Transcendental subject matter (Letters)

Expressions researched:
"subject matter is transcendental" |"subject matter of the transcendental" |"subject matter of transcendental" |"subject matter within is purely transcendental" |"subject matter, Krsna, is transcendental" |"transcendental subject matter" |"transcendental subject matters"

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Subala -- Delhi 29 September, 1967:

I am in due receipt of your letter of the 13rd instant as also the press report dated 17th instant and I am so pleased to have them. You have nicely done some service to the Lord by opening this grand branch and certainly Krishna will bestow upon you His blessings. Krishna Consciousness is a transcendental science which can be revealed to a sincere devotee who is prepared to render service to the Lord. Krishna Consciousness is not achieved by dry arguments or by academic qualifications. Our senses are all blunt in the matter of receiving transcendental subject matter, but they are purified in due course of time by constant engagement in the service of the Lord. So yours and Krishna Devi's sincere effort to open a branch in Santa Fe is crowned with success by the Grace of the Lord.

The article in the paper New Mexican is very nicely written and I offer my sincere thanks to Mr. Peter Nabokov, who begins the article with chanting of the Mahamantra. Please offer my thanks to all who joined you in this endeavor. I'm glad to know that Haridasa is there also. Each and every picture published in the paper looks very nice and the devotional postures of you all has very much pleased me. The secret of success in the matter of Krishna Consciousness is devotion to the Lord and the Spiritual Master. In the Vedas, the secret of success is described as follows:

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Rayarama -- San Francisco 2 April, 1969:

I thank you very much for your letter dated March 25, 1969, along with the two magazines. These are very excellent both in appearance and in reading matter. This should be the standard of our Back To Godhead. As in the next issue there will be no advertisements, we shall be able to give substantial reading matter like that of Bhaktivinode Thakura, "Teachings of the Golden Avatara." We have got many such informations from the Vedic literature. The mayavadis reject the Puranas, but actually the Puranas are supplementary to the four Vedas, the Upanisads and Vedanta. This is confirmed by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura. Srimad-Bhagavatam also is considered amongst the Puranas, but because the subject matter within is purely transcendental, it is called the Maha Purana. So from the Puranas we can give many, many instructive articles with nice pictures. Similarly, we can give many valuable articles, even from political or social points of view (although they are not our business), so much so, that the people of the world will have completely novel spiritual ideas. As people in your country are very much receptive to new ideas, I think we can place Back To Godhead very nicely with sensible layout.

The present issue is excellently done. It is rich in all respects. Your article, "Nine Points," is very instructive. I do not know whether people will take our advice, but we must go on presenting these ideas to the human society. If you are not going to print any more issues in the interval period between this issue and the Japan issue, then I think you can reprint another minimum 10,000 copies for continuing the sales propaganda.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Ekayani -- Los Angeles 15 March, 1970:

Yes, you can make nice children's books, and in this connection, you can correspond with Satyabhama who is already working on a condensed version of KRSNA book. And you should continue your painting, then with love and devotional practice your pictures will become all attractive because of the bona fide transcendental subject matter. However, in the meantime, you write to say that you have painted Mother Yasoda light blue color. Please let me know where you have received this information. Yasoda and Nanda Maharaja should be colored as Indians are generally of a light brown, tan like wheat.

Regarding Svetadvipa, the information is given in the Brahma Samhita, Svetadvipa, the Abode of Lord Caitanya, is a special portion of the same spiritual planet, Goloka Vrindaban.

I am so pleased to know that you are carefully caring for your Deities and that you chant before Them always when at home. So the Lord is very kind upon His sincere devotees, and He will provide more and more opportunities for such a sincere devotee as you to advance in serving and remembering Him at all times.

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 24 April, 1970:

So George's question that there is something beyond Krishna is answered by Krishna in the Bhagavad-gita that there is nothing superior beyond Himself. Krishna is the original Cause of all causes. This is the fact. If He wants to know the subject matter clearly, then he should be prepared to receive the knowledge from the right source, and if he wants to consult such persons who have no knowledge of the soul or God, then how can he learn about the transcendental subject matter? If he is serious to know about these things, then he must know it from the proper channel. You cannot learn music from a carpenter. If you want to learn music, then you have to approach an expert musician. So how he can learn about God from persons like Vivekananda who had no preliminary knowledge of the soul, even? So best thing is if he is serious to know about God, tell him to begin reading Vedic literatures, and we have published our Isopanisad. Let him seriously read this book and whenever he has to question, he can ask from us, but he should always remember that he should try to know about God from a person who is in touch with God, not from a speculator.

You have asked me to disclose my dream about John, so I beg to state the incident as follows. I dreamt that John took me in a place at Calcutta and he was showing me a house, a big palatial building, which formerly belonged to a very rich man, and he was a famous musician also. I think therefore that John was previously that man to whom that house belonged, and now he has taken birth in England. It is quite possible that he has inherited his past musical talent, and because that man was very liberal and charitable, so he has acquired some wealth also, and now in this life if he properly utilizes his talent and wealth for Krishna, then surely he will achieve the highest perfection of his life.

Letter to Jadurani -- Los Angeles 11 July, 1970:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated 3rd July, 1970, and noted the contents. I am very satisfied to see how nicely you are rendering the transcendental subject matters of Srimad-Bhagavatam in the matter of painting pictures for our literatures. So I am very much pleased with your picture for the cover of The First Step in God Realization and if you continue to improve from this standard that will be very nice.

Yes, I would like each and every one of our books to have pictures as many as possible. That is my desire. Our KRSNA book with pictures has been very much attractive. Brahmananda took delivery of only 25 copies from Japan and immediately within two days all copies were sold. It is simply to the pictures. People become attracted with these unusual transcendental pictures at first, also even without reading the book they become inclined to purchase it. This is one point. Another point is that picture gives the explanation of the passage very quickly. So try to insert as many pictures as possible in all our books and other publications.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Hamsaduta -- Jaipur 20 January, 1972:

So far translating, I have made Mandali Bhadra as Chief of translating department. He shall translate comfortably and all other translations must be checked and edited and approved by him, with grammatical corrections. It is not that we may present anything crude translation and that is acceptable. No, even though the transcendental subject matter of Vedic literature is still spiritually potent despite the crudest translation, still, because we have got facility to make it perfect, that is our philosophy. When I translated Srimad-Bhagavatam I had not the facility so you may notice grammatical discrepancies. But because Mandali Bhadra is now Head of the translating department you have got all facility to translate our books in perfect German language.

I am very glad you want to start your own press, but one thing is that you cannot close it once it is begun. When your own press is very sound and established beyond doubt, then you may call back Yogesvara. Your proposal for making records is very nice program. As for your essay on drugs and KC, do it. You may transcribe the Ajamila tapes and produce a very nice book. You may send the manuscript to Jayadvaita or Hayagriva for editing and printing with Dai Nippon. So far making tapes of Ajamila series, I have told Los Angeles tape-making operation that they should distribute to our devotees at cost price—to nondevotee that is another thing.

Letter to Mandali Bhadra -- Jaipur 20 January, 1972:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 28, 1971, and with pleasure I have noted that your translation work is going on. This I want, that you shall from now on be the Head of the translating department in German language for all ISKCON literatures. You translate yourself as it is comfortable, but all other translations in German language by other translators must be checked by you, edited, and corrected very strictly for grammar and proper use of German language. It is not our philosophy to print errors. Of course, our spiritual subject matter is transcendental and therefore it remains potent despite mistakes in grammar, spelling, etc. But this type of translation may only be allowed if there is no other way to correct it, then it is all right. But if you know the correct order, then you must make it perfect. That is our philosophy: everything perfect for Krishna.

So far your telling me that some devotees consider that because there may be some grammatical discrepancies in my Srimad-Bhagavatam, first canto, then they may also be allowed to translate with errors accepted, that is just like imitating Raslila. When you do all other things like Krishna, they you can do Raslila. So if these other writers can do like me and spread Krishna Consciousness all over the world by becoming big Vedic scholars, then they can do. If one is too big, there is no mistake. Arsapreyaya means there may be discrepancies but it is all right. Just like Shakespeare, sometimes there are odd usages of language, but he is accepted as authority. I have explained all these things in my Preface to First Canto.

Letter to Bhargava -- Los Angeles 13 June, 1972:

I am in receipt of your letter dated May 31, 1972, and I have noted the contents. Our advancement in Krishna Consciousness is made possible in two ways, by Knowledge and renunciation, jnana and tyaga or tapasya. The more we become renounced from this material world, the more we advance in Krishna Consciousness. But we are only able to make such sacrifices and perform tapasya if we have got knowledge. So first thing is to become knowledgeable in Krishna Consciousness, then the tapasya or voluntary life of austerity will result automatically. So I am requesting all of my students to read my books very seriously every day without fail. In this way, if your mind becomes absorbed at least one or two hours daily in the transcendental subject matter of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and other books then very easily you will make your advancement in Krishna Consciousness. It is not a matter of changing our engagement, adjusting this or that material condition, in order to find our real happiness. Krishna Consciousness is not like that. It is able to be performed under any variety of material conditions or with any type of engagement. Therefore if your duty as a photographer is very much helpful to our propanganda work and for improving our BTG then there is very much need for your remaining in that occupation and doing it to your best capacity. It is a fallacy to say that my present engagement with the press is not the best for my spiritual advancement, and if we think in this way we may go on trying out one engagement after another and always say the same excuse. This restlessness or agitation of the mind cannot be rectified by altering the material circumstances. If we are Krishna Conscious, any type of occupation will suit me and we shall always be satisfied. Therefore, I recommend you to read books more and more and try to understand the subject matter from different angles of vision and be always discussing it with your godbrothers even while you are working at the press, and when you are working and you cannot read, then listen to the tapes of my lectures and hear in that way.