ISKCON Hungary
Posted by Petra Kronberger, Austria, 6 April 2010:
During the Communist era, the Austrian Vaishnavas would risk imprisonment and all kinds of severe tribulation to spread Srila Prabhupada’s books to their neighboring countries, like Hungary.
From 1982 till 1988, not only was a great amount of endeavour required to get Srila Prabhupada’s books into the heavily controlled Communist nation of Hungary, but also a huge amount of money was required to help ISKCON Hungary get things started. As it became evident, they met with great success.
Today there are thousands of Hungarian devotees and friends of Krishna, temples, farms and restaurants all over the country. They have Religious recognition, tax exemption by the Hungarian government, etc., etc. However, as cannot be unnoticed by ISKCON Hungary, ISKCON Austria was meanwhile totally destroyed by incompetent leaders.
For more than 10 years, all ISKCON temples in Austria are closed. The Austrian population is given the impression that Srila Prabhupada’s mission failed in Austria. But do the Hungarian devotees feel any kind of concern or sadness with what has happened to the Austrian Vaishnavas — the former rescuers of the Hungarian people?
Meanwhile so many years have passed, and the Hungarian devotees seem to intentionally look the other way. The abolition of ISKCON Austria is not mentioned with one word in all their publications.
In summary, it can be said that the tragedy of ISKCON Austria, starting in 1998, remaining unperceived by the Hungarian devotees, is a notion to be rejected.
What remains is for us to take shelter in Srila Prabhupada’s own words and be satisfied with that: “One cannot express sufficient gratitude to Krishna for being freed from the materialistic way of life.”
TRANSLATION
“By His own free will, Lord Krishna has delivered you from such a condemned materialistic life. Therefore the glories of Lord Krishna’s causeless mercy cannot be expressed.”
PURPORT
In the Brahma-samhita (5.54) it is said, karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bha-jam. Lord Krishna is so merciful that He can stop the reaction of karma for His devotee. Everyone-from a small insect called indra-gopa up to Indra, the King of heaven-is bound by the reactions of fruitive activities.
yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-
bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti
karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
Everyone, whether like an insect or the King of heaven, is entangled and bound by the actions and reactions of his karma However, when one becomes a pure devotee, free from material desires and from bondage to karma, jnana and yoga, one is freed from material actions and reactions by the causeless mercy of Krishna. One cannot express sufficient gratitude to Krishna for being freed from the materialistic way of life.”
(Caitanya-caritamrta Antya lila 6.201)
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started a renaissance in undivided Bengal. He gatherd people from all classes and inspired them to go into the feet of Sri Krishna by chanting “Harinam Sankirtan”. In the last century Prabhupada was follower of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and he was guided by Mahaprabhu’s power to spread Krishna’s love to the entire world. Resulting there are so many foreign people become follower of Krishna and world has been enrichedd with Krishna’s nobel.