670407 - Letter to Kirtanananda written from San Francisco

Letters by Date, 1967

518 Frederick Street, San Francisco. Calif 94117 Telephone:564-6670

ACHARYA:SWAMI A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA

APRIL 7,1967

My Dear Kirtanananda,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your affectionate letter of the 3rd instant and have noted the contents carefully. Hayagriva informed me that you have become sorry for not receiving my letters and for this I must beg your pardon. But do not think that I neglect to write you letters. Of course I do not reply your each and every letter, I always think of you because you are all my heart and soul. I am so pleased to have your association and I always thank my Spiritual Master Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaj for His favour by sending me some sincere representative of Him in missionary activities in this part of the world. I came here to execute His Will and by His Grace I have so many good souls like you, Brahmananda, Satsvarupa, Hayagriva, Rayarama, Haridas, Mukunda etc. I consider you all as representative of my Gurumaharaj to help me in this helpless condition. My Godbrothers did not help me but my Spiritual Master has helped me. So do not think that I can ever forget you even for a moment. I pray to Krishna for your more and more advancement of Krishna Consciousness. Be happy and execute more and more service for Krishna and Krishna will accept you in His association.
I am very glad to learn that Lord Jesus Christ has approved our activities. Perhaps you have marked it in my preaching work that I love Lord Jesus Christ as good as Krishna; because He rendered the greatest service to Krishna according to time circumstances and society in which He appeared. Similarly Hajrat Mohammed and Lord Buddha also rendered greatest service to the human society according to circumstances. So work with more enthusiasm and we are sure to be successful in our great mission.

Last night we had very successful meeting at Berkeley and I think there were about three hundred students who participated in the meeting for two hours, danced with us and after the close of the meeting they surrounded me to offer their respects and some of them enquired various questions. Every one appreciated what I could speak in the meeting for about forty minutes and so I was very much encouraged.

By Krishna's planning Brahmananda's presence at Montreal was so much helpful. I very much appreciate your selection of Janardan as the President and Paul and Helena as treasurer and secretary respectively. May Krishna bless them and let me congratulate them for execution of Krishna's service so nicely.

You will be pleased to know that we have already installed the Sri Murtis of Lord Jagannath, Valbhadra and Subhadra in the temple of San Francisco center and I wish to establish similar temple at Montreal. Probably I shall carry with me the Deity for New York. Editing of my lectures may be a hard task for you but it will prove an examination test for you as how far you have heard me attentively. Never mind it is slow but it must be sure. You can keep a note of my activities and can wait for writing book at suitable time. I am asking Mukunda to send one copy of the presentation as he has made a presentation to Sriman Brahmananda.

I have received letter from Brahmananda that he is going to take delivery of the records on Thursday and he is going to send 500 records to San Francisco. I do not know if he is going to send you some records.

Regarding my going to Montreal it is understood that Brahmananda has already paid $150.00 to Mr. Ypslantin the Visa Lawyer to save me from my Visa being cancelled. But in any case I must go to Montreal and if my Visa is not granted again to enter New York, I think I shall remain for sometime at Montreal and then proceed for London to establish a center there. I wish that at least four centers may be established in the Western countries including one in London and then a company of twelve at least of all your brothers and myself may have an extensive tour all over the world for preaching this unique cult of Hare Krishna. And because it is approved by Lord Christ at least the Christian world will accept our [handwritten] Kirtan procedure. I have seen in the bible that Lord Jesus Christ recommended this Kirtan performances in the Bible. You know better than me and I would request you to write a small book on SAMKIRTAN MOVEMENT IN THE BIBLE. I have given a note of direction to Hayagriva for writing a Drama on Lord Chaitanya and if he can deliver us a nice Drama for staging in your different parts of the State it will be a great stride for our mission and I hope it will help us financially a great deal. Just you encourage Hayagriva to write this Drama very nicely in Poetry so that they can be [handwritten] sung in western tone all over America and Europe and staged everywhere to cover our expenses.

Brahmananda may try Mr. Kallman and Mr. Fulton to help me getting a permanent Visa immediately. These two gentlemen have entered into Contract with me for recording and lecturing all over U.S.A. and it will be a great loss on their part if I am not granted a permanent Visa. Mr. Fulton may arrange immediately some lectures in Canada and that will help us both ways namely to save the Visa from being cancelled at the same time I can visit Montreal without any hindrance.

You can reply this letter to New York address because by this time 3-15 P.M. (San Francisco time) on Sunday next I shall be in New York.

Convey my blessing to Sriman Janardan, Paul, Hansa and Helena.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami.