SV: prasada to poor people; some relevant quotes

[Guest guest]

Mahanidhi prabhu wrote:

 

>Braja Sevaki wrote:

> > 3. 'We' do not build temples to 'attract materialists', we build

> > them for the glorification of the Supreme Lord.

> >

>

> True. Though the question is -- by whom?

 

> As Srila Prabhupada was saying, the devotees of Krsna do not

> need the fabulously costly grand-temples in order to worship/

> glorify the Lord there, but they can just sit under a tree.

> "Puspam, patram... + bhakti".

 

I think the question of whom is a diversion in this case. It really

doesn't matter who does it. The point still remains that the building

of temples is an important part of ISKCON's mission. Since most

devotees, what to speak of non-devotees, are not advanced enough to be

satisfied under a tree, the building of temples is a way given to his

devotees by Srila Prabhupada to keep them busy in spiritual life.

Srila Prabhupda said that Deity worship is essential especially for

the purification of householders. To build for instance such a grand

temple as the one in Mayapura, besides being the fulfillment of the

prophecy by the acaryas, and to broadcast Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai's mercy

all over the world, is also a way to unite the devotees of ISKCON in a

task that will keep them occupied for a life-time.

 

Here is a quote from Srila Prabhupada on the importance of temples.

 

SB 1:8:19 Purport - "For less intelligent men there must be such

things as temples ... so that they may begin to recognize the

authority of the Lord and hear about Him from authorities in such holy

places. For less intelligent men, this beginning of spiritual life is

essential, and only foolish men decry the establishment of such places

of worship, which are required to raise the standard of spiritual

attributes for the mass of people."

 

I think we can agree that most of us fit in the category of the less

intelligent who need temples.

 

> That what is of more importance for the devotees in the line

> of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who are not bhajanandis, is to attract

> conditioned souls to start worshiping Krsna as The Absolute Truth.

> Thus an introspective searcher after the Truth will be attracted

> by the superior philosophy. But most of the people are less

> intelligent and more materialistically minded. Thus they will be

> attracted rather to the superior external appearances such as the

> huge domes of the marvelously erased temple that is reaching high

> into the sky, where elaborate ceremonies of worshiping God take

> the place. In the psychology of a materialistically conditioned

> person, that bigger and more grandious temple, that bigger

> "proof" that it must be the house of almighty God where to go

> worship him. They aren't att all impressed nor attracted by

> a sadhu's bhajan kutir, though Krsna is really there where His

> pure devotee is.

 

That is all true. But you make it sound like there are no pure

devotees in the temples. Where else would you find the pure devotees

if not in the temples? If you have to go and search them out in the

forest you'd never meet any, for nowadays nobody goes searching in the

forest for pure devotees.

 

> Even Prince Charles of England has become attracted to the Holy

> Dham of Mayapur. Because he has gotten this passion for Krsna?

> No. The extraordinary architecture of the designed temple.

 

That just proves the point how a noble endeavor it is to build the

temple in Mayapura. It is a multi-purpose spiritual excercise. While

at the same time the temple broad casts the glories of Lord Chaitanya,

and fulfilles the vision of Bhaktivenode Thakur, it also attracts the

royalty of the world with its grand design, and, furthermore, provides

an economic boost and welfare work for one of the poorest regions in

India. Can it get any better than that? Just see the genius of Srila

Prabhupada to have put all this in motion.

 

Ys, Jahnu das