Fasting Days & Guidelines

[Maija]

I can identify with being comforted by the thought of heaven and was raised on this view, never questioned it.

In the Baha'i Faith heaven and hell are not physical places rather spiritual realities--Hell the feeling of being far from God and heaven is the feeling of oneness and proximity to God.
Perhaps they are one in the same, being in proximity to God makes the whole world around us seem beautiful and in wonderful unison. I am sure if you were of the view that Heaven was only a spiritual reality, the finalizing feeling of being so intimately close to your Lord, would create a paradise around you.

I'd like to know more about this Krishnas' Heaven..I just learnt of this..

Any thoughts?

 

[Shuddhasattva]

the finalizing feeling of being so intimately close to your Lord, would create a paradise around you.

Beautifully said, I think you have captured the essence.

Though we could add to it:

Peopled with His other close associates

 

[Vrindavana Das]

I'd like to know more about this Krishnas' Heaven..I just learnt of this..

Any thoughts?

Here are a few excerpts from Śrimad Bhāgavatam, giving an insight into His pastimes, when He appeared on Earth with His transcendental Abode - Vṛndāvana:

barhāpīḍaḿ naṭa-vara-vapuḥ karṇayoḥ karṇikāraḿ
bibhrad vāsaḥ kanaka-kapiśaḿ vaijayantīḿ ca mālām
randhrān veṇor adhara-sudhayāpūrayan gopa-vṛndair
vṛndāraṇyaḿ sva-pada-ramaṇaḿ prāviśad gīta-kīrtiḥ​

Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head, blue karṇikāra flowers on His ears, a yellow garment as brilliant as gold, and the Vaijayantī garland, Lord Kṛṣṇa exhibited His transcendental form as the greatest of dancers as He entered the forest of Vṛndāvana, beautifying it with the marks of His footprints. He filled the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips, and the cowherd boys sang His glories.[S.B. 10.21.5]

śrī-gopya ūcuḥ
akṣaṇvatāḿ phalam idaḿ na paraḿ vidāmaḥ
sakhyaḥ paśūn anaviveśayator vayasyaiḥ
vaktraḿ vrajeśa-sutayor anaveṇu-juṣṭaḿ
yair vā nipītam anurakta-kaṭākṣa-mokṣam​

The cowherd girls said: O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Mahārāja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vṛndāvana. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision. [S.B. 10.21.7]

cūta-pravāla-barha-stabakotpalābja
mālānupṛkta-paridhāna-vicitra-veśau
madhye virejatur alaḿ paśu-pāla-goṣṭhyāḿ
rańge yathā naṭa-varau kvaca gāyamānau​

Dressed in a charming variety of garments, upon which Their garlands rest, and decorating Themselves with peacock feathers, lotuses, lilies, newly grown mango sprouts and clusters of flower buds, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma shine forth magnificently among the assembly of cowherd boys. They look just like the best of dancers appearing on a dramatic stage, and sometimes They sing. [S.B. 10.21.8]

vṛndāvanaḿ sakhi bhuvo vitanoti kīṛtiḿ
yad devakī-suta-padāmbuja-labdha-lakṣmi
govinda-veṇum anu matta-mayūra-nṛtyaḿ prekṣyādri-sānv-avaratānya-samasta-sattvam​

O friend, Vṛndāvana is spreading the glory of the earth, having obtained the treasure of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī. The peacocks dance madly when they hear Govinda's flute, and when other creatures see them from the hilltops, they all become stunned. [S.B. 10.21.10]

dhanyāḥ sma mūḍha-gatayo 'pi hariṇya etā
yā nanda-nandanam upātta-vicitra-veśam
ākarṇya veṇu-raṇitaḿ saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ
pūjāḿ dadhur viracitāḿ praṇayāvalokaiḥ​

Blessed are all these foolish deer because they have approached Mahārāja Nanda's son, who is gorgeously dressed and is playing on His flute. Indeed, both the doe and the bucks worship the Lord with looks of love and affection. [S.B. 10.21.11]

kṛṣṇaḿ nirīkṣya vanitotsava-rūpa-śīlaḿ
śrutvā ca tat-kvaṇita-veṇu-vivikta-gītam
devyo vimāna-gatayaḥ smara-nunna-sārā
bhraśyat-prasūna-kabarā mumuhur vinīvyaḥ​

Kṛṣṇa's beauty and character create a festival for all women. Indeed, when the demigods' wives flying in airplanes with their husbands catch sight of Him and hear His resonant flute-song, their hearts are shaken by Cupid, and they become so bewildered that the flowers fall out of their hair and their belts loosen. [S.B. 10.21.12]

gāvaś ca kṛṣṇa-mukha-nirgata-veṇu-gīta
pīyūṣam uttabhita-karṇa-puṭaiḥ pibantyaḥ
śāvāḥ snuta-stana-payaḥ-kavalāḥ sma tasthur
govindam ātmani dṛśāśru-kalāḥ spṛśantyaḥ​

Using their upraised ears as vessels, the cows are drinking the nectar of the flute-song flowing out of Kṛṣṇa's mouth. The calves, their mouths full of milk from their mothers' moist nipples, stand still as they take Govinda within themselves through their tear-filled eyes and embrace Him within their hearts. [S.B. 10.21.13]

prāyo batāmba vihagā munayo vane 'smin
kṛṣṇekṣitaḿ tad-uditaḿ kala-veṇu-gītam
āruhya ye druma-bhujān rucira-pravālān
śṛṇvanti mīlita-dṛśo vigatānya-vācaḥ​

O mother, in this forest all the birds have risen onto the beautiful branches of the trees to see Kṛṣṇa. With closed eyes they are simply listening in silence to the sweet vibrations of His flute, and they are not attracted by any other sound. Surely these birds are on the same level as great sages. [S.B. 10.21.14]

nadyas tadā tad upadhārya mukunda-gītam
āvarta-lakṣita-manobhava-bhagna-vegāḥ
ālińgana-sthagitam ūrmi-bhujair murārer
gṛhṇanti pāda-yugalaḿ kamalopahārāḥ​

When the rivers hear the flute-song of Kṛṣṇa, their minds begin to desire Him, and thus the flow of their currents is broken and their waters are agitated, moving around in whirlpools. Then with the arms of their waves the rivers embrace Murāri's lotus feet and, holding on to them, present offerings of lotus flowers. [S.B. 10.21.15]

dṛṣṭvātape vraja-paśūn saha rāma-gopaiḥ
sañcārayantam anu veṇum udīrayantam
prema-pravṛddha uditaḥ kusumāvalībhiḥ
sakhyur vyadhāt sva-vapuṣāmbuda ātapatram​

In the company of Balarāma and the cowherd boys, Lord Kṛṣṇa is continually vibrating His flute as He herds all the animals of Vraja, even under the full heat of the summer sun. Seeing this, the cloud in the sky has expanded himself out of love. He is rising high and constructing out of his own body, with its multitude of flower-like droplets of water, an umbrella for the sake of his friend. [S.B. 10.21.16]

hantāyam adrir abalā hari-dāsa-varyo
yad rāma-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-sparaśa-pramodaḥ
mānaḿ tanoti saha-go-gaṇayos tayor yat
pānīya-sūyavasa-kandara-kandamūlaiḥ​

Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O my friends, this hill supplies Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, along with Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, with all kinds of necessities — water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers and vegetables. In this way the hill offers respects to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant. [S.B. 10.21.18]

gā gopakair anu-vanaḿ nayator udāra
veṇu-svanaiḥ kala-padais tanu-bhṛtsu sakhyaḥ
aspandanaḿ gati-matāḿ pulakas taruṇāḿ
niryoga-pāśa-kṛta-lakṣaṇayor vicitram​

My dear friends, as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma pass through the forest with Their cowherd friends, leading Their cows, They carry ropes to bind the cows' rear legs at the time of milking. When Lord Kṛṣṇa plays on His flute, the sweet music causes the moving living entities to become stunned and the nonmoving trees to tremble with ecstasy. These things are certainly very wonderful. [S.B. 10.21.18]

 

[Vrindavana Das]

This is a good book for beginners. You can download or read online.

KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead - 1970 Edition

 

[Vinayaka]

I don't know... that's the place I feel most at peace at. Maybe it's the energy the people give off too.

I confess that at one time I was tuning into the people. But now its just me and God, and the only time people have anything to do with it at all is when they talk too loudly in spurts or yells. At other temples besides my own, I tune into people more because they tune into me, being a stranger in town. But here ... well everyone knows that guy (me) won't talk to them, so they just leave me alone. There are lots of others like me too, and we rarely talk, other than the silenty hands together acknowledgement.

I really just try to tune into the deity, and usually at those temples, I'll spend most of my time in front of the Lingam, or Ganesha. I think an analogy for the energy difference might be waves in a pond. At the singular focus temple, you drop one rock, and the waves come out all smooth in a circle. At the 'mixed' temples, drop 3 or 4 or 8 rocks simultaneously a few feet apart from each other, then watch the waves. At one temple I heard that the builders even had the yantras mixed up as to the deities.

 

[Jainarayan]

At first I was highly distracted by the comings and goings of people; distracted by children running around; the colors of the saris; and so on. Now those distraction are minimizing. What I mean about the energy of the people is the combined focus on a deity or the deities.

However, there are people whom I am happy to see. It gives me a warm feeling when they greet me with a wave and a smile from a distance, especially when it's the priests who do it. I have a lot of respect for the priests and am flattered when they approach me to greet me. Of course I beat them to the punch with a namaste mudra. I've read that it's virtually unheard of for temple-goers and especially the priests to give anyone the time of day, much less seek a person out. But all that babbling aside, and to the point (I think I have one )...

Maybe it's just a psychological place of refuge for me... no cell phone, no way of contacting me. I leave mine in the truck, on silent or not. I will not take it into temple. I hear cell phones ringing all the time, and people fumbling to turn them off.

 

[Vinayaka]

We have a cell phone rule, and if certain managers or board members are around, look out! I don't own a cell phone, so I can't leave it in the car. I like to think I have a direct line to Ganesha's though, although that may be a bit optimistic/egotistical.

Our temple has changed it's flow, schedule, and more recently. (New priest, kumbabhishekham, kodimaram installation) It feels even more like you're in India than before, and it was good before. Now there is actually some time for pleasant conversation, but during the pujas themselves, everyone has to be quiet and attentive.

 

[Jainarayan]

Various scriptures, clearly mentioning details about Supreme Lord and His abode, can't transmit to the human mind. However, metaphors can. And we have people who believe this.

Why the ? Because I don't believe as you do, despite your appeal to scriptures?

O Arjuna! There are people who delight in the eulogistic statements of the Vedas and argue that the purport of the Vedas consists in these and nothing else. They are full of worldly desires; paradise is their highest goal; and they are totally blind in a spiritual sense. They expatiate upon those florid Vedic texts which describe the means for the attainment of pleasure and power, which provide attractive embodiments as the fruits of actions and which are full of descriptions of rites and rituals (through which these fulfilments are obtained). In the minds of these votaries of pleasure and power, addicted to enjoyments of the above description, steadfast wisdom (capable of revealing the Truth) is never generated. Bhagavad Gita 2.42-43 (Tapasyananda translation)

Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada ​

People in general are not very intelligent, and due to their ignorance they are most attached to the fruitive activities recommended in the karma-kanda portions of the Vedas. They do not want anything more than sense gratificatory proposals for enjoying life in heaven, where wine and women are available and material opulence is very common... Bhagavad Gita 2.42-43

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." The Buddha

 

[Jainarayan]

We have a cell phone rule, and if certain managers or board members are around, look out!

Unfortunately we only have signs that say Silence Please and No Photography or Videography. I wish there were signs prohibiting cell phones.

I don't own a cell phone, so I can't leave it in the car.

I like the way you think. Technically I don't own one either (technically nothing... I don't own one). The one I have is an old model LG that belongs to my company. In fact I once got a nastygram from Finance saying I went over my limit. It makes and receives calls and texts, and takes pictures (poor ones, at that). That's all I need or want. If I did have to get one, it would be for emergencies. It would probably one of those cheap pre-pay types. I hate talking on the phone anyway.

Now there is actually some time for pleasant conversation, but during the pujas themselves, everyone has to be quiet and attentive.

I think the excitement and novelty of the new temple will die down. I see people on the nights I attend that I did not see on nights I attended in the old building. I hope there is an increase in attendees (more $$ in the hundi boxes). I do feel attached to the temple and want to see it thrive. Despite the cell phones.

 

[Vinayaka]

I do feel attached to the temple and want to see it thrive. Despite the cell phones.

Oh it will thrive. The numbers of people who go isn't really a factor. Research has shown something like 90% of the people give 10% of the money, and 10% of the people give 90% of the money. The fact that the community there built such a large and expensive temple indicates there are enough people in the 10% group above. We don't have any of those honorary giving plaques like some temples do, but I know there are some people here over the 100 000 mark. The temple in Winnipeg had a single benefactor of over a million bucks. (That's only 980 000 US)

 

[Jainarayan]

My co-worker said pretty much the same thing you say... It's high-end doctors and professionals who support the temples. On the board of trustees I don't think there is one person who is not listed as 'Dr.' We don't have any plaques (yet)... maybe we will or not.

 

[Shuddhasattva]

I very much dislike the idea of plaques.

 

[Maija]

Here are a few excerpts from Śrimad Bhāgavatam, giving an insight into His pastimes, when He appeared on Earth with His transcendental Abode - Vṛndāvana:

barhāpīḍaḿ naṭa-vara-vapuḥ karṇayoḥ karṇikāraḿ
bibhrad vāsaḥ kanaka-kapiśaḿ vaijayantīḿ ca mālām
randhrān veṇor adhara-sudhayāpūrayan gopa-vṛndair
vṛndāraṇyaḿ sva-pada-ramaṇaḿ prāviśad gīta-kīrtiḥ​

Wearing a peacock-feather ornament upon His head, blue karṇikāra flowers on His ears, a yellow garment as brilliant as gold, and the Vaijayantī garland, Lord Kṛṣṇa exhibited His transcendental form as the greatest of dancers as He entered the forest of Vṛndāvana, beautifying it with the marks of His footprints. He filled the holes of His flute with the nectar of His lips, and the cowherd boys sang His glories.[S.B. 10.21.5]

Oh, I'll have to print these beautiful passages out and add them to my journal with some pretty pictures...oh, sweet Paradise, Krishnas Kingdom is.

:rainbow1:

Haribol friends ! THanks for these passages, I'm waiting for a check to order some good reads and the BG will be one.
THink I'll look into Eknath Eason (sp)'s version.

:yes:

śrī-gopya ūcuḥ
akṣaṇvatāḿ phalam idaḿ na paraḿ vidāmaḥ
sakhyaḥ paśūn anaviveśayator vayasyaiḥ
vaktraḿ vrajeśa-sutayor anaveṇu-juṣṭaḿ
yair vā nipītam anurakta-kaṭākṣa-mokṣam​

The cowherd girls said: O friends, those eyes that see the beautiful faces of the sons of Mahārāja Nanda are certainly fortunate. As these two sons enter the forest, surrounded by Their friends, driving the cows before Them, They hold Their flutes to Their mouths and glance lovingly upon the residents of Vṛndāvana. For those who have eyes, we think there is no greater object of vision. [S.B. 10.21.7]

cūta-pravāla-barha-stabakotpalābja
mālānupṛkta-paridhāna-vicitra-veśau
madhye virejatur alaḿ paśu-pāla-goṣṭhyāḿ
rańge yathā naṭa-varau kvaca gāyamānau​

Dressed in a charming variety of garments, upon which Their garlands rest, and decorating Themselves with peacock feathers, lotuses, lilies, newly grown mango sprouts and clusters of flower buds, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma shine forth magnificently among the assembly of cowherd boys. They look just like the best of dancers appearing on a dramatic stage, and sometimes They sing. [S.B. 10.21.8]

vṛndāvanaḿ sakhi bhuvo vitanoti kīṛtiḿ
yad devakī-suta-padāmbuja-labdha-lakṣmi
govinda-veṇum anu matta-mayūra-nṛtyaḿ prekṣyādri-sānv-avaratānya-samasta-sattvam​

O friend, Vṛndāvana is spreading the glory of the earth, having obtained the treasure of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the son of Devakī. The peacocks dance madly when they hear Govinda's flute, and when other creatures see them from the hilltops, they all become stunned. [S.B. 10.21.10]

dhanyāḥ sma mūḍha-gatayo 'pi hariṇya etā
yā nanda-nandanam upātta-vicitra-veśam
ākarṇya veṇu-raṇitaḿ saha-kṛṣṇa-sārāḥ
pūjāḿ dadhur viracitāḿ praṇayāvalokaiḥ​

Blessed are all these foolish deer because they have approached Mahārāja Nanda's son, who is gorgeously dressed and is playing on His flute. Indeed, both the doe and the bucks worship the Lord with looks of love and affection. [S.B. 10.21.11]

kṛṣṇaḿ nirīkṣya vanitotsava-rūpa-śīlaḿ
śrutvā ca tat-kvaṇita-veṇu-vivikta-gītam
devyo vimāna-gatayaḥ smara-nunna-sārā
bhraśyat-prasūna-kabarā mumuhur vinīvyaḥ​

Kṛṣṇa's beauty and character create a festival for all women. Indeed, when the demigods' wives flying in airplanes with their husbands catch sight of Him and hear His resonant flute-song, their hearts are shaken by Cupid, and they become so bewildered that the flowers fall out of their hair and their belts loosen. [S.B. 10.21.12]

gāvaś ca kṛṣṇa-mukha-nirgata-veṇu-gīta
pīyūṣam uttabhita-karṇa-puṭaiḥ pibantyaḥ
śāvāḥ snuta-stana-payaḥ-kavalāḥ sma tasthur
govindam ātmani dṛśāśru-kalāḥ spṛśantyaḥ​

Using their upraised ears as vessels, the cows are drinking the nectar of the flute-song flowing out of Kṛṣṇa's mouth. The calves, their mouths full of milk from their mothers' moist nipples, stand still as they take Govinda within themselves through their tear-filled eyes and embrace Him within their hearts. [S.B. 10.21.13]

prāyo batāmba vihagā munayo vane 'smin
kṛṣṇekṣitaḿ tad-uditaḿ kala-veṇu-gītam
āruhya ye druma-bhujān rucira-pravālān
śṛṇvanti mīlita-dṛśo vigatānya-vācaḥ​

O mother, in this forest all the birds have risen onto the beautiful branches of the trees to see Kṛṣṇa. With closed eyes they are simply listening in silence to the sweet vibrations of His flute, and they are not attracted by any other sound. Surely these birds are on the same level as great sages. [S.B. 10.21.14]

nadyas tadā tad upadhārya mukunda-gītam
āvarta-lakṣita-manobhava-bhagna-vegāḥ
ālińgana-sthagitam ūrmi-bhujair murārer
gṛhṇanti pāda-yugalaḿ kamalopahārāḥ​

When the rivers hear the flute-song of Kṛṣṇa, their minds begin to desire Him, and thus the flow of their currents is broken and their waters are agitated, moving around in whirlpools. Then with the arms of their waves the rivers embrace Murāri's lotus feet and, holding on to them, present offerings of lotus flowers. [S.B. 10.21.15]

dṛṣṭvātape vraja-paśūn saha rāma-gopaiḥ
sañcārayantam anu veṇum udīrayantam
prema-pravṛddha uditaḥ kusumāvalībhiḥ
sakhyur vyadhāt sva-vapuṣāmbuda ātapatram​

In the company of Balarāma and the cowherd boys, Lord Kṛṣṇa is continually vibrating His flute as He herds all the animals of Vraja, even under the full heat of the summer sun. Seeing this, the cloud in the sky has expanded himself out of love. He is rising high and constructing out of his own body, with its multitude of flower-like droplets of water, an umbrella for the sake of his friend. [S.B. 10.21.16]

hantāyam adrir abalā hari-dāsa-varyo
yad rāma-kṛṣṇa-caraṇa-sparaśa-pramodaḥ
mānaḿ tanoti saha-go-gaṇayos tayor yat
pānīya-sūyavasa-kandara-kandamūlaiḥ​

Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O my friends, this hill supplies Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, along with Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, with all kinds of necessities — water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers and vegetables. In this way the hill offers respects to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant. [S.B. 10.21.18]

gā gopakair anu-vanaḿ nayator udāra
veṇu-svanaiḥ kala-padais tanu-bhṛtsu sakhyaḥ
aspandanaḿ gati-matāḿ pulakas taruṇāḿ
niryoga-pāśa-kṛta-lakṣaṇayor vicitram​

My dear friends, as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma pass through the forest with Their cowherd friends, leading Their cows, They carry ropes to bind the cows' rear legs at the time of milking. When Lord Kṛṣṇa plays on His flute, the sweet music causes the moving living entities to become stunned and the nonmoving trees to tremble with ecstasy. These things are certainly very wonderful. [S.B. 10.21.18]

Oh, what a beautiful Kingdom Krishna's is! :rainbow1: Thanks, for sharing these beautiful passages, I'll have to print these out for my journal and print some pretty pics out.

I cant wait to get my copy of Sri BG, I ordered a free one online and I'm going to celebrate my promo at work by ordering some lovely books..grace a vous & your lovely recommendations



Haribol & Hare Krishna..

Is it Krishna or Krsna...many Iskcon friends write "Krsna" rite?
Why is this? Is the name too holy to fully write?

Wish I had a temple close by, Jainarayan and V. Das you guys are soo lucky. On my bday week I'm driving to SF to go to a lovely temple, my choices:

-Vedanta Society
-ISKCON
Berkeley.
- Swaminarayan Mandir



we'll see

 

[Shuddhasattva]

Is it Krishna or Krsna...many Iskcon friends write "Krsna" rite?
Why is this? Is the name too holy to fully write?

Namsate

No, it's due to transliteration.

Sanskrit has a lot of phonemes that English doesn't have. Our usual letters are insufficient to represent them, so we are either lazy (like me) and fudge - which is probably easier reading for those not familiar with diacritics anyway, or we use diacritics or some other transliteration method to specifically indicate.

There are 4 N's and 3 S's.

The proper diacritical (IAST) transliteration is Kṛṣṇa. Westerners will often over-emphasis the "i" or "u" sound in between Kr and s + na, but on the Indian tongue the vowel is clipped.

Regarding the holiness of the name...

One must understand that contrary to Abrahamic prohibitions of name and form, name and form are supremely important in Krishna's path.

Virtually all the great gurus of India, Vaishnava or otherwise, have emphasized the importance of the holy name. In fact, one of the most popular (and important) devotional routines is to recite the different names of God. 108 names, 300 names, 1000 names, etc. For the Gaudiya, only the names of Krishna and Rama need be used.

 

[Jainarayan]

I very much dislike the idea of plaques.

Yeah, pretty tacky imo.

 

[Vinayaka]

Yeah, pretty tacky imo.

I dislike plaques too ... However, when there is no other way, and some guy builds a beautiful temple, and everyone gets to use it, and he stays out of the way on day to day decisions, I could actually care less. Its still a temple, and its that guys (or those guys) business really, not mine. He's not asking us to worship him.

 

[Maija]

I <3 plaques, maybe it's just me.

When I enter a place, esp. like a temple I can be distracted by all the beautiful decor and statues the whole ambiance, that it may never cross my mind who might have put aside funding or serious efforts in order to establish this type of institution or mandir.

I don't know if I'm invisioning the wrong type of a plaque but something flamoboyant or tacky doesn't come to mind...perhaps I have not been in enough temples!

 

[Shuddhasattva]

My problem with it is that it commodifies devotion.

 

[Vinayaka]

I don't know if I'm invisioning the wrong type of a plaque but something flamoboyant or tacky doesn't come to mind...perhaps I have not been in enough temples!

I've seen quite a few, and generally they are very small, over in some corner of the foyer, and give a list of Gold donor, Silver donor, etc. We do have one in our temple acknowledging a government grant. (This is Canada, and if a portion is deemed 'cultural' like the basement, you can get a grant towards that portion.) The great thing about Hindu temples is the Hundi. (Anonymous donation box) You can always go on a down time, and stuff it full of cash. I've heard a few stories of 'nice surprises' at opening the hundis.

 

[Vrindavana Das]

Why the ? Because I don't believe as you do, despite your appeal to scriptures?

O Arjuna! There are people who delight in the eulogistic statements of the Vedas and argue that the purport of the Vedas consists in these and nothing else. They are full of worldly desires; paradise is their highest goal; and they are totally blind in a spiritual sense. They expatiate upon those florid Vedic texts which describe the means for the attainment of pleasure and power, which provide attractive embodiments as the fruits of actions and which are full of descriptions of rites and rituals (through which these fulfilments are obtained). In the minds of these votaries of pleasure and power, addicted to enjoyments of the above description, steadfast wisdom (capable of revealing the Truth) is never generated. Bhagavad Gita 2.42-43 (Tapasyananda translation)

Men of small knowledge are very much attached to the flowery words of the Vedas, which recommend various fruitive activities for elevation to heavenly planets, resultant good birth, power, and so forth. Being desirous of sense gratification and opulent life, they say that there is nothing more than this.

Commentary by Srila Prabhupada ​

People in general are not very intelligent, and due to their ignorance they are most attached to the fruitive activities recommended in the karma-kanda portions of the Vedas. They do not want anything more than sense gratificatory proposals for enjoying life in heaven, where wine and women are available and material opulence is very common... Bhagavad Gita 2.42-43

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it." The Buddha

...because you are not reading what I am saying...

Please check out! I am mentioning scriptures describing the transcendental abode of K&#7771;&#7779;&#7751;a - Goloka V&#7771;nd&#257;vana; which is beyond the material cosmic creation. You are talking of heaven; which is a part of the material cosmic creation. Two are different.