671026 - Letter to Jadurani written from Navadvipa

Letters by Date, 1967

Oct. 26, 1967

My Dear Jadurani,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Oct. 20 & I am very glad to note the contents. The brahmacarini ashram is not yet started. You should not bother about it at the present moment. When the brahmacarini ashram is established then you should consider going. Most probably I also will go to San Francisco directly from India. When I am there I shall see if your presence is actually required there. In the meantime you can continue with your painting as usual & enjoy the spiritual life. In the Scriptures it is said that a woman is just like fire & a man is just like a butter pot. The butter melts in the pot while in contact with fire. In your country association of man and woman is very common without restriction; thus the result is known to you better than I am able to explain. In spiritual life attraction of man & woman in the understanding of material body hampers very much, therefore, some sort of restrictions are necessary to check this hampering problem. In spiritual life there is no allowance of association of man and woman without being married. I have already secured my visitors visa & have advised my travel agent to purchase my ticket via the pacific route, & I have already secured my passage money. So on any day I can start for your country, but recently I've received from Mukunda stating that he is arranging for my permanent visa which will enable me to move freely. I've already asked him to let me know whether I should wait or start on the visitors visa.
I have seen the latest issue of BTG & have very much appreciated the presentation with your combined efforts-you artists & poets should try to increase the beauty of BTG as well as to promote the sales in larger & larger numbers. Your appreciation of Rayarama's effort is also shared by me in improving the condition of BTG. You can keep & stack your paintings & when I return I shall see where they will be most required.
Regarding Kirtanananda, there is nothing to be said about but one should be very careful not to fall sick like him. In the material world there is constant fight between maya & the living entity. Maya is very strong & we can fall a victim at her hand at any moment. The only means of protecting us from the attack of maya is to be fully Krishna Conscious. The proportion in which we fall back in Krishna Consciousness is filled up by the influence of maya. It is exactly like the proportion of negligence of our health is subsequently resulted in our falling ill. The person who is very careful about his health does not generally fall ill. Similarly a person who is always fixed up in Krishna Consciousness cannot be defeated by maya. Sometimes in spite of our full Krishna Consciousness we fall a victim to maya but that is temporary just as seasonal changes such calamities do come & pass away & we have to endure them. If Kirtanananda has ever sincerely served Krishna, & his spiritual master, he will not fall down. The temporary systems will fall down without delay. We should all pray to Krishna for his steady recovery. My grief for Kirtanananda isn't anything personal but I am sorry that he has become like a mayavadi in spite of my best efforts to help him. Hope you are well.
Your ever well-wisher

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami