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EDITORIAL   Srila Prabhupada's Disciple Not Welcome BY TULSI DASI EDITORIAL, Aug 21 (VNN) — Dear devotees. Dandavat pranama. Sri Sri Guru-Gauranga Jayatah! I usually like to stay out of conflicts and politics but one unpleasant incident happened here near the ISKCON temple in Helsinki, Finland, at the end of July, 2002, which impelled me to say something. Some devotees in Finland had invited two travelling preachers to come to Finland to preach and inspire the local devotees in Finland. When it was time for the two devotees to leave, one of them who is Srila Bhakitvedanta Swami Prabhupada's disciple and also a ISKCON life member, called the ISKCON Helsinki temple and asked them as a life member and Srila Prabhupada's disciple if he could stay there for one night because he would be leaving for the airport the next day. It was alright and the next day the two devotees were to meet the temple president outside of the temple. I took the two prabhus there and our guest met the temple president and two other brahmacaris. They offered they dandavats to each other and embraced each other and everything seemed to be alright. But then the local devotees saw me and, knowing that I am a disciple of Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, their mood changed. Even when the devotee showed his life member card, the temple president made it clear that they weren't welcomed there, and while our guest was still talking to him the temple president started to drive off leaving the devotee to stand on the street. I felt so bad. Actually I was shocked that our guests were treated like this. Where is the Vaisnava etiquette? Even most materialistic people receive their guests friendly and have basic manners how to treat guests. What would Srila Prabhupada say if he heard that his disciple who distributed his books for many years and made many life members, etc. wasn't allowed to stay one night in the temple under his society? Any life member can stay in ISKCON temple even if they are meat eaters or drinking alcohol, etc. but this Vaisnava wasn't welcome. What I have understood from Srila Prabhupada's books by the mercy of my Guru Maharaja is that a Vaisnava is very humble and carries the verse 'trnad api sunicena' around his neck like a necklace. trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih Thinking oneself to be even lower and more worthless than insignificant grass which has been trampled beneath everyone's feet, being more tolerant than a tree, being prideless, and offering respect to all others according to their respective positions, one should contentiously chant the holy names of Sri Hari. (Sri Siksastakam, verse three) If we really embrace this mood in our hearts then we will never offend anyone because we understand that we are very insignificant and the servants of all the others. I am concerned for those devotees who received my guests (or didn't) because Vaisnava-aparadha is the mad elephant offence which destroys our creeper of devotion and makes us fall down. I am asking all the senior Vaisnavas who have understood Srila Prabhupada and the mood of our guru-varga to teach these young devotees Vaisnava etiquette. I hope there will be some change in this kind of mood and that we can embrace all the Vaisnavas in the Caitanya tree. The Caitanya tree is very big and has many branches and sub-branches. In Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi-lila 9.18) it is stated: visa visa sakha kari eka mandala maha maha-sakha caila brahmanda sakala Thus these branches of the Caitanya tree formed a cluster of society with great branches covering all the universe. In the purport Srila Prabhupada writes: Our International Society for Krsna Consciousness is one of the branches of the Caitanya tree. In text 25 Srila Prabhupada writes: This tree of devotional service is not of this material world. It grows in the spiritual world, where there is no distinction between one part of the body and another. It is something like a tree of sugar, for whichever part of such a tree one tastes, it is always sweet. The tree of bhakti has varieties of branches, leaves and fruits, but they are all meant for the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Please forgive me if I have commited any offences in this letter. The aspiring servant of Guru and Vaisnavas, Tulsi dasi Related VNN Stories Contact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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