Tamal Krishna Goswami: Once, just after we’d arrived in Calcutta, Prabhupada laughed at me. At the time I was a grihastha, and Srila Prabhupada’s entourage were all sannyasis–Kirtanananda Swami, Madhudvisa Swami, Devananda Swami, Kartikeya Swami and Tamal Krishna das Adhikari. Prabhupada had just formed the GBC and I grabbed India—the zone where Prabhupada would be spending most of his time. I didn’t know what the GBC was all about, but it was the right move because for eight months a year for the next four years, Prabhupada was in India. But I had to pay for it and I started paying as soon as we arrived in Calcutta. Now, in America in those days, ISKCON was so small that it didn’t matter how we kept our financial accounts. And anyway we were tax exempt. But when you keep accounts in India, you literally have to keep track of every paisa. So, Prabhupada had instituted the Life Membership Program and money started coming in. Someone had to keep the accounts, keep tabs on who the members were, issue receipts and print up membership books. Every time I tried to get someone to help, they said, “I’m a sannyasi. I play the harmonium.” Nobody was supposed to do anything because they were sannyasis. I practically went mad. After about two weeks I went to Prabhupada and broke down. I said, “I can’t take it anymore.” He said, “What’s wrong?” I said, “Nobody’s helping me do anything. I have to do everything.” To my surprise, Prabhupada started laughing at me. I was crying and he was laughing. He said, “Arjuna found himself in the same position. This is very good.” I was hoping for sympathy and assistance but instead Prabhupada started laughing at me and telling me it was very good. So I stopped crying, and tried to figure out why it was very good. Prabhupada said, “We should pray for this situation. We should pray to be so constantly engaged in Krishna’s service that maya cannot find any means to enter. This is very fortunate.”
Source: Remembrances by Sidhanta Das – Folio Vedabase
