760110 - Letter to Locanananda written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1976

Amsterdam [handwritten]

Mayapur Chandradoya Mandir
P.O. Sreedam Mayapur,
Dist. Nadia, West Bengal.
Camp: Bombay
20th January, 76

My dear Locanananda,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated November 28th, 1975. Your letter was received late so it was not possible to send you a reply in time for your Deity installation ceremony.

I have received the names of all the candidates for initiation and I accept them all as my duly initiated disciples. Their new spiritual names are as follows:

Jan Appelman - Jayagopal dasa
Freddy Van de Buerie - Mahasrnga dasa
Raymond Nota - Jnanaraja dasa
Henry Fluster - Akhiladhara dasa
Peter Vander Heyden - Divyasinhadasa
Patricio - Krtayajna dasa
Jannie Smit - Mangalaya dasi
Tettje Meursing - Aharada dasi
Francisco van der Linden - Atitagamana dasi

I also accept Yasoda vatsala das and Bhasya kara das for second initiation. Enclosed you will find their sacred threads which I have chanted on. Now hold a fire ceremony and the brahmins may afterward be allowed to hear the Gayatri mantra from the tape recording through the right ear. First initiated devotes must vow to always chant minimum 16 rounds daily and strictly observe the regulative principles. The Brahmins must practice cleanliness, internally by chanting the Lord's glories and externally by bathing regularly. In addition the brahmins should study carefully, especially Gita, Ishopanishad, Nectar of Devotion and Nectar of Instruction as well as all the small paperbacks. Soon we will have yearly examinations for brahmins based on these books and those who pass will be awarded Bhaktishastri titles.

I hope this meets you all well.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Sriman Locanananda dasa
ISKCON Amsterdam

ACBS/tkg