Srila Prabhupada's Letter to Bob Cohen

[Guest guest]

Springfield, New Jersey

June 12, 1972

 

Dear Prabhupäda,

I offer my humble obeisances.

I have been associating with the devotees of the New York temple. With the

association of such fine, advanced devotees, I hope that I may make some

advancement in Kåñëa consciousness. My fiancee has started to come to the temple

and is chanting a little. She knew nothing about Krsna consciousness until I

wrote her about it from India. Ätreya Åñi has been kind enough to invite us to

his home so that we may see an ideal householder life.

I went to Bombay the end of April for termination from the Peace Corps. I was

fortunate enough to come down with a minor illness, so that I had to stay in

Bombay for two weeks. I spent the time with the advanced and kind devotees at

Juhu. Unfortunately you had left five days previously.

I understand so little, but I have faith in the process of Krsna consciousness

and hope to take to it more and more.

I look forward to Atreya Rsi's description of the temple in Los Angeles and hope

that I may personally hear you in New York.

Thank you for the kindness you have shown to a very undeserving boy.

Sincerely,

Bob Cohen

 

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ISKCON Los Angeles

June 16, 1972

Bob Cohen

Springfield, New Jersey

My dear Bob,

Please accept my blessings. I thank you very much for your letter dated June 12,

1972. I have noted the sentiments expressed therein with great pleasure. I am

very glad to hear that you are associating with us. I know that you are a very

good boy, very intelligent, and your behavior is gentle, so I have all

confidence that very quickly Kåñëa will bestow all His blessings upon you, and

you will feel yourself becoming perfectly happy in Kåñëa consciousness. One

makes his advancement in Krsna consciousness by voluntarily giving up his

attachment to material nature, or mäyä. Such renunciation is called tapasya. But

we are not very willing to perform austerities without good reason; therefore

any man with a good scientific and philosophical mind, like your good self, must

first appreciate what transcendental knowledge is. If you get knowledge,

automatically tapasya will follow, and then you make your advancement in

spiritual life. So to get knowledge is the first item for anyone who is

hoping to find the perfection of his life. Therefore I advise you to read our

books daily as far as possible and try to understand the subject matter from

different angles of vision by discussing it frequently with the devotees at the

New York temple. In this way you will gradually become convinced, and by your

sincere attitude and devotional service you will make progress.

 

Yes, having some faith in me and in this Krsna consciousness process is the

first and only requirement for getting actual wisdom. If there is faith,

understanding will follow. And as your understanding increases, so will your

disgust with the spell of illusory energy. And when you voluntarily give up your

entanglements in the material world, then the progress is assured. [Emphasis

mine]

 

I think we are just now typing up the tapes of those conversations we held in

Mäyäpur, and we shall be publishing them as a book. It will be called Perfect

Questions, Perfect Answers. I shall send you a copy as soon as they are ready to

distribute. Meanwhile, I shall be stopping in New York for two or three days on

my way to London for the Ratha-yäträ Festival there. I am not yet certain when I

shall be arriving in New York, but it will be some time in the early part of

July. You may keep in regular contact with Bali Mardana regarding the arrival

date, and I shall be very much engladdened to meet with you in New York once

again. Again we shall discuss if you have any questions.

Hoping this will meet you in good health and a happy mood,

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

Source: Vedabase

 

 

Aravind Mohanram

Ph.D. Candidate

Dept. of Mat Sci and Engg.,

Penn State University,

University Park, PA 16801

www.personal.psu.edu/aum105

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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