By Parasuram dasa
At the official opening of Krishna’s Castle in the City of London on March 1st 2019, representatives from 10 banks and businesses were in attendance.
Since 14 months Krishna’s Castle, situated in the heart of the banking world, has been a hive of devotional service.
We need about 10 volunteers daily and half of them are bankers who come to do their Corporate Social Responsibly.
One definition : The emerging concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) goes beyond charity and requires the company to act beyond its legal obligations and to integrated social, environmental and ethical concerns into company’s business process.
All this comes under Ajnata Sukrti
Srila Prabhupada: “The beginning of contact with Krishna Consciousness is the beginning of good fortune. That some people may come and others may not, this is also due to association. Suppose a man accidentally comes in contact with our society and gives some service willingly or unwillingly, that is the beginning of his fortunate life.”
Daily there are over 2,000 healthy plates of Prasad to be cooked, pots need to be washed, including the biggest pot in the western world, veg chopped, pakoras and popadoms cooked, and Prasad distributed.
Second Group of Volunteers: Work Away is a scheme where employers offer accommodation and food to young people in return for work. We have facilities for 10 young people in the Castle. Young people are queuing up from around the world for a chance to live in the City of London for a week or so and engage in meaningful activities.
Srila Prabhupada jokes about bankers.
Indian (1): So if about the bankers, if you permit me, I’ll give you another interesting story. There was a man who was very ill in America, and he had a heart trouble. In fact he had no heart, I would say. So, you know, they can replace the hearts nowadays. He went to a hospital, and the doctor offered him, “Here are three hearts. Which one would you like? One is of the general, the other is of a big businessman, and the third is of a banker. What would you like?” So he thought, “Let me have the heart of a…” Prabhupada: Banker. Indian (1): “… banker.” [laughter] So the doctor said, “Why do you want to have the heart of a banker?” He thought, “Because I’m sure it has never been used.” [laughter] Prabhupada: [laughing] I’ll recite another very nice story… [break] Indian (2): [Hindi—about opening a branch of the bank] Indian (3): [Hindi] Indian (1): There seem to be little misunderstanding, not that we are short of any space or any accommodation or anything for which we can’t open, but there’s a little technical thing that bank license does not permit, and we are immediately taking or for amending the license, and as soon as it is, we’ll start. We have no problem of this. Gurudasa: Prabhupada, did you want to tell another story? Prabhupada: Yes. [laughter] Indian (1): But I had only two. I won’t be able to add. Prabhupada: [laughter] The story is that one poor man was informed by his friend that “Money draws money.” That’s a fact. If you have got money, you can draw money. So he went to the bank, and the cashier was counting huge amount of money, and he threw his coin on the cash…, [laughs] and he was waiting = “When the whole money will come to me?” Then the cashier saw this man is standing = “What is it? Why you are standing?” “Sir, I heard that money draws money, so I had one coin. I have dropped with your money. I am waiting when it will come to me.” So he said, “No, no. The fact is that = money draws. Now my money has drawn your money.” [laughter] So… [Hindi] Indian (1): Perhaps it is in the Bible that “Those who have shall be given more. Those who have not shall be taken of what they have already.” I don’t whether it’s right or not, but more money draws the lesser money. Prabhupada: Yes. [Hindi] April 6, 1976 Vrindavan.
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