a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1975 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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9 November 2008 9 November, 1975 Bombay My dear Tusta Krsna Swami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 16, 1975 along with the enclosed letters from persons you are recommending for initiation. I have no objection to your recommending these devotees, but whether you are acting as a sannyasi and observing all the rules and regulations and keeping yourself in sannyasi dress? On your confirmation I shall accept all these boys and girls as my disciples. So long as one continues to follow the rules and regulations, he continues to be my disciple wherever he may be. Regarding the restaurant, this is a very good program and I am glad to hear of it. We have also started a restaurant in Honolulu and it is going on very nicely and we are getting good profit. If you take details from Srutakirti das Adhikari, he is in charge of the Govinda's Restaurant and he may be able to help you. It is a very good idea for people to come to our vegetarian restaurant and take so many nice things, especially the panir, fried cheese, and sandesh, kachori, rasagulla, samosa and in this way they will forget their meat-eating. If you make a soup of fried panir with asafoetida and ginger, this will replace lobster soup nonsense. Of course we are not interested in giving them vegetarian food; we are wanting to give them prasadam. Then gradually they will become devotees. The varnasrama college means to train people in varnasrama life. In human society a section of people must act as strict brahmanas. Similarly, another section must act as strict ksatriyas, still another as strict vaisyas, and the rest will be considered as sudras and less than sudras or the candalas. This is a materialistic division, but spiritually anyone can be elevated to the transcendental position simply by devotional service. This is the sum and substance of the Vedic education. If you and Siddha Svarupa Maharaja can organize such an institution following yourself the rules and regulations then it will be very glorious thing and I shall be very happy. But in any case both of you do not forget to come to Mayapur during Caitanya Mahaprabhu's birth ceremony. Let us act co-operatively, maybe sometimes separately, but the central point and aim should be one--Krsna. Your idea for the scholastic institution as discussed with you and Siddha Svarupa Maharaja is a very good idea. Now we have got so many books--almost 50 books of 400 pages--so this institution can be affliated with some nearby university. Then the students will get their degrees of Bachelors and Post Graduates Pd.D. We have enough matter to qualify a person in academic career. At least we can offer the degree of DD--Doctor of Divinity by affliating ourselves with some neighboring recognized university. The farming and opening the restaurant are correlative--in farming you produce enough milk and milk products, at least ghee, and the ghee is dispatched to the restaurant in the city and with that you prepare first-class samosas, kacoris, vegetables, halava--so many things people will like very much. The principle is that not a drop of milk should be misused. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/BS/mdd Labels: farm, New Zealnd, restaurant, Varnashrama College letters | 01:08 |29 September 2008 29 September, 1975 Ahmedabad Delaplane, Virginia My Dear Rupanuga das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 19, 1975 and have noted the contents carefully. What is the street address of the new building in New York? The consent letter has been sent from Vrindaban. You should minimize the expenditure and increase the income, otherwise how will you liquidate the debts? I understand that you are saving on the milk bill by supplying your own milk from the farm. This is wanted. If these farm projects are successful, then all this industry will be closed. We do not have to make propaganda, but automatically people will not want. The people are innocent. The rascal leaders say it is primitive to remain on the farm, but to do business in the city and become rogue and rascal, that is advanced. They have dog race, horse race, gambling, coca cola, pepsi cola - all unnecessary. There is no use for it but the business is going on. They take to cigarette and T.V. because they have no good engagement. They are chewing the already chewed. So you get from all the farms all your necessities, then it will be successful. Fodder, milk, grains, vegetables, and animals and man will be satisfied, and you can chant Hare Krishna. No unnecessary cow killing, and no unnecessary needs of the body. Regarding the new New York house, yes, let me know when I shall have to go there to see. I have more houses than anyone else in the world, but I am not allowed to stay. The richest man in the world does not have such facilities. They have one or two, but in each place it is fit for prince, and they do not have as many as I have. I see that in every center we are getting good income, and it is all from the sale of the books. Philadelphia temple must have a proper place. Regarding Washington temple yes Brisakapi can be now recognized as the temple president. I give my consent for the present temple to be sold and you may purchase the other one as you have described it. Regarding Boston, yes you may utilize the funds as you have indicated. People are coming forward to donate. They are actually seeing. These boys were drug addicted, and now they are saintly. They do not smoke even. They talk only of God. The woman's SKP party, that is very good. And, the wife of Bali Mardan how was she giving such a bluff? This woman is very dangerous. That is nice that the parents are donating. They will donate more and more, because they see here is something good. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Boston, farm, New York, Philadelphia, simple living letters | 10:24 |9 September 2008 9 September, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Mahamsa Swami: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated September 6, 1975 with enclosed photos of the farm. I like that place and wish to go there. As soon as you call me I will come. If this scheme is successful, it will be a great fortune for us to capture Indian ideals and the support of the Government. Yes, Hamsaduta can supply Rs. 2 lakhs for irrigation. Also I am asking that he may request that English devotees may be sent. The Nature Cure Hospital as you have described it is all right. Regarding the libraries taking the books, they can be given up to 25% discount. We shall take a standing order from them, and supply whatever we can, and the balance by and by. Yes, you can rotate the profits from the milk products and agriculture for future developments. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. I wish to make an experiment in preaching by bullock cart. One cart can hold 6-8 men sitting and 2 men for sleeping. ACBS/bs letters | 02:32 | 7 September 2008 7 September, 1975 Vrindaban My dear Balavanta das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated with enclosed check for $500. Thank you very much. I am very glad to hear that everything is going on nicely, especially your developing your new 250-acre farm. Yes, if you can get the government to support our project, that would be big triumph for us. They are spending millions and millions of dollars trying to keep the young people from turning into hippies, drug-addicted, and we are actually doing it. So why they should not give us some support? Upon your recommendation I am accepting the following as twice-born initiated brahmanas and their sanctified threads and mantra sheets are enclosed: Ballabadra Bhattacarya das Brahmacari and Mahejya das Brahmacari. I also accept as my initiated disciples the following and their spiritual names are: Dr. Richard Thompson, Ph.D.--Sadaputa das; Mike Dunn--Vedaguhya das; Chuck and Diana Sanders--Munjakesa das and Madamohini dasi; Cindy Barber--Janmasunya dasi. Please see that they are chanting 16 rounds without fail. You should hold a fire sacrifice and let the second initiates hear the mantra from my recorded tape through their right ear. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/BS/mdd Labels: Atlanta, farm, initiation letters | 13:21 |16 July 2008 Wednesday, 16 July, 1975 Berkeley My Dear Paramahamsa Swami: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 11, 1975 and have noted the contents. It is a good idea to send the fiberglass shells to India for fitting and testing. You can easily pack two or three in a crate and send air mail. Your Hare Krishna pineapple program is very nice. Continue to distribute. The name is already nicely advertised and there you can easily get pineapple. Regarding the restaurant, why they should get salary? There should be no salary. You are working without salary, so why they should take. They are not very important men. So after this month arrange for no one to get any salary there. That will be nice. Regarding the farm, if by getting money from the cash crops, then do that and improve the place. Construct temple and residential quarter. Somehow or other you have to keep the men who are there engaged. If they are allowed to become idle gradually they will again become hippies. If the farm cannot be utilized, then it may be sold. What is the use of keeping a bad cow? But if you are utilizing, then we can purchase the truck to help. But, what about the idea of selling the bus and repaying me $3,000.00? What happened to that idea? I had lent $5,000.00 and that should be repaid somehow or other. Everyone I advance money to, they repay. Brahmananda Swami took Rs. 16,000/-, and he has returned, so why not you also? Anyway, if there is some potential there then keep it and go on. But, if you are able to make profit, then why not you purchase the truck? So far I have studied Siddhasvarupa, he is not a bad boy, but he has his own philosophy, from the very beginning. It is almost inevitable that there should be enviousness amongst the godbrothers, just like amongst my godbrothers. What kind of business is that which the man is giving $5,000.00 monthly profit? It is very nice that you are getting that other property. You are gradually getting men, so try to develop it. If men are required, then you can get them from the mainland. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: farm, Hawaii, loans, Siddhasvarupa letters | 09:38 |8 July 2008 8 July, 1975 Evanston, Illinois My Dear Gurukrpa Maharaja: Please accept my blessings. Regarding your request to divert $5,000.00 from your collection to purchase a vehicle for the Hawaii farm costing $8,000.00 does the farm require this? Does it mean that without this truck they cannot develop? Actually I do not think it is a very good place. There is no water arrangement. The temple is not being maintained properly. They are keeping long hairs and not living responsibly. I do not think it is good to put good money after bad. So I have asked the GBC's that are here to discuss this, and the conclusion was that if you can make profit from selling the property, then it should be done. They said that the property was purchased for $60,000.00 and now is worth $100,000.00 So why not sell it and make profit. If the restaurant is making profit daily of $200.00 as was reported, then they may purchase the truck by paying $100.00 per day. On the whole I am not in favor of investing in this property. Regarding Manasvi's going to India, it appears that he is doing well in Hawaii. If the restaurant is going on, then Manasvi's presence is required. Then why should he change? In Bombay there is already a qualified accountant, so why should Manasvi be chief accountant? Occasionally he may go to India if his presence is required. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: collecting program, farm, Tokyo letters | 05:10 |1 July 2008 1 July, 1975 Denver My Dear Nityananda das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 28, 1975 with the enclosed photos. Your farm appears very nice, open plain land. The cows are very nice and so are the sheds. This farm project you should consider very important. The idea is that people can be self sufficient and raise their own foodstuffs and have sufficient milk to save time and chant Hare Krishna. Why should they work so hard in the hellish factories? Let everyone live simply and be Krsna conscious. Upon your recommendation I accept Paul Warren Menard as my initiated disciple. His spiritual name is Pana dasa. Please see that he maintains the Vaisnava standards and chants always 16 rounds minimum. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: farm, initiation, New Orleans letters | 03:12 | |
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