760122 - Letter to Jayatirtha written from Mayapur

Letters by Date, 1976

Mayapur Chandradoya Mandir,
P. O. Sreedham Mayapur,
Dist. Nadia, West Bengal

22nd January, 76

My dear Jayatirtha,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated December 12th, 1975 reporting on your Zone for November, which arrived late due to having been redirected a number of times.

Your Zone's book distribution is most commendable. It is to your credit as a good manager that there are now no longer any debts to the Book Fund from the Western USA Temples. Now you will have to meet a very stubborn competitor, Madhudvisa Swami, who I have sent to New York to organize the new building and preaching activities.

All of the leaders should study my books very carefully, since now everyone will have to appear for the examination. But I don't get any time to go into seclusion. My Guru Maharaja also did not approve of seclusion. He used to say: "Dusta mana, tumi kisera Vaisnava? Pratisthara tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nama kevala kaitava." My dear mind, what kind of vaishnava are you? Simply for cheap adoration you sit in a solitary place and pretend to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, but this is all cheating.

Many times in the past it has proven difficult to get the support of the Indians in San Francisco. Because Citsukhananda said there were many men who were willing to help I was encouraging. Now abandon it. Citsukhananda should join Berkeley instead of wasting time. The Berkeley project is actually important. Your idea for establishing a center in San Jose is nice, so you may bring it up before the GBC at Mayapur. As you are finding a good preaching field at the colleges in Berkeley, you will find all places similarly receptive. Human psychology is the same—simply you have concentrated on Berkeley thus far. Now make this propaganda very vigorously every where.

Regarding the donation of $6000 for distribution of books, you can send one or two copies to very distinguished men. You can address them: Sir, kindly have a glance over these books. If you like you can keep them and send the price or if not you can return them at our cost. In this way you can write them. But don't give them freely. There should be either the option to pay or return. Neither you should give the books to the Librarians of public and hospital libraries, it will not be fruitful. They have their managing committees, so approach these men individually to purchase books for the libraries.

Regarding your question about having a Gurukula in Santa Cruz, I have replied this in a separate letter enclosed, a copy of which I have also sent to Jagadisa. You may consider carefully the points and do the needful.

You have suggested that some men are best engaged in doing business. I agree. All grihastas who are interested in doing business should do so in full swing. Yat karosi yad asnasi, yaj juhosi dadasi yat/ yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurusva mad arpanam. Let this be the guiding principle. So let all the grihastas who wish to, execute business full-fledgedly in the USA and in this way support Gurukula. Business must be done by the grihastas, not by the sannyasis or brahmacharies. Neither the sannyasis or brahmacharies can be expected to support Gurukula. The parents must take responsibility for their children, otherwise they should not have children. It is the duty of the individual parents. I am not in favor of taxing the Temples. The parents must pay for the maintenance of their children. Neither can the BBT be expected to give any loans. Now the BBT 50% for construction is pledged to the projects in India—Bombay, Kurukshetra, Mayapur. The profits from the businesses should first go to support Gurukula and balance may be given for the local Temple's maintenance. Grihastas can do business. It is best if the Temple Presidents are either sannyasis or brahmacharies. If the grihastas want to do book distribution, they should be given a commission of 5 to 10% of which part must go to Gurukula. For any others who are engaged in important Society projects, they must get something for maintaining their children at Gurukula. So far as Prasadam and residence, they are already getting that free. But sometimes, grihastas make their own arrangement for cooking. For that we can give no expenditure. Just try to improve the Prasadam system so nicely that one will not want any other arrangement. Another thing, is that the grihastas may be encouraged to do agriculture. In the Indian villages like in Vrindaban, they get enough ghee for their personal use, and sufficient excess to be sold to the merchants, who then also get some money. Cow protection means good food and good trade. So I can give you suggestions how to manage everything, but it is up to the GBC to practically execute all these points.

You cannot survive without my mercy and I cannot survive without your mercy. It is reciprocal. This mutual dependence is based on love—Krishna Consciousness.

I hope this meets you well.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Siman Jayatirtha das Adhikary
ISKCON Berkeley

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