740407 - Letter to Hansadutta written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1974

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness

CENTER Hare Krishna Land
Gandhi Gram Road
Juhu, Bombay 54, INDIA
DATE April 7, 1974

Dear Hansadutta,
Please accept my blessings. From reports I have received it appears that affairs at Bhaktivedanta Manor and Bury Place London have deteriorated to the critical stage, and therefore I am asking you to go there immediately and see what can be done.
Mukunda wrote that three brahmacaries recently left the Manor and in order to strengthen the sankirtan party he has asked Rebatinandan Maharaj and his party to stay at Bhaktivedanta Manor, and also Prabhu Vishnu. Madhavananda who is presently here in Bombay said that such keeping of the extra men at Bhaktivedanta Manor was not necessary, that things simply had to be better managed, and he felt Mukunda could not do it. Now I have received yet another report, from Puranjan das Adhikary of Spiritual Sky England, and he reports that all help is needed and that a bill of 4,900 pounds on rent for Bury Place temple has just been presented, and he intimates that both London and Hertfordshire temples are in jeopardy spiritually and financially.
Therefore, I am asking you to go there immediately, and try your best to rectify the situation. The devotees have also requested you to go, so they will trust in your decisions. I myself am planning to go to Paris by the second week of May, so at that time we can meet and discuss how best to run these affairs. If our temples cannot even be maintained then it is a great defect in our management of the society. Neither can I be expected to deal in these matters and also pay attention fully to the translating of my books.
Between Mukunda and Madhavananda they are opposing camps and cannot cooperate, and Shyamasundar is not even present. So go at once and do the needful. You may write to me at Bombay until the second week of May when I am leaving for Paris. At that time I intend to visit also Geneva, Rome and Sweden not staying for more than 4 or 5 days at each place, and then I will go to Germany and visit 3 or 4 cities. A Mr. Hans-Werner Erdman of D 8011 Baldham bei Munchen, Fichtenstrabe 11 visited me in Bombay and was very enthusiastic for my visiting Germany. He was wearing sikha and said he would make arrangement for my travel tickets and visiting prominent men. You can get in touch with him and if he is serious plan together my visit to Germany.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/sdg
ISKCON Hamburg
2 Hamburg 54, Kapitelbuschweg 20, West Germany

N.B. Mr Erdman's phone is: Telefon Sammel-Nr 08106/8596

By July 28th situation was completely Rectified [handwritten]