681217 - Letter to Ananda written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1968

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

December 17, 1968

My Dear Ananda,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 13, 1968 along with the Hare Krishna Mantra card.

I am glad that you have already started a center in small scale and please try to improve it as far as possible. There is no question of doing anything very hastily so please try to make steady, even if slow, progress. So far as the Indian population is concerned, I think that the Sikh are useless for our purpose. They do not understand our philosophy nor are they interested in spiritual advancement of life. We have no such discretion that we have to pick our members from a particular group of people. Everyone is Krishna's part and parcel and wherever we find it convenient we will pick up a person to be trained in Krishna Consciousness who is interested in going back to Home, back to Godhead.

I think that the Canadian people especially will be suitable for your membership. Try for this as far as possible. For the new souls who have already joined you, try to encourage them as far as possible.

Thank you again for your letter and for the important service you are rendering to Lord Caitanya's movement. I hope this finds you in very good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami