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EUROPE April 17, 1999 VNN3623 See Related VNN Stories 20 Years Of Harikesa Rule In Austria BY RAMMOHAN DAS AUSTRIA, Apr 17 (VNN) — Krishna Consciousness in Austria after 20 years of Harikesa's rule. I am a disciple of Srila Prabhupada since 1972 and serving Prabhupada's mission in Austria since 1982. The reason why here in one of the most beautiful countries of Europe there is no real temple, no farm and no association among the large number of devotees which joined and left since the departure of Srila Prabhupada is, that here the devotees where told over and over again for the last 20 years by Harikesa and his secretaries that there is no way to act legally. You have to disobey the laws of state in order to spread Krishna-consciousness. This bogus and devotee-killing strategy which everybody believed was not "wait, we are working on a solution", but an immoral strain without end. Devotees left burnt out due to constant pressure of selling books and make money like criminals. New devotees joined and where "taught" the same rubbish: "You are a pioneer-saint, you don't need any permission which we anyway don't get from this stupid government." Usually after 2 or three years they lost complete faith in such kind of leadership and left without ever being heart of. A never-ending fear of being exposed by police and media extinguished the fire of spreading Srila Prabhupada's mission in an expanding manner like Italy, Switzerland, Yugoslavia, Spain, France, Poland, Hungary, Belgium, etc. Prabhupada's philosophy is to always find a Krishna- conscious solution and that there is no problem which can't be solved. But why the GBC seemed to remain stuck? The answer is very simple. All the illegal collected Laxmi from Austria was secretly transferred to Switzerland and "legalized" in the Zurich Temple and than sent back as "legal donation" from the Krishna Foundation Switzerland. Since the hard working Austrian devotees where collecting millions of dollars you might gradually understand that quite a big amount of Laxmi remained in Zurich temple. In contrast the Swiss leaders liked to do this kind of service of "helping" the Austrians to "wash" their money. "Why do you need all of your money back, you have no legal status there anyway and can't spent it for bigger projects". Additionally the BBT-price was constantly pushed up. During one visit in Vienna Harikesa took 70.000.-US Dollars with him, claiming that would be BBT debt. Today you will find in Switzerland big expensive temple buildings, a big farm, other properties and a huge community of happy devotees. (They even laugh about their guru's fall in maya and call him bhakta Robert). Right now when I reflect on the situation here in Austria after so much work of so many devotees after so many years we find ourselves like in the year 1975 right at the very beginning. A 60 sqm rented place in the worst part of Vienna, 3 devotees, 3 bhaktas. And as final topping: All the surrounding temples send lots of their Sankirtan devotees just for making quick money, because the people of Austria are known of giving bigger donations. My humble request to the present GBC and other leading devotees who feel themselves concerned is to find a solution of justice for this spiritually mistreated beautiful country in the heart of Europe and start together to work out a solution for building a representative temple and farm for Srila Prabhupada, Gaura-Nitai and a big number of hiding devotees who lost complete faith in proper spiritual leadership. See Related VNN Stories | Comment on this Story | Contact VNN regarding this Story
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