Page 21 - OPIHI (English)

nAthdwArA 7

people are there to listen, because atmosphere of service to Kåñëa:
everyone is busy bringing things for “Come serve the Lord, take darçana
the Deity or carrying wood or doing of the Lord, take prasädam of
other service. the Lord, and be happy in Kåñëa
consciousness.”
One might ask, “There are temples
of Kåñëa in Mumbai, and people even A well of ghee
have temples in their homes, so why
should people come all the way here Another important part of sevä is
to do this service or see this Deity?” giving things to the Lord. In front of
One answer is that people feel that the temple early in the morning, you
this Deity is very special, powerful, can buy milk, flowers, vegetables,
and attractive. and fruits and bring them into the
temple to offer to the Lord. People
Kåñëa is one, but the atmosphere also give lots of money. The temple
generated in each temple is of Çrénäthajé is said to be the second
somewhat different. Here the richest in India, after the South
atmosphere is certainly wonderful. Indian temple of Tirupati.
So in many ways you feel like you’re
entering part of the spiritual world, People also give ghee and grains.
where everyone is serving Kåñëa. Most of the food prepared for the
The devotees who stay here and Deity is cooked in pure ghee. People
the devotees who visit create an give ghee in cans of ten, fifteen,
or twenty kilos.
Sometimes a whole
train car full of
ghee arrives in
Nathdwara. The
donor often prefers
to stay anonymous.
The shipment is
simply marked,
“From Çrénäthajé. To
Çrénäthajé.”

The temple has a
literal well of ghee.
Happily serving Çrénäthajé, a devotee carries wood Cans of ghee are cut
to fuel the stoves in the temple’s kitchen.