Why are ISKCON Temples generally very lavishly built, like in tirupathi, Chennai, etc? Does Krishna require Marbles and Granite Places?
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Arivind pr. As I already mentioned, our president is spending over 200 crores just for her foreign visits so and her expenditure is totally justifiable??? We built a temple for Lord of Universe and people question why waste so much money in temples? This is the true sign of Kaliyuga as Srimad Bhagavatam predicts. Simply envious and godless society thats all.
Let me give you some information about the projects ISKCON is taking up. ISKCON is one of the leading body responsible for cow protection in India and around the world. There are many goshalas that are maintained and supported by ISKCON. I have been to one such society which is called as Govardhan Farm near Wada, Mumbai. Its a small farm community where in there are about 300 devotees are living today and growing organic grains and also having a goshala where more than 70% of the cows do not provide any milk!!! These are the cows local farmers wanted to give for slaughtering and were saved. They treat them like their own children!!! I am not exaggerating but its a fact. You can visit them if possible some time. http://www.facebook.com/govardhanfarm
Apart from this, There is a nice goshala in Belgaum, Karnataka also. Recently there was a new temple opened in Bangalore and we have a goshala here as well in a concrete jungle. All the cows here are the ones saved from slaughter houses.
Regarding animal slaughter, ISKCON is spreading the message of giving up non veg. In fact, this is one of the 4 regulative principle what we follow here in ISKCON. When people learn the knowledge of Krishna Consciousness, they will naturally give up the meat eating and when more and more people become such like devotees, then naturally animal slaughter will be abolished. Simply making a law or passing a bill really does not help in transforming people. Out of fear, for some time though people will follow it. However, the system is so much corrupted that there will be some loop holes in the laws they make which will allow them to break it as soon as they make it. More graphic example is that ban of smoking in public places. When it was imposed, I saw in the software technological park where I work there were boards every where and the security guards were very strict that employees do not smoke in those places. But this lasted for less than 6 months and its back to normal now. The loop hole here is who is the one who is going to fine these people smoking in public. No one is ready to take the responsibility and every one is throwing it on each other.
So, the root cause for all the problems in life is lack of Krishna Consciousness as told by HDG Bhakthisidhantha Saraswathi Thakura. If somehow these people come to ISKCON temple and try to understand the philosophy then naturally all other so called problems will be rectified. So, in order to preach to society, we need temples as big as possible.
Please Zola Preetam Mataji do not be upset for Radhika Mataji! In this case she is correct. Devotees come here to solve their doubts just to correct their vision.
And we should not become angry but try to help to them.
Your servant,
even though Krishna does not need anything we WILL offer Him the best fruit, the best dresses, the best house, the best of everything!!!
As like there was one Devotee who used to offer coconuts to his Deities. Even though he had nice coconut trees at his house he did not offer them but used to travel for hundred miles in order to get the best coconut.
In this we have to offer only best thing to Krishna.
Yes, Temple is made of marble. Is it opulent? No! In Vaikuntha even ground is made of emeralds and diamonds.
But for us it seems opulent but even though Krishna will accept it.
Yes, it is true we need preaching also. Not also but for sure.
And Temple is only a result of preaching. People themselves give charity in order to build something good for Krishna. It is called Bhakti.
Your servant in serving to Srila Prabhupada!
Hare Krishna Kamlesh Prabhuji. Dandavat Pranam. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
/*There is madness everywhere. People think that if opulent Temples are built, Krishna will be most pleased. The fact is that Krishna wants humans to become less sinful instead of wasting money on building opulent Temples and not preaching to humans to make them less sinful.*/
This is not madness rather this is intelligence.Nor it is a waste of money rather engaging money in Krishna's service. One can say how ?
The answer is Temple is not just a building with stones and marbles , It is giving chance to the gradually degrading modern civilization to feel the atmosphere of Vaikuntha in this hellish planet. Business peoples are constructing Sky Scrapper building, Polish shopping malls, decorated Bars for what? To attract common man. A foolish man generally attract to those which are pleasing to their senses. Now in Kali-yuga where everyone know nothing beyond mental and sense pleasure how can we deliver them just by preaching philosophy.
But when this people see something beautiful , some thing different from they are seeing outside, some place that is peaceful they will eventually attract to these temples and they come to see the deity of Krishna, then they will gradually attach to the form of Krishna, then Kirtan , then prasadam and so on.
Only after that a man can be interested to understand Philosophy and read books. Most of the people out there today have a little knowledge and interest to understand Philosophy. To preach Krishna Consciousness first prasadam, deity darshan,kirtan is need to performed and for that Temple is needed to attract the common mass. Else hardly any people will eager to know the philosophy in these days.
/*As the opulent Temples increase, humans are becoming more and more degraded (sinful). Do you think that Krishna is pleased with this stupidity?*/
How can oppulent temple will make human sinful , rather it is opposite. The extra money people earn if they donate to construct a temple for Sri Krishna then they will not be able to waste those money behind prostitue,Wine ,tobacco etc (which is sinful ).
And also many Brahmacharis will able to live peacefully in these temples and can Preach Krishna Consciousness very nicely. It is evident that "sat-sanga" (good association of devotees) makes a person pious not sinful. Temples are there thats why many families, youth get a chance every sunday to associate with common minded people in a Vaikuntha environment.
If temple would not be there how would this helpless people get a chance to free themself from this pathetic world by association of devotees ? Where will this Brahmacharis stay ? where will we Krishna Prasadam ? where will we get a Chance to see Gaur Nitai and Krishna ?
Temple is not bogus , Krishna resides here personally in his Archa form. If it is not there where will we perform Puja?
/*heard that India is the largest exported of beef/leather in the World. I am not sure if this is true, but I won't be surprised. What is the benefit of all the Temples? Is Krishna pleased that his cows are being slaughtered the most on the only land where he appears (India)?*/
The answer is simple, If people get attracted to temple , then he/she will get a chance to eat Prasadam and then only he/she will stop eating non-veg (includes beef) . Then only it can be stopped.
/*We need opulent preaching and not opulent Temples. Krishna wants humans to become less sinful, he doesn't want to be dressed opulently surrounded by sinful people everywhere.*/
Opulent preaching can only happen when One has a sound knowledge of Krishna Consciousness philosophy. Temple is a place where mind is engaged 24/7 in Pancharatriki way of worship and Learning Philosophy. For grasping philosophy we need sattvik mind and that depends on sattvik environment . And temple provides all these prerequsite for powerful preaching.
A man who is working day and night, his mind generally become affected with passion and ignorance at some point of the day though he may be practising KC. And also he/she don't have the time to even read a whole chapter of Bhagvad Gita a day. Then how can he preach.
So a person engage 24/7 in Krishna can only preach oppulently Krishna Consciousness . and temples only provide that facility.
/*Srila Prabhupada stated that if needed, the marbel in Temples should be sold so the money can be used to preach.*/
You might Know even Srila Prabhupada opened 108 temples in different continent to preach Krishna consciousness philosophy. Why he had opened all these temples ???? ............Just to preach, to make Brahmacharis, to teach people KC philosophy, to teach people how to worship.
Srila Prabhuapda told this in the context if there is someday occurs a situation where we are out of money then we should sell the marbles of temples and print books. Books distribution is going on like hot cake thats why temples are coming with the remaning money .
In short all are needed, nothing is lesser or Higher, there are just different aspects to spread Krishna Consciousness philosophy . Some attracted by temple, some by prasadam, some by kirtan and some by reading book. We should not condemn anything stating it is bad (then we are in duality of this world) . Everything spent for Krishna is absolute, there is no bad no good.
Srila Prabhupada also told "Bookish knowledge without realisation is useless"
So preaching and temple worship both are needed. we can't devolop love for Krishna only by reading/preaching.
Hope it will help
your aspiring servant
Hari Bol
Very nice reply, Sudipta Prabhu ji
in our country all the buildings are covered with marble. White marble. Universities, hotels, schools, banks...all the buildings.
But our small ISKCON center is made of mud i think. and soon will get crashed to the ground.
If Krishna gives money for using marble then why not use that?
Krishna does not need our marble. We just build these Temples for those who are ignorant and somehow attract them to Krishna.
Your servant,
Recently there was a article in our news paper that our dear president of India has spend 205 crores for her foreign trips alone so far. She is given a palace like building to live in. Hundreds of body guards to protect her. hundreds of servants to serve her. And on top of this, a mammoth salary too!!! and what she gets off records are unknown... shhhhhh!!!! Now just think why she is given such luxury? Why is she given so much importance? She after all a president of a small piece of land called India, in a tiny little plannet in the Solar system called Earth, which is a small fragment in the Milky way galexy amongst hundreds and millions of such galaxies which form this universe and unlimited such universes are being created and destroyed every time Maha Vishnu is breathing out and in. And Krishna is the source of such Maha Vishnu. Now you tel me what can u give to a Person of this caliber???
Everything belongs to Krishna that you see and dont see. Even our body and we ourselves are nothing but property of Krishna. What ever we do to him is not sufficient. Even if you build a palace with pure Gold/Silver/Platinum studded with Diamonds and other precious stones, its is still insignificant offering to Lord. Let me give you a better example. Lets take the example of a father and son. every thing in the house is owned by father. Now when the child is eating food, in his tiny hands he carries couple of grains of rice and feeds his father. The father will feel very happy. The father can think... aree... this is my rice only what is this boy doing... by feeding my rice to me only...??? He will never think like that. In the same way, with what ever we have and could possible get from others, we try our best to give the best possible to Krishna. Marble and Granite Palace is nothing for Krishna. Absolutely Nothing.
Hare Krishna.
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