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gauragopala dasa · 09:12 PM

The wonderful Hindu invasion of ISKCON Melbourne

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Devotees celebrate Janmastami 2008

Indian Hindus are populating ISKCON Temples in the West in a way never seen before over the last 42 years. This is happening all over the world at a massive rate and is not a phenomenon as some suggest.

The fact is, as India becomes a wealthier Nation, we can only expect more and more students to leave India and attend Western Educational institutions as well as many more arriving from India to become citizens of other countries.

Alsowe are seeing that many of these students eventually take up residency in Countries like Australia. As a result, India "Hinduism" has increased 153% just in the last 4 years in Australia! We have also seen in resent years that some of those students have moved into the ISKCON Temples and have taken up the life of a Brahmacari>/b>

We are all living in interesting times. As the world becomes more and more like a Global Village, due to technology, we are seeing a massive movement or the travelling of the Wolds population of population never before seen in recorded history.

Already the most popular Nation on the planet who speaks the English language, is not England, America, Canada or Australia, it is India whose enormous population is on the move.

At the Melbourne Australian ISKCON Temple on the weekend, there were 12,000 people of which 98% where Indian Hindu’s, Sikhs and even some Indian Muslims, celebrating Janmastami (Lord Krsna’s appearance day). The other 2% were of European background

From the perspective of a white Australians like myself, this was truly an amazing Janmastami like no other experienced in ISKCON Melbourne's history.

There was a queue of people, mostly Indian Hindus, that went from the front gate of the Temple for two blocks all waiting to enter the Temple, I have never seen anything like this in Australia..

It was truly fascinating to watch as those in different parts of the queue were having their own kirtan while waiting to see the beautiful Deities of Radha Ballabha and then honour delicious Maha-prasadam.

I felt very privileged to be apart of and witness this truly amazing event of Janmastami in 2008 and thought how Srila Prabhupada would be so pleased that ISKCON was providing the facility to worship Krsna in every corner of the planet.

This is a very auspicious historical event that is happening now and has been unfolding for the past 42 years. There is a famous saying that history is never recognized in its own time. What Srila Prabhupada achieved in the mid 1960s, will eventually be recognized as the most significant event who planted the seeds of a coming bonafide spiritual Movement that will inundate the entire World.

As we were watching the vast queue of people slowly making their way into the Temple, I mentioned to some young Brahmacaris, of who most are of Indian origin, that they must never forget why Srila Prabhupada came to the West in the first place. We must understand His Divine Grace came first to America to give Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and cause of ALL causes, to EVERYONE regardless of race, colour, political persuasion, or religion

Srila Prabhupada further wanted to influence ALL the age-old branches of so called Hinduism and bring them back to the original essence and cream of Vedic teachings, The beautiful Bhagavat Purana or Srimad Bhagavatam. In the Caitanya Caritamrta, it is stated that the essence and conclusion of all Vedic texts is the Srimad Bhagavatam.

This message was brought to the West by Srila Prabhupada in 1965, and then taken back to India by Prabhupada and with his ‘dancing white elephants’ in 1970. This was a name Prabhupada used to describe his Western devotees he had brought with him to India for the purpose of building ISKCON Temples all over India.

In this way, ISKCON would help rejuvenate and re-establish the worship of Krsna, the original cause of all causes, Lord Caitanya and the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra meant for this age of Kali yuga to all those of Hindu background and bring about a spiritual revolution within India.

It was further emphasised, as we watched this massive Hindu invasion of Melbourne Temple on Janmastami day, that we must not just preach only to the Indians Hindu’s, who are coming on their own accord anyway due to Krsna being part of their ancient tradition.

We, including those of Indian birth, must also be determined to preach to all others regardless of religious or cultural backgrounds. Krsna or God is for everyone and is in every living beings heart.

What ISKCON is offering to all the Hindu’s who are taking citizenship in Australia, is the basic foundations of the faith of their birth, however, the brahmacaris were reminded to keep up the mood of Srila Prabhupada and preach to EVERYONE regardless of race or culture and keep attracting those of Western background and follow the disposition of Srila Prabhupada.

Here is an interesting story in regards to demigod worship.

In 1974, I personally was the pujari who performed puja to Ganesha at ISKCON’s Spiritual Sky incense and clothing company in Melbourne for around four months. All the devotee workers would attend the puja as instructed by the then manager of Spiritual Sky in Melbourne, Ugrashava Prabhu. At the time, I was also dressing the small Radha Govinda Deities at the Temple and afterwards would go down town to Spiritual Sky to perform the Ganesha puja

When Prabhupada came to Melbourne for Rathayatra in 1974, he had heard about our worshiping of Ganesha and performing puja to him, and called for Jayadharma Prabhu and myself to come to his room. Jayadharma Prabhu was the Australian General Manager of Spiritual Sky at the time. Srila Prabhupada told us immediately to stop this worship of Ganesha with Prabhupada humbly adding,

“Our ISKCON properties are NOT for demigod worship, our devotees are to exclusively worship Radha Krsna, Gaura Nitai and Balarama, Subhadra and Jagannatha, and to also celebrate other various Vishnu tattva’s like Lord. Ramachandra etc though, our main focus is worshiping Radha and Krishna.

We always offer proper respects to all the demigods. We must always know however, that no demigod is equal to or above the Supreme Lord

Our ISKCON temples are known as Hare Krsna or Radha Krsna Temples, this is what we want people also in India to understand. Even on our Spiritual Sky incense packet there is Radha Krsna”

Srila Prabhupada then paused for a moment, then emphasised again the central status of his movement “Our ISKCON devotees exclusively worship Radha and Krsna and of course Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu”

And then Srila Prabhupada finished his talk to Jayadharma Prabhu and myself by saying in very simple straightforward English.

“Why worship the demigods when they all get all their power from krsna anyway?

Then Satsvarupa Maharaj, who was also in the room, quotes from memory -
“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures. (Bhagavad Gita 7:20.)

Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.” (Bhagavad Gita 7:23.)

So obviously, our worship of Ganasha at Spiritual Sky came to an abrupt end

Hari Bol, All glorious to Prabhupada

Your fallen servant Gauragopala dasa
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