A person who is not a pure Vaisnava cannot understand Srimad-Bhagavatam. A mayavadi may pretend to become a so-called Vaisnava but because he cherishes at heart to merge into the Supreme, he is unable to develop the devotional cult which is a necessary qualification for understanding Srimad-Bhagavatam. And to qualify the Mayavadis and other common men who indulge in the mental speculative transactions, Srimad-Bhagavatam gives them instructions from the 1st to the 9th canto about the transcendental nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Unfortunately the cheap and unscrupulous professional readers of the Bhagavata or the Mayavadi misleaders in the garb of a renouncer indulge in the highest topic of Srimad-Bhagavatam described in the Rasa Panca Adhya. A person who is compact in mundane thought of material enjoyment will certainly be indulging in playing with poison if anyone, devoid of transcendental realization playfully deals with the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna.
Pure Vaisnava (Letters)
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
1967 Correspondence
Regarding Bengalis. I think it will be difficult for them to join us because we are pure Vaisnavas. The Bengalis are generally worshipers of Goddess Kali for facility of eating meat and fish. But some of them may join us in minority. Indians other than the Bengalis may join us in large numbers because most of them are vegetarians. Any way do not disturb them or any one about their personal affairs but give every one the chance of joining us in Kirtana that will pave the path of Krishna Consciousness. You are intelligent enough and I hope you will understand me right.
1969 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge both of your letters dated 14, January 1969 as well as one letter from Gurudasa dated 16, January 1969 with enclosed a picture and newspaper cuttings. This picture is undoubtedly very unique because perhaps in the history of the world it is for the first time that Western boys and girls in the dress of pure Vaisnavas are chanting on the street of a very important quarter of the greatest city in the world, London. So by the Grace of Krishna you are all six together doing very nice Krishna Consciousness activities, and I am so much pleased. In your letter I can understand that people from many important cities of Europe and Africa are taking part in our Sankirtana movement, and you have got continuous engagements almost every night. This is very much encouraging.
The author of Ramacharitamanasa, Goswami Tulasi das, has a tint of Mayavadi philosophy. He belongs to the Ramananda Sampradaya. They are mixed up combination of personalist and impersonalist. Therefore, the author is not considered as pure Vaisnava. Pure Vaisnava is free from all material contamination of fruitive activities and mental speculation. The pure Vaisnava is simply, purely disposed to transcendental loving service to Krishna. The pure Vaisnava rejects anything which has no pure idea of serving the Personality of Godhead.
1970 Correspondence
The next point is whether the principal temples in Vrndavana, say for example Radharamanaji's Temple where you are staying, will have any objection to admit these Europeans and Americans for darsana and kirtana. From sastric point of view there cannot be any objection because they are now pure Vaisnavas following rigidly the rules and regulations. As you already have seen in the "Kalyana" magazine, April 1970, they are taking twice daily bath, having kuntis, chanting Hare Krsna on the beads, decorating the body with twelve tilaka marks and following the four regulative principles 1) no eating of meat, fish or eggs, 2) no illicit sex, 3) to taking of any kind of intoxicants, including coffee, tea, and cigarettes, and 4) no gambling, strictly. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam that anyone, even in the impious source of birth, if one takes to the Krsna conscious principles he is admitted in Vaikuntha Goloka Vrndavana. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sukdev Goswami says that such things are possible by the grace of Almighty Visnu. Similarly Narada Muni has explained to Maharaja Yudhisthira that one has to be judged by the symptoms of his life and not by his birth. And this is also accepted by the great Bhagavat commentator, Sridhara Svami.
I am very glad to learn from your letter dated 2nd July that both yourself and Acyutananda went to Babu Ghat for chanting Hare Krsna. I am very glad to learn it. The same process I adopted in your country when I started my Sankirtana in Tompkins Square, New York. Krsna was so kind to send to me all these boys and girls who are helping me now. Babu Ghat is a very nice place. Similarly, in front of Babu Ghat there is the Eden Garden that is also a very nice place. After all it is not the question of the place, but it is the person who chants which is important. A sincere soul like you, so much devoted to Spiritual Master and Krsna is sure to be successful anywhere. So you adopt the same principle as we are doing here.
So far collection is concerned, if somebody offers money there is no reason to refuse it. Certainly there are many pseudo-Vaisnavas collecting money for sense gratification, but that does not mean that a pure Vaisnava will not collect.
1973 Correspondence
Right from the beginning of my mission, I have always stressed and encouraged my disciples to work with the college students. You should not be discouraged if people are not coming to your meetings. We are trying to please Krishna. That is all. We simply must go on with our business, to the best of our ability. We must always sincerely try to do our best with great determination. This is the transcendental position. Success or failure, this is not our business. We leave that up to Krishna. My Guru Maharaja said, it does not matter if anyone comes to hear. You go on with your chanting. If no-one hears you the walls will hear. But this does not mean that we should sit down someplace and simply chant Hare Krishna for our own benefit. We should be always anxious to save the cripple minded people with the science of Krishna Consciousness. This is the position of a Vaisnava. One disciple of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Vasudeva Datta prayed to Lord Caitanya, please Caitanya Mahaprabhu, take all these people back to Home, back to Godhead and I will suffer for their sins. Like this, this is the attitude of a pure Vaisnava. Actually the true Vaisnava, he is the only true humanitarian in the world today, for he is interested in the well-being of all living entities. So you will continue on and consult with Karandhara and the other GBC men and formulate some program to preach this Krishna Consciousness in the colleges and this will please me very much.
I am very much pleased that the Deities are worshiped so nicely and as this continues, the children there will become more and more purified. These children in Gurukula are the most fortunate children in the world, because right from the beginning they are having the association of Radha and Krishna. This was the case in my childhood also. My father was pure Vaisnava and he gave me and my sister the Radha Krishna Deities to worship and in this way we were trained. And still to this very day my sister is worshiping these very same Deities in Calcutta. So like this the children must be trained.
Your nest question: "The Bhagavad-gita says that Lord Brahma is a conditioned soul. Then how was it possible for him to impart the Vedas to a non-conditioned soul—Narada Muni?" So, Lord Brahma is a conditioned soul means that due to his desire to become the creator of the material manifestation he had to take birth within the material world. But although he was conditioned by such desire, still he is a great devotee of Lord Krsna. He has written Brahma-samhita which is pure Vaisnava literature describing the Supreme Personality of godhead. Lord Brahma was the first created being within the universe and the first spiritual master, as he received knowledge from within his heart from Lord Krsna. Narada appeared as the son of Brahma and therefore he had to accept Lord Brahma as his spiritual master.
1974 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your letter in Hindi and have noted the contents. To join our mission first of all you have to become a pure Vaisnava. For this purpose you have to remain with us and live the techniques in your life. Then you can be trained up as a preacher. We do not allow anyone become a preacher unless he is strictly following the Vaisnava principles of no eating meat, fish, or eggs; no sex outside of marriage; no gambling; and no taking any kind of intoxication whatsoever. You must also chant 16 rounds Hare Krishna on the japa beads.
1975 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your telegram regarding the baby boy born to Ram Prasad. So far the name is concerned you can call him Bhaktivardhana das. All my blessings are there for the child so that he may become a pure Vaisnava. I hope this meets you in good health.
Our society is open to everyone without any discrimination of cast, creed, color, sex, or position, anyone can join us and be trained up in Krishna consciousness. That is evidently proved that we have got more than 100 centers all over the world, including Africa, or other supposed backward countries. Everywhere the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra is being chanted without any difficulty and all of them are becoming pure Vaisnavas. They are completely giving up the four principles of sinful activities, namely illicit sex life, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling, and thus they are making progress in the matter of understanding Krishna consciousness very perfectly.
| Page Title: | Pure Vaisnava (Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Aparajita Radhika |
| Created: | 17 of Aug, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=12 |
| No. of Quotes: | 12 |