ISKCON Austin Devastated by Fire

It was a normal day in the material world, the world where there is danger at every step. We were on our way back to Austin from the super ecstatic Baltic Summer Festival. We had a overnight stop in London to catch our ongoing flight the next day to Chicago, which connects with a flight to Austin. Upon our arrival in London we discovered that Finnair had lost a piece of my luggage. Lord Krishna says that we have to be tolerant of the dualities. So I took it in stride. Whatever Krishna arranges I am prepared to accept.

Then in the middle of night I kept receiving calls on my mobile phone. Half awake I was thinking that someone was probably calling the wrong number, so I ignored the calls. But when they kept calling I came to my senses and realized that somebody was in fact urgently trying to reach me and I answered the call. It was my disciple, Abhay Charan das, urgently trying to reach me from India. He had been notified by a devotee in Austin that the ISKCON temple in Austin, which also serves as our residence, had been struck by lightning and severely damaged by fire. By Krishna's grace a neighbor called 911 and brought the fire department to extinguish the blaze before it completely engulfed the building. This saved it from total destruction. In the course of saving the house from total destruction the water used to extinguish the fire also caused significant damage to the facilties.

The bottom line is that our place of worship and residence is now unusable for an extended period of time until it can be repaired. The electricity is turned off. Our residential quarters upstairs are in a complete shambles. At the present moment as I write this we are flying from London on our way to Austin, and I do not know where we will stay tonight or for the next several weeks while the repair work is going on. A comforting voice from inside says, "Don't worry. Just be prepared to accept whatever Krishna arranges." Krishna is known as Bhaktavatsala, one who is very affectionate to His devotees. So I know that He has some wonderful surprises in store for us. We simply have to keep our faith fully in Him and enjoy the ride.

Anyone who would like to contribute to the restoration of ISKCON Austin can do so at:

www.ultimateselfrealization.com/donate

Sankarshan Das Adhikari

ISKCON Austin is Now Unlivable 

Where There Was A Roof Now There is Sky

There is Water Damage Everywhere

Answers by Citing the Vedic Version:

Question: Should I Not Marry an Attractive Woman?

One day I would like be a self-realized soul. After reading a verse that warns against the danger of associating with an attractive woman I have a question. Does this mean I should never marry a woman I find attractive, that if I do marry someone, she should be a woman I find wholly unattractive so as to not be the "gateway to hell" for my advancement?

Thank you,

Abhijit B.

Answer: Marry a Krishna Conscious Woman

While having an unattractive wife is certainly an advantage for one's Krishna consciousness, a woman can be attractive or unattractive. That does not matter. Whether she is attractive or unattractive, if she is serious about Krishna consciousness, she will be a first class wife who will facilitate your going back home, back to Godhead.

Sankarshan Das Adhikari