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Srila Prabhupada's simple desire for us to work harmoniously

Pusta Krishna: Buddhimanta was tall, big, bright-faced, and appeared somewhat crazed. He was an imposing figure begging for money on the streets, and he was collecting a lot of it in a way that devotees had never done before. I had some difference of opinion about how money should be collected, and I made it known that I thought a monk shouldn't act in the way Buddhimanta was acting. This was a point of contention between Bali Mardan and me. Bali Mardan called Srila Prabhupada and talked to Shyamasundar, objecting to my objecting to the way that they were collecting money.

In response Srila Prabhupada wrote a very instructive letter. He didn't criticize either of us. He didn't say, "You are right," and, "You are wrong." That wasn't his concern at all, which tells something of his character. His concern was that we work together as a family. He wanted all of us to get along despite our different ideas about engaging in devotional service. Srila Prabhupada's simple desire for us to work harmoniously is something that's taken me a long time to understand.



Reference: Srila Prabhupada Remembrances - Siddhanta Dasa