740819 - Letter to Sridhara written from Vrndavana

Letters by Date, 1974

Letter to Sridhara das (Page 1 of 2)

Letter to Sridhara das (Page 2 of 2)

Krishna Balaram Mandir
Raman Reti, Vrindaban
Dist. Mathura U.P.
8/19/74
Sridhara das Brahmacari
ISKCON Bombay
Hare Krishna Land
Gandhi Gram Road
Juhu, Bombay-54

My dear Sridhara das,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Aug. 14th, 1974 and have noted the contents. Yes you are correct that even though you do not consciously try to create misunderstanding still it seems to always come to you. Samsara davanalalidha loka tranaya karuna gana ganatvam praptasya kalyana gunarnavasyam bande guroh sri caranaravindam. This is the nature of the material world.
I am glad to hear that now in Bombay finally you have good facilities for eating and sleeping, other-wise how will you live? It is also good that Mr. Chandrai has donated a water filter.
Regarding your question about eternal spiritual and temporary spiritual, the temporary spiritual is the impersonal brahmajyoti. The impersonalists by severe austerities and penances arise to the Brahman effulgence. But it is only temporary. Eternally we cannot remain aloof. As living entities, we want pleasure in association; therefore we see in the material world where for sense gratification the karmis take so much responsibility. First of all they accept one wife. The more he enjoys the wife, the more he becomes implicated. So, this means that we must have pleasure even at the risk of gross implication. Therefore our Krishna Consciousness movement is that we want pleasure but without any implication. This is happening actually. All of our Krishna Consciousness students they are enjoying life without any implication.
The impersonalist who prefers to merge with the Brahman effulgence has no shelter at the lotus feet of Krishna. Therefore such impersonalist even though raised to the Brahman platform come down again to the material world for pleasure's sake. In India you will find many sannyasis who merge into the Brahma effulgence, but without any pleasure there, they come down to the platform of material activities of opening schools and hospitals--Daridra Narayan, etc. Such men with poor fund of knowledge do not know that in the material world however you try to arrange things very right, it will always fail. But in the spiritual world the spiritual varieties displayed by Krishna along with his associates gives eternal pleasure. That is wanted. The Brahma effulgence, there the pleasure is temporary.
I hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well wisher,
     
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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