720228 - Letter to Kirtiraja written from Mayapur

Letters by Date, 1972

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: February 28, 1972
Camp: ISKCON Sridham Mayapur
(Reply: ISKCON Bombay)

My dear Kirtiraj,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter of February 4, 1972, and I have noted the contents. I am very much pleased to hear that our mail-order department for books and BTG's is increasing steadily. Now you have good American brain by Krishna's grace, so the more you go on thinking of ways to increase in this way, the more Krishna will understand that you are sincere to serve him as dearmost friend by preaching His message of Bhagavad Gita and the more He will attract you to come back to home, back to Godhead.
One thing, you say that you are too busy printing books so that you are unable to distribute them. So what is the use of printing if we are unable to distribute? There must be good programme for distribution in New York also. I think New York City is a very very good field for selling our books, so I think if you increase by placing emphasis on this point of distribution, then our this Krishna Consciousness movement will be strong on two sides instead of on one side of printing only, and then progress will be rapid. Unless people can have access to reading our books, why print them?
As you have mentioned Mr. Kallmann, one of my disciples saw him by chance on the street in Bombay [handwritten] and he promised to come and see me but he did not come. If he is so unco-operative, I don't think we should get involved with him again. When I shall return to your country there is opportunity to make many more such record albums, so why don't you arrange for that? One album I made in India is being released here soon by a company called HMV or His Master's Voice Co., and I shall send samples to some of you there.
Regarding your question about thinking about sex, is that also one form of illicit sex or against our four principles? Yes, even thinking sex is the same as illicit sex, but one who is not advanced cannot avoid it. But that does not disturb our regular procedure. We should strongly follow all the regulations and principles and chant and these thoughts will come and go away. Thinking will come even great saintly persons like Lord Shiva are not free of thoughts that come, so what to speak of you. So we must say that such thinking is no offense because you are accustomed to this habit. But beyond thinking are feeling and willing, so even thoughts of sex connection may come, that is difficult even for saintly persons to avoid still, in the further stages of feeling and willing we can easily conquer over this sex urge. Willing should be avoided and acting stopped, or else there is offense of breaking this basic prohibition of illicit sex-life. Because thinking comes I shall give it practical shape: that is nonsense, but because it is an old habit we are unable to check it unless we can understand the nature of feeling, willing and then action, and how by proper use of intelligence we can prevent thoughts which must come from maturing into actions--that is the practical application of Krishna Consciousness regulative principles. Even Lord Chaitanya Himself said that sometimes when I see a wooden form of a woman, my mind becomes agitated but that does not mean that we should give it practical shape, that is intelligence. One must be convinced that sex-life without exception means trouble, therefore he is able to stop it at the thinking stage by not allowing it to be felt, much less willed and acted. I am so much disgusted by this troublesome business of marriage, because nearly every day I receive some complaint from husband or wife, and practically this is not my business as sannyasi to be marriage counsellor, so henceforward I am not sanctioning any more marriages, and those who want to marry must know in advance and be prepared to make outside income to support wife and home separately from the temple, and in the temple husband and wife shall live separately, that must be or what is the meaning of spiritual society like ours? I made a concession, but how can I encourage something which has proven to be so much trouble?
Actually, the purpose of our life is to please Krishna; that is the business of the older children, to serve the father. So there is test for knowing if I am pleasing Krishna: If He reveals Himself to me, if I see Krishna, then I know I am pleasing Krishna. And another test is if my Spiritual Master is pleased by my service then I know that I am pleasing Krishna; it is very simple, because if I am following the prescribed regulative principles of my Spiritual Master, then without doubt I am pleasing him. So in this way, if you think it over, you will understand the answers to all your questions. Hope this meets you in good health. Your ever
well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/sda

Kirtiraj das Brahmachary
c/o ISKCON [unclear]
32, Tiffany [unclear]
[unclear], New Year
U.S.A. 11231 [handwritten]

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
8 [unclear]
Bombay - 36 [handwritten]