(Click to enlarge front cover of Back to Godhead magazine, No. 29, 1969)
Srila Prabhupada commented: "The picture in the front page is exceedingly beautiful."
"This Back to Godhead will always remain the backbone of the Society because the more the magazine is popular the more our Society becomes popular."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 30, 1967)
"Back to Godhead should be the life and soul for the Society."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 16, 1967)
"The recent editions of BTG is very much encouraging to me. The standard should be maintained and improved so that one day it may come on the level of such magazines as Life, Time etc."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 18, 1967)
"During the time of my Guru Maharaj's passing away, His last instruction was to me that 'You try to preach whatever you have learned from me in English, and that will do good to you and the people who will hear you.' This instruction was given to me in 1936, and I started this paper in 1944. So during my householder life I was printing this paper and almost distributing free, and some of them were paying me subscription, and some of them not. But I was trying my best at my cost. You have seen the old articles about my tendency in this regard, and please try to follow this principle and improve the condition of this paper as you think best. You have got full liberty to make it acceptable to the general public, keeping pace with our principles of Krishna Consciousness."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, June 12, 1968)
"To make this magazine a great success is very, very important to the mission. And you along with your co-workers are doing it very nicely. And Krishna will bless you; please continue to do it."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 20, 1968)
"Selling BTG means that our movement is increasing and our philosophy is being appreciated."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, February 14, 1970)
"Therefore, when Back to Godhead will be published not in hundreds and thousands, but in millions, that will give me great solace."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 14, 1970)
"Actually we want that BTG be printed in every major language and distributed all over the world so that there is no language barrier in taking to our movement."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 25, 1971)
"The news which we are publishing in Back to Godhead has certainly a novel presentation to the people in the western world who are hankering after spiritual enlightenment. So if you continue to write articles on the basis of BG and SB certainly they will appeal to the core of the hearts of all human beings and surely they will respond. So, continue the policy scrupulously and you will be successful."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, September 23, 1967)
"Please send me some stationery and copies of Back to Godhead to my Calcutta address by Air mail immediately."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, October 11, 1967)
"I have seen the latest issue of BTG & have very much appreciated the presentation with your combined efforts—you artists & poets should try to increase the beauty of BTG as well as to promote the sales in larger & larger numbers."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, October 26, 1967)
"I am so glad that you are selling my books nicely. Yes, always try to sell our books and Back To Godhead, as far as possible. That is our main business."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, May 31, 1968)
"Back to Godhead may not be stopped publication—it will be a great setback for our missionary purpose."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, May 14, 1968)
"I have not heard anything from you in long time what is the situation with publication of our Back To Godhead. So I am anxious to know when it will be again published, and if it can be regularly printed, even on our mimeograph machine. It is too much important that it must be distributed regularly, as it is the backbone of our mission. So, even it is not printed very expensively and highly, still, it must be distributed even in mimeograph copy. And then in future we can print it very nicely, when there is the money there to do it. So please see to it, and please let me know the position by return of post as soon as possible."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, June 8, 1968)
"Now, you have to print a large number of Back To Godhead every month. I think only in California area you shall be able to sell 3000 copies per month. Similarly, in other centers also you can sell a large number of Back To Godhead, since the Sankirtana party is moving and people are purchasing very gladly. So you can expect golden days very soon. And you must prepare yourself for this purpose."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, September 27, 1968)
"So try to get immediately copies of Back To Godhead from New York and try to sell them in large quantities. That is our backbone. In meantime, our Bhagavad-gita As It Is, and Teachings of Lord Caitanya are also coming out by the end of this month. So Kirtana plus distribution of our books and literature is the basic principle of our success. Even if we do not have our own temple it does not matter, but if we can hold Kirtana 24 hours, and distribute our publications, that is our great success."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, October 1, 1968)
"It is so much encouraging that your Sankirtana party is going everyday collecting some money and encouraging also that you are selling Back To Godhead."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, October 15, 1968)
"Regarding propaganda against animal slaughter in BTG. Please do not print any picture showing how a cow is being murdered in our BTG. This will pollute the whole atmosphere. We are not meant for moving anyone's sentiment against animal slaughter, we are neither Buddhists or Jains, whose main propaganda is against animal slaughter. Even the so-called vegetarians who do not take Krishna prasadam are as much sinful as the non-vegetarians. Our propaganda is different, to make people Krishna Conscious, which automatically makes them sympathetic against any kind of animal slaughter. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, one living entity subsists on the life of other living entities, either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. But we are neither of them. We are not vegetarian nor non-vegetarian. We are transcendental. We are concerned with Krishna Prasadam. Try to popularize Krishna Prasadam as you have already done. People will naturally become vegetarian without any ghastly propaganda."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 19, 1968)
"It is nice that you are trying for recipes of Krishna Prasadam to be printed in local newspapers and if you can also have them run some of our articles from Back To Godhead this also shall be very beneficial."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 26, 1968)
"Your poetry is nice, and I am keeping it with me for future publication in Back To Godhead."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, September 22, 1968)
"Regarding your article in Back To Godhead about Ayurvedic Medicine, I do not think this is very worthwhile endeavor. You have shown nice ability for writing so it will be more appreciated if you continue to study Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita and express the same by your assimilation. We have enough Krishna Consciousness matters to discuss so there is no need of wasting time with such topics as Ayurvedic Medicine."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 23, 1968)
"Please continue to try for the printing of Back To Godhead French edition. We work so that men of all languages and cultures may join us in chanting Hare Krishna and for this we need so many literatures in so many different languages. So please try for this. As you are His sincere servitor Krishna will provide you with the intelligence to do this nicely."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 24, 1968)
"With much pleasure I have seen the French edition of Back To Godhead and I thank you all for this endeavor. With such engagements as this magazine, we can live to propagate Krishna Consciousness and that is the success of our lives. Actually, our living conditions can be minimized as far as possible. Simply we should live for propagating Krishna Consciousness. That is our life."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 12, 1968)
"Regarding the article suggested by Rayarama, you are correct in your doubts that Radha-Krishna lila should not be discussed in Back To Godhead. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there are so many philosophical discussions and we should concentrate on these philosophical aspects. Otherwise the less intelligent will surely understand Radha-Krishna lila as simply nonsense boy and girl sex life."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 31, 1968)
"I shall be glad to hear what about the press matter and printing Back To Godhead in German Language."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 9, 1969)
"In the BTG henceforward, the pictures of our Sankirtan Movement should be inserted as many as possible."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, July 9, 1969)
"We are not concerned with any other movement save and except Krishna Consciousness in its pure form. In India it is said that a little bit of a pure thing is much better than huge volumes of impure, adulterated things. So please try to follow this policy and publish in BTG only pure Krishna Conscious articles."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 27, 1969)
"One of the qualifications of a Vaisnava is that he is poetic. This means that the Vaisnavas are very much enthusiastic to describe on paper the glories of Lord Krsna and Krsna Consciousness. In our Back To Godhead I am very pleased to see that many of our disciples are becoming eager to record their thoughtful ideas about Krsna Consciousness. This eagerness is one of the symptoms that a devotee is making progress in the matter of spiritual purification."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 25, 1969)
"By Krishna's Grace, everything is gradually coming to the fulfillment of my dream. The Sankirtana party is walking in the streets and is getting good response, from the public. They are selling Back To Godhead nicely, and getting good sympathy from the public by considerable collections. We are not after collecting money, but when people offer something out of love and sympathy for our mission, it becomes a great asset. I am sure if you all my beloved disciples combined together try to preach Krishna Consciousness in this spirit, Krishna will give the necessary strength. By the Grace of Krishna and the Spiritual Master, the dumb man can speak like a great orator, and a lame man can cross over a great mountain. So we must have the necessary unflinching faith in Krishna and Spiritual Master, and the strength will be supplied by Krishna. After all, anything which we experience is but a fraction of the unlimited energy of Krishna. And even by fragmental touch of such spiritual energy of the Lord, we can make our life successful."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, September 28, 1968)
"Our BTG appearance is coming out nicer. Everyone approves. So by Krishna's Grace I find all sides bright. My only request to all of you is to keep it bright. Don't let it go dim. That is Krishna's Glories."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 11, 1969)
.
