760416 - Letter to Punjabi Premanand written from Bombay

Letters by Date, 1976

Hare Krishna Land, Juhu Rd.,
Juhu, Bombay 400-054

16 April, 76

Punjabi Premanand,
97, Amritnagar, Chakala,
Kurla-Road, Andheri,
Bombay 400-093

My dear Punjabi Premanand,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 13 April, 1976, and I have noted the contents with care. Concerning your questions: Yes, it will help to read Bhagavad-gita but to have to hear from the realized person. Without the help of guru, if you read independently, you may be misguided. Therefore, so many politicians, scholars, etc. not being guided by the parampara system, have simply misled the public. The Bhagavad-gita is the standard book of knowledge in India and many eminent persons like Gandhi, Aurobindo, Dr. RadhaKrishnan, etc. they tried to understand the Bhagavad-gita, but could not do it. They were themselves misled and on account of their big position they misled so many followers. Our system, the Vedic system, is to approach the right person and hear from him exactly as Arjuna listened from Krishna. Mental speculation will not help. Hearing is the main point. In the Bhagavad-gita, it is written, dharmaksetre kuruksetre . . . when you hear from a realized soul, a person who knows things, he'll explain that Kuruksetra is a place where religious ritualistic ceremonies are performed from time immemorial, from the time before the Battle of Kuruksetra. But, if you read the books of some cunning politician, he'll mislead you and you'll learn that Kuruksetra means this body which is not actually the fact. That is the difference, hearing from devotees, the sound vibration coming from the realized person. Reading the book is the same thing . . . tattva-darsana—hearing from one who has seen the truth. Reading or hearing from the realized person there is no difference, but hearing the sound vibration from the realized soul is still more effective, better.

Concerning your offering of doing padayatra, travelling village to village; what is the use of getting the land in the hands of politicians who cannot properly utilize the land according to the instructions of Krishna. That's a fact, but if Indian young men join me I am immediately ready for this travelling touring from village to village, town to town. However, my foreign disciples have the language defect, they can't speak the village language, otherwise I would have started this program long ago. If some young men like you would join me then along with some foreign disciples I can immediately take up this program. If you are very eager, please get hold of at least half a dozen young men like you then with another half dozen foreign disciples, I can immediately take up this program and tour village to village and town to town. It will be very, very effective, I know that.

To think of Krishna 24 hours a day, if you are serious this can be done. It is not very difficult. Your associates are harassing you for your interest in spiritual culture, yes, that is due to India's great misfortune. They're impressed with so-called politicians and scholars of the modern age. The example is given in this connection that when a man is ghostly haunted, he speaks all nonsense. At the present moment they're all ghostly haunted and in this delirious condition the only cure is chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.

I hope that this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/pks