I am so obliged to you for giving shelter to Sriman Acyutananda Brahmacari when he was in Calcutta. Sriman Jaya Govinda das Brahmacari who saw you in Vrndavana is now staying in our center in Hamburg, Germany where he is in charge of "Back to Godhead" in German language. We are now publishing English "BTG" 50,000 copies per month, German "BTG" 5,000 copes per month and French "BTG" 5,000 copies per month. And very soon we may be able to publish a Spanish "BTG" from Mexico where two devotees, husband and wife are going to open a center.
Hamburg (Letters 1970 - 1977)
Correspondence
1970 Correspondence
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 24 January, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Krishna das,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 18 January, 1970, and thank you very much for your contribution of $15 on my maintenance account.
Letter to Umapati -- Los Angeles 24 January, 1970:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21 January, 1970, and I have conveyed your good suggestion to Suridas and Jotilla to go to Hamburg. As Tamala is already informed of this fact, I am sure he will take this practical suggestion and do the needful.
Letter to Cidananda -- Los Angeles 30 January, 1970:
In my book fund, not only my disciples are contributing, but also others who are outsiders like Mr. George Harrison who has contributed the entire cost of publishing my book Krishna—the cost will be $19,000. Now we have got our press and we propose to publish many books. Also, attempt is being made in Hamburg for translating all our literatures into French and German languages and to publish them regularly.
Letter to Jayagovinda -- Los Angeles 3 February, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Jaya Govinda,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27 January, 1970. I have received a separate letter from Mandali Bhadra and the reply is also enclosed within this envelope.
Krishna has sent one nice German scholar, ____. Please give her satisfactory care, especially in the beginning because she is new and not accustomed to our Temple habits. I am also glad to learn that Suridas is also going to join you. Most probably Hamsaduta with his wife also will go there. Krishna das in his previous letter wrote me that there are good possibilities for opening various centers in Germany, and Hamsaduta is experienced in organizing Sankirtana Party.
Please be in correspondence about German BTG publishing with Brahmananda. He is now staying in Boston and coming to New York every weekend.
Yes. We must have close cooperation between America and Germany for the successful publication of our BTG regularly in French, German and English languages. So now you are collecting a staff of translators in Hamburg and they are all very qualified to do the work. Please organize everything nicely so that the French and German editions may be prepared for printing at the same time as the English edition. But you must see that all work is thoroughly correct by mutual checking so that errors of spelling and grammar will not appear in the printing. I do not know the technical details, but I think your idea on standardized columns is very nice.
Letter to Mandali Bhadra -- Los Angeles 3 February, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Mandali Bhadra,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 27 January, 1970. When you write to say that things are going well, it gives me immense pleasure. I am opening so many branches depending on you all my sincere students. I am also glad to learn that you are moving to the Temple, dedicating all your time to Temple activities and translation work.
Letter to Mandali Bhadra -- Los Angeles 3 February, 1970:
I have asked Devananda to give you a Deity worship chart because he is actually doing the job. I am so pleased to learn that you are trying to make Hamburg center as important as L.A. This center three years before, when I first visited, was in very poor condition but for the last year, since we are regularly sending Sankirtana Parties, the situation has improved with great speed. Now we are negotiating for a property which has got a big church as well as a residential house attached, and let us see if Krishna will help us.
Letter to Hanuman Prasad Poddar -- Los Angeles 5 February, 1970:
The government is neither encouraging or discouraging. sometimes the police department prohibits our Sankirtana Party when they go out in the street. In the United States this hindrance by the police is not very much, but in London they have practically stopped us. In Hamburg and Tokyo they are also not very strict. In the beginning we have difficulty everywhere. By now, as people in general are appreciating our movement—that we are devotees of the Lord, boys and girls of nice behavior and character—they give us as far as possible all concessions. The government draft board has accepted our Society as religious, so they are kind upon us. But, we do not get any direct financial help either from the government or big foundations. Neither have we been able to contact the richer section of the people.
Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 8 February, 1970:
You have written to say that you cannot go to Hamburg or Paris to organize their activities, but actually you were left in London for the purpose of organizing these three centers. If you stick only to London Temple then our former scheme will not be executed. I think, it is proper that you should devote your time for all these three centers and train the local management for being self-supporting. As you are helping London Temple, similarly you should help the Hamburg and Paris Temples also. I think that was our original plan, and you should not change the same.
Letter to Bapi -- Los Angeles 15 February, 1970:
So I welcome you and when you come here you will be at liberty to stay in any one of my preaching centers. I have got now twenty-six different centers in Europe, U.S.A., Canada, Japan, and Australia beginning from Hamburg, Germany down to Tokyo, covering about 14,000 miles. Generally I stay in Los Angeles because the climate of this city is almost like our Bengal.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 18 February, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Krsna das,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 14 February, 1970, along with $15 maintenance costs, and I thank you very much for this.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 18 February, 1970:
Hope this will meet you in good health. Please offer my blessings to all the boys and girls in our Hamburg center.
Letter to Sivananda -- Los Angeles 18 FEbruary, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Sivananda,
Please accept my blessings. Since a long time I have not heard from you, but I am glad to learn that you are doing your duties nicely. I always remember your smiling face and submissive attitude. Be blessed by Krsna and be happy.
Letter to Sucandra -- Los Angeles 19 February, 1970:
I am very happy to know that so many young boys and girls are now becoming attracted to the Hamburg Temple. I can understand that there is great interest in Germany for Krsna Consciousness. So continue to push our Sankirtana movement more vigorously so that the people may become more and more attracted by this transcendental sound—Hare Krsna—and that will be the greatest service to bring them the true welfare and happiness of life.
Letter to Aranya Maharaja -- Los Angeles 27 February, 1970:
At the present moment the preaching work is going on from Hamburg to Tokyo, crossing over the two big oceans, Atlantic and Pacific, covering 14,000 miles on the Northern side and again from Tokyo to Sydney, Australia, covering another 5,000 miles. I am enclosing herewith a newspaper clipping published in Sydney, and you will appreciate very much how Sriman Bali Mardan Brahmacari, who is a graduate of the New York University, is nicely working there since the last fortnight. In the meantime, I have sent another assistant, Sriman Upendra das Adhikari, to assist him.
Letter to Aranya Maharaja -- Los Angeles 27 February, 1970:
Sriman Jaya Govinda Das is now in Hamburg, Germany, in charge of our German publication department (Magazines and Books), and Sriman Acyutananda Brahmacari is still in India and is trying to develop a center at Sridhama Mayapur. At the end, I may inform you that the American boys and girls are wonderful, and they are cooperating with me with great sincerity and thus Krsna is blessing them with advanced Krsna Consciousness.
Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 4 March, 1970:
See that the French and German BTGs are nicely done—that is my ambition. Jaya Govinda must marry the girl Sadanandini. It is already advanced, and I do not think it can be changed now. So he can immediately call her from New York by sending her passage money to Hamburg. Then get them married immediately in your presence.
Letter to Hanuman Prasad Poddar -- Los Angeles 4 March, 1970:
For the present, I have got ambition to start at least 108 centers. My disciples are already scattered from Hamburg to Tokyo, and from Tokyo to Sydney. And more youngsters are joining us daily in this movement. By the grace of Krsna this Society is purchasing a very big church estate on the Venice Boulevard, one of the important highways of Los Angeles, and we shall remove there next April. When we go there, we shall be able to invite many important men of the city and try to convince them about our high philosophy. The atheist class of men foolishly inquire "Where is God?" And we present them Krsna—here is God, and if you have got sense and intelligence just try to understand Krsna, whether He is not God.
Letter to Vasudeva -- Los Angeles 6 March, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Vasudeva,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 20 February, 1970, along with an enclosed photograph of one painting of the Spiritual Master rendered by you. In the meantime, I have received also one painting of my Guru Maharaja Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Both these paintings are very, very good, and I am therefore requesting that you be able to devote yourself full time in developing this great talent of yours. There are many paintings required not only for our Temples, but for illustrating our books also. So I think this work will be more than ample and you will be happy in this work.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 12 March, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings and offer the same to Srimati Himavati. I am so glad to learn that both of you have safely reached your destination.
Now work with great enthusiasm and ask Himavati to take care of the Deities very, very nicely. Both of you have seen in L.A. how much they are careful about Deity worship. We have to make our steady progress, keeping both sides in balance; namely the Pancaratriki Biddhi and Bhagavat Biddhi. The Pancaratriki Biddhi is Arcana or Temple worship, and the Bhagavat Biddhi is to preach by chanting and distributing literature. Although chanting is quite sufficient to cover all the Biddhis, still to keep ourselves pure and sanctified, we must observe the rules and regulations of Pancaratriki Biddhi.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 20 March, 1970:
Please offer my blessings to all the other boys and girls there in Hamburg center. I hope this will meet you in good health.
Letter to Himavati -- Los Angeles 1 April, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 25th March, 1970. Yes, the same things are going on. I am trying to change diets and sometimes fasting. But after all, it is old body, so dizziness is not unnatural. Regarding herb teas for colds and sore throat, up to now I have no such complaint, so they are not necessary.
Letter to Himavati -- Los Angeles 1 April, 1970:
I am very glad to learn of you eagerness to help open new centers in Munich, Amsterdam, and Berlin. But unless some responsible devotee takes charge of the Deities, you should remain in Hamburg. Hamsaduta may alone go for preaching work with the others. I think there are enough brahmanas there, so if one cannot be engaged full time, they should divide the duties amongst themselves—one takes the morning, another one at noon, and another in the evening, or like that. So unless they are trained up, you should not go. Deity worship is for old and experienced students; it is not good for new students to be given sacred thread. This Deity worship is exclusively for advanced students.
Letter to Lilavati -- Los Angeles 1 April, 1970:
Regarding George's center, if he opens it very nicely according to his position, then on hearing from Syamasundara. I shall give direction how to do it. I have already written Syamasundara about this, and I am awaiting his reply. The conclusion is that you are so many advanced disciples now in Europe, including Hamburg, London and Paris. Now you should organize the Sankirtana Movement in Europe by opening as many centers as possible from town to town at least. So do it conjointly and that will give me very much satisfaction.
Letter to Bertl -- Los Angeles 18 April, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Bertl,
Please accept my blessings. I am very much glad to receive your letter because sometimes I was thinking of you. You are a very intelligent boy, so I was impressed by your talking when you were walking with me on the street of Hamburg.
You have got a strong tendency to accept the Buddha philosophy, but you should know it also that if you want to accept Buddha philosophy you should act practically for this purpose. Lord Buddha was the embodiment of renunciation. He was in the princely order, grown up very luxuriantly, and he accepted the order of a mendicant, devoting his whole time to meditation. I meet many people who talk of Buddha philosophy, but their practical life is different.
Our philosophy is that we must apply in practical life what we believe. In this age no other philosophy or process of self-realization will be practical and effective as Krishna Consciousness is. So I would request you to come and live with our devotees in Hamburg and join the Sankirtana Party, try to understand the philosophy, eat with them, sleep with them, talk with them, and chant Hare Krishna. I am sure you will be happy and will be relieved from the present disturbances of your mind.
I would have been glad to ask you to come here, but I do not know whether it is possible for you to come here. But if you live in our temple in Hamburg, I am sure you will be happy.
If you have got any drug habit you must give it up. The drug habit is killing the soul of the younger generation in the Western world. So if you live with the devotees, you will get strength to give up this bad habit, and if you live separately you will never be cured of your present diseased mental condition.
Letter to Jayagovinda -- Los Angeles 18 April, 1970:
Yes, when you are out of your station you can carry these Deities, but so long you are in Hamburg you will have very little time to arrange separately for worship. When a householder is not in touch with the temple, then he can have separate worship at home.
Letter to Himavati -- Los Angeles 26 April, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated sometime April, and I am so glad to learn that you are making advance in Krishna Consciousness as it is scheduled. It appears that you are on the attachment platform, this is very good. The next platform is ecstasy, and then pure love of God. So stick to your duties at the present moment, and when it is convenient you can go with the Sankirtana Party, but never neglect the Arcana regulation at any cost. If you have no time, you are not required to go with the Sankirtana Party. Your first business is to take care of the Deities. Practically you see that everyone is appreciating your Deity worship and Srimati Radharani is smiling, so it is a great credit for you, so continue this engagement.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 26 April, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 22nd April, 1970. Til now I have received none of the amounts mentioned by you. So far Berkeley amount is concerned, I understand that they are going to purchase a house, so it will be utilized for that purpose. So far the other amount, I have not yet received any intimation from the bank.
Letter to Damodara -- Los Angeles 4 May, 1970:
Bahulasva Berkeley Rshi Kumara New York
Satsvarupa Boston Umapati Paris
Harer Nama Boulder Subaladas Philadelphia
Rupanuga Buffalo Sridama Providence
Jaya Gopala Columbus Vamanadeva St. Louis
Bhagavan dasa Detroit Madhudvisa San Francisco
Hamsaduta Hamburg Citsukhananda San Jose
Gaurasundara Hawaii Revatinandana Santa Barbara
Durlabh Laguna Beach Gajendra Seattle
Gurudasa London Bali Mardan Sydney
Sripati Montreal Sudama Tokyo
Hayagriva New Vrndavana Jagadisa Toronto
Cidananda Vancouver Damodara Washington
My Dear Damodara,
Please accept my blessings. I hope everything is going on well in your center.
As each and every ISKCON Center is my life and soul for preaching this movement, I hope you are doing your best to conduct the regular routine duties of the Temple—chanting regularly the beads, observing the restrictive regulations, taking Sankirtana Party to the streets, and selling our magazines and books.
Now at the present moment, I am concentrating my energy in this Los Angeles Center as ideal for all other centers in respect of Deity worship, Arati, Kirtana and other necessary paraphernalia. As I have curtailed my moving program, I wish that you may come here at your convenience and stay here for a few days and see personally how things are going on, and by meeting with me personally for necessary instruction, I hope simultaneously in all Centers that activities will be of the same standard.
Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 15 May, 1970:
Regarding Umapati and his wife moving very soon to Hamburg for composing on the new composing machine, that is very nice, the arrangement is good. Let them work hard for translating and composing, and his wife may also be engaged in this work.
Letter to Sivananda -- Los Angeles 16 May, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Sivananda,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 11th May, 1970, and noted the contents. Thank you very much for your contribution from yourself and your wife of $8, I have placed it in book fund account.
Regarding your question how to engage yourself, you may travel from University to University and preach as you suggest, or you may go and work. For local work or engagement you consult with Hamsaduta and Tamala as they are in charge of the Hamburg management. After all we have to fix up our Hamburg Temple still more.
Letter to Govinda Maharaja -- Los Angeles 24 May, 1970:
We have got now 30 centers, and in each center the devotees are going to the streets of London, Hamburg, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo, etc, and they are selling "Back to Godhead" and other books very nicely. The magazines are sold in each center at the rate of 100 to 400 copies daily, and the price is $.50 per copy which is in Indian exchange Rs. 3.50.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 4 June, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Krsna das,
Please accept my blessings. Since a long time I have not heard from you, so I will be glad to hear from you about your temple and Sankirtana activities.
Letter to Himavati, Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 13 June, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 9th June, 1970. I have already inquired from Krsna das why I did not receive any letter from you. In one letter Hamsaduta wrote me that you both, husband and wife, were going to Berlin. So after that I did not receive any letter from you. I thought both of you were gone to Berlin and thus I was expecting your letter. Now I see that you sent me one letter which is missing, otherwise it is my habit to reply all letters that I receive.
Letter to Gurudasa -- Los Angeles 22 June, 1970:
I have informed Hamsaduta that the five students in Hamburg who are now ready to receive Gayatri may do so when they visit your London temple during Rathayatra celebration. So I think you know all the procedures by now and you may give them the Gayatri as I have already prescribed by using the tape record of the mantras and performing the fire sacrifice.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 22 June, 1970:
Regarding instruments, if the instruments are available in Hamburg it is good that you can purchase locally. If not, let me know what kind of instruments you want, and I shall advise you where to purchase in India.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Los Angeles 22 June, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Krsna das,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 17th June, 1970, and noted the contents which are very encouraging. I am very pleased to receive it because I was very much anxious to hear from you.
I am so glad to know that since Himavati and Hamsaduta have gone to Hamburg the center has grown and improved in so many ways. This is very encouraging news that Hamburg center is becoming more and more important. Hamsaduta is very anxious to open many branches in Europe and Germany. Please help and cooperate with him.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 11 July, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 1st July, 1970, and noted the contents carefully.
Letter to Nevatiaji -- Los Angeles 16 July, 1970:
Gradually it developed and at the present moment we have got 32 branches all over the world. We have got very huge expenditure for maintaining these establishments for example in Los Angeles, we are spending near about $3000 per month, which is in Indian exchange Rs. 24,000 per month. Similarly we have got expenditure in London, New York, Hamburg, Sydney, Tokyo, etc. The source of income is generous contribution by the public and a little profit out of selling our magazines and books. We do not get any lump out of sum contribution from any of various foundations, but our boys and girls work very hard and we maintain our establishment. The main source of income is Hare Krsna.
Letter to Himavati -- Los Angeles 30 July, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I have not heard from you recently how you are and I have been anxious to know that you are recovering well from your car accident injury.
Letter to Vasudeva -- Los Angeles 31 July, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Vasudeva,
Please accept my blessings. I have not heard from you since a long time. I hope everything is going well with you in Krsna consciousness.
Letter to Vasudeva -- Tokyo 15 August, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Vasudeva,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 5th August, 1970. I am very glad to know that you are very fully engaged in the duties of chanting regularly 16 rounds, going out on Sankirtana, performing arcana for the Deities and painting.
Letter to Himavati -- Tokyo 23 August, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I have already acknowledged your letter dated August 13rd, 1970, along with my last reply. I am very glad to learn that you will be walking very soon, but walking or no walking you are always engaged in Krsna's service. That is my confidence.
Letter to Umapati -- Tokyo 23 August, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Umapati,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Hamburg August 19th, 1970, and I am pleased to learn that you are all engaged in the publication work. I shall be so much pleased to see the French and German BTG's published as soon as possible.
Letter to Yogesvara -- Calcutta 4 October, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Yogesvara,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you so much for your letter dated September 21st, 1970, along with your copy of Who Is God?—A Children's Introduction to Krishna Consciousness which I see you have done with great care.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Bombay 15 November, 1970:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated October 27th, 1970, and noted the contents with interest. I am very glad that by Krsna's grace you have secured a very nice place in Berlin for our Temple there and with Sivananda in charge I am sure things will go on well there. I am so glad to hear that in Hamburg your program is going on smoothly. Always work cooperatively, in Krsna Consciousness, without any self-motivation, and your progress towards the perfectional stage of Krsna Conscious life is ascertained.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Surat 18 December, 1970:
Hamburg
My Dear Krsna das,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 1st December, 1970 and I thank you very much for your kind sentiments for me. Actually I cannot claim any credit for myself, but I say if any credit is due, it is due to the fact that I have not deviated from the original instructions. Whatever I have learned from my spiritual master I have presented before you and similarly whatever success you are having only it is due to the purity of the message which you are carrying. So continue to see to the management of ISKCON and keep up the standards of devotional service and this Krishna Consciousness movement will be accepted all over the world.
1971 Correspondence
Letter to Yogesvara -- Bombay 4 March, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Yogesvara,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 18th January, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. Yes, I have already received a copy of your book "Krsna, the Cowherd Boy" and also given suggestions for the same. So you can present it to Satsvarupa and the editors and if they approve, then I approve and the book may be printed by our Press.
Letter to Professor G. G. Kotovsky -- Bombay 23 April, 1971:
Please accept my greetings. I beg to inform you that a copy of your letter dated 16th March, 1971 was forwarded to me by Sriman Krsna das Adhikari, Governing Body Commission member of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness; c/o Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple; 2 Hamburg 6; Bartelstrasse 65; and it was understood that you and your university are interested in hearing about Krishna culture and philosophy. This ancient Krishna culture and philosophy is the oldest in the world or in the universe. At least from a historical point of view it is not less than 5,000 years old.
Letter to Yogesvara -- Bombay 12 June, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Yogesvara,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 27th June, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. Very soon I shall be coming to Europe. On the 20th June I will be going to Moscow for five days and from there I will go to Paris and then London. At that time I may come and see your press also.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- London 7 August, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd August, 1971 and have noted the contents. I am glad to learn that you have now come back to Hamburg. Originally you were there for organizing our movement in central Europe. Now, due to your absence so many things have happened. Krishna Das has left. Your duty is here in Europe. Whatever done is done. You organize there nicely, and stick to that place. Krishna Das has been advised to go to Russia. Presently he can be reached care of San Francisco temple. So be in correspondence with him and help him to get to Moscow. He is very enthusiastic to go there. So stay in Europe and help others—Germany, France, Holland, and organize things nicely.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- London 14 August, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 10th August, 1971 and have noted the contents. For the time being this measure of taking outside work may be taken up but the principle is that everyone should engage full time for various propaganda work of the Krishna Consciousness Movement and maintain themselves by the little profit made by book selling and literature distribution. Now we have got Isopanisad in German language. The devotees can better be engaged in distributing these books.
Where is Mandali Bhadra? I have not heard from him. What he is doing now? What has happened to ISKCON Press Europa? Since I have come to London, why I have not heard anything from him?
So far Krishna das is concerned, first let Krishna das go there to Moscow. You are in Hamburg already. There is no need of you both being there. You should stay there and develop that center. There is no question of your travelling just now. So let Krishna das go to Russia. He is very much enthusiastic for it.
Letter to ISKCON Hamburg, Mandali Bhadra, Gunnar, Rolf, Andre, Harrison, Phillip, Haripriya, Antonio, Maria, Philip, Herbert, Lilasakti, Jyotirmayi, others -- London 15 August, 1971: TO ISKCON HAMBURG
My Dear Mandali Bhadra, Gunnar, Rolf, Andre, Harrison, Phillip, Haripriya, Antonio, Maria, Philip, Herbert, Lilasakti, Jyotirmayi, etc.
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you very much for your kind feelings of appreciation of my humble service unto you. You are all helping me in pushing forward this mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, coming down by disciplic succession to my Guru Maharaja. So whatever you have spoken, it is simply due to them. I am simply the via media to receive them, on behalf of my Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja Prabhupada.
Letter to Gurudasa -- London 17 August, 1971:
Hamsaduta is in Hamburg and Syamasundara is here with me in London. So far that money from Bangladesh program, I have no definite information. But don't be in a dream about it. Be practical and depend on Krishna.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- London 17 August, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. In further reference to my letter dated 14th August, 1971, I understand from Syamasundara that you have engaged all our Sankirtana members of Amsterdam to work in a cigarette factory. I do not know how you could dare to do this without asking me or any other GBC members. Amsterdam is doing nicely in Sankirtana Party collections; why they should go to work in a cigarette factory? In your last letter to me also you tried to impress me that everyone should go to work. That is not our principle. Our principle is not to work like the karmi or under a karmi. We are not sudras. Sudras are meant for working under somebody, not brahmanas. If you do not know this principle, you should know it now. All our men living in the temple are basically brahmanas. Otherwise, why they are offered sacred thread?
Letter to Himavati -- London 19 August, 1971: Hamburg
My Dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 17th August, 1971 and have noted the contents.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- London 24 August, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21st August, 1971 and have noted the contents. If I was misinformed, forget this incident and go on with your duty. Stress on Sankirtana performance and distribution of BTG. Our program is simple. You are a senior member of our society. So if you strictly follow our rules and regulations, chanting regularly 16 rounds, going for Sankirtana on the street and distributing prasadam automatically our movement will advance. So far work is concerned, when it is absolutely necessary it can be done. But as far as possible we should work in our own field and on the basis of our principles.
Letter to Sivananda -- London 25 August, 1971:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 21st August, 1971 and have noted the contents. About taking jobs I have already sent one letter to Hamsaduta in this connection. But if there is no other way then temporarily you may take some job and help, but that is not a permanent business. Our main business is to distribute BTG and Sankirtana and whatever little income we get from that we should be satisfied. It is not our business to take jobs and live luxuriously. So far I have heard Sankirtana party and distribution of BTG in Hamburg is increasing. Maybe they can improve their condition without help from your center. So use your discretion.
Letter to Smita Krishna ISKCON - ALMVIKS GARD - 153 00 JARNA - SWEDEN / FAX No (46) 755-520 06 7, Bury Place London, W.C. 1; ENGLAND 26th August, 1971:
I can understand from your letter that you are a very sincere boy and are hankering to make advancement in Krishna Consciousness. These are first class qualifications and if you will continue in this way with enthusiasm and determination your rapid advancement in Krishna Consciousness will be certain. Follow the regulative principles strictly, chant your 16 rounds of beads faithfully, read and study our literatures and go for street San Kirtan as far as possible. In this way engage yourself in Krishna's business 24 hours and your life will become perfect.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
*along with 10 DM daksina
ACBS/adb
c/o ISKCON Hamburg
Letter to Himavati -- London 27 August, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 26th August, 1971 and have noted the contents. Please don't be worried at all. I shall never give your husband sannyasa order. There is no special meaning for giving your husband sannyasa order because I know that both of you are more than sannyasi. So don't be worried at all. Live peacefully, husband and wife and develop our Hamburg center very nicely.
Always be engaged in serving the Deity; nice dress, nice jewelry, nice prasadam. Let Hamsaduta go for Sankirtana and take care of him. Your husband is one of my most foremost disciples. His life is very important, so take care of him nicely; that is your duty. He should live healthfully and peacefully, so see to it. That is my request. And together you should develop Hamburg center very nicely. There is certainly enough work there now.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- London 31 August, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your two letters dated 27th and 28th August, 1971 respectively and have noted the contents. In one letter you decide to close Hamburg center and in the next letter you change your decision. So my decision is that, at any cost, Hamburg center must be maintained and you cannot go to nightclubs.
Going to nightclubs will deteriorate the quality of our transcendental chanting. Please do not do this. Stick to Hamburg temple and maintain it somehow or other. Of course touring from city to city is nice program, but not in the clubs. Our only program should be having Sankirtana on the streets and if somebody calls then at the home, and we should distribute our literatures. You say that there is a very good demand for Isopanisad, German edition, so why not stress on selling this book and maintain in that way? And if it is a burden that the rent of the temple is too high then you can reduce the size of the temple and Himavati may be fixed up for worshiping the Deity. So make your plans accordingly.
Letter to Sivananda -- London 2 September, 1971:
If there is the possibility of regular worship then you can install Jagannatha Deity. Otherwise don't do it. Not that there should be a repeat of the situation in Hamburg that the Deities were taken away. Unless there is solid temple arrangement I don't advise you to install the Deity. Deity installation means regular worship without fail and for good. Just like in Jagannatha Puri. That temple was established over thousand of years ago and it is still going on. Always they have prasadam ready for at least a thousand people and bhoga is offered 56 times in a day.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- London 6 September, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 4th September, 1971 and have noted the contents. I am glad to learn that you have decided to not go to nightclubs but be engaged with Sankirtana party on the streets. That is very nice. Simply depend on Krishna and there will be no difficulty. So far your keeping your job is concerned, if you are still engaged in that dishwashing job, you should give it up. That kind of work is meant for sudras, not for the brahmanas.
Letter to Sucandra -- Mombassa, Kenya 19 September, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Sucandra,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 10th September, 1971 and have noted the contents. Your duty is to take charge of your wife. So you can stick to your job and maintain your wife and family and give as fast as possible to the Hamburg temple. You cannot be irresponsible to your wife and child. That is not allowed. If you can go with your wife to Munich to open a center there certainly I have no objection. That is a different thing. But you cannot leave your wife to go to Munich.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Nairobi 8 October, 1971:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 30th September, 1971 which is very much encouraging to me. I am very glad that you are now getting strength. So now you have got 1800 books and are getting more. There is good demand. So Krishna has solved all your problems. Print books and sell and get rich; that's all. We have got asset, our books, so where is the question of poverty? So don't be disheartened at any circumstance. Depend on Krishna. After all this is the kingdom of maya. She is always peeping to take the opportunity of attacking us, but if we fix up our attention on the Lotus Feet of Krishna, maya cannot even touch us.
So let Mandali Bhadra be seriously engaged in translating work and recruit some German devotees to help him so that we can print all our books in German language and you can develop the Hamburg center very nicely. You know very well that I went to India this time empty handed but we spent there not less than five lakhs Rupees during my 10 month stay and all the money was collected simply on the strength of our books and literatures. So when you have got literature and books, there is no question of poverty in our society. Simply we have to organize things nicely and manage carefully. I hope henceforward you will not feel at all discouraged. All of you there push on this movement in Germany which is the best country in Europe. The most intelligent class of men are there. Try to convince them about our philosophy. The German scholars are especially inclined toward Indian philosophy. There are many learned scholars well versed in Sanskrit. So our books with diacritic marks and original Sanskrit verses must be very much appreciated by all schools, colleges, libraries and the general public. So develop the press there very nicely. The press already has been declared as the greater mrdanga.
Letter to Vrinda -- Nairobi 14 October, 1971:
Hamburg
My dear Vrinda devi,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 8th October, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. I heard from Sivananda that you had left him without his knowledge. That is not very good. When he wrote me twice "my wife has left me and there is no trace" then I advised him that instead of marrying again, better to prepare for sannyasa. So far my knowledge is concerned, I consider Sivananda as one of my foremost disciples. I always remember his smiling face and when I was in Hamburg he was my constant companion and my personal attendant also. So I cannot forget Sivananda's good behavior and gentle nature. I do not know why you disagreed with such a nice husband. If you take my advice, then you will immediately return to your husband and live there peacefully. You are a qualified girl. You can do extensive service to Krishna. I require your service in the matter of translating work. So I advise you to engage yourself fully in your good quality occupation and be advanced in Krishna Consciousness.
Letter to Himavati -- Delhi 17 November, 1971:
Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter of Nov. 2, 1971 and I have appreciated the contents carefully. I am especially pleased that you are finding great pleasure in serving Their Lordships in Hamburg Temple as pujari. I think that under your care They have become very gorgeous and satisfied. It is the sole aim of life to be constantly absorbed in thoughts about Radharani and Krishna, and because you are so determined to become fully Krishna Conscious, Krishna has given you this opportunity to realize that aim by serving Him directly. I have always instructed that the standard of arcana worship must be kept very high, because this will insure that every other temple activity will also flourish. So I am relieved to know that now the Deities are in your care. Thank you for this.
If one simply deposits all of his or her loving propensity onto the Deity of Krishna, immediately they are relieved of anxiety due to material sense agitation. This is Krishna Consciousness. Your prayer that you may be put always in difficulty is just like Queen Kunti Devi. She prayed to Krishna in the same way, because whenever there was trouble Krishna felt the suffering of His devotees and stayed by them to help them. And as soon as the trouble ended, Krishna went away! So let us always pray that Krishna may put us into difficulty so that we may expect that He will also remain by us and not go away.
You have a natural inclination as a teacher of small children, and I think that you should utilize it to instruct the young children of Hamburg in Krishna Consciousness. Children especially are inclined to appreciate Krishna's pastimes, so begin by reading to them from Krsna Book. They are not yet covered by false prestige and will very quickly take to tapasya as if it were amusing like a game! Just see the young brahmacaris in India. The Guru says do this, do that—immediately they do—they go out and beg all day in the hot sun and come back with a little rice, then take rest on the floor with no covering. And they are enjoying, it is pleasurable to them to work very hard. So it is very important to train children to endure all sorts of hardships and restrictions at the boyhood stage. Later, no one will renounce what he has accepted as the standard of enjoyment, to accept a standard of less enjoyment. So I think you should begin immediately holding class regularly and advertising for it. I understand the German people are very fond of kindergarten schools, so let them send their children to us for receiving the highest education.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Vrindaban 30 November, 1971:
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated, wherein you inform me that you will be arriving soon in Hamburg. I am very pleased that you are determined to rectify whatever may have been done in the past, in order to push on in Krishna Consciousness to a very bright future. Never mind the past. Now you appear very enthusiastic to work in Europe, and that spirit of working in this way is very encouraging. So now you organize everything with Hamsaduta and your godbrothers there so that this Movement may be spread very effectively in Europe. For a long time our centers in Europe have been suffering for want of literature and so many things. But now I see that in England things are going very nicely, and Hamsaduta writes me that everything is improving in Germany, and I hear that new centers are being opened. This is all very good news to me, because I consider that these western countries are the most important field for our work. So now do this work in a gradually progressive manner, and do not be concerned too much even there may be some temporary setbacks. Because we are in this material world we are not perfect, and so these setbacks are natural occurrences and we should not be too much disturbed by them.
Letter to Damodara -- Delhi 3 December, 1971:
I am very glad to hear that a new devotee has given $6,500 to your temple. A similar report has just come from Hamsaduta in Hamburg, Germany. So it is a very good sign that people are coming and of their own accord giving everything, that is the proof of your powerful preaching work. If we simply remain pure and become very convinced of this Krishna philosophy, any sane man will agree with us when we speak. And if we are determined to please Krishna with our routine work despite all kinds of economic handicaps, He will provide all relief. Just see. If preaching is strong, management will be strong. That is the rule.
Letter to Himavati -- Bombay 26 December, 1971:
Hamburg
My dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge your letter undated, and I am very glad to hear that you are finding such great pleasure in serving Radha and Krishna. Both you and your good husband are very sincere and hard-working, and practically you together have saved our European centers from collapse. Krishna has given you very nice ability to serve Him, better than most, therefore I have relied on you completely to save centers in Germany which had fallen into neglected condition, and because you have done so nicely, I am very very pleased with your both service. So there is no question of dissatisfaction. Because you are serving Krishna, that is my satisfaction enough. But because you are also preaching so nicely, and helping to spread this Krishna Consciousness movement all over the world by being big leaders, then I am more than satisfied with you, so never think dissatisfaction. There is no question of dissatisfaction. Rather I am very much pleased with your activities there and before that, as much as also with your attitude of humble and determined desire to reach the Supreme destination by becoming Krishna Conscious. You are more dear to me than my own sons and daughters.
1972 Correspondence
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Bombay 10 January, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge your letter of December 18, 1971, and I am very much pleased that now both of you and Krishna das are working there very nicely together. Now you both couples just remain together for some time and build up Germany centers very strong, especially Hamburg, and then you may return at a suitable time to your zone of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. I think that Brahmananda is doing very nicely in Africa, so for the time being there is no need to go there or interfere.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Bombay 10 January, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Krishna das,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of December 17, 1971, and I am very much pleased that you are now in Germany and that everything is going very nicely there. You stay there in Hamburg with Hamsaduta for some time and make that center very strong, then you may both return as it was, and Hamsaduta may go to his zone of Mediterranean countries and Near East, and you as husband and wife can conduct everything there. Mataji Himavati can train your wife or someone how to worship the deities nicely, and you both stay there for the time being. You are both men of experience so work together combinedly to make Germany zone very strong.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Jaipur 20 January, 1972:
So far Krishna das is concerned, I have already told that he should stay there in Hamburg with you until the Germany centers are very solid and printing of literature has been made very regular and substantial. Then he may go to other places. If he wants to open other centers. I have no objection, but he should send other men to do it until things are very well established in Germany.
Letter to Mandali Bhadra -- Jaipur 20 January, 1972:
Why you should go to New York? Stay there and seriously edit all translation work as Chief Editor of German language. Your proposal to meet a Hamburg millionaire is very nice, go ahead. Your sincerity will be accepted by Krishna and He will give you intelligence from within. Simply we must be sincere, then everything else will follow automatically.
Letter to Sivananda -- Nairobi 25 January, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Sivananda Das,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 12/1/72 and have carefully noted the contents.
For the time being you may suspend the program for taking sannyasa. You may remain with your wife until she recovers and then you may travel together and open branches.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Madras 14 February, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 29 January, 1972, and I am very pleased to note that you are so enthusiastic to push on Krishna Consciousness and follow yourself very faithfully the regulative principles chalked out by our great predecessors. If you simply go on in this way, everything will come out successful, that we are seeing practically. So as GBC you must see to it that the highest standards of routine work are maintained throughout all the centers, and that chanting, rising early, cleansing, and all other aspects of our regular program may not be neglected. That is our first business. GBC men should not dictate very much, simply supervise and see that the standards are maintained. The individual presidents should be more managerial, more individual, and you can supervise, and if some defect is detected, you can make suggestions how to correct it. But if we lose individuality and simply become mechanical, what is the point?
Letter to Himavati -- Madras 14 February, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Himavati dasi,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of February 1, 1972, I am very much engladdened to note that you are progessing so nicely in Krishna Consciousness by teaching others. That is the system. Learn yourself and teach others, then this Movement will grow progressively. But one thing is that the highest standards of purity must be always very strictly followed. Therefore I am always encouraged that you are entrusted with instructing others in deity worship, cooking and other things. Although you are at liberty to follow your husband, that is not my point, but if you go the deity worship may be neglected and our progress will be hampered. That is my opinion, because you are in charge, but if you think you may go sometimes, I have no objection as long as the standard does not fall. In this and other matters you have to manage. You have to instruct others so they will not resent—if they resent, how things can be managed? As for the question about menstrual cycle, the only remedy is chanting. Anyone who is trained can be secretary, that is not such important position as preaching and training younger devotees from your experience. But that is up to your husband to decide if you will be his secretary. And you should not worry, he'll never be given Sannyas without your sanction. There is no question of giving him Sannyas, so why you are asking? Yo do not want separation from his good company, that's all right, my only point is, in your absence, who will manage? That is my only fear.
Letter to Rudra, Radhika -- Calcutta 20 February, 1972:
Also, I have no objection if you purchase cars for serving Krishna, as they appear to be required for distributing books and incense, so why not have them? And when you are more developed, you may install deities and worship them very opulently. My only point is that simultaneously we must increase our literature production and build Mayapur Temple, But it is not that we have to stop everything else for one thing. The art of managing is to do all things at once in a nice manner, and the guiding principle is to do whatever is practical for preaching KC and at the same time maintaining our high standards of routine KC practices for making ourselves progress on the Spiritual path. Regarding the teacher Miss Wilson, you may engage her in translating, if she can read Bengali type. She can try Jiva Goswamis "Sandarbhas"—that will be a great contribution. So far Radhika's work, I am very pleased you are continuing translating into Russian language my books and essays. This book business is the most important of all, so kindly continue giving it your full attention. Work in Russia is going on slowly, and we have got a plan to send French devotee girl there to marry our Russian boy devotee in Moscow, and then the work will go much faster. I shall inform you when we are ready for BTG in Russian language, meanwhile go on with the work. Krishna das is in Europe, you may write him c/o Hamburg center. If you have honey, why not use instead of sugar but I think it is too expensive to be practical.
Letter to Krsna dasa -- Calcutta 24 February, 1972:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of February 11, 1972, and I am very much pleased that you are going on with your work in Krishna Consciousness despite so many obstacles which Maya has placed in your path just to try to deviate you from going back to Home, back to Godhead. So I am very glad that you are trying something there, I have heard Sweden is a very good field. So I have informed Hamsaduta that you may stay there and work for opening a branch if there is good response. And so far money and books, I have informed Karandhara what is the position and he shall be sending you some money for immediately renting one place for temple, as well as sufficient stock of literatures. Without such books and magazines, our preaching work has no authorized basis, so there must be always books. Now you develop there very nicely, it is Krishna's grace you are there, so just as you practically developed first the Hamburg center, so you will be getting the extra credit for starting Sweden branch.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Sydney 2 April, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated February 17, 1972, forwarded to me in India from Nairobi. Now we have finished our business in India for the time being, so I am stopping here in Australia for some time and then I shall return to Los Angeles for my translating work.
Letter to Mandali Bhadra -- Sydney 2 April, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Mandali Bhadra,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 12, 1972, and I am very much pleased to hear that your German BTG distribution has gone up to 50,000 last issue, and I very much approve of your ideas for improving it more and more. In the editorial section which you plan to have for the beginning, the point should be stressing on the position of the living entities, as it is stated in Bhagavad-gita that a learned man observes everyone on the same level, that is, on spiritual understanding. So our Society's position of vision is from that platform. We want to see all living entities as parts and parcels of Krishna without giving any consideration to outer skin, and that is real education. So you can expound on this idea. The modern civilization is based on bodily designation—American, India, German—but our proposition is to become free from these artificial designations, and unless one becomes free from these artificial designations there can't be any God-consciousness, and without God-consciousness there is no possibility of any peace in the world.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Melbourne 6 April, 1972:
Hamburg
(To Hamsaduta)
YOUR MATERIAL LEGAL FORMULA WILL NOT HELP US ONLY OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE CAN HELP US I HAVE NO APPROVAL FOR ANY THESE PLANS STOP YOU REMAIN GERMANY DON'T LEAVE AGAIN STOP ATREYA RISHI HAS NO AUTHORITY FROM ME TO MANAGE ANYTHING REMOVE HIM ACKNOWLEDGE CABLE URGENT 26 RENNY STREET PADDINGTON SYDNEY
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Sydney 11 April, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 7th, 1972, and I have noted the contents. The meeting of the GBC appeared to be very unconstitutional, because all the men were not informed or invited. Syamasundara was not invited, Sudama was not invited, Krishna das was not invited, Tamala Krishna was not invited, neither I was informed. Why? You cannot hold meeting of 8 persons without inviting the others. Seven may be a quorum, that's all right, but you cannot convene without a general announcement to all the members and myself, giving a proposed agenda, like that, the topics to be discussed, why the meeting is being called, etc. Then there is correspondence for deciding these things, and if there is great necessity, then meeting may be called, but not whimsically, only after much thought is given and there is clear intimation of all the members plus myself. Anything whatever is done is done, but the whole thing appeared to be giving all power to Atreya Rsi. I cannot understand why, instead of one GBC man, a person outside the Commission was given so much power, and there was to be immediate action without divulging the matter to the devotees. And I am surprised that none of the GBC members detected the defects in the procedure. It was detected only when it came to me. What will happen when I am not here, shall everything be spoiled by GBC? So for the time being, let the GBC activities be suspended until I thoroughly revise the whole procedure. In the meantime, you do your duty as president of Hamburg Temple, and try to improve spiritually. Our spiritual way should strictly observe the following points especially: (1). Neatness and cleanliness of all personal bodies. (I still see those who are initiated as Brahmins, they do not wash their hand after eating even; of course, there may be so many defects due to your births in non-Brahmin families, but how long it shall go on? It is very easy thing.); (2). Chanting 16 rounds daily. (I don't think everyone is following these principles.); (3) Temple worship, which should be performed rigidly between four and ten a.m.)
I find that the devotees are still sleeping up to six, seven o'clock. So in the GBC Agenda I do not find any such programs for reforming our past bad habits. So kindly as President of Hamburg center you try to observe yourself all the regulative principles and see all the members are following.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Tokyo 2 May, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 21 April, 1972, along with photos of busses. I do not know about these things, but I think a double-decker bus may not pass all the road obstacles such as bridges and tunnels between Germany and India, so I think a single-decker bus may be more practical for driving there. So far Germany, you can purchase one bus and let us develop that program gradually, if we see it is successful. You can report to me how the bus is running, and you may correspond with Kirtanananda Maharaja in Boston as he has got many such busses. He can give you best advice.
Letter to Himavati -- Los Angeles 22 May, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 17, 1972 and I have noted the contents. I have appreciated very much the photographs which you have enclosed of the Hamburg deities. They are very very nice. Yes, your husband is expert in everything and also you are expert in everything. So do not think in this way that you are not very important devotees, because I am always thinking of you both and how much service you are rendering to Lord Krishna. Since a long time I have known both of you and I consider that you are among my very dearest disciples. Now do not worry that your husband will take sannyasa. I think I have told you before that I will not give him sannyasa at this point. He may travel very widely throughout the Germany zone and still remain Grhastha. He is more than Sannyas.
Letter to Manager of Sparkasse -- Los Angeles 26 May, 1972:
To the Manager
Sparkasse
2 Hamburg 19, Eimsbuttleler Ch. 57
West Germany
Dear Sir:
I have got my account in your Hamburg Branch, and the number is 114/332 647. As of 10-9-69 there were 5 DM. only.
Letter to Himavati -- Los Angeles 15 June, 1972:
Hamburg
My Dear Himavati,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 30, 1972, and I have noted the contents. I don't know who has given you this idea of shaving your head and wearing white garments. In India only the widows are allowed to shave head. I have never suggested your husband to take to Sannyas, but we can discuss this matter further when we shall meet again in London for Rathayatra.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 22 June, 1972:
Hamburg
My Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 20, 1972, and I did receive two letters from Wolfram Ossenbrink and Han Koster dated 29th May, 1972, but there was no letter of recommendation from you. So any way, I am very much pleased to accept the boys as my duly initiated disciples, and their letter is enclosed herewith. Also please find enclosed herewith three sacred threads and four copies of Gayatri mantra duly chanted by me. Now hold a fire yajna, and teach the other big officers in Germany temples how to perform this fire yajna very perfectly, and give Gayatri mantra to Astaratha, Surabi dasi, Sacinandana, and Cakravarti. I think you have got a copy of the tape of me reciting Gayatri mantra, so play it to them through the right earhole with earphones.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 14 September, 1972:
Hamburg
My dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated August 11 and Sept. 2, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very glad to hear that you have conducted one nice parade and festival through the city streets of Hamburg. Yes the German people, they like to hear philosophy, so if you can arrange some philosophers' meeting we can come.
Letter to Karandhara -- Los Angeles 29 September, 1972:
I want to sell those bonds, so what is the process? Have you got some broker? I shall require to know his name and address and other details. If you are remaining in London for a few days, we shall contact you further what is the next step.
Hoping this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
cc: Iskcon Hamburg
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Ahmedabad 10 December, 1972:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 8, 1972, and the paper sample enclosed by you is very nice for Bhagavad-gita in German language. I shall be very glad indeed to see that book printed by you, and that will be your greatest credit. You may send the copy with plastic cover and I shall see how it is put out. I can understand that your preaching work there is going on nicely just to the standard, because now you have got so many devotees and you are distributing so many of our books and magazines. That is very, very pleasing for me to hear. But now I think it must be very cold there. Even I was there in summer, still I had to go to England—it was so much cold in Hamburg. But never mind there is any discomfort of the body. We shall not be very much concerned for that. Devotee means he is able to tolerate all kinds of discomfort and whims of the material nature, and because he is so much absorbed in serving Krishna, he takes no time to become angry or take offense with others or find out some fault, no. Devotee means very liberal and kind to everyone, always gentleman under all kinds of conditions of life. So now you have practically become inseparable from Germany temples, and you have introduced this strict brahminical standard in those countries and it is coming out successful. So I am always appreciating you and your good wife, Himavati, for your kindly helping me in this way. May Krishna shower you with His all blessings.
1973 Correspondence
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 21 April, 1973:
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 7, 1973 and am pleased to accept the following boys and girls as my initiated disciples: Ram Mohan Das (Reiner); Jnanavigraha Das (Joachim); Tirthada Das (Thomas); Hrimati Dasi (Helga); Santimati Dasi (Ulla); Durgama Das (Dario); Premchand Das (Werner); Kamaksi Dasi (Karin); Uktal Das (Ulfert); Atmavidya Das (Axel); Gobhata Das (Gerhart); Ama Das (Amin); Ramgati Das (Ronald);—and Nikhilananda Das (Niko); and Vaidyanath Das (Erland), these two boys I have already informed their names in reply to a letter from the Hamburg temple. Beads may be sent to Revatinandana Swami.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Calcutta 29 June, 1973:
The devotees recommended by you for initiation I gladly accept and their new spiritual names are as follows:
Richard—Sutapa das;
Rolf—Sudesna das;
Erich—Citravesa das;
Otto Karl—Niskrodha das;
Hans—Gananath;
Jesshardt—Nispapa das;
George—Gopesh das;
Ruth—Ramya dasi;
Margot—Mrdani dasi;
Karsten—Kuruksetre das;
Renata—Ratipriya dasi;
Rolf (Hamburg)—Nirahamkara das;
Andreas—Asvasena das;
Ditmar—Aya das;
Wolfgang—Visnuyasa.
As far as the GBC meeting is concerned I must be there wherever they meet; therefore we must meet at least once a year in Mayapur. Not only GBC shall meet but many devotees from all parts of the world. In Mayapur we now have facilities to accommodate more than a thousand people. We have a four story building and enough space so that even on the balcony we can accommodate thousands apart from the rooms. There are all marble floors and there is always natural ventilation. At least next March we must meet together. We have in Mayapur a doll-making department and we are manufacturing mrdangas also. If possible, some of your men may be sent there to learn these two works.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Bombay 12 October, 1973:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your GBC report dated October 4, 1973 and I thank you very much for it. So your Sankirtana Parties are collecting very nicely, especially Amsterdam. As long as we go on preaching in this way, we will not starve. It is good that the Berlin party is travelling. To be stagnant is not good. Just like I am an old man, but I am always travelling. I am glad that the Hamburg Deity worship is going on nicely. Wherever there is Deities there must be first class care, arati, bhoga, cleanliness, dressing, regular classes. If this is not possible, then better to travel. Your translation process is very good, so do it nicely.
1974 Correspondence
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Bombay 7 April, 1974:
Hamburg
Dear Hamsaduta,
Please accept my blessings. From reports I have received it appears that affairs at Bhaktivedanta Manor and Bury Place London have deteriorated to the critical stage, and therefore I am asking you to go there immediately and see what can be done.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Hyderabad 21 April, 1974:
By now I hope you have received my telegram and letter sent to Hamburg advising you to go to Bhaktivedanta Manor for managing affairs there. There were so many letters and reports coming from Mukunda, Puranjana, Bhaja Hari, Prabhu Visnu and then contrary reports from Madhavananda and with Shayamasundar away affairs seem perilous. I hope you are able to settle things up in regard to the debt of the Bury St. temple and temple organization at the Manor. Now Shayamasundar has wired me that he will send tickets for myself and three secretaries for coming to London. I have asked him to send me tickets and I can leave India for London about May 1st. As I have already informed you I am going to Paris the second week of May and Bhagavan das is arranging for a tour of Geneva, Rome and Sweden. I may also visit cities in Germany if you will arrange for that. So when I arrive in London if Syamasundara sends tickets, or when I arrive in Paris, I shall discuss these matters further with you. Now we are in South India at Hyderabad and will visit the Balaji temple in Tirupati and then return to Bombay prepared to leave for London on May 1st.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Mayapur 1 October, 1974:
In Germany you have to follow this principle. Once opened it cannot be closed. Somehow or other you have to manage to continue the temple worship. That is the devotional cult. If they are closed and it is impossible to re-open, then what can be done? If there is no Deity, then it doesn't matter. If possible re-open the Hamburg temple and transfer the Deity again and worship. A center without a Deity can be closed, but a center with a Deity if closed it is a great offense. The Deity is not an idol; it is Krsna. We cannot say to Krsna personally, now go away.
I am glad to hear about the Gita sales and the publishing of the new books. Therefore I have appointed you as BBT Trustee to publish the German editions of our books as much as possible. I quite appreciate that one main center may remain there and from there the preaching may go on, but no attempt may be made to open a new center without being confident that it will go on. Strictly this principle should be followed. Before opening a temple it has to be carefully considered, and once opened it cannot be closed. Henceforward completely forget the idea that any present temple can be closed. That you should forget. Don't do it again. At least you should re-open Hamburg and Edinburgh and the Deity should be transferred there again.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Mayapur 19 October, 1974:
If the Hamburg Deity is moved but worshiped, it is all right. Yo do not have to reopen if it is inconvenient. What you have said about considering a thousand times before opening a temple, that I want. Not that you should open a temple whimsically, and then close whimsically.
| Page Title: | Hamburg (Letters 1970 - 1977) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 18 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=98 |
| No. of Quotes: | 98 |