He was so troubled by the poor standard of worship, that he dedicated most of his class to it. Although his tone was dispassionate and objective, showing no traces of the flash of anger he had displayed earlier, he gave a very strong warning to the devotees about the consequences of inattention and neglect.
He started out by saying that human life begins with the practice of religion, but nowadays there are organized movements such as communism to stop it. Yet, he said, in one way, they cannot be blamed. "Because the guardians of the religious system, they are fallen. Just like immediately our Subhavilasa prabhu was asking me that, 'We have seen so many temples. Why they are so neglected?' Is it not your question? And why they should not neglect it? Mostly, the temples, they have become the means of livelihood. That is the defect. Temple is not meant for means of livelihood; then it will deteriorate. How long you can falsely worship Deity and make show of arati? You cannot go on very long time, that is not possible. You'll be disgusted. Unless there is feeling, bhava, that 'Here is Krsna. Krsna has very kindly come here to receive, to take, accept my humble service. He's so great that He cannot be approached by a person like me.' Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan."
Explaining that we cannot worship Krsna in His universal aspect Prabhupada went on, "Therefore He is so kind that He has appeared before you in this temple so that you can touch Him actually, you can serve Him, you can dress Him, you can offer Him eatables ... This is arca-vigraha, Deity. Arcye visnau sila-dhih. Krsna has appeared.
"We are not so elevated like Nanda Maharaja or Yasoda," he said. "We're just beginners. So we do not know what is Krsna. We cannot see Krsna, either His virad-murti or this murti. So what we can see? We can see stone, wood or material things. So when Krsna appears to be seen by you and He appears like a stone statue, He's not stone statue. Don't think. Therefore we must learn how to see Krsna. So we should not think that 'Here is a stone statue.' As soon as we think of stone statue, then our, this feeling, bhava, will be lost. So the answer is that if we establish some temple and Deity and take it as a means of livelihood ..."
"So at least we Indians we are trained up like that. Not only trained up, we are born devotees. Anyone who has taken birth in India, that is special facility. In their previous birth, they had performed many austerities, much austerities. Even the demigods, they desire also to take birth in India to get this opportunity. So India-India means this planet, Bharatavarsa -- there is good opportunity. So if we think that 'Here is a stone statue,' then it will not prolong many days.
"Galagraha. No more vigraha, but galagraha. Suppose I have established this temple. Now under my direction, my disciples are worshiping vigraha. Vigraha means the form of the Lord, rupa. But if there is no following of the regulative principles, then after my death it will be galagraha, a burden, that 'Our rascal Guru Maharaja established this temple, and we have to worship, early rise in the morning, all botheration.' That is called galagraha, a burden, 'He has left with us a burden.' This is the risk. Then such a big temple will be mismanaged, and you'll find that 'This is breaking' and 'This is unclean,' and there is no attention. This will be our [mood] ... That is called galagraha, 'The rascal has given us a burden.
"So it is very difficult. If we have lost that feeling that 'Here is Krsna. Here is a chance to serve Him ...' Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marjanadau. Therefore we are very much vigilant, 'Why you did not this? Why you do not this? Why ...?' As soon as the feeling of devotional service will be lost, this temple will be a burden. This is the way. It will be such a big temple, to manage, it will be a great burden. So they are feeling burden. Therefore they don't mind if somewhere is broken sometimes. 'All right, whatever money we have got, let us eat first of all.' This is the position. Vigraha and galagraha, you should understand. If we forget that 'Here is Krsna personally present. We have to receive Him very nicely. We have to give Him nice food, nice dress ...' Then it is service. And as soon as the feeling comes that 'Here is a stone idol,' -- they say sometimes 'idol worship' -- 'and we have been instructed to dress Him, to give Him ... -- all botheration.' Then finished. Finished.
"That has come everywhere. I have seen in Nasik in many, many big temples there is no pujari, and the dogs are passing stool."
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"So not only the churches in the Western countries, here also. As soon as you will lose the spirit of service, this temple will become a big go-down [warehouse], that's all. No more temple. So we have to maintain that service spirit. Therefore we are so much particular -- 'Why fresh flower is not there?' If you think, 'Here is a stone statue. What is the meaning of fresh flower or old flower? We have to give some flower, that's all.' But no feeling, that 'Here is Krsna. We must give fresh flower.' Just like I'm a living man, if you give me a fresh flower, and if you bring some garbage, and if you give me, shall I be pleased? Do you think? So this feeling is losing even in the beginning, that 'We shall satisfy this statue with some rubbish, garbage flowers. He's not going to protest.' Yes, He'll not protest, but your life will be finished. The protest will come like that. As soon as you lost the feeling, bhava, budha bhava-samanvitah.
"Who can worship Krsna? When there is bhava, sthayi-bhava. This has been discussed in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, what is bhava. But if you have no bhava, then you are on the material, kanistha-adhikari. Simply show. A show cannot go on many days, show will be finished very soon."
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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