760201 - Letter to Elaine Dawson written from Mayapur

Letters by Date, 1976

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

DATE: 1st February 1976
CENTER P.O Sreedham Mayapur,
Dist. Nadia, West Bengal, India

Dear Elaine,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated October 20th, 1975. Your letter must have been forwarded a number of times and I have also been travelling, so I have just now received it.
It is your great fortune to be chanting Hare Krishna Mantra. This is the special purpose of human life. In the other forms of life like the animals, this opportunity is not available. So make your life perfect by becoming Krishna Conscious.
Spiritual life means to become pure, and chanting Hare Krishna will automatically make you pure. But just as when a physician prescribes a certain medicine, he also describes the conditions under which the medicine will be most effective. Similarly, the chanting will have the most effect if you can abide by the principles of purified living: First, no eating of meat, fish, or eggs. Second, no gambling. Third, no taking of any kinds of intoxicants such as drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee or tea. And fourth, no illicit sex life, which means sex life only within marriage and then only for the purpose of procreating Krishna Conscious children. If you can follow these principles and chant Hare Krishna, you will make great spiritual advancement. The best thing is for you to associate with the devotees at the Dallas Temple, then it will be much easier.
I hope this letter finds you well.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Elaine Dawson
6036 Village Glenn Drive
Apartment 4177
Dallas, Texas 75206

ACBS/tkg