671012 - Letter to Mukunda from Ramanuja

Calcutta,

12 October, 1967

From Ramanuja

My dear Mukunda prabhu,

Please accept my greetings, from the other side of the world. To date I have received four letters of harassment from you. Please understand that what you want is unreasonable in cost. I think that perhaps the letters that I have sent you in reply may be late in reaching you. Perhaps this is so because I have not put the proper zip code number on the address. In any case you must have received them by now. One of our God-cousins might be going to the states if we can get a free passage on Scindia for him. If this is possible, you will get your tomboura and all else that you desire. He is a sannyasi and a very fine and humble man. He knows music; Vinod Kumar does not. Swamiji heard him play and pronounced him unexpert.

You asked for information regarding our activities here. Well, the story is not all that nice. First we received word of Kirtananda’s disobedience to Swamiji’s specific instructions of starting a temple in London. This made Swamiji very sad. He said, “Oh! How many of my disciples are sincere.” Another thing that happened is that the phonograph that you gave to Swamiji was stolen, probably by a woman who was supposed to be devoted to him. This too made him sad; and of course he won’t take action against her. He said, “Krishna is driving me away.” Meaning that he will come to the States. He plans to get his papers and go, never to return, as He considers His life’s work to be in America. At the present time we are in Calcutta, staying with Swamiji’s sister and her family. She is his God-sister as well as his mundane sister and this is the reason that as a sannyasin he can stay here. They treat us like royalty and we are quite the celebrities here. Swamiji’s work in America is not unnoticed here.

Achutananda and I visited Vrindavan just before making our way for Calcutta. I really can not understand Kirtananda’s complaints about the place. Perhaps he could not appreciate it because he was sick and it was the monsoon. But Vrindavan is really unworldly. You can literally see the vibrations emanating from the ground. People are quite good natured and in the streets you see all kinds of saints roaming around. These people are absolutely stoned. You can just imagine what kind of a place this must be if Swamiji wanted to come here to get better. Anyway, you must see it for yourself.

Now about your camera. The first roll of film was absolutely destroyed on account of the heat. I took pains to keep the other one cooler and managed to take 8 pictures of Vrindavan before the day got too hot. They are not so good. The negatives of this I will send to Gurudas for reproduction. As soon as it becomes cooler here you may send me more film as these pictures are greatly appreciated here.

Please send me news of what you fellows are up to and how you are getting along.  I think that you indicated in your last letter that we might be getting some new devotees.  Please write and tell me about your activities.

[TEXT MISSING]

[from Ramanuja]