720517 - Letter to Jayapataka written from Honolulu

Letters by Date, 1972

Letter to Jayapataka (Page 1 of 2)

Letter to Jayapataka (Page 2 of 2)

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER:
              ISKCON Los Angeles

DATE ...................May..17,....1972


My dear Jayapataka,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 5, 1972, and I have noted the contents. Yes, we shall personally supervise everything there at Mayapur, instead of giving everything to contractor. The engineer may simply see that things are being done properly and we shall see that the labour is working properly. Purchase first-class building materials, then there will be first-class building. So far your recommendation for getting money, this arrangement is approved. Accounts and money should be in one place. You have already got Rs. 1,10,000 from me, so if you submit account of this expenditure, you will receive more. All collections and Life Membership money should go to Bombay for deposit in the Building Fund. It is understood that Giriraj has asked Bhavananda for the Life Membership collections, but Bhavananda has not replied. What is the reason? Please do the needful. This fund shall never be used for maintenance. If there is shortage of maintenance, that fund will be also supplied from Bombay.
"Child is the father of man," so if you can train these children in Krishna Consciousness by kind instruction, feeding them, it will be a great service to Lord Chaitanya. For the last 50 years the Gaudiya Math people are there but their relationship with the local inhabitants is not so cordial. If we continue this philanthropic work to give them enlightenment and food without any discrimination, it will be appreciated by all people.
This meeting in Nabadwip was certainly very important and I am very much pleased that Sriman Achyutananda Maharaj has established our position. Krishna will bless him. Let him preach in that spirit, that is required. Our mission is to establish God-consciousness. We can give more information about God from authentic literature. So every religion has got some relationship with God, that is preliminary understanding. But actually what is God, how we can understand Him, how He is working by His different energies, how He is creating, maintaining and annihilating--all this information we can give in details, therefore anyone who is interested in the matter of understanding God, they should give their patient hearing to our descriptions. The result will be that his faith in God will be increased. In other words, if any person who hears from us will become a greater lover of God and learn what is the highest perfection of life.
Unless it is absolutely necessary we should not purchase land at such high price. For the time being we are going to construct the residential quarters and then we shall take up the temple portion. So I think we can wait for some time. If we become very eager to purchase, naturally they will want to raise price. More demand, higher price, less demand, lower price. That is the economic law. So do the needful according to the situation. But things must be done very nicely.
Regarding Lalita Prasad Thakur's proposal, merging is possible in two ways: They become merged in our institution and we make it as one of our branches. In that case, as we are supplying all necessities to our branches, similarly, this branch will be also supported. When there is scarcity of money, everything will be provided by us. So in that case the management will be under our direction. Otherwise, if they want to keep their own identity then there is no other alternative than to take the land on lease. They can keep aside their portion independently, and the land which is given to us on lease, we keep ourselves independently. So far our relationship is concerned, even though we keep independent of one another, there will be no misunderstanding, because the central point is Bhaktivinode Thakur. Our only ambition is that the birthsite of Bhaktivinode Thakur must be gorgeous and attractive so that people may come to see from all parts of the world. Bhaktivinode Thakur is no longer localized. His holy name is being expanded along with Lord Chaitanya's. So let them understand this point. They are occupying the place for more than 50 years and none of their men could fulfill the desire of Bhaktivinode Thakur in the matter of preaching in foreign countries. With this spirit we should combine. So next you can talk with them on this understanding. I can understand also that Lalita Prasad Thakur is very much favorable in giving us the concession but his assistants may be hesitating unnecessarily.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Jayapataka Swami,
c/o ISKCON Mayapur.

ACBS/sda

P.S. Gita Gyan should be immediately composed where you took quotation before. I had asked for it to be composed long ago for sending to Japan, but so far no one has done it, I do not know why. Anyway, I think the price of the composing was only about Rs. 250 or Rs. 300, because the total printing cost was Rs. 672/-. Simply get it composed and the other things will be done in Japan.