770707 - Letter to Srila Prabhupada from Surabhir Abhipalayantam, Gopal Krishna, Giriraj and Bali Mardan

Bombay,

July 7, 1977

From: Surabhir, Gopal Krishna, Giriraj, Bali Mardan - SL_770707_A2

Vrndavana

Ref: SP/101/77-78 7-7-77

All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga!

Krsnas tu bhagavan swayam

Dear Srila Prabhupada:

Please accept our eternal prostrated obeisances at Your transcendental lotus feet. All glories, all glories to Your Divine Grace. As Your most unfortunate and foolish servants we are trying to take your hint to meet regularly as a committee. We say that we are unfortunate because in spite of being in this Movement for so many years we have failed to acquire a taste for hearing the message of Vasudeva. And we say that we are foolish because we have accepted this material body, we are inexperienced, and we are foreign. Therefore we are completely dependent on Your guidance, and we pray for Your mercy:

susrusoh sraddadhanasya

vasudeva-katha-rucih

syan mahat-sevaya viprah

punya-tirtha-nisevanat

(SB. 1.2.16.)

We have discussed amongst ourselves and wish to appraise You Divine Grace of the following situation:

We have to spend a further sum of Rs.58,00,000 by the first week of November in order to complete the project in time. Ramesvara Swami is committed to sending a further sum of Rs.42,00,000 by the first week of November, and at Mayapur Gopal Krishna Prabhu agreed (on his behalf and on behalf of the BOMBAY temple) to raise the balance Rs.16,00,000. From: experience we know that Ramesvara Swami’s final installment of Rs.6,00,000 may reach late, and Gopal Krishna Prabhu’s Rs.16,00,000 may take up to two years. Therefore we had to consider how to insure receiving the Rs.22,00,000 so that we could open the project in time. Considering the urgency of the situation, we did not want to leave anything to chance. Therefore we decided to request Your Divine Grace to sanction a loan of Rs.22,00,000 against our deposits at Bank of America, to be given to us as follows:

the first week of August - Rs.6,00,000

the first week of Sept. - Rs.6,00,000

the first week of Oct. - Rs.6,00,000

the first week of Nov. - Rs.4,00,000

Ramesvara Swami’s final installment of Rs.6,00,000 due in November can be used to repay Rs.6,00,000 of the loan from Bank of America, and we propose that half of his future remittances from January through March also be used to repay the loan. From: April whatever balance remains to be repaid on the loan (about Rs.4,00,000) can be paid from the local Bombay collections and BBT profits in the intervening months, and as such Your valued deposits would be safe. Then the extra money taken from Ramesvara Swami’s December to March remittances could be reimbursed from Gopal Krishna Prabhu’s pledge of Rs.16,00,000.

We also considered the urgent need for the Bombay Gurukula building. This building is required immediately for storing books. At present we have given three large rooms under the new temple for storing BBT books, but these rooms are actually meant for storing the paraphernalia of the new temple and guesthouse. At most we could spare the largest of the three rooms for storing the books after the temple opening, but even now there is hardly room for the books in all three rooms combined. With the increasing book production, more space will definitely be required. Also Swarupa Damodar Prabhu wants to develop the Bhaktivedanta Institute and we have already given him space in the new building. However we feel that for proper expansion, the Bhaktivedanta Institute should have on full floor in the proposed Gurukula Building. As such we require the Gurukula building as soon as possible and we propose that the other half of Ramesvara Swami’s remittances from December through March be given for that building. We already have the sanction for the building and we require only funds to begin the work immediately after monsoons.

We pray that Your Divine Grace will consider our situation and guide us accordingly. May this letter find You in improving health and ever increasing translation.

Your fallen servants,

Surabhir Abhipalayantam Swami

Gopal Krishna das Adhikari

Giriraj das Brahmachary

Bali Mardan das Adhikari

GdB:add