690131 - Letter to Hayagriva written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

Tridandi Goswami

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami
Acharya: International Society For Krishna Consciousness

CAMP: 4501/2 N. Hayworth Ave.
Los Angeles, Calif. 90048

DATED: January 31, 1969

My Dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated January 26, 1969, and I have carefully noted the contents. I am very pleased to learn that the entire first canto should be completely edited by March 8th, and I am also glad to hear that your Lord Caitanya play is at last completed. From what I have gone through of this play I could see that it is very well done, simply it is a little prolonged. Otherwise it is very nice. I hope that when we start our own press we shall get this book printed.

Regarding my coming there, I think you should fix up my date of being there with Alan Ginsberg. Provisionally, you can set up my date of arrival by the middle of April as described by you. I can understand from your letter that your car is now broken and useless. In the future, we should not purchase a second-hand car; it is always troublesome. This is the third time that such car has caused us difficulty. Rupanuga purchased a second-hand car for $600, and it proved to be useless. Another was given to Hamsaduta, and this too proved not very satisfactory. Now the third experience is yours. If it is possible to get it sold and get some money, you can purchase a small truck new, or else whenever we need a truck we can rent it. But don't purchase any more second-hand cars; they are too much troublesome.

Regarding the press, I have already written to Brahmananda about this. We can risk $260 for renting one year the two-story house you mentioned. So immediately you should make arrangements for this.

As for your nice sentiments about our first meeting on Houston Street, it was all arranged by Krishna. That was practically a favor shown to me by Krishna because I came in your country by superior order. I had been feeling lonely although I had the mission of starting this Krishna Consciousness movement. So Krishna sent you to me, and therefore our meeting was also the desire of Krishna. Therefore, both of us, or for that matter, all of the boys and girls who are working with me, have met by the desire of Krishna. As such, everyone should always feel the responsibility that Krishna wants us to do something for Him, and we must invest all of our energies to fulfill this mission of Krishna Consciousness.

The boys and girls in London are doing very nicely. My Guru Maharaj sent one sannyasi, Swami Bon Maharaj, to preach Krishna Consciousness in London, sometimes in 1933. Although he tried for three years and at the expense of my Guru Maharaj, he could do not do any appreciable work. So Guru Maharaj, being disgusted, called him back. In comparison to that situation, our 6 young boys and girls are neither very much advanced in their study of Vedanta nor any other Vedic literature, neither are they sannyasis. But still they are doing more tangible work than what Bon Maharaj could do there 35 years ago. This very fact confirms the statement of Lord Chaitanya that a preacher or teacher may be a householder, a sannyasi, a brahmana, a sudra, or anyone, provided he knows the science of Krishna. And to know the science of Krishna means to serve Krishna under the directions of a bona fide Spiritual Master. When we serve Krishna in this way, Krishna is pleased to reveal Himself. So we should follow strictly the Vedic principle that anyone who has unflinching faith in Krishna and the Spiritual Master, to him only the science of Krishna Consciousness becomes revealed. Then when we are fully conversant in revelation of Krishna Consciousness, we can meet any opposing elements and come out victorious.

Now you are grihastha, and there is no need to be despondent, simply we have to become sincere to act fully in Krishna Consciousness. Your wife, Syama Dasi, is a very good girl. She will be always helpful to you in doing as the boys and girls in London are doing in attracting the attention of various types of people from all over the world. They are doing wonderful service, and it makes no difference that they are householders.

Do not be very much anxious whether you are fired from your present service or not. But you should not do something there which will be disturbing to the authorities. However, in all circumstances we must execute the program of Krishna Consciousness, even at the risk of dissatisfying the so-called employer master.

Please convey my blessings to Syama Dasi. I hope this will meet you both in happy mood and good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

P.S. You know Dr. Haridasa Chondhery of San Francisco. He writes as follows:- "I am delightful to receive your affectionate gift of 'The Bhagavad Gita As It Is.' Whenever I find some time, I read a little from it. The book is without doubt the best presentation so far to the western public of the teachings of Lord Krishna - - the standpoint of the Vaisnava tradition of India .. etc."

Actually it is so. Now we have to make some propaganda work to convince the different colleges and universities to read this real form of B.G. to the Western Public.[handwritten]