Prabhupada and Vibhavati devi dasi

Expressions researched:
"Vibhavati"

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Isana, Vibhavati -- Hawaii 8 March, 1969:

I thank you very much for your kind letter of February 22, 1969, along with your beads, which I have duly chanted. Your name is now Isana das Adhikari and your wife's name is Vibhavati dasi. Please follow the four principles of initiated disciples which are as follows: No eating of animal foods such as meat, fish and eggs; no gambling; no illicit sex life; and no intoxication of any kind. Chant 16 rounds minimum daily, attend classes in the temple, and read Bhagavad-gita, and Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly. Whenever there is any question, ask me, and try to preach Krishna Consciousness movement to your best capacity. I am very glad to learn that Mukunda has invited you to go to London and if there is possibility you should go immediately, both of you, and join with them. The six boys and girls, husband and wife, are preaching Krishna Consciousness movement in London so nicely, that in the London Times there was a news heading like: Krishna Chant Startles London. These boys and girls are also initiated for the last two years only—they are not very great scholars in theological studies, but still by the Grace of Krishna they have created some impression in a city like London simply by their sincere effort. My Spiritual Master used to send preachers who were all in the renounced order of life (sannyasis), but I am doing a completely different process—namely, preparing some young couples of husband and wife to take up this job. this is approved by Lord Caitanya. He said that it does not matter whether the preacher is in the renounced order of life, or a family man, or a brahmana or a sudra—nothing is hampering in the process of preaching Krishna Consciousness. The only qualification required is that one should know the genesis of Krishna Consciousness and then he is just the fit person to preach this great philosophy.

I understand both you and your wife are very intelligent boy and girl and I hope if you sincerely wish to serve Krishna He will give you all intelligence how you can nicely serve Him.

I am here at Hawaii at the care of Gaurasundara and his wife Govinda dasi; they are also doing very nicely. Similarly, another couple of disciples, Satsvarupa and Jadurani in Boston are also doing very nicely. Similarly, in Buffalo Rupanuga and his wife and their small child are doing very nicely. Similarly, in New Vrindaban Hayagriva and his wife Syama dasi are doing very nicely. So it is a part of my missionary work; I want to see that the Western boys and girls who are very much loose with their sex life should get themselves married and take to Krishna Consciousness seriously and they will be happy both materially and spiritually. So if you go to London to join Mukunda and his company you will be very much pleased to see how husband and wife combined together can so nicely preach this Krishna Consciousness movement. Please take up this philosophy very seriously and you will be happy in this life and next life. If you are going to London please let me know when you are going.

Your poetry is very nice, and I am sending the copy to our editor of Back To Godhead for publishing it conveniently.

Herewith please find your chanted beads and be happy by the Grace of Krishna. Please convey my blessings to all there, and I hope you are all well.

Letter to Vibhavati -- Allston, Mass 25 April, 1969:

I beg to thank you for your letter dated April 23, 1969 sent along with the Panca-tattva painting, and I am so glad to learn that you are also a good painter. Your first attempt has been almost successful, so I request you to continue to practice so that excellent paintings may be drawn by you. We require so many pictures for our temples which are already present and which will be opened in the future. Immediately upon receipt of your picture, I had it hung right above my Deity room. Wherever I go I convert one closet into my Deity room, so I shall always be seeing your picture there.

Letter to Isanadas -- Allston, Mass 30 April, 1969:

Please convey my blessings to your good wife, Vibhavati, and I hope this will meet the both of you in very good health.

Letter to Isana -- New Vrindaban 23 May, 1969:

Please accept my blessings and offer the same to your good wife, Vibhavati.

Letter to Vibhavati -- New Vrindaban 12 June, 1969:

I am in due receipt of your nice letter dated June 7, along with your article published in the Montreal Star on the same day. Everything appears to be very nice, and your service in this connection is recognized. You have done a great service by meeting with Mr. John Lennon. He is an influential man, and at least you have been able to publicize our Krishna Consciousness Movement in a way that the people will understand that the Beatles are interested. In London, Mr. George Harrison is also inclined to this movement and to our disciples, and recently a letter from Syamasundara. conveyed Mr. Harrison's respectful obeisances unto me. Mr. John Lennon is anxious for peace in the world, so also is everyone anxious for peace in the world, but it should be known how that peace can be attained. If we keep the human society as it is, there is no possibility of peace. It is not a question of simply accepting God as the center of everything and peace will be achieved, but the question is how to live in God. Mr. Lennon wants to stop war, but the war is the creation of different politicians. So unless on the summit of administration there are actually Krishna Conscious men, we cannot stop war. Therefore people in general must understand the importance of Krishna Consciousness, and they must in this democratic day send their real representatives who can make right decisions whether there should be war or no war. We find from the history of Mahabharata that the battle of Kuruksetra was because of the belligerent attitude of Duryodhana. So such war as is was conducted under the advice of Lord Krishna is not bad, but war declared and executed by demonic politicians is certainly very bad. A Krishna conscious person like Arjuna is not inclined to the activities of warfare, but when there is a necessity for peace in the world to educate men to become Krishna Conscious, a Krishna Conscious person does not lag behind. Therefore the first necessity for peace in the world is to instruct men how to become Krishna Conscious, because as soon as one becomes Krishna Conscious all the good qualities in human society are manifested. So if it is possible that the party of Mr. Lennon and Mr. Harrison cooperate with this Krishna Consciousness Movement, I am sure we shall be able to stop all this nonsensical war.

I think by this time, by your sincere practice, you have come to this conclusion that a Krishna Conscious situation is the only means for peace and happiness. I am very glad to see your sarcastic remark in the article where you write, "cigarette smoke hangs heavy in the air." The leaders of the peace movement must be all men of character, and to raise such men of character there must be the four regulative principles; namely, no illicit sex-life, no meat-eating, no gambling, and no intoxication. According to Vedic civilization, these four principles must be followed by persons desiring spiritual advancement of life, persons who want to be public leaders and persons who want to be highly intellectual for understanding God and His creation. So I am very much hopeful of Mr. John Lennon because he has several times chanted the word, Krishna.

Now both you and your husband were eager to start for England, so you can now arrange for going there. I have received one letter from Syamasundara. that they are soon to occupy a nice house, so you can immediately open correspondence with him. His present address is Syamasundara. Das Adhikari, 11 Balham Park Road, London SW 12, ENGLAND. If you have the money, you can immediately start. Their place can accommodate twenty or thirty men, and as they are making very elaborate effort for spreading Krishna Consciousness in London, they require help from brahmacaris, grhasthas, etc. So I think if you go there, not only you shall be assisting them, but you can further talk with Mr. John Lennon how actually peace in the world can be established on the above principles.

I understand that both you and Isana das are very sincere souls, so in the future I hope you both will be a great asset in preaching this Krishna Consciousness Movement.

Letter to Syamasundara -- New Vrindaban 12 June, 1969:

I have immediately asked Trivikrama das Brahmacari of Buffalo to go there, and he is sending Mukunda one telegram confirming this. I am also advising Vibhavati and Isana das to go there.

Letter to Syamasundara -- New Vrindaban 12 June, 1969:

You will be glad to know that Mr. John Lennon had an interview with Vibhavati, and a nice article was published in the Montreal Star in which it is understood that he also is interested in our Krishna Consciousness Movement.

Letter to Yamuna -- New Vrindaban 21 June, 1969:

I have asked one married couple from Montreal, Isanadas and Vibhavati, to go to London, as well as I have asked one brahmacari named Trivikrama, and probably Sudama will also go there.

Letter to Gurudasa -- New Vrindaban 21 June, 1969:

Recently Mr. John Lennon had an interview with one of our disciples, Vibhavati, and it appears that he is also sympathetic with our movement.

Letter to Vibhavati -- Los Angeles 15 July, 1969:

I thank you for your letter of July 11, 1969, and I have noted the contents carefully. Regarding your proposal of writing a book about child-raising, I do not think this is required with all the other writings that we have to do. And besides that, you are not the master of this subject, so who will read such a book? I have seen in your article on Mr. Lennon that you have a very nice gift for writing, so better you should utilize this God-given talent for writing articles for our Back To Godhead. There is immediate necessity for this, and for this writing you are qualified because you are a sincere devotee of this Krishna Consciousness Movement. So why not write nice articles of this philosophy as you have assimilated it? This will be a very great service because we are now converting BTG to exclusively contain articles by my disciples and myself, along with many pictures of our Sankirtana activities. So if you can write some words about Krishna consciousness and send them to Brahmananda in New York, that will be very nice engagement for you.

Regarding your questions about sex life, the basic principle is that in executing Krishna Consciousness sex life should be avoided as far as possible, and it may be utilized only for begetting Krishna Consciousness children. This is the basic principle that should be followed as far as possible by all married individuals. During the period of pregnancy sex life should be strictly avoided. The basic idea of raising children as they are described in the Vedic literature is that from birth till the age of five years the parents may be very lenient with the child. From the ages six to ten they should tighten the discipline of their child, and from the ages of ten till the sixteenth year the parents should be as strict as a tiger with their child so that he will be afraid to be disobedient at all. Then after the sixteenth year the parents shall treat their child as a friend, and the child is allowed to gradually develop his adult responsibility and independence. Regarding your other questions, yes, you may wear any clothing that you find comfortable; no, it is not very good to use yeast in preparing prasadam. It is better to prepare bread in the process as you have seen done in the temple. I hope this will answer all of your important questions. I have also received one letter from Isanadas dated July 4, 1969, and his camp program sounds interesting. I am anxious to know what are your plans for going to London because now I understand they have facilities to accommodate you and your husband. So either yourself or Isanadas may write to me to inform me.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Isana, Vibhavati -- Calcutta 21 September, 1970:

Lately there has been some misunderstanding amongst our devotees about our Krishna Consciousness philosophy. Particularly there has been some confusion about the relationship between the Spiritual Master and Krishna. The Vedas say that there is a Master Krishna. This Servant Krishna is the Spiritual Master and this is the conclusion. The Spiritual Master is the Mercy Representative of the Supreme Lord and as such He is given honor as good as Krishna, but He is never identical with Krishna. Perhaps you know the picture of Madhvacarya, one of the great Acaryas in our line, who is holding two fingers up to indicate Krishna and jiva. The impersonalists hold up one finger because their idea is that everything is one. So if we make the Spiritual Master identical with Krishna, then we will also become impersonalists. If we say that our Spiritual Master is Krishna, then the conclusion is that if we become Spiritual Master some day, then we will also become Krishna. Please try to understand how dangerous this kind of reasoning is.

In my books I have tried to explain clearly this simultaneously one and different philosophy acinta beda beda tattva propounded by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But sometimes it happens that this philosophy is given a self-interested interpretation. As soon as personal motivation comes in it is not possible for one to understand our Krishna Consciousness philosophy.

You have both been very nice devotees and I would like you both to continue to make nice advancement. So please patch up any crack that may have come between yourself and ISKCON. As husband and wife you must always remain together and raise your daughter in Krishna Consciousness. I would like you to go back to New Vrndavana and fix up a nice living place for yourselves and help to develop the New Vrndavana scheme. Our ISKCON should be taken as being a family based upon love and trust, so as the father becomes unhappy when one of his children wishes to break family connections I also become unhappy when there is difficulties within our ISKCON family. So please do not consider leaving as you are spiritual children of mine.

While writing this letter dated September 12th, 1970, I do not think at this time you should come to India. Your both service is required in New Vrndavana.

Please chant your rounds sincerely and read carefully all the books and dedicate your life equally to Krishna and your Spiritual Master. This will make you happy.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Vibhavati -- Vrindaban 8 September, 1974:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 29th, 1974 and have noted the contents. So whether you are alone or with your husband you must continue to follow the regulative principles. Why there should be any misunderstanding between a Krishna conscious husband and wife. This is not good. Anyway wherever you get place, you should go and always remember Krishna and never forget Him for a moment.