May 11 1975 letter to Yamuna devi
My dear Jamuni devi,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated March 28, 1975 and have noted the contents. Your husband recently came to Delhi and Vrndavana and he has sold so many properties of ISKCON through the Mukutwalla. His only business is to acquire money. He is collecting money like anything and is not contributing to the society. So what can I do? I did not say anything to him. I am simply praying to Krishna for his welfare.
It is good that you are now living separate from him. Wherever you live, you can follow the regulative principles and my instructions along with chanting. That will make you happy. Do not deviate from the path I have chalked out for every one of you. Some years ago, in San Francisco, both you and your husband wanted to live in Vrndavana and I was training both of you to take up the charge of Vrndavana center very expertly. Unfortunately, both of you fell victim to sense enjoyment and now both of you are fallen from the service especially your husband. So what can I do? But if both of you again come to your consciousness, Krishna consciousness, Krishna can lift you again from the fallen condition. That much I can assure you. Tejyas was complaining that Madira has also gone with Gurudasa. Recently, I was in Delhi for participating in a meeting at Kuruksetra, and he informed me like that.
Anyway, the Vrndavana opening ceremony was performed very gorgeously for 7 days. The Governor of U.P. participated for 2 days. There was a big crowd all the days and it was a grand success. The total expenditure for the opening ceremony was about 60,000 rs. or more and I was feeling your absence. Your husband was present, but his business was different. Anyway, what can I do? I can simply pray to Krishna for revival of your old Krishna Consciousness.
I hope this meets you in good health.
July 1 1975 letter Lapidus
Actually we are not fond of having businesses. Although for spreading Krsna consciousness we can use millions of dollars, yet we do not like to employ many of our men at great endeavor in the competitive business world. In order to manufacture and market your own inventions it would be a great struggle and too much time and energy would have to be spent, as you have stated. It also requires great business expertise to succeed and not be cheated.
You should regard your main business as trying to become Krsna conscious through reading my books and associating with the devotees in the Sankirtana movement there in Brooklyn temple. You are an older man, 68 years old, so I appreciate it if you can help my disciples in New York in cooperation with the President, Gopijanavallabha.
July 4 1975 letter Paramhamsa swami and Srutakirti
Please accept my blessings. Now we have a plan for expanding our Sankirtana and we will be needing so many hundreds of mrdangas. So you have got the fiberglass shells there, so I am informing Jayapataka Swami to arrange for one or two Bengali craftsmen to come and stay with you for at least one year to make the skins. Then our men can learn from him. We will pay the transportation and some salary. Please let me know what you think of this idea.
Sept 4 1975 letter Paramahamsa swami
Regarding the restaurant, that is the defect, that if we divert our attention more on business. Therefore it is very difficult. Things should be adjusted so that temple programs are not hampered. The brahmacaris and sannyasis must stick to the temple activities. Only the grhasthas can take part in the restaurant. Our aim should not be to work for profit. You American boys and girls can make very large profit, but why you have taken to Krishna consciousness? You are not meant for profit making but for advancing in spiritual life. So we should not take to the restaurant for profit making at the cost of slackening of spiritual life. This is dangerous. Manasvi is getting a job, but what about the money? Ask him.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Oct 22 1975
My dear Tulsi das,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated October 13, 1975 and I have noted the contents with care.
I have marked how you are making mrdangas. Make many mrdangas. It will solve a great problem.
Concerning your idea to go port to port by ship, why waste time and energy. Don’t spoil money purchasing boat. Port to port we can go by airplane.
I hope that this meets you in good health.
Nov 20 1975 letter Jayatirtha
I am very glad to see that you have out-collected the Sri Sri Radha-Damodara party. This is good competition. So now is Tamala Krsna defeated by you? So one month you defeat him and another he can defeat you and in this way Radha-Damodara service will be increased by transcendental competition. This is very nice.
The mrdanga-making is very important. The new bhaktas, they can be engaged in the mrdanga-making and also help Bharadraja with the doll-making.
Regarding Berkeley temple, I note that permission for living in the building is not yet finalized. Please keep me informed. Portland is a very nice city. I am glad that we have our temple there. That is very good that Seattle does not have any debts. This is proper management. This is very much wanted. …Regarding the Vancouver farm, yes, the log cabin type structure you have mentioned, that is nice. Whatever is suitable, that you should do. This is the meaning of plain living and high thinking. If the chanting of Hare Krsna is not there, then there will not be any high thinking.
Jan 29 1976 letter Aksayananda
I am glad that you are developing the mukut business. Now the devotees must learn so that in the future professionals will not be required.
Regarding holding feasts on Dvadasi days, we don’t want to invite some beggar class of men. Don’t invite now. When Randas Shastri and Vishvambar think best then we shall invite.
Nov 20 1975 letter Satsvarupa
Regarding Denver, why are they doing business? This creates a bad atmosphere. We shall only do one business and that is book-selling. That’s all. As soon as you become karmis after business, then spiritual life becomes damaged. This business should not be encouraged any more. Doing business and not sankirtana, this is not at all good. Visaya chadiya kabe suddha ha’be mana/ kabe hama herabo sri-vrndavana. “When the mind is completely purified, being freed from material anxieties and desires, then I shall be able to understand Vrndavana and the conjugal love of Radha and Krsna, and then my spiritual life will be successful.” One has to engage himself in devotional service, giving up the engagement of manufacturing pounds, shilling, pence. Sankirtana is very good, but grhasthas under condition can do other business, only if they give at least 50%, but sankirtana is the best business. Our Denver temple is situated in a very nice place. It is our own house, so it must be managed very nicely. Please encourage Kurusrestha in this regard. He is very good devotee, very sincere and intelligent.
Nov 20 1975 letter Jagadisha
Regarding the New Orleans’ farm, do not make sugar. Just boil it and make molasses. You can eat the molasses instead of sugar. Just boil it and keep boiling it until granule forms and then keep in a pot. Don’t try to make sugar and sell it. That will simply increase the botheration. If you start trading business, then so many problems will be there. You should produce just enough for our own use. Trading leads to envy and jealousy and cheating, then everything is lost. I am seeing now that the business activities in our society, they are increasing. Originally I allowed that Gargamuni could start the incense business. I thought that the Ramakrishna Mission, they are doing and the incense we are using, so if we make some and sell it, then what is the harm. But now I see that Spiritual Sky, they have so many products. And now there is jewelry business going on. So why should the business increase? Nanda Kumar, he came here to India simply for doing business. This is not required. So I have given him sannyasa and now he is finished with all business, and he will go to Africa to preach. So this business should be discouraged, otherwise, if they do it, our men will again become karmis. Our business is simply book distribution. So far increasing the New Orleans’ farm, yes, if you have got more men, you can get more land. You should make a stock of ghee from the farm and if possible open a restaurant in the city for attracting people. You can prepare samosas, kacoris, rasgullas, sweetballs: In Honolulu they are doing nicely, this restaurant. You can take information from Srutakirti das. And the farm will get money by selling ghee to the restaurant. And also you can sell the ghee to the Indian people in the city.
Jan 22 1976 letter Jayatirtha
All of the leaders should study my books books very carefully, since now everyone will have to appear for the examination. But I don’t get any time to go into seclusion. My Guru Maharaja also did not approve of seclusion. He used to say: “Dusta mana, tumi kisera Vaisnava? Pratisthara tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nama kevala kaitava.” My dear mind, what kind of Vaisnava are you? Simply for cheap adoration you sit in a solitary place and pretend to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, but this is all cheating.
...You have suggested that some men are best engaged in doing business. I agree. All grhasthas who are interested in doing business should do so in full swing. Yat karosi yad asnasi, yaj juhosi dadasi yat/ yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kurusvamad arpanam [Bg. 9.27]. Let this be the guiding principle. So let all the grhasthas who wish to, execute business full-fledgedly in the USA and in this way support Gurukula. Business must be done by the grhasthas, not by the sannyasis or brahmacaris. Neither the sannyasis or brahmacaris can be expected to support Gurukula. The parents must take responsibility for their children, otherwise they should not have children. It is the duty of the individual parents. I am not in favor of taxing the Temples. The parents must pay for the maintenance of their children.
July 11 1976 letter Rupanuga
The Rs. 11-membership is imagination. What is that membership card? And how will you regularly collect such a small sum from the members? It will engage so much money just to collect this. In any case, this is to be discussed with the GBC. Don’t discuss anything new haphazardly. I have no experience of the idea. So far I know, retail business is not good in comparison to wholesale business.
Dec 28 1976 letter Kurusrestha
In your country hundreds of temples like this must be opened. Town to town, village to village. I am very pleased. Another temple opened, another book published, that is the success of this Movement. Without book distribution the temple worship standard will also diminish. Therefore both of them should go side by side. I can see in the pictures so many outsiders offering respect with awe and veneration. This Deity worship is very important. As soon as you get sufficient initiated brahmanas try to open another center.
It is good that you have stopped all business ventures. Now, stick to it. Book distribution is sufficient. You should not divert for any other business.
Some Conclusions—In the beginning Prabhupada encouraged business activity-only because money was needed as in any venture. But later on as more money came in from book distribution, and he saw how the devotees were getting too much into business instead of Hari nama sankirtan and book distribution, he put his lotus foot down and stated he did not want any more devotee businesses.
And now we have the story today, some 40 years later. More and more devotee businesses and less and less Hari nama and book distribution which Prabhupada said just leads to diversion from the path of bhakti. For some this has definitely happened , and for others it has not.
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das