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I. Opatovicka 8 Prague (Czechoslovakia) 29. 3. 1927.
My dear and revered friend,
I received your letter of the 16th of March today, and hasten to reply to it at once. For I feel both surprised and very sorry indeed at the impression you received from my article. Nothing was farther from my mind than to give an unfavourable report of the ceremonies which I witnessed at Shivpuri, and least of all did I want to speak of your esteemed person in a way that could give offence.
It is true, we westerners look at religious matters critically. Our attitude is critical towards our own religion no less than towards foreign religions. But criticism does not exclude sympathy. And I am perfectly sure that I felt the greatest sympathy with your religion and tried to give expression to this sympathy. I am also quite certain that European readers for whom the paper was intended, did not regard my report as an unfavourable one. I am very sorry indeed that you think otherwise. May be that the translation that was given to you from the German was not quite accurate.
I have gone through the paper again, and really fail to see what could have given you offence in it, unless it be the reference to the auctions. But even here, though I could not suppress my criticism, I also quoted your own explanation of it as a means of preventing quarrels.
I am sorry about the errors or misunderstandings in details, which I no doubt made and should be glad to correct them, if they were pointed out to me. But most of all I regret that you have taken offence in some expressions I used in speaking of your person, for who I am sure, I have the greatest Shree Sudharmaswami Gyanbhandar-Umara, Surat www.umaragyanbhandar.com
