651123 - Letter to Teertha Maharaj written from New York

Letters by Date, 1965

A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami
C/o Rammurti Mishra
100 West 72nd. Street
Studio 501
New York 23, N.Y. 10023, D/23/11/65
Pujaniya Sripad Tirtha Maharaj,
May it please your holiness. I am in due receipt of your letter of the 17th instant and although it is not very encouraging still as I am not a man to be disappointed, I take courage from your letter as you write to say that there is possibility to raise the fund but it will take some time.
Expecting your reply in the above spirit I had some correspondence with the broker firm and the latest reply which I have received from them is joined herewith please find.
"Dear Sir, In answer to your letter of November 16 regarding the property for sale on West 72nd Street. This is located at 143 West 72nd Street. It is 18.6 by 100.2. contains a store and basement both the same size and a mezzanine. The owner is asking $100,000 for the property with $20,000 cash and will make good terms on a first mortgage that they will take back. As I have the keys, you can call at me for an appointment to see the property. Yours very sincerely Sd/Louis Baun for Phillips, Wood Dolson, Inc."
So I have seen the property and the whole space is twice as much as your Research Institute building on the road which is just in the central part of the city with all good facilities. Now if you decide to purchase the property, I can assure you that the building is just suitable for our purpose and it is almost on the same style as your Research institute. The basement can be used as cooking and dining department, the store as the lecture hall and mezzanine for installing the Sri Vigraha and personal apartment. The building is quite suitable and once started it will be possible to raise fund by lectures and membership fees etc by suitable arrangement. So the immediate investment is about $25,000 and I think this amount you can arrange immediately and just start a branch of your Sri Chaitanya Math or designate the branch as New York Goudiya Math. The idea is very nice to think of and it will be a nice reply to the local Ramakrishna Mission who indirectly denied to allow me lecturing in their hall. You will be glad to know that my lecturing propaganda is going on and so long I remain here it will go on without any hamper. Recently one lecture of mine is arranged in our Indian Government House (New India House) organised by the Tagore Society of New York who organize such meeting only for the most distinguished persons. The consul and other officers of the New India House are impressed with my book and practically the 2nd officer (consul) is arranging the meeting inviting all distinguished gentlemen both Indian and American with Tea Party. The copy of the invitation letter is also subjoined herewith. "The Tagore Society of New York Inc. Cordially Invites You to a lecture "GOD CONSCIOUSNESS" by A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
Date: Sunday, November 28,1965. Time: Lecture, 3:30 P.M. Tea, 4:30 P.M.
Place: New India House, 3, East 64th Street.
A widely respected scholar and religious leader in India Swami Bhaktivedanta is briefly visiting New York. He has been engaged in the monumental endeavour of translating the sixty volume "Srimad Bhagwatam" from Sanskrit into English. etc. So my lecturing or appointing one selling agent here for my books is already finished and if I remain such many lectures can be arranged in different parts of the country. One Dr. Choudhry is prepared to arrange for my lectures in San Francisco, Los Angeles etc but in my opinion such casual lectures may be a good personal advertisement but factually they do not make any permanent effects. But if there is a centre of activity for attracting people as you are doing in the Research Institute, the people can be trained up in the cult by regular association and hearing the transcendental sound of Srimad Bhagwatam. Now we have got our English Srimad Bhagwatam and there will be no difficulty to impress the audience with our Siddhantas and any intelligent man impressed with our Siddhantas will certainly change his life's mode of action. I think you may take up this suggestion very seriously and immediately start the centre and other things will automatically follow. And above all this is to satisfy the transcendental desire of Srila Prabhupada who desired very enthusiastically to start centres like that in the foreign countries. If you want to start the centre on rented house, the rent will not be less than three to four hundred dollars but the space will be one fourth of the house as we want to purchase. If you agree kindly confirm it by [text missing] wire so that I can ask the broker to stay the house for some time for sale to other party. The Christian churches are not very favorable in the matter of increasing the Hindu religious institutions as it is natural to think with sectarian views. I hope you will accept this proposal and confirm it by wire on receipt this letter by the end of this month. Hope you are all well and with my humble obeisances for all the Vaisnavas.

I am your obediently,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

January