770116 - Letter to Hrdayananda written from Calcutta

Letters by Date, 1977

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Founder-Acharya:
International Society for Krishna Consciousness
CENTER: Iskcon Mandir
Calcutta, India

DATE ..January..16th...........1977...

My Dear Hridayananda Gosvami,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letters dated December 25th and January 9th respectively, and have noted the contents. Yes, I am very pleased with your book distribution because nobody was able to defeat Radha Damodara TSKP previously. Radha-Damodara is Himself pleased upon you. sometimes the Lord wants to be defeated by His devotee. Nobody can defeat the Lord, but still He desires like that sometimes. That is His mercy. Pancadravida Swami is very intelligent in every way. He is a very competent, nice devotee. I am very much pleased, so go on increasing the distribution more and more.

Upon your recommendation I am pleased to accept the devotees you have recommended for initiation. The name for Jose is Harinamananda dasa. You may chant on his beads. For the second initiate, Radha-Vinode dasa, hold a fire yajna. Instruct the first initiate to always chant a minimum of sixteen rounds daily and follow strictly the four regulative principles. For the second initiate, play for him the tape of me chanting Gayatri into the right ear.

Hoping this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

His Holiness Hridayananda Gosvami
c/o Iskcon
3764 Watseka Ave.
Los Angeles, Calif. 96034

enc: one sacred thread

ACBS/rds