711222 - Letter to Balavanta written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1971

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: December 22, 1971
Camp: ISKCON Bombay

My dear Balavanta,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your two letters dated September 24, 1971, and November 22, 1971, and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. I am especially pleased that you are infiltrating the schools and colleges with improved programs, how to encourage the student class to participate in Krishna Consciousness. I completely approve of this program. I am also glad to hear from you how the distribution of literatures is also improving. That is the real meaning of improvement. The material scientists are fond of always improving this or that, but factually we see there is no real improvement. As soon as one trouble is eliminated, another is there. If we have cars to go faster and faster, then where are the roads for it, and so many people are killed. But real improvement means how to please Krishna more and more. That is real advancement, real progress. Actually, because you have surrendered to Krishna, you are already perfect. But it is just like the ocean; we can swim forever and never reach the shore. Similarly, there is no limit to perfection—we may go on improving more and more, and still there is no limit to how much we may please Krishna, just like for the materialist there is no limit to how much Maya can kick us:
We should always be enthusiastic to try for shooting the rhinoceros. That way, if we fail, everybody will say never mind, nobody can shoot a rhinoceros anyway, and if we succeed, then everyone will say, just see, what a wonderful thing they have done. So if you are determined in this way to expand the Atlanta Temple, then you can try for it by begging for the protection of Krishna. Consult Satsvarupa your GBC man in this regard.
Yes, it is a very good proposal that you should run for Mayor in Atlanta. I very much approve of this plan. We should always set the perfect example of Krishna Conscious person in all fields of activities, why not in politics? Let the people see you as the ideal politician engaged in real programs for the [text missing] February.
Somehow or other Krishna has given me all good assistants like yourself to carry on this preaching movement, and for this reason there is some success. I thank you very much for helping me in this way.
I hope this will meet you in good health and cheerful mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/sda