751109 - Letter to Tusta Krsna written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Albany, New Zealand

My dear Tusta Krsna Swami,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 16, 1975 along with the enclosed letters from persons you are recommending for initiation. I have no objection to your recommending these devotees, but whether you are acting as a sannyasi and observing all the rules and regulations and keeping yourself in sannyasi dress? On your confirmation I shall accept all these boys and girls as my disciples. So long as one continues to follow the rules and regulations, he continues to be my disciple wherever he may be.

Regarding the restaurant, this is a very good program and I am glad to hear of it. We have also started a restaurant in Honolulu and it is going on very nicely and we are getting good profit. If you take details from Srutakirti das Adhikari, he is in charge of the Govinda's Restaurant and he may be able to help you.

It is a very good idea for people to come to our vegetarian restaurant and take so many nice things, especially the panir, fried cheese, and sandesh, kachori, rasagulla, samosa and in this way they will forget their meat-eating. If you make a soup of fried panir with asafoetida and ginger, this will replace lobster soup nonsense. Of course we are not interested in giving them vegetarian food; we are wanting to give them prasadam. Then gradually they will become devotees.

The varnasrama college means to train people in varnasrama life. In human society a section of people must act as strict brahmanas. Similarly, another section must act as strict ksatriyas, still another as strict vaisyas, and the rest will be considered as sudras and less than sudras or the candalas. This is a materialistic division, but spiritually anyone can be elevated to the transcendental position simply by devotional service. This is the sum and substance of the Vedic education. If you and Siddha Svarupa Maharaja can organize such an institution following yourself the rules and regulations then it will be very glorious thing and I shall be very happy. But in any case both of you do not forget to come to Mayapur during Caitanya Mahaprabhu's birth ceremony. Let us act co-operatively, maybe sometimes separately, but the central point and aim should be one—Krsna.

Your idea for the scholastic institution as discussed with you and Siddha Svarupa Maharaja is a very good idea. Now we have got so many books—almost 50 books of 400 pages—so this institution can be affliated with some nearby university. Then the students will get their degrees of Bachelors and Post Graduates Pd.D. We have enough matter to qualify a person in academic career. At least we can offer the degree of DD—Doctor of Divinity by affliating ourselves with some neighboring recognized university.

The farming and opening the restaurant are correlative—in farming you produce enough milk and milk products, at least ghee, and the ghee is dispatched to the restaurant in the city and with that you prepare first-class samosas, kacoris, vegetables, halava—so many things people will like very much. The principle is that not a drop of milk should be misused.

I hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/BS/mdd