He admires very much the devoted manner in which the Kolhapur Baha'is have built up the Spiritual Assembly there and caused that community to be one of the most active in Southern India. You must not now become discouraged because some of your teachers have left and gone to serve the Cause elsewhere. This gives you the opportunity of learning to do more of the work yourselves, and of also putting your reliance on Baha'u'llah and realizing that He will assist all those who arise to serve Him.
The Guardian assures you he will pray in the Holy Shrines for your protection and that God may assist you in your work, aid you to be united and show the greatest love, one for another, and bless your work.
[From the Guardian:]
May the Almighty guide every step you take in the path of service, and enable you to proclaim the verities of His Faith, and contribute effectively to the consolidation of its newly-born institutions.
December 19, 1949
Letter of May 14, 1932
He was surely very sorry to hear of the passing away of your father who was such an old and devoted servant of the Cause. Such persons, at their passing, proceed to the presence of Baha'u'llah and partake of His infinite blessings and divine bounties. They enter into a state which, should we only have the eye to see, we would envy and earnestly desire. It is only because we ignore the beautiful and glorious life of the world beyond that we seem attached to our earthly abode and often forget the goal of our very existence here.
May 14, 1932
Letter of June 6, 1933
It is to the youth that the Guardian is today eagerly looking, and it is upon their shoulders that he is laying all the responsibility for the promotion of the Faith. Theirs is the opportunity to arise and serve to their utmost this great Cause of God.
June 6, 1933
Letter of December 27, 1933
Concerning the use of alcoholic drinks and drugs the Guardian wishes you to know that they have been explicitly forbidden in the "Kitab-i-Aqdas".
Opium is, undoubtedly, prohibited. But smoking, though allowed, is discouraged. Various other points which may be raised in this connection and which have not been explained in the Holy Writings have to be carefully considered and acted upon by the future International House of Justice which is the body empowered by Baha'u'llah to legislate in all matters which have not been explicitly revealed in the Sacred Writings of the Faith.
December 27, 1933
Letter of January 7, 1934
What, in the last resort, is most essential to every believer is a conscious and an unwavering faith in the mission which the Cause has been called upon to fulfill. Through the light of faith the darkness which envelops our thoughts and feelings gives way to a radiance and a splendour before which every gloom vanishes.
January 7, 1934
Letter of September 25, 1934
While secrecy in matters of religious faith should be deprecated as being against the spirit of the Cause yet, it is always recommendable to exercise full tact and wisdom whenever, by too frank and open a declaration of our beliefs, we run the risk of exciting the animosity and opposition of those around us.
September 25, 1934
Letter of September 4, 1935
With regard to your question relative to the advisability of having Baha'is join film companies. Although on principle there is no objection if any believer wishes to become a cinema actor, yet in view of the excessive corruption that now prevails along such a line of occupation, the Guardian would not advise any believer to choose this kind of profession, unless he finds this to be the only means of earning his livelihood.
Concerning the passage in the Old Testament in which Abraham is reported to have addressed his wife as his sister, the interpretation given it by some Christians cannot hold, as it implies that the Messengers of God are all sinners. A much more plausible explanation would be, that in doing so Abraham wished to emphasize the superiority of the spiritual relationship binding him with his wife to the purely physical and material one.
September 4, 1935
Letter of April 17, 1936
As regards your study of the Hindu religion. The origins of this and many other religions that abound in India are not quite known to us, and even the Orientalists and the students of religion are not in complete accord about the results of their investigations in that field. The Baha'i Writings also do not refer specifically to any of these forms of religion current in India. So, the Guardian feels it impossible to give you any definite and detailed information on that subject. He would urge you, however, to carry on your studies in that field, although its immensity is well-nigh bewildering, with the view of bringing the Message to the Hindus. The task of converting this section of the Indian population is a most vital obligation, although the Guardian is fully aware of the many difficulties that it presents. Nevertheless the friends should do their best to make as many converts among the Hindus as they possibly can.
Also with regard to the problem of inter-marriage between the Zoroastrian and Hindu Baha'is, this is a highly delicate and vital question, as important as the problem of the black and white in America. The friends should all realize that racial considerations do not, in the light of the Baha'i Teachings, constitute any hindrance to any kind of intercourse between the believers. The Hindu and Zoroastrian Baha'is should forget their former and traditional prejudices whether religious, racial or social, and commune together on a common basis of equality, love and devotion to the Cause. While the goal is quite clear yet, wisdom and caution are needed in order to carry this ideal into full practice.
April 17, 1936
Letter of May 7, 1941
In these days when the forces of inharmony and disunity are rampant throughout the world, the Baha'is must cling to their Faith and to each other, and, in spite of every difficulty and suffering, protect the unity of the Cause. Often the first efforts at getting the administration of the Faith to mark harmoniously, are painful because the individual must learn to subject his will to the whole-but these are all minor details, and the friends must all concentrate on constructive work for the Cause.
Of course no one is debarred from becoming a Baha'i; rich or poor, learned or ignorant, all have a sacred and equal right to accept the Supreme Manifestation for this age.
The question of residence and taking part in administrative affairs hangs together: wherever a Baha'i has his legal residence, he belongs to the community that is established in that same civil area as his residence, and he cannot vote or be elected to any Baha'i body outside of that area except, of course, National Assembly and Committees. This, of course, does not prevent his teaching in nearby towns or anywhere else. But he cannot live in one city and be a voting Baha'i in another.
May 7, 1941