Remembering Srila Prabhupada - On Management

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Srila Prabhupada NectarOn Management

 

Prabhupada advised that those who are leaders in

ISKCON have to know how to bend men without breaking

them or making them angry. After all, he said, it is

all voluntary service.

George Harrison once said, "In the future, ISKCON will

be so large, it will require executive management."

Prabhupada replied, "I have divided the world into

zones and representatives. As long as they keep to

the spiritual principles, Krsna will help them."

A disciple with managerial responsibility approached

Prabhupada and expressed a desire to leave India.

Prabhupada asked him to stay on, but the devotee was

determined to leave, and ultimately Prabhupada

conceded. But at one point Prabhupada said, "You can

renounce management, but I cannot. I have to stay and

manage."

Once, on a visit to Boston, Srila Prabhupada had a

meeting with his ISKCON Press workers. Satsvarupa

complained to Prabhupada that he had so many duties in

the temple that he was distracted in trying to do all

of them at the same time do press work too.

Prabhupada said, "Real management means to delegate it

to others. You have so many responsible devotees

there, so you can delegate it to them."

While walking up the stairs in Mayapur one morning,

Prabhupada began complimenting Bhavananda.

"You are a good manager because you keep things clean.

If you can keep everything clean, then you are a good

manager. That's all there is to it." As they walked

up the stairs, Prabhupada could see that everything

was shiny and clean; the walls, the pictures on the

walls, the marble floors, everything was clean. But

when they went to the roof, Srila Prabhupada found a

scrap of paper and dust in a corner, and he began to

criticise everyone for neglect.

Once in India, Prabhupada was joined in his room by

his senior disciples Bhagavan, Brahmananda and

Giriraja.

"You are the future hope of the world," said Srila

Prabhupada, and he began to instruct them about the

importance of attentive management.

"Just like your American Express corporation," he

said. "What have they done? They have simply taken

pieces of paper and for those pieces of paper you pay

good money. But what have they done? Actually they

have done nothing. It is simply management. You pay

them some money and they give you a piece of paper,

and if you lose that piece of paper, they say, 'All

right, we will give you another piece of paper.' It

is organisation. Simply from that management they

have made millions of dollars."

In Calcutta, when Abhirama dasa was the temple

president, he went one day to tell Srila Prabhupada

that he was having difficult with his marriage.

Prabhupada asked him what was the difficult.

"She wants that I should be engaged in more pujari

work and chanting rather than management."

Srila Prabhupada replied, "She is less intelligent.

Management is spiritual activity. Just like Arjuna

fighting."

"There is no difference between chanting Hare Krsna or

sankirtana and doing one's assigned work in Krsna

consciousness. Sometimes we have to do so much

managerial or office work, but Lord Caitanya promises

us that because in Kali-yuga this is required for

carrying out the preaching mission. He gives

assurance that we will not become entangled by such

work.. When the work has to be done, do it first,

then chant. But you must fulfil at least 16 rounds

daily. So, if necessary, sleep less, but you have to

finish your minimum number of rounds."

Letter of January 2, 1972

- From the Nectar by HH Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

 

=Please Chant: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna

Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare

Hare And Be Happy

 

 

 

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