Training of Ravindra Svarupa dasa (Letters, 1972 - 1977)

Expressions researched:
"Account" |"Activities" |"BBF" |"BBFD" |"BBT" |"BKF" |"BTG" |"Back to Godhead" |"Bhaktivedanta Book Trust" |"Book Fund" |"Book Trust" |"Book Trust," |"Book" |"Books" |"Branch" |"Branches" |"Business" |"Center" |"Centers" |"Check" |"Checks" |"Consult" |"Consulting" |"Cooperate" |"Cooperated" |"Cooperation" |"Cooperatively" |"Dai Nippon" |"Debt" |"Debts" |"Deities" |"Deity" |"Deposit" |"Distribute" |"Distributed" |"Distributing" |"Distribution" |"Duty" |"Festival" |"Finances" |"Financial" |"Funds" |"GBC members" |"GBC" |"Governing Board Commission" |"Governing Board Commissioners" |"Governing Body Commission" |"Governing Body Commissioners" |"ISKCON" |"Initiate" |"Initiated" |"Initiates" |"Initiating" |"Initiation" |"Initiations" |"Iskcon" |"Kirtana" |"Language" |"Leader" |"Leaders" |"Leadership" |"Leading" |"Literature" |"Literatures" |"M-V trust" |"M-V" |"M.V trust" |"Macmillan" |"Magazine" |"Magazines" |"Manage" |"Managed" |"Management" |"Managers" |"Managing" |"Manuscript" |"Manuscripts" |"Mayapur-Vrndavana Trust" |"Mayapura-Vrndavana Trust" |"Meeting" |"Mission" |"Missionary" |"Money" |"Movement" |"Organize" |"Our society" |"Preach" |"Preacher" |"Preaching" |"Press" |"Print" |"Printing" |"Program" |"Programs" |"Publication" |"Publications" |"Publish" |"Publishing" |"Rathayatra" |"Ravindra Svarupa" |"Report" |"Reports" |"Sankirtana" |"Temple" |"Temples" |"The society" |"Translate" |"Translated" |"Translating" |"Translation" |"Translations" |"Zonal" |"Zone"

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Ravindra Svarupa -- Nairobi 25 January, 1972:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated January 12, 1972 and have noted the contents carefully.

Krishna book distribution is our greatest propaganda for spreading Krishna Consciousness. You must secure one letter from Temple University stating that our Nectar of Devotion is being used as a text. This will be very helpful in introducing our literature in all the big Universities all over the country. This is very important, so you may do it immediately.

Regarding householders living in the temple; in India no woman is allowed to stay in the temple at night. But for our preaching work I have permitted women to stay in the temple. But, in the temple, husband and wife should live separately. There are many young brahmacaris and Sannyasis in the temple and men and women living together is simply a source of agitation, so therefore this is my order; ideally the husband and wife can live separately in the temple. If this is not possible they should live together close to the temple and attend temple arati etc . . . and if this is not possible the last alternative is to live away from the Temple and conduct your own deity worship etc. It is best to do the most ideal thing but whatever mode of living you chose the most important thing is to always remain one hundred percent in service of Radha-Krishna. The initiation of Michael Stein is approved and beads are being sent in separate cover.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Calcutta 22 February, 1972:

Upon your recommendation, I am glad to accept as my duly initiated disciples both of the girls you mention. I shall be sending their beads duly chanted by me under separate post, and also I shall be writing to them separately (please find enclosed). Also, I am including three sacred threads duly chanted herewith, so you may hold a fire yajna and give Gayatri mantra to Ravindra Svarupa, Brahmavitta, and Pancaratra, in the usual manner, with tape heard through the right ear. The fire yajna can be held for all five devotees.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Ravindra Svarupa -- Bombay 5 January, 1973:

(To Ravindra Svarupa)

(PAGE MISSING)

fully, it is very nice. So preach in this way, whatever is palatable to the student class, and give them factual Krsna Consciousness. In this way, try to recruit some men from the student class of men for joining us as future leaders of our Society. If we simply go on expanding and there are no qualified men to lead, then everything will be spoiled eventually. So you have got the best opportunity for this great service to Krsna, and I think that Krsna will send you some very qualified men to take instruction from you. But one thing is, do not spend much time for topics that are not concerned with Krsna Consciousness, neither try to speculate about history and other things. But the way you have described it, your program is nice. So if anyone students are serious to learn Krsna Consciousness from you, give them all help and facility, let them accept gradually by their intelligence. Do not force, but if gradually they understand, they will voluntarily accept the life of tapasya or austerity of Krsna Consciousness movement. In this way, by their voluntary agreement to join and follow strictly, they will assist me in the leading posts to spread on Lord Caitanya's message all over the world.

Regarding your question is it all right to assign the entire sankirtana party for distributing books so that no one will be free for street chanting? Of course we should not understanding the meaning of sankirtana very narrowly, that only chanting and dancing and playing instruments, no, sankirtana means to glorify the Lord in a congregational manner. So if many devotees are going out daily on the streets and public places for distributing our literature, that is also sankirtana, even if there is no one chanting. Hearing and chanting are essential processes for sankirtana. So if someone is hearing us singing on the street, or if he is purchasing one book and if he reads sincerely, these two activities are the same. So if there is any occasion of necessity, if there are not very many men available or if there is prohibition by the municipal authorities, something like that, we may assign everyone for distributing our literatures, there is no loss for that. But it is always better if there are also some devotees chanting loudly on the street. If there is even one man to two men or a small party who are chanting Hare Krishna, that will increase also the book sales. So if there are sufficient men, and if we have got sanction by the authorities, it is always better to have at least a small party chanting along with as many distributers of books as possible.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Ravindra Svarupa -- Paris 9 June, 1974:

I am in due receipt of your letter of May 14, received in Paris.

I have accepted on your recommendation the three devotees as my duly initiated disciples, and their spiritual names are as follows:

Patti—Pattarajni devi

Donna—Dantadhara devi

Lois—Atura devi

I have also accepted your recommendation for Vanamali prabhu to take second initiation. Enclosed is one sacred thread and gayatri mantra. Have him hear the tape of my chanting the mantra, in his right ear. The beads of the initiated devotees may be chanted on by Kirtanananda Maharaja.

I am glad to hear you are holding a larger Ratha yatra this year. Your multifarious activities in Krsna Consciousness in Philadelphia sound very good. We have so many engagements, therefore I have asked that the political program be stopped as it was creating too much separate effort separate brain, separate money from our regular ISKCON program. I shall be coming to the U.S. in July and perhaps you can see me in Chicago or later in New Vrindaban.

Letter to Ravindra Svarupa -- Paris 10 June, 1974:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 5, and I have carefully noted the contents.

I am glad to hear you have immediately stopped political campaigning on receipt of my letter. I have written a number of letters to the persons involved explaining how we can not spend money and manpower on this project in competition with the big politicians. Therefore I have asked that it be stopped.

I want to thank you a hundred times for the excellent way you are worshiping the Deity there as I can see from the color photographs you have sent. From my very childhood I was also worshiping Lord Jagannatha. When I was six years old my father gave me a ratha and I was performing the Ratha yatra in my neighborhood. And now in the western world you are worshiping Lord Jagannatha so gorgeously and it pleases me very, very much. Thank you again for the way you are conducting the deity worship in the Philadelphia temple. As for the Ratha ceremony, you go on with it, I shall attend there next year. But you go on holding a splendid ceremony for the people of the city. I am sure it will be a success.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Ravindra Svarupa -- Honolulu 2 February, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 26, 1975 and have noted the contents. Thank you for distributing my books there very nicely. Try to increase it more and more. You mentioned in your letter that you are doing a lot of deity worship and cooking due to lack of sufficient brahmanas. So why don't you ask your GBC man for some brahmanas (at least one) to come and releive you of this service so that you can spend more of your time preaching and distributing books. A temple president should have more time for preaching. That is important.

Regarding your question about the loan for the building, Ramesvara and Jayatirtha have suggested that you be given a 4,000 dollar loan from the BBT. So, I think that will be nice.

I have accepted Joe and tim as my disciples and their new names are respectively; Yamunapriya dasa and Tattvavada dasa. Their beads may be chanted on by Kirtanananda Svami. I have also accepted upon your recommendation, Kamalatika devi dasi for 2nd initiation. Let her hear the gayatri mantra through the right ear from the tape of myself chanting. Her mantra sheet is enclosed herein.

The photos are very nice. Try to spread this movement as far as possible.

Letter to Ravindra Svarupa -- Denver 27 June, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 22, 1975 with enclosed clipping. It is a very important article. The magistrate has given a very good judgement in our favor and a very good certificate that this is bona fide religion. I have given the clipping for publishing in our "Back to Godhead" magazine.

Yes, I am coming to your city on Friday morning July 11, 1975 from Chicago. I look forward to meeting the professors. July 15 is all right, as I may be going to San Francisco on Wednesday, July 16.

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Dravida -- Bombay, India 2 April,, 1977:

You may be knowing that we have formed one party of scientists under the leadership of Sriman Svarupa Damodara prabhu. Also we have formed the Bhaktivedanta Institute for organizing scientific presentations of Krishna Consciousness. This party is our most important preaching arm with which we will be able to destroy the bogus speculation and cheating which goes under the banner of scientific advancement. Therefore I have got great hope for Svarupa Damodara and his colleagues. I want them to travel vigorously throughout the world to lecture in all universities and other institutions. There is no lack of financial resources and we shall spare nothing to see to this party's success.

His party already consists of Madhava prabhu, Sadaputa prabhu, Ravindra Svarupa prabhu, and himself, and he has approached me that he would like you to help with the editing work as they are publishing scientific papers. In consultation with Ramesvara Maharaja try to have whatever work you are doing assumed by others so that you can free yourself for working with Svarupa Damodara. You may contact Svarupa Damodara, who is returning to America, for more details.

Letter to VARIOUS -- Unknown Place Unknown Date:

Letter No. 33 To Ravindra-svarupa.

So far as your course at the Temple University is concerned, that is the best platform for introducing our philosophy to the serious persons. And if they become sincere to learn the highest topics of subject matter or transcendental knowledge from us, that will be the perfection of their education. If you must read some other books of philosophers, even they are Mayavadis, as a sideline we can speak about them as comparative study. Otherwise our main aim is to study and preach Bhagavad-Gita and Lord Caitanya. Our purpose is to teach our own philosophy. Do not lose sight of that purpose or become distracted by other things. I have also made one book about other philosophies of your western philosophers, but I did not make compromise. My purpose was to defeat them and expose their nonsense propositions, in the light of Vedic knowledge or Krsna consciousness philosophy. That is our purpose.

Regarding your other questions, Lord Jagannatha does not have His own planet. The whole spiritual world is a manifestation of the spiritual energy of Krsna, so Subhadra or Radharani, they are spiritual energy of Krsna, but there are varieties of different forms of that energy, that's all.