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June 6, 1970Los Angeles
Sri Radha Madhava Sharan
Vrndavana
Letter to Sri Sharanji
"So I thank you all for your good wishes, although I am not elegible for these honors. Whatever is being done, it is Lord Krishna's mercy. He is unlimited and His mercy is also unlimited, so by His mercy even a crow can dance like a peacock.
Things are going here nice. The younger generation is taking very serious interest, and whatever advancement is made it is due to their cooperation. They are taking seriously to the sadacarya process--good behavior. The thing is that this country is not poverty stricken. So after material opulence the natural tendency is for something which is better. That better is spiritual enlightenment."
June 8, 1969
New Vrindaban
Letter to Hamsaduta
"There is a Sanskrit proverb, sati shatyam samacharit, and this means if somebody is cunning, we must also become cunning. To a cunning person we must not be a simpleton. Krishna Conscious devotees are expected to be very intelligent, so we have to work very intelligently to prove our advancement in Krishna Consciousness."
Tuesday, June 10, 1969
New Vrindaban
Letter to Mukunda
"The answer to your Istagosthi questions are as follows: Unless one is a resident of Krishna Loka, one cannot be a Spiritual Master. That is the first proposition. A layman cannot be a Spiritual Master, and if he becomes so then he will simply create disturbance.
And who is a liberated person? One who knows Krishna. It is stated in BG, fourth chapter, anyone who knows Krishna in truth is immediately liberated, and after quitting the present body, he immediately goes to Krishna. That means he becomes a resident of Krishna Loka.
As soon as one is liberated he is immediately a resident of Krishna Loka, and anyone who knows the truth of Krishna can become Spiritual Master. That is the version of Lord Caitanya.
So to summarize the whole thing, it is to be understood that a bonafide Spiritual Master is a resident of Krishna Loka.
Your next question, whether the Spiritual Master was formerly a conditioned soul, actually a bonafide Spiritual Master is never a conditioned soul. There are three kinds of liberated persons. They are called 1) sadhan siddha, 2) kripa siddha, and 3) nitya siddha."
Tuesday, June 10, 1969
New Vrindaban
Letter to Mukunda
"Actually, every living entity is eternally uncontaminated, although he may be in the material touch. This is the version of the Vedas. Asanga ayam purusha--the living entity is uncontaminated. Just like when there is a drop of oil in water you can immediately distinguish the oil from the water, and the water never mixes with the oil. Similarly, a living entity, although in material contact, is always distinct from the matter.
You are correct when you say that when the Spiritual Master speaks it should be taken that Krishna is speaking. That is a fact. A Spiritual Master must be liberated. It does not matter if he has come from Krishna Loka or he is liberated from here. But he must be liberated.
The science of how one is liberated is explained above, but when one is liberated, there is no need of distinction whether he has come directly from Krishna Loka or from the material world. But in the broader sense everyone comes from Krishna Loka."
When one forgets Krishna he is conditioned, when one remembers Krishna he is liberated."