Page 14 - Patropadesa (English)

2 PATROPADEÇA

Now, I am not claiming to be on such an elevated platform: I can
state frankly that I am not. And the fact that I was intolerant of
your uncle’s attitude was probably influenced by the fact that I
was feeling the strain of fasting. But even then, it is unfortunate
that because of one devotee’s impropriety you should deprive
yourself of the association of those saintly persons who had
nothing to do with this incident.

I understand that some embarrassment may have been caused
within your family and within your community—but even that is
not a good reason to estrange yourself from the devotees, whose
association is so vital to help us advance in Krsna consciousness.
I would be interested to get your views on this.

I am now travelling in Andhra Pradesh and neighboring states
with a built-up second hand DCM Toyota vehicle for preaching,
and book distribution.

1 February 1990

I have received your letter (forwarded to me at ***) and have
noted its confident, enthusiastic contents with some relief. I
doubted that you had been disturbed in your Krsna consciousness
so now my mind is at ease on this point.
And, if this whole incident develops circumstantially into the
cause of establishing a FOLK centre at H, is it all not Krsna’s way
of turning the apparently adverse into the positive? In S there is
an ISKCON centre which functions as a FOLK meeting house—a
group of enthusiastic, educated young men come together
weekly for bhajans and readings, arati and prasadam, give each
other association, arrange house programs and spread Krsna
consciousness to their best capacity. If you want my advice it is:
do it! We cannot wait for fulltime devotees or sannyasis to come
and start a centre in every village. Wherever there is enthusiasm,
let the work begin.