Letter to Jayadvaita

From Pradyumna dasa - SL_720919_A

Dear Jayadvaita,

Please accept my humble obeisances. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of September 10 which was received by me here in Los Angeles after being forwarded from Dallas. In reply to your points: Point 1—the synonyms of 4.13.49 are enclosed, plus transliteration. Point 2—Please check very carefully about 3.15.29. I sent a letter to you before and I asked you to check if it was missing or not, and you replied to me that it was. I believe some of the verses were misnumbered and this particular verse was left out. Anyway please check and with Nitai's help, check the transliteration and see that there's not a text missing. About point 3, 1-7, Chapter 14, Fourth Canto, are enclosed. I'm sure I enclosed them the first time but I have enclosed another copy. Point 4—I prefer to see the transliterations here before they are sent for composing because although Dhrstaketu knows how to transliterate very well, he doesn't know how to break up words with dashes, etc., so I really feel nervous about having the verses composed before checking them, because ultimately I am responsible for every mistake in the Sanskrit work in the book, so that is why I started including the transliterations with the current work that you are receiving. However, if transliterations are already typed out, if he could send me the transliterations of the texts of Chapters 4.15, 16, and 17, plus the next few chapters of current work, I can make editing changes on his work. That would be a great help. About Point 5, yes, I send copies of all work simultaneously to both you and Hayagriva. He has received everything that you have received to date.

Here's an important point: Srila Prabhupada was looking at the new edition of Second Canto the other day and he called me up because he had found some mistakes. The first mistake was in the first verse of the Third Chapter.

There the first line of the Devanagari script is placed last, and the last line is placed first. I don't know how this mistake has occurred; in the Second Canto chapter books there is no mistake, so this must have occurred during layout sometime. The second mistake is in Second Canto, Fifth Chapter, 24th verse. There, in both the old edition and the new edition, the middle line of Devanagari script is missing. Prabhupada said that if there is one mistake in one book, then you spoil the whole book. Murder the whole book. So also besides Sanskrit errors, there have been many, many English errors also, which; are very obvious, just like these two above-mentioned errors, so Prabhupada has been emphasizing lately about the great need for making our books free from errors. "What's done has been done"* but now we should try to do two things: make sure that errors like these won't occur again, and start a listing of past mistakes in each book so that we can correct them when they are reprinted. Concerning these two Sanskrit errors, one was not noted down before the new reprint was made I think there should be a blueprint made of each book before it goes to press because then the editors will know for sure that there weren't any errors made in layout or that something fell off. These are just my suggestions. Of course I am ab(out) the most faulty person about, but we have to do something to eliminate all errors in the book.

*Srila Prabhupada

Hoping to hear from you about this. I hope you are receiving everything in order and that the pages aren't too messy. I try to keep everything as neat as possible. Hope everything is going well. Give my obeisances to everyone.

I am your most fallen servant.
Pradyumna das Adhikari

P.S. Also enclosed find Dictation #31, cont., from Text 4.24.44 to Text 4.24.46 (six pages), plus transliteration, and also some of Srila Prabhupada's hair.

SL_720925_A1

Letter to Ksirodakasayee
–
Los Angeles ISKCON
September 25, 1972

My dear Ksirodakasayee,

Please accept my humble obeisances.His Divine Grace has handed over to me for reply your letter of September 5, 1972, and He has given me direction how to reply you. First of all, His Divine Grace is always pleased upon you for making the great sacrifice that you have by completely ceasing your material life, giving up job, family, home, everything, to devote your life to Krsna, and He always thinks highly of you at all times. But the thing is, He has told me that you should not keep a branch of ISKCON in your home. He says that if a precedent is set in this case that anyone and everyone can go off and open branches in their homes or anyplace without being authorized to do so. Of course I can understand that you have some kind of authorization from an old letter which Srila Prabhupada wrote you, but in this respect His Divine Grace commented that "I have instructed him so many things, to be editor of Hindi literature, president of Vrndavana center, like that, so why he takes one small line from an old letter and bases the whole thing on that?" So the point is, that you cannot keep your house as a branch of ISKCON.It will not be an authorized move at this point. The point is not to discourage you, but to find some alternate engagement which will more positively lend to the joint effort we are making in England. Srila Prabhupada has told me to request you to engage your talents, experience, and contacts among your friends in London to head up a program of raising funds for our new place there. I understand from Dhananjaya and George that we shall be getting a place near that Runnymeade Park place that we saw before, and that it will cost us about £200,000. £200,000 is no joke, therefore I think it will require the effort and joint cooperation of all of us, including myself, to raise this money. Most probably we shall take a bank mortgage and make regular monthly payments against the mortgage for about ten years This will require a monthly deadline, and I think it will require at least £2000 to £3000 per month to make the deadline. So you can see how much work there is to do! I feel however that your cooperation is very much required at this time to help us meet this monthly sum. Without any doubt I feel that you can be a major contributor in this fund-raising drive, simply by canvassing the Indian population in London to help us. Practically by your efforts alone that one night in London we raised more than £300. Similarly, if you go from one big man to the next and show them photos and other information about that place, along with the proposal how we will utilize it to glorify Krsna in England, I don't think you will have much trouble getting pledges of £100 to £500 from any big man that you approach. So, if you will, I would like to give you the official designation as Chairman of the Fund Raising Committee for getting pledges of funds from the Hindu population of London and elsewhere.Let the other boys sell books and canvass their English countrymen for funds, and you can be the man in charge of organizing the Indian population and attracting them to cooperate with us in this major project.

Is that all right? It was nice to hear that you are enthusiastic about your project for opening your home as a branch of ISKCON, but I think that your good talents and experience may be wasted in this effort. Better if you can throw your support with the group at Bury Place and all of us conjointly raise the funds.Don't distract yourself in this way or divert your energy. An actual official branch of ISKCON requires so many arrangements that to meet all such requirements will be impossible in your tiny house above the laundramat. I am simply passing on what His Divine Grace instructed me in this respect. Your wife and family may continue on with the deity worship and your friends may join you for worshiping and classes, but to carry on as an official sub-branch of ISKCON will not be possible. I do not mean this in a negative way, rather I mean it as a positive step toward our larger goal of securing the best Radha-Krsna temple complex in the whole world! London is the most important city in the world, and we should have there the best ISKCON center in the whole world. So if you will kindly help me to realize this dream for His Divine Grace and play a major role in getting that place I can assure you that Srila Prabhupada will be very pleased with you for helping Him in this way. Kindly reply me at your earliest what you think.

Hoping this meets you and your good family in the best of health and happy mood.

Your servant at His lotus feet,
Syamasundara das Adhikari

SL_721020_A1