Content-Length: 13611 Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Hare Krishna - Planetarium: How You Can Help - Hare Krishna
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The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium
How you can help


There are a number of things that you can do to contribute to the success of this project.

Donations

To give for the construction of a temple of the Lord is one of the most important acts a householder can possibly perform. It is an entirely auspicious activity. The sastras (scriptures) state that giving charity for the service of the Lord increases one's bank balance in the next lifetime hundreds and thousands of times. It is the ultimate in good karma.

Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita that one should surrender fully to His lotus feet and give up all other varieties of duty. The Srimad-Bhagavatam declares that one should fully use one's life, wealth, words, and intelligence in the service of the Lord. Here is an opportunity to surrender to the Lord by offering your wealth in His eternal service.

For one who cannot surrender everything to the Lord in full devotion, the Lord recommends in the 12th chapter of the Bhagavad-gita:

abhyase'py asamartho'si
mat-karma-paramo bhava
mad-artham api karmani
kurvan siddhim avapsyasi

"If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage."

Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to this verse:

"One who is not able even to practice the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga under the guidance of a spiritual master can still be drawn to this perfectional stage by working for the Supreme Lord. How to do this work has already been explained in the fifty-fifth verse of the Eleventh Chapter. One should be sympathetic to the propagation of Krishna consciousness. There are many devotees who are engaged in the propagation of Krishna consciousness, and they require help. So, even if one cannot directly practice the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga, he can try to help such work. Every endeavor requires land, capital, organization, and labor. Just as in business one requires a place to stay, some capital to use, some labor and some organization to expand, so the same is required in the service of Krishna. The only difference is that in materialism one works for sense gratification. The same work, however, can be performed for the satisfaction of Krishna, and that is spiritual activity. If one has sufficient money, he can help in building an office or temple for propagating Krishna consciousness. Or he can help with publications. There are various fields of activity, and one should be interested in such activities. If one cannot sacrifice the results of his activities, the same person can still sacrifice some percentage to propagate Krishna consciousness. This voluntary service to the cause of Krishna consciousness will help one rise to a higher state of love for God, whereupon one becomes perfect."

Therefore, for those who by the grace of the Lord possess material wealth, there is no better way to advance in Krishna consciousness than to use this wealth in the Lord's service by helping the Krishna consciousness movement construct the temple that Lord Nityananda predicted and the entire disciplic succession of Gaudiya Vaishnavas has desired. If one uses one's hard-earned wealth in the service of the temple of the Lord, then one will be blessed in this life and in the next. Krishna further states in the Bhagavad-gita:

nehabhikrama-naso'sti
pratyavayo na vidyate
sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya
trayate mahato bhayat

"In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear."

Work begun in Krishna consciousness has a permanent effect, even if not completed. Anything done for Krishna gives eternal advancement to the performer. Even a little work done for Krishna can save one from the greatest fear of being degraded to the lower species of life. Since one usually commits many sinful acts to make large amounts of money used in the sense gratification of one's family and friends, one has to fall into many inauspicious conditions of life, in this life and in the next, to pay for the karma of those sins. But work done in Krishna consciousness protects one from falling from the human form of life and helps one in the next lifetime to work for the ultimate benefit of the living being.

Sometimes people think that because Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita that He accepts a leaf, flower, fruit, or water when offered to Him with love, then this is all they have to do to please the Lord. But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur said that Krishna does not see so much what you do for Him as much as He sees what you hold back from Him. One should offer to Krishna according to one's means. Therefore one who has wealth should serve Krishna through large donations commensurate with one's position, and one who is poor may give less according to one's position. But above all, one should not avoid giving to the Lord, for this is an offense.

Therefore it is essential for all persons to use their wealth in the service of the Lord by helping to construct His Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. To help you give to this most wonderful cause, the following contact offices have been set up in America, Europe, and India.

Here a list of ISKCON Foundation addresses is planned. Until then, for further information please contact Sridhar Swami, Naveen Krishna das, or Harikesa Swami.


Tell Everyone You Know About This Temple

If you have donated for the temple construction, then you are the best person to speak to your friends about this wonderful project. Tell them about the temple and urge them to generously support the fund-raising effort. There are many ways that one can help raise funds for the project. You can speak with anyone you meet and inspire them to help according to their position and means. Become a goodwill ambassador for the temple project and spread the word about this monument of India's glorious Vedic culture.


The ISKCON Interactive Presentation

A marvelous presentation on ISKCON and the Mayapur project is available from the representatives of the Mayapur Project listed above. They can come to your home and show you the presentation, if you have not already seen it, or you can make an appointment for them to show it to someone you feel needs to see it. If you have a computer with an attached CD-ROM drive, you can get CD-ROMs of this presentation for your pleasure or distribution to others. Contact your nearest Continental Mayapur Project representative. We will be glad to help you in any way possible to fulfill your desires.


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