690728 - Letter to Krishna dasa written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

A. C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
1975 So. La Cienega Boulevard.
Los Angeles, California 90034

July 28, 1969

My Dear Krishna Das,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your letter dated July 18, 1969, and I have noted the contents very carefully. My first thanks are due to Sriman Oliver who has drawn this Vishnu picture, and I like it very much. Our service to God is always transcendental. It does not depend on anything material. So there was no reason to accept this picture as a very good drawing by Sriman Oliver. Krishna accepts the spirit of the offering, and anyone who offers Him some service in good devotional service, that is immediately accepted by Krishna. There are many instances in Mahabharat wherein we find that Krishna declined to accept the invitation of Dhuryodhana, who was then the emperor of the world, but He accepted the invitation of Vidura, who was famous as a poor man. It is said "Vidura's particles of grain." So our business is to offer our sincere service, and it is accepted by Krishna. From the artistic point of view I do not find anything wrong in this picture, so he should be encouraged to draw many pictures for decorating the temple. Jadurany was not in the beginning a very good painter, but trying to serve Krishna she has become a very good painter. We have got two nice painters in Los Angeles also; Murlidhar and Devahuti. They have drawn two very big pictures for the Los Angeles temple, and they are very beautiful and perfect. So encourage Oliver to go on painting more and more pictures, and it will be very nice for the Hamburg temple.
I am very much obliged to you for your nice appreciation of our humble activities. When I think of you, a little boy, but you write so nicely, as if you are my little father. So I wish Krishna will give you more and more understanding about this Krishna Consciousness Movement, and you will be able to serve more and more beautifully. I quite appreciate that you four there; namely yourself, Jayagovinda, Shivananda, Mandali Bhadra, assisted by his wife, Vrndabaneshvari, will be a very very good combination to spread our movement in Germany. Our first important business is to hold Sankirtan as many times as possible. The next important business is publication work. Recently I received one letter from Shivananda that he is also thinking nicely to improve our press work. I hope in the future you shall be able to start a regular press in Germany for printing our books and literatures. I have heard that in Germany the press machine are very good and cheap. So if you jointly can think of starting a press there, that will be a great success. So far as doing business by importing Indian goods, that is a nice idea, but it is secondary. We should not deviate much of our time for any business manipulations. Our main business is Sankirtan. You will be very glad to hear that in New York last week they collected $1,000 and sold BTG at a rate of 200 per day on the weekend days. Similarly we have got good report from Boston that they are collecting $50-$60 daily and selling about 60-70 copies of BTG. And what to speak of Los Angeles? So if we can organize our Sankirtan Movement, there will be no scarcity of money; rest assured. But we may do some business which we require for ourselves. Otherwise, if you divert your attention for a separate business in Indian goods, that will not be a very good idea. It may be done conveniently as a secondary engagement, but the primary engagement should be as above mentioned.
Regarding my going to Germany, I am actually very much eager to go there and speak in the [handwritten] Indo-German branches about the importance of our Krishna Consciousness Movement. So as you have mentioned in your letter under reply, you can arrange for such meetings at least for one month continually, and I shall be glad to go there. If you feel inconvenience to pay for my travelling from Los Angeles to New York, it doesn't matter. I shall ask Tamal Krishna or Brahmananda and they will be glad to pay for it. So this is not very important consideration. You wanted to fix up a date, so I am telling you that I am prepared now on any day you call me.
Just this afternoon I returned from San Francisco where they have held a gigantic Rathayatra Ceremony just on the order of the ones held at Jagannath Puri. There were at least 10,000 young and old people, all chanting and dancing in bliss and ecstasy for the entire day, starting from 12 noon and going on till after evening. So it was a most magnificent occasion, and I am very much encouraged that the people of the Western world will come to understand the glories of this movement, and as Lord Chaitanya has predicted, His Name will be chanted and praised in every village and town throughout the world.
So please inform me immediately when you will be able to have me come there to Germany, and Purushottam's accompanying me is also necessary. For me to travel alone is not very advisable. Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami