January 18, 1976
Dr. W. H. Wolf-Rottkay Los Angeles
My dear Dr. Wolf,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 17th December, 1975 and also your most recent letter, undated, both with enclosures.
Karmis are considered like asses because they are working so hard day and night without profit. The Bhagavad-gita states: antavat tu phalam tesam/ tad bhavaty alpa medhasam (BG 7.23). "Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary." The karmis benefits are temporary and those who are seeking after such benefits are "mudhas." Srila Vishvanath Cakravarti Thakura has identified mudhas with karmis. So we are servants of the acharya, therefore we also cannot give any good position to the karmis. According to Narottama das Thakura: karma-kanda jnana kanda kevala visera bhanda. "The paths of karma kanda and jnana kanda are just like pots of strong poison". Therefore according to the principles, of bhakti, one has to avoid the karmis and jnanis.
Regarding your letter to me send to Nairobi, I have handed it over to Svarupa Damodara, so I do not possess it.
I hope this meets you well.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/tkg