670810 - Letter to Hayagriva from Kirtanananda

Vrindavan,

10 August, 1967

From Kirtanananda

[Included on reverse of 670810 Letter to Rayrama]

Dear Hayagriva,

Well here I am in Vrindaban. We arrived here a little over a week ago. God is it a hot place! But at last the rains have started again and there is some relief–from the heat. No sooner than one misery subsides, however, than another takes over; this time it’s the shits. “Hey Wheeler, remember Hardwar?” Well now it’s Ham in Vrindaban! I’ve been running now for about a week, and I apologize for not being more sympathetic to you when you were in your distress. For about three days I had slight fever but I’m feeling some better now. However, I feel very tired and listless; but I guess that’s natural when your shitting a dozen times a day. Keep chanting is my motto!

Swamiji seems fairly contented, although I can see neither much improvement or deterioration. He claims that the treatment is helping a little; and the “doctor” claims to have him complete[ly] cured by three months and I don’t know how many rupies! But of course that is of no concern, just cynicism on my part. He is already talking and making plans to go to Bombay to try and make arrangements about passage.

We were out to Swami Bon’s place the other day. He has a few acres just outside of town on which are constructed several rather large dormatory style buildings for his Institute of Oriental Philosophy. He seems very much eager to have our students come and stay there, which might not be a bad set up. Of course, he is looking at it from the angle of getting foreign scholars to study at his school, which will give it some standing with the government. Our students, however, are not exactly the studious type, would you say? He is a very nice man, very educated, suave, and sophisticated. By the way, he gave me a copy of His expanded rendition of the Geeta in English, called The Geeta: As a Chaitanyite Reads It. You might find it useful if you can find a copy. Ask Brahmananda.

I know you are all anxious to know my impressions of Vrindaban, and all that; and I am obviously not expressing them, at least very extensively. Yesterday began a five day festival to celebrate Radha and Krishna swinging. All over town in all the temples they have fixed up swings for the deity to swing in. Some of them are really beautiful, done in silver. Yesterday I went to about a half dozen of the bigger temples (most are very small) to see the swinging. I was impressed that what is needed is a Christ to come cleanse the temples. At one of them it was just like Coney Island, complete with ferris wheels and blinking neon lights. If I have learned anything in the first week, it is that I am NOT a Hindu, nor will I ever want to be. I want only to love Krishna, and where I see something that will further that end, that is good for me—the rest is to be rejected as “vain traditions received from their fathers.” We want to make the world Krishna Conscious, not formality conscious. The best means for that is the congregational chanting of the Holy Name, and strange (stange) to say, that is the one thing that is not much done here. Nowhere have I heard anything that approaches the sincere chanting of our boys and girls; in that sense, our temples are far more sanctified, because they are living.

We have not heard anything from you yet. How is Geeta coming? Did you go to Alabama? Did you get my other letter? I think Swamiji wants to add a note.

love, Kirtanananda das