Jashomatinandana: Some devotees wanted to go from Juhu to Bombay by taxi, and being a miserly man, I agitated them by saying, “Why should you go by taxi?” I told Prabhupada, “When I tell the devotees that it’s too expensive to go to Bombay by taxi, they get agitated.” Prabhupada said, “Just consider that before becoming devotees they were eating flesh and blood like tigers. Now they are chanting Hare Krishna, they are dancing and they are enjoying spiritually. Haven’t they accomplished something great? So if they want some extra money, give it to them. Don’t worry about their faults.” Then in a lecture the next day he said, “Money is very hard to earn. Money is like Krishna’s blood and we should not waste it. Every rupee should be considered as a brick in the temple.” So to me he said, “You tolerate,” while to them he said “Don’t waste money.” In other words, he helped me increase my tolerance in the service of Krishna, and he helped them increase their frugality in the service of the Lord. He approached the difficulty from different angles and instead of feeling discouraged, everyone saw a way to increase the quality of their service. This was a key principle in Prabhupada’s dealings with every devotee, and that’s why he was able to produce so many managers. In spite of our many mistakes, the movement grew because of Prabhupada’s kind and affectionate dealings.
Reference: Remembrances by Sidhanta Das- Folio Vedabase
