Letter to: Mr. Bailey

Allahabad
7 July, 1953
53-07-07
[True copy of the letter published in the A.B. Patrika on 7/7/53 at Allahabad under the heading "Hindu Missionaries'']
SirWith reference to the letter of Sri Satish Asthana published in your columns of the 2nd instant, I have the honour to inform all concerned through your esteemed paper, that an association for missionary activities under the name and style "The League of Devotees'' has already been established recently with the same aims and objects as suggested by Sri Asthana and Sri Sitaram.
The registered office of the above League is situated at the big spacious building "Bharati Bhawan'' at Sipri Road, Jhansi. Gentlemen interested in such cultural activities may ask from the Founder Secretary, the prospectus of the mission (in Hindi or in English) with details of the institution.
The matter is so important that it cannot be (now) set aside to be managed by the Sadhus and Sannyasins only but it must be taken care of by all responsible men.
The word "Hindu'' is somewhat foreign according to India's spiritual or cultural conception. The exact word used for this purpose is "Sanatanam'' or the eternal. Sri "Bhagavad-gita'' gives us the message that "Sanatana'' religion is meant not only for the "Hindus,'' the Indians or all the humanity at large but also for all living beings on earth.
It is wrong to interpret that Vedic religion (commonly known as "Hinduism'') is not proselytistic. The proselytizing method of "Bhagavad-gita'' is to turn the face of all mundaners towards the transcendental service of the Absolute Personality of Godhead "Sri Krishna'' which process can only save them (the mundaners) from all calamities past present and future.
The present Godless civilization has to be remoulded into Godly one and for this purpose all missionaries (Hindu or non-Hindu) who have regard for scientific proselytizing method may join this "League of Devotees''
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Dear Mr. Bailey,
I am in due receipt of your kind letter NR AR 2295 of the 7th instant and I thank you very much for the same.
You have written to say that "The United States and the American Reporter are keenly interested in bringing together the East & the West closer together on a philosophical and religious basis as well as economic agricultural and political'' certainly this attempt is not only laudable but also a stepping stone towards the ultimate self-realization.
When we speak of philosophy it is something higher than the attempt of combining the East & West. The whole cosmic situation is a complete whole and unless an attempt genuine is made for harmonizing the whole system any partial attempt on our part however large in magnitude will fail to approach the ultimate goal.
Sages of India realized it by a perfect deductive process which descends on human consciousness by a transcendental chain of unbroken bona fide disciplic succession that material civilization is a temporary gigantic demonstration of a rabid process of sense gratification. The sense organs are given uncertain liberty to gratify their desires and the whole show of science education, trade, industry, economy and politics are but different spheres of activities in the realm of gratifying the senses.
Above these senses or sense-organs is a dymitric force which is subtler than the sense-organs and is known as the mind but acts in terms of thinking, feeling & willing. The empiric philosophers speculating on an imperfect process of induction, generally indulge intellectual feats without knowing that behind the mind there is human intelligence which is able to analyse the process of psychology but is unable to find out the ultimate force or spirit behind their intelligence.
So the spirit that conducts even intelligence is the primeval root of everything and there is an adjustment of spirit and matter as much as there is an adjustment of smoke & fire. The smoke is a conditional state of fire and therefore smoke is nothing but fire and yet we cannot compare smoke & fire on the same platform. Smoke emanates from fire but it is disturbing condition of fire. We need fire and not the smoke.
The present smokey material or sensual civilization has to be kindled into the fire of reality or spiritual civilization. It is neither difficult nor impossible. It is just a simple process of fanning the fire in order to get rid of the disturbing smoke. The fanning process is eternally the same & one and the empiric speculators have nothing to invent new in it. It must be actually a fanning in spiritualised process & nothing else. The great philosophy of Bhagavad-gita is the authoritative book to guide us in this respect. We have nothing to drag in it by foreign empiric interpretation. Let it be understood as it is because it is just like the Sun. The Sun does not require to be helped by the light. So there is no need of understanding Bhagavad-gita by indirect interpretation. Kuruksetra is Kuruksetra. Dharmaksetra is Dharmaksetra. The Pandavas are Pandavas or the sons of Pandu and nobody else. The Pandavas & Kauravas not actually at the battlefield of Kuruksetra and the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita was told by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna.
I wish that your people may try to understand Bhagavad-gita in terms of its direct meaning. Let it not be unnecessarily misunderstood by the empiric speculative method. For making others of the vanity of so called learning without any living experience. Such academic erudity has nothing to do with the living reality.
I shall try to present an analytical study of Bhagavad-gita through the pages of your American Reporter in order to help the American people to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is. If your people can grasp the direct meaning of Bhagavad-gita it will be possible for us all to know the basic principle of cosmic harmony. When that is done we shall know that all maladjustment of our existence is not only peaceful but an eternal bliss distinguished from the ephemeral temporary sensual satisfaction. We shall then only know that here is a world where there is no struggle for existence and every living entity, never mind what it is either a man or a beast is fit to exist. The enclosed peace of article & the _____ is the first of a series of articles on the above subject to understand Bhagavad-gita by its direct meaning.
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