670427 - Letter to Kirtanananda written from New York

Letters by Date, 1967

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, INC.
518 Frederick Street, San Francisco. Calif 94117
Telephone:564-6670

ACHARYA:SWAMI A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA
April 27, 1967
TRUSTEES:
Larry Bogart
James S. Greene
Carl Yeargans
Raphael Balsam
Robert Lefkowitz
Raymond Marais
Stanley Mogkowitz
Michael Grant
Harvey Cohen

My Dear Kirtanananda,
Please accept my blessings. By the Grace of Sri Krishna you are doing well in the management of the Montreal center and your combined service will improve the condition more and more. Be jolly always knowing well that Krishna is with you and all sincere attempt to improve the Montreal Branch will be successful. I have already asked Syamsundar of San Francisco to sculpt one set of Sri Murtis of Jagannatha for Montreal but if you can locally do it there will be great saving of transport charges. I am sending herewith one picture of Jagannatha as they are situated in San Francisco. You have seen the place and now you can arrange for the Deity like the picture and I wish to follow the same principle in all our branches.

The Deity room should not be separate from the common lecture room but it should be situated in such a place that all can see the Deity perfectly. But arrangement should be made in such a way that there would be one round curtain to cover the place when there is no class. They should not always be exposed, only during the class hours the curtain should be open [handwritten]. The picture enclosed herewith may be enlarged and sent me back again.

Regarding Easy Journey to Other Planets if you like this book just edit it nicely and we shall get it printed here with addition of my chanting essay. Now I am trying for printing arrangement and this book also can be nicely printed provided you take charge of distribution. I am very much anxious for sale of my books. It has to be organised; please think over this matter. If the books are not properly sold how I can print so many books. Let Pradyumna help me in selling the books. If it is possible you can make Jagannath statues in various sizes for sale and I approve this project. We have ordered for some Krishna pictures and they are also for sale.

Regarding Bengalis. I think it will be difficult for them to join us because we are pure Vaisnavas. The Bengalis are generally worshipers of Goddess Kali for facility of eating meat and fish. But some of them may join us in minority. Indians other than the Bengalis may join us in large numbers because most of them are vegetarians. Any way do not disturb them or any one about their personal affairs but give every one the chance of joining us in Kirtan that will pave the path of Krishna Consciousness. You are intelligent enough and I hope you will understand me right.

You will be glad to know that I have been able, by Grace of Krishna, to recover $4227, and odds out of the $5000.00 gone in the belly of Sir Conman Fraud (Payne) and Mr. Goldsmith is trying to recover at least $500.00 out of another $750.00 in the belly of Payne. I prayed to Krishna specially for this recovery because I thought that Krishna's money may not be utilised for sense gratification. So I think still we shall be in loss of about $1000.00 or more which cannot be recovered because they have been shared by the Lawyers. Any way it is Krishna's Grace but in future all of you must be very cautious to deal with men like Payne whom I trusted not from the very beginning.

Krishna is dictating you from within for nice management and I am very glad to have detailed statement of accounts. You will also be glad to know that Stradhisa (Stanley) has joined us again in good health. He is a sincere devotee of the Lord.
Yours ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.

Enclosure :2.