680321 - Letter to Brahmananda written from San Francisco

Letters by Date, 1968

March 21, 1968

518 Frederick Street,
San Francisco. Cal. 94117

My Dear Brahmananda,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated March 14th, 18th, and 19th, and have noted the contents carefully. So far the Chatham Tower is concerned, you may drop the plan, and try to get the two-story house which you mentioned. Please check into it and keep me informed. Yes, it would be very nice for Mr. Kallman to contribute 1000.00 dollars for the printing; please try to encourage that. I shall be expecting to receive the dummy publication which you described in a few days. You may keep that bottle of liquid which you mentioned, and when I come there I shall see to it.

By Grace of Krishna, Adwaita is being transferred to Bellevue; now try to get him out with the help of the psychiatrist who helped to get out Kirtanananda. That will finalize the matter, but we must find out a way to take permission from the draft board that our institution is a recognized religious institution of Hindu Vedic origin, and we are training students for preaching God-consciousness, and building up their character by strict moral principles. Therefore, these students cannot be called for fighting. By temperament they are unfit for fighting, because they are being trained to become perfect Brahmins. The business of the Brahmins is to teach people spiritual education. Fighting is means for the Kshatriyas. Therefore, we must find out some means for protecting our students in future to save them from this unnecessary botheration. You should consult a suitable lawyer in connection with this matter, and do the needful. We can submit a copy of the remark made by a judge of a court here, in relation to the imprisonment of one of our students, Upendra das, in which the man said, "Be lenient with this boy, as he belongs to an established religious organization, which is doing much to combat against drug-addiction, and to promote the general health and welfare of the young people." (These are not the exact words, but we are presently awaiting a certified letter from the judge saying in essence, this statement.) And as minister of the association, I can give certificate that all my students are ecclesiastical. They are neither fighting men, nor mercantile people, so they cannot be called for fighting for unnecessary waste of time and valuable energy. In this connection, the caste system of the Hindus, in which Kshatriyas are trained up for fighting from the very beginning, in martial spirit. They are fighting with young men recruited from the sudra class, enforced to fighting; so there is a gulf of difference. Anyway, Krishna will save Adwaita. You just take help of the psychiatrist.

For the cable address, I think "ISOKRISHNA" will be very nice. This means the All-Attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. I think this will be nice, and within the limit of letters. If it is required to reduce the number of letters, the "I" and "H" in Krishna can be deleted--only if necessary, making it become "ISOKRSNA."

So far those books are concerned, I shall see to cutting out the illustrations you mentioned when I come there. I do not remember, but so far I know, they are not very authorized pictures. Please tell Jadurany of this. They were presented to me by the authors in exchange for my presenting them with some of my books. But they are not authorized.

So far the order of photos in the Teachings of Lord Chaitanya is concerned, they should go like this: My photo, Guru Maharaj's photo, Srila Gour Kishore, Srila Bhaktivinode, Lord Chaitanya, and lastly, Lord Chaitanya's Birthplace. For Lord Chaitanya's photo, you may use a photograph of one of Jadurany's recent paintings of Pancha Tattwa. The other five pictures will be with the reading matter.

Two pairs of the kartals may be with Achutananda. The beads has to be sanctified, I shall do that when I come there. Keep them until then. For chanting on them, they must be sanctified.

There is no need of Krishna devi's address. She is here and I have seen her, so the matter is ended.

Please send a copy of my Isopanishad as soon as possible. I believe it is lying in the care of Rayarama. We shall have to arrange for publishing it in a nice booklet just like the Two Essays, and Easy Journey. Please see about how to do it. It will be nice for our classroom instructions in Krishna Consciousness, in the colleges. We are beginning instructions weekly in San Francisco State College, and there is prospect of having an accredited course to teach beginning next September. This is a very good opportunity.

I want to sit down tightly with some assistants, and spend the rest of my time translating Srimad Bhagwatam, and other books. And train students to do preaching work on the outside. So, from now on, I would like to speak only at very important engagements, and for most engagements, have my students preach. All of you must learn to preach; and for me, my most important preaching work is to finish up the Srimad Bhagwatam. So, please try to make arrangement like this, as it is very important that my books be finished, as soon as possible.

I am especially interested in the Samkirtan party, for this purpose, which is understood to be being molded up by Hansadutta. We have got invitation from a Bombay friend for our Samkirtan party, and if Hansadutta's Samkirtan party is made up then, with whole party we will go first to England, then to Holland, then to Germany, then to Bombay, and make the program right and earnest from now.

Those leaves are neem leaves; keep them and when I come there I shall make a preparation of tooth paste. Neem tree is very antiseptic.

ISOKRISHNA has got two-fold meaning. It means International Society for Krishna Consciousness, and also, that Krishna is the All-Attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. So it is all-round perfect.

Hope you are well.
Your ever well-wisher,