Suicide (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"suicidal" |"suicide" |"suicided" |"suicides" |"suiciding" |"suicidism"

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Rayarama -- Los Angeles 9 February, 1969:

I am very much anxious to know how is your present condition of health. Please let me know if you are improving or if there is some disturbance still. We should always remember that our body is not for sense gratification; it is for Krishna's service only. And to render very good sound service to Krishna we should not neglect the upkeep of the body. We learn from an instance of Sanatana Goswami. He was sometimes very much sick on account of eczema, and he was therefore sometimes bleeding. But whenever Lord Caitanya met Sanatana Goswami, He used to embrace him in spite of Sanatana's request for Him not to touch him. Because of this. Sanatana Goswami later on decided to commit suicide so Lord Caitanya would not embrace him in his bloody condition. This plan was understood by Lord Caitanya, and He called Sanatana Goswami and said to him, "you have decided to end this body, but don't you know that this body belongs to Krishna? You have already dedicated your body to Krishna so how can you decide to end it?" So you must not neglect the upkeep of your body. This is the lesson we get from Lord Caitanya and Sanatana Goswami. Try to take care of your health in the best possible way.

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

Please accept my blessings. I thank you so much for your encouraging letter, and I am so pleased to learn that the center is doing very nice propaganda work in Hawaii. Now you send to Brahmananda as many photographs as possible of the parading and the other chanting engagements. It will be the policy of our paper now to print as many as possible photos and articles of our own activities. I understand from Gaurasundara's letter that there is now inconvenience in having so many people living in the house there, so I think you may immediately return to Satsvarupa in Boston. I think that you may now take part in Sankirtana activities, so when you return to Boston you may go out with them sometimes on Sankirtana Party. 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. Only a person who is committing suicide or who is addicted in animal killing, such persons cannot relish the sweetness of this chanting. But even if they take to this chanting, they will become liberated.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 25 February, 1970:

"My Dear Lord, I have simply wasted my privileges of human form of life. This life was meant for understanding Krsna Consciousness and the pastimes of Lord Krsna with Radharani, but I did not take care of this important business of life. Therefore I have not only wasted my valuable time, but also I have willingly drunk poison for committing suicide. My heart is always in blazing fire because of my association with material sense enjoyment, and I did not fix up my mind in the Krsna Consciousness movement which is imported directly from the Kingdom of God. This Krsna Consciousness movement is inaugurated by Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda Who are Krsna and Balarama respectively.

Letter to Yamunacarya -- Los Angeles 17 June, 1970:

I beg to thank you for your letter dated nil.

You write to say how you were saved from a commitment of suicide. So you have seen the mantra in Isopanisad:

ye ke catma-hano janah

So not only you, but almost all the conditioned souls within this material world, practically 99% of the whole population is committing suicide. As it is natural for a gentleman to try to stop a person committing suicide when it so happens just in one's presence, similarly when we see that so many men and women are simply committing suicide as described in the Isopanisad ye ke catma-hano janah, let us try to save them through this Krsna Consciousness Movement.

Letter to Yamunacarya -- Los Angeles 17 June, 1970:

I am very glad that you are going with Kirtanananda Maharaja to colleges. So try to understand the philosophy* nicely and spread it to your best capacity so that these suiciding men can be saved as far as possible. It is not, however, possible to check the suiciding policy of the modern society, but my Guru Maharaja used to say that if he could save one person then He would consider His mission successful. Similarly, if we individually could save at least one person, many of the suiciding men can be saved.

1971 Correspondence

Letter to Satsvarupa -- Bombay 12 June, 1971:

I have seen the pictures printed by her and her assistants and they are very nice. She is serious about you being fully engaged in Krishna Consciousness and I have given her advice in this connection.

I am enclosing one letter from a new boy in Japan. He was going to commit suicide but came to Krishna instead. This may make an interesting topic for BTG in the new type of article you described in your last letter.

Letter to Sudama -- Bombay 12 June, 1971:

Just recently I have received one very interesting letter from Damari Toshio Inove and the reply to his letter is enclosed herewith. His letter I am sending to Satsvarupa and he may publish it in Back To Godhead. Here is a boy who was about to commit suicide, but he came to Krishna instead and now he is perfecting his life. That is most encouraging news.

So now this boy is working with you cooperatively; train him up nicely and give him all guidance. Any questions that you cannot answer may be referred to me. Krishna has sent you a sincere soul to help out there. So together work very hard to develop New Gaya and more devotees will come. Simply you must be patient and depend on Krishna, and He will give you all facility.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Karandhara, Tamala Krsna, Bhavananda, Giriraja -- Vrindaban 19 October, 1972:

So best thing is to consult Mulla and Mulla and proceed accordingly. If there is need to pay off the twelve lakhs, we can do it by giving him four lakhs immediately and the balance eight lakhs we shall arrange with Mr. Jayan very soon. But Mulla and Mulla have said it is suicidal unless there is settlement of the Chhaganlal business first. So we shall not be willing to pay the twelve lakhs unless this matter of Chhaganlal's lawsuit and the registration of the conveyance deed and payment of capital gains tax by Mr. Nair are peacefully settled without any risk to us. Try to fix up some arrangement acceptable to Mr. Nair for paying him, but we shall not risk that we may lose everything to Chhaganlal or some other of Mr. Nair's cheating dealings. So best thing is to follow the advise of Mulla and Mulla and stick to our position very securely.

Letter to Jayadvaita -- Hyderabad 18 November, 1972:

These books and magazines are doing so wonderfully service in this way. These books and magazines are our most important propaganda weapons to defeat the ignorance of maya's army, and the more we produce such literature and sell them profusely all over the world, the more we shall deliver the world from the suicide course. So your work is the most important preaching work, may Krishna bless you more and more. Thank you for helping me in this way.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Rupanuga -- Bombay 18 December, 1974:

Therefore let everyone chant Hare Krsna, eat nicely and keep their bodies fit and healthy. This is ideal life style. We do not condemn modern civilization but we don't like to get it at the cost of God Consciousness, that is suicide. Your farm in Pennsylvania sounds very nice. As far as Bali Mardan being involved with the management he will have nothing to do with that. The two men you have appointed, Paramananda and Devakinandana Prabhus, are both capable and experienced men from New Vrndavana and I am sure they will manage everything very nicely there.

What do you think of exporting nice United States cows such as the ones you have there and in New Vrndavana to India so we can raise them in our Vrndavana and Mayapur projects and provide nice milk? Is it possible?

1977 Correspondence

Letter to VARIOUS -- Unknown Place Unknown Date:

I am so glad to know that you and the others at ISKCON Press are doing so wonderfully service in this way. These books and magazines are our most important propaganda weapons to defeat the ignorance of maya's army, and the more we produce such literature and sell profusely all over the world, the more we shall deliver the world from the suicide course. So your work is the most important preaching work, may Krsna bless you more and more.