Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold
In 1973 devotees decided to build a home for Srila Prabhupada, where he could write his books and enjoy the clean country air. A location was chosen for its potential beauty, the land was cleared and construction was started on a simple house. The plan was a rough sketch drawn on a scrap of paper.
But Lord Krsna had His own plan. Somehow or other at each step the trial and error construction produced something grander than the devotees had imagined. Bit by bit, cemented, chiseled and forged, with loving labor Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold emerged.
How it came about may seem hard to understand; after all, how could these inexperienced devotees build something that surpassed their own expectations? A spiritual force was certainly involved, and those who worked on it were aware that they were but instruments in the hands of God.
Prabhupada’s Palace is not a memorial of mundane love. Its greatness cannot be understood in terms of marble, teak, silver or gold. Rather it is a work of unalloyed devotion to Lord Krsna and His pure devotee. No expert architect or experienced artisans were involved. It was built without blueprints by young devotees inspired by their desire to build a modest home for their spiritual master.
By God’s arrangement, their work was transformed into a labor of love, accepted by Him who considers not the gift of the lover, but the love of the giver.