Why Do We Need a Temple?
Chaitanya Charan Dasa: Ratan Gupta (RG) is a wealthy industrialist, well-known for being charitable to noble causes. He recently attended an ISKCON program at a friend’s house, where the speaker Sanatana Swami, a venerable monk who has been teaching God consciousness for the last 35 years, invited him to visit the local ISKCON temple. One early evening, Ratan decides to go to the temple. As he parks his car outside the temple, he notices hoardings depicting a grand new temple that ISKCON is planning to build. He enters the temple, has ‘darshan’ (entering the temple room and seeing the Deities) and enquires about Santana Swami. He is directed to a small room, where he sees the effulgent Swamiji sitting erect on the floor behind a small desk. The room is filled with pictures of Krishna on the walls and books about Krishna in the shelves. Sanatana Swami greets him with a warm smile and invites him to take a seat. Their conversation: