680303 - Letter to Hansadutta and Himavati written from Los Angeles: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 16:11, 17 October 2023

Letters by Date, 1968

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Acharya: International Society for Krishna Consciousness

CAMP: ISKCON Radha Krishna Temple
5364 W. Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, Cal. 90019

DATED ....March..3,................1968..

My Dear Hansadutta and Himavati devi,

Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your nice letters, one dated the 23rd of Feb. and the other undated. I have noted the contents, and your attitude of service is so nice. I am pleased to hear that you have begun practicing for the Kirtana party; please keep me informed how you are progressing. Yes, if you like, you can also arrange for costumes and wig; one boy may be dressed as Lord Caitanya, another as Nityananda, as well as Gadadhara, Advaita with white beard and Srivasa with shaven head. Responsive chanting is very nice; one good singer may lead, and the others may join in. That is the system in India. It is very good for two reasons especially: One, the chanter gets to rest, so he does not become tired, and two, you get to chant and hear, that is the process. You may also have melodious accompaniment instruments, and amplifiers. Blowing of the conch shell and horns is very nice.

Yes, to be determined that the child will have his last birth into ignorance is very good. It is true that one should become a parent only if he can deliver his ward from the clutches of death. And that is possible only with Krishna Consciousness. This is a very great service for Krishna, to give all opportunity for the child to be trained up in devotional service, and it is very good that you are thinking very seriously on this.

The more one feels imperfect in Krishna's service, the more he is advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Even the topmost devotees feel they are inadequate in their service to the Lord. So it is good to feel inadequate, and to try harder to please Krishna with better service. But one should never feel, oh, I have seen Krishna, and so I am reached perfection—this is not Krishna Consciousness.

Please continue your very good service, and do not feel any feeling of uselessness. It is true that Krishna has given some the opportunity to serve Him by nice writing, some by good business ability, some by nice cooking, and so on, but these various services are all accepted equally by Krishna. On the transcendental plane, one service is as good as another. There is no question of higher or lower. We are very tiny, and so we cannot really do very much. Simply we can engage our time and energy, and that is all Krishna sees. He sees this boy or girl is spending his time in My Service, and He is pleased. I hope you are both well.

Your ever well-wisher,

P.S. I am going to San Francisco on 8th March 1968 [handwritten]

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

@@ Line 21: / Line 21: @@
 Acharya: International Society for Krishna Consciousness</big>
-CAMPO: &nbsp; ISKCON Radha Krishna Temple<br />
+CAMP: &nbsp; ISKCON Radha Krishna Temple<br />
 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; 5364 W. Pico Blvd.<br />
-&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Los Ángeles, Cal. 90019
+&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Los Angeles, Cal. 90019
-FECHADA ....Marzo..3,................1968..
+DATED ....March..3,................1968..
-Mis queridos Hansadutta e Himavati devi,
+My Dear Hansadutta and Himavati devi,
-Por favor, acepten mis bendiciones. Les agradezco mucho sus amables cartas, una fechada el 23 de febrero y la otra sin fecha. He tomado nota de su contenido, y su actitud de servicio es muy buena. Me complace saber que haz comenzado a practicar para el grupo de Kirtan; por favor, mantenme informado de cómo va progresando. Sí, si lo deseas, también puedes encargarte de los disfraces y la peluca; un muchacho puede ir vestido como el Señor Chaitanya, otro como Nityananda, así como Gadadhar, Adwaita con barba blanca y Srivas con la cabeza afeitada. El canto responsivo es muy bueno; un buen cantante puede dirigir y los demás pueden unirse. Este es el sistema en la India. Es muy bueno sobre todo por dos razones: Una, el cantor descansa, así que no se cansa, y dos, tú cantas y escuchas, ese es el proceso. También puedes tener instrumentos de acompañamiento melodiosos, y amplificadores. Soplar la caracola y los cuernos es muy bueno.
+Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your nice letters, one dated the 23rd of Feb. and the other undated. I have noted the contents, and your attitude of service is so nice. I am pleased to hear that you have begun practicing for the Kirtana party; please keep me informed how you are progressing. Yes, if you like, you can also arrange for costumes and wig; one boy may be dressed as Lord Caitanya, another as Nityananda, as well as Gadadhara, Advaita with white beard and Srivasa with shaven head. Responsive chanting is very nice; one good singer may lead, and the others may join in. That is the system in India. It is very good for two reasons especially: One, the chanter gets to rest, so he does not become tired, and two, you get to chant and hear, that is the process. You may also have melodious accompaniment instruments, and amplifiers. Blowing of the conch shell and horns is very nice.
-Sí, estar decidido a que el niño tenga su último nacimiento en la ignorancia es muy bueno. Es cierto que uno debe convertirse en padre sólo si puede liberar a su pupilo de las garras de la muerte. Y eso es posible sólo con la Conciencia de Krishna. Este es un gran servicio para Krishna, dar todas las oportunidades para que el niño sea entrenado en el servicio devocional, y es muy bueno que estés pensando muy seriamente en esto.
+Yes, to be determined that the child will have his last birth into ignorance is very good. It is true that one should become a parent only if he can deliver his ward from the clutches of death. And that is possible only with Krishna Consciousness. This is a very great service for Krishna, to give all opportunity for the child to be trained up in devotional service, and it is very good that you are thinking very seriously on this.
-Cuanto más imperfecto se siente uno en el servicio a Krishna, más avanza en la Conciencia de Krishna. Incluso los devotos más elevados sienten que son inadecuados en su servicio al Señor. Así que es bueno sentirse inadecuado, y esforzarse más para complacer a Krishna con un mejor servicio. Pero uno nunca debes sentir, oh, he visto a Krishna, y entonces he alcanzado la perfección - eso no es Conciencia de Krishna.
+The more one feels imperfect in Krishna's service, the more he is advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Even the topmost devotees feel they are inadequate in their service to the Lord. So it is good to feel inadequate, and to try harder to please Krishna with better service. But one should never feel, oh, I have seen Krishna, and so I am reached perfection—this is not Krishna Consciousness.
-Por favor continúen con su muy buen servicio, y no se sientan inútiles. Es cierto que Krishna ha dado a algunos la oportunidad de servirle escribiendo bien, a otros con buena habilidad para los negocios, a otros cocinando bien, etc., pero todos estos servicios son aceptados igualmente por Krishna. En el plano trascendental, un servicio es tan bueno como otro. No hay cuestión de superior o inferior. Somos muy pequeños, y por eso no podemos hacer mucho. Simplemente podemos dedicar nuestro tiempo y energía, y eso es todo lo que Krishna ve. Él ve que este muchacho o muchacha está empleando su tiempo en Mi Servicio, y Él está complacido. Espero que ambos estén bien.
+Please continue your very good service, and do not feel any feeling of uselessness. It is true that Krishna has given some the opportunity to serve Him by nice writing, some by good business ability, some by nice cooking, and so on, but these various services are all accepted equally by Krishna. On the transcendental plane, one service is as good as another. There is no question of higher or lower. We are very tiny, and so we cannot really do very much. Simply we can engage our time and energy, and that is all Krishna sees. He sees this boy or girl is spending his time in My Service, and He is pleased. I hope you are both well.
-Su eterno bienqueriente,<br />
+Your ever well-wisher,<br />
 [[File:SP Signature.png|300px]]
-P.D. Voy a San Francisco el 8 de marzo de 1968 ''[escrito a mano]''<br />
+P.S. I am going to San Francisco on 8th March 1968 ''[handwritten]''<br />
 &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;[[File:SP Initial.png|130px]]
+A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami