681013 - Letter to Acyutananda and Jayagovinda written from Seattle

Letters by Date, 1968

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

October 13, 1968

My Dear Acyutananda and Jaya Govinda,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your joint letter dated Oct. 4, 1968, redirected from New York, and along with another separate letter from Acyutananda explaining your desire to come back to USA and fight the case of draft board. It is a good suggestion, because if you won the case on the ground that you have adopted a different order of life, in search of the Absolute Truth, then that will be a great precedent for all our boys who are victims under such act. But still it is doubtful because the government is bent upon recruiting young men for the military purpose. This is one side. Another side is that your mission was to serve the cause of the society and if both you and Jaya Govinda come back without doing anything in India, it will be a mark of defeat on your part. I think you should try once more on the following line of action to work for the society:

That is, you make your headquarters in Vrindaban, because as there is no possibility of printing my books under your supervision in Delhi, why should you remain in Delhi without any society's work? If you find Vrindaban inconvenient, you go to Bombay because Mr. Karambar is ready to receive you. Jaya Govinda's idea that if you go there to Bombay, Mr. Karambar may force him to marry his daughter, is simply imagination, because his daughter is only 9 or 10 years old. How she can be married in this tender age? I do not know who has suggested all these nonsense ideas.

Bombay is a place where there are many many rich merchants who will be glad to donate money simply for our Back To Godhead magazine. There are many such magazines published from Bombay, and they collect Rs. 200-5—as donation for each page, simply for the advertisements of their name—that the page is donated by such and such person. You can distribute the magazines to such persons and very easily collect Rs. 100-200 daily, if you are good workers. If you find inconvenience at Mr. Karambar's place, then I shall give you many other friends names in Bombay who will be glad to help you. There are many Vaisnavas in Bombay, and they are very rich and charitable also. And if they are convinced that Krishna Consciousness is being propagated in foreign countries, and you American students are working in India, surely you will be welcome. As a matter of evidence, you have seen Seth Dalmia's attitude, how he has helped you with monthly allowances and all. So you have to pick up such many persons, and if you work combinedly together, strictly following my instructions, I am sure you will be successful. So before returning either to Germany or USA both of you should give a try in Bombay. If you fail there, also, however, then there will be no other alternative than to return back to your own place.

But before going either to Bombay or coming back to your country or Europe, please try to realize Rs. 2000 from Hitsaran, because if you come back without realizing this money, and I am here, then the money will be swallowed up by him, as you have already given me hints that he is a debtor. I am enclosing herewith the copy of the letter in which Hitsaran acknowledge receipt of Rs. 2000 for purchasing paper for printing my books. But now it appears that he has spent this money for personal expenditures, and has not returned the manuscript to you. You should see Seth Dalmia at his home: No. 2, Tilaka Road, New Delhi, and explain to him and try to realize the money through his influence, and purchase the Deities as I have requested. I have already written you about this in my last letter, that we require many Deities for our temples as well as for our many devotees who want to worship Radha Krishna at home. So we want to introduce this Deity worship in this country and as such, we may require 100's of pairs of Deities of different sizes, and many other goodies in this connection. So if you remain there as our representatives there will be tremendous possibility of working for our society. After all you have to work with confidence and faith in Krishna, under my direction, and I am sure you will come out successful. Anyway, my last request is that if you have decided to come back, please help me in realizing the money from Hitsaran, through the influence of Seth Dalmia or Hanuman Prasad Poddar. And purchase some Deities with the money, and then come back, and what can I say more? In case you have to take legal proceedings against Hitsaran then I have got a lawyer friend at Delhi, whose name is as follows: Bepimbehari Misra; 7 Deputy Gung; Sadar Bazarre. You can see him. The thing is you have to become little enthusiastic and give up the idea of being guest of somebody and live peacefully.

Jaya Govinda, your article "Hrshikesa" is published in Back To Godhead. It has come out very nice. If you send such articles of different pilgrimages, that will be also a great service. You have got artistic idea, so please take courage and act enthusiastically. Do not depend on somebody, and become confined there. So on receipt of your reply of this letter I shall give you my final decision about your returning back.

Hope you are both in good health,

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami