750831 - Letter to Svarupa Damodara written from Vrndavana

Letters by Date, 1975

Krishna Balaram Mandir, Raman Reti,
Vrindaban, U.P.

August 31, 75

Sriman Swarupa Damodar das Brahmachary
ISKCON
1287 Ponce De Leon Ave.
Atlanta, Georgia 30306

My Dear Swarupa Damodar das:
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 6, 1975 with enclosed photo of the Gour Nitai Deities. It is very nice how you are worshiping the Deities. Our movement of Krishna consciousness is not dry. Your letter was pleasing to me. I am glad that you have keen interest in the Institute program. Be ready, as I am negotiating. As soon as it is complete, I shall send a telegram for you to come. In the meantime request all GBC's to send lists of all our disciples who have B.A., M.A. or Ph.D. degrees.
I am glad to know that you are getting nice cows for your farm. If you have good cows then you will have good milk, which is the most important food. We are giving cow protection in the very place where they are eaten. At Bon Maharaj's Institute there is enough land for also keeping cows.
I was not able to come to Atlanta because I was called here to India on urgent business. Also I was feeling inconvenient by so much travelling. Regarding your question, so long they are not getting the human form by natural elevation, they are under the laws of nature. "prakrteh kriyamanani, gunaih karmani sarvasah (BG 3.27), "Material nature is helping to bring him to the human body, or human species. When a human being is civilized he can take knowledge from Vedic literature. So in Kali Yuga the Srimad-Bhagwatam is the essence of Vedic literature: nigama kalpa taror galitam phalam (SB 1.1.3).
So by study of Srimad-Bhagwatam under the bona fide spiritual master, one becomes aware of the full value of life, and then he revives his original Krishna consciousness. That is the perfection of life. The individual soul is already under specific material nature, and the process is going on in lower grades of life, but in the human form of life by advancement of education, one can become above the modes of material nature. That chance is given to him. This is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: "yanti deva vrata devan (BG 9.25)." So if he likes he can go back to Godhead, "yanti mad yajino 'pi mam," and stop this transmigration process. Then he comes again perfect in Krishna consciousness. We are trying to bring the human society to this stage of life.
In human life even in the lower stage of modes of nature, he can come to the higher stage. That is our movement. In the animal form there is no chance, only in the human form. Unfortunately the modern mode of education is to kill this chance. In animal stage of life it is very dangerous.
I hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/bs

N.B. The negotiation with Bon Maharaj is not very feasible. It is too much encumberous. So if it possible, you start the Institute in USA. Do you think it is possible here in India or in USA?