671022 - Letter to Brahmananda written from Calcutta

Letters by Date, 1967

Oct. 22, 1967

My Dear Brahmananda,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated Oct 11, & Oct 18. I have noted the contents. I have received stationery & prospectus both from Montreal & New York. So far as Kirtanananda's chapter is concerned, forget all this, Maya's play. We shall be sorry for Kirtanananda's plight under Maya and may not waste our valuable time talking about him. The best thing that you [handwritten] have done is that he should no longer speak in our temples. We shall all pray to Krishna for his recovery & only by His grace can he come back to his real identity. I've already informed you that a visitor's visa has been granted to me. & as you say that on my return this visitor's visa may be converted into a special immigration visa as a minister. So on my return necessary arrangements may be made as suggested by the clerk at the U.S. immigration dept. On Wed. next I am departing for Navadwipa, I shall stay there for at least a week & after coming back my program is to start for U.S.A. But as you say that permanent visa can be arranged from here on the basis of certificates which you intend to send me. So you will immediately let me know whether or not I shall start on the visitor's visa. I inquired in U.S. Consulate about this & the man who immediately granted me my visitor's visa told me that a permanent visa will take a long time for decision, so I accepted the visitor's visa. My Navadwipa address you will find on the envelope. Tomorrow I shall take information of Mr. William Stuart, The U.S. vice consul in Bombay. Regarding final typing of Gita Upanishad; the copies must now be ready as I am expected to return soon. So if MacMillan Company does not respond we shall try to get it published by another U.S. publisher, failing that we shall publish in India.
Your suggestion for opening a center in Russia is welcomed as the Europeans were very enterprising in the Middle-historical period for colonization. Similarly we should be enthusiastic to open different branches in different parts of the world other than India. In India they are opening many such branches, but our responsibility is to open branches outside India. So it will be a great endeavour if you four go to Russia to open a center there.
I am very much appreciate your lecturing arrangements in different educational institutions & I have full confidence in both you and Rayarama. Indian things may be exported but I do not know the varieties of goods that would be saleable there. For the time being I have arranged for musical instruments with Dwarka & sons, & so also I am arranging for incense. If Indian Saree's are required, that also can be arranged. But unless I definitely hear from Mr. Kallman what particular things he wants I can not guess what is to be done. The most important thing is that you let me know immediately whether or not I should start on the visitors visa. Visitors visa I've already got. I could start without delay but if you want me to apply for permanent visa it will take some time. So I shall await your immediate reply. Hope you are well.
Your ever well-wisher

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
N.B. If Kirtanananda honestly believes in his new doctrine, he should honestly return the certificate of his Sannyas which he very tactfully secured from me. He should not utilize this certificate without any allegiance. [handwritten]

Woomapati das Brahmacary
&
Bramhananda das Brahmacary c/o ISKCON [handwritten]
26 Second Ave.
New York, New York, 10003
U.S.A.

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
c/o Shri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
Kolergunge, P.O. Navadwipa
District Nadia, W.B.
INDIA