Hansadutta's Deity Installation in Germany

suchandra · March 20, 2008

Nice example how a disciple should gradually learn to follow the directions of his spiritual master. Prabhupada clearly explained the input requirements for installing large Radha-Krishna deities. Somehow his disciples tried to circumvent these parameters and bought twice, large, human size marble Radha-Krishna deities in Jaipur, shipping them from India to Paris, to Frankfurt and from there to California. Don't know exactly why Sudarshan dasa actually posted article below, may be to point out that to follow superior authority is something what is demanding a too great deal from Western Vaishnavas? Or, that the German devotees paid for these deities which were then shipped to California?

Hansadutta's Deity Installation in Germany

BY: SUDARSHAN DASA

Mar 19, SINGAPORE (SUN) — - From the "Srila Prabhupada and His Disciples in Germany" by HG Vedavyasa dasa.

Astaratha Dasa: "After the Mayapur festival, Hamsaduta asked me to remain in India for another week and buy paraphernalia for the marble Deities he had taken from Paris in the summer of 1972. He wanted to install Them as soon as possible. I was surprised. Whenever Hamsaduta had asked Srila Prabhupada for permission to install Them-in Heidelberg in 1973 and during his visit to Schloss Rettershof in 1974-Prabhupada had told him to wait.

"In Mayapur, Hamsaduta decided to take matters into his own hands. He told me, 'I am just going to install Them now; otherwise, it will never happen.'

"When I returned to Germany in the beginning of May, the preparations for the installation were in full swing. On Sunday, May 11, 1975, Hamsaduta performed the installation ceremony in the simple style common in ISKCON in those days, and he gave the Deities Their names: Sri Sri Radha-Madanamohana. He told me he would write to Prabhupada about the installation."

To install the Deities of Radha and Krsna without Srila Prabhupada's sanction was undoubtedly presumptuous, and Hamsaduta pondered how to break the news to his spiritual master. Only eight months earlier, Prabhupada had heavily chastised him for closing a temple without permission. Now he was again at risk of incurring Prabhupada's anger.

Hamsaduta thought the best course of action might be to simply obtain Prabhupada's permission, without telling him that the Deities were already installed. Thus, on May 15th, Hamsaduta wrote a letter to Prabhupada requesting his permission. Only ten days later, he received the short, unmistakable answer:

There is no need of establishing a Deity for the time being. Simply make a nice preaching center.

This baffled Hamsaduta. Why did Prabhupada react negatively to installing these Radha-Krsna Deities in Germany? Didn't he trust him? In London and Paris, he had not only sanctioned installations of Radha-Krsna Deities but also presided over them. And in a few weeks, he would install another set of large Radha-Krsna Deities on the new farm in France. Prabhupada had always spoken about Germany as one of the most important countries in Europe, if not the most important one. Were these merely words of encouragement? After years of pushing hard to establish Krsna consciousness, Hamsaduta had found a prestigious place, a majestic castle, and Prabhupada had liked it. Wasn't it obvious that having only small brass Radha-Krsna Deities on the altar of such a large building was almost out of proportion?

Srila Prabhupada's reply seemed not to chasten Hamsaduta. And once Sri Sri Radha-Madanamohana were installed, it became evident that They were rather small- only about fifteen inches high-a far cry from the almost life-size murtis worshiped in many other ISKCON temples. Hamsaduta wasn't satisfied.

Astaratha Dasa: "A couple of months after the installation, Hamsaduta sent Sucandra, Alanatha, and I to Jaipur. He told us, 'Buy the biggest Deities you can find.' We went from one murti-wala to the next until we found what we were looking for. Krsna measured almost two meters high; He was taller than me. It took twelve men to lift Him and put Him in a wooden box. A few months later, the Deities arrived in Germany. But Hamsaduta eventually shipped Them to California, where he later installed and worshiped Them."

In the middle of September, Hamsaduta made another attempt to obtain Srila Prabhupada's permission to install Radha-Krsna Deities at Schloss Rettershof. He expected the newly purchased Deities to arrive soon from Jaipur, and he thought that if Prabhupada sanctioned Their installation, the earlier installation of Radha-Madanamohana could be "officially" included. But Prabhupada didn't approve of Hamsaduta's plan:

Regarding the Frankfurt temple and the Deity program, unless we have got our own building, this proposal of installing Deity should be postponed. Do not install the large Deities, unless we have got our own building.