690227 - Letter to Brahmananda written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

February 27, 1969

Dear Brahmananda,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated February 25, 1969, and I thank you very much for it. You have written to say that you are my disobedient son, but I think I am your disturbing father. I am putting more and more burden upon you but you are so tolerant that you have no hesitation to accept my demands even although sometimes they are unreasonable. So practically you are acting as my father. In my childhood I was very naughty boy, and I used to catch my father in so many ways demanding unreasonable things, and my father used to satisfy me. So although I lost my father in 1930, about 40 years ago, by Krishna's Grace I have got so many American young fathers. But the same nature continues, and I am demanding from my fathers the same thing which may be a little burdensome. But I am sure Krishna will be very much pleased if you will kindly tolerate some unreasonable demands from me.

I thank you very much for your giving me your pledge that you will give me $750 per month for 5,000 copies of Back To Godhead. Similar assurance I have got from the other centers. So by calculation I shall be able to collect $3,000 per month of which $2,000 or less, as you may arrange, will be paid for the price of printing, and the balance will be spent for free distribution of copies to institutions, schools, colleges, universities, libraries, and respectable individual persons. I understand that for posting magazines in large scale the rate is 3 cents or 4 cents, so I have advised Subala to take definite information in this connection for posting Back To Godhead in large scale. I quite agree with your proposal that for small centers like Montreal, Buffalo, etc. as stated by you the New York center will be the distributer; this is nice.

Regarding your kirtana success in Pennsylvania at Dickenson College and Franklin and Marshall, it is so much pleasing to me. This is the way of our preaching work. Please try to infuse this Krishna Consciousness idea amongst the student community and it will be a great success. On the whole, we shall now make it a point to spread this Sankirtana movement and distribute our publications.

I am anxious to know if you have received the newly dispatched kholes from India because it was due to arrive before February 4th. Is this dock strike still going on? In London there is a good demand for Back To Godhead, and if the dock strike is still going on, you can send them by air cargo shipment. Similarly, Gaurasundara and Krishna das are also in need of books. Kindly see that the supplies are made regularly. When you send news of successful kirtana performances as I received it from London also, and so also I experience personally in Los Angeles, I am overwhelmed with spiritual joy. We don't mind for selling our literature in small quantity, but there must be some sale.

Regarding our record, it was manufactured by Mr. Kallman, and he has not paid me a single farthing as royalties. He has cheated me in so many ways, so if there is no legal impediment we must immediately reprint the record through Dinesh. I have already advised him in this connection.

Regarding your endeavor to arrange my teaching in colleges, it is very, very welcome. I was just seeking this opportunity to teaching boys and girls in the schools, colleges and universities. So if such opportunities are available you must capture them without any fail. I have already sent you one check being the value of the books as well as the money I have received from Boston and Buffalo, namely $69 and $25. So if it is not the price of the books then you can take it out and deposit it in my account in the First National City Bank.

Regarding my apartment, if you are feeling botheration then you can vacate. Do not take unnecessary botherations. Try to become free from all this material anxiety. Of course, sometimes we have to accept anxiety for Krishna, but we should do everything comfortably. So you will kindly send me at least two letters in a week because I am always anxious to hear from you. May Krishna's blessings be bestowed upon you for your long life and service.

Thanking you once more. I hope this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami