740408 - Letter to Shyamsundar Brahmachari written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1974

Letter to Shyamsundar Brahmachari

Hare Krishna Land
Gandhi Gram Road
Juhu, Bombay 54, INDIA

April 8                 74


Dear Shyamsundar Brahmachari,
Please accept my greetings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 3/4/74.
I have not visited Jagannath Puri because my men are not allowed to see the deity. When you arrange that we can visit the temple with my disciples then I can come immediately. Now I am in India up until May 15 then I am going to Europe to visit in France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany etc., and then I will come back and remain until the end of August, and then go again to England, and the U.S. This is my program. I am still here until the 15th of May. I am going to Hyderabad on the 18th of April and then going to Tirupati. So from there I can go to Jagannath Puri if arrangements can be made.
It is very regrettable that these European and American boys who are purely Vaisnava and who follow all principles are not allowed by the rascals to enter the temple. As stated in the Padma Purāṇa: arcye visnau siladhir gurusu naramatir vaisnave jatibhuddhir.

I do not know what makes the management take this attitude. If you can remove this restriction you will do a great service to the Gaudiya Vaisnava community. According to shastra anyone who wears telok and sika and kunti over and above the Vaishnava dress or Vaishnava sannyasi must be accepted especially while chanting Hare Krishna mantra with bead bags. Kindly convince them and induce them to allow these Vaishnavas to enter Jagannath Temple.
One friend in Orissa has offered to give us land in Buboneswara and I have a desire to construct a big Jagannath temple there for our men if we are not allowed to enter Jagannath temple in Puri. In Jagannath temple people come from all the Indian states. Now when Jagannath has expanded His jurisdiction over the whole world why the so called servants of Jagannath should not allow them to see the Lord of the Universe? I don't know their philosophy.
We shall see that your copies of Back to Godhead are dispatched to you.
In conclusion, I shall come to Jagannath Puri as you have kindly insisted, but only when they allow entry to all my disciples.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/sdg
Dr. Shyamsundar Brahmachari
Shree Purushottam Math
Chatak parvat,
Gourbat Sahi, Puri, Orissa, INDIA