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Madhudvisa Swami enthusiastically pursued all opportunities to purchase the property on Danks Street as the new ISKCON Australian headquarters. But again there were problems. The Catholic Church was expressing the same reservations at selling the property to the devotees as they had with the beachside convent. Not only that, but another private buyer was bidding for the place. To Madhudvisa's great disappointment, despite ISKCON's firm offer, the Church soon sold the property to the other party for many thousands of dollars less than ISKCON's bidding price.

The story, however, did not end there. The new buyer, a property developer, soon found himself in financial difficulties. He had not reckoned on the older of the property's two buildings being on the National Trust of Australia's historical building register. Furthermore, the local council refused to grant permission to build apartments on the vacant land at the back of the property. Consequently, the buyer's plans to demolish the buildings, subdivide the land and construct apartments in their place were thwarted.

In due course, ISKCON offered to purchase the property from the developer. The man accepted. Consequently, a new headquarters for the International Society for Krsna Consciousness in Australia was purchased -- for an amount less than the original bidding price.

Prabhupada was very happy to hear the news. This new property, he suggested, although substantially smaller than the huge convent, was not only cheaper, but would also be more practical and easier to maintain.

He told a story in this connection: A man once saw some big gold earrings in a store. He became attracted to their opulence and each time he saw them, his desire to have them increased. But they were very expensive and beyond his budget. So he took an extra job and by working long hours he finally got the money to buy them. When he put them on, however, he discovered that they were so big and heavy that they constantly pulled on his ears and gave him an earache. So in the end he was forced to take them off.

The moral of the story was clear. If one tried for something beyond his means, it would be a burden from beginning to end. Better, Prabhupada said, to get something manageable, even if smaller, and utilise the time saved in preaching.


- From "The Great Transcendental Adventure" by HG Kurma Prabhu