Letter Dictation by Śyāmasundara , Los Angeles , 1972-06-22

Śyāmasundara:

June the 22nd, 1972.

This letter is on letterhead stationery.

My dear Madhupuri, M-a-d-h-u-p-u-r-i,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated June 17th 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Generally, we may never expect to find any utopia so long we are in this material world, and sometimes unless we are very spiritually advanced we may also feel discomfort within the temples..., within the temple itself. That is to be expected in some cases. Therefore, you should not be very much worried. Misunderstandings and disagreements will come, even Krishna was sometimes quarreling with demons and even with the gopis like Radharani.

So because quarreling is there in Krishna, so sometimes we are also quarreling, but we should not take this matter very seriously. After all, despite all of their faults, the Vaisnava devotees must be given always all respects and assistance in serving the Lord. If we do not work cooperatively in this way, the whole thing will deteriorate. As you increase numerically more and more your chanting of Hare Krishna mantra and increase also your daily reading of books, gradually you will come to the platform where there is no anxiety in spite of everything, and that is the potency of our devotional life.

So you may live separately husband and wife, because you cannot cope with the temple life. But always remember to execute the rules and regulations and worship the Deities at your home very diligently. Try to read the books as often as you possibly can and try to discuss the subject matter from different angles of vision with your husband and the other devotees. The more you become familiar with our philosophy, the more you will become convinced and free from doubt. But if there is no possibility for learning the philosophy, then try to chant Hare Krishna constantly and you will realize the same effect of becoming actually happy.

Hoping this meets you and your husband, Mangalamaya, M-a-n-g-a-l-a-m-a-y-a, in good health.

Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

Addressed to = Madhupuri devi dasi, care Madhupuri devi dasi, 5538 Morris, M-o-r-r-i-s Street, Philadelphia, P-h-i-l-a-d-e-l-p-h-i-a, Pennsylvania, Pa. 19144.

Next letter, on letterhead stationery.

My dear Mondakini, M-o-n-d-a-k-i-n-i,

Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter dated June 17th 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Never mind there has been some setback in our progress for establishing our Krishna consciousness movement in Moscow, M-o-s-c-o-w, now you have more information what is required to make the mission successful next time. It is all part of Krishna’s plan, so do not take it with discouragement. I note that you will not be prepared for leaving until sometime in September next, therefore, as I am coming to Paris by the 21st of July, we shall meet then and discuss everything.

Hoping this meets you in good health you ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

Addressed to = Mondakini devi dasi

c/o ISKCON Paris.

Next letter on letterhead stationery.

My dear Hansadutta, H-a-n-s-a-d-u-t-t-a,

Please accept my blessings.

I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 20th, 1972, and I did receive two letters from Wolfram, W-o-l-f-r-a-m, Ossenbrink, O-s-s-e-n-b-r-i-n-k, and Han, H-a-n, Koster, K-o-s-t-e-r, dated 29th May, 1972, but there was no letter of recommendation from you. So anyway I am very much pleased to accept the boys as my duly initiated disciples, and their letter is enclosed herewith. Also please find enclosed herewith 3 sacred threads and 4 copies of Gayatri mantra duly chanted by me.

Now hold a fire yagna, y-a-g-n-a, and teach the other big officers in Germany temples how to perform this fire yagna very perfectly, and give Gayatri mantra to Astaratha, A-s-t-a-r-a-t-h-a, Surabi, S-u-r-a-b-i, dasi, d-a-s-i, Sachinandan, S-a-c-h-i-n-a-n-d-a-n, and Chakravarty, C-h-a-k-r-a-v-a-r-t-y. I think you have got a copy of the tape of me reciting Gayatri mantra, so play it to them through the right ear hole with earphones.

I am very pleased to see the things are going on and that new centers are opening many in Germany. Now I am feeling very much inclined for retiring behind the scenes to translate my Śrīmad-Bhagavatam. This means that now you all leaders, especially the GBC members, must become very much responsible and do the work that I am doing in the..., to the same standard. So I want you leaders especially to become very much absorbed in the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhagavatam, and become yourselves completely convinced and free from all doubt. In this...

On this platform you shall be able to carry on the work satisfactorily, but if there is lack of knowledge or if there is forgetfulness, everything will be spoiled in time. So especially you must encourage the students to read our books throughout the day as much as possible, and give them all good advice how to understand the books, and inspire them to study the things from every point of view. In this way, by constantly engaging our tongues in the service of the Lord, either by discussing his philosophy or by chanting Hare Krishna, the truth is that Krishna Himself will reveal Himself to us and we shall understand how to do everything properly. Now we have got so many students and so many temples, but I am fearful that if we expand too much in this way that we shall become weak..., weakened..., that we shall become weakened and gradually the whole thing will be lost.

Just like milk. We may thin it more and more with water for cheating the customer, but in the end it will cease to be any longer milk. Better to boil the milk now very vigorously and make it thick and sweet, that is the best process. So let us concentrate on training our devotees very thoroughly in the knowledge of Krishna consciousness from our books, from tapes, by discussing always, and in so many ways instruct them in the right propositions.

I hope this meets you and your good wife Haimavati, H-a-i-m-a-v-a-t-i, in good health, and I shall be arriving in London sometimes on the 5th July, so you may all come to London at your convenience and see me there.

Your ever well-wisher A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

Addressed to = Hansadutta dasa Adhikary

c/o ISKCON Hamburg, H-a-m-b-u-r-g.

The next letter on letterhead stationery.

My dear sons,

Please accept my blessings.

I am very pleased to learn from Hansadutta that since receiving instructions to study our philosophy, join on sankirtan party, and chant at least 16 rounds of these daily, you have carried out these advices and now you're feeling ready to engage yourselves wholeheartedly in the service of Krishna. I am very glad to know that you have been receiving expert guidance from Sriman, S-r-i-m-a-n, Hansadutta das and you have been following the regulated principles.

So I am very glad to accept you as my initiated students. I have chanted your beads duly and I have sent them under separate cover. Your initiated names are as follows:

First name is Wolfram, W-o-l-f-r-a-m, Ossenbrink, O-s-s-e-n-b-r-i-n-k, /Vasuman, V-a-s-u-m-a-n, das brahmacari... [break] [end]