740327 - Letter to Mukunda written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1974

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: Hare Krishna Land,
Gandhi Gram Road,
Juhu, Bombay 54, INDIA

DATE ...............March.27,............19.74..

Dear Mukunda,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 21 March and I have examined the contents.
That the standard of Krsna Consciousness deteriorated while you were away two weeks, and three brahmacharies have left Bhaktivedanta Manor is not good. But neither do I think your proposals are very good for organizing a strong center by stopping Rebatinandan Swami's travelling party and having the president of the London temple Prabhu Vishnu and others stay with you at the center. It seems you are always asking others to come for some time to work with you and organize, then after they leave you turn to some one else to come and help. Madhavananda is here with me in Bombay and I think he is the right man to work with you permanently at the Manor. I sent him there for that purpose, to organize things as he has experience of the management and organization of a temple life. So between you and he, if you will mutually cooperate, there should be sufficient power to run things nicely.
Rebatinandan Swami should not stay there but his travelling party should go on for preaching and distributing many books at the colleges and schools. Also Prabhu Vishnu is supposed to stay in London as he is the president there.
As far as separation of men and women in Bhaktivedanta Manor, that should be strictly observed in the main temple building; between single men and women there must be strict division and strict observance of no illicit sex. The householders may continue stay as they are in the cottage house, living peacefully as grhasthas. Whether grhasthas, sannyasa or brahmachary everyone has to be completely engaged all the time in devotional service. That is the meaning of good management, to see that everyone is engaged 24 hours a day, and not sleeping unnecessarily or talking idly. I think Madhavananda has good ideas and is a good organizer. So he is returning to you in a few days; you two please work together so that devotees will be enthusiastic to remain and work at the Manor. We have such a nice variety of engagement there, sankirtan, deity worship, gardening--there is no scarcity of important work. I shall be eager to hear from you further how things are going in all departments, at our European Headquarters.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami