Lacking Manpower

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Speaking online to San Jose
14 June 2015

Question: It is easy to build a temple when you have the money, but it is hard to maintain it when not so many devotees come to serve in the temple. It becomes hard, even though it is a temple, to stay in the association. What do you recommend in such situations?

Do not be discouraged by this. When Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur made sixty-four temples in his lifetime, there also were not so many servitors, but the temples were still running. No one can stop service of the Lord.

In this temple also, Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math, Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj did not see a proper servitor and Gurudev at first did not agree to take charge of the temple as the acharya, so he decided that he would break the temple and give the Deities to his godbrother. When Srila Sridhar Dev-Goswami Maharaj told this to Gurudev, Gurudev agreed. Krishna sent him.

After Guru Maharaj disappeared, Gurudev made so many centres—he preached all over the world and so many centres appeared all over the world. These centres are still running properly.

Then, after 2010, Gurudev's disappearance, by the mercy of Gurudev so many more temples appeared and also so many Indian servitors came to serve in the temples. Maybe they are new or simple-hearted devotees, but it necessary to teach them properly, give them proper guidance.

We should preach properly and take it seriously, not only worry how to make a temple. If some money comes to make or maintain a temple, we cannot digest that money or use that money for ourselves. We should use the money for service to the devotees—we can make a temple, for example. If in some place there are Gurudev's disciples and servitors, they arrange their service, and I also get energy and enthusiasm to make a temple, then it can be done; otherwise if you do not have so much manpower, do not make a temple in that place. First you must make devotees through preaching, then you can start a preaching centre. That is a good recommendation.

What did Prabhupad make sixty-four temples for? In Mahaprabhu's time, before Sanatan Goswami there were no Deities of Mahaprabhu in Vrindavan. Sanatan Goswami was the first to install Mahaprabhu's Deity there. So, if somebody is not doing it, then you should try to do it. It is necessary to have a preaching movement, seva, puja.

Actually we are not doing anything—everything happens by the will of Gurudev, by the will of Krishna. Mahaprabhu appears Himself, Krishna also appears Himself. What can we do? I do not want to make so many temples, but people come to me and give me some land to make a temple. Every time I make a temple I think, "I will not make any more," but still it comes to me by it own will, then what can I do?

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