Mathadi-Vyaparan: Building big temples or projects: Pros & Cons

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Dear Vaisnavas,

Hare Krsna. Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

I want to share with you some of my thoughts on an important subject of

interest. This is accompanied by sastric quotes from the acaryas.

 

In ISKCON India, the focus of many temple presidents is on building big

temples or projects. Prabhupada also stressed big projects like Mayapur,

Vrindavan & Bombay because in India, people generally flock at big temples

and we get great opportunities for preaching. Many books are sold, prasadam

can be distributed, we get good donations and our presence is felt. This

kind of preaching through big temples is quite effective in India.

 

But there is another dimension to it as described by Srila Rupa Goswami in

Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu. If we are not careful building big temples or

projects may have a dangerous effect on the sadhaka's spiritual life is the

statement of Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti in his commentary to this verse.

Srila Visvanatha specifically uses the word 'mathadi' meaning building of

temples or ashramas. Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti says that 'Arabhet' means

such big projects can or may exacerbate the desire to expand one's influence

and properties and thus distract one from pure devotional service.

 

>From Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu

 

12 - 13 - 14 - shiSyAnanubanddhitvAdi-trayaM yathA saptame -

 

na shiSyAn anubadhnIta granthAn naivabhyased bahUn |

na vAkhyAm upauSjita nArambhAn Arabhet kvacit ||113||

 

12, 13, 14 - Not being attached to having students; not starting huge

projects; giving up excessive appreciation for mundane arts sciences.

 

Seventh Canto [7.13.8]: "Never be attached to having students, nor to

studying many books and teaching them to earn money, nor to starting huge

projects."

 

These items protect one from activities that appear harmless or even

favorable to sadhana, but in fact pose a great danger.

 

[...]

Starting huge projects specifically refers to construction of temples

(Vishvanatha Cakravarti defines it as mAThAdi-vyApArAn). Building temples

seems quite favorable to sadhana, but is a dangerous thing for the sadhaka

because it can exacerbate the desire to expand ("Arabhet") one's influence

and properties. The fourteenth item of sadhana therefore prescribes that

sadhakas be cautious regarding such projects, as they may surreptitiously

distract one from the pure motives of sadhana-uttama-bhakti.

 

After building a big project, the effort that has to go in maintaining it

can turn into 'prayasa' or excessive endeavour and spoil our devotional

service. Like for eg. for maintaining a big project, one may have to engage

all of one's energies and those of the temple devotees to collect. For this

one may have to compromise on the direct preaching like book distribution

etc. and the spiritual life of the devotees who will have to continually go

to meet or invite rich people, have late nights with them etc. etc. which

may bring materialistic contamination to their consciousness.

 

So big temples or big projects may not necessarily mean big preaching. It

may mean big material endeavours, big politics, big anarthas etc. I

personally feel that if the temples concentrate more on increasing their

direct preaching then automatically the facilities will expand by Krsna's

mercy. This is the healthy way of going about it.

 

Like for eg. Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Mandir in Chowpatty, Mumbai. They have a

small place but their congregation has expanded so much that they had to

increase the size of the temple room for the Sunday feasts and the festivals

by including the adjacent rooms. This example illustrates to us that we

should keep on preaching & preaching and when we find out that the preaching

has increased so much that we need more facilities then one should actually

go in for them and then Krsna readily provides. This is a safer course to

take in my humble opinion. This also proves that a big place does not

necessarily mean big preaching. If one cannot increase the preaching in a

small place what is the guarantee that he will do it in a bigger place which

gives more facility for sense gratification also.

 

These are some of my thoughts. If any Vaisnava disagrees or wants to add or

comment on this message, it will be very nice.

 

Your servant,

Nayana-ranjana das