711127 - Letter to Kirtiraja written from Vrndavana

Letters by Date, 1971

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: November 27, 1971 Camp: Vrindaban, U.P.
(mailing adress:
7-D Kamala Nagar
Delhi-7.)

My Dear Kirtiraja das,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of you letter of November 14, 1971, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very pleased that you have taken over responsibility for our ISKCON books mail-order department. I consider it one of the most important posts in our Society, so you must be very diligent to perform very nicely this immense work. I especially want that my books and literatures should be distributed profusely, but so far I understand this is not being done very perfectly. So I want that you all my students shall very vigorously try for this book distribution. Do not hesitate to use your American and European brains to increase, that is Krishna's special gift to you, now use it. Any activity which will please Krishna should be accepted favorably, this is our guiding principle. Now apply it in this way, by doing everything and anything for spreading this Krishna Conscious literature, and this is really pleasing to Krishna, know it for certain. Especially you must always be eager to supply all our branches all over the world with whatever literature they require, not that they must pay and then get books like ordinary mundane business. It is not that they shall not pay for books, but that payment must come gradually and in regular installments. We have to be prompt and gracious in this business of mail-order books, and I am very encouraged that you are enthusiastic to do everything required for increasing in this way.
If the letter you receive in my name are simply requests for information, then you may answer on my behalf. However if there are questions of philosophy or for personal advice, you should either answer them by consulting Rupanuga or a senior devotee, or send them to me and I shall answer. You can send me a few samples of such letters and I shall see them.
We are now printing our Hindi and Bengali BTG's in India, so you may now stop supplying my godbrothers in India to save postage. Instead, you send me the list of those you are supplying and we shall supply from here. If you require any Hindi or Bengali BTG's for distribution outside of India, you may write to Tamal Krishna on this point.
I have no objection if you deal with Mr. Kallman. There's no question of stopping dealing with anyone if by such dealing we are spreading Krishna Consciousness favorably. But one thing, this Mr. Kallman does not give me any royalty for that record album—why is this? We can always manufacture that album ourselves if there is great demand. Or is there some contract? Why not find out that contract and send me one copy.

Regarding prasadam, leftovers should always be taken if they have not spoiled or if they have not [handwritten] been touched by diseased persons. We should never waste Krishna prasadam. Best thing is to cook only what is required and then give each person what he wants. That is the Vedic system, that the people sit in rows behind their plates and servers pass down the rows and put a very small portion of each foodstuff on each plate, unless there is some objection by a person then nothing is given [handwritten]. Then if anyone wants more, the servers pass up and down the rows continually and give more if anyone requests. In this way nothing is wasted and everyone is satisfied.
I hope this meets you in good health and cheerful mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/sda