Let there be Ratha-Yātrā Every day

C hapter 8 p rabhupäda in b hubaneswar - p art 1

many people. Devotees were coming to give reports on their preaching in India and in the West. Çré Çrémad Gour Govinda Swami was not so much involved with that. Çréla Prabhupäda went out every morning for walks and Çré Çrémad Gour Govinda Swami and other devotees would go with him. They had many talks on different subjects. Çréla Prabhupäda was not bothered at all by the primitive conditions in Bhubaneswar; he just said that he was waiting for the appearance day of Nityänanda Prabhu, to lay the corner stone for the beginning of the building of the temple. But there was opposition. Some senior disciples had said, “No, we will not construct here (Bhubaneswar), Prabhupäda no one will come here! It is an out of the way place, a jungle!” The ISKCON Bhubaneswar land was undeveloped at that time. It was all vacant and it was not on a bus route. There were no toilets; everyone went to the open field, taking a loöä. There was only one bed and one western style toilet, and these were only for Çréla Prabhupäda. Many years later Çré Çrémad Gour Govinda Swami Mahäräja would tell his disciples, “Çréla Prabhupäda told me that they objected to opening a centre in Bhubaneswar. Members of the GBC,* sannyäsés and some senior devotees said, “No, do not build a temple here; no one will come here, it is an out of the way place. Why should we construct a temple and spend money here? We will do it in Puré and we can keep the Bhubaneswar land as an agricultural field.” But Çréla Prabhupäda firmly said, “No! I will do it here!”

* GBC: Governing Body Commission. The members of the management council set up by Çréla Prabhupäda are to make sure that his society (ISKCON) is managed nicely around the world.