700419 - Letter to Bali-mardana written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1970

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
3764 Watseka Avenue
Los Angeles, Cal. 90034

19th April, 1970

My Dear Bali Mardan,
Please accept my blessings and offer the same to Sriman Upendra. Your informative letter dated "nil" is encouraging. For the service of Krsna you are already in the jail for a few hours, so if possible try to put this movement as cultural instead of religion.
Actually we are presenting the culture of Bhagavad Gita. The Bhagavad Gita is well known all over the world and it is widely read by scholars and philosophers especially. The religionists never read Bhagavad Gita. I have never seen a priest of other religion reading this book, but there are many scholars and philosophers all over the world who read Bhagavad Gita regularly. Even politicians and professional men read Bhagavad Gita, just like one Dr. Rele in Bombay. He also presented commentary on Bhagavad Gita on the basis of medical science. I heard that Professor Einstein, the greatest scientist, was regularly reading Bhagavad Gita, and later on he became practically God-conscious. By scientific research he appreciated the wonderful cosmic manifestation and as a scientist he admitted that behind this there is a very great brain and that is God.
So practically it is not a religious study and we are presenting Bhagavad Gita as it is. Anyway, you are getting chance to preach amongst the students and that will be very nice program. Kirtanananda Maharaj is now moving amongst the students in various schools, colleges, and universities, and getting good response. Many students are already attracted to New Vrindaban and at the weekend there are about 20 to 30 outsiders regularly. So even though the local law is prohibitive, for chanting on the street, you can take advantage of the educational institutions. We are not concerned with any particular place or situation, but we take the opportunity of chanting and speaking wherever it is possible.
I understand that one of our students, Tirthapada Brahmacary, is going to your place.
Regarding book sales, you should always keep several copies of each of our literatures in stock, so if you do not have them you can make arrangements with Gargamuni. Especially you should have a good stock of Isopanisad and Easy Journey, they are selling as easily on the level of BTG.
Hope this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS:db

Sriman Bali Mardan Das Brahmachary
ISKCON Temple
26 Horderns Place
Potte Point, Sydney 2011, N.S.W.
Australia