730719 - Letter to Karandhara written from Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK

Letters by Date, 1973

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: Bhaktivedanta Manor,
Letchmore Heath, Herts,
England

DATE ................July..19...1973..

My Dear Karandhar,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 12, 1973 and I have carefully studied the contents.
Regarding deposits in my bank account, yes, in the future you may make deposits in account number 366 8 80613. In the meantime, I am sending a letter to the Bank of America authorizing them to transfer $700.00 from my checking account to my investment account.
Here at Bhaktivedanta Manor the place is the nicest possible. It is calm and quiet and the village is neat and clean. I am daily walking in the morning with all devotees and I am taking the usual class from 7-8 A.M. Very respectable gentlemen are coming in the evening. Last night George Harrison came. He has become a greatsupporter of our movement. He may spend more for expanding our activities. He told me smilingly yesterday, "I shall try to help you for expanding many temples." So arrangement is going on here for installing the deity on Janmastami: Many Indians are also coming and we are proposing to start a Gurukula here in London so that Indian children may be admitted. Indian gentlemen are perplexed because there is no institution to admit children to keep intact the Indian cult. So our idea of teaching sanskrit and English and our books they appreciate very much. If we start another Gurukula here I think it will be not an unprofitable activity.
Certainly I will return in September to Los Angeles. It is nice to hear that the work on the new temple will be much progressed by then.
Regarding Swarupa Damodar's going to the colleges, Rai Ramananda has also agreed to come. I met him recently in India and he is enthusiastic. Now we shall put this challenge against this wrong theory that life comes from matter. Undoubtedly matter has come from life, and we can present so many practical proofs of this. So let Swarupa Damodar and Ramananda think in their own chemical language how to push this fact to the scientific world. If by Krsna's grace they even partially admit it, it will be a great triumph. My point is even if they partially accept then they have to find out what is the original life. In the sastras we have information that the original life in the universe is Brahma and Brahma is also a product of Garbhodaksayee Vishnu. Garbhodaksayee Vishnu is a product of Karanadaksayee Vishnu and in this way we ultimately reach Krsna the Cause of all Causes. We have to give a fight to the wrong conception of the unauthorized scientist.

Your plan for going to the colleges in California and your titles for the lectures are very much to my liking. You may write to Ramananda to come as soon as possible. He told me he can come and see me in London [handwritten]. Anyway, his coming there is sure, so correspond with him; and make a strong party.
Your victory over the scientist who was saying that life comes from dust is very good. We should not take such nonsense from them. We should speak up against such false theorists and say, "Don't talk such nonsense please. Don't mislead the public. You are taking big salaries and leading the public wrongly. It would be better for you to be a street sweeper and earn an honest livelihood instead of cheating."
Regarding the contract arranged by Jai Hari for distribution of books, we want the better terms; so please send better terms. I do not know the terms, so we have to compare. We shall accept the better terms. If Macmillan takes that is best. So I shall ask Shyamsundar not to do it and I await your sending counter-terms.
Regarding Mr. Kallman and his new offer of the record, do not enter unless he releases full rights to us. Don't take an adventure with him, he may take advantage of our advertising and not give me anything. He originally was agreed to give me 10% royalty but he never gave me anything. Deal carefully with him.
I approve of your plans to divide my downstairs quarters into 3 rooms and utilize it.
Regarding incorporation of our ISKCON centers, we want to run all our centers as nonprofit religious organizations; that is the main point. Keeping this point in view too much official control is not good in spiritual life. The centers should remain spiritually fit and independent. Some control must be there as is now. Too much control means so many vouchers. Gradually it will become a mundane institution. All our managers should be spiritually advanced simple and honest in carrying out the orders of the spiritual master and Krsna. That will be a nice standard. Democracy in spiritual affairs is not at all good but breeds power politics. We should be careful about power politics. Our only aim should be that each and every devotee is full dedicated to Krsna, then things will go on nicely. As it states in the Vedas:

yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau
tasyaite kathita hy artha
prakasante maha twanah

I am afraid of taxing my brain about this Corporation of ISKCON so you and Bali Mardan Maharaj do the needful that will be a relief to me.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/sdg