Building a home for Krishna Balarama - Challenges & Miracles
Challenges
Meanwhile, several factors were holding up progress. First was a lack of money. The funds for the project were coming from our collections in Delhi, Calcutta, and Hyderabad. Every day two or three devotees would visit businessmen in their offices and appeal to them for donations as part of our membership drive. But the money was coming in slowly.
In addition, we had little in the way of building materials because of government shortages. Rather than allot goods to religious groups, they preferred to support the army and movie theaters.
During this difficult period, Srila Prabhupada wrote me, "Now go on and develop the Vrindavana center with full enthusiasm and do not be discouraged by any temporary setbacks. Always work in the spirit of being completely dependent on Krishna for everything." And indeed, Krishna always made it possible for the work to go on.
Miracles
Miraculous things would happen. When hundreds of people had been denied their supplies, we'd get our order approved. When there was a flood in the river our sand came from, new sand from another location came through right on time to be mixed with the cement that had just come in from another place.
In this way we were being trained to depend on Krishna, especially since we were building His temple in Vrindavana itself. We didn't consider these obstacles to be unpleasant incidents. They seemed to be Krishna's test - to see how much love we were willing to put into His temple.
Over the next two years, the temple building went up gradually. Trucks rolled onto the property day and night, and each time a truck arrived, the peacocks would trumpet their joy. It was great.