sri sri guru gauranga jayatah!
Year 2, Issue 2, Amāvasyā Speical Edition
Posted: 23 February 2020
Dedicated to and Inspired by
nitya-lila pravista om visnupada
Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Māhārāja
Thank You For Contributing to My Publications
śrī śrī guru-gaurāṅgau jayataḥ
Dear Viṣṇu dāsa,
Accept my affectionate blessings.
I received your previous letter, and three or four days ago I also received the Rs.22,000/- sent by you. I was happy to receive your letter, full of devotional sentiments. Upon receiving the money for the publication of my books and accepting in my heart your mood of service, I became overwhelmed. At times, while traveling to Bombay or Calcutta, I get the opportunity to stay at your house in Delhi. At that time, when I observe the profound and deep śraddhā that your parents, brother and sister have for me, and their service mood, I am amazed.
When I received your invitation to come to America (Houston), I became joyful, but due to some publication work and physical obstacles, I was unable to come this year. Also, I don’t want to do anything against the will of ISKCON management and members. I don’t want to create any problem for them. I would like it if they themselves could cooperate with me for my overseas tour. In fact, I have no desire at all to leave Vraja-dhāma and go somewhere else, especially since it’s a long journey – almost twenty hours. How much this old body can tolerate is a question to consider.
* * *
Details published in the book Braja ke Rasika Bhakta are not authentic. Our ācāryas have explained that Śrī Prabhodānanda Sarasvatī and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī are contemporaries of each other*. When Prabhodānanda Sarasvatī met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu near the famous South Indian Śrī Raṅganāthajī temple, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī was giving teachings on monism (advaitvāda) to his thousands of disciples at Kāśī. This is verified in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and other scriptures. There are other parts of Braja ke Rasika Bhakta that clearly contain discrepancies. It is not a matter of Yogamāyā at all.** For Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, Prabhodānanda Sarasvatī was always worshipable and still is.
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* Some are of the opinion that Śrī Prabhodānanda Sarasvatī and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī are one and the same person. This idea is rejected by Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas in the line of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.
** Persons who claim them to be the same person say that it is only due to Yogamāyā that they appear to be two separate people. Here, it is asserted that such a claim is baseless.
Carefully study Jaiva-dharma and Caitanya-caritāmṛta. I will send you my four new, recently published books in the care of Janaka Mahārāja dāsa. These books will be very helpful to you. I will send ten copies of each and more books later if needed. Śrī Bhāgvata-patrikā is going to be re-published, and when it is, I will send a few copies of that as well.
I met your parents, brother and sister a week ago. They are all well. All the residents of the maṭha are also fine.
On 24 August, I am going to Śrī Jagannātha Purī for one month. Around 200 devotees will also go there for one month. There in Puruṣottama-dhāma we will observe Puruṣottama-vrata with hari-kathā. Everything else is fine.
Convey my special thanks to all those who contributed to the publication.
Your ever well wisher
Śrī Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa
(sent in July 1993)
