70-05-15
My Dear Tamala,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 11th May, 1970, and noted the contents.
From Kenya you may go to South Africa. In this way you collect funds there from Indians and proceed to Bombay. In Bombay some of my friends will receive you very nicely, and from Bombay you gradually travel all over through other provinces namely Gujarat, Rajasthan, Central India, Northern India, then Behar, and then reach to Bengal. In Bengal we then start our own Temple at Mayapur, and some of the devotees may live there in batches. Some batches go, some batches come.
I am so pleased to learn that there are so many interested French persons joining our Movement in Paris. Regarding the two new couples who are serious to learn this Krsna consciousness, please take care of them nicely, and make them devotees.
Regarding Umapati and his wife moving very soon to Hamburg for composing on the new composing machine, that is very nice, the arrangement is good. Let them work hard for translating and composing, and his wife may also be engaged in this work.
Regarding your question about Lord Jagannatha and Lord Krsna, Jagannatha is Krsna. Krsna's childhood up to His 15th year He lives in Vrndavana. Radharani is His childhood friend. But Krsna, after returning to His father's home at Dvaraka, came to see Kuruksetra during some solar eclipse. At that time His sister Subhadra and brother Balarama also came in a chariot, and this incident is worshiped as Jagannatha Rathayatra. The conclusion is that Jagannatha and Krsna is the same.
So Krsna when He is with His brother and sister, He is Jagannatha, and when He is with His village girl-friends that is Radha-Krsna with Gopis. So Whomever you worship, it is the same, but if you like to worship Jagannanth you can continue it and it is as good as worshiping Radha-Krsna.
Regarding the means of worship, our Vaisnava process is first offer respects to the Spiritual Master, then Lord Caitanya, and then Lord Krsna. Vyasa is the Spiritual Master, therefore the Spiritual Master is the representative of Vyasa. Therefore the Spiritual Master's seat is called "Vyasasana.''
Please offer my blessings to your good wife, Madri Dasi, and to all the other Prabhus there in Paris.
Hope this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/letters/los_angeles/may/15/1970/tamala_krsna Previous: Letter to: Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 14 May, 1970 Next: Letter to: Bhagavan -- Los Angeles 16 May, 1970
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