720622 - Letter to Madhupuri written from Los Angeles
Tridandi Goswami
A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
Founder Acharya:
International Society For Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: Los Angeles, ISKCON
DATE: June 22, 1972
My dear Madhupuri,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated June 17th 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. Generally, we may never expect to find any utopia so long we are in this material world, and sometimes unless we are very spiritually advanced we may also feel discomfort within the temples..., within the temple itself. That is to be expected in some cases. Therefore, you should not be very much worried. Misunderstandings and disagreements will come, even Krishna was sometimes quarreling with demons and even with the gopis like Radharani. So because quarreling is there in Krishna, so sometimes we are also quarreling, but we should not take this matter very seriously. After all, despite all of their faults, the Vaisnava devotees must be given always all respects and assistance in serving the Lord. If we do not work cooperatively in this way, the whole thing will deteriorate. As you increase numerically more and more your chanting of Hare Krishna mantra and increase also your daily reading of books, gradually you will come to the platform where there is no anxiety in spite of everything, and that is the potency of our devotional life. So you may live separately husband and wife, because you cannot cope with the temple life. But always remember to execute the rules and regulations and worship the Deities at your home very diligently. Try to read the books as often as you possibly can and try to discuss the subject matter from different angles of vision with your husband and the other devotees. The more you become familiar with our philosophy, the more you will become convinced and free from doubt. But if there is no possibility for learning the philosophy, then try to chant Hare Krishna constantly and you will realize the same effect of becoming actually happy.
Hoping this meets you and your husband, Mangalamaya, in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.
Madhupuri devi dasi,
c/o Madhupuri devi dasi,
5538 Morris, Street,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Pa. 19144.