(3/4) Big Temple Is Not All

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj
Divine Appearance Day, Sri Vyasa Puja
Kolkata—West London, 17 October 2020, part 3

Because of the current situation, I told last Sunday that I cannot stop your guru-puja, but I asked everyone not to make festivals. This year, I did not join any big festival because of the pandemic situation, but I have heard many reports from all over the world and from all over Bengal temples. Everyone made very big festivals, with three hundred, four hundred, five hundred and six hundred people joining. The government rule here is that not more than a hundred people are allowed to gather (fifty people is the rule, and if there is any special cause, one hundred people are allowed). But every temple made big festivals, and from three to six hundred people came. I heard from Uluberia today that six hundred people joined the festival there, and there were more than three hundred people in Tarakeshwar. Many people also came to the Kandi temple and many other places. All right.

On the one hand, I am very fortunate because Gurudev has chosen me, this dog, for his service. I am also very fortunate because all my godbrothers and godsisters, all my friends and well-wishers all over the world say, 'Maharaj, where you are (wherever you stay), that is Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math.' When they say like this, it gives me much nourishment because I left the headquarters of Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math...

Actually, where is a temple? 'Math' means where sadhus live, where Vaishnavs live. We write that a temple is 'bhakti-siddhanta-sravan-sadan' (ভক্তি-সিদ্ধান্ত-শ্রবণ-সদন, lit. 'house for listening to devotional teachings'), but what is going on at the temple? Only gossiping, always telling lies and other nasty things. Even if there is a small temple, a small place with five–ten people staying there, but if they always glorify Gurudev, always singing the songs of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and preach about Mahaprabhu, that is sufficient for us and that is more important for us. Otherwise, you can have a big temple and big buildings, but only many cockroaches and rats live there. It can be a small temple, but if there are great hearts and good devotees living there, listening to Hari-katha, Krishna-katha, glorifying Guru-katha, then it is good, and I am very happy to hear that.

I know that there are only twenty of you staying at the temple there, and you do not have a very big place – it is not a fifty-acre land but only a few hundred square meters – but there are some good hearts living there, and when they serve, when they cook, when they worship, they do it with heart and soul. That is my happiness.

Thousands and thousands of people, millions of people can join and chant, 'Gaura Hari bol! Gaura Hari bol!', 'Hari bol! Hari bol!' but if you sieve through this crowd, you will not find even one pure devotee there. But if there are only five devotees worshipping properly, they are happiness.

All right, I was very happy to see you all... [Noticing a devotee in the audience] *** is a very strong preacher. I remember that when she was in Nabadwip, that demon beat her. He is actually not a man – this is called a demon. When you look at him, you do not see a man's face – it is a demon's face. Gurudev said also that in this Age of Kali, some demons will join this sankirtan maha-mandal wearing tilaks and kanthi-malas. Some demons will join this Krishna consciousness, and their dress will be Vaishnav dress. Gurudev said that, and I can see it now, too. On the one hand, 'sarva-jive krsna-adhisthan (সর্ব্বজীবে কৃষ্ণ-অধিষ্ঠান): Krishna is present in all jiva souls' (Gitavali). On the other hand, they wear kanthi-malas and put tilaks, but there is Krishna living on one side and a demon living on the other side – a demon is also working within them...

[Noticing a bearded devotee.] Are you doing chaturmasya? Why do you have a beard? Or is your chaturmasya only in the beard but you are eating everything? Are you eating everything but showing that you are doing chaturmasya? [His Divine Grace chuckles.]

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READ OTHER PARTS:

1) Enriched with Service
2) Internal Inconsistencies
3) Big Temple Is Not All
4) Servitor's Pride