View source for We should always feel when we open a temple that the Deity is living and not dead stone or wood. It is a great offense. Before opening a temple it must be considered a hundred times, and after opening it cannot be closed

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<div id="Correspondence" class="section" sec_index="6" parent="compilation" text="Correspondence"><h2>Correspondence</h2>
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<div id="1974_Correspondence" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Correspondence" text="1974 Correspondence"><h3>1974 Correspondence</h3>
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<div id="LettertoHamsadutaVrindaban12September1974_1" class="quote" parent="1974_Correspondence" book="Let" index="400" link="Letter to Hamsaduta -- Vrindaban 12 September, 1974" link_text="Letter to Hamsaduta -- Vrindaban 12 September, 1974">
<div class="heading">How can we call Them, and then say get out. We should always feel when we open a temple that the Deity is living and not dead stone or wood. It is a great offense. Before opening a temple it must be considered a hundred times, and after opening it cannot be closed. It must be maintained.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Letter to Hamsaduta -- Vrindaban 12 September, 1974|Letter to Hamsaduta -- Vrindaban 12 September, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Los Angeles</p>
<p>My Dear Hamsaduta das:</p>
<p>Please accept my blessings. I have just now received some letters from London from Madhavananda and others brought by Paramahamsa Swami who was there. Regarding Madhavananda being the president, if he received the vote, why you have opposed? You must be impartial. My recommendation is that he must be the president. He has been chosen by the vote, and I am giving the casting vote for him. He is doing things very nicely there, so he must be the president. Prabha Visnu should go on Sankirtana, and Madhavananda should be president. Everything must go on. The women are doing nicely, so why are they being changed from the pujari to the Sankirtana? These things should be done by the President. These are internal things, and you should not interfere. I do not approve of your changing the women. It should be the choice of Madhavananda who should be the pujari.</p>
<p>Why did you close Edinburgh without asking me? Paramahamsa reports that you have closed the Edinburgh temple. Edinburgh was doing nicely. You can't close a temple without asking me? Is this too much to do this? Our propaganda is opening temples, and you are closing them. We are not for closing but for increasing. I do not approve of this. If possible the Edinburgh temple must be re-opened again.</p>
<p>If you close the temple, what is the management? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu pushed the Sankirtana movement, but He never said to close the Jagannatha temple or the Govindaji temple. In Edinburgh we had a nice house, why you have closed it? Why you have whimsically done this? If possible the Edinburgh temple must be re-opened. Don't do anything whimsically without consulting me.</p>
<p>I made the GBC to give me relief, but if you do like this, then where is the relief. It is anxiety for me. This is the difficulty, that as soon as one gets power, he becomes whimsical and spoils everything. What can I do? If anything has to be changed, that can be decided at the annual GBC meeting, but not whimsically.</p>
<p>I am not in favor of closing even a small temple. It is not a plaything to close a temple or to start a temple. When we open a temple we are inviting Krsna. So you can't say to Krsna, go away. You have no feeling what are the ideals of a temple. You should always consider that we have invited Lord Caitanya, Lord Jagannatha, and Radha Krsna, and if we close it, it is an insult. How can we call Them, and then say get out. We should always feel when we open a temple that the Deity is living and not dead stone or wood. It is a great offense. Before opening a temple it must be considered a hundred times, and after opening it cannot be closed. It must be maintained.</p>
:arcye visnau siladhir gurusu
:nara matir Vaisnave jati buddhih
<p>"One who considers the arca murti or worshipable Deity of Lord Visnu to be stone, the spiritual master to be an ordinary human being, and a Vaisnava to belong to a particular caste or creed, is possessed of hellish intelligence."</p>
<p>If the Edinburgh house is still available, it must be re-opened.</p>
<p>I hope this meets you in good health.</p>
<p>Your ever well wisher,</p>
<p>A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami</p>
<p>ACBS/bs</p>
<p>cc: Bhaktivedanta Manor</p>
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