Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura
You Must Go Door To Door
"The Matha is the center of Hari-kirtana, and Hari-kirtana is life and consciousness. To make sure that there is no place for sloth, bad conduct, trivial thought, gossip, or vulgar desire at the Matha, you must go door to door, where your Hari-kirtana will be tested by the public. They will think they are the givers and you the receivers of alms, in other words, that their status is higher than yours, and will criticize you in many ways, considering you objects of their mercy. Perhaps also some of them will be ready to kick you out. Then on one hand, you will be able to become trnad api sunicena (lower than straw) and manada (respectful to others), and on the other, you will take sincere care to make your lives and characters pure and exemplary. Besides, it will be beneficial for you that as you correct the mistakes of the common people by citing the message of sadhu, sastra, and guru-varga, you yourselves will not commit those same mistakes.
"Do not be upset if anyone criticizes you personally. But your guru-varga, the sastra, and the mahajanas are completely faultless, supremely liberated, and eternal associates of the Lord, and by speaking the actual truth you should correct anyone who criticizes them. By doing so, both yourselves and the foolish criticizers will gain topmost auspiciousness. You may cultivate unenthusiasm for door-to-door bhiksa and, while still beset by anarthas, indulge in slothfulness on the plea of trying to avoid others' criticism, and consider nirjana-bhajana as one's best interest. But in so doing your character will not become corrected, nor will you be able to attain the life of actual devotional practice. I will never give you the opportunity to become deceitful on the path of devotion by your absconding to a reclusive residence where no one will hear your words or even see you and your heart will thus remain undisciplined. You are my dearest friends. You may fall into difficulty, you may gain temporary honor from the public, or temporarily become the object of their blasphemy, which you find unpleasant and intolerable and thus desire to give up the path of satisfying Bhagavan's senses to engage in satisfying those of the public and of oneself - but I wll not allow this to happen to you."
I Won't Leave Even a Paisa for You
"Preach the kirtana of the Supreme Lord, even if in so doing you have to incur debt. To pay off that debt you will have to perform further seva. When your creditors pressure you, you will be compelled to beg more alms. And since the pious householders will not give you alms unless your character and conduct are wholly uncontaminated, you will be forced to preserve a pure lifestyle with great determination and conscientiousness. I won't leave even a paisa for you, so that in the future you will not indulge in laziness or give up your devotional lives full of Hari-kirtana and Hari-seva."
