711003 - Letter to Damodara written from Nairobi

Letters by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

October 03, 1971

My Dear Damodara,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to aknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21st September, 1971 and have noted the contents. I have seen the copy of the letter from the department of State. So keep on trying, Krishna will help you. One thing is that Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India, is expected by the 3rd November in Washington D.C. so try to bring her to our temple and give her a nice feast, so that she can know what ISKCON is doing there in U.S.A.

I am so glad to hear that there are many new devotees there and they are doing so nicely. All newcomers should be welcomed and well treated. In the beginning they may be treated leniently and gradually they will learn. So out of many thousands of people on comes to become Krishna Conscious. So it is our duty to help them as far as possible. that is one of our activities.

Yes, this Govardhana puja is a bona fide procedure, but such things cannot be held in your country. It requires good space to decorate the imitation hill of rice. So when we offer such hill of rice, there must be other things also—a hill of capatis and other things. It is a huge affair. In India practically in all the Visnu temples this is observed and they spend huge amounts for this purpose and they distribute prasadam to thousands and everyone gathers to take even a little portion of it. If you can introduce this Govardhana puja, I have no objection, but it requires hard labor, good management and much money also. But the process is bona fide.

Yes, the picture is bona fide. Whatever the Indian gentleman may say, that is up to him, but this picture is bona fide; it is called Bala Krishna.

Please offer my blessings to the others there. Hoping this will meet you all in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami