760523 - Letter to Robert M. Gilbert from Pusta Krsna

May 23, 1976

From: Pusta Krishna

Byron Bay, NSW, Australia

My dear Robert,

Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 13, 1976, and I have noted the contents with care. I sympathize with you that you are wanting to be initiated so eagerly, and that is a great qualification, but what can be done. If you are not recommended by another recognized disciple who knows your activities, how can you be initiated? Perhaps your case is different, but initiation means the “beginning” and a beginner does not know right from wrong if you follow the analogy. So there must be someone like a temple president to recommend you otherwise what can we do. I think that you should put you case before the temple presidents in Australia and eve the G.B.C. there, and see what they say. It is the only recourse for one to take initiation from Srila Prabhupada unless they personally request initiation. In such cases Srila Prabhupada will generally ask, “Has he been recommended by the president of the temple?” So there is practically nothing that I can do. Of course, you are chanting for the last 4 years and if you are sincere you will carry on chanting and serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His representatives. So in this regards there is not much else I can say but that you will have to be recommended by one of the temple presidents in Australia if you are seeking initiation formally. I hope that you will be encouraged to continue serving.

Yours sincerely,

Pusta Krishna Swami

Personal secretary

[Coinciding Letter to: S.P. Per. Sec. 5/13/76]