Temples

Published on April 15th, 2005 | by Gauridas Pandit dasa

30

ISKCON Bangalore — The Best Temple in ISKCON?

If you treat Srila Prabhupada like he is alive, he is alive. To those who say he is dead and gone, to them he is.

But in Bangalore Srila Prabhupada is alive and well! Very well.

Dear Prabhus,

Please accept my respectful obeisances.

All glories to our jagat guru Srila Prabhupada!!!

I am very enlivened and impressed beyond my expectations after visiting the Bangalore temple for the last 4 days. When you first approach the temple and get your first glimpse it is just awe inspiring. No picture I’ve seen does it justice. The temple is situated on a hill and and be seen for great distances all around. The combination of the ancient and modern design is breathtaking. Now I see why pilgrims come from all over India and line up by the thousands to see the temple. Srila Prabhupada’s voice is heard nonstop in different areas some chanting japa, others singing bhajans and giving lectures. The Deities are powerful because of the chaste worship by the ever-increasing devotees, all Prabhupada anugas.

If you treat Srila Prabhupada like he is alive, he is alive. To those who say he is dead and gone, to them he is. But in Bangalore Srila Prabhupada is alive and well! Very well. I could sense it especially from the main Prabhupada Deity on the Vyasasana. In most temples he looks sad (Seattle, etc.) (probably due to the lipservice and dis-service to the new devotees who are directed away from him at initiation). Srila Prabhupada is carried around the temple to the different alters with powerful chanting of mantras and Kirtan.

The Kirtans in Bangalore are different also. The leaders volume is less and the response is more. The showbottlism you see in most places is absent in Bangalore. Attention and devotion is put on pleasing the Deities and Srila Prabhupada more than themselves. It is refreshing. At least 90% of the temple devotees (of over 100) attend the full morning program which is very enlivening. There are Kirtans one after another in 3 different temples then Gurupuja which is awesome.

The temple devotees are very nice and accommodating. Madhu Pandit Prabhu was very nice and gave me a special seat and lovely garlands from the Deities at the crowded puja ceremonies. I also stayed at the nice guesthouse ‘free’! Whereelse in ISKCON or anywhere does that happen? Even the devotee who signed the papers for the latest lawsuit against Bangalore came and Madhu Pandit Prabhu offered him nice accommodations showing the example that a devotee even treats his so-called enemies nicely. The devotee after observing the temple for a few days admitted that the temple is very nicely run and that is the way Srila Prabhupada would want it and he regretted signing the court papers. He said he would not do so again in the future. Another devotee involed in the case got into an accident and died so it is not looking too good for those who are trying to take away Bangalore from Srila Prabhupada and his true followers. It costs $11,000 every time they have to go to court and the lawsuits just keep coming. Srila Prabhupada would be furious at those devotees who are involved and they will get their day in the court of Yamaraja, I can guarantee you that. Bangalore is the only ISKCON temple to follow Srila Prabhupada’s orders to keep him as guru. That’s why they are so sucessful, feeding thousands daily Prasadam and distributing so many of Srila Prabhupada’s original books.

It would be a shame of the Kali chelas, Kali Yuga devotees, ever won away the Bangalore temple. They could not manage it so expertly and a divided house (among many ‘gurus’/or gundas?) cannot stand.

I know there are many different groups of Prabhupada anugas out there; Yasodanandans, Kapindra Maharaja and others everywhere and are sometimes critical of each other.

But I am asking you all to unite for the common good of keeping Srila Prabhupada as our living guru now and forever.

Let’s look beyond the bug on the windshield and see the road ahead, the road back to Prabhupada, that’s the road back to Godhead, others are detours to who knows where. Not anywhere I want to go! All glories to all of the devotees who take full shelter of the one and only Srila Prabhupada!

I advise any serious devotee who can to visit the Banglore temple and see what can happen if we just cooperate to serve Srila Prabhupada. Finally there’s light at the end of the tunnel!

Hoping this meets you all well and advancing in Krsna Consciousness!

Your servant,
Gauridasa Pandita Dasa

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30 Responses to ISKCON Bangalore — The Best Temple in ISKCON?

  1. Anand says:

    Harekrishna,
    I am in dallas texas and I am originally from Andhra, India and I visited iskcon bangalore several times.
    They are managing as per prabhupada teachings and books are also from 1974 edition where prabhupada used to read from.

    We(Prabhupada followers) are meeting regularly in dallas and ditributing prabhupada original books.
    We are having a great time even in pandemic.
    There is no pleasure compared to pleasured derived from following prabhupada instructions.

    Thanks for running this web site and all original teachings.

  2. BkR says:

    Blasphemous GBC Boasts
    that Śrīla Prabhupāda “is Dead”
    1

    26TH AUGUST 2000

    As we have seen from the above story, whenever the IRM presents something in the media, it is with the positive aim of informing the whole world that Śrīla Prabhupāda LIVES and that he is still to be glorified and worshipped today. Please contrast this with the GBC Gurus use of the media. As we will see from the following shocking press release that was published throughout India on the FRONT PAGE of a national newspaper, Jayapatākā Svāmī boasts how he has managed to get the Asian Age – a national Indian newspaper – to print an article he wrote, in which it is stated that Śrīla Prabhupāda is “dead”.

    From: Jayapataka.Swami@pamho.net [mailto:Jayapataka.Swami@pamho.net]
    Sent: Monday, July 24, 2000 10:12 PM
    To: ICI (ISKCON Communications India); Anuttama (das) ACBSP (IC N.America); Amrta Gaurangi (dd) JPS (Mayapur – IN); Parijata (dd) RNS (IC Mumbai – IN)
    Subject: News article responding to Adri’s Asian Age interview

    Home Base: Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, Navadwip Dham, Nadia, WB, INDIA

    The following article was published on the Front Page of Today’s Asian Age Newspaper. I copied this off of internet where it is also still there today.
    It is in response to Adri’s interview against ISKCON leadership and pro-IRM.
    Shankarshan das and Nitai Prasad das delivered the press release and cultivated the press. I drafted the press release and it was edited by our lawyers. The newspaper edited it themselves as they always do. Still the main gist is there.

    Front Page —- Asian Age news.
    24th July, 2000.
    Iskcon: What are we to do with Ritvikism?
    By Dhiman Chattopadhyay and Kounteya Sinha Calcutta,

    July 23 On the defensive for months after the sex abuse scandal rocked their world, authorities at the Iskcon Mayapur Ashram have now struck back with a vengeance at their Calcutta counterparts, the Iskcon Revival Movement.

    The Mayapur general manager has ridiculed the revival movement president’s doctrine of “Ritvikism” calling it “a strange and concocted idea”. In a signed statement issued to all Krishna bhaktas around the world, Mayapur general manager Dham Nitai Prasad Dasa has accused revival movement president Adridharana Dasa of “behaving in a deviant manner” and unleashing an onslaught of false, offensive, and derogatory publicity”.
    Mr Adridharana Dasa is propagating a delusive doctrine known as Ritvikism, where he believes that all devotees wanting to receive diksha within Iskcon should still receive it from founder-acharya of Iskcon, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada, and become his direct disciples, in spite of
    *** him being dead for the last 23 years ***,” the letter says.

    Please note that though Jayapatākā Svāmī claims that the Asian Age ‘edited’ the press release he wrote, here they are quoting directly from the press release in question. And Jayapatākā Svāmī does not object to what has been written, rather he boasts to everyone how the ‘main gist’ is there – with the main gist being that Śrīla Prabhupāda has been ‘dead for the last 23 years’ – so that we must instead approach impostor Gurus such as himself.

    It also seems ludicrous that persons could possibly accuse the IRM of being ‘offensive’ when it is pieces such as the above which are given the GBC/Guru rubber stamp. It seems that in the above article, Jayapatākā Svāmī’s envy for Śrīla Prabhupāda has forced him to object to the idea that devotees may prefer to take Diksa from Śrīla Prabhupāda rather than him by emphasising in such graphic terms Śrīla Prabhupāda’s supposed defect compared to him

    – “hey, don’t you know that he has been dead for the last 23 years!”

    sp Srila Prabhupada
    -living still, in sound

    Please compare the 2 media ‘stories’ above. They could not be more different in terms of their glorification and appreciation of Śrīla Prabhupāda’s contribution to the world.
    One states that he continues to live. The other states that he has been ‘dead for the last 23 years’.

    Please chant:

    Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare,
    Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

    And be Happy!

  3. Venkat says:

    Hare Krsna,

    Unfortunately ISKCON Bangalore (the one atop Hare Krishna Hill) has now become extremely commercialized. It is more of a shopping complex and food court than a temple. Really sad state of affairs. I visited twice in the past few months and that is what I experienced.

    Another question I have is whether this ISKCON carries Prabhupada’s original pre-1978 unaltered books. If anyone could let me know it would be really great.

    • You should be able to get all of Srila Prabhupada’s original books there at ISKCON Bangalore in one of the stores in their shopping complex.

      • Reply says:

        Nice reply! Shopping complex indeed!

        Venkat Prabhu, if you have any doubts why not buy from krishnastore which is now in india and thus doesn’t cost for delivery. It may cost a little more than what iskcon sells for, but at a smaller extra cost, you atleast have the greatest assurance of reading an original book…

        • Actually, since the Indian government has made all these changes we are not able to run Indian Krishna Store, so unfortunately Indian Krishna Store is no longer available, at least for the time being.

          • Venkat says:

            Is there anywhere else that I can get the original books as listed in your store here in India? I don’t know if the books sold by ISKCON Bangalore are in fact 100% original, because I noticed they are selling a one volume version of Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1, and I’m not sure if that’s authentic.

            I picked up Nectar of Devotion, Krsna Book, Nectar of Instruction and Isopanisad from New Vrindaban a few years ago and was very disappointed to later find out that they were the edited versions, so I don’t want to make the same mistake again.

            I’m looking for a complete Srimad Bhagavatam set, Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and various other smaller books.

          • Yes. You can go to Vrindavan and get from Divya Multi-Media in Loy Bazaar. It is next to Bankhandi Mahadev temple. So you can just ask your drive to take you to Bankhandi Mahadev and you will see Divya Multi-Media next door. You can also ask at ISKCON Bangalore for the original books and check to see if they are printing by “Krishna Books Inc”, so if they are printed by “Krishna Books Inc.” then you can know they are Srila Prabhupada’s original books.

  4. Apoorva says:

    Hare Krishna Prabhu’s
    ISKCON Bangalore really Spiritual Heaven, the true follower of Srila Prabhupada and their humble service to their Spiritual Master mad me to stuck in love with Sri Sri RadhaKrishnachandra.
    Temple headed by HG Madhu Pandith Prabhu, wel organised and conduting various Programs including youth preaching Programs is awesom. Because of these Programs and distribution of Books and Prasadam it’s lot benifiting lot of people and also fulfilling the Mission of Srila Prabhupada….

  5. NIRUPAMA DAS says:

    hara krishna kirtan give us more satisfaction .in guwahats iskon also beautiful. i live in guwahati

  6. NIRUPAMA DAS says:

    when we tell about krishna then we fell paramananda.

  7. vinod verma says:

    HARE KRISHNA , It is very nice all of you because you people talk about only krishna n devoteese it is the only way to meet krishna HARE KRISHNA

  8. vinod verma says:

    hare krishna , it is very nice to read about krishna n its devotees only krishna n its true devotees can take this world to real spiritual path HARE KRISHNA

  9. Raphael says:

    Srila Prabhupada is the only one who can save us.He is the GURU who will lead the mankind trough the real spiritual path…
    Tank you for your great work.I´ll not forget what are you doing for those devotees who love Prabhupada.I met him 35 years ago and because his phisical departure,I continue loyal to him and still not iniciated.This was the reason why
    I suffer so much in Iskcon during all these years…
    Thank you,again.Now I know I was right not accepting the gurus from Iskcon who try to kill all what Prabhupada wanted from us…
    Hare Krishna.All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and his sincere devotees.
    Your servant,Raphael…God bless you all!.Thank you!.Krishna loves you!…

  10. s krishna says:

    As an experienced structural engineer, I would like to point out some aspects of design that are extremely important to be considered
    1. Employment of Consulting Engineers who have designed similar works earlier and the buildings are already standing for at least 2 to 5 years. Employment of another similarly reputed conmpany to check the designs.
    2. Considerationof use of time history analysis for earthquake considering the importance of the building.
    3. Checking the wind effects got by desing by testing in wind tunnels and for earthquake by using shake table or similar apparatus.
    4. Drift between floors due to wind/earthquake loads to be considered as if it is more than the allowable limits the occupants will suffer discomfort including vomiting.
    5. Geotechnical investigation report, wind tunnel report and shake table reports to be checked by independent agencies.
    6. Most importantly, what is the procedure for evacuation in case of fire. How can water reach the height of the building envisaged.
    Regardless of what is promissed by others, you yourself should have adequate provisions for quenching the fire immediately.
    7. Government agencies may give written permission but finally on ISKCON rests ethically the final responsibility.
    8. Reputed contractors who have executed successfully projects which are in operation should be employed. Independent agencies should be employed with similar experience to effect quality checks and with power to reject any work below standards.
    9. I hope you will take what I have written above as constructive suggestions.
    Wish you all the best.
    regards
    skrishna

  11. sunil says:

    HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE
    HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

  12. varun sharma says:

    ISKCON BANGALORE HAS DONE IN SUCH A SMALL PERIOD OF TIME … WHICH IS BEYOND IMAGINATION !!
    DEFINATELY SOME SPIRITUAL POWER IS THERE…

    SRILA PRABHUPADA KI JAI

  13. please accept my humble obessiance to srila prabhupada,,it is ver nice that iskcon banglore is constructing the new temple,,,,,so it is the greatest gift for mankind,,,hare krsna,,,its ot only about iskcon banglore,,All the iskcon temples around the world are certainly great because they are the gift of srila prabhupada( a pure devotee of krsna ),,hence pls stop discriminating which temple is great,,,,but look inward and first think how much we personally are sincere and are advancing in spiritually,,,”Every devotee of lord krsna is jewel of the world and needs to preserved with greater care ,especially devotees in this age of kali-yuga are very rare,,as 90 percent people are sinful”,,,,so all the devotees of lord krsna even from nations are are like wish fulfilling trees & they great peoples because they love krishna,,,and we must also remember that ,”God can tolerate offence done at him,but he certainly do not tolerate offence done at the lotus feet of vaisnava “,,,”vancha kalpatru ,,,,,,,,”,,hare krsna

  14. KASTHURI says:

    HARE KRSNA. HERE I WOULD LIKE DESCRIBE MOSTLY IN HARE KRSNA TALKS ABOUT ISKON, GURUS COMPARE TO KRSNA LILA. WHERE EVER STEP IN CENTRE THE FIRST QUESTION WILL ARISE ARE : ARE YOU FRM ISKON, ARE YOU FROM RITVIK OR GAUDIYAMATH? I SUGGEST LESS TALK ABOUT GURUS AND GROUPS MORE BETTER IN KRSNA BAKTI. HARE KRSNA.

  15. sandesh says:

    there is no doubt about the fact that iskcon bangalore is the best iskcon in the world not only for its beauty but also the devotion from the devotees who consider srila prabhupada as the only guru.

  16. sree haridas roy says:

    Honourable Madhu Pandit probho

    I am from Bangladesh offer my heartest congratulation for Hara krishna maha mantra circulation . You are great and noble as you are distributing HINDU RELIGION through the world

  17. Bhavya Kamboj says:

    Thank you Prabhu. I’ll surely visit.

  18. Haridas says:

    Madhu Pandit prabhu,

    You are a great man. You fight for truth and won the game. I congratulate you for your honorable moral courage.

    Thanks

    May God bless you.

    • Vinod says:

      Hare Krsna!
      Madhu Pandit is actually My Godbrother, Disguised as a ritvik, Recently He has even Accpted that. I’m Not anti-ritvik, I’m Anti Madhu Pandit.
      Madhu Pandit is actually a Disciple of His Holiness Jayapataka Swami, Once JPS Maharaj Installed the deities, he Branded him fake and made all his godbrothers leave, Then They Started another temple, Sri Jagannath Mandir In Seshadripuram.
      He Started Selling Coffee & Chocolate! You Can Even see it in a few videos, All Ritviks are also leaving his Temple!
      Then you May think that he sells “Original MacMillian Edition” Kannada, Hindi, Tamil,etc… Books, Well They are the Latest edition, I was there while The License was taken from the BBT.
      Then While we Distribute them for Rs.125 including a CD, Back to Godhead and Calendar, They Sell it for Rs.200 without anything!
      Then, the Deity worship! All His Bramhacari’s are following Sri Vaisnava Standards of worship, Where on Earth does SP Say that we should follow Sri Vaisnava Standards of worship?
      SP Said “Jananivas (Prabhu) is the Head of deity worship all devotees who are interested in deity worship should learn from him.”
      We Goudiyas Don’t follow Sri Vaisnava Standards of deity worship!
      Then it’s Better calling them Sri Vaisnavas.
      Also, if You take initiation from Madhu Pandit You aren’t a prabhupad Disciple, You would be a Madhu Pandit Disciple, who chants Prabhupad invocation Mantra!
      What’s The Use of Following Him!
      He Cheated His Gurumaharaj, He has already Taken 500 Crore Rupees Into A Swiss Bank Account! Next He’ll Cheat You!
      If You Wan’t to be a ritvik, Fine, Be one.
      But PLEASE! PLEASE! Don’t Follow Him!
      Hare Krsna

      • reena says:

        True Prabhu!! Madhu Pandit recently after receiving the Padma Shree award also had the audacity to misinterpret Srila Prabhupada saying in a television interview that,” Srila Prabhupada wanted a hunger free world.” while in reality PRabhupada never said so… This was MAdhu Pandit’s response on the “akshay Patra” programme… He is indeed a deviant disguised as a follower… Another bogus so-called vaishnav

        • It is true that Srila Prabhupada or any Vaishnava does not want to see the people hungry and Srila Prabhupada certainly wanted all ISKCON temples to distribute Krishna Prasadam widely. So if Madhu-Pandit Prabhu is distributing Krishna Prasadam to all these students it is certainly a great service to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.

          A devotee knows that it is not possible to change the people’s karma by distributing food. The way to do it is by distributing Krishna consciousness. Srila Prabhupada wants a Krishna conscious world and when there is a Krishna conscious world it will also be a hunger free world. But one can not create a hunger-free world without creating a Krishna conscious world. So the distribution of Krishna Prasadam is certainly not the same as distributing mundane food. The Krishna prasadam satisfies both the body and the soul…

      • Sachin says:

        Dear Vinod,
        While reading your comments I could make out that there is lot misunderstanding in your knowledge about Ritvik System. I request you please visit the Temple once again. I am sure that even Bhaktas can make you understand what are we up to.
        Hope this finds you well.

      • Tejal says:

        Madhu Pandit Prabhu is doing great work from past 30 years and by keeping Srila Prabhupada as Diksa Guru which none of the ISKCON gurus are doing.

        You have absolutely no right to say anything about Him, Because His contributions alone are much greater than all the ISKCON GBC Gurus put together. So change your perception regarding and stop Blaspheming MPP.

      • Anup Gupta says:

        In ISKCON BANGALORE you don’t take initiation from HG Madhu Pandit Prabhu. You take initiation directly from His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada.

        And we have limited intelligence to understand & judge anybody, any devotee. The Best Judge is Srila Prabhupada & Lord KRISHNA. And we all can see & experience the special Blessings of Lord Krishna & Prabhupada on ISKCON Bangalore, so if Lord Krishna & Prabhupada are Blessing HG Madhu Pandit Prabhu then entire world can’t do any harm to him. I guess if you are fighting against ISKCON Bangalore, you are fighting against Prabhupada & His Instructions.

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