690715 - Letter to Syamasundara written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
ISKCON TEMPLE
1975 So. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90034

July 15, 1969

My Dear Shyamsundar,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 6, 1969, and it is very encouraging. The best thing is that you have now a first-class building for a temple at 7 Bury Place. It doesn't matter if things are going a little slow; but make everything slow but sure. That is a good principle. To do things hastily and incorrectly is not good. There is a proverb in Bengali sabure mawaphale. This means that all valuable nuts like almonds, macadamias, walnuts, coconuts, etc. all take a long time to fructify. Anything valuable takes a little time to come into existence. Therefore there is no harm in waiting for the best thing. But everything is well that ends well: That should be the principle.

I am glad that your friendship with Mr. George Harrison is gradually working, so much so that he is now prepared to spend $3,000 for an altar slab and a block of bluish marble for carving Krishna or Lord Chaitanya. For Lord Chaitanya yellowish marble or white marble should be used. If yellowish golden colored marble is available, that is very nice. Another thing is that these Forms should be worshipped. Our Deity worship is not heathenism. If we keep Forms of the Lord without worshiping the Deity under regulative principles, it will gradually turn into idol worship, which is an offence. The Deity of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical. Krishna can act through the Deity perfectly. As I have given several times the example, the mailbox can act perfectly as the post office because it is authorized. Similarly, when the Deity is installed under authorized regulative principles, the Deity is as good as Krishna Himself. So you may advise your friend on this principle. But I am so much pleased that he is coming forward to offer his hard-earned money for Krishna's purpose. I am also glad to learn that George has purchased one nice house for his family, and there he will be building a very rich altar which will be bedecked with jewels and gold work. I have already given you one design for the throne. If such throne is made with golden or silver pillars, platform, ceiling, and canopy bedecked with jewels, and if the Deity is kept within such throne, it will be a super-excellent manifestation. So when you do such work you can consult me, and I shall give you some right directions. I am also glad to learn that you are going to press some records of the Hare Krishna Mantra with the help of the Beatles and Co., cooperated with some of the celebrated artists like Donovan and the Rolling Stones. It is a very good opportunity that you are making friendship with these famous men, and if you can turn them as they are already a little inclined towards Krishna Consciousness, then our Samkirtan Movement through all these famous artists and gentlemen will take a shape which will be appreciated all over the world.

I am also glad to know that Rathayatra arrangements are going nicely, and so also in your country, especially in San Francisco, Boston, Buffalo, as well as New York. There also they are arranging nicely. Most probably in Boston it will be as good as in San Francisco. In San Francisco they are making good advertisement, and they are expecting a very good crowd. I am going there on the 26th of July. I hope you will send me the pictures of your world famous parade in London. Send all detailed pictures to Brahmananda for publication in BTG. If possible, invite some Indian press representatives to report to the Indian papers how the Vedic culture is being accepted by Americans and Europeans.

I have prepared a nice book, Krishna, and I want to print it in a deluxe edition. If some of your friends finance this publication, it will be a unique presentation to the world. This will contain Krishna's life from the beginning of His Appearance to His Disappearance from this mortal world. It will contain all of His activities throughout. It is full of philosophy, instructions, transcendental pastimes and artistic pictures.

Please convey my blessings to your good wife, Malati, and your daughter, Saraswati. I hope this will meet you all in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami