760624 - Letter to Yasodanandana and Acyutananda written from New Vrindaban, USA

Letters by Date, 1976

New Vrindaban,
return address: New York

June 24, 1976

His Holiness
Yasodanandan Swami,
Acyutanandan Swami,
Hare Krishna Land,
Nampally Station Road,
Hyderabad, A.P., 500-001
India

My dear Yasodanandan Maharaj and Acyutananda Maharaj,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 10, 1976 with enclosed photographs; especially the one taken in Bangalore of the Bar Association members taking my books was best of all.

The people of Bangalore have again shown nice response to our coming, so keep the relationship very friendly, and deal carefully. I am very pleased to read the letter of commendation from the other sannyasis in South India. Now you can make copies of all these letters and send them to both the Jagannath Temple in Puri, and the Ranganath Temple in Vrindaban and get their official reply.

Our movement is for everyone. It is not sectarian. When we speak of no intoxication, it is meant for everyone. You should always remember the statement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu:

yei bhaje sei bada abhakta-hina, chara

"Anyone who takes to devotional service is exalted, whereas a nondevotee is always condemned and abominable. Therefore in the discharge of devotional service of the Lord,there is no consideration of the status of one's family." CC antya 4.67.

The devotee is great and the nondevotee is downtrodden. And in the matter of devotional service of Krishna, there is no concern of caste and creed. Krsna also says, mam hi partha vyapasritya ye'pi syuh pata-yonayayah (BG 9.32). Even the papa-yonayayah, if he takes to devotional service, he also goes back to Home, Back-to-Godhead. This conception of caste on the basis of birthright has killed the Vedic culture. Also in the Srimad Bhagavatam it is said:

yasya yallaksanam proktam
puso varnabhivyanjakam,
yadanyatrapi drsyeta
tat tenaiva vinirdiset
(SB 7.11.35)

So despite all these things, these people are still insisting that one can only be Vaishnava if born in a brahmin family. That is not a very learned position.

As yet I have not received a confirmation from

[TEXT MISSING]

which I had sent to him c/o Hyderabad temple. Also, the BBT Bombay says that you owe Rs. 83,000 to them. So why haven't you paid yet? You are such a big preacher, why you shall remain in debt?

I hope that this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/pks