750614 - Letter to Dinanatha written from Honolulu

Letters by Date, 1975

51 Coelho Way, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
June 14, 75

My dear Dinanatha,

Please accept my greetings. I thank you very much for your letter dated 30-5-75. I am very sorry to say that I did not receive your letter addressed to me at Mayapur. I am still in Hawaii and I shall leave this place by the 20th of June for Los Angeles. Our temple there is situated at the following address: 3764 Watseka Ave., Los Angeles, California, USA 90034.

I am not returning to India by Rathayatra festival because there are programs here in America and Europe--Rathayatra festival in five different places like, London, Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, and Melbourne. So, I am introducing this Rathayatra festival in the Western countries and the idea is received everywhere very very enthusiastically.

I am enclosing herewith one Back to Godhead magazine specifically dedicated to describing the Rathayatra activities.

After leaving India, I went to Australia and there we have constructed a very nice temple of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Radha-Krishna, and Lord Jagannatha at Melbourne. This movement is being highly appreciated by the higher educated circle. One professor in Berkeley, California University has written one big book in favor of this movement, "Hare Krishna and the Counterculture".

I am glad that you are now writing books about Lord Ramacandra. It is a very good idea. I think you are a devotee of Lord Ramacandra, and because you are my very old and dear friend, I will suggest now in your old age (when your sons are grown-up and well-situated), why not join this movement and retire from family life? According to our vedic principle, a person, especially a Brahmana, should leave home after the 50th year and accept the order of Vanaprastha. Then after a few years of Vanaprastha, one should accept the Sannyasa order for the rest of his life and devote himself fully in the service of the Lord.

There is a great need of the Krishna Consciousness movement all over the world. If educated persons like you take active interest in this movement, and preach the cult for the benefit of the mass of people, that is the success of life. You will [text missing]

You will find on the 2nd page of the enclosed magazine, a list of our important centers all over the world. In big cities like London, Chicago, New York, Paris, Rome, Geneva, Tokyo, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and in India, Vrindavana, Navadvipa, Bombay, Calcutta, Hyderabad, etc. I wish that you may retire from family life and live in one of our so many centers wherever you like, and preach the cult of Krishna Consciousness. That will make your life successful.

Because you are my very intimate friend, from college life, I take this opportunity to give you a suggestion, and I shall be glad to hear from you.

I hope this meets you in good health.

Yours very sincerely,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ASCBS/ps

D.N. Mishra, Advocate
179 Balaram Dey Street
Calcutta-6, INDIA