Despite the fact that the Deity worship required many devotees to maintain it, everyone, save two devotees, had literally walked out of the temple. Devotees were urgently sent from Australia to somehow keep the whole thing afloat.
When Prabhupada heard the news, he was shocked. He expressed his disappointment in a letter to both Tusta Krsna and Beharilal sent to Auckland on 15 October 1973.
News has come to me that you want to sell our temple to somebody else, which I cannot believe. Even that you have been in charge of the New Zealand centre, now you have taken it as your personal property and you have demanded from Madhudvisa Swami the price of the temple. This is all amazing to me. I do not know what is your decision.
Tusta Krishna has already left and is in Hawaii with Siddha Svarupa Ananda Maharaja.
I never believed that again you would go back to your old habits, giving up the Krishna consciousness movement in a whimsical way. Please do not make this mistake. It will be a great calamity for you. If you have any misunderstanding with the GBC member, you should have let me know. But I do not think that there could be any misunderstanding.
When I was last at the New Zealand temple, everything was so peaceful and hopeful. Now, all of a sudden, you have changed that program and taken to your original ways? I am so much aggrieved to receive all this news. For Krishna's sake, do not do these things. I request Tusta Krishna to go back to New Zealand and take charge of your duties, and when I shall go to Australia, I shall go to New Zealand and see things personally.
Please do not leave Krishna. You will not be happy. That is my request.
I hope this meets you in good health,
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.
Four days later, Srila Prabhupada sent a telegram to Tusta Krsna Swami in Hawaii:
REFER MY LETTER DATED OCTOBER 15TH CARE OF SUDAMA COPY BEING SENT UNDER SEPARATE POST. DO NOT SELL NEW ZEALAND TEMPLE TO OTHERS. IF YOU WANT MONEY I SHALL PAY TO YOU, REST ASSURED -- BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI
Brisbane and Auckland were not the only centres disturbed by what was now being called "The Big Split". Devotees had also left the temples in Melbourne and Sydney, and although many of them did not actually join Siddha Svarupa in Hawaii, they had moved away to practise spiritual life separate from the temple environment.
It was a difficult and confusing time for those devotees that stayed in the temples. Many had affection for those that had left; others found it hard to discriminate between who was right and who was wrong.
Madhudvisa: We had to actually take a firm position and start saying that what Siddha Svarupa had done was wrong. Some devotees argued: "Well, you know, Siddha Svarupa left the temple, so why do I have to stay in such a disciplined atmosphere? Why can't I go? I can keep my Krsna consciousness out on the beach, like Siddha does."
So we had to draw a line and say: "No, that's not really what Prabhupada wants. Prabhupada wants you to stay here and look after the temple. He wants you to do these disciplined daily activities, and he wants you to go out on the street and chant Hare Krsna and sell his books."
Some would counter, "Well Siddha and his followers don't have to do it, so why should we?" We had to make a distinction and make it quite clear what Prabhupada actually wanted.
- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu
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