Impediment (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"impedance" |"impede" |"impeded" |"impediment" |"impediments" |"impeding"

1966 Correspondence

Letter to Mangalaniloy Brahmacari -- New York 11 June, 1966:

There is another impediment for my staying here. My publication work is suspended. You know I have already published three volumes of my Srimad-Bhagavatam and further copies are ready for printing. Please let me know if your establishment can take charge of publishing these books or can manage the publication in my absence.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Jadurani -- Vrindaban 9 September, 1967:

The Lord remains in the hearts of every living entity. He lives in the heart of a hog, and the hog lives in a filthy place. That does not mean that the Lord lives in a filthy place. The Lord lives always inconceivably in His transcendental abode. Similarly, a fully K.C. person lives always in the pastimes of Lord Krishna by such consciousness only. The material atmosphere is no impediment for continuing our K.C. in any circumstance.

Letter to Gargamuni -- Delhi 23 September, 1967:

Where is Rayarama? He may take back from Kirtanananda the letter of introduction to Miss D.C. Bowtell and may go to London as it was previously arranged. I entrusted this matter to Kirtanananda but he has disobeyed which has given me a shock. Once he disobeyed my order and we lost $1200.00 in connection with Mr. Payne. This time he has again disobeyed me. If he sets such example in the Society it will be a great impediment. Obedience is the first law of discipline. We are thinking of a great world wide organization which is not possible to be executed if there is disobedience.

Letter to Krsna Devi -- Navadvipa 29 October, 1967:

Both of you are very good souls & constantly engaged in the service of the Lord. One who has got a helpful wife at home does not require to accept Sannyas. If required, both you and your husband can preach Krishna Consciousness combinedly. We are concerned more for Krishna Consciousness & if that work is executed more nicely by cooperation of husband & wife, there is no necessity of thinking wife as impediment to Krishna Consciousness. While I am living you should act according to my instructions & there is no question of impediment.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Robert Pekala -- Los Angeles 13 February, 1968:

If you are inquisitive to learn this science personally from me, I have no objection if you come here and stay with me for some days. A school life isn't an impediment for becoming full time devotee, it is the question of devoting oneself sincerely to Krishna Consciousness. To prosecute Krishna Consciousness there is no limitation, no material impediment can stop progress of Krishna Consciousness. That is the symtom of spiritual life. Spiritual life doesn't depend on material conditions.

Letter to Michael -- San Francisco 18 March, 1968:

You just remain fixed up in devotional service, and all impediments that may come will be vanquished by the unlimited potency of the Lord. We should have faith in His Power, His Grace, and His Causeless Mercy,

Letter to Janardana -- New York 26 April, 1968:

There are four things desirable in this material world, namely, good parentage, sumptuous wealth, sufficient education, and good beauty. These things are sometimes impediments in the service of the Lord because such persons with great parentage, wealth, etc., becomes materially puffed up, and thus deviates from Krishna Consciousness, but when they are employed in the service of the Lord, their value becomes many more times greater.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Montreal 16 June, 1968:

Someway or other, if you are intelligent boy, you should make arrangement for the boys and girls to live separately; Brahmacaris at one place all together, and the Brahmacarinis all together at another place. We should always remember that sex life in spiritual advancement is great impediment. So keeping this point of view in front, we should intelligently manage things with great care. So that our aim of life may not be missed.

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Montreal 30 June, 1968:

I've suggested in Hayagriva's letter is the only method by which we can become successful in constructing the New Vrindaban scheme. But if you have got impediments in the matter, as you say that the proprietor of the land is of different views, then I do not know how you'll be able to construct it freely according to our idea. Mr. Rose may be very good man, but he does not know what is sectarian and what is non-sectarian. But at least you should know that Krishna is non-sectarian.

Letter to Upendra -- Montreal 4 July, 1968:

I understand from Gargamuni that Hayagriva has sent you a letter inviting some of you to live with him in W. Virginia where they are attempting to open a new center, but I am not very much hopeful about this center because there are so many impediments. I have already written to Kirtanananda that in such suspicious and unfavorable conditions, no Brahmacari will be interested to go there. If there is actually any invitation for going there, I send herewith instructions to all of you that for the present, there is no necessity of going there. And in future, also, nobody shall go there without getting my permission.

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Montreal 14 July, 1968:

This chanting of Hare Krishna and our sincere desire to serve Krishna will make everything clear, even if there is some impediments, because from Srimad-Bhagavatam we understand that a system of religiousity is to be understood as the most perfect if by following such system, we enrich our tendency to love God.

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Montreal 14 July, 1968:

The whole process of Krishna Consciousness is to replace our love to Krishna. So any process that helps us to increase our love of Krishna, that is the best system of religiousity. Such system cannot be checked by any material impediments, and such development of love of Krishna is without any cause. Chanting of Hare Krishna is not meant for achieving any other better thing than Krishna. But when we chant Hare Krishna without any offense, we relish Krishna, the Reservoir of all pleasure.

Letter to Hayagriva -- Montreal 14 July, 1968:

Regarding visa: I am not prohibited like that, that I cannot enter USA, but the permanent visa was denied only on some technical ground. There is no impediment about my bona fides. But they have raised an objection because I submitted my application just after a fortnight of my arrival, and they say that I entered USA not as a bona fide non-immigrant. But I submitted my application, after consulting the Indian Embassy, as well as the American Embassy in Calcutta, but I see a different decision at the end. It is very difficult to take the words of government servants straightly.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Mukunda -- Los Angeles 17 February, 1969:

The Bhagavata says that system of religion is the first class wherein love of Godhead is aroused spontaneously without any material impediment. So our movement gives practical proof that there is no impediment of body or mind. That is the proof it is enacted from the spiritual platform wherein there is no distinction of material higher or lower gradation. So we have to push our philosophy very nicely.

Letter to Brahmananda -- Los Angeles 27 February, 1969:

Regarding our record, it was manufactured by Mr. Kallman, and he has not paid me a single farthing as royalties. He has cheated me in so many ways, so if there is no legal impediment we must immediately reprint the record through Dinesh. I have already advised him in this connection.

Letter to Janardana -- Los Angeles 2 March, 1969:

Even if the living entity is born with a silver spoon in his mouth he will not be happy so such plans for economic development are simply cheating processes. Therefore, the great rishis in the forest Naimisaranya inquired of the great sage, Suta Goswami, "How can the living entities actually be happy?" Srimad-Bhagavatam answers this question that the top-most super-excellent religious principle is that which following, the protagonist becomes a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without any motive and without being checked by any material impediments. That will make a person completely satisfied, and that is our process. We are educated people how they can develop their dormant love of the Supreme Lord without being impaired by any material condition.

Letter to Madhusudana -- Hawaii 10 March, 1969:

Krishna Himself married so many wives as a Ksatriya. Caitanya Mahaprabhu although He was to take Sannyas at the age of 24 years, still He married twice within 20 years. Lord Nityananda Prabhu also married. Advaita Prabhu and Srivas Prabhu, they were also householders. So to become married is no impediment for advancement in Krishna Consciousness. One should be vigilant only that he is not diverting from Krishna Consciousness. One has to follow the footprints of the great Acaryas then everything is all right. I was also a married man—my family is still existing. So you should always remember that marriage is not impediment. The greatest enemy is forgetfulness of Krishna.

Letter to Vrndavanesvari -- New Vrindaban 25 May, 1969:

If you follow the principles of Krishna Consciousness, your activities may be accepted anywhere. It doesn't matter whether it is in Europe or America because it is all transcendental. You may just continue your attitude to serve Radharani and you can be on the spiritual platform, without any being deterred by material impediments. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, First Canto, you'll find that the first class occupational duty is to develop love of God without any motive or impediment. When we shall be able to execute our business of Love of Godhead, unimpaired, at that time we shall be freed from all sophistication.

Letter to Jadurani -- New Vrindaban 17 June, 1969:

I am very glad to know that Govinda Dasi felt herself cured of all her diseases by hearing my words, and I am very much encouraged. Both of you chant Hare Krishna and join Sankirtana Party, and there will be no disease. Maharaja Pariksit said that chanting the glories of the Lord can be executed by liberated persons. This means by chanting one becomes liberated from all material impediments. Not only chanting gives us liberation, but even in our conditioned state we like to hear the sweet melodious sound of the chanting.

Letter to Arundhati -- Los Angeles 10 July, 1969:

I see that you are chanting very nicely, you have good service attitude; so continue this attitude. You have a very nice husband also, so I shall be very glad if I see both of you advancing in Krishna Consciousness as you are doing it nicely at present. Maya is sometimes strong enough to put impediments on our progressive march. But if you stick to the principles of rules and regulations and chanting, keeping faith in Krishna and Spiritual Master, then Maya cannot touch you.

Letter to Ranadhira -- Tittenhurst 8 October, 1969:

Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us to be humbler than the grass on the street and more tolerant than the tree, and thus chant Hare Krishna Maha Mantra without any impediments.

Letter to Pradyumna -- Tittenhurst 13 October, 1969:

Regarding our books, the scholarly way should be followed. That means as Dr. Radhakrishnan and Bon Maharaja do it, and as Dr. Singh recommends. In all our books and magazines henceforward the whole process should be changed. Whatever is done in the past forget. Now everything should be revised and presented in the scholarly way. That means throughout Krishna should be spelled Krsna, Visnu should be spelled Visnu and Caitanya should be spelled Caitanya, etc. I think this will clear the whole thing and there will be no more Maya impediment.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Raktaka -- Los Angeles 9 January, 1970:

Regarding your marriage, I have all sanction for it, but I do not know what is the legal implication. Besides, that, the girl is not initiated. But if she is working very obediently in the Temple, there is no impediment in your being married with her and she may be initiated later on.

Letter to Citsukhananda -- Los Angeles 12 March, 1970:

I am also very much pleased to have your report of progressing the public interest in Krsna Consciousness. The secret of success will depend on yourself keeping on the spiritual strength by regularly chanting and following the regulative principles, and side by side you have to act on preaching the gospel, and it will go on without any impediment.

Letter to Jayapataka -- Los Angeles 17 April, 1970:

Looking on women is not an impediment to spiritual progress, but looking on women with a view of sense gratification is detrimental. The actual fact is that attachment for sense gratification is not at all congenial for spiritual progress. In this country intermingling with women is very easy, and sometimes our mind becomes agitated. Therefore we have to take little precaution and the best precaution is to raise oneself in Krsna Consciousness. Lord Caitanya said that His mind becomes agitated even by seeing a wooden model. By seeing women, if one's mind is agitated, that is quite natural. If you take the words of Lord Caitanya that His mind is agitated by seeing a wooden model, then what to speak of us by seeing actual women.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 21 June, 1970:

So far Narada Muni is concerned, in His previous life He was a maidservant's son, but by the mercy of the devotees He later on became siddha and next life He appeared as Narada with complete freedom to move anywhere by the grace of the Lord. So even though He was in his previous life a maidservant's son there was no impediment in the achievement of His perfect spiritual life. Similarly any living entity who is conditioned can achieve the perfectional stage of life by the above mentioned processes and the vivid example is Narada Muni.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Los Angeles 21 June, 1970:

So I do not know why you have asked about my previous life. Whether I was subjected to the laws of material nature? So, even though accepting that I was subjected to the laws of material nature, does it hamper in my becoming Spiritual Master? What is your opinion? From the life of Narada Muni it is distinct that although He was a conditioned soul in His previous life, there was no impediment of His becoming the Spiritual Master. This law is applicable not only to the Spiritual Master, but to every living entity.

Letter to Jagadisa -- Los Angeles 9 July, 1970:

I am very glad that you are all devotees working hard to improve the temple in both appearance and program. I understand that you are doing very nicely on Sankirtana Party and now you have been able to purchase a Sankirtana van for travelling. So you do this work of pushing on Krsna consciousness movement very enthusiastically and Krsna will help you to overcome all impediments in the matter of discharging your sincere devotional service to the Lord.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Jayapataka -- Gorakhpur 23 February, 1971:

So far until now my Godbrothers have regularly not cooperated with me and by the grace of my Spiritual Master, things are still going ahead. So cooperation or non-cooperation, it is the desire of Bhaktivinode Thakura to preach the Caitanya cult all over the world and in 1875 he predicted that someone would come very soon who would individually preach this cult all over the world. So if his benediction is there and my Guru Maharaja's blessings are there, we can go ahead without any impediment but all of us must be very sincere and serious. We have been a little inflicted by public criticism that we Godbrothers do not work together. My Guru Maharaja wanted also us to work together but some how or other it hasn't happened up until now.

Letter to Dr. Balwant Singh -- Bombay 4 April, 1971:

I am so pleased that you have taken my two young disciples, Vaikunthanatha and Saradia, from Trinidad for preaching work. It is so kind of you that you are appreciating their work in this connection. Kindly continue to help them so that there may not be any impediment in their preaching work.

Letter to Gaura Hari -- Los Angeles 9 July, 1971:

I am so glad to hear how nicely Tulsi is growing. That is the sign of substantial devotional service. Every center should be encouraged to grow Tulsi. If there is any impediment in growing Tulsi, that means that devotional service is defective.

Letter to Sivananda -- London 25 August, 1971:

So far worshiping Ganesa is concerned, that is not necessary. Not that it should be done on a regular basis. If you like you can pray to Ganapati for removing all impediments on the path of Krishna Consciousness. That you can do if you like.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Sucandra -- Bombay 11 January, 1972:

When we become fully engaged in serving Krishna by preaching His message, especially by opening centers in places where there is not much previous knowledge about Krishna Consciousness, then our all anxieties disappear and we feel ourselves really happy. This is the highest type of devotional activity, this preaching work. So I am very glad that you are working in this way, and I think that you will find no impediments to advancing yourself very rapidly in spiritual life.

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Mayapur 28 February, 1972:

There will be so many impediments in pushing on our movement, therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu has already advised us to be tolerant more than the tree and humbler than the blade of grass and give all respects to Karmis without expecting any respect. These instructions mean that pushing on this Krsna Consciousness movement is not very easy, but we have to face them and push on this movement.

Letter to Hanuman -- London 14 July, 1972:

This travelling and preaching is very much appreciated by me and factually it is really Lord Caitanya's sankirtana movement. So you and your assistants have got my all blessings and encouragement, now go on with complete confidence and always praying for the protection and mercy of Lord Krishna, and there will be no impediments, rest assured.

Letter to Sudama -- Bombay 23 December, 1972:

So I am very much pleased upon you for your kindly guiding and training the new devotees in so many ways. Yes, if you simply instruct them as I have taught also you, being yourself always the perfect example and above suspicion, that will act with great force. I am doing that. And I wanted to make some sannyasis to do what I am doing, and if you keep the standard, always chanting Hare Krishna, then it will go on continuously without impediment. That is your duty as sannyasa, to keep yourself always above suspicion in Krishna Consciousness programme, and to teach others to become like you, that's all.

Letter to Vaikunthanatha -- Bombay 29 December, 1972:

Your wife may also assist you in your important activities of spreading Krsna consciousness. She is a very nice painter and artist, and she is very sincere and serious also, so you may together utilize your spot-life as preachers of Krsna consciousness, that will be the better occupation. There is no harm for having children, that is no impediment for preaching endeavor. But too much attachment for children, home and work will spoil your opportunity to get very quickly the mature benefit of Krsna consciousness or self-realization.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Madhukara -- Bombay 4 January, 1973:

Of course if there is any instance of very advanced disciples, married couple, and they have agreed that the husband shall now take sannyasa or renounced order of life, being mutually very happy by that arrangement, then there is ground for such separation. But even in those cases there is no question of separation, the husband, even he is sannyasa, he must be certain his wife will be taken care of nicely and protected in his absence. Now so many cases are there of unhappiness by the wife who has been abandoned by her husband against her wishes. So how can I sanction such thing? I want to avoid setting any bad example for future generations, therefore I am so much cautiously considering your request. But if it becomes so easy for me to get married and then leave my wife, under excuse of married life being an impediment to my own spiritual progress, that will not be very good at all. That is misunderstanding of what is advancement in spiritual life.

Letter to Ramesvara -- India 12 October, 1973:

I am glad to hear of the book distribution success of Tripurari in Chicago. It is reported that he did it dressed in dhoti, but Karandhara says that dhoti is an impediment. So if he can distribute 105 Gitas and 105 Sri Isopanisad in one day in dhoti in Chicago, why not try for this in other places as well.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Srutadeva -- Vrndavana 18 September, 1975:

The report from Denver regarding the legal judgment of Judge M. Winner is giving intelligence to the judge also. It appears that the airport officials are defeated. I have heard that in some of the airports they are making announcements telling the people not to purchase our literature. This is impeding our religion and is therefore blasphemy. This cannot be allowed. You should take this to the courts; let people know what they are doing. They cannot impede our right.

Letter to Lokananda, Ramesvarai -- Bombay 9 November, 1975:

With regard to your son, let him see the Deity and ask him to offer obeisances. He will see and learn it. Yes, the body is received according to karma, still it is not an impediment to advance in Krsna consciousness by being deaf. Just teach him to see the Deity and how to offer obeisances and he will take prasadam. These things will elevate him to Krsna consciousness. Later on if Krsna desires, he can develop his hearing power. Krsna is almighty and He can do whatever He likes. What is the use of the karmi deaf school. Better to sit him down before the Deity and see and offer obeisances.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Karandhara -- New Delhi 31 August, 1976:

I know that you are competent to manage any department, whichever department you like you can render your service and keep yourself peaceful with your good wife. There is no impediment for grhasthas to become fully Krsna conscious. All of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's associates were grhasthas and all of them helped Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His missionary activities. Later on He took sannyasa and specifically He was assisted by Svarupa Damodara, but still He had intimate relations with grhasthas like Advaita Acarya, Nityananda, Gadadhara, and Srivas Thakura.

Letter to Jitadusana -- Vrindaban 20 November, 1976:

Devotional service does not depend on material assessment. It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam, "ahaituki apratihata". Devotional service must be without any material ambition and there is no material impediment which can check advancement in devotional service. Srila Gaura Kisora das Babaji was unable to sign his name, and yet he became the spiritual master of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, the most erudite learned scholar of His time. We should begin our devotional service in whichever position we are. It isn't that we have to learn something extra for advancing in devotional service.

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Pancadravida -- Orissa, India 20 January, 1977:

want to travel continually to see my centers. Now there is little impediment on account of my old body. Still I am trying and will continue to try to see you again and again. My visiting different centers means to see you all, even the buildings are the same, and the Deity is the same, but your enthusiasm is ever fresh and invigorating.