690101 - Letter to Krishna dasa written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

January 01, 1969

Hamburg

My Dear Krishna Das,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your two letters December 21 and December 23, 1968. I am very glad to know of your sincere activities in Krishna Consciousness. You are just a child and only by Krishna's Grace you've taken the courage to go to Germany to open a center and work very hard. So I am rather envious of your advancement in Krishna Consciousness because when I was of your age I had no such energy, although my father was always educating me in Krishna Consciousness from the very beginning. So I am sure that your efforts will be successful.

Sivananda is also a very good soul like you and he is sure to help you. I have already written one letter forbidding him to quit Hamburg for New Vrindaban because there is no work for him presently in New Vrindaban due to the winter season. So surely he can work in Hamburg for three months more, and I am glad that he is engaged in temple construction work. Let him do this without any interference. You do not interfere in any of his work. Let him do what he likes and at his own discretion, and you simply respect him as your older brother. I am sure that he will be peaceful there shortly. It may be due to so much bodily trouble that he was becoming distressed but this has subsided and he will continue to work as usual.

I am very pleased to know that the professor who refused prasadam on sectarian grounds was not further disturbed by you. This was very well planned. People in a lower standard of spiritual understanding are generally sectarian, but unless they are so where is our possibility of preaching Krishna Consciousness. Our policy is very simple and plain. We invite people to participate in chanting, dancing and eating prasadam. So far as your activities there I am very much pleased that they are going up to this point and I am asking Jaya Govinda to join you as soon as possible. You also try to correspond with him and surely when he comes, you four boys will be quite competent to secure seven local devotees to legalize our society in Germany.

I have read the translation of your German leaflet and it appears to be very nice. If there is any possibility of sales, get some copies of Bhagavad-gita As It Is also for selling in Germany. This Krishna Conscious literature is very nicely written and intelligent German people, if they can read, will derive much benefit from it.

If Syamasundara is unavailable to come immediately, don't be sorry because he is engaged in London in greater responsibility. They are going to hold an important meeting with important guests in January. I have sent them a tape of a speech, and all six of our London students are very sincere workers for Krishna Consciousness. As soon as Syamasundara will find opportunity, he will come there. For the time being Sivananda can do some preliminary work, and if in the meantime you receive Sri murtis of Radha and Krishna then you may prepare a throne, possibly with silver plates. When you are ready to do this I shall give hints on the subject.

So thank you again for your letter and you are doing nicely so keep up your strong endeavors. May Krishna bless you. The following is a quote from a letter of Jaya Govinda dated Dec. 21, 1968:

"I am going to write to Sivananda in Germany requesting them to pay my passage, and in exchange, I will bring them goods as you have outlined, and perhaps some things to sell, and of course I am anxious to contribute to the progress of their center, and perhaps I will find better luck with my visa affairs in Germany which are still troubling me here in India.

I hope this finds you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami