680114 - Letter to Umapati written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1968

A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
Camp: I.S.K.C.O.N. Radha Krishna Temple
5364 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, Cal. 90019

January 14, 1968

My Dear Woomapati,

Please accept my blessings. Since you talked with me on[unclear] telephone, I received also your letter of Dec. 30, 1967, but I could not reply the same on account of my shifting to Los Angeles. I have come here last Saturday the 6th of January. I am feeling well here because the climate is warmer. I thank you very much for your acceptance of my guidance. My guidance means Krishna's guidance. I am very poor and therefore I can pray only to Krishna for your guidance. Krishna is Absolute and we are all under His guidance but the bonafide Spiritual Master is accepted as guidance because he is transparent via media between Krishna and the devotee. The devotee has no access to Krishna without the via media.

From your letter, I can guess a first hand knowledge of Kirtanananda and Hayagriva. In the meantime I have received two letters from Hayagriva; one is already replied and the other is pending. Our line of action is simultaneous service to the Spiritual Master and Krishna. Without being favoured by Krishna, nobody can have the association of a bonafide Spiritual Master and nobody can have the mercy of Krishna without being favoured by the Spiritual Master. It is so intimately connected.

Kirtanananda's refusal to accept the Parampara system and authority of the scriptures is the cause of his misfortune. His version that the sun and the sunshine are one and the same is right, but when the sunshine is in the room it is not correct to say that the sun is in the room. His knowledge therefore is imperfect and therefore he cannot be a preacher. He is therefore contemplating for starting nightclub of the psychedelic type. His association is not desirable for the present neither I can think of his future correction. Hayagriva has fallen a victim and I am sorry for this.

Anyway, my dear boy, please remember that Maya is very strong. Any one of us can be arrested by her at any moment if we are not strongly attached to Krishna Consciousness. So my request to you and all others is to follow the principles of Krishna Consciousness adherently and there is no danger however the Maya may be strong. Hope you are well.

Your ever well-wisher,