My dear Karandhara...

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Radhe Govinda (dasa) ISM (Split - HR)

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My dear Karandhara...

---------------------------

 

Bombay

22 December, 1972

Los Angeles

 

 

My dear Karandhara,

 

Regarding your points about taxation, corporate status, etc., I have

heard from Jayatirtha you want to make big plan for centralization of

management, taxes, monies, corporate status, bookkeeping, credit, like that.

I do not at all approve of such plan. Do not centralize anything. Each

temple must remain independent and self-sufficient. That was my plan from

the very beginning, why you are thinking otherwise?

 

Once before you wanted to do something centralizing with your GBC

meeting, and if I did not interfere the whole thing would have been killed.

Do not think in this way of big corporation, big credits, centralization ---

these are all nonsense proposals.

 

Only thing I wanted was that books printing and distribution should

be centralized, therefore I appointed you and Bali Mardan to do it.

Otherwise, management, everything, should be done locally by local men.

Accounts must be kept, things must be in order and lawfully done, but that

should be each temple's concern, not yours.

 

Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be

independently thoughtful and competent in all types of departments of

knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy. Once there is bureaucracy

the whole thing will be spoiled. There must be always individual striving

and work and responsibility, competitive spirit, not that one shall dominate

and distribute benefits to the others and they do nothing but beg from you

and you provide. No. Never mind there may be botheration to register each

centre, take tax certificate each, become separate corporations in each

state. That will train men how to do these things, and they shall develop

reliability and responsibility, that is the point.

 

I am little observing now, especially in your country, that our men

are losing their enthusiasm for spreading on our programmes of Krishna

Consciousness movement. Otherwise, why so many letters of problems are

coming, dissatisfied? That is not a very good sign. The whole problem is

they are not following the regulative principles, that I can detect. Without

this, enthusiasm will be lacking.

 

Even mechanically following, and if he gets gradually understanding

from the class, he will come to the point of spontaneous enthusiasm. This

spontaneous loving devotional service is not so easy matter, but if one

simply sticks strictly to the rules and regulations, like rising early,

chanting 16 rounds, chanting gayatri, keeping always clean --- then his

enthusiasm will grow more and more, and if there is also patience and

determination, one day he will come to the platform of spontaneous devotion,

then his life will be perfect.

 

All of this I have told you in Nectar of Devotion. So I do not think

the leaders are themselves following, nor they are seeing the others are

following strictly. That must be rectified at once.

 

Each centre remain independent, that's all right, but the president

and other officers must themselves follow and see the others are following

the regulative principles carefully, and giving them good instruction so

they may understand nicely why this tapasya is necessary. And GBC and

Sannyasis will travel and see the officers are doing this, and if they

observe anything lowering of the standard, they must reform and advise, or

if there is some discrepancy I shall remove it.

 

Of course, if new men are coming, they may not be expected

immediately to take to our regulative principles cent per cent. Therefore we

should not be so anxious to induce them to live in the temple. Anyone who

lives in the temple must agree to follow the rules and regulations without

fail. So if some new man moves in with us he may become discouraged if he is

forced in this way. Therefore let them live outside and become gradually

convinced in the class why they should accept some austerity, then they will

live with us out of their own accord and follow nicely everything.

 

It is very difficult to give up very quickly so many bad habits as

you have got in your country, so educate them gradually, first with

chanting, and do not be so much anxious to count up so many numbers of new

devotees, if such devotees go away later being too early forced. I want to

see a few sincere devotees, not many false devotees or pretenders.

 

So my point is that the regulative principles must be followed by

everyone. Otherwise their enthusiasm dwindles and they again think of sex

and become restless, and so many problems are there. There is some symptom

of missing the point. The point is to be engaged in doing something for

Krishna, never mind what is that job, but being so engaged in doing

something very much satisfying to the devotee that he remains always

enthusiastic. He will automatically follow the regulative principles because

they are part of his occupational duty --- by applying them practically as

his occupational duty, he realizes the happy result of regulative

principles.

 

So the future of this Krishna Consciousness movement is very bright,

so long the managers remain vigilant that 16 rounds are being chanted by

everyone without fail, that they are all rising before four morning,

attending mangal arati --- our leaders shall be careful not to kill the

spirit of enthusiastic service, which is individual and spontaneous and

voluntary. They should try always to generate some atmosphere of fresh

challenge to the devotees, so that they will agree enthusiastically to rise

and meet it. That is the art of management: to draw out spontaneous loving

spirit of sacrificing some energy for Krishna.

 

But where are so many expert managers? All of us should become

expert managers and preachers. We should not be very much after comforts and

become complacent or self-contented. There must be always some tapasya,

strictly observing the regulative principles --- Krishna Consciousness

movement must be always a challenge, a great achievement to be gained by

voluntary desire to do it, and that will keep it healthy. So you big

managers now try to train up more and more some competent preachers and

managers like yourselves. Forget this centralizing and bureaucracy.

 

Hoping this meets you in good health.

 

 

Your ever well-wisher,

 

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

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