720305 - Letter to Bhakta dasa written from Calcutta

Letters by Date, 1972

Tridandi Goswami
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: March 5, 1972
Camp: ISKCON Bombay

My dear Bhakta das,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated February 7, 1972, and I am very glad to know that everything is progressing well under your direction at San Diego temple, especially that you are installing Lord Jagganath there and that you want to try very hard for pleasing Him always. This is the devotee's business, always to please Krishna, that's all. Throw out all other interests, simply think always that He is the recipient of all my energy, that is Krishna Consciousness.
By now you must have completed nice clothes, ornaments, and all gorgeous arrangements for installing the deity, so you may place Jagganath just as with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's picture without any ceremony required. In general we do not allow anyone without sacred thread to attend to the deity, but if there is lack of qualified brahmins, men without sacred thread may be employed to cleanse the floor and other things which do not require them touching or gazing upon the deity at close quarter.
Kindly thank our Doug Souva Prabhu for his [handwritten] taking part in this Krishna Consciousness Movement, and it appears as if he is understanding the philosophy nicely. Now you give him further all good guidance, and I shall be glad to initiate him when I shall come there by late Spring.
Hoping this meets you in good health and happy mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Bhakta das Brahmachary
3300 Third Avenue,
San Diego, California,
U.S.A. 92103

ACBS/sda