Preliminary reports are placing the number of homes demolished today at twelve (added to the demolitions last November, that would bring the total to twenty-six homes destroyed). As before, the officials brought busloads of laborers and police officers with them, indiscriminately taking crowbars and sledgehammers to the homes. They threw personal possessions out into the street, even as the horrified devotees pleaded with them and begged for mercy. Mechanical diggers then moved in, literally "crushing the houses to dust."
We do not think that the (makeshift) temple or cow-barn have been demolished yet. However, local officials have included these buildings on their list of buildings to be demolished. This is especially troubling because the temple is the official site linked to ISKCON's registration as a religion in the country. Because of the way Kazakh law is structured, there is a possibility that if the temple structure is demolished, ISKCON will simply lose its right to exist legally in the country at all."Take shelter of Krishna. Everyone should remain very brave and remain fixed in chanting the holy name. Pull together and take care of the devotees whose homes have been destroyed. What is being done is cruel and certainly not fair but we still have our lives….so those lives should be focused on serving Krishna and our consciousness should certainly not become like that of the people who are doing this. We are witnessing a rude exhibition of material consciousness – never become like that. Pull together, even more than you did last November. Make sure the homeless devotees have shelter and try to gather together their belongings. And by this try to understand how special devotee association really is…"
(BB Govinda Swami on left, Indradyumna Swami on right) 
Having Govinda Swami here helps to deal with the sadness of not seeing Radhanath Swami at New York Ratha Yatra this year. It has become a little unspoken tradition that on NY Ratha Yatra day, Krsangi prepares Radhanath Maharaj's lunch and I usually get to assist in serving him the prasadam at the park. This year, of course, we missed that opportunity. Krishna is kind however, and allowed us to serve BB Govinda Maharaj. Its funny, but somehow while serving Govinda Swami, we felt very connected to Radhanath Maharaj this weekend as well. We could actually feel, from within the heart, that Radhanath Swami is pleased that we are trying our best to serve the devotees and especially his dear godbrothers and godsisters nicely.
Watching this brought me back to my visits to that charming smog-filled paradise of contradictions formerly known as Bombay. I remember good old K.M Munshi Marg, where I used to try to look like I knew what I was doing while hailing taxis outside of the Bharati Vidya Bhavan.
A comment on my previous blog post about what it means to have a relationship with a spiritual master, raised some interesting challenges. Calling him or herself "Shunyavadin" (transl.: "voidist" or, literally, "follower of zero"), a commenter felt the need to call me out on my "childish" worship of "an imaginary friend."
Worshiping a deity or guru keeps one immature.
"Would I be doing or saying this if Maharaj was standing and watching me or listening to me?" This is like saying, "Would my mother let me do this if she was watching me?"
Have you not grown up enough to know whether something is right or wrong? Can you not think for your self?
To believe in a god is to believe in an imaginary friend. Are you not mature enough to discard this childish practice and rely on your own initiative? Or does the thought that you're all alone in this world scare you? Grow up!
Be a light unto your self and no longer be an immature slave!
Shunyavadin.
I can't say that I agree. What you fail to realize is that bhakti - directed towards God Himself or to His dear devotees and saintly personalities - is motivated not by fear, but by love.
To ask "would I be doing this if Maharaj were standing here?" is not a symptom of moral immaturity or an inability to think for oneself; it is an expression of gratitude, humility, and love. It is taking inspiration and guidance from one who sets the example, and trying to apply that inspiration in one's life. That doesn't make someone weak or childish -- it makes them honest.
Besides, looking at your words a little more closely, I can't help but notice an arrogant double-standard at work:
"Worshiping a deity or guru keeps one immature."
(But accepting what *I* say as Absolute Truth is mature and reasonable.)
"Have you not grown up enough to know whether something is right or wrong?"
(But I'm telling you that worshipping a personal God or turning to the guidance of a guru is wrong, and following my path is right.)
"Can you not think for your self?"
(But thinking for yourself must result in you coming to the same conclusion as I do, or else I will call you immature and childish.)
"To believe in a god is to believe in an imaginary friend."
(Because I said so.)
"Are you not mature enough to discard this childish practice and rely on your own initiative?"
(Relying on your own initiative means accepting whatever I tell you. If, however, you rely on your own initiative and choose to engage in the practice of bhakti then I will call it childish and dismiss it.)
"Or does the thought that you're all alone in this world scare you?"
(Follow me so that we can be 'alone' together.)
"Grow up!"
(Be like me.)
"Be a light unto your self..."
(Be like me.)
"...and no longer be an immature slave!"
(Except to me and my 'enlightened' and 'grown up' ideas)
So, lets see if we have this straight. I should make my own decisions, rely on my own initiative, and be free -- except if that self-initiative and freewill lead me to conclude that there is a Supreme Person and I want to know and love Him?
I should grow up and think for myself -- so long as I think in the exact same way you do?
Sorry, Shunya... I'm just not buying it.