Letter to Hitsaran Sharma

AC. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
Camp:I.S.K.C.O.N.Radha Krishna Temple
5364 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, Cal.90019

My Dear Hitsaranji,

Please accept my blessings.I thank you very much for your letter dated January 13, 1968, and have noted the contents with great pleasure.Your suggestion for publishing an ISKCON magazine from India is very much encouraging.We are already publishing one magazine “Back to Godhead”, and we have started our ISKCON Press also in N.Y. on a small scale.In this press there is only (not so many ?) workers.If you take charge of printing in India it is welcome.In America the labor is very costly.Popularity of our magazine is gaining ground and we are printing 500 monthly but because we haven’t sufficient workers we cannot increase it, otherwise we would have published 20,000 copies of “Back to Godhead.”So your suggestion of publishing ISKCON magazine from India is welcome because in India the labor charges are cheaper than in America.So if you take charge of publishing this magazine from India, we can immediately publish 20,000 copies.In america we can take charge of selling 10,000 copies and in India (?) we can sell the balance 10,000.

The immediate necessity is a suitable house for accommodating at least one dozen American students engaged in Krishna Consciousness. If the house is arranged I can send immediately one dozen students who are nice article writers in Krishna Consciousness, fine artists, English scholars, and so on.I will suggest in this connection not to accept advertisement but we can accept donation at rps. 500 a page, and the name of the donor may be mentioned at the bottom of the page like “page donated by such and such.”I have got experience that in Bombay there are many big mercantile firms who are willing to donate such pages simply by mention of their name.Suppose we have got 50 pages of the magazine, and if there are 50 donors then we can collect 25,000 rps. per month. And this 25,000 rps. can produce 50,000 copies of the magazine if they are printed in India.I do not know whether my calculation is right, but you can calculate it because you have got practical experience in printing work.So by the profit of the magazine we can maintain the Indian branch of ISKCON and there will be a great upliftment of this Krishna Consciousness movement.You have asked me to suggest the name of the magazine; I think the name already current ofISKCON magazine “Back to Godhead” is all right.

* Or it may named “Krishna Consciousness” size maybe 8 ; “ x 11” or similar published every month in first class paper with various pictures.Our propagation is to turn people’s minds to the actual existence of God.And we want to preach that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and to understand Krishna, the Bhagavad Gita is the first and foremost scripture.And to be in constant touch with Krishna the only vibration is “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare.Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.”And the only activities or engagement of the people should be in the service of Krishna.These four principles should be thoroughly preached through ISKCON magazine “Back to Godhead” and all thought provoking articles, philosophy, logic, arts, sciences, everything, should be engaged to develop (develope) this idea.I do not know how my suggestion will react upon your ideas, but I am sure if you will cooperate with me on this basis my American students will devote their life and soul for this cause.To summarize this idea, you will have to help me immediately to open a nice ISKCON branch in India maybe in Vrindaban or in Delhi, for the time being and to attract the attention of the leading business magnets of India for supporting this cause.Fortunately you are blessed in a position from where you can approach the many business magnets who are generally Vishnuvites.Even they are not Vaishnavas, they should come forward to help this cause because this movement is the only movement which can unite all the people in the world in oneness.This is practically proven.The American boys and girls are neither Hindus nor Indians nor they have any knowledge of Sanskrit; and still they have taken this movement wholeheartedly, and that is the proof that Krishna Consciousness movement will be accepted all over the world.We are contemplating to open branches in Amsterdam, Holland, which is a great center for youth movement.Some of my books are being already translated into French language.So your idea of publishing the magazine from India is welcome, and if it is practical to do in the way as I have suggested above, it can be done immediately.

For starting the American branch of ISKCON I am corresponding with the Commissioner of Devastan Department, Rajasthan, Udaipur.I wanted to occupy the Jaipur House in Vrindaban.The last letter I have received from the Commissioner and the reply which I have sent to him, the copies are enclosed herewith; please try to have the Jaipur house at Vrindaban where we can conduct a branch of ISKCON in a scale just suitable for the purpose.

I have also received one letter of appreciation from Sri Hanuman Prasad Poddar.I think if you get a nice place at Krishna Janmabhumi Area (Mathura), these American students will be more enthusiastic.I have already written this fact to Bhaiji and I shall be glad if you also talk with him.The whole idea is full cooperation between the devotees of Krishna can build up a very great project for the good of all human race.

I shall be glad to hear from you with further enlightenment.Please begin the composing and printing work of Srimad Bhagavatam as soon as possible.In the meantime you may receive one letter from my student Sriman Brahmananda of New York.Kindly do the needful.Thanking you once more; hope you are well.

Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

Sri Hitsaran Sharma
Radha Press
993/3 Main Road
Gandhi Nagar
Delhi-31, India

Enclosure ; 1

P.S.If we can start a nice branch in India, gradually the Indian youngsters, who are so much misled, may follow also the examples of the Americans in Krishna Consciousness.