So there was a rich man in Calcutta, very rich by those standards of India. He brought lots of money to give to the Belur Math, and Maharaj was the President, so he naturally, with great devotion, he offered it and somehow Swami Brahmananda could see it could not be accepted. His motive was not at all the right thing. He had never come before as a devotee, he had never wanted help from any of this gardening he saw them all the time. He knew about them but never felt the need but still he felt this urge to charity.
He thought “let me give this money to the poor monks, they will be helped.” Several other monks who could not gauge this individual’s inclination to spiritual life, you know, how much he was really wanting God, wanting benefit from the holy contact, they could not get. They said he must be a wonderful devotee, why look at the amount he is going to sacrifice, he is going to give it all to us. That must show great sacrifice. So he must be a wonderful man. So they were very nice to him and they said “well are you really giving it all away and of course it will help our work, it’ll be wonderful” and all that. And then they were waiting for the last word from Maharaj.
And he just very calmly he said “I don’t think we should accept that money” that’s all. Just one sentence and it was such a disappointment to others. But Maharaj would not explain anything more what is wrong with it, what is the matter. See that is the teacher – he knows how to approach this individual. He did not even meet him or talk to him. He just heard the proposal and he said without any change in the face, no anger, no displeasure, just he said “I don’t think we should accept it so please tell him that he can do what else he likes.”
Then, much later days, someone was close to Maharaja got to him to get an answer “why did you say this, we have not been able to find the reason, he’s such a fine man. And he said he did not give, again, the direct reason. He would not say a word about the individual man. He said “look here, are you really a good strong monk? You think so? You have been with me for years.” They all said “yes, we are very good monks, what is the matter with us?”
And he said that man, a householder, who has made money by hard work out in the world he is feeling the spirit of renunciation, he wants to give away all that money. Giving it away and you, a monk for so many years, staying in the monastery, some of you fellow you want to grab it. Your spirit of renunciation seems to be disappearing. You want to take that immediately and you are also happy about somebody giving you this money. How is it are you losing your spirit of renunciation? If the Lord wants it, it will come. Why are you really so much attached to that man’s gift.