Question: I seek your guidance regarding a challenge I faced while managing a spiritual event of about 1500 attendees. I was given full responsibility for the event, but during the seva, some senior devotees strongly insisted on changing the planned format, creating tension. The situation escalated, and I regretfully raised my voice before later seeking their forgiveness. With another event coming next year, I am concerned similar situations may arise. Given the responsibility entrusted to me and the sensitivity required in seva, how should I handle such situations in the future—especially when approaching higher leaders was not feasible at the time due to their other commitments? Your guidance will help me serve Krishna and the devotees in the right spirit.
Answer by Romapada Swami:
I have two thoughts to recommend concerning the conflict that arose in the recent large event that you were given charge to organize.
One of the recommendations is to approach the person who gave you the assignment, explain the nature of the conflict that arose during the event, your regret for the explosive response that you gave when the existing plan was confronted, and seek your instructor’s recommendation. How to handle this situation were to come again in the future.
This is a learning curve in anyone’s devotional service, and it is important to understand from wise and experienced devotees how to conduct oneself.
A second is a very important point to remember.
In any circumstance of devotional service or of life, respect should never be set aside. There are ways to address yourself respectfully, as opposed to explosively, where disrespect is set aside and controlling the situation takes priority. Better to err on the side of caution, namely, to accept the high road of this decision that was already made and let this individual or individuals know that we can discuss this at a later point in time, or yield without the explosion. And accept the consequences of a plan that was other than your plan.
The main message I’m sharing with this second point is, respect is, “respect must never be pushed to the side”, it must always be in the forefront of your social and inter-devotee interactions.
