690724 - Letter to Rupanuga written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1969

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: 1975 So. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, Calif. 90034

DATE ...July..24,........1969

My Dear Rupanuga,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your two letters; one dated July 8, 1969 and one dated July 18, 1969. Both of your letters were delivered to me by special air mail. Unfortunately I could not reply you earlier because I was waiting for the help of others. Anyway, I have signed the certificate and sent it to New York for counter signature of the president, entitling you as Bhaktishastri. The certificate was finally made a little hastily, so the printing is not to my full satisfaction. I have asked Aravinda to make a nicer copy, and if you like, we can give you this nicer copy later on. You remark that in New Vrindaban the capacity is lacking for taking care of the children. If you can organize a higher level school of theology under your care, I shall very much appreciate it. In Los Angeles, although the place is nice, it is already almost congested.
We are planning ministerial status documents through the lawyer here, and it is almost prepared. This document will be submitted to the draft board, and copies will be sent to other centers for doing the necessary arrangements. Bhaktishastri is actually recognition, accepting a person that he knows the principles of devotional service. In issue #25 of BTG, page 14, under "Organization of Society", we discuss why our students must be relieved of this draft obligation. So you read this portion when you receive this issue.
If you are planning to perform the marriage ceremony for Jagadisha and Laksmimoni, then you must know the prayers to be said. I think you have a copy of a tape recorded at our initiation ceremony in Buffalo, so the prayers are there. Purushottam tried to transcribe these prayers from a tape we have here, but it was not done at all. So if you are planning to perform this ceremony, then I shall send you further instructions along with a tape and written prayers, as you require.
Regarding your question, "what is the difference between the spirit souls comprising the Brahmajyoti and the spirit souls here in Maya?", in the Brahmajyoti the spirit souls on account of their impersonal views are devoid of a body, exactly like here in Maya there are ghosts who are devoid of any gross bodies. The ghost being devoid of a body, he suffers terribly because he is unable to satisfy his senses. The spirit souls in the Brahmajyoti, although they have no desire for sense gratification, still they feel inconvenience like the ghost, and they fall down again in the Maya's atmosphere and develop a material body. In the Bhagavat therefore it is said that persons who are impersonalists and do not develop the dormant devotional attitude, their intelligence is not pure, because for want of a spiritual body, they come down again to the material world. In the Bhagavad Gita it is clearly said by the Lord that the only way of not coming back to the material world is to be promoted to the spiritual planets. For the impersonalists there is no such assurance of not falling down in the whole Vedic literature. The conclusion is that without developing the spiritual body and without being situated on one of the spiritual planets, the so-called liberation is also illusion, or it is not complete. A spirit soul who falls down from the Brahmajyoti to the Kingdom of Maya may have a chance of associating with a pure devotee, and then he may be elevated to the spiritual planets of Vaikuntha or to Goloka Vrindaban. From the Brahmajyoti there is no direct promotion to the spiritual planets, and it is clearly stated in the Bhagavatam that such souls fall down: patantvadha.
Regarding Katyayani, it is decided that she will go to Buffalo on receipt of the passage money. Last night I was discussing this in the presence of Tamal Krishna, Katyayani and others. Probably they will talk with you and the necessary arrangements will be made. I think she should go before I go to New York. For the present my program to go to Germany is almost cancelled, but by the end of August I am sure I shall go to London, and at that time I shall go via New York. So all the marriages can be performed at that time, or if you can manage yourself, you can also do that. Please inform me where is your son. Is he in New York? One boy referred about him in a letter from New York.
Please offer my blessings to the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami