711212 - Letter to Kirtanananda written from Delhi

Letters by Date, 1971

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: December 12, 1971
Camp: 7-E Kamala Nagar, "Gita Bhawan," Delhi-7, India.

My Dear Kirtanananda Maharaj,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of November 17, 1971, and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. I am especially pleased that your travelling Sankirtan Party is being organized nicely under your supervision, and that it is meeting with good success. This travelling SKP is busses carrying tents is very encouraging. It should be continued all over the country. One thing is that all the students on the party must strictly follow the rules and regulations. Cleanliness is most essential, rising early, taking bath, etc. It is not that because we are travelling that we can neglect our routine work and become irregular in our habits. No, we must make every effort to remain regulated and clean, this is the solid basis for our work. When our routine work, like chanting, reading books, nice arotik, deity worship, etc., is very nice, then our preaching will have effect. That is the secret.
You mention that you will open centers, many centers. I don't think there is need to open many more centers in your country. Rupanuga proposes to open only a few more centers in big cities and concentrate the balance of men in college preaching and travelling parties like yours. To manage centers requires many men, so unless we have got many men this idea will not be very fruitful. Better if there are a few important centers and travelling parties for the smaller towns and villages, going and coming back, going and coming back, like this.
Sheelavati should not think displeasure. There is no question of displeasure. Because we are travelling, your letters sometimes reach me only after several weeks, and similarly my replies may be delayed. There cannot be displeasure. This is my mission and you are helping me, so whatever help you are giving is welcome. There is no possibility of displeasure.
I was thinking that you could send that Cadillac car to India, but I understand there are no spare parts available here, so what is the use? So use it for equipping your travelling party as you see fit.
I am very glad to consent to accept the nice boys and girls you have recommended as my duly initiated disciples. I have replied them under separate cover, and have also sent five sets of beads duly chanted, along with five copies of gayatri mantra and five sacred threads, also duly chanted on, by separate post. Hold a fire yagna and give sacred threads and gayatri mantra to Karnamrita, Srutakirti, Kuladri, Harikesa, and Devaprastha. I think you can obtain a tape of me reciting gayatri mantra from Rupanuga. One thing is that the tape should be heard through earphones into the right ear. So the fire yajna can be held for all ten devotees.
The spiritual names of the new initiate

Elliot Kidd: LAMBODARA DAS [handwritten]

Gene Laska: GARIYAN DAS[handwritten]

Mike Cassady: MANGALANANDA [handwritten] DAS

Juba Tolent: NAVAYOUBANA DAS [handwritten]

Dale Fawley: DULAL CHANDRA DAS [handwritten]

Kindly push on with this travelling preaching party, distribute as many books as possible, and this will be the real contribution to Lord Chaitanya's Movement.
I hope this will meet you and your party all in good health and cheerful mood,

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/sda