640523 - Letter to Mathura Prasad written from Vrndavana

Letters by Date, 1947 to 1964

Camp Sri Radha Damodar Temple
Sebakunja, Vrindaban
May 23, 1964

My dear Mathura Prasad ji,
I beg to thank you for your kind co-operation in the matter of Bhagwatam Mission. I shall try to see the Hathras gentleman of whom you have given me the name and the address. Kindly send me some more addresses of gentlemen so that I shall send them the books and other necessary papers to convince them about the importance of the work I have undertaken. After seeing the Hathras gentleman I shall go Delhi and from there I shall send you some sets books and other literatures to you per Railway parcel and then I shall again go to Agra from Delhi to secure some members of the League of Devotees which is a registered society possessing certificate of exemption of income tax to receive donations.

Sethji, you are not an ordinary businessman. You are sufficiently educated and have rightly taken to business. By the Grace of Lord Sri Krishna you one of the very important business magnet and I may inform you on the authority of great Acharyas and books of knowledge that it is our duty to make the best use of our money so long it is with us. By the law of nature nothing in the material world is permanent including our material body and therefore the great politician Pandit Chanakya who was once the Honorary Prime Minister of India, advised it that the nature of everything material being destructible the best use of a bad bargain is to utilize the temporary possessions for the cause of the Permanent.

At the present moment the people are more concerned with the temporary things namely the gross body and the subtle mind without any practical touch with the permanent soul and His Lord. The result is that we have produced a godless civilisation and the whole world unhappy for this conception of civilization.

Srimad-Bhagwatam gives us practical solution for all the problems political social ideological philosophical cultural and transcendental knowledge for all human being. Srimad Bhagwatam is meant for all human beings and it is the duty of the Hindus specially the Vaishnavas to disseminate the great knowledge throughout the whole world. With this purpose in view I have taken up the mighty project and I wish that you gentlemen co-operate with me fully. The cooperation is possible to be made either by life, wealth, intelligence or words. Every one has got some of the above assets of the above four principles if not at least one of them must we have and we can engage them in the service of the Lord.

Srimad Bhagwatam gives all informations to attain the highest perfection of life both during the continuation of the present life as well as in the life after death.

I shall request you with all humility to co-operate with this mission and thus be benefited yourself. It is not the least exaggeration but actual fact and to become a member for this mission will to your own interest. And help others also who may be known to you.

I am requesting you to give me at least ten members from Agra as you have already given one yesterday and I am thanking you once more.

Kindly address all correspondence to my Box No. 1846 to ensure safe delivery. G.P.O. Post Box No. 1846, Delhi-6

Awaiting your early reply,

Yours sincerely,

(A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami)