690204 - Letter to Aniruddha written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

February 04, 1969

My Dear Aniruddha,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated January 29, 1969, and I am pleased to learn that everything is going nicely with full cooperation of all of your godbrothers. Our center of activities is Krishna, and if we are actually Krishna Conscious there will always be full cooperation between ourselves for the satisfaction of Krishna.

These two boys, Girish and Birbhadra are sent by Krishna to our care, and we must be very much attentive for building their character in Krishna Consciousness. Here, the boy, Birbhadra, is taken care of personally by Vishnujana, and, by Krishna's Grace, you have to take care of Girish. In New Vrindaban, nothing can immediately be done because there is no sufficient accommodations, but I am in correspondence with Hayagriva for renting one two-story big house near New Vrindaban for starting the press. I think we will be able to secure the house by next April when I will also go there, and our project of starting a school, press, etc., will be seriously taken at that time.

You are right when you say that setting a good example for the boys is the best precept. There is a saying that an example is better than a precept. Our exemplary character depends on strictly following the four principles, and this will conquer the whole world. Our boys and girls in London, by there exemplary character have drawn the attention of many respectable persons and even some public papers. Our movement is not only for some theoretical teaching, but it is for developing practical character and definite understanding. I will be glad to know what is your future program. Do you think you will be continuing as brahmacari, or in the future will you wish to become householder? The idea is that when we open our educational institute, we will require some dedicated monks, just like Christian Fathers, who have no connection with women. In that case, we can start a theological school also, along with a boys primary school. Our theological school will regularly teach our published books, such as Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Nectar of Devotion, Brahma Samhita, and Krishna.

We wish to hold examinations and award titles such as Bhakti-sastri, Bhakti-vaibhava, and Bhaktivedanta. The whole program will continue for seven years, and the students who will be fully engaged in this study of a seven year course will be classified in the 4-D section of the draft board. Such students will not be called for military activities. In this connection, an experiment is going on with Kartikeya, and if it is successful then we can give protection to many such students provided they take things seriously.

Apart from the draft board chasing, actually we require many enlightened students who can go to any part of the world and establish there a center. Anyone who is a little bit conversant with the above books can go anywhere, chant Hare Krishna, distribute Back To Godhead, and hold classes on the above books. I have received one letter from Gurudasa today that they have got permission to chant Hare Krishna in all the streets and parks of London. The world needs this consciousness of Krishna, and we have to manufacture many preachers for this purpose. I wish that you can also take the responsibility of teaching staff when we actually open our theological school in New Vrindaban.

Thanking you again for your letter. I hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami