Remembering Srila Prabhupada - Wasting time - Blog - ISKCON Desire Tree

Wasting time

Because there was no breakfast, Prabhupada talked with the temple managers for quite a long time. He is quite frustrated with Aksayananda Swami's style of management. Although Aksayananda is undoubtedly sincere, he seems to not have any realization about what is to be done or not done, nor how to do what Prabhupada tells him has to be done. Even when he says he understands, things don't get done. A case in point is the alterations to the guest house lobby. The banging, thumpings and wall-breaking continue ceaselessly. Prabhupada complained about it again and Aksayananda said that it was being done under someone else's direction while he was out of station, and that he did not want the work to be done. Thus when he promised Prabhupada that the work would be finished soon, Prabhupada skeptically remarked, "And how long this work will continue? Throughout the whole life?"

"No. I'm going to finish it today," Aksayananda Maharaja promised.

Prabhupada was exasperated. "You say no, but it is going on. You simply say no, yes, no, very good. That's all."

Prabhupada complained that his disciples are "very expert at manufacturing nonsense ideas."

I asked him how we can distinguish a good idea from a bad one.

"You have to take ideas from your guru," Prabhupada replied. "Therefore gurum evabhigacchet. Why do you manufacture yourself? Consult the authority, then do it. That is intelligence. Why do you think that you are very intelligent? That is materialism. The more you remain that 'I am a fool,' that is good. And as soon as you become over-intelligent, then, that's finished. So Europeans, Americans, they are over-intelligent. They have intelligence, over-intelligence. Unnecessarily they manufacture a machine for shaving." He imitated the sound of an electric shaver, making us all laugh. "Gnowgnowgnow gnowgnow. And they have wasted so much time, so much time. But people like it."

- From "A Transcendental Diary Vol 4" by HG Hari Sauri Prabhu

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