700719 - Letter to Tamala Krishna 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, CA 90034

DATE ........19th.July................19.70

My Dear Tamal,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 10th July, 1970. I have also received news from Shyamsundar that the Ratha Yatra was nicely performed. This is very encouraging.
We should concentrate our energy in constructive work. The constructive work is preaching. So this Ratha Yatra festival is one of the items of our preaching work, and therefore it was introduced in both San Francisco and London and the initiative was taken by Shyamsundar. In 1967 I gave this idea to Shyamsundar when I was in San Francisco. So it was promptly executed. Similarly last year in London also he promptly executed. So his proposal for preaching from village to village in our own bus is very much appreciated by me.* I have already instructed him to do this immediately and you also encourage him.
World Samkirtan Party does not mean that we have to cover immediately the whole world. The program is that everywhere the Samkirtan Movement should be introduced.
Mayapur temple is not settled up still because the boy in charge, Achyutananda, has not yet purchased that land although I have advised him to do so at all risk. Another boy, Jaya Pataka, has gone there, but he is also silent. I do not know what is happening there.
If you have enough business now in Europe as Shyamsundar proposes, then first of all we should finish this program. I have got good report from Amsterdam also. So if you have got immediate engagements in England and neighboring European countries, then we shall take up the African program later on. The principle is that whatever is handy we shall first of all take into consideration.
So far Mayapur is concerned, if the land is there, there will be no difficulty in raising funds even from India. But we have no land as yet.
The first business is if the temples are not properly maintained, then we should simply concentrate on Samkirtan outside. Temple opening is secondary, but we should concentrate on the Samkirtan outside. As in Paris we have no official temple but still Samkirtan is giving us encouragement.
I have received a letter from Jaya Hari and replied it.
Holland is full of cows, so that would be the best place for a European New Vrndavana scheme. But it is not immediately possible. If we get some suitable land opportunity. But we have already got New Vrndavana that is yet to be developed. So that scheme is not yet feasible. In future we shall see to that.
Vidhi marg and Raga marg are already explained in the TLC. Neophyte devotees who are trained under rules and regulations is called vidhi marg. When by execution of the vidhi marg one comes to spontaneous service of the Lord that is called raga marg.
Hope this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS:db

Sriman Tamal Krsna Das Adhikary
c/o Serge Elbeze
B.P. 113
Paris 14e
France.

N. B. I learn from Brahmananda that you are planning to come here and attend the meeting during Janmastami days at New Vrndavana and I am very glad that you are coming.

* very soon four Sannyasis will go to England for this purpose.[handwritten]