Feb 3 1967 letter Kirtanananda
I hope Kirtanananda has already arrived destination. I shall be glad to hear from him. Hope you are all well and performing Kirtana regularly. Kirtanananda has learned one tune to be sung in the morning which please practice as far as possible. Brahmananda must attend his office timely so that he may not be called for explanation or reprimanded. Now Kirtanananda is there and I think there will be no difficulty in the management. I have received the cover of the record and hope to receive the records as early as possible.
Aug 14 1968 letter Upendra
Kirtana means both lecturing and chanting with music. The chanting with music is specially attractive for the mass of people, but talking from philosophical point of view on Krishna Consciousness is also chanting.
Dec 14 1968 letter Gurudas
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your nice letter of Dec. 9, 1968, and I thank you very much for it. It is very much encouraging to me to hear of so many activities of performing kirtana there. Kirtana is the universal principle, therefore, if you chant Hare Krishna offenselessly, that is to say, avoiding the 10 kinds of offenses, the vibration is sure to act. And anywhere this vibration is made, it will be liked because it is done on the spiritual platform. And on the spiritual platform, there will be certainly agreement. So long one is on the material platform, there is no agreement. So our movement is directly taken to the spiritual platform. So do it nicely, offenselessly, and it will be successful anywhere.
May 4 1969 letter Sivananda
Regarding your desire to improve your singing voice, by singing you will become an expert singer. Anything you practice regularly you become expert in. ….Regarding your need for a warm beverage to drink while you are working, milk is the best. Take hot milk with little sugar, stir it very nicely, and drink it when it is warm sufficiently, tolerable by you, and with bubbles on the surface. That is the best hot beverage available in the world.
May 26 1969 letter Brahmananda
Regarding your request for a kirtana musician, we don’t require anyone who is very musically talented. Here in New Vrindaban Hayagriva has organized very nice kirtana party, and they are singing and chanting thrice daily very, very nicely. So I think you are the best mrdanga player, and similarly you have Rsi Kumar, Madhusudana, Uddhava, as well as others, so if you think all of you are deficient, I can send you a tape recording teaching playing techniques, and you will learn from this. You have got another devotee, Mohini Mohan, Purusottama’s friend, and Purusottama says he is a musical master, so utilize the talent you have got and surely your propaganda will be successful and more men will come. It is in the same way that I came here with only one pair of cymbals, and now there are hundreds of cymbals going on. So Krishna will send us men; gradually as we qualify ourselves everything will come.
Nov 2 1969 letter Arundati
Regarding crying, when someone cries during kirtana, this crying is crying of the soul. But if anyone tries to imitate such crying to get some adoration, that is a bodily function. Regarding you final question, Krishna is the Cause of all causes. That is a fact. But we being subordinate to Krishna, sometimes we create our cause under Krishna’s sanction only. Just like a child may persist in trying to do something, but unless the mother allows he cannot do it. Another example is that a criminal is put into jail by the trying judge; this is caused by the judgement of the court, but it is actually caused also by the criminal person. I hope this will meet you in good health.
Nov 2 1`1969 etter Krsna devi
Regarding your other questions, the Yadu dynasty completely destroyed itself because Krishna wanted this. So far as initiating disciples is concerned, anyone who is qualified can do this. For example, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura was householder and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was staunch brahmacari, yet they both were qualified for initiating disciples. Regarding your question about feeling emotions during kirtana, these are real spiritual emotions. Spiritual emotions can not be experienced by the fallen soul; but one who is feeling spiritual emotions is not actually fallen. That is the benediction of this Sankirtana Movement that it elevates one to the highest position of spiritual experiences. Regarding your final question about Laksmiji, she never has conjugal relations with Lord Narayana. Neither does she desire to have conjugal relations with Krishna. Her desire is to follow the Gopis of Vrndavana. Please offer my blessings to Damodara, Madhusudana, Kancanbala, and of course your family. I hope this will find you all in good health.
April 4 1971 letter Vishnujana
I have got confidence in you because Krishna has given you special talent for chanting Hare Krishna Mantra. When you were chanting in L.A. temple in the evenings, or in the mornings, I enjoyed your chanting so nicely that I thought myself immediately carried to Vaikuntha. So I am always thankful to you for your activities in announcing the interest of our mission. Thank you very much. Most probably when I return to L.A. I may call you back just to hear your chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra. I am very anxious to meet you also. I am thinking of returning very soon, but I am also contemplating going to Russia. So on my way back I may go there to Russia for a few days and then to U.S.A.
Sept 4 1974 letter Bali Mardan
Regarding the matter of Sudama Maharaja there will be no more discussion. Immediately this should be stopped, this matter. Sudama Maharaja should be encouraged. He is doing nicely. Practically the old branch was abolished. Since he has gone there, things have improved very much. So he should be encouraged very much in his activities. Amongst ourselves there must be very liberal and friendly dealings. This is not an ordinary thing that if somebody has got some fault he should be cut. He should be reformed by amicable dealings. We are training our men since a long time. It is very difficult to get trained up assistants.
Regarding the library party in each GBC zone that is a good idea. Regarding the 24 hour kirtana as a regular temple function, do not do anything impractical. If it is not possible, then don’t do it.
Oct 19 1974 letter Hamsadutta
Regarding your dancing in the middle of the kirtana, it is not wrong. It is completely right. If in your kirtana everyone dances in ecstasy it is perfectly all right. That is spiritual enthusiasm.
I have not received the new books. I have learned about them from Puranjana, but I have not received them. Maybe they are held up due to a postal delay in Calcutta, but anyway I am so pleased that you have published. Even I have not seen them, I am pleased and obliged to you. Continue this work. Whenever there is any publication in any language, it enlivens me 100 times.
Feb 2 1975 letter Rupanuga
BTG is not meant for advertising ISKCON Food Relief.
Regarding instruments for temple kirtanas, karatala and mrdanga are sufficient. There is no need of other instruments.
Keep negotiations going for that building. It will be very nice if we can get that building.
May 26 1975 letter Aksayananda swami (Vrndavana temple)
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated May 17th, 1975 and have noted the contents. I was very much encouraged by this nice report you have given. Continue to organize the guest house. This is very important. Do it very nicely with the co-operation of Dr. Verma. In the evening, you must have many varieties of first class ghee-cooked preparations offered to the Deity and you can sell the prasadam. The L.A. standard is good, but still you should have a better standard. You should make kacoris, samosa, etc. If it is required, a professional confectioner may be employed. The Deity worship must be done very gorgeously. The 24 hour chanting is very encouraging to me. Please continue all as I have given you. I have full faith in both you. Kindly execute the routine work very nicely. Please send me a weekly report of how things are going on.
(Note-one year earlier SP gave an opposite instruction to the NYC TP-big difference between NYC and Vrndavana India)
Oct 17 1974 letter Gopijanaballabha
Your plan to have my quarters on the 11th. floor is very nice. I have made some alterations to your plan however and if possible you can implement then when you are designing the rooms. Enclosed is a copy of the 11th. floor plan with alterations. When it is completed, then I shall go there. New York is very special to me because I started there without anything except faith in my spiritual master and Lord Krishna. I am very glad to see that things are developing there nicely.
Yes, your plan to hold 24 hour kirtana is approved. Everything is kirtana including recitation of Bhagavatam which is also kirtana, and japa as well.
(Note-one month earlier SP told Bali Mardan if not practical then no 24 hour kirtan)
Nov 10 1975 letter Kirtanananda
Regarding your question about the dancing, the dancing should be done enthusiastically by raising the hands like Panca-Tattva. You can also dance enthusiastically by raising hands. All of Lord Caitanya’s followers used to dance with raised hands. If someone dances with ecstasy, that is all right, but it is better to dance with raised hands.
Regarding the topics of the Krsna book, this is Istagosthi. Istagosthi means discussion between ourselves but that should not be taken as a competition. It is not the subject matter for competition. It can be discussed in a small group of devotees. That is Istagosthi. This is better than competition.
Jan 11 1976 letter Bahudak
The harmonium may be played during bhajan if there is someone who can play melodiously. But it is not for kirtana and arati.
