December 6, 1975 : Vrindavan
Hari Sauri: Early this morning Prabhupada sent for the temple managers and angrily chastised them because we have spent fifty lakhs of rupees to build such a big temple and guest house, yet he cannot get hot water in the cold season. The past few mornings the water has been so cold that he couldn't even brush his teeth. One after another, Gopala Krishna, Akshayananda Swami, Gunarnava and Dhananjaya were called. No one seemed to want to take responsibility. Srila Prabhupada demanded to know why. Whenever they offered a feeble excuse or explanation, he abruptly cut them off.
Prabhupada called for Saurabha Dasa, the Dutch devotee and architect who was responsible for supervising the construction and design of the project, but he could not be found. This only increased Prabhupada's exasperation. Holding Saurabha responsible for the mistake, he sharply rebuked him in his absence. When the devotees assured him that the problem would be fixed immediately Prabhupada's mood changed. As quickly as it had arisen, his anger disappeared.
Despite his criticism of the management over the hot water incident, Prabhupada is very pleased with the service of Saurabha and the other devotees. More than once he has asked me during massage what I thought of the Guest House and temple. When I responded with appreciation, he looked over the buildings and said, "Yes, I think he has done very nicely. There is no such building anywhere." But he is determined not to allow us to become complacent. Now the facility has to be maintained and managed efficiently, and Srila Prabhupada is personally showing us how to do it. As the representative of Krishna, he wants to make sure that whatever resources Lord Krishna has provided are used correctly without waste.
Prabhupada called for Saurabha Dasa, the Dutch devotee and architect who was responsible for supervising the construction and design of the project, but he could not be found. This only increased Prabhupada's exasperation. Holding Saurabha responsible for the mistake, he sharply rebuked him in his absence. When the devotees assured him that the problem would be fixed immediately Prabhupada's mood changed. As quickly as it had arisen, his anger disappeared.
Despite his criticism of the management over the hot water incident, Prabhupada is very pleased with the service of Saurabha and the other devotees. More than once he has asked me during massage what I thought of the Guest House and temple. When I responded with appreciation, he looked over the buildings and said, "Yes, I think he has done very nicely. There is no such building anywhere." But he is determined not to allow us to become complacent. Now the facility has to be maintained and managed efficiently, and Srila Prabhupada is personally showing us how to do it. As the representative of Krishna, he wants to make sure that whatever resources Lord Krishna has provided are used correctly without waste.
Reference: A Transcendental Diary Volume 1 - Hari Sauri Dasa
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