660801 - Letter to Madhava Maharaja written from New York

Letters by Date, 1966

BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
26 SECOND AVENUE APT B1
NEW YORK 10003 N.Y. U.S.A.
August 1, 1966.

My dear Sripad Madhav Maharaj,
Please accept my humble dandabats and I hope everything is going well in respect of your holiness health and preaching work.

I hope that you are aware of the correspondence which I had been exchanging with Sriman Brahmachary Mangalniloy and you also know it that I am desiring to get him here in United States of America for my assistance. You may also know that I am trying to construct a Temple of Sri Sri Radha Krishna in New York specially and I was trying to get exchange from the Government of India. I am very sorry to inform you that the Government of India Finance Ministry has expressed its inability to sanction Exchange Release from India but the Indian Embassy in America at Washington W.C. has directly sanctioned to raise funds from the Indian residents in America and directly from the American citizens.

The American Foundations do not contribute anything to any institution or organization if it is not properly incorporated by law of the land. So far I have knowledge of the Indian residents in America they are mostly engaged in local educational or Indian Government service in the Embassy. Therefore there is very little hope to get from them any substantial help for the proposed temple construction which will require some millions of dollars. But if the Americans take the matter very seriously there are many Foundations one of them alone can contribute such amount.

I have therefore very recently incorporated one organization very recently (within a fortnight past) under the name of INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS (Incorporated in U.S.A.) The Trustees of this organisation are all American gentlemen headed by one of the leading lawyers of New York Mr. Steven J. Goldsmith B.Sc. M.A.B.L. who comes regularly in my weekly classes and chants the Mahamantra very devoutly.

Now the chance for preaching the cult of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the western countries like America and Europe is practically established and if the organisation is properly managed I am sure there will be no dearth of financial facilities from the American citizens. But still I think this organisation should have co-operation from all countries of the world specially of India and more specially from the Goudiya Vaisnavas who are pledged to take the responsibility of preaching Chaitanya cult in every village and town of the world. I am therefore inviting the first cooperation from my Godbrothers in this great adventure. I am very much hopeful of success of the attempt and I am seeking your good consultation if it is possible to have full sympathetic cooperation of my Godbrothers in India in this adventure. Sriman Brahmachary Mangalniloy has already agreed to come here to assist me fully but I wish that each and every one of the different Goudiya Math organizations may kindly send one person respectively to work under my direction in these foreign countries and thus become individually a member of the international organization above mentioned. The qualification of such intending candidates must be that he must be able to speak in English or be well versed in playing Khola or singing. If one is qualified with all the above qualifications it is very good otherwise he must be qualified at least one of them. So far their coming here I shall take all the responsibility for passage and maintenance. Would kindly consider this proposal immediately and let me know your decision per return of post?

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for this cooperation programme. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to do everything in complete cooperation and thus I am inclined to have full cooperation in this great attempt of preaching in the foreign countries. All the camps of our various camps may at least cooperate in the matter of special activities and I may be able to provide any number of men who may be now inclined to come here and work under my direction. There is great possibility of Lord Chaitanyas cult being preached amongst the younger section of the Americans and some of them are hearing me very seriously to accept the philosophy. Our men in the ideal line of activities chalked out by Srila Prabhupada will be great help to me and the persons who are now seriously attending my classes.

Awaiting to hear from you as early as possible with the list of names of the persons who will come here from different camps.

I am asking people here to practice Krishna consciousness through music dance philosophy science religion and distribution of Prasadam. I am asking them to become freed from all sorts of anxieties by practicing the transcendental sound vibration of Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare etc and I am asking them to join the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Inc. My classes are being held thrice a week in the evening between 7x:00 to 9:00 P.M. Hope you are well
Yours affectionately.