By Janananda Gosvami
“HELP! LONDON IS HELL”
1969 Newspapers report – “Swami calls London hell!” The reporter had asked, “Swamiji, do you have a concept of hell in your religion?” “Yes,” Prabhupäda replied. “London is hell.
Times have changed – is it still Hell? Recently I had a sharp realization, a reminder waking me from my sleep. It’s a crispy Saturday morning in early May as I open the door of the Temple flat in the heart of London. I’m on the way to Mangal arati at the nearby Radha London Isvara temple. I look around to see the result of a night of mayhem in the heart of one of the worlds’ greatest “civilized” cities.
A man grovelling on the footpath groaning. A half crazed looking women crying loudly. An intoxicated man pulling a drunken woman half naked in the gutter. . Another pack of shaky, shady night prowlers struggling to keep on their feet – holding on to railings and grasping for some shelter. Someone calling out HELP ME! – his mates laugh and watch the spectacle. Broken bottles and fag ends strewn everywhere. Beer cans. “Smoking kills” glaring out from empty fag packets lying dead on the floor.! Lost in the world of madness. The sounds of bottles smashing in a distance. Shrieking cries echo in the dark streets and alleys. Vulgar language. Welcome to KALI’S domain. Civilization at it’s …….A normal scene as we walk to mangal arati in London. The pubs and restaurants are just winding down after another night of revelling. Gays and lesbians of all races loiter around in this part of London “making love”. Anything you can think of blends harmoniously with whatever happens around here or does it? This is the centre of western civilization. This is advancement. The city where the paths are paved with gold? Now broken glass, fag butts and broken hearts. Inside shop entrances, down and outs are huddled up in filthy sleeping bags, blankets – whatever they can get – right there on Oxford Street. Phew! I made it. The temple, and the oasis of Radha London Isvara. I sit and reflect – get my breathe back. Was that real or a dream? My mind races back to a moment in Heathrow airport, London.
I see Srila Prabhupada sitting on the mezzanine floor as his flight is delayed . Thousands of travellers are milling about below – where are they going? Prabhupada is watching. His eyes brimming with tears. A moment of realization. His mood – “How are we going to save them? They are all our brothers and sisters. They are Krishna’s children. We must save them before they are dead and gone” Prabhupada’s heart is flooded with compassion for them. These thoughts flash through my mind. Back to the here and now . How can I walk past them like this every day? Have I no heart.
People are suffering everywhere. How can I sit and worry about my own problems having been injected by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy. What am I doing? I seem to be caught up in my own little world. How long is this going to go on? Wake up sleeping soul. It is not enough to chant 16 rounds and go through the rituals. Sit in the temple chanting to ourselves. Where has my spirit of preaching gone? Preaching to the converted? A day before I had been flying over the Bay of Bengal when the pilot announce. Ladies and gentlemen we are sorry but due to a strong cyclone building up we will have to change our course and thus we will the flight will be delayed. Oh no I thought – I might miss my connection. This is terrible. Little did I know that down below a storm was about to hit the coast of Burma and around 60,000 people were about to lose their lives. Oh no they may have missed their connection. Who cares for mine. An earthquake in china knocks out another 70,000. But what about my prasadam. What about me? Time is short and there is no time to waste, make haste, get a taste, and with the mace, of His divine grace, go to every place, with the holy names before it’s too late.
1 July, 1970 My dear Rupanuga, Yes, that is our main program, this traveling and preaching just as I am doing. Now you have to keep the institution in living condition in the near future, so as such you have to preach vigorously to the right point so that people will appreciate our movement and take to it….. Just you save the foolish world from going to hell. Everyone has become already animals. They are not interested in morality, religion, or other subject matter of the human form of life. And when one is prepared to become animal, then what this school-college education will do?
There are 6 billion human wrecks out there. How long will it take before I develop some genuine compassion and as Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura writes: When kindness to all beings will be appearing, with free heart forget myself comforting, Bhaktivinoda in all humility prays, “Now I will set out to preach Your order sublime.” When, oh when will that day be mine?
You can see more videos about Iskcon-UK here
dandabats Maharaj
Surly Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada said where the most maya is where the devotees should preach, and not hide in a country.
So London may be hell, but its the best place to preach, and get the mercy of Sri Guru Gauranga.
with respects
ishani devi dasi philippines
Dear Bhaktas of the London Yatra,
Dandavat and Hare Krishna. My wife, Daru Brahma dd, and I thoroughly enjoyed the video presentations that you presented here. It was a joy to see how joyful you all were, happily engaged in Krishna consciousness. I had the privilege of being with Srila Prabhupad in London many, many times. First, when I first came back from preaching Dacca, East Pakistan and India in 1971, and then multiple times when I was travelling back and forth between London and South Africa. I remember the wonderful help of Janakaraj das, Dhiranga das, and Parthasarathi das (now Maharaj) who ventured to South Africa to establish Srila Prabhupad’s preaching mission there.
In the earlier days at Bury Place, the temple was always joyful. Despite the cold showers in winter, the damp weather and the inadequate heating, the devotees were some of the sweetest and happiest bhaktas that I ever had the pleasure of associating with. Devotees, men and women alike, treated each other with respect and kindness. The fire of Krishna consciousness was all that was needed. Srila Prabhupad was always fully satisfied with the devotional activities, and the Centerpiece, Sri Sri Radha LondonIswara. Above Them were the trinity of Jagannath, Subhadra and Baladeva. The inside of the temple room had wood planks and it gave one the feeling that you were inside of a boat…indeed, the vessel that would take us all Back to Home, Back to Godhead. Sankirtan on the streets of London was always blissful. They were joyful and memorable days, indeed.
My congratulations and dandavats to all of you. Take satisfaction in your every service. Srila Prabhupad used to say that you can break one stick easily, but if you bind many sticks together, they cannot be broken. That is Sankirtan…together! Hare Krishna.
Sincerely,
Pusta Krishna das
Santa Cruz, California