Post by mark on Aug 2, 2008 12:26:47 GMT -5
Here are 2 letters written 2 days apart to 2 different American born to students HDG AC Bhaktivedanta Swami, of the Vaisnava faith of India.
He offered to train any student first to become actually qualified both morally and ritually, in the manner of true brahminical priests, which he was emminently qualifed to do. Some showed more political/administrative leanings rather than strictly scholarly/priestly, and both letters exemplify his sagacious advice to that class of student in general.
More to this threads topic, he points to both his high hopes and heavy dependence on the response of Americans for any further success he might have in spreading of God consciousness through chanting of his names and similar worship in the style of the Vaisnavas (who call God, Krishna), and sharing it more expansively with the rest of the world.
In the 4/28 letter to Balavanta, he concludes if anywhere is fertile, it is America.
On 4/29 to Amarendra, he considers Americans “very intelligent” was “encouraged” by the political field here, and concludes that America, not India, has the potential to accept some influence from the Lord’s advices given in Bhagavad Gita and apply them in governance in order to enhance Americam people’s fledgling understandings of how God was behind the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, but he didn’t mean independence of Him because constitutionally we are part and parcel of him, and so must our laws be part and parcel with his.
Saturday, 28 April, 1974
Tirupati
Dear Balavanta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 18, 1974.
As for political speaking, first of all, don't go so much into the details of the affairs. Our message is that people should elect pure God Conscious leaders, that is our main statement. We cannot go into details. As a side touch you can speak on inflation.
Yes inflation is due to paper currency. As for land ownership, in the Vedic civilization the land was given to the people for cultivation not for ownership, and a tax was collected which was 25% of the person's income. The land belonged to the state and the man would cultivate it and pay 25% to the state. If he has no income then he doesn't have to pay.
If he doesn't pay tax he may be disowned of the land. One cannot get land from the government unless he agrees to produce something and if everyone produces food then there is no scarcity. At least he has his own food produced by himself. Now people are educated as sudras. They are going to work to produce what is not urgently needed by society.
The actual social structure should be that the 1st class intelligent class, the brahmanas should be for studying and educating people for God Consciousness. The are the gurus of all other classes. They second class, the ksatriyas give protection from dangers and they can distribute the land. The third class Vaisyas are for producing. So after the first, second and third class, the remaining should help the upper three classes, then everyone will be employed.
As for speaking this knowledge effectively, that requires a little experience. The more you are experienced then you will be able to give examples.
Your work in America with the God We Trust Party is very inspiring to me. If anywhere they will take seriously the principles of Bhagavad gita As It Is, that will be America. We are getting good response and being taken seriously as I have seen in the reports from Amarendra there is even prospect that we may capture some post.
I have written a letter to Rupanuga Maharaja and you may get information from him on the importance of our men themselves following the brahminical regulative principles, least in the midst of political work you forget the aim of life which is to remember Krsna.
So go on as you are doing enthusiastically and give me information.
29 April, 1974
Bombay
Dear Amarendra,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your recent undated letter along with enclosed new paper clippings and I thank you very much.
I have studied your statements in the papers and you have repeated my ideas and at the same time sounded like a politician, and this combination is very effective. You are certainly the right man for this preaching work. They have taken you as a serious candidate and according to your statement, you feel you may even win.
So I am very much encouraged by this political field in America. The people there are very intelligent and they take your statements seriously. I do not need to tell you to push on with this work in serious concentration because I see you are already very determined.
In this connection you may see a letter I have just sent yesterday to Rupanuga Goswami in which I have described the need for our political devotees to always stay firmly fixed up in the regulative principles so they will be actually brahmanas.
Preach on the basis of the division of the society into four orders, as without this the society is useless and people cannot be happy or even have the necessities of life. I am keeping your newsclippings in a special scrap book and reading them to my important guests in India to show them the potential of this movement.
Unfortunately in India they do no take it very seriously; it is up to you in America to actually accomplish something in terms of introducing the principles of Bhagavad gita As It Is into government.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
He offered to train any student first to become actually qualified both morally and ritually, in the manner of true brahminical priests, which he was emminently qualifed to do. Some showed more political/administrative leanings rather than strictly scholarly/priestly, and both letters exemplify his sagacious advice to that class of student in general.
More to this threads topic, he points to both his high hopes and heavy dependence on the response of Americans for any further success he might have in spreading of God consciousness through chanting of his names and similar worship in the style of the Vaisnavas (who call God, Krishna), and sharing it more expansively with the rest of the world.
In the 4/28 letter to Balavanta, he concludes if anywhere is fertile, it is America.
On 4/29 to Amarendra, he considers Americans “very intelligent” was “encouraged” by the political field here, and concludes that America, not India, has the potential to accept some influence from the Lord’s advices given in Bhagavad Gita and apply them in governance in order to enhance Americam people’s fledgling understandings of how God was behind the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, but he didn’t mean independence of Him because constitutionally we are part and parcel of him, and so must our laws be part and parcel with his.
Saturday, 28 April, 1974
Tirupati
Dear Balavanta,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of April 18, 1974.
As for political speaking, first of all, don't go so much into the details of the affairs. Our message is that people should elect pure God Conscious leaders, that is our main statement. We cannot go into details. As a side touch you can speak on inflation.
Yes inflation is due to paper currency. As for land ownership, in the Vedic civilization the land was given to the people for cultivation not for ownership, and a tax was collected which was 25% of the person's income. The land belonged to the state and the man would cultivate it and pay 25% to the state. If he has no income then he doesn't have to pay.
If he doesn't pay tax he may be disowned of the land. One cannot get land from the government unless he agrees to produce something and if everyone produces food then there is no scarcity. At least he has his own food produced by himself. Now people are educated as sudras. They are going to work to produce what is not urgently needed by society.
The actual social structure should be that the 1st class intelligent class, the brahmanas should be for studying and educating people for God Consciousness. The are the gurus of all other classes. They second class, the ksatriyas give protection from dangers and they can distribute the land. The third class Vaisyas are for producing. So after the first, second and third class, the remaining should help the upper three classes, then everyone will be employed.
As for speaking this knowledge effectively, that requires a little experience. The more you are experienced then you will be able to give examples.
Your work in America with the God We Trust Party is very inspiring to me. If anywhere they will take seriously the principles of Bhagavad gita As It Is, that will be America. We are getting good response and being taken seriously as I have seen in the reports from Amarendra there is even prospect that we may capture some post.
I have written a letter to Rupanuga Maharaja and you may get information from him on the importance of our men themselves following the brahminical regulative principles, least in the midst of political work you forget the aim of life which is to remember Krsna.
So go on as you are doing enthusiastically and give me information.
29 April, 1974
Bombay
Dear Amarendra,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your recent undated letter along with enclosed new paper clippings and I thank you very much.
I have studied your statements in the papers and you have repeated my ideas and at the same time sounded like a politician, and this combination is very effective. You are certainly the right man for this preaching work. They have taken you as a serious candidate and according to your statement, you feel you may even win.
So I am very much encouraged by this political field in America. The people there are very intelligent and they take your statements seriously. I do not need to tell you to push on with this work in serious concentration because I see you are already very determined.
In this connection you may see a letter I have just sent yesterday to Rupanuga Goswami in which I have described the need for our political devotees to always stay firmly fixed up in the regulative principles so they will be actually brahmanas.
Preach on the basis of the division of the society into four orders, as without this the society is useless and people cannot be happy or even have the necessities of life. I am keeping your newsclippings in a special scrap book and reading them to my important guests in India to show them the potential of this movement.
Unfortunately in India they do no take it very seriously; it is up to you in America to actually accomplish something in terms of introducing the principles of Bhagavad gita As It Is into government.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
