a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1975 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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27 November 2008 27 November, 1975 New Delhi My Dear Ramesvara Prabhu, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letters dated November 18th and 20th 1975. I have noted the contents carefully. The incident with Purusottama is now a closed chapter, in the future be more careful, we have got enemies as well as friends, we have to be careful. I was very happy to receive the new edition of Bhagavad gita the make up is very nice. Every time I see a new publication of my books it gives me so much enthusiasm that my life is increased by 100 years. Thank you for helping me so much. The report of Ghanasyama Prabhu selling standing orders to the head of the Mormon church is very encouraging to me, may Krishna bless this boy. Practically speaking there is no religion in the world, the only true religion is Bhagavata Dharma, that is the original religion of the human society, whatever else there may be passing as religion has come after Vedic literature. The whole world is in darkness, so we are bringing light in the shape of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Therefore this is the best service one can render to the human society, to give knowledge, how to go back to home back to Godhead. The BTG No. 12 is also nice. In India the biggest circulated spiritual magazine is Kalyana printed by Gita press at 95,000 so you have far surpassed them, thank you, the magazine is very nice. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda Labels: Bhagavad-gita, BTG, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 02:27 |1 September 2008 1 September, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Ramesvara & Co., Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 31, 1975 and the six new volumes of Caitanya Caritamrta. So the books have increased, and they are all very nicely done. I think I may stop all touring and just sit down here for translating. You have taken seriously the publishing and also the distribution of these books, and that is the success of our mission. You have taken seriously this work and I know that my Guru Maharaj is pleased with you because he wanted this. So by this your endeavor you will all go back home back to Godhead. Let me first of all finish Srimad-Bhagavatam, then we can take up others. So I wish to also thank you for your cooperation. Because of your cooperation, therefore I has been possible. For me to publish alone the first three volumes, I had to take so much trouble, but by the cooperation of you American boys and girls now this has become possible. You promised on Vyasa Puja Day, and it has come, although Nitai has come a little late just after our ceremony. Anyway, what you have done is good. Nitai has said he has brought advance verses for 7th Canto, and this will help me. Nitai was to come on the 20th but now he has come with the substance, so I am very much pleased. The pictures are all wonderful. The artists tease me with so many questions, about this and that, but they have done nicely, so it is all right. So you all go on with your work, and I will pray to Krsna for your ever advancement in His service. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Caitanya Caritamrta, Los Angeles, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 08:10 |31 August 2008 31 August, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Svarupa Damodara das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 6, 1975 with enclosed photo of the Gaura Nitai Deities. It is very nice how you are worshipping the Deities. Our movement of Krishna consciousness is not dry. Your letter was pleasing to me. I am glad that you have keen interest in the Institute program. Be ready, as I am negotiating. As soon as it is complete, I shall send a telegram for you to come. In the meantime request all GBC's to send lists of all our disciples who have B.A., M.A. or Ph.D. degrees. I am glad to know that you are getting nice cows for your farm. If you have good cows then you will have good milk, which is the most important food. We are giving cow protection in the very place where they are eaten. At Bon Maharaja's Institute there is enough land for also keeping cows. I was not able to come to Atlanta because I was called here to India on urgent business. Also I was feeling inconvenient by so much travelling. Regarding your question, so long they are not getting the human form by natural elevation, they are under the laws of nature, prakrteh kriyamanani, gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Material nature is helping to bring him to the human body, or human species. When a human being is civilized he can take knowledge from Vedic literature. So in Kali Yuga the Srimad-Bhagavatam is the essence of Vedic literatures: nigama kalpa taror galitam phalam [SB 1.1.3]. So by study of Srimad-Bhagavatam under the bona fide spiritual master, one becomes aware of the full value of life, and then he revives his original Krishna consciousness. That is the perfection of life. The individual soul is already under specific material nature, and the process is going on in lower grades of life, but in the human form of life by advancement of education, one can become above the modes of material nature. That chance is given to him. This is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: yanti deva vrata devan [Bg. 9.25]. So if he likes he can go back to Godhead, yanti mad yajino 'pi mam, and stop this transmigration process. Then he comes again perfect in Krishna consciousness. We are trying to bring the human society to this stage of life. In human life even in the lower stage of modes of nature, he can come to the higher stage. That is our movement. In the animal form there is no chance, only in the human form. Unfortunately the modern mode of education is to kill the chance. In animal stage of life it is very dangerous. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. The negotiation with Bon Maharaja is not very feasible. It is too much encumberous. So if it possible, you start the Institute in USA. Do you think it is possible here in India or in USA? ACBS/bs Labels: Atlanta, Institute, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 05:43 |21 August 2008 21 August, 1975 New Delhi My Dear Radhavallabha das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 15, 1975 and also the copies of the Vyasa Puja book. It is done nicely, but why it is mentioned my 79th birthday. It is my 80th birthday. That is correct. You do not know this? One of the GBC articles says 79th birthday. Big GBC man, so many editors, and it is not detected? You are all mudhas, what can I do? Anyway it is better to remain a mudha before your spiritual master. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He said that My spiritual master saw Me as mudha. Do not worry, in spite of war, Srimad-Bhagavatam will be distributed. We don't care for war. Our preaching business will go on. Your desire for the complete Srimad-Bhagavatam will be fulfilled. The Sixth Canto I have already completed and I shall begin the Seventh Canto within a fortnight. When I am relieved from the administration work, then it will be done. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Los Angeles, mudha, Srimad Bhagavatam, Vyasa Puja letters | 04:59 |21 August, 1975 New Delhi My Dear Ramesvara das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 12, 1975 and have noted the contents. Yes, when Krsna was present, the religious principles were going on nicely, but when He retired back to His abode, then deterioration infiltrated. But Srimad-Bhagavatam is the sunshine Purana by Vyasadeva to open the eyes of the conditioned souls. It is the sound representation of Lord Krsna. Regarding your desire for all twelve cantos, you will get it, rest assured. Your so much ardent desire will be fulfilled by Krsna. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Los Angeles, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 04:58 |17 July 2008 Thursday, 17 July, 1975 Berkeley Fort, Bombay-1 INDIA My Dear Brijratanji: Please accept my blessings. Enclosed please find herewith a copy of our latest issue of Back to Godhead containing the selection from Srimad-Bhagavatam as you had kindly suggested. We are making it a regular feature each month. I hope this finds you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Bombay, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 06:39 |27 June 2008 Friday, 27 June, 1974 Denver My Dear Acyutananda Swami: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 5, 1975 and have noted the contents. Regarding the question of New Vrindaban that should be referred to Kirtanananda Swami who can deal with it directly. I am glad to hear that your Bangalore program was a success. Your question of how did Sukdev Goswami hear Srimad-Bhagavatam, it was in the womb of his mother. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Hyderabad, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 08:38 |13 June 2008 Firday, 13 June, 1975 Honolulu Dai Nippon Tokyo, Japan My dear Mr. Ogata, Please accept my greetings. By experience, we gather that Japanese ladies and gentlemen are very much interested with our Krishna Consciousness movement, especially with our literature, and more specifically with Srimad-bhagavatam. Here in Hawaii, many Japanese gentlemen, they purchase Srimad-bhagavatam simply by hearing the name, but they have got the language difficulty - they don't know English. So, if our books were translated into Japanese language, it will be a great help to us and to you also because it will be another opportunity for printing books. So, why not give us a good translator who can regularly translate all our books into Japanese? This will be another enterprise for printing in your press. So, if you can arrange for this with a Japanese scholar, or if you take this responsibility, then it will give me great pleasure. I hope this meets you in good health. Yours very sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: Srimad Bhagavatam, translating letters | 03:54 |11 June 2008 Wednesday, 11 June, 1975 Honolulu Professor Stillson Judah Graduate Theological Union Library 2451 Ridge Rd., Berkeley, California My dear Professor Judah, Please accept my greetings. Your kind letter dated June 6, 1975 in hand, I thank you very much for this. The chapter five of Caitanya-caritamrta is already dispatched yesterday by post. It is my great delight that you have realized how Krishna Consciousness has transformed lives from drug addicted hippies to loving servants of Krishna and humanity. Loving service of Krishna is so exalted, that it automatically turns loving service to humanity. Krishna is just like the root of the tree and if you pour water on the root, it automatically reaches other parts of the tree. It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna manorathenasati dhavato bahih [SB 5.18.12] If a person has unflinching devotion at the lotus feet of Hari (God), then all the good qualities of great personalities like the demigods, automatically becomes manifest in the person of a devotee. Whereas a non-devotee, even he is decorated with material qualities, he is forced to act on the material plane and he stays in temporary field of activities. The idea is that spirit-soul is eternal and the material body is temporary, or for the sake of sense gratification. The mental plane is also material. People being forced to stay on the material platform, they are planning for temporary happiness, and being frustrated, they are jumping from one platform to another which are all temporary. But, fortunately, if one becomes situated on the platform of Krishna Consciousness, then his jumping over material platforms becomes ceased. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita as follows: yam labdhva caparam labham, manyate nadhikam tatah - upon gaining this, he thinks that there is no greater gain. So, at the present moment, there is great necessity to give to the human society Krishna, or God. Everyone speaks of God, but nobody has clear idea what is God, or where is God. We Hare Krishna people are trying to do our best to say, "here is God, Krishna." So, please try to co-operate with this movement and I am sure the world will be happy. I am coming to Los Angeles on the 20th of June, and more when we meet. Yours very sincerely, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: Srimad Bhagavatam, Stillson Judah letters | 03:50 |11 May 2008 11 May, 1975 Perth, Australia Mathura, U.P., India My dear Kunj Bihari Shastri, I am in due receipt of your note. Your desire to stay with us for regular recitation of the Srimad-bhagavatam is welcome. So, for a few days, you can stay with us and see how it will be suitable for you. But, one thing is the language difficulty. All our men are speaking in English. Still, you can make an experiment and if you like, then you can live with us provided you follow our rules and regulations. Just now, I am on tour and I shall be glad to receive your reply to my Honolulu address as follows: 51 Coelho Way, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Then I shall do the needful. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 18:52 |11 May, 1975 Perth, Australia My dear Jayadvaita dasa, Please accept my blessings. From now on, include one chapter from Srimad-bhagavatam in every issue of Back to Godhead magazine. You can start with the 1st chapter of the 1st canto and continue. You should reproduce the chapter as it is in the book, in other words, with the devanagari script, word meanings, transliteration, etc. If a chapter is very very big, it can be given in two issues. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: BTG, Los Angeles, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 04:50 |11 May, 1975 Perth, Australia Mustafa Building Bombay My dear Brijratanji, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 17th, 1975 and have noted the contents carefully. I welcome your suggestion. I have advised my assistants to publish one chapter in each issue from the Bhagavat Maha-Purana. This will contain the devanagari script as well as the roman script. I thank you very much for your suggestion. I hope this letter meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 04:50 |5 April 2008 Saturday, 5 April, 1975 Mayapur Dr. G. Ghosh Gyan Bhawan Allahabad My dear Dr. Ghosh, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your two letters dated March 20th and March 23rd, 1975 and have noted the contents very carefully. I thank you very much for your kind invitation and, tentatively, I accept it. Most probably, we shall go to Allahabad from Vrndavana by the 28th of April, 1975 and stay there for a week, and then start for Bombay on the way to Australia by the 5th of May I wish to hold classes on Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam for one hour in the evening and one hour in the morning. I do not know if gentlemen there will spare so much time. If not two hours, then I shall hold one hour Bhagavad-gita class, and I wish to see how people there appreciate our missionary activities. It is strictly on the basis of Lord Krishna's teachings as they are presented by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. That is our mission. So, if people become interested in our philosophy, then we shall consider the other two items, namely, the nursery school and dispensary. So far dispensary is concerned, we have none all over the world. It will be a new attempt. So far the school is concerned, we have got in Africa and America, and we have got men experienced to teach on our line. But for dispensary, we have no experience at all. I do not know how you are at the present moment about your health but I request you again to come to Vrndavana about the 20th of April. Then we shall discuss elaborately and make a decision. Otherwise, if you do not come, we will go as already decided and open a nice center there if possible. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Bhagavad-gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Vrindavan letters | 20:53 |16 February 2008 Sunday, 16 February, 1975 Mexico City Dr. Santosh Kumar McMaster University Hamilton, Ontario, Canada My dear Dr. Kumar, Please accept my greetings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Jan. 18, 1975 and have noted the contents carefully. Regarding your question, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is recognized through the sastras not otherwise. For instance, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, first canto, third chapter, all the major incarnations of Godhead are listed. Many times the scheduled time of appearance and family, etc. are also mentioned. The incarnation of Godhead must be indicated in the scriptures, otherwise we cannot accept him as being incarnation. Today, there are so many bogus incarnations, but we do not accept them. The Supreme Lord can appear in this world at any time, but he does so according to the regular scheduled appearances mentioned in the sastras. According to the sastras, the last most recent incarnation was Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in West Bengal about 500 years ago. We are following in direct line of disciplic teaching from Him. Another point is that the words of the Lord have been recorded in the Bhagavad-gita, so if someone comes claiming to be incarnation, but also contradicts the Bhagavad-gita, then we can be sure he is phony. Please try to read and understand my books very carefully. All these things are explained. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 18:50 |21 January 2008 21 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Radhavallabha das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 1-7-75 and have noted the contents. Regarding the book on Kapila's philosophy, you can call it "the Sankhya Philosophy of Kapila, (the Son of Devahuti)." You can give the roman transliteration for the sanskrit and the English translation and then the lecture. There is no need of the original sanskrit (deva-nagari), or the synonyms. For the time being, I shall consider regarding the dedication, and introduction. After it is ready, I will tell you. You can use pictures from the Srimad-Bhagavatam. That will be alright. Finish the Caitanya-Caritamrta as soon as possible. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: New York, Srimad Bhagavatam, translating letters | 12:24 |19 January 2008 Sunday, 19 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Radhavallabha das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 1-8-75 and have noted the contents. I have received one copy of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 4, Volume 4, and Krsna Consciousness: the Matchless Gift. Thank you very much for these books. One thing is that every volume of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrta and any other big volumes, must have a full index. It is not a very prestigious presentation without the index. All volumes in the future must have the index. Please go on there with great enthusiasm and strength to print my books very nicely. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: New York, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 17:52 |16 January 2008 Thursday, 16 January, 1975 Bombay Sri M.V. Sita Ramalai, Advocate Rajahmundry 533103 East Godavari A.P. My dear Sri M.V. Ramalal, Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 21-12-74 and have noted the contents. In regards to your question, we are accepting the Srimad-Bhagavatam as it is without interpretation and in that book in the 3rd chapter of the 1st canto all the incarnations of Godhead are listed. (at least the major ones are there). It is stated there that Lord Ramacandra advented and also disappeared many many 100's of thousands of years ago. This is all I can say on this matter. I cannot go beyond what the sastra says. If you happen to go to Hyderabad sometime, you are welcome to visit our Radha-Krishna Temple there. The address is: Hare Krishna Land, Nampally Station Road, AP. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Hyderabad, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 17:36 |4 January 2008 4 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Aticandra dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 16th, 1974 and have noted the contents. I think your idea is a little utopian. First thing is that one must understand Srimad-Bhagavatam fully. The first verse, if you simply explain, will take volumes and volumes. So, please study my books intensely and do not fail to chant 16 rounds daily following the four regulative principles strictly. This will make everything perfect. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Los Angeles, Srimad Bhagavatam letters | 18:19 | |
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