720414 - Letter to Bhavananda written from Auckland

Tridandi Goswami
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: April 14, 1972

Camp: Auckland ISKCON, 155 Landscape Road, Mt. Eden, Auckland, New Zealand

My dear Bhavananda,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 4, 1972, and I have noted the contents with great pleasure and relief, because my special interest is in Mayapur, that we shall make it especially to glorify Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the best manner of programmes, constructing buildings, preaching, Sankirtan, like that. Now in Mayapur there are two much important programmes, namely, first of all, a school must be started in English medium. The children may work in the temple compound for gardening and cleansing, then they shall attend class. If they are given sufficient comfort, they will stay with us and develop nicely. Comfort means no bodily discomfort, and for this Krishna Consciousness education, many Calcutta rich men will send their children. Actually the Bhakti Vinode Institute was started for this purpose, but they have turned it into an ordinary school. The second important programme is this distribution of prasadam, without any discrimination, so that everyone will get equal portion, no matter how little or how much is there.
Our girls can be engaged for teaching as well as temple worship.
Mr. Bajoria will be a very good example; if the leading men of every city takes this example of installing Radha-Krishna deities in the home exactly as in our temple, then our preaching will be very successful. But they must learn the art of worshipping and following the regulative principles from us. As soon as they employ hired priests, the whole thing will be spoiled. Members of the household should learn to worship the deity as we are doing, following the regulative principles, then it will be successful. We want every house to be a temple, not that our place should be the only place for the people to come. No, this should be the process: that they learn at our place, then establish the same thing at home. So this Bajoria programme should be considered as one of our successful points of preaching, so he should be encouraged, but he should be requested at the same time to have no hired priests, then it will spoil.
Your ideas for Rathayatra are nice, so do it like that. If you want any suggestions or points, I shall give you. I suggested to make a smaller ratha of wood finely-carved with silver plating if possible; if not, you can have a nice ratha in the normal way. In childhood, my ratha used to go to this temple, so if this is again introduced, it will be again very much appreciated by Radha-Govinda.
Hoping this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami