700614 - Letter to Harivilasa written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1970

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: 3764 Watseka Avenue
Los Angeles, Cal. 90034

DATE ......14th.June..............19.70

My Dear Harivilas,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your nice letter dated 3rd June, 1970, along with recommendation of Sriman Suridas Adhikary. So immediately I have accepted you as my disciple. Your spiritual name is Harivilas Das Brahmacary. Your beads are sent back to you by separate air post. Here is enclosed the list of regulative principles and offenses. Further assistance you should take from Tamal Krsna Das Adhikary, Suridas Das Adhikary and Woomapati Das Adhikary. Follow their example, and whenever there is difficulty, try to understand from your God-brothers.
From the description of your letter it appears that you are a very fortunate boy, because Krsna has given you the intelligence to take advantage of this Krsna Conscious life. Now because you have come to me it will be my prime duty to guide you and utilize your talents for Krsna's service. I am very glad to learn that you have got an opportunity to stay as a scholarship student in the Soviet Republic of Armenia. I think you should take this advantage and try to introduce the philosophy of Krsna Consciousness in the communist countries.
When I was in India, I knew that the Russian people have translated many Vaisnava literatures into the Russian language. There is a book known as Ram Caritmanas written by one great devotee poet Tulsidas. So the communists are generally known as non-believers in God, but I don't think they are against any cultural literature like our Bhagavad Gita AS IT IS, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Srimad Bhagavatam, Krsna, etc. In future if you can introduce these literatures in Russian language either by publishing them in book shape or in influential magazines, that will be a great help to our missionary activities.
So for the time being you just remain in Paris with the devotees there and grasp the ideas more explicitly, and then try to open a center in one of the Middle Eastern countries. Sometimes before I met one gentleman in New York from Iran. His name and address is given below:
Mr. Majid Movagarh / Mehr Monthly Review
224, Shareza Avenue / Tehran, Iran
He informed me that people in Tehran are interested in such yoga societies like ours. They are also hankering after something like this for spiritual advancement.
So I have no definite idea, but I give you this hint that in the Middle Eastern countries like Egypt, Turkey, Iran, Armenia, there is need of spreading this Krsna Consciousness Movement. I hope you will understand the philosophy fully and try to spread it in these countries as far as possible; and Krsna will give you all strength and resources to fulfill your mission.
Hope this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS:db

Encl. 1

Sriman Harivilas Das Brahmachary
[unclear]
c/o Mr. Serge Elbese
B P 113
Paris 14e
France