690130 - Letter to Brahmananda written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

January 30, 1969

My Dear Brahmananda,

Please accept my blessings. First of all I have to thank you for the desk pen with golden glories to Guru and Gauranga. It is so nice that I am using it with great pleasure, and you have the blessings of my Guru Maharaja and Lord Gauranga.

Regarding the United Shipping Corporation, you had sent me some documents which I actually do not understand. Why did you send them to me? Anyway, I am returning them to you so you may do the needful with them. In the meantime, I have sent one letter to a gentleman of the United Shipping Corporation, and you will see one copy of the letter enclosed. If they deal very nicely, you may assure them we shall send more orders to our different centers, and there will be no difficulty for a letter of credit. But they must deal with us very nicely and straightforwardly so our business connection can continue with no difficulty.

Our propaganda should be focused on spreading kirtana and distributing literature, books and magazines. The process experienced now is that after holding kirtana, they are selling magazines and books successfully. On January 1st, Hayagriva held one meeting in Columbia University with 60-65 students present, and after the meeting, 30 copies of Bhagavad-gita were immediately sold. So we should now organize in such a way that there shall be nice kirtana and attempt for selling our publications. My Guru Maharaja indicated that the mrdanga and the press are the mediums of our missionary propaganda activities, and we shall follow His path in the same way. We must have large quantities of mrdangas for vibrating in different parts of the world and we must distribute our literature also.

I have received one letter from Hayagriva saying that he is prepared to invest money for a press, and he has found out a nice two-story house adjacent to our New Vrindaban colony, and the house is on the roadside. The rent is only $260 per year. That is about $22 per month. So in this way we can immediately start our press. I think that our publications should be done ourselves immediately, because neither MacMillan Company nor Dai Nippon can help us rightly. If MacMillan Company publishes our books, they will ask us to make contract for purchasing 5000 copies, which I cannot advise as good plan for us. If we have to exert our energy for selling 5000 books published by MacMillan, why not publish them ourselves on our own press and obtain profit for printing new books? The best thing will be therefore to organize sales of our books as other publishers are doing. The simple and approved method is to appoint at least 1000 stores and booksellers who agree to purchase at least three copies apiece of our books as soon as they are published. This means that if we have 1000 dealers, we can immediately sell 3000 copies, and this will give us sustenance for conducting our publication activities. I do not think it is a very difficult task to appoint such selling agents throughout the country. So yourself and Gargamuni should take charge of this organization, and for press management others shall take charge. In this way, if we can work on our publications, all of our poverty shall immediately be subdued. So think over this matter seriously. Immediately consult with Hayagriva for starting the press. Let us not bother about the Macmillan Company, because they will only try to make conditions that we have to purchase 5000 copies.

Regarding Bhagavad-gitas which we have already received from them, I understand that we have to pay one mature bill on February 10th. So this bill we have to pay to keep our credit, whether the books are sold or not. But we should not place a second order until our present stock of books are finished. If you are in need of hard covered editions, try to order them without taking more soft covered copies which can not immediately sell. We have prepared to take delivery from them of 5000 copies, and this we shall do. But we shall order only as our stock is finished.

Regarding the second shipping from United Shipping Corp., you should have it sent also to New York. Firstly you may see the kholes before ordering the preferred instrument.

I hope this will meet you in very good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

P.S. The Press cutting sent by you is very nice. Every other organization has demand for money for their bogus classes but we don't demand any money. People should know this difference. I can challenge to all the other organizations that they are all bogus from spiritual point of view. I am admitted as Permanent Resident as "Ordained Minister of Religion". I have duly received the card. Now you shall pay me $500.00 for this because you were going to appoint some lawyer at the cost but I have obtained it simply by spending $35.00 or utmost $50.00. So you can pay me the balance. ACB