770628 - Letter to Ajamila from Tamal Krsna

June 28, 1977

From: Tamal Krishna

Dear Ajamila Prabhu,

Please accept my humble obeisances. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 20th June, 1977.

By the time this letter reaches you perhaps Brahmananda Maharaja will also be there and be able to help you on deciding on Janakinath Prabhu’s service. As I told you previously Janakinath should have been engaged for preaching. I think had he been, this problem which you mention would not have arisen. I do not remember if we advised him to get married before, but it is natural when someone stays around a temple, without a great deal of preaching, and has to associate with woman, that he will become attracted. This is due to our previous association with women since our very childhood. He can be a very good Brahmachary so I do not think there is any need for him to get married. The best thing will be for him to immediately go out traveling and preaching. If a man can avoid marriage, he should do so at any cost. Marriage is simply a problem and a burden to spiritual life. If this girl wants to get married, rather than her returning to England, perhaps Jayatirtha Prabhu can arrange to send a devotee to Africa to be her husband and serve there, sine he is going to send devotees anyway. Otherwise if she returns to England, perhaps another British girl could be sent in her place, but it would be better if any of the women who are sent are married, and are sent with their husbands.

The success you are having with selling the Bhagavatam Cantos to the life members is very appreciated and would be well copied by other countries. I would advise that Brahmananda Maharaja and yourself may write a letter to the other major life membership directors for suggesting that they take up this program. You are correct that unless we are pure how we can make others pure: unless we are strong, how can we make others strong. Therefore we must always act to teach others by our example. This is the meaning of acarya – one who teaches by example. So our first business is to follow the regulative principles and chant 16 rounds and attend the full devotional program. This will ensure our own strength as well as set the standard for everyone else to follow. Srila Prabhupada was very pleased to know that this daily preaching program to the Africans is continuing so nicely that now 100 boys are coming everyday. Any reports or photographs which you can send His Divine Grace in this respect would be very much appreciated and enthusing to Him.

Hoping this meets both you and all of the devotees there in the best of health and Krsna consciousness. Kindly offer my respectful obeisances to His Holiness Chyavana Swami and tell him that I have received his letter.

Your servant,

Tamal Krsna Gosvami

Secretary to Srila Prabhupada

His Grace Ajamila das Brahmacary

c/o ISKCON Nairobi

/tkg