"About the Letters"

10. Ibid. "About the Letters". pg. 59, 60,63.

. . .Srila Swami Maharaja wrote to me every few weeks from 1965 until 1977. I think it is because of the special nature of our association, going back to 1947, that he wrote me like this, unique to others. He established a deep relationship with me, treating me just like his own son, more than his own son. He treated me with more familiarity than he could his diksa disciples. He is my friend, my very dear friend. He is my siksa guru.. . .

. . .Most people do not know that he had written so many letters to me. In those early years we did not worry so much about the letters from Swamiji. Subhananda Brahmacari, Premananda Brahmacari, and other devotees read his Bengali aerograms. There were a few in English also. Most of the later letters from the 1970's were sent from America- New York, California, and later from all over the world. He was writing about how the new centers were going on, how the preaching was, and all these subjects. He wrote explaining so many details. Most of them were written in Bengali by his own hand and a few he personally typed and signed. They were private letters, not typewritten by any secretary. If anyone says he did not write these letters, they are saying a false thing.

Around 1980, ten or twelve letters were loaned for the ISKCON court case in Bombay. They were very wonderful, detailed letters from Swamiji. The lawyer presented them as prime evidence to the Bombay court. The ISKCON devotees requested me to travel from Mathura to Bombay eight or so times to testify in Swamiji's favor... I testified that Srila Swami Maharaja took sannyasa initiation in our Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha and that I had performed the fire yajna and Srila Bhaktiprajana Kesava Maharaja, my Gurudeva, had given him the danda and mantras. It was all bona-fide. I had to testify as their expert witness that according to the siddhanta of our line, Swami Maharaja was certainly included in that same line. I gave many arguments from Sat-Kriya-Sara Dipika, the Vedas, Upanisads, and Puranas. . .Thus the case was one by sastra and by the evidence of those letters from Swamiji. . .

Our Premananda Brahmacari lent ten or twelve of the original aerograms to one disciple of Gopal Krsna Maharaja, Sandipani Muni Dasa, to be used as evidence for the court case in Bombay. Soon afterwards, Satsvarupa Maharaja asked me to give the whole collection of letters to him for his research for Swami Maharaja's biography. I promised to show them all. Premananda prabhu gave them into the hand of one ISKCON brahmacari who said he would deliver them to Satsvarupa Maharaja. Later we discovered that the letters had not reached their destination. We do not know the name of that boy who took the letters, but we had faith that he would deliver them. In those days, I had to keep my own files and we didn't record the letters or make copies. Now they appear to be lost, but all are hoping they can be returned.

11. Ibid. "About the Letters". Pg. 61.

Swamiji requested me in each letter to do so much services for him. I sent large quantities of his books, Deities for his new temples, mrdangas, and other instruments. Also I found specific medicines, tilaka, and other things he wanted. For some time I sent him ten kilos of Mathura pera, his favorite sweet, every month. We sent many shipments, including large numbers of crates, to him--first by train to Howrah station, then by cargo ship to America. I shipped from many places, including Navadvipa, but mostly from Mathura and Delhi. Some of those freight receipts are still here. (See documents A & B)

12. Ibid. S.P. Letter from N.Y. July 19, 1967. pg. 55

.. ."I am leaving New York via Air India on Saturday 22nd and arriving in New Delhi Palam Airport on Monday 24th, 7:30 a.m. If you should receive this note before that time, it would be nice if you could arrange to receive me there. I look forward to seeing you soon. Affectionately yours, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami "