Using Krishna for Making Money
Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi : It is heartbreaking to see what is happening at ISKCON Adelaide. Temple festivals and sacred yajnas are not meant to become business transactions. Bhakti is not for sale. Mantras are not for sale. The blessings of Lord Nrsimhadeva are not for sale.
Last year, devotees were told they could “secure blessings” for their family by paying a mandatory participation fee to sit at the yajna and receive a Nrsmha Mantra. This year, again, a mandatory $61 fee is being required for participation in the Nrsimha Yajna for up to 4 family members.
Since when did attending yajna become ticketed entry? Srila Prabhupada warned against karma-kanda mentality and turning devotional life into a paid ritual service. Sponsorship is one thing, but charging devotees mandatory fees just to participate in worship is another.
Even free prasadam plates is being replaced by food stalls selling food, some not even offered to the Deities, instead of freely distributing Krishna prasadam. A temple should be focused on making devotees, not making money. Krishna consciousness should never be commercialised.
Radha Kanta Dasi Tkg: Happening now in most temples ... no surprise here.
Rādhā Śyāmasundara Dāsa: Hare Krsna dear Mataji, thats true in a sense, although I guess a minimum is required else people tend to only give a couple of coins. If money is going for temple maintenance and care then it's ok I think, its gratitude to the Lord and devotees for the blessings and service.
It costs a lot to maintain temple and have free prasadam distribution so sometimes paid events like stalls help that. Give and take type thing as long as it doesn't become the focus.
Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi: Rādhā Śyāmasundara Dāsa I hear you, and know how much the bills are, coz hey everyone has bills that live in the material world. But the interesting thing about the new management here is that the only focus is money and not bhakti.
Rādhā Śyāmasundara Dāsa: Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi Jaya Gauranga! Yeah that would be too much when that becomes the focus. Visitors would pick that up and feel less inclined to come or participate.
Eliza Ba Than: I was facilitating a namahutta centre in Townsville every Saturday for 13 years. During that time, I have not asked a cent of donations from the congregation. Instead, I set up a charity that raises funds at the same time, giving clarity to the homeless. My own funds support my weekly Prasadam and that was provided for free to attendees numbers varying from 10 to 30.
Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi: Eliza Ba Than Srila Prabhupada established protocols for the preaching and temples and primarly the approach has been around the vaisnava principle of krpalu (mercy), and not that of the opposite trait of krpana or miserliness.
Eliza Ba Than: Jaya Sacinatha Dasa Absolutely ... but we must do karma yoga. Not enterprising as a business in temple to maintain it.
Jaya Sacinatha Dasa: I know.
Amogh Ananta Virya Mogre: Preposterous. Is the temple going broke??
Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi: Amogh Ananta Virya Mogre apparently no. Just monetising Krishna and using him as a cash cow.
Syamapriya Dasi: Viewing or observing a yagna has the same potency of actually participating in a yagya. Also mentally being present in a yagya has the same benefit if one cannot be present. I know this based on personal experience when I have not been able to be present at iskcon sydney yagyas, abhishekhs and other events.
Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi: Syamapriya Dasi 100 percent agree. Srila Prabhupada established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, not the International Society for Money Consciousness. Bhakti is heartfelt and not about the bank balance. Ordinary donations for Temples is one thing, but restricting entrance based on a payment is completely bogus.
Syamapriya Dasi: Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi yes, ISKCON was established for bhakti. Temple was built to facilitate Bhakti. It is for harinaam Sankirtan yagya. It is for Krishna Consciousness which is the way back to Godhead and ISKCON temples are meant for this reason. In service of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission, for Srila Prabhupada.
Krsnangi Mulder: The sad part of these types of initiatives that are more and more creeping in, is that also they start to create disparity, inequality between groups of people of different economical status, rather than equal access for all to spiritual bhakti nourishment. There are examples of this already with access to participate and spend time at the Iskcon farm communities or retreats.
Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi: Krsnangi Mulder yes I agree with your points. Temples do cost to run, and it is expected that donations are required to keep everything afloat, yet the approach in this temple is completely out of balance. I see the development of the 'economy of bhakti', has arisen through these schemes that place a price on bhakti and access to the standard Temple environment and programs on offer. It does create a divide, the haves and the have nots'.
Serguei Levykin: Krsnangi Mulder -- we haven't visited New Govardhana in years because it ends up as a very costly holiday for a family of four. Many other families have just quit going to ISKCON. This will decrease the attendance.
Syamapriya Dasi: Krsnangi Mulder I was being forced to "sponsor" my own birthday so they can celebrate in ISKCON Sydney. Even when I told them "it is not my birthday ". I was still being pushed to book it on my birthday! This is the same temple which has tried to remove me from ISKCON permanently. Not sure how exactly they would feel joyous on my birthday? They were so happy to see me go. O Krishna.
Luke Hedley: Lead a Coup! You were a Wonderful TP in my memory of my time there ... despite my crashing and burning you were always available for me dear Visnupriya ... Keep up the resistance Lovely One. Hare Krsna!
Narada Muni: It is concerning to see this trend becoming normal in many temples. Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada repeatedly warned us not to turn devotional life into karma-kanda or paid ritualistic activity. Bhakti is not something that can be purchased, and the mercy of the Lord is never dependent on money.
At the same time, he encouraged voluntary donations and service to support the temple - not mandatory fees for participation in worship.
Yajna, mantra, and prasadam are meant to be freely accessible as Krishna’s mercy. When the mood shifts from offering to transaction, we should carefully reflect on whether we are preserving the true spirit of Krishna consciousness.
Bharat Devnani: Do they accept crypto currency? I don't use cash, only bitcoin ...
BB: ISKCON will become a crypto currency religion soon enough ...
Ratna Prabha: I wanted to go to a fire yajns recently but couldn’t afford the fee for one.
Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi: Ratna Prabha this is just atrocious. How can there be justification for stopping Iskcon devotees from practising their Guru given right to attend temple services. I am so sorry you had to experience that. This is what I mean by the ‘economy of Bhakti’.
Ratna Prabha: I agree, it is sad.
Tedi Davis: So who is responsible? Or is it "the anonymous committee"?
Syamapriya Dasi: At no stage has Lord Krishna asked for money!
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Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi: Pavan Nitai Chandra Das Ugh.... so Lord Nrsmhadeva only giving blessings to financial participants in the Dham! Kali Yuga creeping in.
Rama Dasa: Long, long gone are the days when we would skrimp and save during the week so that a plentiful, scrumptious Sunday feast would be provided for the guests. The idea was to make people aware of Krishna consciousness, not solely to increase the bank balance.
Visnupriya Karunamayi Devi Dasi: Rama Dasa exactly. Preaching is the essence, Utility the Principle, Books are the Basis and Purity is the Force. Nothing there about the bank balance being the principle.
Sankirtana Devi Dasi: San Diego did the same for the 6 years I lived in the area (2017-2022). Only “Donors” could take part. Not just certain festivals, every festival. We were allowed to bathe Srila Prabhupada during Vyasa Puja festival, however.
Jaya Sacinatha Dasa: I know. I was very surprised at the system, as I’d lived in multiple temples over the previous 4 decades.










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