710814 - Letter to Tamala Krishna written from London

Letters by Date, 1971

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: 7, Bury Place,
London, W.C. 1: ENGLAND

DATE .......14th..August,........19.71..

My Dear Tamal Krishna,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 9th August, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I am sick here since the last four days. The climate here in London is not at all suitable for me. There is no sunshine. Almost always there is darkness and rain. So it has affected my health, because I am already rheumatic.
I approached the high commissioner here requesting him to write a letter to Indira Gandhi to accept our invitation. He has already written to her and I am waiting the reply. As soon as I get a definite answer I shall leave London. If the reply is favorable then I shall go towards India, maybe visiting Switzerland for a few days. Otherwise I shall return to N.Y. It is proposed by the 15th September a meeting of GBC will be held there. We require to hold this important meeting of the GBC to formulate the rules and regulations how things will be worked on. Sometime there are complaints against the GBC which is not very favorable. I set up the GBC with hope that I shall get relief from administration of the mission but on the contrary I have become the center of receiving so many complaints. So it is not a relief for me, rather it is becoming a little troublesome. Anyway, by the grace of Krishna things will be settled up very soon.
I am very glad to know that your trial balance and balance sheet of accounts are being prepared, but I am simply surprised why the professional accountant did not take up this matter first before proposing audit of accounts, because after writing to you about this trial balance, you then said that it is now being prepared. This matter does not seem to be very expertly handled. Anyway do the needful. Prepare the trial balance and balance sheet and mail them to me.
Regarding Delhi, I was sending Ksirodaksayee Das to take charge because Subal Swami was not fixed up and I also requested both you and Gurudas to go there. From Ksirodaksayee Prabhu I understand that the proprietor of the dharmashalla has given in writing that we can stay in that dharmashalla indefinitely provided we go on holding our classes, kirtan, etc. So it is very good that you have decided to go there. Ksirodaksayee may reach Delhi by the middle of September. In Delhi so long Ksirodaksayee does not reach, you remain there and organize the center very nicely with the help of Gurudas, Subal Maharaj and others. As soon as he goes there you may return. It may be that your personal presence will be needed at the GBC meeting. I have no objection for Gurudas becoming president. Our main business is to preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement. When American boys and girls push on this Krishna Consciousness movement, everyone is interested with this movement, not with what office he holds. So if Gurudas becomes president, let him become so. Then the post of secretary and treasurer may be divided between Subal Swami and Ksirodaksayee. That you can settle up when he reaches. In the meantime you organize that center very nicely. Regarding Achyutananda, he may not come to Delhi because I think his presence in Mayapur is necessary. I understand from his letter that he has already ordered some bricks for the toilet room. So for the time he may not come to Delhi.
We have already submitted here for missionary visas and at least five men will reach India very soon. Nanda Kumar's wife has already gone. Visal Das Brahmachary is here on his way to India. Nara Narayan and his wife also are ready. I have already engaged Nara Narayan, Vasudev and Ranchor to prepare a grand scale plan for the Mayapur land and as soon as it is prepared, Nara Narayan will go there. Bhavananda is coming here on his way to India. He will reach here on the 19th August. Bhavananda and Nara Narayan, they have got good experience in building affairs so I think if we engage professional masons and supervise the work ourselves, we can save so much money. There are many experienced masons and as I have already told you, they have already constructed Sridhar Maharaj's temple. So there will be no difficulty.
So far Giriraj is concerned, he requires a little freedom to work. I think he should be given that opportunity.
Please offer my Vyas pooja blessings to everyone of you. I am so much pleased with the book put together by you. It will be read tomorrow in the meeting. Similar publication was done by ISKCON Press. So I thank you very much, all of you, for appreciating my humble service which I am trying to render as a matter of duty ordered by my Guru Maharaj I request all my disciples to work cooperatively and I am sure our mission will advance without any doubt.
Regarding Ramananda at Gorakhpur, he is very important hand as Hindi translator. So I do not find any reason why Chopra or other members in Gorakhpur should complain against him. So things should be handled very carefully because everyone engaged in Krishna's service should be given a chance to exercise this transcendental business very nicely. I am getting older and the 76th anniversary of my birth observed by my disciples means that I am getting older. Naturally my health does not allow me to work very hard but still I am working as hard as possible to advance this mission and I request all my disciples to give their full cooperation in this great task.
I have received one letter from Madhudvisa Maharaj. Things are going on nicely in Bombay. So please try to make another nice center in New Delhi by combined effort.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/adb

c/o ISKCON Calcutta