690730 - Letter to Yoland written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: 1975 So. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, Calif. 90034

DATE ....July..30,......19.69

My Dear Yoland,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 26 July, 1969 and your nice poems, and I have read everything carefully. The poems will be submitted to Hayagriva, the editor of Back To Godhead, for his consideration for publication. I am very pleased to learn that you are now living at the Montreal temple, and this association with devotees of Lord Krishna will help you to advance further in Krishna Consciousness. You have asked me, "Could you accept me as your student until eternity?" My reply is that you may discuss this matter with Jayapataka, who is in charge there, and if he agrees, then you may submit your beads to me through the mail. Also, there is some possibility that I will be going to Germany sometime in August, and in that case I will be stopping in New York. So if you are able to meet me in New York, then the ceremony could be performed there.
You have asked the question, "What is the difference between a Mayavadi philosopher and a Krishna Conscious person?" The answer is that the Mayavadi philosopher has only imperfect knowledge of God, whereas the Krishna Conscious person can understand Krishna fully. The example is given that a person may know about the sunlight, but that does not mean that he knows about the Sun God within the Sun planet. Within the Sun there is a Sun God, named Vivaswan, and his body and the bodies of the other inhabitants are made of fire. It is the heat from these fiery bodies that gives warmth and light to this universe. So if someone knows something about the sunlight, it does not mean that he has knowledge about Vivaswan. Similarly, from Krishna's Spiritual Body there is the emanation of the Brahma effulgence which pervades the entire universe. The Mayavadi philosophers are trying for knowledge of this Brahma effulgence, but even if they are able to merge into this effulgence emanating from Krishna's Body, are able to merge into this effulgence emanating from Krishna's Body, that does not give them perfect knowledge of the Source of everything. This Source is Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So both the Mayavadi philosopher and the Krishna Conscious person is seeking spiritual advancement, but the Krishna Conscious man is higher because he is going to the Source of everything, including the Brahma effulgence. I hope you will understand this nicely.
I am very pleased to note that you are chanting 25 rounds daily. Please continue in this way, and more and more Krishna will be pleased to bless you with intelligence to understand Krishna Consciousness. I hope you are well.

Your ever well-wisher,