700707 - Letter to Jananivasa written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1970

3764 Watseka Avenue
Los Angeles, Cal. 90034

7th July 70

My Dear Jananibas,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 12th June, 1970, and noted the contents carefully. I am very glad to learn that you are appreciating the importance of very nice Samkirtan activities for the purpose of attracting people to our movement. This was the simple program of Lord Caitanya and it is our business to follow His Samkirtan Movement for the welfare of everyone. So please see that your Samkirtan program is made as attractive as possible.

You write to say that your preaching work has not been very successful at the Ohio State University, but your visits to several other near by have been well received. This is good news that in several university campuses Krsna Consciousness movement is well liked and you are giving a credit course next winter. So do not be discouraged that some of the young students are too much involved with some other business to listen, but go on with the work undaunted. Actually the younger generation, especially the hippies are our best clients, so they are feeling very keenly the frustration of material life and it is our duty as Vaisnavas to be very sympathetic with them and give this Krsna consciousness to them some way or other.

I am very glad also to know that you are managing the schedule of your center very capably. Of course Samkirtan is our most important engagement, but all the temple activities must go on regularly without any pause. This following of the daily duties will carry us to the spiritual platform very rapidly. I have looked over the sample of test paper from Srimati Joanne and it is very nice. This question and answer practice should be encouraged amongst the devotees. Then they will become trained to reply questions from outsiders.

Yes, you are right to say that as our devotees become more devotional, the non-devotees also come to hear. To become advanced in spiritual life of devotional service to Krsna means to acquire spiritual strength, and this spiritual strength is for impressing devotional service into the hearts of the fallen souls. Also you must all become expert preachers and show the exemplary life of a devotee you must keep yourself spiritually fit by observing the regulative principles strictly.

Regarding the initiations of the two girls, I have chanted their beads duly and returned the same to them by mail parcel. I hope they have been received by this time. I beg to thank you very much for your contribution of $40 on behalf of these new initiates which as been duly entered in the book fund account.

Please convey my blessings to all the devotee boys and girls there in Columbus center. Hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS:db

Sriman Jananibas Das Brahmacary
ISKCON Temple
318 East 20th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43201