700501 - Letter to Tamala Krishna written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1970

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: 3764 Watseka Avenue
Los Angeles, Cal. 90034

DATE:......1st May...................19.70

My Dear Tamal,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 26 April 1970, and I am so pleased to note the contents which are exactly befitting your name Tamal. Perhaps you know Tamal is a nice tree in Vrindavan, and because the color of the tree exactly resembles that of Krsna, therefore Srimati Radharani always used to take rest underneath the Tamal tree when she was feeling separation from Krsna.
So for European activities, I have sent you there, and for its nice organization, I am counting upon you very much. You have so kindly written to say, "Please order me in any way Your Grace desires, everything I have including myself belongs to You, and Your Grace may do with me as You wish." So it is my desire that in Europe you will kindly occasionally visit the three countries--England, France, and Germany--and see that the things are going very nicely.
In England, your suggestion to open a few other Temples in big cities like Birmingham, Manchester, and Liverpool, is very much welcome. For constructing Temples in England, especially in London, I have got very good support from a very rich man in India. Not only he, but also many others will be ready to pay for our construction such Temples, but I want the Temples should be constructed by the local natives--that is our success. If I bring money from India and construct a Temple here in a Western country, that is not very creditable. Now, this Temple of Los Angeles is completely undertaken by your countrymen and that is a good credit for me.
Anyway, if I go to India for some days, I am sure I shall be able to collect a considerable amount of money for this purpose, but I wish that people from this part of the world should be sympathetic with my movement. This means good organization to convince the people of the Western countries that we are doing something which is very, very much beneficial for everyone, and especially for this part of the world.
Regarding a place in Paris, you write to say that there is accommodation, but you are in want of money. If this is a fact, then immediately find out a nice place for our Paris center, and if you let me know how much you require, then I may try for it. But I am very much hopeful from your statement that in Paris we have got very good prospect of organizing this movement. Simply by your request only so many young boys and girls joined--this is a very good sign. I have information from reliable sources that in France this Krsna Consciousness Movement has very good chance.
So far translating our literatures, if you simply send the matter, our press will immediately give you so many books. You can print books in small sizes and distribute them profusely. Small books like "Easy Journey to Other Planets" and "Isopanisad" will be very quickly sold more than the larger volumes of TLC and Srimad-Bhagavatam. So if Suridas and Woomapati engage themselves five hours for translating work, there will be no difficulty to publish our French language books immediately. So arrange for this.
I have received one copy of the latest French BTG, published from Montreal. It is printed in our ISKCON Press in Boston, and they have done it very nicely. If for the present this BTG published from Montreal can be useful? I am sending by separate airmail one copy which you can examine, and if you think they are useful for your purpose, you can immediately ask them to send you as many copies as you need.
Your suggestion for Murari's opening a center at Amsterdam is very much welcome. His wife, Lilavati is very intelligent and both of them can do the preaching work very diligently in that place, so try to give effect to this proposal.
Regarding this Temple, actually it is simply Krsna's grace that we have such a nice place very suitably arranged for our all purposes. Both the devotees and myself are living very comfortably, and the Temple is in the center between us. The kitchen is very nice and the frontage with a small garden space, as well as sufficient place for parking, on the junction of very important roads--all these facilities make the position of this building unique. Besides that, the banks, stores, laundry, medical house, everything is within easy reach, so we must consider this as Krsna's gift.
Regarding the appointment of Suridas to the post of president, that is a very good proposal. He is intelligent, sincere devotee, and similarly his wife is also.
Regarding your question about annamoya, pranamoya, etc. Yes, they are different stages of consciousness. Different living beings are situated in different consciousness, Some are satisfied in the matter of eating and sleeping, they are on the annamoya stage. Pranamoya means those who can simply survive in the struggle for existence. Manomoya means philosophical speculation. Jnanamoya means self-realization, vijnanamoya means application of that stage in practical life, and when there is the right perfection of life that is anandamoya stage or Krsna Consciousness.
So by the grace of Lord Caitanya, in this age our movement is giving directly the anandamoya stage, and anyone can visit our Temple and see how our students are in blissful life. Naturally they are in jolly mood by chanting, dancing, and taking Prasadam. Your regular chanting of Mahamantra and reading of books will keep you always fit for pushing on this movement. This formula should be rigidly followed by everyone of us.
In conclusion, I may inform you that Acyutananda has given publicity in an important newspaper that next year I am going to India with forty students, so for the next year we have got sufficient margin of time--eight months--so what do you think? Shall we be able to have our World Samkirtan by that time? That will be very nice. All our selected students like yourself, Hansadutta, Mukunda, Shyamsundar, Woomapati, etc. along with their wives, and some of the students from here may join, then we can go to India via Africa, and then after a few days in India, we can come back via Japan, So you have to consult over this matter also because it is already advertised in India.
I have also just received the second copy of this letter sent by you.
Hope this will meet you in good health. Please offer my blessings to Woomapati and his new wife Ilavati Dasi, and to all the other boys and girls there in Paris center.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS:db

Sriman Tamal Krsna Das Adhikary
c/o Woomapati Das Adhikary
American Center
261 Bd Raspail
Paris 14e, France