690306 - Letter to Rayarama written from Hawaii

Letters by Date, 1969

Tridandi Goswami

AC Bhaktivedanta Swami
Acharya: International Society For Krishna Consciousness

CAMP: ISKCON HAWAII
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
P.O. Box 506
Kaaawa, Oahu
Hawaii 96730

DATED March 6, 1969

My Dear Rayarama,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of Feb. 27, 1969, and I am so glad to read it. Keep your health in good condition and work very hard for Krishna. That is our motto of life. I am so glad to learn that you felt too much inconvenience in the company of the karmis in your last tour to Los Angeles. There is a verse in Bhakti rasamrita sindhu in which it is stated, the more you advance in Krishna Consciousness, the more you become disgusted with the material modes of life. When the American boys are disgusted with cigarette smokers, or listening to rock music and meaningless chattering, it means there is Krishna's Grace. May Krishna bless you more and more, as you advance in Krishna Consciousness.

You wanted one assistant editor, and I can understand that you may feel inconvenience with Hayagriva, but would you like to have as your assistant editor, Gourasundar? So he can help you in editing work even from such distant place. But the difficulty is that he is working here to maintain the establishment. I have advised Govinda dasi to think of this and he may write you.

Regarding Bhagavad Gita manuscript: If you have got two copies then you can send one to Janardan. Otherwise you have to send him a copy only, and keeping one copy with you. Because in future I am thinking of publishing a revised and enlarged edition of Bhagavad Gita As It Is. You know that we have to cut short the book because the MacMillan Company wanted within 400 pages. So you know that the majority of the verses in the back portion of the book were not given purports. Therefore in our next publication we shall give purport for all the verses.* So you should keep one copy with you before you send the manuscript to Janardan.

That Rohini Kumar is assisting you in artistic abilities is very gratifying. So you are preparing for the Japanese issues. In fact, from the number when we begin our Japanese issue we shall stop advertisement altogether . . . either hippies or dhippies.

You select your articles according to your best choice but I shall recommend to publish the article of Hayagriva, "Hare Krishna Movement Exploded." I have received suggestion from Dindayal—he is getting good response from Berkeley and he is expecting that the whole quota of 5000 may be completely sold. In Hawaii, however, they have no Back To Godheads, and receipt of them is very much delayed and sporadic. So if the shipping is closed they can be sent by air cargo. So we have to organize the transport means also. I think there is some special postal rate for 50 lb. lot. So with the assistance of Subala please do the needful and make Back To Godhead a successful Krishna Consciousness magazine.

My program is to stay here up to the end of March, but in San Francisco they also want me for a few days there. So before going to New York I may go to San Francisco from here. Of course, you think you cannot leave your office just now, but this place is very nice. I think if you could manage to come here a few days then you can directly exchange letters with Govinda dasi.

Please care for your health nicely, and convey my blessings to all the devotees there in New York.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

*As well as word to word meanings [Handwritten]