The art of... (Conversations & Letters)

Expressions researched:
"art of"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- September 24, 1968, Seattle:

Interviewer: As far as rites which you practice and demands upon you which Kṛṣṇa makes, what are any of these rites or demands? That is must you eat special foods, wear special clothing, special..., anything special which you put upon your face, sign, symbols, and also, is there any connection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the meditation of yoga or of Zen, and what of physical fitness? How does Kṛṣṇa consciousness look at this?

Prabhupāda: Our process is to accept everything which conduces to develop Kṛṣṇa's love. So those methods are given by experienced ācāryas, that "You just follow." Just like when a child tries to walk, the mother gives some direction or some help in a wooden plank, that "You try to move in this way. You will learn how to walk," similarly, there are certain principles given by experienced ācāryas. If we follow those principles, then we can work or we can go to the perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not the method that is important. The real important is how to develop your love of Kṛṣṇa. If somebody develops love of Kṛṣṇa, or God, without those methods, there is no objection. We are not limited by the methods or ritualistic methods. But there are certain ritualistic method, which, if one follows, then he can quickly learn the art of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- August 14, 1971, London:

Prabhupāda: Everywhere. Everywhere. In Bombay, everywhere we go, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." In Montreal. They joke, they'll clap, but they'll chant. And that is wanted. I want to see that everyone is chanting. And if chanting has effect, then either he's chanting jokingly or seriously it will have the effect. Fire, if you touch either jokingly or seriously or cautiously, it will act. So our request is that you also preach this cult. Let us cooperate. The whole world is suffering for want of God consciousness. So it is the duty of all religious sects to teach this simple art of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa or any other name which you have got. That's all.

Revatīnandana: They have got this prayer, "Lord Jesus have mercy on me, a miserable sinner." And she was showing me they have a, almost like japa beads. Show him.

Sister Mary: You see, here.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 2, 1972, Sydney:

Prabhupāda: What he is teaching?

Several devotees: Karate.

Prabhupāda: Karate.

Śyāmasundara: That's it, same, that art of defeating someone if he is off balance a certain way.

Devotee (3): Karate is the art of hitting your nerve points. You can paralyze people with it. Just with one finger hitting on a certain nerve junction, you can paralyze a person.

Devotee (1): They do. They show movies of one man who has killed his nerves in the hand and a bull will be running like this, and he can put his hand through the bull and grab the heart. They're like that. They show movies like that. They develop like that.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Indian Ambassador -- September 5, 1973, Stockholm:

Ambassador: I think, Your Eminence, there's a lot in what you say, but, you know, politics is the art of the possible.

Prabhupāda: No. No, politics means to see that people are advanced, citizens are advanced, not that they are degraded.

Ambassador: Your Eminence, I agree, but I think the duty of the government primarily is to provide conditions in which gifted people, spiritual people like you, leaders like you, can function. More than that, if the government does, it might probably even corrupt the religious... I don't know. Like an umpire in a game, you know, or something... Provide the conditions, provide the conditions for free speech. Not like Moscow, you know, where it is...

Prabhupāda: No. That is... Just like you have got the Commerce Department. Government has got. What is the duty of the Commerce Department? The government must see that the trade enterprise, common share, or industrial enterprise, they are doing nicely, properly. The government issuing license. They have got supervision. They send sometimes, what is called, inspectors? Education. Say, for education.

Morning Walk -- December 10, 1973, Los Angeles:

Sudāmā: Now, Śrīla Prabhupāda, Kṛṣṇa has sent you here to teach us this art of surrendering.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Sudāmā: Now you have told us to first of all surrender. So as your students, we are trying to hear in that way. Now when we go and preach and we tell, if we tell a man, "First of all, you surrender before you'll be able to understand," then what, what question is there of preaching?

Prabhupāda: They have already surrendered. They have already surrendered. When they have come to hear you, that is a symptom of surrender. Otherwise, why does he waste his time? There is, little bit, surrender. Full surrender and partial surrender. When one agrees to hear you, that is partial surrender.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- February 13, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: If you are ignorant, you do not know how to love.

Guest (1): That's true, of course. Ignorance is...

Prabhupāda: Then how do you speak of universal love? When you do not know how to love, how do you speak universe, big, big word. You do not know the art of love, and you are speaking universal love.

Guest (1): Well, certainly every...

Prabhupāda: That is ignorance. First of all you say that you do not know how to love, and you are speaking of love the universe. It has already...

Guest (1): Certainly each being in the universe is a part of the universe...

Prabhupāda: But you cannot love each being. That is my point.

Devotee: They were hinting at it. She was saying if you love a pure being...

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Morning Walk 'Varnasrama College' -- March 14, 1974, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: But I must know everything because I am a teacher.

Hṛdayānanda: So, for example, if I become a teacher at varṇāśrama, say, the first teacher at the varṇāśrama college, then I have to also become expert at how to fight, how to...

Prabhupāda: Not all of you, but some of you must be, must learn the art of fighting also. But in a practical you are not going to fight. If required, you can fight. I say that we are above all these varṇāśrama, but we must train others or ourself also for material activities, everything, under these divisions.

Viṣṇujana: For example, in New Vrindaban we have brāhmaṇas that are very expert at tilling the soil and taking care of cows.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Room Conversation with Roger Maria leading writer of communist literature -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Yogeśvara: He says that he recognizes that, and he says it is one interpretation, as you have your interpretation, as there are many. He doesn't think that these interpretations are as important as the art of knowing how to live, which is, he thinks, the essence of all religion, how to live. He says the interpretation is not so...

Prabhupāda: But he thinks Ramakrishna lived very well than others? (French)

Yogeśvara: I think one... If I've understood, he's insisting on one point. That is the that the public opinion is actually the most important thing, just as this Ramakrishna expressed the spirit of the Gītā in a way that was most popular, was most favorable to the public.

Prabhupāda: Who is that public? Amongst you, who accepts Ramakrishna.

Room Conversation with Roger Maria leading writer of communist literature -- June 12, 1974, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Now, now, what is his problem. That he did never disclose.

Yogeśvara: Well, he says the problem is the art of living, what is the best way to live.

Prabhupāda: So he has got his opinion. I have got my own opinion. How we'll agree? We say that you remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything will be solved. Does he agree? (French)

Yogeśvara: He says, "No, absolutely not. Just like I don't accept the existence..."

Prabhupāda: Then why shall I agree to his point? (French) So...

Yogeśvara: So he says, "So I have to leave now. But the last thing I'd like to say is that I reject that conclusion just like I reject also the Christian conclusion that the truth is in the Evangel. But," he says, "that doesn't impede me, that doesn't stop me from working very nicely with some of my best friends who are Christians when it comes down to practical work."

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- February 3, 1975, Hawaii:

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. That is the difficulty. They are trained up in such a way that it's very difficult to forget what they have learned. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, kaumāra acaret prajñaḥ, from the very beginning of life one should learn this art of understanding Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's plan.

Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, usually on saṅkīrtana I avoid old people because they just don't understand, and it's very difficult to approach them.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, yes. Old people should be instructed to forget what they have learned. He sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrād caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam. This is the formula of preaching. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he is begging to the people, dānte nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā cāham bravīmi: "Taking a straw in my mouth, with folded hands and flattering you hundred times, I am submitting one request." "What is that?" This is the process of approaching these rascals, old fools who have learned something and does not like to forget. So he says, he sādhavaḥ: "Oh, you are such a nice learned scholar-devotee, so my request is that whatever you have learned, please forget." Sakalam eva vihāya dūrāt: "Kick them out."

Room Conversation with Carol Cameron -- May 9, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: Oh, what is that philosophy? Impersonal creator?

Carol: Without any attributes that we can...

Prabhupāda: Creator is an attribute. To become creator, that is attribute. If I create this bell, I know the art of how to create a bell.

Carol: Hmm.

Prabhupāda: So, this is my attribute. How you can say the creator is without attribute? This is false philosophy. I know how to create this bell. That is my artistic sense. That is my qualification. And how you say I am without qualification? As soon as you say "creator," then He has got many qualifications.

Carol: How can ignorance be removed?

Prabhupāda: The ignorant people can also learn from the learned. If you have got this idea that creator is impersonal, that means you are not a learned. You have no knowledge. And this is the simple answer. As soon as you say "creator," He has so many qualities. The bell... Suppose I am ringing.

Morning Walk -- May 14, 1975, Perth:

Amogha: Just like that girl who came two days ago, that Indian girl. Her parents were separated. Now she is living thousands of miles away with some boy.

Prabhupāda: They are this part of Indian, the Fiji Indians. They have learned the art of divorce.

Amogha: They are very Western, westernized.

Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, how can the position be reconciled if in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one of the two, the husband or the wife, wants to enjoy sense gratification, but the other does not? Should there be separation then?

Prabhupāda: No... They should be trained up. Sense enjoyment means not advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as one is advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his sense enjoyment spirit will be reduced. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra ca (SB 11.2.42). The test is, how you are advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the proportionate diminishing of sense enjoyment. That is the test. Just like cure of the disease means diminishing the fever, temperature. This is the test.

Morning Walk -- July 8, 1975, Chicago:

Jaga-jīvana: All classes of men should preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Yes. First of all he must know what to preach. If he does not know what to preach, what he will preach? You have got a preaching capacity, provided you learn the art of preaching. But everyone can preach. That's a fact.

Devotee: What is to become of those devotees that leave ISKCON and take to breaking the regulative principles, and stop chanting sixteen rounds?

Prabhupāda: Explain.

Devotee: There are even brāhmaṇas in our temple who have left the temple and they are acting just like karmīs.

Prabhupāda: So they were wrongly initiated. We want recommendation from the authority, whether one should be initiated, but they gave wrong information. That is the defect of the informer.

Morning Walk -- July 14, 1975, Philadelphia:

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. But if you put in a body, though they cannot be mixed, but they can stay together. Like in a chemical laboratory we take a test tube. In the test tube I can mix two solutions like, for example, mercury and water and oil. They will not mix, but they will stay in the same test tube. But a man who knows about the art of separating those three mixtures can do it very nicely.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Similarly, soul does not mix with the matter and by this art, transcendental knowledge, you can become out of it.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So that's why we need a process and someone who knows the process of.

Prabhupāda: The process is bhakti-yoga. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān: (BG 14.26) "Anyone who has taken to this bhakti-yoga," māṁ ca vyabhicariṇi bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate, "he immediately becomes free from the mixture of these three guṇas." Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). "He again revives his Brahman nature." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahma-bhūtāḥ prasannātmā: (BG 18.54) Then he understands that 'I have no connection with these all nonsense things. I am brahma-bhūtāḥ.' "

Morning Walk -- July 25, 1975, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: That is another art of not being exposed. (laughter) Because as soon as he speaks he becomes rascal. So maunebaba... There is no enemy. There is in Bengali, bhovara satru nai: "If you are dumb, then nobody is your enemy." So they become bhovara means dumb; I don't speak. That means I don't create many enemies, Bhova that's all.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nothing positive, though.

Prabhupāda: Yes. "You are O.K., I am O.K." That's all. (laughter)

Yadubara: Like that Yogi Bhajan. He didn't say anything for a long time. Then when he spoke he started speaking about his court cases.

Prabhupāda: Court cases?

Yadubara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: He is very expert, expert in dealing with legal cases. So what they will speak? What they have got? Better not to talk.

Morning Walk -- October 17, 1975, Johannesburg:

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: When the termites get into the wood they eat up the wood and they hide in nests underneath the house. So the way that they try to kill the termites is by gassing them. They cover their house with a tent, and then they gas, and it goes into the nests and kills all the termites. They are perfecting this art of killing. You said that in Calcutta in a very expensive cloth shop... Your father's brother used to have cloth shop?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That when there was rats and they would eat the cloth that he would simply put some prasādam in the room.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: And the rats would come and take. They wouldn't eat the cloth.

Prabhupāda: No. Just like a man also. If he gets food, shelter, then he doesn't commit any criminal act. Man is also dangerous. Even if you give him food, shelter, he will do mischievous activities. That is man. But an animal will not do it. You can tame even a tiger by giving him food. He will never... If he sees that you are giving him food he'll never attack, the tiger also, feeling obliged.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Reporter -- June 3, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: There is a very simply fact. It you simply understand that one verse in the Bhagavad-gītā, there it is stated that

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ

tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

Very simply thing. Just like the art of the material nature. Everything is coming out of the material nature, beginning from the grass to the highest intellectual human being or more than that. Wherefrom they are coming? From this material nature: ether, earth, water, fire. This element, some material nature. Let us see from the ground, the grass is coming, the vegetable is coming. From the water the fishes are coming, all the ants are coming, the germs are coming. Then, after eating that vegetable, the animals are coming. In this way everything is coming, generated from the earth, from the material nature. Is it not a fact?

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 3, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: They have no time to waste time in that way. They must be inclined that "I must prepare something nice so that my husband, my children or my, all friends will be very pleased." That is their policy. I wanted that all our girls, they should be expert. And in America they are doing that. They should learn the art of cooking and prepare very nice foodstuffs, daily change of menu. And the children should be so trained up that no more birth. And that is life. They can produce hundreds of children, it doesn't matter, but must be responsible that "The children should be saved. This is the last birth, no more birth. I'll train the child in such a way that next life he's going to Kṛṣṇa, back to home, back to Godhead." That is parent's duty. Otherwise they should not become parent. That is contraceptive: "I am not fit to train my children in that way, so I shall not produce cats and dogs." This is life. Why shall I produce cats and dogs? And Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura was gṛhastha, he produced Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī. That is one... So in this way, if there is ideal institution, ideal mode of living, it is happy; everything is all right. That is gṛhastha. Produce Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī.

Morning Darsana and Room Conversation Ramkrishna Bajaj and friends -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: This is asat, this wood, either in crude form or in transferred form. So I am taking credit because a crude wood has been turned into a table. So that is my vilāsa. So sat saṅga chāḍi kāinu asate vilāsa. So I am now bound up. I can become a very nice carpenter. Does it mean that I am self-realized? If you have learned the art of turning crude wood into a table, nice table, you may get the credit of becoming a nice carpenter; that does not mean you are self-realized. They are taking credit of this turning crude wood into nice table, and they're thinking that "Our life is successful." This is going on. And the real technology, that "I am not this body; I have been put into this condition, and I am transmigrating from one body to another"—there is no such knowledge. For the temporary.... (break) ...temporary thing, flickering thing, like children. Children is very busy on the beach, making sand palaces, and he's very happy. So our position is like that. But we should be intelligent enough that "There is our real life, permanent life, not this temporary life," that "This life is temporary. There is another life." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). "This śarīra is not.

Room Conversation -- February 19, 1977, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: I asked Bhogilal. He sent, but they cancelled.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The same thing. I once arranged for Shantilal's brother, and they cancelled. The thing is there's an art of dealing with these servants. You have to know how to handle them. Otherwise... They have to be treated like the children in the family.

Prabhupāda: No, not... Treat them as master-servant tactfully.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And you have to take care of them.

Hari-śauri: The thing is, those men that Bhogilal sent were smoking biḍis and everything.

Prabhupāda: That could be checked, that "You do not do this." If you have to keep hired cook, so you'll have to manage in that way. Everything depends on management. Change of menu is very good, not that the same thing should be.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Govinda Maharaja -- New Delhi 16 September, 1955:

I have read with great interest your article especially the one which is named as "CHALAR PATHE." It is not only very amusing but also instructive. Simple dry philosophical arguments will not be appealing now a days to people in general. They will like to read such articles as written by you with greater relish. In this article I can find out that you have really some parts and in time you can become a great transcendental humorist in the art of journalism. You have complete mercy of your Divine master and you can depend on his blessings for your future improvement. I sincerely wish you all success—Undoubtedly you are now in the highest order of Varnasrama Dharma but we cannot forget that you belong to the category of our affectionate sons. We cannot forget all such filial love for you and when we see that you are improving in all respects it gladdens our heart.

Letter to Sumati Morarjee -- New York 27 October, 1965:

The music was in Indian classical tune mostly in sanskrit language and the American public appreciated them. So I was encouraged to see the favorable circumstances about my future preaching work.

The Bhagavata cult is preached also through the art of music and dance as it was done by Lord Caitanya. I am just thinking of introducing the very same system for my Bhagavatam preaching but I have no means. The Christian missionary people are backed by huge resources and they preach the Christian cult all over the world. Similarly the devotees of Lord Krishna may also combine together to start the mission of preaching Bhagavatam cult all over the world. It is not for serving any political purpose but it is necessary to preach cult for saving the people in general from the dangerous tendency of Godlessness.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Mahapurusa -- San Francisco 28 March, 1968:

That is very nice engagement. That is the only specific function for everyone of us. I think you shall try your best to perform Kirtana successfully, and that is the greatest specific function for you. And you can teach some of your God-brothers and God-sisters the art of cooking, which you know best.

Yes, I am going to N.Y. after the 8th (probably on the 9th) of April and I shall let you know when I am exactly reaching there. Janardana wanted to see me in New York, and I shall be glad to see you both there before I go to Montreal. I wish to go to Montreal after the month of May after I finish my engagement in Boston.

That is very good proposal, to get Indian Pavilion for our Kirtana program. Please try for it. And we can exhibit some of our paintings, and pictures. When I go to Montreal, I shall take selected pictures from Jadurani and as well as some of the pictures by Gaurasundara and Govinda published in our BTG.

Letter to Rayarama -- Seattle 17 October, 1968:

That should be the aim. Then it does not matter what is the position and occupation of the man, but he is in the right order of civilization because his very aim is to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Next point, And in order to learn this art, how he is able to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has to take instruction or education in the art of Krishna Consciousness, by reading Bhagavad-gita as it is, by reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, which are calculated the science of God, and following the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, such practice should be performed 24 hours. It is not that one may meditate for 15 minutes, and he becomes spiritually advanced, it is not possible. So the Krishna Consciousness movement is training people how to be absorbed in the thought of Krishna, 24 hours. Take for example, the Bhagavad-gita: the instruction of Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita are just suitable for a perfect human civilization. So one should learn this teachings of Bhagavad-gita as it is.

Letter to Rayarama -- Seattle 17 October, 1968:

The human society is meant for living on the natural production, namely, grains, fruits, vegetables, and milk. They should not indulge extravagantly for other things. And if actually they are Krishna Conscious, they know the art of how to prepare thousands of palatable dishes only from the varieties of vegetables, grains, fruits, and milk. If anyone takes more than he requires then he is to be understood a thief. Nobody should accumulate for future consumption of family, society, or nation, more money or more grains or more vegetables or more eatables, one should have only as much as he requires. If there is greater production, that should be distributed to persons who need them. Because food grains, especially, they are meant for all living entities, they should not be spoiled. Next point, therefore, one who spoils food grains unnecessarily, he is criminal. And one who accumulates more money than is actually required, he is also criminal.

Letter to Hrsikesa -- Los Angeles 26 November, 1968:

Regarding the Christmas Day meal with your family, I do not think you should partake of the food prepared by non-devotees. Better you should prepare your own foodstuffs and offer to Krishna and then, if you like, you may offer these remnants to Lord Jesus. I think that Lord Jesus will also appreciate this. Of course you may sit down with your family and take fruits and milk which they offer but rather than taking the foods which they have prepared, you may prepare and offer your own prasadam for Lord Krishna, and then offer the same to Lord Jesus.

So far as your studying the art of blacksmith goes, I do not see the necessity. Better is that you should develop your carpentry skills as this will prove a more valuable skill in the development of New Vrindaban.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Japanese brothers and sisters -- Los Angeles 10 March, 1970:

This does not, however, mean that I am condemning the way of material advancement of life. We do not condemn any way of materialistic life, but we simply request everyone to learn how to love Krishna. This is the missing point. You live in any way as it may be suitable for your comfortable life, but side by side you learn the art of loving Krishna. At present we are utilizing our propensity of love by inventing so many ways, but factually we are missing the real point—Krishna. Or in other words, we are watering all parts of the tree, but we are missing the root of the tree; or we are trying to keep our body fit by all means, but missing the point of supplying foodstuff in the stomach.

Please therefore try to understand this Krishna Consciousness movement. I have sent there three of my young students to preach this sublime cult in Japan. Please cooperate with them and you will be happy.

Letter to Kancanbala -- Los Angeles 20 April, 1970:

I am very glad also to know that you are engaged as Pujari there. Try to learn this art of Arcana very nicely. You can consult in this connection Himavati, Yamuna and also Silavati. I wish that all our girl devotees be expert in the matter of Arcana and cooking. The temple and altar should always be very clean and decorated with flowers and incense. We shall touch the Deity altar and Deity in very clean condition, after taking bath and washing mouth nicely. Practice washing hands after eating and wash with soap and water after toilet. Cleanliness is next to Godliness, so this point should be very carefully observed, then you will advance very quickly to the perfectional stage of Krishna Consciousness.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Yajnesvara -- Bombay 2 January, 1972:

Regarding your questions, your first question was should the devotee always speak the truth to everyone in all circumstances? The answer is yes, one should always speak the truth, but qualified devotee will be able to speak the truth always very palatable to everyone so that it will sound pleasing even to his enemy, that is the art of speaking truth. It is certainly so that we must speak the truth to all people, but how you say it that is another thing: satyam bruyat, priyam briya. When you become yourself little more experienced in Krishna Consciousness by preaching work and if you are sincere and serious to make progress in spiritual understanding, you need not have to worry yourself further because the truth will always be spoken by you in the proper manner. Krishna will give you that intelligence, you need not be concerned for it. Simply try to please Him always by your sincere service and chanting, that's all. Of course, for doing business with businessmen you have to lie business.

Letter to Ranadhira -- Bombay 17 January, 1972:

You should be very serious for trying for it, as I think that you are one of my senior disciples and I am very much relying on you now to carry on this mission with full responsibility. We must become so responsible for seriously practicing this art of of Krishna Consciousness, because this world is so full of degrading elements of life for dragging everyone down and down, and if just a few men can perfect the art, they can save the rest of all the people from the greatest dangers. So I count you and your godbrothers among those few men who are treading seriously on the path back to Home, back to Godhead, and now we must maintain such exalted position and not fall back by neglecting our highest standards of devotional practices. In this way, what I have introduced into your Western countries, the pure love for Godhead process of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, will go on increasing more and more to have effect by saving others; otherwise, it will gradually become mechanical and fade away like every other so-called religious movement.

Letter to Rudra, Radhika -- Calcutta 20 February, 1972:

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.

Letter to Prajapati -- Mayapur 25 February, 1972:

Recently in Bombay we have held a benefit charity performance called "Hare Krishna Benefit" performed by the Javeri Sisters, a famous classical dancing group from Manipur. These dancers were depicting stories from Krishna's Pastimes, and the dancing was very nice. So this art of dancing, as any art, can be also employed in the service of glorifying the Supreme Lord. If she is expert dancer, your wife can organize a dancing group to depict very exquisitely stories from our Krishna Book.

As for your training in theology, if you simply present some of the popular western points of view of theology and then point by point you may defeat them or expose them as speculators who are simply misleading the innocent public, and that will be a very nice service, because when intelligent people begin to understand our philosophy and theology, that it is the Absolute Truth and that if anyone become Krishna Conscious, that is the highest perfection of understanding philosophy, then our Krishna Consciousness Movement will advance very quickly because everyone like the common people respect the opinions of intelligent scholars.

Letter to Bhavananda -- Auckland 14 April, 1972:

Our girls can be engaged for teaching as well as temple worship.

Mr. Bajoria will be a very good example; if the leading men of every city takes this example of installing Radha-Krishna deities in the home exactly as in our temple, then our preaching will be very successful. But they must learn the art of worshiping and following the regulative principles from us. As soon as they employ hired priests, the whole thing will be spoiled. Members of the household should learn to worship the deity as we are doing, following the regulative principles, then it will be successful. We want every house to be a temple, not that our place should be the only place for the people to come. No, this should be the process: that they learn at our place, then establish the same thing at home. So this Bajoria program should be considered as one of our successful points of preaching, so he should be encouraged, but he should be requested at the same time to have no hired priests, then it will spoil.

Your ideas for Rathayatra are nice, so do it like that.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Tokyo 3 May, 1972:

If a man knows swimming he can stay up. So if this much power has a man, what to speak of God. So we see that Ramacandra has the art how to make stones float. It is a question of knowing the art. Art means the display of intellectual energy. Everywhere we can see intelligence in everything, so the Lord knows the art of everything, so He can change anything, we cannot. The atheists and scientists are trying to get God out of things, we are doing just the opposite, trying to put God into everything. They are God-less, nonsense—we are God-full, God-sense or God-conscious.

Your idea to recruit many brahmacaris is nice. We need a class of men purely brahmanas. The whole world is full of sudras. The Krishna Consciousness movement is meant for re-establishing the system of four varnas and asramas, then there will be progress of civilization. We have got such a nice process that even from the base sudras we can create brahmanas of highest calibre.

Letter to Karandhara -- Bombay 22 December, 1972:

They should try always to generate some atmosphere of fresh challenge to the devotees, so that they will agree enthusiastically to rise and meet it. That is the art of management: to draw out spontaneous loving spirit of sacrificing some energy for Krishna. But where are so many expert managers? All of us should become expert managers and preachers. We should not be very much after comforts and become complacent or self-contented. There must be always some tapasya, strictly observing the regulative principles—Krishna Consciousness movement must be always a challenge, a great achievement to be gained by voluntary desire to do it, and that will keep it healthy. So you big managers now try to train up more and more some competent preachers and managers like yourselves. Forget this centralizing and bureaucracy.

Letter to Sri Govinda -- Bombay 25 December, 1972:

So it is not very much advisable to make lies just to sell book. If we simply stick to describing how wonderful is Krishna, then whatever we may lie or exaggerate, that will not be lie! But other things, lies, they will not help us to train ourselves in truthfulness. Lie to some, not to others, that is not a good philosophy. Rather the brahmanas are always truthful, even to their enemies. There is sufficient merit in our books that if you simply describe them sincerely to anyone, they will buy. That art you must develop, not art of lying. Convince them to give by your preaching the Absolute Truth, not by tricking, that is more mature stage of development of Krishna Consciousness.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Kirtanananda -- Calcutta 28 January, 1973:

As you are one of the elder members of our Society and you are sannyasi, it is your duty to see that all the devotees are following strictly the regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds, attending the classes, reading our books, and always remaining enthusiastic for executing devotional service. Everyone has got some propensity. The art of preaching is to engage that propensity in the service of Krsna. Whatever we have got, our mind, our intelligence, our possessions, our time, our energies, let them all be used in Krsna's service. So by training people in this way, this will be the success of your preaching work.

We have just completed one very nice pandal program in Bombay, and every day thousands of people were gathering to hear the sannyasis preach in our "Questions and Answers" booth. Sometimes the people were staying past 12:00 in the evening to hear your American sannyasis preach this Krsna conscious philosophy.

Letter to Jayapataka, Bhavananda -- Los Angeles 9 May, 1973:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 30 and am very pleased by the report.

Many students from America will very soon go there to learn the art of doll making as desired by you. It is better to go there and learn the art instead of the teacher coming here. Mayapur is already wonderful being the transcendental birthplace of Lord Caitanya. By utilizing western talents to develop this place certainly it will be unique in the world. As in Vrndavana we have named the temple Krsna-Balarama Temple, similarly I suggest that our Mayapur temple be know as Mayapur Candra temple or Mayapur Candrodaya. Whichever sounds better we should advertise from now.

I know there are many weavers who daily go from this side of the river to Navadvipa side for working in handweaving enterprise.

Letter to Ramesvara -- Bhaktivedanta Manor 3 August, 1973:

I like also your programme of sending out your best men to teach the others. That is the actual process of Krishna Consciousness. To train others continue this programme so that in the future every devotee in our movement will know the art of distributing books. This is approved by me.

Letter to Susan Beckman -- Herts, England August 29, 1973:

In other words when one has achieved perfection in chanting the Holy name of God he is always joyful, even death does not disturb him, what to speak of other things.

The conclusion is that one should learn the art of chanting the Holy name of Krishna 24 hours a day and that alone is the remedy for all problems of material existence. How is it possible to chant 24 hours a day? Lord Chaitanya gave the hint, "One can chant the holy name of God in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street, more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all kinds of sense of false prestige, and always ready to offer all respects to others. In such a humble state of mind one can chant the Holy name of God constantly." So I cannot give you any better advice for your problem, simply chant Hare Krishna and everything will be all right.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Batu Gopala -- Vrindaban 16 August, 1974:

One should not leave a place if there is important business to do. That should be the principle. Here the temple opening has been postponed until the temple and asrama are fully completed. Yes, send the photos of your Deities, and I shall offer my obeisances.

Regarding the art of management, constant changing is not good. Even if there is some fault in management it should be corrected, not changed. Besides that, Vaisnava philosophy is that everyone is addressed as prabhu, or master. Everyone should consider himself the servant of the other. That will make management very nice.

Yes, you remain there in Cleveland permanently and manage it very nicely. That will please me.

Regarding the restaurant, you should not name it as you have suggested, but "Hare Krishna Restaurant." That should be the name.