Query: Here in our Ashram a lot of construction works are in progress. The expenses of all such construction works are much more than that of the expenses of our kitchen. Isn’t that so, Guruji?
Gurumaharaj : Do you really think so? You think that the expenses of running our kitchen is ignoble! Then you would better take the responsibility of running the Ashram kitchen for the coming two to three years. Then all the development projects of our Ashram will be taken care of. I can finish my job without any hassle.
Paramananda Mission at Banagram will be there for long years and the development works of the Ashram will also be carried out. But that is a matter of future. If I’m not to be bothered by the expenses of the kitchen, I’ll complete the amount of work I am supposed to perform for the Ashram in just one or two years!
Look, after returning from abroad before the Mahalaya (September, 1993) Murari ( Swami Nishkamananda) took fourteen thousand from me for the expenses up to the Durga puja.Again I gave him forty three thousand rupees for the expenses upto the Laxmi puja.Ihad to provide him yet another thirty seven thousand rupees for the expenses from Laxmi puja to Kali puja. These are the costs only for keeping the kitchen alive during the pujas!
But I know for sure that nothing can happen without God’s will. Here as well everything is maintained by the Divine Grace. I am fed by Mother Jagadamba, I obey only Her instructions. So, She looks after all these things!
Now the works of this Ashram have picked up momentum. The construction work of the new school building has started.The number of devotees who visit the Ashram regularly has also gone up. How shall then the rising expenses be managed? Everyone in the Ashram worry over this. But I never get worried. Sometimes Trishan or Murari started a new project in my absence. When I came to know about that, I said to them,” These things will be completed but that one will not be successful.” Perhaps they thought that I did not like those projects. But that’s not the case. I strictly follow Divine Mother’s orders. I instruct them what to do as per Mother’s guidance.
Once they invested a fund of Ashram into buying pototoes in bulk and keeping them in cold storage. I knew very well that this kind of profiteering action would never work here in Banagram Ashram. In spite of my dissuading they invested the fund there. Right at that time I was abroad. Mother said to me,” Sell the potatoes immediately or the money will be gone.” Soon after that I called Trishan and ordered him to sell the potatoes right away. But he did not obey my order. He told me that many businessemen were confident that the rates of potatoes would rise later. Finally what the Holy Mother said turned out to be true. All the money was gone. It was a huge loss for our Ashram. The owner of the cold storage was acquainted with the deplorable financial condition of the Ashram. So, he returned a small amount.
Now you can understand well that how this Ashram is run. This Ashram is run only by the selfless love of the people and no black money is entertained here.The brahmacharins of our Ashram visit farthest corners of the cities and obscure villages and tell people about our Ashram and its various social welfare projects. Then many people visit our Ashram and closely follow our welfare works . Many of them contribute according to their means. In addition to this, we have our quarterly magazine ‘Charaiveti’. The magazine conveys to people the ideals and philanthropic activities of our Ashram. A large number of people who love our organisation come forward and extend their support. This is the process how we run this Ashram. Don’t ever think that we accept black money for the same. The foreign disciples definitely contribute. But the Ashram is chiefly run by the selfless love of people.
( Translated by Amitava Saha)