760617 - Letter to Prabhus from Ramesvara and Hridayananda

June 17, 1976

From: Hridayananda and Ramesvara

Dear Prabhus,

Please accept my most humble obeisances in the dust of your feet. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Recently, during his visit of New Dvaraka, Srila Prabhupada was disturbed to find that a group of devotees in ISKCON were misreading his books, and making a special attempt to fix their minds on Krsna’s confidential pastimes with the gopis, so that they can be elevated to the position of gopis after they quit their present bodies. This unauthorized hearing attempt greatly angered His Divine Grace, who labeled it “sahajiya”, and requested the GBC men to make a plan to save these devotees, and protect the others by holding isthagosis about the correct philosophy. After a careful investigation, Hridayananda Gosvami and myself discovered that they were holding special classes in the evening talking about such things as changing one’s rasa to madhurya rasa. Of course this is simply material ambition and foolishness – how can one discuss changing his eternal rasa before he has reawakened that original rasa?

So we feel it necessary, in order to please Srila Prabhupada, to make available some of Prabhupada’s recent statements as well as some nice scriptural references, which can be discussed in a temple isthagosi. Prabhupada wants all our members to understand clearly all these points, and resolve any questions they may have about this point of discussing Krsna’s confidential pastimes in a motivated way. His Divine Grace said that this sahajiya tendency threatens our preaching work, so please take this matter seriously and instruct the devotees on this subject.

Jai Prabhus, I hope this finds you well, and blissfully absorbed in serving Srila Prabhupada in the parampara, authorized manner.

Haribol, Your servants,

Hridayananda dasa Gosvami

G.B.C. Representative

Ramesvara dasa Swami

G.B.C. Representative