Dear Kirtanananda Maharaja,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 30, 1973.

I was very pleased to hear your report of our cow protection program, and I had part of your letter read aloud to a group of devotees how you have one cow who will be giving 70-80 pounds a day. The cow is so wonderful and valuable in society. But you should also use the bulls by engaging them in tilling the ground. People may call this the primitive way but it is very practical for engaging the bulls – have them work in cart loading, transporting, etc…

Hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

DATE July 7, 1972

My dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings.  I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter undated, handed over to me by Kirtanananda in New York on July 3, 1972.    I am very much pleased to learn that you are more settled in mind and peaceful, and that you are now editing my books nicely.    That is what I always wanted, that you shall simply edit books. So I have requested Karandhar to send Shama dasi her $50 allowance for the month of July, and she may have got it by now. Now you go on in this spirit independently of any other responsibilities and produce books more and more, profusely.

I have read some portion of your Chaitanya Chaitamrta, and it is nice. It is all right if the introduction to Adi Lila is omitted for the time being. You can send me copy of the completed deed for the Vrindaban property in the Society’s name.

Hoping this meets you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

My dear Devakinandana,

Please accept my blessings. Thank you for your letter of March 1, 1972, and I am especially happy to see the pictures of such nice cows, so I shall pay the full $2,200 for the five cows you have suggested. Now you must exchange by giving me always pure ghee produced by them, and I shall be repaid in the shape of ghee. Actually, I want that New Vrindaban should be completely self-sufficient for this ghee production, not that the Society should have to subsidize New Vrindaban for nothing. No, you make only pure ghee, as much as possible, and ship to all our centers and they shall pay you for it a standard price, and that shall provide sufficient income for our New Vrindaban. Meanwhile, you may go on increasing the number of cows there by making a special programme of canvassing important persons to donate for buying more cows. In this way, make a programme to support New Vrindaban.

Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date March 22, 1972
Camp ISKCON Bombay, Box 387,
Fort, Bombay.

My dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 1, 1972, along with pictures of cows. I am so much engladdened by the news that you are producing many books, faster than they can print, so this is especially pleasing to me and I have wanted all along that you should especially do this work of writing and editing. This means that you will advance nicely because you will have to become very thoughtful and go deep into the subject matter. The titles are nice, so may you live long and always do this service.

If you have the idea to write a book based on Chaitanya Charitamrita, that is nice, I approve. The translation you have got is not perfect, but it is tolerable, so I think something can be done. Now Pradyumna is with me, and Nanda Kumar also, so altogether we are now four, so now the translation work will gradually be increased, and I am glad to report that I am now translating nightly and each day Shyamsundar types the tape and Pradyumna is editing sanskrit, so we shall be sending more and more material because you say that you can edit any amount we can supply, so I take that as a challenge and I shall try to see if you can keep up with me. Yes, you are correct to say that “It is all nectar,” everything having relation with Krishna or Lord Chaitanya is nectarine and our literatures in our line of Vaisnava acharyas is so nice that there is no comparison anywhere in the world for it, so I want that my disciples like you and others should take this task very seriously to give the world the access to this great treasure of Vaisnava literature by producing innumerable books and small booklets, and that force of literary influence will change everything and save the people from their miserable condition and corrupt status of life.

I have no objection if you all big leaders hold joint meetings if they are necessary, but in general I think everything can be done by correspondence. When I shall come to Los Angeles I shall call all of you there and we can sit down together. We have left our place at Akash Ganga to live on our large land at Juhu, near Bombay, and we are holding a very nice Hare Krishna Festival to advertise the new place and also to give the public in general our idea to build here a “Hare Krishna City.” We shall be leaving India on 31st March for Australia, and because I have promised my disciple in those places, I will spend a few weeks in the Far East and Japan before returning to Los Angeles.

Thank you for settling up the account with me for $100 balance, you may send me a copy of the deposit receipt when it is done.

Hoping this will meet you and your family in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: January 10, 1972
Camp: ISKCON Bombay

My dear Shyama dasi,

Please accept my blessings. After a long time I have received your letter of December 8, 1971, with presentation. The handkerchief is so nice that this time I have not given to my deity Radha-Krishna, so you will please excuse me. I am using it personally. I am always expecting your letter. This letter has very much encouraged me. So manage New Vrindaban very nicely, keep your husband always in good mood, chant Hare Krishna, and occasionally send me one handkerchief. Next time when I shall go there, I shall eat chappattis made by you.

Hoping this will find you and your son Samba, in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Date: January 10, 1972
Camp: ISKCON Bombay

My dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letters of December 8 and 16, 1971, and I am very pleased that you are making advancement in Krishna Consciousness, and especially that you are observing faithfully the regulative principles of chanting 16 rounds, observing arotik, etc. I have not heard from you for some time, so I had become worried what is your position. As GBC man you should become very responsible to see that the highest standards of Krishna Consciousness should be maintained all over the Society, and therefore it is essential to always be corresponding with the others and cooperating with your all wonderful godbrothers and godsisters to carry out this great mission of Lord Chaitanya. I think that your zone of GBC is South America and at present there is no activity there. But you may begin organizing things so that we may start something there. But your real work is editing work, so you should never forget it. I shall always give you sufficient matter. Under separate cover Shyamsundar is sending you transcriptions of my current translations from Srimad Bhagwatam, 4th Canto, as he types them daily. I am sending one copy also to Pradyumna to edit the Sanskrit, and you can send the finished copies to Jaiadwaita in New York.

I have not yet received the checks which you sent to Delhi, so best thing is if you stop payment on them and send new checks directly to my account at Bank of America, branch 308, Pico-La Ciehega Branch, checking account no. 308 1/61625 in the name of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, and notify me.

Regarding your proposal to comment on Western writers, that is not very important thing. It is not necessary. We want to comment on philosophy.

Your proposal for board of managers is approved by me, but I do not see Ranavir’s name among the leaders. He is a chief inmate from the very beginning, why his name is missing?

I am sending five copies of gayatri mantra and sacred threads duly chanted by me under separate post. Hold a fire yagna and give gayatri mantra to Prachi dasi, Adi Patite, Sandini dasi, Jimini dasi, and Sureswara. I think Rupanuga has got a tape of me reciting gayatri mantra, so vou may get it from him. One thing, the tape should be heard through earphones into the right ear. So hold the fire yagna for the five devotees.

I am going to Nairobi for a few days on the 25th to 30th, January, and then we are returning to India for our programs in Ahmedabad, Madras, and Mayapur. In March I shall leave India and Tokyo return to Los Angeles via Hong Kong, Australia, and Tokyo.

I hope this meets you in good health and cheerful mood.

Your ever well-wisher,

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

My dear Hayagriva,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 16th , 1971 along with an enclosed copy of a letter dated December 8th. addressed to Madras. Actually, I have come from Delhi to Bombay. So your letter addressed to Delhi was not received by me. So Shyamsunder is in Delhi and he is bringing letters so maybe your letter is there. Until he comes in two or three days I cannot say whether your letter is there or not. When he comes then I shall let you know.

I was simply surprised not to hear from you in so long and therefore I am so much pleased to hear from you. May Krishna bless you for pushing on so sincerely our Krishna Consciousness Movement.

Please offer my blessings to all the inmates of New Vrindaban. Especially the younger generation and Samba. Also next time when I come to U.S.A.. I wish to visit New Vrindaban positively to see how things are developing.

I hope this meets you well.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

CAMP: ISKCON; Akash-Ganga Bldg., flat 7; 89 Bhulabhai Desai Rd.

Bombay-26, INDIA

February 22nd, 1971

My Dear Kirtanananda Maharaj,

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 12th January, 1971 and have noted the contents carefully. Just recently I have written you one letter and I hope you have received it by now. I am so much pleased that things are going on nicely there in the centers visited by you My fervent desire is that you travel in schools and colleges and impress them with our philosophy and try to introduce our books as far as possible. Writing children stories based on Srimad Bhagawatam is good idea but your first business is to move in the schools and colleges and lecture there and introduce the books already published. Not that you should confine yourself to Pittsburgh and New Vrindaban. And to depend on the centers for bus fare is not very good. Sanyasi means that you should depend on Krishna. When Devananda Swami was lecturing the schools in Boston, he was getting $25 to $75. So why not meet your expenses in that way?

So far as eating only two chopaties and a little vegetable daily, I never said that. I do not know why such news has spread without my written authority. One should eat as much as he requires. He should not over-eat, that is the point. Without eating properly how can we work? If one can digest them, then he can eat 20 Chopaties, but if he cannot digest, then he should not even take two chopaties. The ayurvedic system is to take 1/2 of what you can eat only, then fill 1/4 with water and 1/4 for air. That will make for proper digestion. Little rice, dhal, some vegetables, some chopaties, like that , but eat right to the point to keep health steady.

So far as $50.00 fee for initiations, that same question was raised when you were in L.A. I said no then and it hasn’t changed since. Please keep me informed of your activities there. Presently I am planning to return to U.S.A. by the month of April.

Hoping this will meet you in good health.

A.C. Bhaktivendata Swami

ACBS/adb

September 3, 1971

My Dear Ranadhir,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 30th August, 1971 and I thank you very much for the same. Also please offer my blessings to your wife and newly welcome daughter whom I have named Radhastami Dasi.

I have read your letter with great pleasure how you are appreciating this Krishna Consciousness Movement and becoming happy more and more in executing devotional service to Lord Krishna. Now you have got Radha Krishna Dieties. Please worship them very nicely Change the dress and ornaments and flowers daily and offer nice bhoga. At night offer puris, milk and other nice preparations should be offered also. In the morning offer fruits and during the day time nice dhal, chopaties, etc. Sometimes special preparations can be offered on Sun day – Kachories, sweet balls Keep everything very neat and clean and there should always be candle light and incense and chanting Hare Krishna 24 hours. You will find that New Vrindaban is not different from the original Vrindaban.

So you have got a nice Radhastami child. She will be ever remembered as one of the maidservants of Radharani and her life will be happy in the association of devotees.

I understand that the incense business is very lucrative there. So get money and develop New Vrindaban to its fullest extent. Also you can send me $400.00 for the Dieties as soon as possible.

Hoping this will meet you all in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

27th August, 1971

My Dear Shama Dasi,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknow­ledge receipt of your letter dated 20th August, 1971 and have noted the contents. When I received the letter the envelope had been opened and then stapled closed and some portion of the letter was missing; it came in two parts. I don’t know what happened or what part of your letter is missing.

Anyway, please be happy with the newly installed Dieties there in New Vrindaban and take very greatest of care for them. Dress them nicely, clothe them nicely with garlands and offer very nice foodstuffs. And be happy with your son Samba and good husband and engage him fully in editing work. His work has suffered so much; I don’t know why Hayagriva has become so slack. Anyways please encourage him. I haven’t heard from him in some time. Where is he?

So now Their Lordships have arrived there in New Vrindaban. So you should see to it that New Vrindaban is developed so nicely and meets up to its name. Satya bhama and Paramananda and Ranadhir and others are there and your son is also growing strong. So please build up New Vrindaban very nicely And I am soon coming there so don’t be worried.

Hoping this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami