710424 - Letter to Shekhar Prasad Shrestha written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1971

P.O. Box. no. 387
Fort, Bombay-1

24th April, 1971

My Dear Sri Shresthaji,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 24th March, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. It may interest you to know that all our centers are managed by local members. If you so desire, I can send one or two American members there and in their cooperation if you could raise funds locally and establish a center of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), then gradually you could develop a press also. If something is published in Nepalese language, that will be used fully in Nepal. So whether it is possible to raise funds locally with some of our members jointly?
I am so glad that you are appreciating our Back To Godhead magazine. The article mentioned by you, "The Vedanta: Its Morphology and Ontology" is a very difficult article for a new man who is just trying to grasp this Krishna Consciousness philosophy. But continue studying our literatures and Krishna will give you intelligence to understand more and more. And you are chanting Hare Krishna Mantra regularly. Very good. Please chant 16 rounds of japa mala daily and try to observe the regulative principles of no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling and no illicit sex life. These four are the pillars of sinful life, especially in this age of Kali Yuga. Whenever you have any inquiries, please write to me.
I am so glad that you are wanting to become our life member. A pamphlet is enclosed herewith for your information in this regards. So far as your questions:
(1) Yes, akshar means that which does not fall down, and kshar means that which falls down. The living entity is kshar; that is, prone to fall down into material existence. But the Supreme Brahman is akshar, or does not fall down. The material energy is under the control of the akshar brahman. Another meaning of the akshar brahman is the inhabitants of the spiritual world. They are eternally existing and never fall down. In other words they are called Nitya-Mukti and the kshar brahman is called Nitya Bhadda, or eternally conditioned.
(ii), (iii): The Gopis position is always transcendental. They are above karmis, yogis and jnanis. They did not even try to understand Krishna whether He was God or not, but their love for Krishna was unparalleled. So one can love Krishna without any inquiry; that is the highest perfection. To know Krishna as God is not so exalted a position as to love Krishna without knowing. That is the highest perfection. Knowledge means discrimination. The gopis loved Krishna without discrimination. They loved Him spontaneously as He was very beautiful in the view of the gopis. The objective being transcendental, all of the gopis activities were transcendental. There is no comparison [handwritten] of worshiping of Krishna as conceived by the gopis - that is only to love Krishna without any purpose.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/adb

Sriman Shekhar Prasad Shrestha
1/111 Dharan Bazar
Koshi Anchal
NEPAL