690118 - Letter to Janaki written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

January 18, 1969

My Dear Janaki,

Please accept my blessings. I was thinking of you since about a week why you are silent, and all of a sudden I got your letter with a golden ring enclosed. It was so much ecstatic. I thank you very much for your kind presentation which you have given, even sacrificing your husband's interest. I think, though, that your husband, Mukunda, is also pleased with this action. Anyway, immediately upon receipt of this ring I pushed it on my finger, and it is very nice.

Regarding your unstable condition of mind, I beg to request you to always remember that you have all gone to London with a great mission and responsibility. I am so much pleased with you all six boys and girls who are doing so much for my missionary work. My Guru Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura, Lord Caitanya and at the end Lord Krishna Himself all are surely very much pleased for your noble activities. You have already made the city of London feel something about the Hare Krishna movement. This is a great credit for you all and I appreciate it very much. Please do your duty combinedly without any disruption of peaceful attitudes amongst yourselves. We are pushing our movement on the background of a peaceful atmosphere in the world, and if we show a little disturbance in our own camp that will not be a very good example. Therefore, everyone should be forebearing, tolerant and cooperative. That is my special request to you all.

So far as I am concerned, I have written to Syamasundara whether there is any possibility of my going there immediately. If not, then I may go to other places for the time being.

Regarding competition with other so-called yoga groups, certainly we have to win the race because we represent Krishna directly, and others are all mostly impersonalists or less than that. So far as I know, our Krishna Consciousness movement is the only genuine endeavor for self-realization. I have tried to explain the genesis of this movement in my book, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and people will learn it if they will carefully study this book. In this connection, there was a radio interview this week in Los Angeles, and the summary is being sent herewith. If possible, you can try to get it printed in the Times, as they have already printed an article about ourselves. You can make the heading as follows: Genesis of the Krishna Consciousness Movement.

So please consider carefully the above mentioned points, and also keep me informed as to your all round well-being. Hope this meets you in very good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

NB: An Indian gentleman, one B. P. Parikh B.A. D. Education has written to me to say that being inspired by your "devotion to Krishna, and being fascinated by your character, discipline, and devotional surrender to the Lord, he has been drawn to your activities." For this I am very much proud of you. Please maintain this status and certainly you will be welcome everywhere. Get this enclosed article edited by Mukunda or Syamasundara and then send it for publication in the Times of London or any other respectable paper in London, giving the heading as indicated.