Let's earn real wealth - devotion to the Supreme Lord
Rammohan G
Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga.
Ramayana mentions ‘Lakshmanah Lakshmi Sampanno’ – Lakshmanji possessed so much of wealth… Lakshmanji was serving Lord Rama and mother Sita with utmost sincerity. He didn’t even sleep for 14 years. He had no residence of his own, had no desires other than service to the Lord. Why then he is described to be so wealthy?
Real wealth is the devotion to the Supreme Lord. Actually everything belongs to the Supreme Lord and we are just the caretaker. In that mood, if we apply all our resources in the service of the Lord, we transform material energy into spiritual energy. Material wealth (money) can be used to earn spiritual wealth when we wholeheartedly use it in the service of the Lord.
This mail is being also sent to financial planning group. The intention is to strengthen our conviction that Lord can give and will give returns on our ’investment in His service’ millions of times more than what we get through managing our finances on our own. Beauty is that we’ll get both spiritual and material wealth, though it may come in the ways not directly perceivable. So let us all help in manifesting beautiful temples of the Lord.
Srila Prabhupada struggled so much to build magnificent temples at Mayapur, Vrindavan and Juhu, Mumbai. These magnificent temples attract millions of visitors. Srila Prabhupada and our spiritual masters want magnificent temple in Pune. Let’s help them in showering their mercy to millions.
Let’s give our heart to this service and collect with full enthusiasm… Below are some quotes from our spiritual masters
Excerpt from HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj’s address on the occasion of ‘Sudarshan Yajna’ at new temple land:
So why are we building this temple? As His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj has explained - for ourselves all we need is association of devotees, holy name and we can achieve all perfection. But the great acharyas established great temples so that thousands and millions of people who are captured by maya can get pure devotional service. Srila Prabhupada said, “Brothels are in the mode of ignorance. Cities are in the mode of passion. Forests are in the mode of goodness. But the Temple of the Supreme Lord is Vaikuntha, the spiritual world.”
Temple is constructed to give shelter to devotees, shelter to those who are now in the clutches of maya. This is the place where your soul will be nourished, the place to transcend exploitation from maya and her agents. When we are building such temples, it is declaring war against maya.
When we take shelter of the Supreme Lord in holy name and His devotees, we are guaranteed protection. Yes this temple is built as an act of compassion for others. These devotees who are working so hard to build this temple are not doing for themselves; they are doing it out of compassion for others. Lord Shiva drank ocean of poison to show compassion to us. There it is explained in Srimad Bhagavatam that there is no Greater service we can render than to show compassion to others.
Excerpt from Balaji Temple corner stone laying address by His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj (translated in English):
In one sense you can say that after the construction of this Balaji temple, Tirupati has come to Pune. People from here go to Tirupati for darshan of Balaji and in my opinion people from many places will come here for darshan of Balaji.
Nobody becomes poor serving the Lord. We read a story in Chaitanya Mangal. After taking sannyasa, Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu one day was going to Jagannath Puri. He felt thirsty. It was summer. One person was selling lassi. Mahaprabhu drank his lassi. That person asked for money. Mahaprabhu told, “My friends are coming behind. They will give you money.” After some time, Lord Nityananda reached there along with his companions. That person said, “One sannyasi drank all my lassi and told me that you would pay.” Lord Nityananda said, “We don’t have any money.” That person said, “All right. Tell that sannyasi that it was donation from me.” That person wanted to pick up his pitcher and go home. But when he went to lift the pitcher, the pitcher was so heavy that he could not lift. He became astonished. He thought, “This pitcher was empty. Sannyasi drank all the lassi. How did this pitcher suddenly become so heavy?” He looked inside and saw that the pitcher was filled with diamonds and pearls. Out of pleasure, he started chanting the holy names. There is only benefit by serving the Lord. So you all keep working together. Lord is making you all instrument in building this beautiful temple.
Excerpt from 07-04-11 New temple bhumi-poojan address His Holiness Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj (translated in English)
You have seen, in last 20-25 years whenever big temples are built, thousands of people get delivered. At one time we had small temple at Juhu, 20,25,30 people used to come to take darshan of Radha Rasabihariji. Since the time, big temple is opened, 25000-30000 people come and on festival days one lac people come. Similarly in Radha Kunjbihari temple in Camp, hundred, two hundred, three hundred people are coming. When Sri Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra temple gets built, I have full faith that thousands of people will come to take darshan. In the temple, they will hear the message of the Lord, take darshan of the Lord, thus their spiritual life will begin. So you all together endeavor to build the temple of Sri Sri Radha Vrindavanchandra temple. You all please remain together and with the support of you all, this work will get done at the earliest.
Excerpt from 07-12-23_Foundation stone laying ceremoney - new temple - address by His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj
Srila Prabhupada writes - The purpose of opening temples in International Society for Krishna Consciousness is to give people the opportunity to associate with devotees. In Srila Prabhupada books, which are the personification of the essence of the teachings of all the previous acharyas, we learn everything required to purify our hearts and awaken our love for Sri Sri Radha Krishna and Vrindavana. But Srila Prabhupada is explaining herein - the temples are necessary so that people can see - how the philosophy and the culture of Krishna Consciousness are practically practiced by devotees.
In all these temples in India, Srila Prabhupada personally arranged his topmost disciples from all over the world to come, to reside at those temples, to manage those temples and to preach at those temples. Because Prabhupada on the order of his Guru Maharaj on behalf of six goswamis has come to teach the real principles of Srimad Bhagavatam - unconditional, unmotivated devotional service wherein Krishna is the center. So we build the temple that’s the beginning. We install the deities; put Krishna in the center, that’s the next step. But those are the easy parts. The Real challenge is to fulfill Prabhupada’s purpose for these temples - that anyone who enters; their hearts will be transformed by the association of devotees. When they see pure devotional service - unmotivated, unconditional, uninterrupted before their eyes, they hear Hari katha from those who only want one thing - to give that prema bhakti. That is the challenge in Kali Yuga. Materialistic people are building buildings far more expensive than any of our temples and anyone can get a Deity carved in Jaipur and get some brahmanas to install it. But only those who are really sincere dedicated disciples will sacrifice their lives to make those temples what Prabhupada wanted them to be - the very manifestation of the teachings of his books, where devotees are really genuinely attached to chanting the holy names of the Lord, to hearing and speaking Srimad Bhagavatam, to worshipping Deities without expectation of anything in return, where devotees are united through love and trust for one another despite differences of opinions. Despite different races, different castes, different nationalities, different religions, we are united at the lotus feet of Guru and Gauranga and we are together through the culture of pure Vaisnavism. We are reaching out to the world to give them the gift of Srila Prabhupada’s heart - Krsna Prema.
Excerpt from His Holiness Indradymna Swami Maharaj’s address on ‘Faith_and_Charity’:
The Vaishnavas are exactly the opposite. As soon as they get something wonderful, some transcendental gifts - they develop quality titikshva karunika suhrdam sarva dehinam … santah sadhavah sadhu bhusanah, they are decorated with wonderful spiritual qualifications - They really want to give it away in charity. How you can do that? You worked so hard so many long hours … because you know the science of spiritual life. Spiritual mathematics means one minus one equals a million. The more you give in Krishna consciousness, the more you receive.
Your servant,
Ram Vilas das
Accumulation & Greed makes our heart hard while charity and selfless service makes our heart soft.
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