700515 - Letter to Tamala Krishna written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1970

ISKCON
International Society for Krishna Consciousness Inc.
Acharya-His Divine Grace 108 Sri Srimad A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad
3764 WATSEKA AVENUE - LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA 90034
Telephone:213-836-0966
213-836-9286

15th May, 1970

HEADQUARTERS

PAN AMERICAN
Boston
Los Angeles
CANADIAN
Toronto
EUROPEAN
London
SOUTH ASIAN
Mayapur
FAR EASTERN
Tokyo
SOUTPACIFIC
Sydney
COMMUNITY PROJECT
New Vrindaban, West Virginia

My Dear Tamal,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 11th May, 1970, and noted the contents.
When you go to London making plans for World Samkirtan, you may take into consideration of the proposal made by Mr. Parikh. He said that from Kenya there is invitation for our group to perform Kirtan there. So if we go, a group of at least 25 heads, they have already agreed to pay for return journey and accommodation there. So on your way to India you can perform Kirtan in some important cities of Europe, and then go to Africa, Kenya.
From Kenya you may go to South Africa. In this way you collect funds there from Indians and proceed to Bombay. In Bombay some of my friends will receive you very nicely, and from Bombay you gradually travel all over through other provinces namely Gujarat, Rajasthan, Central India, Northern India, then Behar, and then reach to Bengal. In Bengal we then start our own Temple at Mayapur, and some of the devotees may live there in batches. Some batches go, some batches come.
I am so pleased to learn that there are so many interested French persons joining our Movement in Paris. Regarding the two new couples who are serious to learn this Krsna consciousness, please take care of them nicely, and make them devotees.
Please see that the French and German editions of BTG are published as soon as possible, that is one of my dreams. And then we take the books and publish them in French and German languages. My Guru Maharaj liked the publicaton of books very nice. He liked publication of books more than construction of Temples.
Regarding Woomapati and his wife moving very soon to Hamburg for composing on the new composing machine, that is very nice, the arrangement is good. Let them work hard for translating and composing, and his wife may also be engaged in this work.
Regarding your question about Lord Jagannath and Lord Krsna, Jagannath is Krsna. Krsna's childhood up to His 15th year He lives in Vrndavana. Radharani is His childhood friend. But Krsna, after returning to His father's home at Dvaraka, came to see Kurukshetra during some solar eclipse. At that time His sister Subhadra and brother Balarama also came in a chariot, and this incident is worshiped as Jagannath Ratha Yatra. The conclusion is that Jagannath and Krsna is the same.
So Krsna when He is with His brother and sister, He is Jagannath, and when He is with His village girl-friends that is Radha-Krsna with Gopis. So Whomever you worship, it is the same, but if you like to worship Jagannanth you can continue it and it is as good as worshiping Radha-Krsna. Krsna has so many forms, and which ever form you worship it is all the same, but you should worship that form which you like most.
Regarding the means of worship, our Vaisnava process is first offer respects to the Spiritual Master, then Lord Caitanya, and then Lord Krsna. Vyasa is the Spiritual Master, therefore the Spiritual Master is the representative of Vyas. Therefore the Spiritual Master's seat is called 'Vyasasana.'
Please offer my blessings to your good wife, Madri Dasi, and to all the other Prabhus there in Paris.
Hope this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami