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| Prabhupada Letters :: 1974 |
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15 March 2008 Friday, 15 March, 1974 Vrindaban Dear Brian Marvin, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your long letter dated February 14, 1974 and I have examined the contents. Your first question is, how can the Vedas be considered eternal since they contain many historical references? But history is also eternal. For example, six months ago there was summer now there is a new season, and in another six months summer again. This calculation of one year is history but the summer and winter seasons are also eternal. There is a saying, "History repeats itself." Why make a distinction between history and eternity. Things are happening eternally; this is history. You have asked why the four Vedas are written in a different type of sanskrit from classical. This is not extraordinary. In India, sanskrit pronunciation is different in the North and South, and there are many different dialects. So the Vedas may also be presented with some differences within. You have further questioned how the Vedas can be 3,000 B. C. in age. Modern historians cannot pick up when the Vedas came into existence. From our historical references, however, we understand the Vedic knowledge has been current since the time of creation but the knowledge was originally accepted in disciplic succession from spiritual master to disciple. Later, when Vyasadeva found the peoples' memories decreasing he wrote it into language. Otherwise it was existing by sruti, or hearing. So when this hearing began there is no history. He simply recorded the sruti, and there is no question of change. We have to understand Vedic knowledge on the authority of the disciplic succession not from mental speculators who are simply rascals and have no entrance into the Vedic knowledge. You mention Sankara, but Sankara hid so many things, so it is no wonder he did not mention Bhagavatam. There are great authorities of Bhagavatam and it is they we have to follow. Similarly, the Bhagavatam is mentioned in an earlier Purana means that the whole language is sruti. Although the Bhagavatam may not have been written the tradition was there. It is written by Sridhara Swami quoting the Puranas, that the practice was to write out the Bhagavatam by hand and present it to a learned man. The Bhagavatam we have is the same Bhagavatam. It was originally spoken in four slokas by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to Lord Brahma. All these descriptions are in my books and I request you to read them very carefully as you are a learned scholar. I appreciate your humble attitude, and I have a good report of your activities from Jagadisa prabhu. Please go on increasing in Krsna Consciousness and you will find all spiritual understanding and happiness not only for you, but for whomever you meet. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Srimad Bhagavatam, Vedas letters | 14:27 |15 March, 1974 Vrindaban Dear Ranchor, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 1st, 1974, and I have examined the contents. It is all right if you live independently as a grhastha provided you follow the rules and regulations. Chant together husband and wife and speak the philosophy exactly right as it comes in disciplic succession. You must speak Krsna Consciousness knowledge with no interpretation of your own. As for supporting your preaching financially, if you are a preacher you can take a donation from the audience. When I was in the U.S.A. I was taking collection and the people were paying. Don't demand but you can ask and there is no harm. Yes, I did not approve of your starting you own magazine. You can write articles for Back to Godhead magazine. Why attempt separately? The drawing of the proposed temple for Bhaktivedanta Manor which you have enclosed is very interesting and it is done on a grand scale. I am studying it and will consider its use. Thank you very much. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Bhaktivedanta Manor, grhastha, Manchester, preaching letters | 14:25 |15 March, 1974 Vrindaban My Dear Jayatirtha, Please accept my blessings. There is a great blunder by the Union Bank in the matter of dispatching the monthly interest of $760.27 (Seven hundred and sixty dollars and twenty seven cents).As informed by your telegram they dispatched this amount to my account through the Charter Bank. I do not know when the Charter Bank received the money they advised the Punjab National Bank, however, on the 1st of March with some vouchers to be signed by me. As I was not here the vouchers were kept and yesterday I signed them. These vouchers have again been sent to the New Delhi branch to be again dispatched back to Vrindaban. According to the manager of the Vrindaban Punjab National Bank it will take 15 days. It has taken one month until I can get the money. That means we are losers of one month interest in transfer. How is it to be counteracted? We cannot wait so long to get the money here. The money, $100,000,00 (One hundred thousand dollars) which was dispatched through the Security Pacific Bank was immediately received in Vrindaban by the Punjab National Bank. Therefore to send money through the Security Pacific Bank is advisable because they have some corresponding interrelationship with the Punjab Bank. To send money through the Security Pacific Bank is profitable and safer. Under the circumstances you should immediately see the Union Bank Manager Mr. Art Schnieder and arrange to remit next payment through the Pacific Security Bank advising Punjab National Bank to immediately transfer, and if the Union Bank cannot do so, then I think I will have to transfer the account to the Security Pacific Bank. Please go and see the manager of the Security Pacific Bank whether they have direct correspondence with the Punjab National Bank, New Delhi. On the whole, see the money is remitted without delay. This is a great havoc that we haven't received the first installment yet, and I do not know of the second installment. Clear the matter and let me know by letter. Also see that a letter of advice is sent from the Union Bank. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. Labels: bank letters | 14:25 |14 March 2008 Thursday, 14 March, 1974 Vrindaban Memorandum to All ISKCON Centers My dear disciples, Please accept my blessings. Now that our ISKCON is growing into a huge, world wide organization, it has come to my attention that sometimes centers are printing my literature, taking collection and spending all outside the jurisdiction of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. This must not go on. I specifically formed the BBT to invest in it exclusive rights for the printing of all literature containing my teachings, writings and lectures. In this way the collections are to be divided fifty percent for printing new books and fifty percent for construction of temples. The BBT can authorize a center to print, as in the case of foreign translations, with the agreement that when the foreign printing becomes financially solvent they will pay royalties to the BBT. But all printing of ISKCON literature must be by the BBT or under their sanction and approval. If temples print independently it will be at the cost of the books I am, myself printing, and could eventually cause the financial ruin of the BBT, meaning I could not order new books from the printer or have sufficient funds for construction of temple projects. I trust this is now clear and you will all do the needful. If you have any questions in this matter you can write me directly or consult with the GBC representative. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: BBT, GBC, publishing letters | 14:24 |14 March, 1974 Vrindaban Dear Jaya tirtha, Please accept my blessings. I have received two letters recently from Gandharva das Adhikari of the Los Angeles Temple. He is feeling some inconvenience, as he states it, due to the younger devotees not showing proper respect to him as he is their elder, old enough to be their father. So they should show the proper respect, as is befitting a Vaisnava, who offers respects to one and all. It is sometimes difficult for elderly people to live in our ISKCON society, so you have to make it as congenial as possible for them and see that they are peaceful in all respects. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg c.c.: Gandharva das Adhikari Labels: Los Angeles letters | 14:24 |14 March, 1974 Vrindaban Dear Hrdayananda Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I was pleased to appoint you as GBC of South America in the hope that you will organize the printing and distribution of my literature there, on the scale of the U.S. and European Zones. I have been informed there is a very good chance for spreading Krishna Consciousness in South America. Just as Hamsaduta and Bhagavan have gone to foreign countries and arranged for a solid program of translation, printing and distribution of my books by sankirtana party, so you will also find the devotees in South America willing to help you in this noble project which is for the benediction of the suffering humanity. My own Guru Maharaja stressed the printing and distribution of literature even over gorgeous temple construction, and I also was printing even before I have big temples in the U.S. So you may follow the footsteps of the previous acaryas, while always strictly following the regulative principles for spiritual strength. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: book distribution, publishing, South America letters | 14:23 |12 March 2008 12 March, 1974 New Delhi Dear Madame Srimate Lilavati Munshi; Kindly accept my greetings. When I was in Mayapur I received your invitation letter dated February 26; I received your letter on March 3rd, and was not able to attend, but I thank you very much. I am returning to Bombay by the end of March. If at that time you are there I shall be very glad to meet you. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg letters | 14:22 | 11 March 2008 Monday, 11 March, 1974 New Delhi My Dear Tarun Kanti Babu, Please accept my blessings. Since I attended the meeting last night I am feeling a new enthusiasm, over how potential the Krishna Consciousness movement is, based on the teaching of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Your good family has very great interest in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and especially your grandfather Mahatma Sisir Kumar Ghose was a great friend of Bhaktivinode Thakura. So we are coming down in disciplic succession from Bhaktivinode Thakura and you are coming in family succession from Mahatma Sisir Kumar Ghose, so if we combine together in preaching the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it will be a great benediction to human society for mitigation of all kinds of problems of material existence. This morning you were quoting from Sri Siksastaka, "Ceto darpana marjanam bhava maha davagni nirvapanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]." This is the first installment of the benediction of Sri Krishna Sankirtana. "Param vijayate Sri Krsna Sankirtana." First of all, people are suffering on account of misunderstanding of self realization. The whole world is moving under the conception of the body in different names are caste, creed, nation, culture, like that. By chanting Hare Krishna Maha Mantra offenselessly, one immediately realizes himself as spirit soul which is described in the Vedas as aham brahmasmi. The Mayavadi philosophers cease to think further than this, but Bhagavad gita teaches us how to realize further advancement in spiritual life in devotional service. This is described in Bhagavad gita as follows: brahma bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54] So bhakti is such a nice thing. Bhakti is transcendental. When one is situated in bhakti life his mission of life is successful. That is called "ceto darpana marjanam bhava maha davagni nirvapanam." [Cc. Antya 20.12] Everyone of us is suffering from the three fold miseries of material existence. Coming to the platform of bhakti, pure devotional service, one immediately ceases the blazing fire of material existence. That is the effect of Sri Krishna Sankirtana. The whole world is in chaotic condition without understanding this philosophy. In the material life there must be division of activities. That is accepted in the Bhagavad gita as: catur varnyam maya srstam guna karma vibhagasah tasya kartaram api mam viddhy akartaram avyayam [Bg. 4.13] So in the beginning if we start a varnasrama college to teach internationally students from all over the world to learn to be educated as brahmanas, as Ksatriyas, as vaisyas, as sudras, by quality and work, that will be the basic principle of Krishna Consciousness. It is the duty of the government to see that everyone is employed. This is only possible when varnasrama is established. At the present moment everyone is sudra. This is not very good for the human society. Everyone has a right to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead but there must be a process for keeping the society in order. The intelligent class of men or the brahmanas, the martial class of men, the ksatriyas, the productive class of men, the vaisyas, and the working class of men, the sudras, all have the right to chant the Hare Krishna Mantra and by such devotional service everyone will be elevated to the transcendental platform. But there must be a division according to quality and work. At the present moment, so many so-called educated persons are unemployed because the division of work is neglected. If this division of society is maintained no one will be unemployed and there will be no unrest in society. It is a very scientific way of keeping peace in the world. The brahmana class should be highly cultured in spiritual understanding; by their Vedic knowledge they will be able to educate the ksatriya and the vaisya in the value of life. It is the government's duty that according the division of human society everyone should be engaged in responsible duties. On the whole, at the present moment, there is not guidance from the authorized intellectual class. Therefore everyone is in darkness. The Krishna Consciousness movement is supposed to create actual intellectuals to guide society. The process if very simple. If you kindly consider on this point and the varnasrama college is started, I am sure the chaotic condition of human society will be completely settled up. You think over this matter and we shall talk more when we meet again. Or if you like to discuss seriously by correspondence with me I shall be very glad to reply to you point by point on the basis of sastra. Your ever well-wisher, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg Labels: Bhaktivinoda Thakur, varnashram college letters | 14:21 | |
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