Srila Prabhupada gave heavy gold-plated I.D. bracelet
Satsvarupa Dasa:It is easy for the devotees to understand and relish how Prabhupada accepted ill-fitting or even unsuitable gifts from his disciples and yet utilized them just so the disciples' devotional service could be accepted by Krishna. Sometimes nondevotees, on seeing a photo of Srila Prabhupada, or seeing him with nondevotional eyes, thought that Srila Prabhupada was enjoying material opulence obtained from his disciples. Specifically, nondevotees have criticized Prabhupada's wearing of several rings, or his "gold" watches.
At one point, when Srila Prabhupada wore two or three rings, one of them was an inexpensive high school ring a devotee had given to Prabhupada, which he simply wore for a while in recognition of the gift. When mass market technology first produced digital watches, Syamasundara dasa gave Prabhupada one, and it was considered a fancy item. Actually the watch never worked. Prabhupada carried it for a while in one of his cases and finally left it somewhere. His general system was to accept a gift, use it or at least carry it for some time, and then give it as a gift to one of his disciples.
Even today, some fortunate disciples have in their possession various pieces of Srila Prabhupada's jewelry or possessions. Sometimes Prabhupada would give away the gifts so quickly that the donor became a little disappointed. Bhurijana dasa, for example, gave Prabhupada a heavy gold-plated I.D. bracelet when Prabhupada visited Hong Kong. Not long after, Prabhupada gave the bracelet to another disciple, Bhagavan Goswami, and Bhurijana was at first disappointed. Finally he came to see it as another form of Prabhupada's mercy on all of the devotees. Therefore, for one who did not understand Prabhupada's renounced mood and his loving interactions with his disciples, the sight of Prabhupada wearing several rings or gold ornaments was sometimes misunderstood. Although Prabhupada was aware of the risk of this misunderstanding, for the most part he nevertheless accepted the various gifts because of the importance of accepting offerings as Krishna's representative and then using them in Krishna's service.
Reference: Srila Prabhupada Nectar by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
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