670413 - Letter to Kirtanananda written from New York

Letters by Date, 1967

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, INC.
TWENTY SIX-SECOND AVENUE NEW YORK N.Y.10003 Telephone:674-7428

April 13,1967
ACHARYA:SWAMI A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA
TRUSTEES:
Larry Bogart
James S. Greene
Carl Yeargans
Raphael Balsam
Robert Lefkowitz
Raymond Marais
Stanley Mogkowitz
Michael Grant
Harvey Cohen

IHA YASYA HARER DASYE KARMANA MANASA VACHA.
NIKHILESVAPYAVASTHASU JIVAN MUKTA SA UCYATE,
"A person, who is always anxious to render service by work, words & mind unto the Supreme Lord Hari, as His eternal servitor, in all[handwritten] conditions of life he is considered to be liberated even though within the material body"

My dear Kirtanananda,
Please accept my blessings and convey the same to all devotees there. I am in due receipt of your letter of the 10th instant and have noted the contents with great delight. Your mutual understanding with Sriman Janardan making Krishna as the center of attraction is very much enlightening to me. Transcendental jealousy is not wrong but it is absolute. In the transcendental world there are jealous parties also like the party of Radharani and the party of Satyabhama. Radharani and Satyabhama are always jealous of one another but the center is Krishna. There are many material examples also. There are many political parties in a state but in spite of all political jealousies they are one in serving the state. Similarly Krishna being the center all competition and jealousies for serving Krishna the best is always Absolute provided such jealousies do not come down to the material plane.

Krishna consciousness means to increase the number of persons in Krishna consciousness. Therefore it is the duty of a Brahmachary to go door to door as beggar and enlighten people in Krishna consciousness. Whenever you go to some person he will hear something from the devotee about Krishna consciousness and that will be very much beneficial for both the devotee and the person who hears the devotee. In India the Brahmacharies are meant for begging from door to door for the Spiritual Master. But in your country this activity is not allowed, therefore some devices like selling the publications recruiting members, inviting them to our meetings and likewise activities must be taken by the Brahmacharies and that will be nice. Grihasthas or the householders have responsibility of family therefore whatever contribution they can offer for the Society is welcome.

Afterall, Krishna is the ultimate Person. We are just trying to serve Him. Your conviction that we have to supply the demands of Krishna and not to demand anything from Him is the pure devotional philosophy. The followers of Lord Chaitanya never makes Krishna the Order supplier but the devotees become the order supplier of Krishna. Krishna wants that all His bewildered sons may be turned towards Him and therefore the more we are able to turn devotees of Krishna the more our service is recognised. We have to work practically how this mission can be well organised.

Residential quarters for students and others on terms of our rigidity is very good project.

We should increase this project like Y.M.C.A. organization without any profit. We shall supply nice Prasadam at cheap rate and we shall give shelter to persons who will abide by our rules. That will help in increasing the numbers of devotees because they will attend our lectures and take our Prasadam and will have opportunity to hear Srimad Bhagavatam etc. I think we should make an experiment of this project during the world Exposition.

I understand that you are going to take sanction of India Govt for distribution of the literatures. But the present India Government has a phobia against anything which is religious fervour. The best thing would have been to have one small stall for ourselves from the Exposition authority without any co-operation of the Indian Pavilion. Then we would be able to function independently. If we distribute our Prasadam, our literature, try to sell our books and other literatures and go on playing our records and sell them, I think that will be proper utilisation of our Krishna Conscious energy. If possible try to work on this line. When I think of Indian Government I become at once hopeless on account of the secular procedure.

I have approved your prospectus and I am sending herewith copies of certificates about my bonafides from Gaudiya Vaisnava Societies in India. Our Goudiya societies are[handwritten] many many times older than the Ramakrishna Mission. I am the only representative in U.S.A. [handwritten] of my 500 hundred years old societies in India. If Ramakrishna mission can have all facilities from U.S.A. Government for preaching their cult and allow all Ramakrishna Mission Sanyasins remain here, why I shall not be allowed to remain here for propagating Lord Chaitanya's movement. Anyway [handwritten] I have now certificates from my Godbrothers in India where we have got very big organisations in the matter of Krishna consciousness and let me see how things take shape.

To-day I am going to initiate five devotees who were waiting for me while I was at San Francisco.

Hope you are well and awaiting your early reply

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.
Enclosures: 7