The man instantly became very offended. He yelled back, "What! You have called the Punjab National Bank a nonsense!?"
Harikesa did not realise that in India, if you tell someone they are nonsense, it is taken as a great insult. He hadn't meant it as an affront; he simply wanted to impress upon the man the laxity of his staff. But the manager became so incensed that he went right into Prabhupada's room to complain.
Srila Prabhupada had overheard the exchange, and managed to calm the manager down. The man left, still glowering at Harikesa.
Prabhupada called in the repentant Harikesa. He conceded that the manager is not very smart and that with his red-tape and bureaucracy, he has caused us a variety of problems since the branch opened. Still, Prabhupada lectured Harikesa on his dealings with importantly placed men. He said they may be fools, but they can cause so much trouble because of their position. Therefore we have to deal very carefully with them, otherwise they can make so many difficulties for us.
As an example he cited the time when he returned to India from Africa with his secretary, Syamasundara dasa. Syamasundara had failed to arrange a health card for Srila Prabhupada to show that he had been inoculated against yellow fever. Upon their arrival in Bombay the immigration officer requested it. Considering the man a petty official, Syamasundara got angry and started yelling at him. As a result, the officer became very negative and deliberately went out of his way to hinder them. Prabhupada said that had Syamasundara been a little sensitive, the man would probably have not made a fuss. But the result was that Srila Prabhupada was locked up for seven days in quarantine.
Prabhupada shook his head as he recalled his stay in the quarantine house. "It was very disturbing because although there were nice gardens, I was not allowed out of my room. All the windows were barred."
So Prabhupada told Harikesa, "Even if you are agitated you should never show it." He quoted a verse from Canakya Pandita to that effect, and he gave the example of Srila Raghunatha dasa, who, by his sweet words, saved his uncle and family from a dangerous situation at the hands of an envious official. The conclusion, Prabhupada said, was that a Vaisnava should be friendly in all his dealings.
- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu
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