680408 - Letter to Jadurani written from San Francisco

Letters by Date, 1968

Tridandi Goswami
AC Bhaktivedanta Swami
Acharya: International Society For Krishna Consciousness

CAMP: ISKCON Radha Krishna Temple
518 Frederick Street
San Francisco. Cal. 94117

DATED ..April..8,.......................1968..

My Dear Jadurany,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 2, 1968, and I thank you very much for it. So far the 9 blocks are concerned, I do not mind a long walk, if it is flat land and not hills. Here I am walking at least 2 miles daily voluntarily, so if the house is nice, you can keep it. If a car is available, from New York, then that will be very nice, otherwise, I can walk. So far as devotees are concerned, if there is only one toilet room, then not more than 2 devotees can remain with me. I must have a separate silent place; if there was no noise, all the six rooms could be filled up with devotees. For my personal service I require only one. So you can make arrangements in that way.

Whenever there is need of my lecture, I am always prepared to serve; it doesn't matter whether big or small. Probably as you are making fine arrangements, many will come to the Temple to hear me, so in that case, I must come. Best thing will be to see people in the class, not in my private apartment. Lecturing or meeting must be done in the classroom, that's all.

If the two girls, Ekayani and Sudarsana, want to be engaged in drawing for helping BTG, let them do so. The simple thing is they must be engaged in this artistic work. It is very nice that they want to occupy in every spare moment with their artwork, it is very laudable, and it means they are anxious to serve. So I am also awaiting to see them very eagerly, and see how nice they are.

Yes, the Pancha-Tattwa picture is standard, no need of changing. Pancha Tattwa belongs to Nabadwip and it is authentic. In Vrindaban, there is Radha-Krishna, that you have got enough pictures of, and you have got picture of Radha Madan [handwritten] Mohan Temple. When you go to Vrindaban, you can take pictures of important places; wait for those days when I shall accompany you in all the important places of Vrindaban.

You are already a great artist. You don't want to become a great artist to satisfy the senses of the public. If your present paintings are not acceptable to the general public, I do not mind; they are fools. You continue trying your best to make your pictures as far they can be nice looking, but not to satisfy the senses of the rascal public. Yesterday I have been in a Unitarian Church and there I saw two pictures of only logs and bamboos, and I was explained by our great artist Govinda dasi that these are modern abstract arts. Anyway I couldn't see in them nothing but combination of logs and bamboos. There was nothing to impel my Krishna Consciousness. So, if you want to be a great artist in that way, I will pray that Krishna may save you. Anyway, if the public doesn't buy, we don't mind. Why you are anxious for selling? We shall distribute them to devotees without any price. If our things have no market in the sense gratification society that does not mean we are going to change our principles. We are meant for satisfying Krishna, not anybody's senses. That should be the principle of our life. In this connection I may remark that you have sent one picture of Narada Muni which I understand was copied from some so-called great artist, but Narada Muni's body appears to be very sensuous. He was a first class Brahmachary. He cannot have such a sensuous body. So you will do well not to work from the so-called well known artists. But you should follow exactly the descriptions of the scriptures. The picture of Narada Muni which you painted in N.Y. in my presence was very nice and good looking, but this picture here doesn't appeal to me. Better not to worry about this sort of technique and style. Anyway whenever I come there to N.Y. we can discuss all this as you suggested.

Hoping you are feeling well, I am

Your ever well-wisher,