Saturday, November 11, 1967
Calcutta, India
My Dear Brahmananda,
Please accept my blessings. I am very glad to see your letter dated Nov. 3, in which you have sent the good news that MacMillan Co. has agreed to publish my Gita Upanisad and the contract has been prepared. This service is done by you is a great asset for our society’s future activities. The quotation as you have given from my letter of Oct. 11, just stands.
I do not want crowd of Kirtananandas but I want a single soul like Brahmananda, Mukunda, Rayarama, and Satsvarupa. The same example is always applicable that one moon is sufficient for the night as not thousands of stars.
Please carefully handle the dealings with MacMillan Co. which was begun by your good self. If publications are there we can work from one center only like New York or San Francisco for propagating our cult all over the world. Let us stick to the publication of BTG more and more nicely and publish some Vedic literatures like Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrta, etc.
I’ve received one telegram from Mukunda, reading as follows: SWAMIJI BRAHMANANDA AND I AGREE YOU START IMMEDIATELY ADVISE EXACT ARRIVAL–MUKUNDA in reply to this, I may say that I am expecting my P-Form sanctioned and most probably I shall be starting sometime next week.
If I stop in Tokyo for a day to probe if there is any possibility of starting a center. From Tokyo I shall let Mukunda know by telegram when I am exactly arriving in San Francisco. From San Francisco I shall try to go to see our two new centers, namely Los Angles and Sante Fe.
I have read your statements regarding opening centers. I am not in agreement with Mr. Altman that we are expanding very thinly. In my opinion, a single sincere soul can maintain a center. You know I started the center at 26 2nd Ave. alone. I took the risk of 200.00 dollars per month for the rent. At that time there were no assistants. Mukunda was at that time a friend but there was no responsibility for him for maintaining the center.
Gradually Kirtanananda and Hayagriva joined but they did not take any responsibility. Still I was maintaining the establishment simply depending on Krishna and then Krishna sent me everything–men and money.
Similarly, if a sincere soul goes out and opens a center in any part of the world Krishna will help him in all respects. Without being empowered by Krishna, nobody can preach Krishna Consciousness. It is not academic qualification or financial strength which helps in these matters, but it is sincerity of purpose which helps us always.
Therefore, I wish that you will remain in charge of New York, let Satsvarupa be in charge of Boston, Let Mukunda be in charge of San Francisco, let Janardana be in charge of Montreal. Let Nandarani and Dayananda be in charge of Los Angeles. And let Subala das be in charge of Santa Fe. In this way you will follow my example as I did in the beginning at 26 2nd Ave. That is preaching, cooking, writing, talking, chanting everything one man’s show. I never thought about the audience. I was prepared to chant if there were no man to hear me.
The principle of chanting is to glorify the Lord and not to attract a crowd. If Krishna hears nicely then he will ask some sincere devotee to gather in such place. Therefore, be advised that thousands of centers may be started if we find out a sincere soul for each and every center. We do not require more men to start. If there is one sincere soul that is sufficent to start a new center.
With this expectation I wanted to send Kirtanananda to London but he has proved himself unworthy. When I arrive in your state, I may ask Rayarama to go to London and your good self to Russia and Gargamuni to Holland. The incident created by Kirtanananda and Hayagriva may not disappoint us in the least.
Let us remain sincere to Krishna and His bonafide representative and we are sure to carry out our mission successfully.
Hope you are well.
Your ever well-wisher
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
After reading this article, I find these two paragraphs very interesting which reads as ;
” The principle of chanting is to glorify the Lord and not to attract a crowd. If Krishna hears nicely then he will ask some sincere devotee to gather in such place. Therefore, be advised that thousands of centers may be started if we find out a sincere soul for each and every center. We do not require more men to start. If there is one sincere soul that is sufficent to start a new center. “.
And then this line ;
” With this expectation I wanted to send Kirtanananda to London but he has proved himself unworthy. ….”
The above line itself speaks volumes about Kirtanananda that he did not have what it took being a Sincere Soul. He was not sincere soul in serving the mission of His Guru Maharaja but motivated to glorify himself which was his ultimately destined down fall.
The same goes for the so called present Iskcon leaders. They are all destined for the down fall to a Hell because they are not Sincere Souls in serving the mission of HDG. Srila Prabhupada.
Hare Krishna. AGTSP.
“
http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/news/?p=16057#more-16057
From the three excerpts below of this letter by Srila Prabhupada from November 11 1967 we can understand and appreciate the simplicity of just one person opening and managing a centre.
One sincere soul to run a centre. To shop for bhoga, cook and serve prasadam, to clean temple and perform regular maintenance, to serve the temple deity nicely, chant 16 rounds a day, rise early for Mongala arotika, give daily Bhagavatam classes, perform Tulasi worship, greet the deities and Srila Prabhupada, go out on Hari Nam, have a Sunday feast programme and have a Friday and Saturday night programme for guests.
So now what is the difficulty using the modern Krsna Internet that one person cannot open a virtual temple on line that can answer questions from new comers and students who are studying the books? They could give reference to a whole network of sincere followers and disciples that can lend their expertise. Prasadam recipes can be posted, deity photos posted, Tulasi photos posted with all the worshiping instructions, Teaching regular online classes from The Krsna Conscious Hand Book that can be found at this site for download and printing. See below. Information on how to chant jappa, where to get Tulasi beads, that any beads can be used until Tualasi beads are available. Unfortunately there is not that ONE person who is interested in opening that ONE world wide temple that actually communicates with it’s guests. There are a number of temple sites that have live streaming of classes and arotika but those sites are not interactive. They are primarily for those who are already devotees and there are no active on line teachers at those sites. That ONE person who is now ordered to do so by Srila Prabhupada can count on my non financial support as much as possible ( retired on fixed income ). The big challenge will be finding other disciples and followers who would be interested in helping that ONE sincere soul. Don’t think on it for too long time is running seriously short.
The Krishna Consciousness Handbook
http://www.prabhupadanugas.eu/news/?p=49566