701121 - Letter to Upendra written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1970

Tridandi Goswami
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

CAMP: Ramsharanam; 18th Road; Chembur, Bombay-71; India
November 21st, 1970

My Dear Upendra,
[unclear] November 4th respectively. I have received your frequent reports as you have been travelling and your account of the situation is of great interest to me, especially I am pleased to note your enthusiasm in the matter of spreading Krsna Consciousness [unclear] all the [unclear] of the world. I am so much pleased with your sincere endeavor. You are doing [unclear] service for the Lord and He is sure to reward you with advanced Krsna Consciousness in no time.
I am very glad that you have found some interested and friendly persons to give you at least some temporary assistance in Fiji. Do not be worried about the future. If you will simply work on very strenuously in humble state of mind as the sincere servant of the servant of the Lord, then Krsna will give you all facilities. I know you are already acquainted with the Lord's mercy in this respect because you have already had several times experience in the matter of establishing our ISKCON Temples in different places.
I have seen your leaflet and it is very nice. Regarding Hindi BTG, several hundred copies will be sent to you as soon as they are received by us. Yes. As you have noted the youth are our most potential source of converts to Krsna Consciousness. I do not think it is necessary for you to spend time unnecessarily at this time of your life to learn some foreign languages, but the program as we have followed with good success is to find out some local boy who is well acquainted with the English language and train him to preach to the general less educated public. This is the best system and do not be hopeless because you are sure to find such a helper very soon.
The article in the Hindi paper appears to be nice. It is very good that you have renovated one flat for a Temple. Now you can begin your program properly and invite some boys to stay and learn Krsna Consciousness under your instruction. The young boy of 14 years is a very prospective candidate if you train him properly. So do it nicely.
As usual, always be very careful that the regulative principles are being followed by yourself and others very strictly. If you keep to the standard in that way and make a nice Temple for serving the Lord that will be the right path for going home, back to Godhead.
Regarding "Devi Chandan", we have no use for it. It has got no place in our Vaisnava worship. So far the demigods are concerned, we Vaisnavas have nothing against them, so they may be offered all respects as part and parcel servitors of the Supreme Lord Krsna. The foolish persons may worship the Demi-gods as Supreme, but we see only that they are agents of the Lord and as such we may offer them our humble respects.
Hope this will meet you in good health. Another thing, although we respect the demigods, we may not take their prasadam if invited. We observe the system followed in Jagannath Puri. First the foodstuff is offered to Lord Jagannath and then His Prasad is offered to the different demigods; then we may take such remainders as prasadam. This is the correct procedure.
Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS:ds

P.S. I am sending you the Hindi tape record as you have desired by separate book post. You should receive it soon.

Sriman Upendra das Adhikary
ISKCON Temple
44 Baniwal Road

Suva

Fiji

Tridandi Goswami
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
c/o Ramsharanam
18th Road
Chembur, Bombay-71
INDIA