My temples and centers (Prabhupada)

Expressions researched:
"My big New York temple" |"my ISKCON temples" |"my Krishna-Balarama Temple" |"my London Temple" |"my New Vrindaban temple" |"my New York temple-headquarters" |"my San Francisco temple" |"my Vrindaban temple" |"my Vrndavana temple" |"my constructing a temple" |"my headquarters. The temple house" |"my other temples" |"my temple" |"my temples" |"we first start a Temple"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.46-62 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1968:

Just like I am in America. It is very easy to understand. I am not adopting any ways of life as the Americans do. So I am not in America. Not only myself, all my disciples who are following me, they are also not Americans. They're different from American behavior, American ways of life. In that sense I'm not in America. I am in Vṛndāvana because wherever I go in my apartment or in my temple I live with Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I don't accept any consciousness of America. And I teach my disciples also to take to that consciousness. So one who takes to that consciousness, he is also not in America, not in this world.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

This material advancement of civilization is not knowledge. People may not agree with us, but actually this is the fact. This is ignorance. Suppose I have come here in your city. I have got some business. So if I forget my business and I become busy with my apartment, is that very sound knowledge? I have come here to execute some business. I have got my temple here. There are devotees. They want to see me. I want to see them. They want to take something, spiritual knowledge, from me, and my duty is to impart. This is the business. But if I simply become engaged how to decorate the apartment where I shall live and forget my business, does it mean that I am very intelligent? No. Therefore that is called ignorance. I forget my real business; I become engaged in some business which is very temporary.

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

Radio Interview -- March 12, 1968, San Francisco:

Interviewer: Now, you met a gentleman by the name of Harvey Cohen?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Interviewer: And how has he helped you?

Prabhupāda: Yes, in the beginning he helped me. Because I rented one room. That was $72 per month. So...

Interviewer: Was this in New York?

Prabhupāda: In New York, yes, Seventy-second Street West. So whatever there was shortage, he was supplying. I was getting some money by contributions in my lectures. But in the beginning my all expenditures were not sufficient collection. So the deficiency he was giving me.

Interviewer: Did he aid you in setting up the first center or temple?

Prabhupāda: No, I started my temple in 1967, first July.

Interviewer: In New York.

Prabhupāda: New York, yes.

Room Conversation -- July 16, 1968, Montreal:

Prabhupāda: So the florist is given a certain tract of land free, and let him produce flower and make business. But the quantity of flower I require for my temple, he must supply daily. Similarly, the bandsman, he should come and play band. Everything was on land distribution. That was the system. And tax was paid to the government. Not by assessment. Uh, assessment... Whatever your land production is there, you give to the government one-fourth. That's all.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Sridhara Maharaja -- June 27, 1973, Navadvipa:

Prabhupāda: Now, now we, this, recently, before coming here, one of my students, Śyāmasundara, he took me from the airport on helicopter to my temple, and he spent one thousand pounds for that rascal thing. Unnecessarily. "Why you have spent unnecessarily?" No.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal and Secretary to the Pope -- May 24, 1974, Rome:

Cardinal Pignedoli: Are you welcome in Japan? People are interested, eh?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Recently some of our preachers, they have collected fifty-thousand dollars from the Japanese people. They wanted to contribute me for my Vṛndāvana temple, but the Japanese government will not allow to let the money go out. He wrote me. And I have seen personally, when I went... I went to Japan three, four times. These Japanese boys and girls, they are as good as these American, Europeans boys. And that is my practical... Or they, they are my students. They offer me respect so much. The Japanese boys, without being my students, they offer the same respect. So I thought that Japan is very good. Everywhere. That I told you already, that the love of Godhead is dormant in everyone. It doesn't matter what he is.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview -- March 5, 1975, New York:

Reporter: Swamiji, can you please? Yes, please. Can you tell us what your purpose is in coming to New York at this time?

Prabhupāda: To New York, I am coming here since 1965. I have got my temple. So I am going to London. So it is for the time being, transit stoppage. Otherwise I have got my temple here.

Television Interview -- July 9, 1975, Chicago:

Woman reporter: What will you do in Philadelphia?

Prabhupāda: The same thing. I have got my temple there. I stay there, and I teach people according to my philosophy.

Woman reporter: Is Philadelphia your last stop in...

Prabhupāda: No, no, I travel all over United States. Then I will go to Europe. Then I will go to Africa. I have got my touring program for 4 months.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 17, 1976, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: So I am.... In the morning I do your sat-saṅga, and afterwards I do the sat-saṅga of Bhāgavata and Bhagavad-gītā. So it is a continuous sat-saṅga. So don't say I am not doing it. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: No, no, you are not.... I don't say that you are rascal.

Dr. Patel: No, about sat-saṅga.

Prabhupāda: Rather, I think myself rascal because.... (laughter)

Dr. Patel: I say about sat-saṅga. Let us turn the issue.

Prabhupāda: I could not draw you in my temple.

Dr. Patel: You have drawn me lot, but still, you are dragging me by leg nowadays.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Into our hospital.

Indian: (Hindi)

Dr. Patel: I think I am not fit to be with you, so far I consider myself.

Prabhupāda: Everyone is.

Dr. Patel: I must correct myself and all my defects. Otherwise I would pollute you. (break) (laughter) I will become after sixty-five.

Prabhupāda: You are fifteen years late already. (laughter)

Evening Darsana -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Prabhupāda: But they are saying like that. This Karpathadaji(?) and others, they are against me.

Dr. Sharma: Mūḍha-mate.

Prabhupāda: But they are big, big men. What can be done? Here also Christians are not very happy also. And there, Hindus are not happy. So where shall I go? (laughter) I cannot stay here, neither in India. This is my position. Neither in my temple. This is my position. Nor India, nor America, nor Europe, nor any place. So nārada muni bhajaya vīṇā. (laughter)

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- January 9, 1977, Bombay:

Dr. Patel: I was also thinking like that, today, I mean, presence I said, that Vaiṣṇavas keep woman...

Prabhupāda: It is different situation. I cannot reject anyone.

Dr. Patel: No, that's right. You are right. But this is a great affecting the boys down here. After all...

Prabhupāda: But they are taught, "Don't be misled." But if they cannot, that (indistinct). I cannot deny. I cannot deny. I cannot say that "You are woman. You are condemned." I cannot.

Dr. Patel: Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to keep women away from...

Prabhupāda: That is personally as a sannyāsī, not that... He never said that women should be refused Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Dr. Patel: No. Nobody has said so. But they should not mix.

Prabhupāda: Here in the Western country it is their custom to mix, intermingle freely. How can I stop it? I may stop in my temple, but they will do it outside. So it is impossible.

Room Conversation -- June 17, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: ...opposition of my constructing a temple in Māyāpura.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: From the very beginning. First you asked for land. That was refused. Then you sent money, but for three years—nothing. I think you sent money twice.

Prabhupāda: So many things also.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Then we were even stopped by the elements, when we went... You took us, and we went and stayed at Devānanda Gauḍīya Maṭha. But the rain suddenly came so strongly, (Prabhupāda chuckles) we could...

Prabhupāda: Could not cross to the other side.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. Then you said, "Perhaps Kṛṣṇa wants us to establish in Vṛndāvana and not Māyāpura." So you were going to send me to see this Madan Mohan to try to negotiate.

Prabhupāda: Anyway, forget the past. Push forward.

1968 Correspondence

Letter to Sumati Morarjee -- Montreal 30 August, 1968:

Some of my Indian friends are ready to donate Sri Sri Radha Krishna Vigraha for installation in the temples. Formerly, also, one Mr. Bhargava of Agra, he donated one Pair of Radha Krishna Vigraha, with dress, and it was sent to Calcutta, and your Calcutta office was kind enough to carry it free of freight charges. Now they have denied. I have to import at least 20 Pairs of such Vigraha, and if you at least carry the Vigrahas, freight charges free, it will be a great help to my cause. Besides that, I am getting Mrdangas, Khole, from Navadvipa, Karatalas. So there are many paraphernalia I require for my temples. It is not meant for business; and I did not know why Mr. Wankawala refused.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Dr. Chaudhuri -- Los Angeles 6 February, 1969:

In the meantime, I wish that you may stock a few copies of our books in your bookstall and just have a test how the members of your institution will like this Vaisnava philosophy. Generally, people are not very much inclined to accept Vaisnava philosophy because for the common man it is not very easy to understand. In the Bhagavad-gita we find the statement that out of many thousands of people, one may be interested in the values of human life, and out of many persons who have understood the values of life, only one may be found who can understand Krishna. It is further stated that Krishna can be understood only through devotional mysticism. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah (BG 18.55). On hearing from you I will ask my San Francisco temple to deliver you some copies of Bhagavad-gita As It Is if you so desire.

Letter to Satya Pal -- Hamburg 31 August, 1969:

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter addressed to my New Vrindaban temple, and I am so glad to read it. I think this is the first letter I received from you since I met you sometimes in 1959. I am glad to learn that now you are a family man, and you have qualified yourself as post graduate student of economics and are in possession of a government service. But I am sorry to learn that you are pulling on with Rs. 250 per month. It is surely insufficient for a family man. This Rs. 250 means in American exchange as somewhere between 30 and 35 dollars, which is earned here even by ordinary workers in three days. That is the lowest income in this country.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Hanuman Prasad Poddar -- Los Angeles 5 February, 1970:

Regarding the number of asramas, our Temples are already listed above. The Deity worshiped in the Temples are Jagannatha Swami with Balarama and Subhadra, and Radha Krishna. When we first start a Temple, we start with Jagannatha Swami. My Guru Maharaja recommended Temples of Jagannatha in these countries, so I was inspired to establish first of all Jagannatha Swami because He is kind even to the mlecchas. Then, when there is opportunity, I establish Radha Krishna Murti. So generally in all our Temples, Jagannatha Swami and Lord Caitanya Sankirtana pictures are invariably there, and gradually we are installing Radha Krishna Murtis in each and every center.

Letter to Manager of Punjab National Bank -- Los Angeles 28 February, 1970:

Replying your letter No. 464 dated 2 February, 1970, addressed to my London Temple and now redirected to me here, I beg to inform you that when you received Rs. 33, 705.86 I submitted a note of purpose in which it was stated that the money was meant for purchasing books and securing a small piece of land. You may find out this note in our file.

Letter to Turya Shramy Maharaja -- Los Angeles 8 April, 1970:

You will be pleased to know that we have got twenty-six centers all over the world, namely; Europe, America, Canada, Japan, and Australia. Of all the centers this Los Angeles center is my headquarters. The temple house is recently purchased by us at a price of $225,000 corresponding to our Indian exchange of 22 lakhs and 50,000 rupees. Out of the 26 centers, in three centers we have got our own premises. In Boston we have got our own press in our own house which was started last October, 1969 at a cost of 9 lakhs of rupees. I am sending herewith one picture of our present headquarters in Los Angeles at the above address.

Letter to Madhukantha -- Bombay 16 November, 1970:

Please accept my blessings. I am very much thankful to you for your kindly report from San Jose far away from me now. I am always anxious to know about the activities of my Temples so far established. I always pray to Krsna that you, all my students, may go ahead in this Krsna Consciousness Movement.

The routine work, as it is going on in your center, appears to be very satisfactory. Please keep this standard continually and Krsna will give you all facilities.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Visvanatha Babu -- Bombay 3 January, 1972:

Since I met you last at Radha Damodara Temple Vrindaban sometimes in 1963-64, I left India for preaching the message of Lord Caitanya abroad in U.S.A., I could not meet you but always think of you how much you love to hear Sankirtana. At present I have established 70 centers all over the world and if by chance you go to Europe, America, Australia, Canada, Japan, Africa, etc. where I have got many thousands of disciples in all those continents, I invite you to visit my temples, a list of which is enclosed herewith. I have five branches in India also; and in Bombay at present I am staying at my above temple. You will be glad to know that I am introducing Rathayatra and other important Vaisnava festivals in Europe and America and probably it is known to you that in San Francisco, California and in London we are having the festivals in grand scale for the last five years continually. Every year the local people are taking more and more interest and I am enclosing herewith a pamphlet in this connection which I hope you will read with interest.

Letter to Ish Kumar Puri -- New York 9 July, 1972:

After you have studied the matter thoroughly, kindly send me your lowest quotations for printing the books listed herewith. I shall be in London at the above address until the 20th of this month, and after that you may write me at my New York temple-headquarters, 439 Henry Street, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. 11231.

Letter to Deva Mira -- Bombay 29 December, 1972:

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated December 12, 1972 and I have noted the contents with great concern. Bali Mardan is my trusted senior disciple, do you think I am a fool to choose him for running on My big New York temple. Rather, if anyone criticizes him, they must be the fool. He has done so much wonderful service and I appreciate him so much. No amount of your foolish words will touch my estimation.

I am stopping in New York by next summer. Meanwhile, I shall request you not to make any disturbance and I shall request Bali Mardan to leave you alone. You must abide by the order of Bali Mardan, you write as Dr. Please let me know what kind of Doctor you are? Have you got any bona fide certificate? Send me the copy of the certificate at once. Please let me know this immediately.

1973 Correspondence

Letter to Damodara -- Bombay, India 9 January, 1973:

Regarding the several smaller temples being dependent upon the central temple of Washington D.C., that is up to you to decide, but so far I am concerned, I have not got much stock in such centralized management or organization. I never wanted that any of my temples shall be dependent upon the other temples. Rather, our main business is to train up men to be self sufficient and competent in many ways to carry on the preaching work, not to make them into specialists or to minimize their responsibility by centralizing everything. If each center must rely upon its own strength to stand, that will be better training ground for the devotees. We must learn how to do all kinds of varieties of engagements on Krsna's service, not that we shall expect anyone else to act for us and thus avoid something ourselves. But for reasons of spreading Krsna Consciousness movement, we may sometimes centralize, just like the books and money for BBT are managed by Karandhara in Los Angles. In that case, for more than one man to be dealing with Dai Nippon, overseeing the general production and financial condition of the books, if that were left for each temple to manage, there would be great difficulty and the books would get neither printed nor paid for nor distributed widely. So in that case, centralized management is preferable. But in the case of new temples, it is better if they must have to struggle a little while to establish themselves in their cities, become familiar with the local city officials and leading citizens, elicit support from all quarters of the city, like that, otherwise these things will be neglected and there will be false dependency upon the outside supplies. This will deteriorate everything. Our purpose of Krsna consciousness movement is to create first class servants of Krsna, that means they know how to do everything.

Letter to Bali-mardana -- Bhaktivedanta Manor July 20, 1973:

Now we are going to install nice Radha-Krsna Deities here in our new Letchmore Heath Temple on Janmastami Day, August 22nd 1973. The thing is there are no nice paintings immediately available for the Temple room here. So I want you to remove all of the paintings that are presently hanging in my rooms at Brooklyn Temple and dispatch them to Letchmore Heath or London immediately by air mail. The temple room is very large, I think about 70 feet by 30 feet, so many paintings are required to decorate it nicely. Therefore all of those paintings in my rooms are required and if you can send me besides additional of the newer paintings that will be your great contribution.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Manager of Punjab National Bank -- Honolulu 19 January, 1974:

I beg to inform you that my banker in Los Angeles, California, has transferred one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00) to you for credit for my savings account number 6112, in the name of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, and I hope you have received the money by this time. The purpose of sending this money is to construct our Krsna-Balarama temple at Raman Reti in Vrindaban. This money is a contribution of my ISKCON temples here in the U.S.A.

Letter to Mr. Apparao:

Please accept my best wishes. I thank you for your letter dated nil and I am very glad to note your enthusiasm for becoming Krishna conscious. Actually we can see that by so much material endeavor, no one is becoming satisfied or happy. Rather the world is becoming a more hellish place to live. Therefore one who is able to take to Krishna consciousness is considered the most fortunate of men. To help people in this regard I have established my temple all over the world. Presently we have established a nice center in Hyderabad where you can take full advantage of the temple life. There you will be able to purchase our books, attend kirtana and lectures and take Krishna prasada every day. Our temple president Mahamsa Swami will be able to completely guide you. He will be able to engage you in Krishna's service.

Letter to Dr. Ghosh -- Bombay 17 November, 1974:

Further I beg to inform you that all my temples and centers here in India are being managed by my foreign disciples. I want that they should be admitted as immigrants. They have embraced this Vaisnava religion and have given money for constructing these temples and are managing them. Although we have got a few Indians to join, they are neither educated or expert.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Bon Maharaja -- Evanston, Illinois 7 July, 1975:

Last time we met in Vrindaban in that matter of your institution. I gave you my decision, and you were to reply your decision, but I never heard from you in this connection. If there is any possibility of co-operation I am still ready for it. Apart from this, I wish to start a Gurukula Institution in Vrindaban for educating small children attached to my temple. You have enough land still vacant. Therefore I request you to spare some land in the front of my Krsna Balarama temple. It will be a great mercy on me. I hope by this time you have gone back Vrindaban. You can reply this letter to my San Francisco address as follows: ISKCON BERKELEY, 2334 Stuart St., San Francisco 94705.

Letter to Dinanatha -- Bombay 17 November, 1975:

Please accept my greetings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated November 14, 1975 and I thank you very much for the same. I am so much pleased that your staying in my Vrindaban temple was not any inconvenience.

I met a very major car accident in Mauritius, and still there is some little sore on my knees. So by the middle of December I shall go back to Vrindaban via Delhi. From there I shall go to South India to Nellore, and then I shall go to Calcutta by the beginning of February, 1976. Surely at that time we shall meet.

By the by we had some talks when you were in Vrindaban about some flat apartment. I require a flat of four rooms. If you kindly negotiate and let me know the terms, it will be very kind of you. The flats can be taken either on rent or maybe purchased.

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Sri Triloki Natha Acarya -- Mayapur 18 March, 1976:

I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 24th February, 1976. It was addressed to Calcutta temple but on account of not mentioning the zonal number, it was delivered very late in Calcutta, then it was redirected here in our above temple.

However, I am so glad to receive your letter and I reply that I require your good help in my preaching work. We are preaching all over the world with great success and you'll be pleased to know that we are selling our books tremendously. The general estimate is collection of Rs. 1 lac to Rs. 5 lac daily. Our preachers are very much enthusiastic but in India they have got a language difficulty. If you cooperate with us along with other learned devotees, we can immediately take up preaching work in India with great enthusiasm. We have got 8 big and small buses and one very nice car for my personal use. If you will start sankirtana movement from town to town and village to village with the cooperation of other learned Indian men like yourself, I'm sure that in very short time our endeavour ill be successful.

Kindly see me on the 30th March, 1976, at Vrindaban in my Krishna-Balarama Temple either in the morning between the hours of 10-12 or in the afternoon between the hours of 5-7 p.m. along with this letter.

Letter to Dixit -- Vrindaban 18 September, 1976:

I have constructed this temple and all my other temples so that at least some educated retired men shall live here without any material desires, but at the present moment people are so educated that even up to the point of death they cannot give up the enjoyable items, namely money and women. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore recommends niskincanasya bhagavata bhajano 'numukhasva.

So if anyone is very serious to go to the other side of this material ocean for him to be completely freed from material attachment is absolutely necessary. Unfortunately people are reluctant to give up material association: that is the difficulty.

So wherever we may remain we can chant the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra without any offense and that will help us in the future how to become detached from visaya and yosit, or sense gratification and women.

1977 Correspondence

Letter to Gaurachand Goswami -- Mayapur, West Bengal 16 February, 1977:

Please accept my dandabats. Enclosed please find one copy of advise to the Punjab National Bank, Kunjhaba-Balarama Temple branch, to pay you Rs 50 (fifty rupees) per month. I shall arrange that you get this money so long as you live. When I was in your temple both you and your wife took very much care for me, so kindly accept this little help. This is apart from my temple contribution; this is for your personal expenditure. Thank you very much.