770730 - Letter to Lokanath from Tamal Krsna

Vrndavana,

July 30, 1977

From: Tamal Krishna

Bhubaneswar

My dear Lokanath Maharaja,

Please accept my most humble obeisances at your feet. His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada has received your two letters both dated 25th July, 1977 and thanks you for them. Because His Divine Grace is not keeping good health, He has instructed me to reply you as follows.

Srila Prabhupada was very very pleased with your report of your preaching activities. When He heard how strongly you were preaching, He commented, “Our Lokanath Swami is just like Saint Tukaram. The whole of India and specifically your Maharashtra are enthused with Krishna. Now you have to revive their Krishna consciousness. This is Tukaram’s country, but now they are becoming bad politicians. So revive them by the process of the sankirtana movement. I am very glad that you are preaching village to village and will cover all of Maharashtra. You should train the one farmer from your native village so that he can actually become an ISKCON representative there. I am also very pleased that Gour Govinda Maharaja will be joining the Bullock cart Sankirtan. He is a very good preacher and ideal Vaisnava so his addition to the Party will increase the activities. I am especially pleased to see how you are pushing forward the book distribution. Now we are getting reports that book distribution is doubling all over the world. I am enclosing a copy of the recent Sankirtana Newsletter for you to see how your God-brothers all over the world are pushing forward the book distribution. Now you are also doing this all over India. Organize very solidly and thus increase the number of books distributed, the numbers of devotees made, and develop centers of Krishna consciousness everywhere.”

Srila Prabhupada heard your description of the Temple offered in the Bhadrak. His Divine Grace said, “The Gour Gopala Gaudiya Math under the charge of Sri Bhakti Vikhas Mahayogi Maharaj sounds very nice. You can take it immediately. It is an important place, and this is a good opportunity which we should take advantage of. If you can arrange to attract local men also there in addition to the men who you are leaving, then it will be very nice. Local management is the best thing. You can consult with Jayapataka Maharaja and make out the Transfer Deed very correctly. My very hearty blessings upon you for starting this new center and I approve fully your idea to go on with your original book distribution in Maharashtra.”

Sankirtana-yajna ki jaya! Hoping this meets you well.

Your servant,

Tamal Krishna Gosvami

Secretary to Srila Prabhupada

His Holiness Lokanath Swami

c/o ISKCON Bhubaneswar