690515 - Letter to Gurudasa written from Columbus

 

Letters by Date, 1969

Letter to Gurudas

Tridandi Goswami

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
FOUNDER - ACHARYA:
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS
CENTER: 318 East 20th Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43201

DATE: May 15, 1969

My Dear Gurudas,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 6, 1969, but in the letter-heading there is no mention of London, so outsiders may misunderstand where is Clapham. Regarding my going to London, I have now finished my engagements on this side, and I can go to London at any time you may call. But still I understand there is no temple building settled up. Anyway, I am encouraged that somebody is trying for a church in cooperation with Mr. George Harrison. Formerly, Syamasundar also informed me of this fact as well as of the arrangements for the Rathayatra Festival. I shall be glad to know in your next letter how far you have made progress in this connection.

Now as promised by your group, you have to pay $750.00 for 5,000 copies of Back To Godhead which will reach you sometime in the month of June. Please arrange for it and send the money to New York, to Brahmananda, for clearing the bill. Regarding Mataji, she must have some trouble because she has done something which is nescience. How could she marry a young girl to Krishna? Is Krishna so play thing that He can be handled in such a way? This means she has no knowledge of Krishna. She is simply a sentimental devotee. When a sentimental devotee takes the part of becoming representative of Krishna, there is simply havoc. Srila Rupa Goswami therefore said in his Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindhu that devotion to Krishna without reference to authoritative scriptures is simply a disturbance. How Krishna could be married with a young girl?

I very much appreciate your securing the letters from the Hindu centers in London in support of our activities. I am also pleased to note that the BTG's are selling nicely. Try to sell them more and more, along with sales of our other books, TLC and BG.

Kindly offer my blessings to the other devotees with you in London. I hope this will meet you all in good health.

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

P.S. Next week I am going to New Vrindaban. [handwritten]