Letter to: Yeager — Los Angeles 21 January, 1970

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 20, 1969.

Upendra is now living with me and he has spoken very nicely about you so some way or other I understand you are interested in Krishna Consciousness and this is a good sign and opportunity. Please try to understand the philosophy with all your reason and faith; and as you have inquired from me I shall try my best to convince you in the subject.

Regarding your question that "the devotees are more kind than the Lord because they understand the purpose of the Lord,'' I may inform you that the Lord's advice to His devotee (pointing out to Arjuna) is that one should not speak about God-consciousness to a person who is neither a devotee nor has undergone any disciplinary methods. But a devotee sometimes takes the risk of approaching nondevotee rascals even at the cost of life. The best example is your Christian religion's Lord Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus Christ risked his life for speaking God-consciousness amongst a people who were fanatics. A similar incident is there in the action of Lord Nityananda.

Lord Nityananda, when passing on the street, saw a crowd of people howling at some incident, and on inquiry it was found that there were two rascals of the then name Jagai and Madhai. They were always disturbing people in drunken condition. Nityananda Prabhu thought it wise that these two brothers may be delivered so that Lord Caitanya's mercy could be well known all over the world. When Lord Nityananda approached them He was immediately hurt by violent attack. On this incident Lord Caitanya became very angry and He called for His Sudarsana cakra to kill these debauchees. Lord Nityananda then implored Lord Caitanya not to kill Jagai and Madhai but to save them. By this time Jagai and Madhai came to their senses and immediately they surrendered unto both the Lords and were delivered by the mercy of Lord Nityananda. So Lord Nityananda or Baladeva. is the original Spiritual Master, and such pure devotee sometimes takes the risk of life in order to reclaim a person who might have otherwise been rejected by the Lord. The devotee knows that the Lord wants all the fallen souls to come back to Home, and therefore the devotees always try to induce the conditioned souls to take to Krishna Consciousness by various ways and means. Therefore the conclusion is that a devotee is more kind than the Lord Himself.

By such advanced devotional service a devotee becomes quickly recognized by the Lord. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Actually, without the mercy of a devotee nobody can approach the Lord directly-and it is easier to get mercy of a devotee than to get mercy of the Lord. So therefore the most intelligent way of approaching God is to take shelter of a pure devotee.

Somehow or other if one can please a pure devotee of the Lord, such action means immediate satisfaction of the Lord, even though such a person is not officially qualified to receive the mercy of the Lord.

Recently, in the month of October, we have purchased one house in Boston at a cost of $70,000 and have started our own press at a cost of $20,000. You will be pleased to know that the American boys took to work in some professional press to learn the arts of operating press work, bookbinding etc. They earned some money by so working and now they have started the press working themselves; otherwise, it would not have been possible. So Your Holiness' blessings for these sincere devotees are very much welcome.

I am so much obliged to you for your ventilating our activities in your esteemed paper, "Sri Caitanya Vani'' in India. When I was in London, yoConsciousness Movement, so you should approach them one ur disciple Sriman Sacisuta das Adhikari saw me several times, and he was regularly attending my weekly discourses in the London Conway Hall. I understand that he is also working on some press there, and I was so much pleased to see him.

I am so obliged to you for giving shelter to Sriman Acyutananda Brahmacari when he was in Calcutta. Sriman Jaya Govinda das Brahmacari who saw you in Vrndavana is now staying in our center in Hamburg, Germany where he is in charge of "Back to Godhead'' in German language. We are now publishing English "BTG'' 50,000 copies per month, German "BTG'' 5,000 copes per month and French "BTG'' 5,000 copies per month. And very soon we may be able to publish a Spanish "BTG'' from Mexico where two devotees, husband and wife are going to open a center.

Regarding our London Math at 7 Bury Place, it was very successfully opened and the seva puja operations are going on very, very nicely under the care of Srimati Yamuna Devi. It is always full with devotees since its opening and all kinds of people Indian and European are participating in the daily functions. You will be glad to learn that one Mohammadan boy in London became my disciple under proper initiation besides a few Indian Hindus also.

We are now feeling the present place of London center, although is is a five storied building, is not large enough to accommodate all the devotees. We have taken another house for the householder devotees and the present house is inhabited by thirty-one male devotees only. There is a very nice house in the neighborhood of central London demanding 100,000 English pounds corresponding to Rs. 18 lacs; but as you know, I am always penniless, it is only a dream for me.

There are many Indians like Mr. B. K. Birla who can help in this connection, but neither I have got any acquaintance with them, nor I am getting any help from India's side in this great propaganda work of Krishna Consciousness Movement which is actually felt by the local people as a major spiritual revolutionary movement. Nobody, either European or India, expected ever that the European and American boys and girls would strictly follow the regulative principles; namely, not to indulge in illicit sex-life, no taking of intoxicants up to the point of not taking tea or cigarettes, no meat eating and no gambling. Not only that, the boys in clean-shaven head and saffron dress will go on the streets and chant Hare Krishna Mantra so jubilantly.