721219 - Letter to Jayapataka written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1972

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: December 19, 1972
Camp: A-11 Sea Face Park, 50-B Warden Road, Bombay-54.

My dear Jayapataka,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated November 29, 1972, and I have noted the contents with pleasure. I am so much happy to hear from you all the good news of our Mayapur centre! No, your liking of engagement there is not at all an inappropriate attachment, rather it is your qualification for pleasing your spiritual master. Attachment must be there, for Krishna or for maya. So you have become attached to developing the Mayapur centre, that is Krishna's work, so Krishna appreciates very much when His devotee becomes attached to Him in this way. Yes, the cooperative spirit of working together without any argument is especially prominent in Mayapur, more than other places in India. Therefore you are successful, and the work is going on quickly to completion. That is because all of you working there have become very much attached to the dust from Lord Chaitanya's Lotus Feet, and because you have got such deep personal interest with that engagement of work, you want to see that it is done nicely without any hindrance of selfish motivation, never mind all kinds of conditions of the material nature. That idea has become prominent for all of you, it is bigger than maya's idea, therefore maya cannot interfere to make you quarrel or other things. But you especially are to take the credit. From the very beginning you wanted that place, and you got the land, got money from me, and now you have built the place by your concentration of energy. That is wanted. If there is some discrepancy anywhere, some non-cooperation, fighting, or if the work is slow or not to the standard, it is to be supposed that the person or persons in charge are not very much attached to Krishna. That means they will discriminate: my engagement is not good, other's engagement is good, like that. They do not know the secret of surrendering to Krishna. Such surrendered devotee sees that everything is part of Krishna's plan, that whatever is meant to be, I am doing that, so let me do it with my full attention to every detail, let me become absorbed in such service, never mind what it is, but let all other considerations be forgotten and only my desire to do the thing best for Krishna's alone pleasure be my motive. That is advanced stage of understanding devotional service or Krishna Consciousness. Thank you very much for your kindly coming to the point.
Now I want to officially open the building on Lord Chaitanya's Appearance Day. So please try to finish it by that time. What is the use to buy more land like Damodar Maharaj's land? And why his house is so special it is worth Rs. 11,000? So far Sridhar Swami's land, if we can use it then we may purchase, but we cannot pay such a high price for it.* In these things you decide as you think best, I cannot tax my brain. Do everything consulting Bhavananda and Tamal Krishna.
Now we are holding a very grand pandal function in the Cross Maidan at Bombay, so it may be that we shall have to bring the Radha-Madhava deities there from there to Bombay for the occasion. We are trying to get new deities from Jaipur, but that may not be possible. Let us see. But at least be prepared to bring them at any time. Achyutananda may bring them with him to Bombay. You may inform Achyutananda that I want that he shall come here for the pandal programme, to lead the kirtan and preach in the "Questions and Answers" tent. He should remain prepared, and if I call to bring deities, he can bring. Otherwise he may reach here by first of January, in any case. Others may also come from that side, especially Gargamuni may come if he likes, he is first-class preacher to preach to many thousands who will attend the Questions and Answers tents, so you may inform like that. And whoever shall come must bring with them as many mrdungas and kartals as possible, at least four drums are required and ten sets of kartals. Otherwise there are no instruments here for the kirtan, and that will be a great dishonor for displaying the sankirtan movement to people of Bombay. Kindly inform the others these things.*
Hoping this meets you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Jayapataka Swami
ISKCON Mayapur

ACBS/sda

*As we are not in need of Sridhar Maharaja's land why should we take it? Better wait until my arrival. [handwritten]

*Our Ahmedabad programme was highly successful. [handwritten]

Jayapataka Swami
c/o ISKCON Camp
P.O. Shridhar MAYAPUR,
dist. Nadia West Bengal [handwritten]

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
A - 11 Sea Face Park,
50 Warden Road,
Bombay - 26 [handwritten]