741227 - Letter to Durgesh written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1974

27, Dec. 74
Hare Krishna Land
Gabdhi Gram Rd., Juhu
Bombay 400 054

Durgesh Patel
105, Park Ave.
Southall, Midd'x
England

My dear Durgesh,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 10-12-74 and have noted the contents carefully.
It has been recommended to me by the leaders in London that you should move into our temple as a permanent brahmachary and that your father will allow it if I also recommend. After studying your letter carefully and seeing the devotion and sincerity that you possess I am also very much in favor of your staying at our temple as a brahmacary. In my previous letter I had said that you could go to school during the week and live in the temple on the weekends. But I did not know how serious and determined you were to become Krsna Conscious. Someone as determined as you should be given facilities to spend cent percent of his time in Krsna Consciousness. Therefore I would be very happy to see you living in the temple, following all of our principles of pure life and becoming an expert scholar in Vedic knowledge, through studying my books diligently. This is real education. The so-called education that they are teaching in the schools and universities today is simply useless knowledge which is all based on atheistic and speculative theories. The teachers themselves are following no real authorities in wisdom neither do they set any good examples for their students. By going to school today there is always the danger through bad association of becoming entangled in so many unwanted things such as illicit sex, intoxication etc. Therefore definitely the best thing for you is to live in our temple in London. Please request your father on my behalf to let you do this. If there is any hesitation on his part please request him to write me and I will try to clarify things. If you go to live at our temple, because of your age, you should have a written statement from your father showing that he has given permission. Then authorities will not think that you are a run away.
I hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/ps