690313 - Letter to Yamuna written from Hawaii

Letters by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

March 13, 1969

My Dear Yamuna,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your very nice letter, and I am both happy and unhappy on reading it. I am happy to hear from you, but I am unhappy because I hear that for the last three months you are not keeping your good health. I do not know why you should reduce in your health, but after all, this body is external—we should not be very much disturbed with it. It is advised in the Bhagavad-gita that this bodily happiness and unhappiness are temporary, like seasonal changes, so as we are not very much disturbed even in severe cold or scorching heat, we have to execute our daily duties, we may not be very much disturbed with our bodily pains. But because we are long associated with this material body, sometimes we are afflicted, but by higher knowledge we have to tolerate the pains, wisely thinking that these bodily pains are not mine. But I am very much happy for your nice spiritual sentiments. In London there may be a temple or not, it does not matter; you are doing very nicely, more than having a temple. If Krishna gives us a better temple that is all right, otherwise, your engagement in Kirtana is very very nice. So continue this program in cooperation with your other God-brothers and sisters, and Krishna will make you very happy. You six together are doing so nicely that I am very much proud of you. Be blessed by Lord Sri Caitanya and go on like this.

I am giving you herewith the transliteration of the song, Sri Krishna Caitanya Prabhu, along with the meaning. If you have got the record, please practice it with the tune and it will be very nice. I think you have sent the Prasadam formula for Purusottama but he is not with me just now, he is in L.A. I am in Hawaii, so I am sending the formula to him with my next letter.

Another news is that Mother Syama dasi came to L.A. with some of her Gujarati devotees. She appeared to be nice Vaisnavi. And she wants to work in cooperation with me. I have told her that I have no objection but how we shall cooperate, that is to be formulated when we meet next. In the meantime, she has said that she has collected some money from the Indian community in London, perhaps 10,000 pounds, and she is anxious to start a temple there. So you can think over this matter, how we can cooperate with her. You just sit down together all of you. Of course, it is a remote program, but if she purchases a temple, and if we jointly conduct the affairs of the temple, that is not objectionable, but we must strictly follow our principles. Anyway, when she actually purchases a house for the temple and if she invites me I shall go to London and do the needful all together.

In the meantime I am just sending you information. She offered her respect unto me just like her Spiritual Master, several times she touched my feet, and her devotees contributed $20. And she contributed $5. She has got Sri Sri Radha Krishna Murti with her always, and she chants Hare Krishna, so if there is any possibility of cooperating then we shall welcome it. She and her Gujarati devotees have invited me to go to Africa so I told her that if I go to London then I may go to Africa from there. I have in my mind to form a very strong Sankirtana Party in London. Namely, the members who are already there, joined by the L.A. party and some others—some from Montreal, some from New York, to make a strong party of not less than 25 boys and girls. We wish to make a world tour with this Sankirtana Party—that is my ambition. I do not know what is Krishna's desire, but if it is successful, I am sure to push our movement very nicely this will be the way.

Please offer my blessings to all, and be happy.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

P.S. Inform Mukunda that I have received his letter with enclosure of Mr. Parikh's letter.