720425 - Letter to Madhavananda written from Tokyo

Letters by Date, 1972

Tridandi Goswami
A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: April 25, 1972
Camp: ISKCON Tokyo.

My Dear Madhavananda

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 3, 1972, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. I am very much engladdened to hear that you are arranging nice engagements in Calcutta, especially in the schools. This is a very important program, so do it nicely. So far the report of other things, it is all very good news. Especially you may try for wholesale book distributing through Rupa and Co., and you may inform them that yesterday 1,500 3-volume sets, or 4,500 books, of paperback-size Krishna Books were dispatched to Bombay from here, and that in the near future many more books are to be shipped to India, so there will be always regular supply. All money collected from these books can be used in building there in India, you have not got to pay for them, so try to increase sales in this way and practically you can finance Mayapur in this way.
I am very glad to hear that Mr. Jalan has given Rs. 10,000/-. As our work progresses, especially the building itself, the school and the prasadam distribution programs, these will put us very much favorably in the public eye and many many big men in Calcutta can give tremendous sums for such good public welfare work.
There were four listeners when Krishna instructed Arjuna, so there are four bonafide Vishnu sampradayas. Ramanuja is in the Sri or Laksmi sampradaya, Nimbarka is in the Koumara sampradaya, Vallabhacarya is a follower of Vishnuswami or Rudra sampradaya, like that. Besides the Vishnu sampradayas, there are other sampradayas, but they are following the directions given under off-shoot authorities. They have created so many, but these are not recognized by us. The four Vishnu sampradayas are authorized by us, they are the original authorized sampradayas or religion, the Vaisnava religion. The original dharma is to follow the varnas and asramas, and these are created, according to Bhagavad Gita, to please Vishnu. So sampradaya means one of the four original Vishnu sampradayas.
Yes, you do not know how to serve Krishna, so you simply assist your guru--we must always think like this, that I do not know how to serve Radha and Krishna, but my Spiritual Master knows so I am assisting him. In this way we can offer one plate and many plates are distributed.
The Mahamantra was given to Narada by Brahma. Other mantras made by ordinary men are not authorized by the Shastras, so they have only proportionate effect as much as they are authorized or unauthorized. Highest benefit is from the Mahamantra, or Hare Krishna Mantra, because this is said by authorities. You know these things, you are becoming strong yourself by chanting this mantra, so actually it is so. Compare what you were before to what you have become, now challenge any other mantra to produce such effect. You know it, now try to realize it yourself and convince others, that is Krishna Consciousness. Yes, the more one surrenders, the more he is enabled by the Spiritual Master to succeed.
Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood.
Your ever well-wisher,

ACBS/sda