Give me a plot of land in Caitanya Math Mayapur: A.C. Bhaktivedanta's letter to Tirtha Maharaja (1969)

Abhay Charan Bhaktivedanta’s letter to Tirtha Maharaja

His Holiness Tridandi Swami
Sri Srimad B.V. Tirtha Goswami Maharaja
Sri Caitanya Research Institute
70-B, Rash Behari Avenue
Calcutta-26
INDIA

February 7, 1969

The Holy Advent Day of Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

ALL GLORIES TO SRI GURU AND GAURANGA!!

My dear Sripada Tirtha Maharaja,

Please accept my humble dandabats. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your rubber-stamped circular letter of January 29, 1969 regarding the Golden Jubilee Festival of Sri Caitanya Math. Previous to this I heard about it from Sripada Sraman Maharaja and Sripada Y. Jagannatham, and expecting your invitation, I expressed my desire that during the ceremony a special home for the EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN BRAHMACARIS MAY BE ESTABLISHED AT MAYAPUR. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura and Srila Prabhupada desired that such American and European devotees may live at Mayapur for studies of Sri Caitanya philosophy, and now the time is ripe when many American, European, and Japanese students working as my disciples are ready to go there for this purpose. In 1967, when I went to India, five American disciples were with me. One of them, Kirtanananda (Keith Ham, B.A.), was given sannyasa by me at Vrindaban. He was sent back to the USA to organize my New Vrindaban scheme in West Virginia, and he is working there along with another of my disciples, Professor Howard Wheeler M.A., in cooperation with Dr. George Henderson M.A., Ph.D., and others. The remaining four disciples were entrusted to live at the Institute of Swami Bon Maharaja, but on account of his canvassing them for becoming his disciples they left him, although one of them, Hrsikesa, is still living c/o Bon Maharaja as his re-initiated disciple (?) Two other of my disciples are still at Vrindaban in my place at Radha Damodara Temple, and Bon Maharaja is still after them to deviate their faith upon me.

I have therefore requested Sripada Sraman Maharaja (because you have stopped correspondence with me and I don’t know why) to give some place for my disciples at Mayapur. If I get some place at Mayapur, the disciples who are already in India and those who are willing to go there can live peacefully without being disturbed by Bon Maharaja. But on my proposing this scheme, Sraman Maharaja, in his letter of 24 January, 1969 writes as follows: “On hearing the news of Golden Jubilee of Caitanya Math, many people are coming daily to see the place. We can imagine even now how much big crowd will assemble when the actual fair will take place. Although we are constructing many temporary sheds under the circumstances, I do not think we will be able to give accommodations to your American and European students. Even after the ceremony I do not think it will be advisable to call for the American and European students here in Mayapur. Even though we make special arrangements for them, that will not be for many days. Even though you make payment for your students, the other students will feel inferiority complex. You know very well our standard of living, and therefore it will not be possible for us to accommodate your European and American students here in Mayapur. The best suggestion which I can give you is that you better rent one house in Vrindaban and accommodate them there for their education in Sanskrit and Bengali. Srila Prabhupada is so kind upon you that he is causing you to act in such wonderful way, and by seeing your activities I am feeling very much proud of you.”

This is most discouraging and against the will of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura and Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. I, therefore, request you to give me a plot of land within the precincts of Sri Caitanya Math to construct a suitable building for my European and American students who are loitering in Vrindaban chased by Bon Maharaja, and who may go in numbers to visit the site of the Birthplace of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I can take the responsibility of constructing such a building at Sri Caitanya Math and bear all expenses for the boarding and lodging of such students who will go there. Sraman Maharaja says that Sri Caitanya Math is not in a position to meet their standard of living. But that does not matter. If you simply give me a plot of land, I shall arrange everything at my responsibility.

Another thing is that I have read the pamphlet on the Golden Jubilee festival in which you have described very nicely Swami Bon Maharaja in the matter of his preaching work in Europe more than 35 years ago, but you have not mentioned anything about my humble service right now going on in the Western world. There are hundreds of letters of appreciation, including some from you also, but you have not mentioned even a single line about me in the pamphlet. Why? Personally, I don’t want any such advertisement, but why this mentality of suppressing the fact? Will you kindly let me know why you have suppressed so many facts? You have also not mentioned in the matter of Bon Maharaja’s preaching work why he was called back from this work in Europe, and why the Late Goswami Maharaja was sent in his place. If his preaching was successful then why was he called back? Don’t you know the history?

Anyway, if you have not mentioned anything about me for want of your proper knowledge about my preaching work in Europe and America, you may kindly now do it and place it before the Patrons of the celebration. I am working single-handed without being supported by my countrymen or the government of my country. You know very well that Sir Padampat Singhania was ready to spend any amount for constructing a Radha-Krishna temple in New York, and you promised to get it sanctioned by the government through Dr. Radhakrishnan who was at that time President. But you could not do anything. The same Dr. Radhakrishnan is now Patron in this celebration. Sri Visvanatha Das knows me very well. Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar knows very well about my preaching work in this part of the world. Will you induce them to cooperate in my humble attempt? There are many friends in India who will be prepared to construct each a temple here, if the government sanctions exchange. But I don’t think the government will sanction changing its policy, even though the retired Presidents or Governors might request this. If it is possible though, please try to do it now, and you will see that we have a center in each and every town and village of the world, as it was predicted by Lord Caitanya. You may please bring the following facts to the notice of the Patrons of the celebration when the session begins. I have already established the following centers:

1. New York INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS
61 Second Avenue
New York, NY
President: Brahmananda das Brahmacari (Bruce Scharf)

2. London ISKCON
22 Betterton Street
London WC 2
ENGLAND
President: Mukunda das Adhikari (Michael Grant)

3. Hamburg Internationale Gesellschaft fur Krishna Bewusstsein
2 Hamburg 19
Eppendorfer Weg 11
WEST GERMANY
4. President: Sivananda das Brahmacari (Samuel Greer)

5. Hawaii ISKCON
4 Leilani Bldg. 1649 Kapialani Blvd.
Honolulu, Hawaii
President: Gaurasundara das Adhikari (G. McElroy)

6. Montreal ISKCON
3720 Park Avenue
Montreal 18, Quebec
President: Hansadutta das Adhikari (Hans Kary)

7. San Francisco ISKCON
518 Frederick Street
San Francisco, Calif.
President: Cidananda das Brahmacari (Clay Harold)

8. New Vrindaban
RD 3
Moundsville, West Virginia
President: Kirtanananda Swami (Keith Ham)

9. Vancouver ISKCON
271 East Georgia Street
Vancouver 4, B.C. Canada
President: Ananda das Brahmacari (Eric Cassidy)

10. Seattle ISKCON
5516 Roosevelt Way N.E.
Seattle, Washington
President: Upendra das Brahmacari (Wayne Gunderson)

11. Santa Fe ISKCON
4113 West Water Street
Santa Fe, New Mexico
President: Harer Nama das Brahmacari (Harlon Jacobson)

12. North Carolina ISKCON
107 Laurel Avenue
Carrboro, N. Carolina
President: Bhurijana das Brahmacari (Wayne Connel)

13. Boston ISKCON
95 Glenville Avenue
Boston, Mass. (Allston)
President: Satsvarupa das Adhikari (Stephan Guarino)

14. Los Angeles ISKCON
1975 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, Calif.
President: Dayananda das Adhikari (Michael Wright)

15. Ohio ISKCON
1305 No. High Street
Columbus, Ohio
President: Hayagriva das Adhikari (Howard Wheeler)

Five thousand (5,000) copies of Back To Godhead Magazine are being published monthly now, and since the demand is increasing, we are arranging to print twenty thousand (20,000) copies starting from next April. You are regularly receiving these copies both in Calcutta and Madras, and I have also instructed to send copies to Sri Caitanya Math for Sraman Maharaja. My books are being published by MacMillan Company, and the first publication is Bhagavad-gita As It Is. I am sending a copy of this book for your personal reading by separate mail. Please let me know of your opinion. Dr. Haridasa Chaudhuri, the President of the Asiatic Studies Institute in San Francisco has opined as follows: “The book is, without doubt, the best presentation so far to the western public of the teachings of Lord Krishna from the standpoint of the Vaisnava tradition in India—the standpoint of devotional Hindu Mysticism.”

Besides the above book, my following books are also selling all over America and Europe: Srimad-Bhagavatam (6 volumes), Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Transcendental Meditation Explained, Easy Journey to Other Planets, Isopanisad, Brahma Samhita, and Nectar of Devotion. I shall send you a copy of Teachings of Lord Caitanya as soon as I get copies from Japan in March, 1969. Also, Sripada Sadananda Swami (Earnest Shulze) has sent his congratulations to me through one of his disciples thinking of my successful preaching in America, Canada, and Europe.

Please, therefore, encourage me by your cooperation. Don’t try to suppress me without mentioning anything about our efforts in your pamphlet. This will not satisfy Srila Prabhupada. Please, therefore, try to present the abovementioned facts before the Patrons in the session meeting, and induce them to cooperate with this movement in the Western World.

I am now a Permanent Resident or Immigrant in the USA, so there is no need of my Visa, Passport, or P Form trouble for me. I can come and go from India without any formalities. If you simply cooperate with me, I can render some service to the fulfillment of the transcendental desire of Srila Prabhupada and Bhaktivinode Thakura.

The summary is that you may kindly give me a plot of land in the Sri Caitanya Math for the proposed building. If you want to lay down the foundation stone for this building during the Jubilee celebration, I am prepared to send you the required money for this special purpose. Or else, on your approval of this scheme, I may at once go to India along with some of my American and European disciples to do the needful. As a bona fide disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, and because I am trying my best to fulfill His holy desire in the matter of preaching work in this part of the world, I have got the right to ask you for a plot of land for this purpose. Now it is up to you to cooperate with me.

I shall be very glad to receive your reply to this letter. On receipt of your favorable reply, I may start immediately for India to take part in the matter of the foundation stone of the building during the Jubilee celebration.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Affectionately yours,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

cc: Y. Jagannatham, etc.