700315 - Letter to Subala written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1970

1975 So La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, Cal. 90034

March 15 70

My Dear Subal,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 12 March, 1970, and I am so much pleased to learn about your gradual progress and success in preaching work. You are a sincere devotee, and Krishna will give you more and more chance for preaching His glory.
I am very glad to know that you have arranged a nice meeting in the National Conference of Christians and Jews. I am sending herewith copies of my address to the Japanese people, as well as the preface to my book, KRSNA. They will help you to have some clear idea of our Krishna Consciousness Movement. You know them all, and still this will be a great help.
Try to convince in the meeting that the difference between animal society and human society is that the human society has in some form the ideals of Krishna Consciousness or God Consciousness. That is religion. Religion without God Consciousness has no meaning, and God Consciousness means we are eternally related with Him. He is the Father, and everyone of us is the part and parcel or son. He is the Supreme Leader, and we are subordinates. He is the Supreme Maintainer, and we are completely dependent on Him.
Whatever we possess, including our body and our self, everything, belongs to Him. When one is completely in sense of this fact--he is God Conscious. And unless a living entity becomes God Conscious, which is his constitutional position, he cannot be happy. So this is our propaganda. There is no question of sectarianism. Every religion should have this aim in view. But that system of religion which teaches development of God Consciousness is first class. We have to estimate by the result, and not by the formalities. So this Movement, Krishna Consciousness, very quickly develops this God Consciousness, and it is very easy to adopt it.
But at the same time, we must remember that a sinful man cannot develop God Consciousness. The four pillars of sinful life are: 1) no illicit sex, 2) animal killing or animal eating, 3) indulgence in intoxication in any form, and 4) take to the life of gambling. We therefore request all religious institutions to check their followers from the reactions of these four principles of sinful life, and that will pave the way of developing God Consciousness, and thus all the people will be happy.
It is not a question of following this religion of that religion. It is a question of philosophy of life. Our Krishna consciousness philosophy is practical, easier, and based on sound reasoning and philosophy. We place them before impartial, thoughtful men of the world, and we are certain that they will find it sublime.
Hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS:db

Encl.

Sriman Subal Das Brahmachary
ISKCON Temple
4524 Recent Street
Philadelphia, PA
19142