710707 - Letter to Bhagavan written from Los Angeles

Letters by Date, 1971

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

DATE ........7th..July,..1971.....19......

My Dear Bhagavandas,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 6th July, 1971 along with ten pairs beads for chanting as well as daksina presentation by check, $305.00. Thank you very much. You will be glad to know that I have gladly consented to initiate all those boys and girls recommended by you and their beads are enclosed herewith, duly chanted on, as well as their letters. Also enclosed, please find five gayatri mantras and four sacred threads also duly chanted. So all these beads (six of the seven pair enclosed) as well as sacred threads, may be presented by fire yajna, and you should oversee the ceremony as priest.
The two marriages recommended by you may be performed at that time as well, but only after having sufficiently counselled the respective devotees. This marriage business should not be taken as a farce, but is a very serious matter. Recently so many couples have been cast adrift by the waves of maya's influence. That is hard to check, but still the devotees must realize the responsibilities of household life. And there is no question of separation. Too much this has been happening and I am very much displeased. So if they are promising not to separate under any circumstances, but to work cooperatively in the service of the Lord, then my sanction is there for their marriage, and my blessings as well. Otherwise not.
I am glad to hear that you may be able to distribute our books to libraries through some large library distributor. That will be very nice, so try for it. Similarly to book stores. The book distribution policy should be like this: Cash only. All books are to be sold cash on delivery (C.O.D.). Books can be returned for exchange of other books only for a period of up to one year. Householders can sell books and get 15% commission on the net income. The retail discount schedule will be as follows: 1-2 books, 33%; 3-24 books, 40%; 25-99 books, 42%; and 100 books and over, 50% (wholesale rate).
Yes, the government officials should come forward from the practical side, that we are creating young men, devotees of God, with character. They are getting married and leading nice family lives. They are very clean in their habits and take bath twice and thrice. And they are so hopeful of their future life - so much so that people call them bright faced. So apart from God consciousness, there are these practical results and others. They have given up intoxication, etc. So all these government officials and congressmen should be thoroughly convinced of these practical factors. They are devoid of illicit sex also. So many nice things we are training. So let them come forward. Let us have schools and buildings to train the children from the very beginning in Krishna Consciousness. Just see how they are bowing down before superiors, how they are dancing and chanting. So let them help us. We will change the present derogatory confused state amongst the younger section. Let us start centers from town to town and give our members facility to travel freely from center to center. Let them distribute our books in all government schools, libraries, etc. Then just see the result. We can send our men to all schools and colleges for lecturing. So let us cooperate. America, by the grace of God, is got everything sufficiently and if they are trained in this Krishna Consciousness, they will be first-class country in the world with all riches, beauty, rich philosophy, so many things. So why the government is callous to our movement? There is no good reason. So let them come forward and cooperate with us.
The restaurant proposal is very nice. It should be very neat and clean and in the center column there should be Guru Gouranga altar. Everything prepared should be offered and kept on a table and the customer or guest should come and take prasadam on a plate to his full satisfaction. He can sit at table with chair. The items of prasadam you already know; kachoori, Luglu, Samosa, sweet balls, simply wonderful, vegetables, chutneys, puspana, halavah, etc; The ingredients are easily available. As other things are available, you can increase your menu. And any party who pays more than $5.00 can be presented with a small book like Easy Journey, or Krishna, the Reservoir of Pleasure, and a copy of our magazine. And if possible, continually tapes should be played of kirtans and songs and record albums also.
Very soon I am going to N.Y. and there is good chance that on the way I may stay in Detroit for a few days. I shall let you know when my program is fixed up. The three beads for the Chicago devotees I am keeping and I will dispatch them just as soon as Bahulasva sends me their names, as I have just today requested him.
Please offer my blessings to the others. Hoping this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/adb

Sriman Bhagavan Das Adhikary
8311 E Jefferson
Detroit, Mich. 48214

encl: 7 beads
6 gayatri mantra
4 sacred threads
8 letters "[handwritten]"