Cooperation with Godbrothers
BY: AMEYATMA DAS (ACBSP)
Sep 21, 2010 — ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, USA (SUN) — A response to Sukadeva das's recent article, "New Mexico Temple, The Land of Enchantment".
Dear devotee followers of HDG ACBSP – Srila Prabhupada. Please accept my humble obeisances, All Glories to our savior, spiritual master of the world, Srila Prabhupada.
My god brother Sukadeva has written telling the devotee community that he wants to open a temple for Srila Prabhupada here in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is asking the devotee community for financial help.
His desire to serve Srila Prabhupada in this way is very wonderful. He wants to open a regular temple with full programs. That is a most wonderful desire and service. No way is this response intended to discourage anyone who wants to assist Sukadeva in his preaching work. Rather, I myself have been assisting him and I have engaged others in assisting him.
Yet, in his article he did not mention the fact that myself and my family have been here in Albuquerque holding Sunday feast programs for the past 3 years. Also Krishna Kirti and his wife were here years before us. However, he did say that there is no 'permanent full time temple at present', and that is true, as our Sunday feast programs and festivals are not at all a full time temple, yet.
A number of devotees are aware that I have been here holding programs and so naturally I have received a number of emails, phone calls, and in person a number of devotees have asked me about Sukadeva's article. I decided to respond with my own article in order to answer everyone's questions and also to provide additional information, some of which, in my view, Sukadeva should not have left out of his article. My response has been delayed because I have been traveling and had no internet access for about 10 days. I have been in California – for the wedding of my oldest daughter, Kalindi.
About 4 months ago Sukadeva showed up in Albuquerque. He came to our Sunday program and informed us he wanted to open a temple here in Albuquerque.
He did not come asking how we could work together, he simply told us his intentions. My attitude for the months that followed was I welcomed his participation. I welcomed the idea of the two of us working together.
What he asked for, however, was a place to stay. He told us he was staying at a Motel and was paid up for another few days, and after this he needed a place to stay for only 2 days, until the weekend. On the weekend, he told us he was going up to Santa Fe.
We had a newer RV trailer parked in our back yard, which we owed over $11,000, making monthly payments on it. We had just come to the decision to sell the trailer and were just ready to put up an ad. Since Sukadeva asked to stay for only 2 days, sure, we told him no problem, he could stay in the trailer. A few days later he and his new wife (the widow of the late Sri Ram) moved into our trailer. The next day Sukadeva become gravely ill. We never saw him for 4 days, until the Sunday program, when he came and told us he was now well. We asked him to give class, lead kirtan and take the feast. But, the next day was now day 5 of their extended stay and my wife was in anxiety as we wanted to get the trailer empty, cleaned up, and try and get it sold. We could not afford the monthly payments anymore, and so there was some urgency to wanting to sell it. Since Sukadeva was now recovered my wife let them know we were needing to sell the trailer.
My wife may not have expressed herself very diplomatically, and it appears Sukadeva became offended by my wife's suggestion that they would have to find another place to stay. Sukadeva insisted that he had never asked for only 2 days and seemed to express the idea that he thought we were going to let him stay in the trailer a much longer (open-ended) period. He then asked if he could sleep in our home.
We don't have an actual separate temple here, I am holding the programs in my home. Our living room and dining room is converted to a temple room. Srila Prabhupada has actually instructed that grihasta's can convert their homes into temples and invite guests and hold programs, and that is what we were trying humbly to do. But, our home is small and we only have 1 bathroom. We had a teenage son and two teen age daughters and our future son-in-law was visiting us at the time Sukadeva was here. 1-2 nights it is fine. But, it was now looking like Sukadeva wanted to say for a long-term open-ended period and we just aren't set up for that. At the time it was just not something we could facilitate. Besides, Sukadeva told us he already had plans of going to Santa Fe. We made it clear that we did welcome him here to Albuquerque, and insisted that if he does do something here, that we work co-cooperatively together, but apologized for simply not having the ability to put up he and his wife for more than the few days.
Sukadeva told us he was going to Santa Fe to see about starting a temple there, but he might come back to Albuquerque if things don't go well for him there. I insisted that if he does come back that he call me and insisted that we work together on getting a full time temple established here. I offered that my son and I will join him and we can do Hari Nam together and preach at the university together. I was totally open to the idea that we work together. A week or 2 passed and we never heard anything from him, so I assumed he was still in Santa Fe. But, then one of our congregation members saw Sukadeva and his wife doing Hari Nam near the University. Sukadeva told him he been in Albuquerque for weeks and was living with his wife in his car. The congregation member informed me and so I called Sukadeva and asked him why he had not let me know he was still in ABQ?
My attempts to get something started have been very meek, but, still, we have held a Sunday program here in Albuquerque for 3 years and slowly some progress was being made. And, I had ideas on how to expand and increase the preaching and very much looked forward to combining what I was working on with what Sukadeva could contribute, for the goal is to please Srila Prabhupada, not to claim falsely that we are the doer, that "I" opened or started a temple, rather, we are simply humbly surrendering ourselves to the desires and actions of the Supreme Controller, Krishna.
Sukadeva again came to some of our programs and each time he came we let him lead bhajans, kirtan and give class. He would ask our congregation members for money and ask them to help him start a REAL temple. With me standing there he would tell them that he had been a temple president in 3 temples and he knew how to make a REAL temple, not just holding a program once a week in someone's home, but he knew how to start a REAL temple with daily programs and mangal arotiks. Of course, I had also been preaching like this as well. But, as several of our congregation members told me later, the way Sukadeva spoke was like a veiled put-down on what I was doing. But, I didn't let that bother me, and instead still encouraged them to assist Sukadeva - telling our small congregation that Sukadeva and I will work together. I never said anything when several of our congregation members gave him laksmi that they otherwise would have donated to our program. Most of our small congregation are not well off, so don't have much to give anyway. I never relented in my insistence that we work together. Yet, what was he thinking? That I did not want to create a full time temple here? Of course I did. But, I was simply starting it in a different way – doing something that Srila Prabhupada had also encouraged grihastas can do. Turn their home into a temple and invite guests for programs.
Sukadeva was asking everyone if they could put he and his wife up for a short while so he could go out and preach and get donations to get a building for a temple.
And, the following is why I am writing this response: There was a young Indian man named Nahush who had been coming to our programs for over 2 years. He was like a member of our family to us. He was working and studying for his electronics engineering degree and lived in a small bachelor's apartment. My wife and I asked him if he could help put Sukadeva and his wife up for a short while. At our request Nahush agreed.
Sukadeva and his wife stayed there for about 2 months, in total.
Yet, in Sukadeva's article he does not mention this. Why????
He didn't mention anything about our preaching center, and he didn't mention how we had arranged for one of our members to give him food and shelter for 2 months out of the 4 months that he has been in Albuquerque.
I find this unacceptable.
Sukadeva only wrote that for the 4 months he has been here that he has lived in his car and motel. I don't care that he didn't mention the 5 days he stayed in our trailer, but, I was put off by the fact that he didn't mention the kindhearted act of Nahush who let them stay in his apartment for 2 out of those 4 months.
For 2 out of those 4 months he was not staying in a motel or in his car.
This is ungrateful on Sukadeva's part. Nahush had a small 1 bedroom apartment. Nahush had given up his own bedroom. Sukadeva and his wife were sleeping in Nahush's bed for 2 months. Nahush was sleeping on a small couch. He didn't mind for the first week, but he was not getting enough sleep. After nearly 2 months it had taken a toll on his studies and his work performance.
But, more, after nearly 2 months Sukadeva had done virtually NO preaching during that time.
Not only had Sukadeva stayed in Nahush's bedroom, slept in his comfortable bed for 2 months out of the 4 months that Sukadeva has told everyone else he was living only in a motel room and out of his car, but, Nahush had paid for all their food during those 2 months. And, this was causing a financial hard ship on Nahush as well as negatively affecting his studies and work performance.
Originally Sukadeva told us that if someone could give him a place to stay he would go out daily and preach and make new devotees and find donors so he could get a temple building and start a full time temple. It was for this reason that my wife and I convinced Nahush to render this service and give them facility. But, week after week went by and Sukadeva had basically done Nothing. At least according to what Nahush told me.
Personally, I don't know what he was doing, because for the whole time he stayed with Nahush Sukadeva refused to come to our Sunday and festival programs. Even though we had arranged for Nahush to give them a place to stay and Nahush was buying all their food, Sukadeva showed his gratitude toward us by totally snubbing us. He would have nothing to do with me or our programs.
Nahush was like a family member to us. What was the most disturbing thing for him was that after Sukadeva moved into his apartment Sukadeva only spoke against me, criticized me and put me down for the whole 2 months.
I could not put him up in our own home, but we arranged for one of our members to put him up, and for this I expected that he and I would team up and combine our efforts. Instead, Sukadeva stopped coming and stopped communicating with me, and only spoke against me.
Not only did Sukadeva not come to our program, but he never invited a single person to our programs, and he never held a single program at Nahush's apartment during that 2 month period, nor did he hold a program any where else. All he told Nahush was that he was going out each day and reading Ramayan (which is not even a book translated by Srila Prabhupada).
Sukadeva writes that he wants to start a temple here in Albuquerque so that people will have the chance to hear Srila Prabhupada teachings, and take Krishna's Prasad. Yet, during the 4 month period that Sukadeva has been here we have been holding our Sunday programs and festival programs as we have for the past 3 years. Those who come to our program hear from Srila Prabhupada's books and are given Krishna's Prasad. We are doing what Sukadeva says he wants to build a temple here to do, give everyone Prabhupada's and Krishna's mercy. It would seem to me that if it was truly Sukadeva's desire to give the conditioned souls Krishna's and Prabhupada's mercy, all he had to do was to invite them and bring them to our already existing and functioning programs. From day one that we met, I have given Sukadeva an open invitation that we work together. When he has come I have asked him to give class and lead kirtan. I encourage those whom I have preached to for years to help him, where they gave him their weekly donation that otherwise they would have given to our program. I arranged to give them food and shelter for 2 of their 4 months here. And, yet, Sukadeva has not invited or brought One Single person to our program. My idea has been that Sukadeva and I can work together to expand on my small beginnings and grow it into the full time temple that both of us and Srila Prabhupada want. However, it is clear from Sukadeva's actions, his only interest is to make his own separate center with no intention of cooperatively working together.
Nahush lives in Michigan and was only here due to a job-internship. He had to go back to Michigan, and so he could no longer give Sukadeva and his wife a place to stay, or buy their food for them.
After Sukadeva moved out from Nahush's apartment weeks went by and we never heard from Sukadeva, but every once in a while someone would report that he was still in town.
Last month, Basu Gosh prabhu and his wife, from Baroda India, came to Albuquerque to visit Krishna Kirti prabhu who also lives here. I invited Basu Gosh to our Sunday program and he and his wife kindly came. That Sunday Sukadeva also showed up – the first time I had seen him for over 2 months.
Again, I told him, look, since you are still here and still trying to do something, let's coordinate our efforts, lets to this TOGETHER. He didn't say much. He simply said he was looking around for a building to use for a temple. Ok, great, he told us the same thing months ago, so lets go out TOGETHER and look for a building. Hmmm... he didn't say anything. I asked him if he had made any new devotees or found donors who will pay for the rent on a building? "No" was all he said, and the conversation came to an end. Basu Gosh also felt his attitude was strange. He didn't engage in conversation and refused to enter into any meaningful discussing as to how we can join forces and work together. Half way through the program he got up and walked out. I insisted that they stay for Prasad, and Sukadeva declined the offer. But, we insisted that he at least take a plate with him, which his wife accepted. That was the last I saw him.
Then, about 3 weeks ago, he called and asked me if I had any books for distribution. I told him I would give him a box of Beyond Birth and Death, all I asked was that he include an invitation in the books to our Sunday program. He was silent, he didn't agree, he just didn't say anything and then ended the call. He never called me again for the books.
Obviously, he does not want to tell anyone about our programs. He, himself, hardly came, and in 4 months he Never ONCE brought ONE Single person to our program. He says that he is out preaching everyday, and wants a temple where people can hear from Prabhupada's books and take Krsna's Prasad, and we are providing that every Sunday, but he refuses to send anyone here, refuses to cooperate. In fact, after 4 months, I look back and I can see that he has never asked me what he can do to help expand our program into the full time temple he says he wants, but, has only asked me to help assist him in starting a separate center. He is all one-sided. That is not what cooperation means. Srila Prabhupada has given us the formula of how to really please him in his absence. That we COOPERATE TOGETHER.
My open offer to Sukadeva, since day one when we first met him here, and after all that has occurred, I continue to offer him, is PLEASE, Prabhu, Lets work TOGETHER - Lets Coordinate our efforts. We both must drop the false ego of wanting to be the Big Doer, and embrace the surrendered mood of a servant. Lets preach by example what the proper mood of a Vaishnava is.
I have a small facility, it is not ideally located. But, it is what I have at present. We have a small 'temple room', yes we are currently only holding Sunday programs, but, lets work out how we can EXPAND on what I have already started and see how we - together - can start a full time temple here. That has been my offer to Sukadeva for the past 4 months, he cannot deny this, and it continues to be my offer. I haven't wanted anything LESS then what Sukadeva wants, that a full time temple be established here.
But, if he has such an issue and cannot work together, then I have no problem that he start his own separate temple here in Albuquerque. The city is large enough that there should be 100's of temples here. If he wants to start and run his own temple all by himself, that is ok with me. I am not writing this to discourage anyone from donating to him or helping him with his endeavor. I will continue to help him, myself, I do not see his presence here as a threat.
Sukadeva has informed the world wide community of ISKCON devotees of his desire to open a temple here. He also asked for donations to help him. As I said, I am not discouraging anyone from helping him. But, at the same time, since we have been here 3 years and are holding programs, I felt it only fair that I also make a similar request. Over a year ago I had discussed with members here the idea of starting a food (Krishna Prasad) related business. I brought this up to our small congregation over a year ago. My idea has been that if we can establish a food related business (more on the lines of food manufacturing, but we have also discussed other food related businesses) this would supply support income for the devotees who run and work there and the profits of the business would go toward obtaining a building for a fully operational temple.
Sukadeva's idea is that we establish the temple building on the strength of preaching only, rely on Krishna, like the good ole days. And, he is right, that does seem to be the superior path, however, I also see value in the concept of "God helps those who help themselves". My idea has been how to raise funds to start a business that can then provide a stable financial basis for a temple and the members of the temple and congregation. Maybe there is still hope for both of us if we can combine Sukadeva's ideas and mine into a combined effort. Again, from day one, I have begged Sukadeva, let's work TOGETHER. That offer still stands.
But, since he has openly asked the world wide community for donations to help in what obviously has become his own separate endeavor, then I too will ask the same community for financial assistance to help us get a business established that will provide a solid financial basis for a full time temple here. But, obviously, you can not start a business on just a few $1,000. It will take 10's of 1,000's.
I still wish Sukadeva all success. I sincerely do hope he can succeed in opening a full time temple for Srila Prabhupada here in Albuquerque. But, I also believe it would have been more pleasing to Srila Prabhupada if he could have been more co-operative with his own god-brother and tried to work together to expand on the humble beginnings we had started here.
Aspiring to become the humble and worthy servant of the followers of Srila Prabhupada,
Ameyatma das (ACBSP)
