View source for How is it that the devotees who run the great temple of Jagannatha refuse to allow foreigners and certain low-caste people, when this was the favorite place of Lord Caitanya, who, like you say, advocated that it should be taught in every town and village?

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[[Category:Questions asked to Srila Prabhupada]]
[[Category:Questions asked to SP... 1976]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1976 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1976 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="EveningDarsanaJuly81976WashingtonDC_0" class="quote" parent="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="195" link="Evening Darsana -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C." link_text="Evening Darsana -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.">
<div class="heading">Jagannātha Purī?... That is their fault. They should not have done so. That is their, what is called? Sectarian prejudice. So you don't take simply Jagannātha temple. There are many other temples, they allow. It is a particular management body, they do not allow. But that is not the sanction of the śāstra. That is not the sanction. Suppose in your private house you make some private law. That is your business. But actually temple is open for everyone. That is stated. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ. Even one is born of low-grade family, he can accept. There is no injunction. That is śāstra.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Evening Darsana -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.|Evening Darsana -- July 8, 1976, Washington, D.C.]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Guest (4): Your Grace, how is it that the devotees who run the great temple of Jagannātha refuse to allow foreigners and certain low-caste people, when this was the favorite place of Lord Caitanya, who, like you say, advocated that it should be taught in every town and village?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Jagannātha Purī?</p>
<p>Guest (4): Are these administrators fallen?</p>
<p>Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: He's asking why can't your disciples from the West in particular, who are low-class particular people, like the Mohammedans, as traditional, they are not allowed in the Jagannātha Purī temple.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is their fault. They should not have done so. That is their, what is called? Sectarian prejudice.</p>
<p>Guest (4): Was that the policy when Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura ran the temple? I understand that he at one time was the main administrator. (loud crashing of thunder)</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So you don't take simply Jagannātha temple. There are many other temples, they allow. It is a particular management body, they do not allow. But that is not the sanction of the śāstra. That is not the sanction. Suppose in your private house you make some private law. That is your business. But actually temple is open for everyone. That is stated. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.32|BG 9.32]]). Even one is born of low-grade family, he can accept. There is no injunction. That is śāstra. But there are rascals who do not follow. They have their own imagination. That is another thing. Kṛṣṇa never said that "Only the brāhmaṇas or Indians or Hindus can take shelter of Me." Kṛṣṇa never said. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ, whatever he may be. There is no restriction. Just like Ganges water, anyone can take bath. It is not that only a particular person or particular community can take bath. Anyone can take, and he becomes purified. There is an example, na hi harate jyotsnā candraś caṇḍāla veśmani.(?) When there is moonlight, there is no discrimination that here is a bhaṅgi's house, caṇḍāla's house, there should be no moonshine. The moonshine is open in the palace of the king or in the house of a caṇḍāla, na hi harate jyotsnā candraś caṇḍāla veśmani. So Kṛṣṇa's mercy is for everyone. It is not restricted to a certain community or class of people, no. Anyone can take advantage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And that is, practically they are doing. Therefore in India, so they say that I am killing Hindu dharma, the Māyāvādīs, that Bhaktivedanta Swami hindu-dharma ka naṣṭa. This is their...</p>
<p>Dr. Sharma: That is not true.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: But they are saying like that. This Karpathadaji(?) and others, they are against me.</p>
<p>Dr. Sharma: Mūḍha-mate.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: But they are big, big men. What can be done? Here also Christians are not very happy also. And there, Hindus are not happy. So where shall I go? (laughter) I cannot stay here, neither in India. This is my position. Neither in my temple. This is my position. Nor India, nor America, nor Europe, nor any place. So nārada muni bhajaya vīṇā. (laughter)</p>
<p>Dr. Sharma: Sarva-bhūtānām.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, I have no, I mean to say, grudge against. If Kṛṣṇa wants... In old age I was living a retired life in Vṛndāvana. He asked me "Get out, go to America." So I came. At the age of seventy years, actually nobody goes out of home. But Kṛṣṇa asked me, "Get out and go." So I came. And although I have got the best temple in Vṛndāvana, I cannot live there. But a fighting soldier is honored by the government. He maybe dies, he is recognized by the government, "Here is a soldier, laid down his life by fighting." So we prefer that life. We shall die fighting with māyā.</p>
<p>Devotees: Jaya.</p>
<p>Dr. Sharma: It is said in śāstra that it is better to go out and find salvation for others than to find salvation for yourself.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: One who seeks salvation for others, he's already salvation.</p>
<p>Devotees: Jaya.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Otherwise, how he can arrange salvation for others? So he hasn't got to seek for salvation.</p>
<p>Dr. Sharma: How these devotees are finding salvation for others?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That means they are already in the platform of salvation.</p>
<p>Dr. Sharma: Through them, you are working for the salvation of others.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra ([[Vanisource:CC Adi 9.41|CC Adi 9.41]]). That is the injunction, that first of all you become perfect, then try to make others perfect. So anyone is actually trying to do perfection for others, he is already perfect.</p>
<p>Dr. Sharma: The devotees are working for the salvation for everyone.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: He's already perfect. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate ([[Vanisource:BG 14.26|BG 14.26]]). The one who's trying for others' salvation... That is a devotee's business. Ordinary man cannot do it. Because he's doing that, it is to be understood that he's already on the platform of... Because salvation means to remain his own position. Muktir hitvānyathā-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 2.10.6|SB 2.10.6]]). Svarūpa is to serve God. So if one is serving on behalf of God, then he's in svarūpa, mukti. Others are acting for his own benefit, but a devotee is acting for others' benefit. Therefore he's already on the platform of liberation.</p>
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