680406 - Letter to Brahmananda written from San Francisco

Letters by Date, 1968

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

CAMP: ISKCON Radha Krishna Temple
518 Frederick Street
San Francisco. Cal. 94117

DATED ..April..6,.....................1968..

My Dear Brahmananda,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 29th of March, and I have noted the contents carefully. Your kind sentiments are very much appreciated by me, and I thank you very much for them.

Allen Ginsberg and Denise Levertov's appreciation, they are all nonsense, but in both the appreciations there is little substance--that Allen Ginsberg has praised my activities and has chanted Hare Krishna. But the other one is still more rascaldom, but she has appreciated my students' behavior. That means indirectly she has appreciated our movement. If you think their names will actually increase the sale of the book, and MacMillan also thinks so, then never mind, you can add their appreciation. So far their study of Bhagavat Gita is concerned, that is completely nil. Best thing is we shall do it personally when I go to N.Y.

So far the quotation by the late minister Shastri is concerned, that statement is printed up in the leaflet with picture on it; you know the one, where he is receiving the Bhagwatam from me. He was very much respectful, and met me three times. He was to help me in so many ways, but he died; he was my friend. In the beginning on the Srimad Bhagwatam volumes there are some different appreciations written by some influential Indian gentlemen. Hanuman Prasad Poddar also has written several letters. I will enclose one copy for you of a more recent letter, and also some other letters.

The enclosed Acknowledgement should be placed with or after the Preface, for Teachings of Lord Chaitanya.

I am glad to hear you are handling Pradyumna's hospital situation but it is already settled, don't worry about it [handwritten].The engagements sound very nice, and especially it is good if they pay us. We are not cheap, we are distributing bonafide process, so for travelling far distance they should especially pay us something. For television we should have at least one hour appearance; this 15 or 20 minutes, and with nonsense questions by the interviewer is not very good. We should be given time for Kirtan and for lecture. That will be best. And if you can secure some payment from each place we visit, that will be very nice.

I am pleased to hear that Damodara is returning; please treat him kindly and encourage him in all respects. So far the shipping is concerned, try to get a statement of account from them, as I think they still have some of our money from the last business transaction.

Hoping you are well, and I am looking forward to again being with you.

Your ever well-wisher,

N.B. Mridangas we can directly order from Dwarkin. Please let me know how many mridangas we may require. We are going to N.Y. on the 17th by American (?) Flight-9.A.M. [handwritten]