740317 - Letter to Dr. Ghosh written from Vrndavana

Letters by Date, 1974

Krishna Balaram Temple
Raman Reti, Vrindaban,
Mathura, U.P., India

March 17 74

Dear Dr. Ghosh;
Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter of 10 March 1974 and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very much pleased to learn you are so much advanced spiritually. I have seen your book, Panchamrta, and found it very interesting. I can understand you are following the impersonal aspect of the Absolute Truth, but I am glad to see you have chanted the Holy Name of Lord Krsna. This is the only process:
kaler dosa-nidhe rajann asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet (SB 12.3.51)
In this age of Kali yuga everything is full of faulty things and the only remedy is to chant the Holy Name of Krsna. That is the injunction given in the Vedas. In any condition anyone can chant Hare Krsna Maha Mantra and by doing so one can be elevated to the highest platform. Param vijayate Sri Krsna sankirtanam This is a verse of Sikshastak by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I am also very glad to hear you want to retire completely from materialistic life and devote yourself fully to the service of the Lord. The service of the Lord can be done directly as Krsna says, Sarva dharman parityajna mam ekam saranam vrajam (BG 18.66). There is no need of rendering service to the deridras in order to reach Krsna. Of course we can show our mercy to the deridras, there is no objection, but this philosophy that Narayan comes in the form of deridra to receive our service is against our philosophy. Deridra is deridra, Narayan is Narayan. Narayan demands service directly not through deridra. But we can show our mercy to deridra, that is a different thing.
There are philosophic difference between other schools and the Bhagavad gita. I wish that you live with us for some time. Wherever you like, either Mayapur, Vrindaban or Bombay. We have books, about 20 in number, about 400 pages each, especially on the basis of Srimad Bhagavad gita, Srimad Bhagwatam, Caitanya-Caritamrita, Bhaktirasamrita sindhu etc. I know you are very studious and I request you to become a member of our society so you can get all the books free of charge. Anyway, it will be a great pleasure for me if you can come and live with me for some time. From here, Vrindaban, I am going to Bombay, at the following address: Hare Krishna Land, Gandhi Gram Road, Juhu, Bombay. Conveniently you may try to come and live with me for some time. Our philosophy is Krsnas tu bhagavan swayam (SB 1.3.28). The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Krsna and by His instruction we can become the supreme perfect:
mam ca yo 'vyabhicarena bhakti yogena sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma bhuyaya kalpate (BG 14.26)

You are also a devotee of Krsna, if you kindly try to understand this philosophy of bhakti yoga as stated by Rupa Goswami: anyabhilasita-sunyam jnama-karmady-anavrtam/ anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama [Bhakti-rasāmṛita-sindhu 1.1.11].

You have written to say you are 79 years old. I am also 78. You are such a learned medical man, if you preach Krsna consciousness to people it will be well received.
yad yad acarati sresthas tad tad evetaro janah
sa yat pramanam kurute lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21)
I wish that in the fag end of life if you and I together can preach Krsna Consciousness all over the world, people will be benefited and all problems of the world will be solved. That is my conviction. I take the opportunity of sending this letter with your cousin-brother Mr. Zazumdar. He is a nice gentleman, almost of our age. I talked with him and felt great pleasure. Sometimes I think of going to Allahabad. So whenever I shall get the opportunity I may go, as I like the place. I am obliged to you for your remembering me even after so many years passed when we were together in Prayag Pharmacy.
I hope this will meet you in good health.
I am advising my men in Calcutta to send one copy of Gita Gan in Bengali and in the meantime I am presenting to you one copy of our Krsna Book Trilogy. You will find a list of my other books printed in the Krsna Book.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/sdg