710702 - Letter to Bhavananda from Rupanuga
July 2, 1971
From: Rupanuga
Dear Bhavananda Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. Since Srila Prabhupada returned from Rathayatra in San Francisco, His Divine Grace has initiated 40 new devotees and about 20 brahmins. The details of His itinerary are still not fixed up, but He plans to be in Mayapur by Vyas Puja Day to inaugurate ground-breaking for a beautiful marble Temple, which will be a place of pilgrimage for devotees. His Divine Grace expects to keep 100 devotees in India to man the Temples we have there and they can be rotated every 6 months or so. Walking on the beach, He said that Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu used to bathe in the ocean every day while he was living at Puri. On the way to the beach, He would pay respects to Thakur Haridas, and in the evening He would hold four hours Kirtan. During the four months after the Rathayatra Festival at Puri, devotees from all directions would go to visit Lord Caitanya at Puri. So, the travel plan is, so far, from here to New York, then London, etc., then to Mayapur, and then to Hawaii and back to Los Angeles Yatra.
Srila Prabhupada is preaching very simply and revealingly. The following tidbits are pieced together each evening after meetings with Srila Prabhupada: 1) coming from the airport in the car – There are two kinds of Vaishnavas, one who does bhajan for himself, he does not care for anyone else. The other wants to bring as many back to Godhead as possible; he is considered more important. Gour Kishore and Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati.
2) at initiation – We should think “I am Krishna’s, not American, Hindu, etc. I am not this body, I am Krishna’s. Our program is very nice, Krishna Prasad, dancing, nice building. We are not working. Someone is envious. So why do they not come? We say come on and join us, but they say no, sir, I cannot.” 3) Just go door-to-door preaching. Is that so difficult program?
4) walking on the beach – Oh what he has caught? That fish, why is he caught? The tongue, to satisfy he is killed. There are other animals, the deer hears the nice sound of the hunter’s flute, comes near, and… They fly sees oh beautiful, beautiful fire, finished. The elephant smells the female elephant and he is captured by sex. The bumble bee is taking honey, but at night the lotus closes. Each of these has one prominent sense, but we have all senses fully. So what is our position?
5) The mendicant wakes up to find that his loin cloth is stolen by rats. So he is advised, get a cat to take care of the rats. Alright, but now I need some milk to maintain the cat. And a cow. Now I need a farm to maintain the cow. Now I need a wife and family to maintain the farm. So many things. Now I am too entangled, let me give these things up. This loincloth, I can throw it away, never mind, I can go naked.
6) If in man’s law there is life for a life, why not in God’s law (karma)? Story of a man who sacrificed so many animals according to the Veda rituals in order to be promoted to the heavenly planets. When he arrived there, he found all these animals standing at the gate with swords ready. Oh he said what reception is this??? So there was a compromise, they all struck at once.
7) The greatest ignorance of today is they do not know about transmigration of the soul. This big Russian scholar, a very learned man, said, “Swamiji, we believe when the body dies it is all finished.”
8) Srila Prabhupada talked on several occasions about tigers and tiger-like men. One can get his desire, but he must accept some inconvenience also. A tiger because he wants the taste of meat and blood, but he cannot have every day. He is always hungry, sometimes he gets once a month an animal when Krishna sends someone for him. In Russia all they eat is meat, hardly any fruits or vegetables. They want to be strong like tiger, but of what use is the tiger in human society?
9) In Australia we could see that the water used to be 60 feet higher. So gradually the water is sinking and then there will be no water and the sun will scorch the earth and there will be fires everywhere. And then it will rain and mix with the ashes and a new creation will begin. When? That we cannot calculate.
10) In the garden, June 30th- I asked about what chance means in relation to law of karma, specifically when a pure devotee by chance comes into one’s life. Srila Prabhupada said, if one has performed some pious activities then he gets the chance of associating with the pure devotee. The Vaishnava plays the part of a mendicant so someone can be given the chance to give something to him, to serve him. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu set the example in cleaning the temple, bring so many water buckets, and then He would see how much garbage they have collected. Anyone can do it.
11) Why doesn’t it rain in the desert? Because there are no trees (to drink the water).
TO BE CONTINUED.
Your servant,
Rupanuga das
Secretary to His Divine Grace
P.S. Elliot left on deposit in the N.Y safe one envelope with my name on the inside containing $100.P lease send that $100 by check to the following name and address to reimburse toward my transportation:
Mrs Allen Berlinsky (make it out to her)
3001 Branch Avenue
Hillcrest Heights Maryland