670517 - Letter to Sripad Narayana Maharaja written from New York

Letters by Date, 1967

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

May 17, 1967

26 Second Avenue # B1
New York, NY 10003 USA

Sri Sri Vaisnava Carana Dandavat nati Purvikeyam

I am offering my dandavat pranaamas to the Vaisnavas' lotus feet and then I am writing.

Sripad Narayana Maharaja,

I received your letter dated 11 May, 1967, and have become so much upset. In your letter you say, "You have given me some advice about good behavior for living in the Matha." Also in this letter you write, "There is no need for you to give me this advice." I could not remember where I have written this thing. So you must tell me in which letter I have written this and send me a quotation of what I said. Otherwise I am feeling very upset. Because in all the Gaudiya Mathas, I think that you are the real guru-sevaka, so I always correspond with you and I always give my full love and affection to you.

If I was not thinking like this and putting so much trust in you, I would never have sent you my key and my money. I have so much faith and love for you. How can you think that I am criticizing you? If you think this, it is like a thunderbolt striking my head. Please, I am requesting you to send a copy or quotation of that letter. Otherwise the pain in my mind will not go away. I never wrote to criticize you. This is contrary to the result I wanted.

I am making an inquiry at the bank. When you get the money, you must send me news of it immediately. If you send me your bank account number, I can send that account number money in the future. Then there will be no difficulty.

Regarding Vinoda Kumara, I sent you a copy of his first letter. Perhaps in his first letter Vinoda Kumara didn't say anything about his clothes or maintenance, or that he wanted Rs 800/- or Rs 1000/-. But now that he is asking, I and my trustees have become upset. You know that it is very expensive here. If anyone wants to stay here independently, it is impossible. To take a visitor's visa and then earn money by working is illegal. So as I informed you before, it must be handled carefully. If he comes on a visitor's visa, by Appointment on Probation, then perhaps in the future we can help him. If this is clear, then on this condition only he can come on the visitors visa. Otherwise he can come on an Alien Expert application, as a music master. He can apply at the Embassy for this. He can say, I want to earn money as a music teacher. If the American Embassy gives permission, then as an alien music master I have no objection. But not if he comes here with a visitor's visa and tries to earn money to send to his country. I have written about this matter before, and now I am writing again. So you must take care of this. There is such a difference between our country and America in regard to the rules and regulations of mathas and mandiras. Without permission, collecting one farthing here is not possible.

If, as a music master, he wants to stay here independently, his room rent, food and lodging will cost two hundred dollars per month. This is Rs 1500/-. Who will supply this money? That is my worry. Again I write that with a visitor's visa it is not possible to earn money in this country. If he gets the alien expert visa he can come and I have no objection. He can stay in our matha and earn money and have employment. He can do this. Write me whatever you decide. I hope all is well with you.

Yours,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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