680204 - Letter to Hansadutta written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1968

Tridandi Goswami
AC Bhaktivedanta Swami
Acharya: International Society For Krishna Consciousness

CAMP: ISKCON Radha Krishna Temple
5364 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, Cal. 90019

DATED ....February..4,................1968..

My Dear Hansadutta,

Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated January 1, 1968; and I am so proud to have such spiritual sons and daughters like you, who are so humble in their dealings but who are so high in their spiritual understanding. Lord Chaitanya instructed us to be more humble than the grass on the street, and more tolerant than the trees, and to offer all respects to all, demanding no respect for ourselves. All these nice qualifications make one worthy to chant Hare Krishna. Just try to follow these principles and keep staunch faith in Krishna and in Spiritual Master, and your life will be successful without any doubt.

Regarding Kirtan Party: My idea is that at least one dozen persons should form a Kirtan Party. Two persons play mridangams, eight persons play karatals, one person playing timboura, and one person playing melodious harmonium. The person who will play on timboura will be leader singer. You have just calculated what I want, when you suggest that the leader should sing as I do, and the others will respond. That will be very nice. But all the members of the party will be pure devotees. None of them should be outsiders. We do not want any outsiders as far as possible. Mridangam playing as you are doing at present will make you more and more expert as you go on playing. Here also I see Goursundar simply by playing is improving. If all the members keep their faith in Krishna and tries to please Him, certainly everyone will be pleased by hearing our Kirtan. It is sure and certain. When such Kirtan will be demonstrated, only the harmonium player may sit, and all the others may stand up and join the Kirtan and dancing [handwritten] properly dressed. This is actual idea and I hope if such Kirtans are performed even on public stage, we can sell tickets. That will be a source of earning to maintain our activities.

I am glad that Purushottam is trying to get our Society recognized in the U.N. as a non-government organization. And if it is successful, then we shall be able to perform Kirtan in the U.N. stage. And if we are recognized by the representatives for different nations, then we may be invited from different parts of the world, then our SANKIRTAN movement will be successful. Our process will remain the same eternally, namely, to begin with SANKIRTAN and prolong it at least for 1/2 hour, then speak something from Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagwatam, Brahma Samhita, etc. and invite questions and answer them. Then again concluded by chanting. This is my dream or idea, and I shall be glad if you, Brahmananda, Purushottam, Rayrama, and others can give this idea a practical shape and life, then I shall be very much thankful to you. Please convey my blessings to your good wife Himavati, and I hope to meet you very soon. Hope you are both well.

Your ever well-wisher,

Hansadutta das Adhikary
ISKCON
26 Second Avenue
New York, N.Y. 10003