a.c. bhaktivedanta swami
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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1975 a.c. bhaktivedanta swami |
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21 November 2008 21 November, 1975 Bombay My dear Acyutananda Swami and Yasodanandana Swami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated November 16th and November 18th with all the enclosed clippings which I have read with interest. I am glad to see that your preaching programs are going on. I think Acyutananda Swami, he is a very good preacher. The process is simply to read the books and learn the purports and then speak to them in your own words. One thing is, where is Gurukrpa Swami? I have not heard anything from him. I do not know where he is. That you have been victorious in preaching to the big Mayavadis, that is the mercy of Krsna. Now the Western higher circles, they have admitted that the greatest contribution of the Hare Krsna Movement are these authorized translations of the Vedic literatures. This has been said by one professor. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami N.B. I am going to Delhi. I am arranging to start a Krsna-Arjuna temple at Kuruksetra where B.G. was spoken. ACBS. ACBS/BS/mdd letters | 08:35 | 9 November 2008 Sunday, 9 November, 1975 Bombay Dela Plain, Virginia My dear Rupanuga das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 21, 1975 and have noted the contents. It is not good that all of the temples are spending more than they are receiving. They should rather save more and not exceed on the expenditures. I do not think that the jewelry business should be encouraged. We are after preaching, not money. Their endeavor should be utilized for selling books. That is different from the endeavor of selling jewelry. I do not think that this attempt should be encouraged. Our principle is tyaga, or renunciation, which means to renounce material activities as far as possible. What plans are there for the book distribution for the bicentennial celebration in Philadelphia? Regarding Baltimore, again deficit. This is not a good sign. Regarding the Sankirtana Newsletter, then stop it. If the BBT does not pay for it, then stop it. The temple cannot afford to publish it, and if the BBT does not pay for it, then stop it. But it is good attempt. Regarding Atlanta, everywhere again expenditures more. Why was the airport distribution closed down in Atlanta? I am glad that their farm project is successful. Milk, fruits, flowers and also food grains can all be produced in the farm. Cannot flowers be produced in the farm? This will reduce their expenditure and tulasi also. It is good that the New York income was more than the expenditures. The description of my room there in the new building sounds very nice. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/BS/mdd Labels: business, preaching, report letters | 02:55 |9 November, 1975 Bombay My dear Jagadisa das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 10, 1975, together with enclosures. Regarding the Dallas Army base property, you can forward this offer to Svarupa Damodara and in this connection you may correspond with him. We may require it for the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies. Do not reject this military base. We can use it for this purpose. You can use the Illinois property for the Gurukula and the army base for the Bhaktivedanta Institute. Send details to Svarupa Damodara of the military base. The military academy property in Illinois sounds very nice. You can consider amongst the GBC and do the needful. Regarding your proposal to reduce the number of students in the Dallas school, and sending them to New York and Los Angles, that is a good idea. You can do that. Anyway, this should be considered by the GBC together and do the needful. I am glad to hear that Govardhana Prabhu is doing nicely now. I am very happy. If there is any discrepancy, we have to request them to correct, not changing or dismissing. Our whole process is to humbly request, sometimes falling down on the feet and flattering. The vivid example is Nityananda Prabhu converting Jagai and Madhai. So study my books and reproduce the purports in your own language. You should instruct your temple presidents to preach like this. This is preaching. We haven't got to invent something by our fertile brain for preaching. Everything is there. One who is expert for presenting these things before the audience so they can conveniently understand, this is a successful preacher. You have only to speak what Krsna has said. Then you become a preacher. I am also glad to learn that Sripati Prabhu is traveling with you. Keep him nicely. I hope this finds you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/BS/mdd Labels: Bhaktivedanta Institute, Dallas, preaching, property letters | 01:02 |4 November 2008 4 November, 1975 Bombay My Dear Deoji Punja: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 14, 1975 with enclosed altered plans for the temple. You are doing solid work, even alone, and I am very pleased. This is the test for a sincere devotee. Simply by depending on the mercy of the Lord and carrying out the order of the spiritual master, ones success in spiritual life is guaranteed. I thank you for your endeavor. So far the plan is concerned, I shall consult with some of my experienced disciples in this matter and shall let you know. One thing is that the domes should be like the ones we have constructed on our Krishna Balarama Mandir in Vrindaban. Yes, try to get the preaching permit, so that men can come and help you. Upendra das is in Vrindaban, and he is wanting to come and assist you. It is good that you are taking the leading part in the raising of the funds. By your sincerity and determination, I do not think you will have any difficulty. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: construction, Fiji, preaching letters | 02:32 |5 October 2008 Sunday, 5 October, 1975 Mauritius My dear Bhagavan das: Please accept my blessings. Here in Mauritius there is a very good potency for introducing Krsna consciousness on a wide scale. The government is not opposed to our movement. Yesterday we had one meeting and all big government officers, ministers, ambassadors came to hear me speak. And they appreciated. Most important the local boys, Indians, are coming, and now they want to do something. They are convinced that this is a good movement. They are organizing a program of getting boys from the villages for me to instruct them. So I am prepared to personally take up this program and remain here. The boys here are educated and intelligent and speak English and especially French. What is required immediately is some French speaking devotees to come here for preaching. You kindly arrange for this. Sober, intelligent men are required who can preach. Now we have so many French literatures, so there is a great opportunity. Not only here but in other islands. And these local Indian boys can in future be sent to India to preach to their people. So on the whole there is great potential here. Enclosed are some cuttings from the newspapers here. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Mauritius, Paris, preaching letters | 04:22 |15 September 2008 15 September, 1975 Vrindaban My Dear Kirtiraja das: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated September 7 & 8th and have noted the contents and the enclosures. The reviews are very nice. He has written that people will want to learn Bengali just to read Caitanya Caritamrta. That was the prediction of my Guru Maharaja. This is very enlivening. Get all these appreciations published in a nice booklet. Regarding your preaching in Poland, you go there immediately. Take this opportunity. I want that our preaching be pushed in the Eastern European countries. I have recently written to Bhagavan Das and Hamsaduta regarding this. This boy who has written from Poland, can be sent a set of books, Krishna Book, Caitanya Caritamrta, and Bhagavad-gita. If he cannot pay that is all right. You are an intelligent boy, and I know that you will be successful in preaching there. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Los Angeles, Poland, preaching letters | 14:42 |21 August 2008 21 August, 1975 New Delhi My Dear Gurudasa Swami: Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 6, 1975 and have noted the contents. The purpose of sannyasa is that now one has no hindrances for preaching work. The purpose is to increase preaching. So if one takes sannyasa and does not increase preaching, then there is no value. So you take this opportunity seriously, and preach and inspire others to also preach. Then there will be no question of thinking of other things. This will all vanish. I have complete faith in you. Regarding your question, we need not bother about these things now. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs Labels: Laguna Beach, preaching, sannyasa letters | 06:01 |4 August 2008 4 August, 1975 Detroit My Dear Gopala Krishna das: Please accept my blessings. I have read your letter addressed to Pancadravida Swami dated July 23, 1975. So a temple may not be wanted there now. But, someone must stay there and print literature. Keep Guru Gauranga altar. But there is no good preacher. Even Pancadravida fails. Trivikrama failed. You should simply print literature and distribute. Get the smallest rental place. Let Yasomatisuta do it. Give up the present flat if necessary. Bhurijana wanted to go there, but if he is spiritually weak, then there is no need. Print literature and distribute, or if it is impossible, then close it. Yasomatisuta should be assisted by somebody. He is a good boy. Therefore I do not like to close it. Why you have not mentioned anything about Bombay? I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 03:23 | 26 July 2008 26 July, 1975 Los Angeles My Dear Aksayananda Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated June 22, and July 3. So I am glad to know that you have had successful program in Kampoor. Yes, I think I remember Radha Krsna in Sadaf Agharwal from Kampoor. What was the name of his shop, is it a bottle shop? Yes, this traveling preaching program is a good idea. It is very nice, and you are a good preacher, so I am sure that you will do it nicely. It is a good idea also to train up other good preachers there in India. This is our need there. Regarding the Madjar center, sending funds for the deity maintenance in Vrndaban, you are already collecting money, so it is not required that Madjar send money to Vrndaban. Rather the money in Madjar should be used for printing. Not that we should use all collected money for maintenance. Better to print books and distribute. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/bs letters | 14:48 | 18 June 2008 18 June, 1975 Honolulu My dear Karandhara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 6/9/75 and have noted the contents. Any position we remain in, we must have full dependence on our spiritual life. --chanting 16 rounds daily, following the four regulative principles, etc. This will maintain our spiritual strength. And if we maintain our spiritual strength, then anywhere we live, we live under the protection of Krishna. A Narayana-para or a person who is fully surrendered to Narayana is not afraid to live even in most dangerous place. He is always safe, under the protection of Narayana. To help the preaching work, that is also preaching. If you can get money to help expand our preaching activities, that is preaching. We require money. Laksmi is the immediate assistant of Narayana. Narayana is always preceded by the word Laksmi. The Mayavadi philosophers do not touch laksmi, but we accept for the service of Krishna. We are not of the mentality of Ravana who took Laksmi from Narayana and became ruined. Keep Laksmi and Narayana always together and you will become as powerful as Hanuman. He is always worshiped along with Lord Rama and Laksmi-Sita. There are many temples of Hanuman in India. Regarding investing money there in Iran, I have no objection if it is kept in Atreya Rsi's name. He is one of our men. Please send the complete details in this connection and I shall decide. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: Lakshmi, preaching, Tehran letters | 05:00 |17 June 2008 17 June, 1975 Honolulu My dear Gadi dasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 13, 1975 and have noted the contents. Thank you for the $20 donation. Thank you for helping me in this preaching work. Make sure that you preach nicely and at the same time follow the example of perfect behavior given by your spiritual master and the previous acaryas and confirmed in the scriptures. Always remain fixed in the service of Krishna and you will be untouched by Maya. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps letters | 05:47 | 8 June 2008 8 June, 1975 Honolulu My dear Revatinandana Swami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 29, 1975 and have noted the contents. Yes preach as much as possible. Preaching is our life. Travel, here and there, holding kirtana, distributing prasadam and books and speak our philosophy very nicely. I have accepted Doc and Shari for 1st initiation and their names are as follows: Dharmadhyaksa dasa and Sri Radha devi dasi. Make sure that they continue to follow the principles, chant 16 rounds and read studiously and their spiritual advancement will be guaranteed. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: initiation, Laguna Beach, preaching letters | 03:41 |20 May 2008 Tuesday, 20 May, 1975 Melbourne My dear Madhava dasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter and have noted the contents. You go to those rascals and they will convert you. You are not so strong that you can convince them and convert them from their foolishness. It is distinctly said in the Bhagavad-gita that the purpose of Vedic knowledge is to understand Krishna, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo, [BG 15.15]. So, we are presenting Krishna in so many ways, politically, socially, economically, philosophically, and religiously, etc. We are describing Him in 75 books of 400 pages each. Better read these books thoroughly and be firmly convinced yourself before going to these demons for convincing them. If you are weak yourself, while trying to convert them, you will be converted by them. Don't try any hard task before you are very strong. Chant 16 rounds daily, follow the rules and regulations, and read our books. Don't become very big preacher immediately. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps Labels: Coconut Grove, preaching, rascals letters | 03:16 |20 May, 1975 Melbourne My dear Tusta Krishna Swami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 14, 1975 and have noted the contents. Thank you for the U.S. 226 dollars and the A. 50 dollars daksina. I am very glad to hear that you are keeping yourself busy preaching. Don't become a dead man. Always preach. It is very nice here in Melbourne. The temple is very beautiful. I will leave from here on the 23rd for Fiji and stay there for two days. Then I shall go to Honolulu and stay for at least one month. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps letters | 03:14 | 1 April 2008 Tuesday, 1 April, 1975 Mayapur My dear Manasvi dasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated March 13rd, 1975 and have noted the contents. I am very glad to hear that everything is going on nicely there. Encourage Siddhasvarupa Maharaja to continue to speak as much as possible and give him all facilities. Whenever there is some question or if he speaks something incorrect, you may humbly correct him or if need be, I can also give correction by mail. His booklet is very nicely done. It is sound preaching. Continue all your programs there nicely, giving special stress to strictly following all of the rules and regulations especially the four regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds daily then everything will be very nice. I will most likely be coming there in the fall for some time after my European and American tour. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: controversy, Hawaii, preaching letters | 20:46 |20 February 2008 20 February, 1975 Caracas, Venezuela My dear Manasvi dasa, Please accept my blessings. I am very interested to hear of your progress there in Hawaii. Are things going nicely there? How is Siddhasvarupa Maharaja doing? How is his preaching? How are the people accepting? You can write me these things promptly. You should send the letter to Dallas, Gurukula. You are very intelligent devotee, so always keep yourself strong in Krishna Consciousness by following all of the regulative principles very very carefully. This will save you from the attack of Maya. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps letters | 11:48 | 12 February 2008 Wednesday, 12 February, 1975 Mexico City My dear Hanuman das, Please accept my blessings. Regarding your engagement, I strongly recommend and encourage you to travel extensively and preach our philosophy everywhere you go. You have my authorization to open centers as you see fit after considering twice and thrice. Do not whimsically open or establish any center and then close it down later on. Please report to me directly as to your whereabouts and your programs for preaching work. You must be very strict to follow all of the rules and regulations that I have given without even the slightest deviation. By a perfect example from your own conduct, others will be nicely trained up to be perfect Vaisnavas. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Mexico City, preaching, regulative principles letters | 18:37 |19 January 2008 19 January, 1975 Bombay My dear Mahamsa Svami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 10-1-75 and have noted the contents. Mr. Badruka came and talked with me about the land, but I don't know whether he wants to sell it or give it to us. It is not clear. But he has invited me to see the land when I come to Hyderabad. I have agreed to this. So far the Nellore property is concerned, that is a nice proposal. Now, we should have self-sufficiency. This means to make our own food grains grow and to weave our own cloth--like in Mayapur. If we have food grains, milk, and cloth life becomes easy and we can save time for preaching and chanting. Not that everyone should do these activities of farming, but if one is less intelligent, or not intelligent enough to preach nicely, he can do. If one is capable, then he should preach. On the whole, our society should be divided into four divisions, but such divisions are not material. Just like Krishna belonged to the Vaisya community, but he is worshiped by the brahmanas. We shall utilize everything for Krishna's service. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Svami ACBS/ps Labels: Hyderabad, preaching, self-sufficiency letters | 17:50 |9 January 2008 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 | |
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