Praying To The Lord In Helpless Condition

suchandra · November 18, 2007

"But by this time the forest fire surrounded all of them, and the situation appeared to be very fearful. The flames increased as the wind blew very quickly, and it appeared that everything movable and immovable would be devoured. All the cows and the boys became very frightened, and they looked towards Balarama the way a dying man looks at the picture of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They said, "Dear Krsna and Balarama, we are now burning from the heat of this blazing fire. Let us take shelter of Your lotus feet. We know You can protect us from this great danger. Our dear friend Krsna, we are Your intimate friends. It is not right that we should suffer in this way. We are all completely dependent on You, and You are the knower of all religious life. We do not know anyone except You."

(Krishna Book, http://krsnabook.com/ch19.html)

Sometimes devotees are in a helpless condition (see below) but by Krishna's mercy things will surely come out successful.

Ongoing Battle in Costa Rica

BY: LOKASWAMI DAS ADHIKARI

Nov 17, COSTA RICA —

Beloved Prabhus and Matajis: Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Enclosed are important documents on the situation of the farm in Costa Rica. Please, it is time to raise your voice and to stop so much abuse, to clean our house and to return to the principles inherited from our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada. All the disciplic succession observes us. Look at the size of the responsibility that we have in our hands and in our hearts.

Your servant, Lokaswami das

Once Is Enough

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My name is María Emilce Chacón Chaverri (Sevya Dasi). I’m a citizen of Costa Rica and my I.D. number is 3-152-021.

In 1973, after joining The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Los Angeles, California, I returned to my country, Costa Rica, with the desire to prepare the ground so that devotees could come an establish a temple here. This desire was approved by my spiritual master A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in a letter addressed to my sister Divya devi dasi, also a member of ISKCON. Very soon approximately eight devotees arrived from Los Angeles Hare Krishna Temple and established themselves in my house, located in Hatillo, from where they started preaching the glories of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna.

After staying some time in my house the devotees decided that it was better to establish a preaching center in San Pedro, a city neighboring San Jose, the country’s capital. In this way they could be near the University of Costa Rica where students could be easily approached. These students were the ones with the best potential to understand and practice the philosophy of Krishna consciousness.

I donated my house in Hatillo, and following strictly the order of the then local ISKCON’s president, Narayan das (Jerome Poritz), I signed the legal paper to put under his name the title deed of my property. A year after, to my surprise and without consulting, this man arbitrarily sold the house and deposit the money from the sale on his personal bank account. No one knows what happened with this money!

In my youth I had the dream of developing a self-sufficient farm community. With that purpose in mind I bought a farm of 65 hectares (160,6 acres) located in Platanillo de Turrialba. Half the farm consisted of open grazing land, and the rest was a section of a mountain range. Besides exotic flora and fauna, the property had fruit trees which I had personally planted. I was 30 years old when I bought this farm.

When I joined The International Society for Krishna Consciousness I thought this farm had the potential to make my dream come true: a self-sufficient farm community with lots of cows giving plenty of milk, which in turn would be converted into butter, yogurt and other dairy products. The soil was perfect soil for growing fruits and vegetables. The farm had the ideal conditions so the devotees residing there could practice the “simple living, high thinking” philosophy taught by our spiritual master, while simultaneously they would be able to secure the necessary means for the maintenance of both the community and their respective families.

A couple of years later, again without consulting me or any of the devotees -so that nobody would notice it- and even though he was already being removed from his position as president of ISKCON Costa Rica, Narayan das took the reprehensible decision of selling the farm at Platanillo de Turrialba, which he had also manage to put under his name. CAN YOU IMAGINED HOW DO I FELT? …IT WAS AWFULLY PAINFUL! Having donated my house and farm for the successful expansion of the mission of our beloved spiritual master and his followers, and then realizing none of this had happened. Nevertheless, I did not give up. I took shelter fully in chanting my sixteen rounds, sewing clothes for Rukmini-Dvarkadish and taking care of the Tulasi garden in the L.A. Temple. I tried to forget what I considered an outrage, an humiliton to my soul. I always felt I was too little, a very insignificant lady devotee to whom nobody would heed. In fact, I have remained a widow for more than 30 years. However, within the core of my heart I pluck up courage to continue, to go on practicing devotional service. And foremost, all those years I never gave up and somehow kept alive my youth’s dream- which incidentally happens to be Prabhupada’s dream also, of building or helping to build a self-efficient farm community in Costa Rica.

In many organizations, religious or not, many abuses have been committed over the centuries, but this does not mean that nowadays we have to keep putting up with them. Srila Prabhupada himself rebelled against what he called “an animalistic society”! Right now a similar abuse is being committed by the so-called spiritual ISKCON leaders who are trying to sell the farm of the Hare Krishna Community (New Goloka Vrndavana) situated in Paraíso de Cartago. They claim that they need to sell this approximately four to six million-dollar property, donated in 1985 by a now very elderly lady, Ms. Vera González (Radha Govinda devi dasi) to construct a preaching center in San Jose. By the way, what an expensive preaching center!

When we started the original Hare Krishna temple in 1971, we had no money, no resources whatsoever. I worked as senior nurse supervisor at the National Hospital for Children on a daily 10-hour shift. After finishing my job at the hospital, I would go back to the temple and do the devotee’s laundry, clean the bathrooms and other menial services. Others took care of household chores and administrative functions, while most of the devotees went out on Sankirtana to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. Back then we didn’t need four million dollars for that.

Recently, executing the devious plan schemed by the unscrupulous leaders mentioned before, the regent Deities presiding over the New Goloka Vrndavana farm, Nitai Gaurasundar, were stolen from the farm during a pitch black night. The very place the Deities had chosen as Their home. A right out sacrilege! The so-called leaders figure out that after the robbery the devotees there will become so disheartened, they would vacate the farm. So, they could accomplish their two objectives in one shoot: vacating the farm and according to ISKCON laws, paving the way to allow the selling of it (“A property with Deities installed in it, CANNOT BE SELL”). But such a thing did not happen! The Supreme Lord in His merciful manifestation as Nitai-Gourasundar, as well as our beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada are still there encouraging the devotees to continue their devotional service! Their Lordships and Prabhupada, in the form of pictures gracefully placed at the altar are being worshiped as always, on a daily basis! Moreover, the farm devotees continue to celebrate the Sunday Love Feast and all the Gaudiyavaisnava festivals! The spirit of service, the spirit of love and devotion is still very alive in the heart of not only the Costa Rican devotees living there, but all congregation members who never have missed a single function! They fully trust in Gauranga and Nityananda, and are fully confident that the Lords, audarya-avataras, in Their arcavigraha forms, will come back very soon!

Is it possible that just once in their lives the designated ISKCON leaders will extend a loving and compassionate hand, and thus help us maintain the existing programs and expand the potential programs of this 24-hectare farm? This natural gift that Krishna gave to ISKCON is located in the heart of Cartago County (in Spanish, the proper name is “municipio”). This farm belongs to Srila Prabhupada and his sincere devotees (even though some of them are weakened and frightened after many abuses committed against them).

Let us remember that a true leader, an honest person, is one who sees for the welfare of all, but specially those who are under his direct supervision. They don’t reject them because at one time or another, they have been in trouble spiritually (after all, the guru of this community had a horrible fall down). Where is the devotee who is so strong that can withstand unshaken the fall down of his guru? Fortunately, this is an experience the three designated leaders have not endured.

Let us also remember that it’s ignorance not to recognize that the duty of every civilized human being, and specially the duty of a leader-be it a father, master, president, GBC, etc.- is to see for the well-being of their subjects and dependants as if they were their own children. They have to take care after them with genuine love and affection. Let’s remember that if we deviate from these principles, we will be incurring in bad behavior and permanently staining our good name (please refer to conversation between Dharmaraja and Yudhisthira Maharaja).

Our beloved spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, emphasize that all temples should be self-sufficient and independent. “Do not centralize anything. Each temple must remain independent and self-sufficient. ...Otherwise, management, EVERYTHING, should be done LOCALLY by LOCAL MEN. Accounts must be kept, things must be in order and lawfully done, but that should be each temple’s concern, NOT YOURS. …Krishna Consciousness is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent in all types of departments of knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy. Once there is bureaucracy the whole thing will be spoiled. There must be always individual striving and work and responsibility, competitive spirit, not that one shall dominate and distribute benefits to the others…” (Letter from Srila Prabhupada to Karandhar dasa, 1972).

The leaders should train their local dependants to develop these qualities. And this can be accomplished through instructions, good advice, and above all, with LOVE. We all know that in this problem the first thing that we have to do is to sincerely surrender to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. However, we are not foolish anymore. We also know that as Costa Ricans or residents who for many years have lived in Hare Krishna community in Cartago, and who have given up everything to serve the Supreme Lord and His dearmost servant, Srila Prabhupada, we have the right to appeal to the authorities and ask them to protect us from the abuse of power the three ISKCON leaders are trying to inflict upon us. We have the right to demand that the laws pertaining to human rights in this democratic be applied to its fullest extent.

The so-called leaders who fantasize that the Hare Krishna farm belongs to them, and who also think that the Supreme Lord is Their property (as demonstrated by the fact they have no qualms to stole the Deities they are now hiding in a clandestine place). All of them are foreigners who after staying for a while in Costa Rica, they become tired of it and leave for good. Or else, they blatantly break the regulative principles, specially the one which forbids illicit sex. These people have demonstrated again and again that they don’t care for the feelings and necessities of the Costa Rican people.

Your honor, we humbly appeal to you so justice may be done. Please order the wicked persons who stole the Deities presiding at the Paraíso de Cartago farm, the objects of our worship, to immediately return and reinstall Them at the farm They own.

If the bishop of the dioceses of San Jose whimsically orders the Madonna of the Angels at the Cartago Parrish to be moved to the Metropolitan Cathedral, arguing that there she will be more accessible to the devotees, we are totally sure that not only the inhabitants from Cartago, but all of the Catholics from Costa Rica will strongly oppose him. Not only the ecclesiastical authorities, but even the President of the country will not allow such an abuse.

On behalf of all the residents, friends and congregational members of the Hare Krishna community at Paraíso de Cartago, Costa Rica, I remain gratefully yours,

Sevya Devi Dasi

(María Emilce Chacón Chaverri)

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