Bhakti Projects – Radha Govinda Temple, Los Angeles

April 9, 2011 in Community, USA

Radha Govinda Temple, Los Angeles

Written by BV Padmanabha Swami on behalf of the Sannyasi Council and the Bhakti Trust International of The International Pure Bhakti Yoga Society.

This letter is a very urgent call to arms of all of Srila Gurudeva’s disciples, followers, friends and well-wishers. We are appealing to all throughout the world to kindly help now this most dear project so close to the heart of our beloved Srila Gurudeva.

We, the Sannyasa Council and the Bhakti Trust International of Srila Gurudeva’s International Pure Bhakti Yoga Society are uniting together in this effort to now finally fulfill Srila Gurudeva’s desire as he has expressed many times over the past seven years:

To have His Los Angeles preaching center fully paid off once and for all.

We are now launching this historic first worldwide fundraising drive for the center which Srila Gurudeva desired should become his Worldwide Western Headquarters for His ongoing and ever expanding preaching mission. Srila Gurudeva had this one remaining desire which was not fulfilled during His manifest presence in this world. Now it is going to be fulfilled!

If all of our energies around the world become combined together, and focused in fulfilling Srila Gurudeva’s heart’s desire, it will not be a difficult task to make this happen. And this will now be the forerunner for the future, in which we will be progressively establishing of more centers in the western world.

All the devotees around the world have donated over these past fifteen years to fulfill Srila Gurudeva’s request that all will help Him to build His Govardhana and Nabadwipa temples. That task has been accomplished, and such beautiful temples have been erected for all the vaisnavas to come and celebrate the Braja Mandala and Nabadwipa dhama parikramas for decades and hundreds of years into the future, as was His desire.

Now there remains this urgent desire of Srila Gurudeva to be fulfilled by His loving and devoted disciples. He has said in His speech that you will now see on this video, that He wants all, top to bottom, to give for this LA preaching center. He liked this center very much, and said this many times. We are also providing for you all the many quotations from the numerous times that Srila Gurudeva has expressed His desire to have this center.

Inauguration of the
Worldwide Fundraising Drive

We are now beginning this fundraising drive to unite together every single devotee in the sanga, and beg on Srila Gurudeva’s behalf that all contribute to fulfill this desire. Srila Gurudeva said “and I think it is not very big task, you can do it”.

So, we can and are going to do it, and now we are going to prove that, in the physical absence of our divine beloved master and dearmost friend of our heart, we will do the necessary to make this desire of Srila Gurudeva a reality. We are going to give as deep as our pockets will go, and do what we need to do, to bring a smile of satisfaction to the lotus face of our beloved Srila Gurudeva.

We invite you to watch this video of Srila Gurudeva expressing His desire to have everyone help him by donating to keep His center in Los Angeles. It was filmed in Los Angeles in 2007 when the temple was going to be sold and Srila Gurudeva was trying to save it so that it would not be closed and lost. Please observe the sense of urgency in Srila Gurudeva’s voice, how He is practically pleading with the devotees to help Him, to give and not withhold. He asks seven times during this three minute video for all to give. (The transcript of the speech follows.)

Help Srila Gurudeva Keep His preaching center!

In His own words: Seven times, He personally begs for all “top to bottom” to donate something to keep His preaching center.

Transcript follows:

I also request to you, I am very happy to see you so many, so many. But, I want, that preaching center of Venice Beach, here, which was preaching center, I like this center very much, very good.

So I am requesting you all, you are so many devotees, you should donate some, something (each of you something). We will make a board, very beautiful (indicating to list the names of donors), those who are here in LA or nearby LA, like Brajesh prabhu, like Jamuna Prasad, like Maharaja, like Radha Kanta, I will tell him to be, like others, and you should make a group, and (very strongly) all devotees should donate something.

If they can donate for themselves, why not for Guru? Why not for Krsna? Preaching center is for Krsna. Guru wishes what? Anyhow to attract persons towards Krsna. So our preaching center is for this! Not enjoying center.

So I request all, if you can donate for you, you can spend for you, why not something for me, for Krsna?! So I request, and I hope that you will hear me, and all top to bottom, should give some donation to keep that preaching center.

And in the last if you left (do not receive enough) response, then you’ll have to sell anyhow. But I request that you should all give some, something, and I think that it is not very big task, you can do.

So all should give some donations, and keep this center. I will be very happy.

Gaura premanande!

End of Transcript.

In addition, the following are a collection of statements made by Srila Gurudeva reiterating His desires:

“I want that L.A. should be My Worldwide Western Headqarters — like Swamiji”. (paraphrase — Badger, Morning Walk, 2006)

“I want that in whole America, L.A. should be prominent.” (Badger, Morning Walk, 2006)

“You may want to sell this building because you think you cannot manage, but I will not be happy.” (L.A. Evening Program, June 2006, Approximately 500 witnesses)

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has instructed us to take prasadam up to the neck, to dance and to sing with devotees, and for that purpose we have established this Los Angeles center.
This preaching center is in a critical position; I want you to help it. I want a center like this. The location is very good. It is the center of town – near the beach and airport. Los Angeles is one of the biggest cities in America and in the world, and it has come from angels (Los Angeles) – this is very important. Srila Bhaktivedanta Svami Maharaja held Ratha-yatra here. Preachers will come here from all over the world.
“This center is struggling and lacking money. I want that it should be saved – and you can save it in a moment. We want a very ideal school for children to be here very soon, so that all devotee children can study the Vedas…. All will come and be respected here; and from here we should preach all over the world.” (L.A. lecture, May 2007)

“I have always liked that building very much. All senior devotees should get together to make a plan to have this building.” (Letter to Sripad Avadhuta Maharaja, 2007)

“I want that building.” (L.A. Darshan, May 2007)

“A plan should be made to get back the whole building, and make it the best in the world.” (Letter to L.A. Board, October 4, 2008)

“I want that all devotees from all over the world should contribute to this building.” (Transmitted through phone conversation, via Brajanatha Prabhu, September 2008)

“I like that building very much.” (Letter to Sripad Padmanabha Maharaja, November 2009)

So, now we have to respond to Srila Gurudeva. He is not gone, He is eternal. And He is always with each of us, watching us from Goloka Vrindavana. He is present in all of our hearts, and He will know, and Krsna will know, how we are trying our fullest to satisfy Him, to keep intact His legacy, and to practice and preach His message to the world. He desired these preaching centers urgently, to help save the fallen souls and attract them to Krsna.

Now we have the supremely fortunate opportunity to fulfill His desire and save his temple, and make it the ideal headquarters of his western preaching mission, as He desired it to be. And to fulfill the desire of the spiritual master is the perfection of life. So let us all unite to please Srila Gurudeva!

Call to action

We are now requesting all devotees to join together in full force, the whole world united together to fulfill this as yet unfulfilled desire of our Gurudeva. The time is now! The temple has narrowly escaped being foreclosed upon, and is now in chapter eleven bankruptcy, and will have a hearing in mid-April to determine the time period we will be given to pay our creditors. During this time we are under the protection of the court. But, by Krsna’s arrangement, a new investor has purchased our first mortgage and we now stand in a very good position to possibly pay off the building completely at a reduced rate. The total indebtedness is for around 1.4 million dollars. We are going to raise this amount and fully pay off the building. And this will assure that Srila Gurudeva’s Temple will be there permanently as an oasis in the desert of this Kali yuga, and a beacon light of the absolute truth for all the fallen conditioned souls for decades to come!

All funds are going to go solely for this effort. Not one penny will go for anything else. We will be reporting the proceeds from the fundraiser with a chart on our new website set up especially for this purpose.

We know that Srila Gurudeva’s words are perfectly true and infallible, because He is satya sankalpa. This means that for such a transcendental personality all of His words will come true. He told this about our Srila Prabhupada A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja, that He wanted Him to come to the western countries. So, because He was satya sankalpa, this had to come true. And now it is history, how our Gurudeva came under His request and order, and saved all of us, and countless souls into the future by his books and His devotees’ preaching.

We should not have any doubts, because He has told that this will not be a very big task. And He has also told many times that if we all join together, then it will not be difficult to accomplish anything. He cited the story of the father who gave a bundle of sticks to his ten sons, and told each one of them to try to break the bundle. None could do it. Then he unwrapped the bundle, and gave them each one stick and told them to each break their stick. Each son was then easily able to do it. By this simple story, Srila Gurudeva was telling us that we have to be united, and if we stay so, then there is no task too great that cannot be accomplished by us.

Now, joining force as a united group, we are one hundred percent behind this project. It is the first time we are all uniting in such an effort in the western countries. The time has now come to focus on developing preaching centers in the west, and we are now inaugurating this effort by standing fully behind this center so much dear to Srila Gurudeva’s heart.

Therefore, with straw in teeth, and heads bowed low in humility, on behalf of our beloved Srila Gurudeva, Nitya lila pravishta Om Visnupada Astottara Sata Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja, we are begging each and every devotee in the sanga, in every country, to please help this effort to fulfill this one unfulfilled desire of our beloved Srila Gurudeva. We can all together do this very quickly!

If you can donate a large amount, please do this for our Gurudeva. If you can only donate a small amount, please do not think this will not help. Every dollar will help. Also, if you can only donate a small amount, but can give this small amount monthly over the coming months as a regular donation, then please do this. Every ten, twenty, fifty or one hundred dollars from everyone will help immensely.

We are now going to be like the monkey warriors, helping Lord Rama to build the bridge to Lanka. Even the chipmunk was pushing the little pebbles to help Lord Rama. So, we are now going to become our Gurudeva’s Hanumans, Sugrivas, monkeys, chipmunks and spiders — all united together to serve our divine master. And he said:

“But I request that you should all give some, something, and I think that it is not very big task, you can do. So all should give some donations, and keep this center. I will be very happy.”

Let us all please combine our efforts together as his sons and daughters and devoted servants, and MAKE SRILA GURUDEVA HAPPY!! Gaura Premanande Hari Hari bol!!