcutta 17 (Near Hindi High School). ISKCON Mayapur, P.O. Sri Mayapur Dham, Mayapur District Nadia, West Bengal. Just this month we have sent preachers to Ahmedabad and Kanpur for opening centers, and we are planning to build a gorgeous Krishna Arjuna temple at Kuruksetra in co-operation with the late home minister G.L. Nanada. We have published more than 50 big books in the English language such as Bhagavad-gita as it is, Caitanya Caritamrta, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and others. For a complete catalog of our publications write the secretary at New Delhi temple. Thank you for your interest. Respectfully yours, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Aurobindo, Bhagavad-gita letters | 04:53 |8 December, 1975 Vrindaban Sri D.N. Mishra M.A., B.L. Advocate 179 Balarama Dey Street Calcutta My Dear Dina Natha, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 6 December 1975 and noted the contents. I am coming to Calcutta by beginning of February when I shall see to the matter personally. I had been to Kuruksetra with the idea of constructing a temple, the negotiations are going on with the late home minister G.L. Nanda. So far my injuries are concerned, by the grace of Krishna and good wishes of friends and relatives it is already completely cured. Thank you very much for your kind inquiries. I hope this letter meets you well. Sincerely yours, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Calcutta letters | 04:52 |8 December, 1975 Vrindaban Central Training institute Kurla, Bombay My Dear S.D. Purmnanan, Please accept my blessings. Thank you for your letter dated December 1, 1975. I shall be in Bombay by the 15th December, so you can meet me at that time any day after 5:00 PM till 23rd December. My address there is, Hare Krishna Land, Gandhi Gram Rd. Juhu, Bombay 54. I hope this letter meets you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Bombay letters | 04:51 |8 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Kadamba Kanana Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 8.31.75. The mercy of the spiritual master is always there, but we have to take it. Just like the sun, it is there for everyone, but we at least have to stand in a receptive place to get the benefit. So I do not know what you have done, but now you remain strict in the regulative practices of devotional service and make progress. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: regulative principles, San Francisco letters | 04:51 |7 December 2008 Sunday, 7 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Rupanuga Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 24, 1975. Upon seeing the pictures of the doll exhibit I thought it was some of our devotees play acting. This boy Saptaratha Das has done the dolls very very nicely, now make a museum for the public. This doll making was one of the programs of my Guru Maharaja, and the exhibit used to tour India. That same exhibit, although falling apart, is still touring India today and people are appreciating it. So develop this program, I am very pleased with this boys work, encourage him. Our cows are happy, therefore they give plenty of milk. Vedic civilization gives protection to all the living creatures, especially the cows, because they render such valuable service to the human society in the shape of milk, without which no one can become healthy and strong. In your country the dog is protected, and the cow is killed. The dog is passing stool and urine in the street, he is considered the best friend of man, and the cow is all pure, stool, urine, and milk, but they are taken to the slaughter house and killed for food. What kind of civilization is this. Therefore we have to preach against all this nonsense. How is the New temple building in New York? I hope this letter meets you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: cow protection, diorama, New York letters | 04:50 |7 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Madhudvisa Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter with the recommendations for first and second initiation, their names are as follows; Steve--Visvahetu Das Dave--Dustamohana Das Grant--Jitagarisa Das Rodney--Usapati Das Peter--Adhipurusa Das Samjata Das Brahmacari Lugudi Das Brahmacari Veno Gopala Das Brahmacari Krpa Kara Das Brahmacari Jagatvira Das Brahmacari Asta Siddhi Das Brahmacari I have chanted on the sacred threads and they are enclosed herewith, now hold a fire ceremony and have the students hear the Gayatri mantra chanted by me and the tape recording through the right ear. Instruct the newly initiated Brahmins about cleanliness, taking bath three time daily, taking bath each time after passing stool. Cleanliness within and without, that is very important for brahminical life. The qualifications of the Brahmanans are described in the 18th Chapter 42nd verse of the Bhagavad gita. You may chant on the beads of the first initiates, and they must chant at least 16 rounds daily, that will keep them strong. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: brahmana, initiation, Melbourne letters | 04:49 |7 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Yogescandra Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. Thank you for your letter dated December 2, 1975. You always have my blessings, the father always wishes that the son may be more successful than himself. This is the spiritual conception. If one is doing well, then the materialistic persons become envious and try to check his progress. This was actually so with Prahlada Maharaja, he was only 5 years old, he was preaching Krishna consciousness to his school friends, and the father Hiranyakasipu became so envious that he attempted to kill his 5 year old son in so many ways. Krishna consciousness is just the opposite, if someone is doing well then the attitude of the devotee is to give him all facility to go on and improve more and more. Yes we are running on the mercy of the spiritual master, to understand this point is to get mercy more and more. Yasya prasadat bhagavata prasada. I hope this letter meets you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: bona fide spiritual master, New York letters | 04:48 |7 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Yasomatinandana Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. You wanted one white assistant for facilitation of your work in Ahmedabad, so we have selected the best man for this work, Sriman Hai Haya Das Adhikari. I understand that you wrote one letter to Gopala Krishna disapproving sending Hai Haya. He is approved manager and why you thought that there is some politics. I am very much surprised to hear all this. Anyway he is going there, work with him cooperatively and everything will be successful. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami letters | 04:48 | 7 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Sivarama Prabhu, Please accept my greetings. From your report I can understand that things are going on there very nicely. When I first came to America I never imagined that this movement would spread so far and wide. I thought that my Guru Maharaja has ordered me to try to spread his teachings in the English language, so let me try. In a country where everyone is trained from childhood to indulge in sinful activities who will accept these restrictions, no meat fish and eggs, no intoxicants, no gambling, no illicit sex life. These things are the life and soul of western people, and I never imagined that even one person would accept. But by the mercy of my spiritual master and Krishna the thing has taken shape. I am so much indebted to you nice boys and girls who are helping me in this mission that I always pray to Krishna for your advancement in Going back to Godhead more and more. Thank you. I am accepting the student you have recommended for Brahmin initiation, their names as follows; Dharmaprana das Brahmacari, Natha Das Brahmacari, Misrami Devi Dasi, and Lalita Devi Dasi. Hold a fire ceremony, and let the students hear the mantra from the tape recording through the right rear. Brahminical life means to be very very clean, inside and out. Inside by chanting and hearing, and outside by bathing three times daily, if not possible at least two times, but never less than once. Bathing after passing stool. The qualifications of the Brahmanas are described in the 18th Chapter of Bhagavad gita, verse 42; "Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge and religiousness - these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work." So see that these instructions are being followed nicely. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: brahmana, initiation, Winnipeg letters | 04:47 |7 December, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Hrdayananda Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 22 November 1975 and the new books in Portuguese and Spanish. They are very nice and the reports of sales are also very encouraging. If Radhavallabha Prabhu can help you that is all right, but you have to discuss this with the BBT trustees. No you should not install Gaura nitai deities if you do not have the required Brahmins. Better wait. Yes you print all my books, if you can sell then why not print. Print as much as possible and store them if necessary. But you must pay regularly the BBT loans that is not to be neglected. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: BBT, Los Angeles letters | 04:46 | |
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