Through his life of dedication to Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja, Śrīla Gurudeva exemplified the nature of an ideal disciple. He never thought of his personal gain. One day, Ācārya Kesarī said, “A brahmacārī in his guru’s āśrama must collect alms for the service of Bhagavān. You should visit the homes of householders and speak Kṛṣṇa’s glories to them. As a bee gathers pollen from many flowers and brings it back to the hive, you should collect a small offering from people’s homes and bring it to the āśrama to use in Bhagavān’s service. By this, people achieve pious merits that will help them progress on the spiritual path. Many people will not visit the temple of their own accord, therefore go door to door and invite everyone to come. Be careful not to form intimate relationships with anyone; rather, you should establish everyone’s relationship with God, while remaining detached yourself. Remain neutral and don’t accept any offering for yourself; or else māyā can catch you.”
Happily accepting Ācārya Kesarī’s instruction, Gurudeva began to go out daily and humbly beg alms from the villagers, without a trace of pride regarding his brāhmaṇa birth or past influential government post. He offered whatever he received to Ācārya Kesarī. When he did not gather anything from the householders, he returned with wild roots and vegetables, dry wood, cow dung, or even soil to use in the farmland. He never came back to the temple empty-handed.
Śrīla Gurudeva usually went out with an old bābājī or fellow brahmacārī, for he was warned that alone sādhu might become a victim of māyā at any time. One day, Gurudeva and a few brahmacārīs traveled by train to distant villages. From morning to evening they begged, village to village, without receiving any alms. Gurudeva was worried he would have to return empty-handed. It was deep summer, and the scorching heat left the brahmacārīs parched. Late in the afternoon, Gurudeva led the group to a well where people were filling their buckets.
A family there asked, “You sādhus appear hungry. Will you accept something to eat?”
“We have not come to satisfy our hunger,” Gurudeva said. “We are here for the service of our spiritual master. We first offer everything to him and then he offers it to Bhagavān. Only then do we accept the remnants.”
A righteous brāhmaṇa present at the well said, “We have just offered something to our Deities. Please take just a little mahā-prasāda.”
“A chaste wife never eats before her husband,” Gurudeva replied, “likewise a genuine disciple will first offer everything to his guru. If the disciple accepts anything independently, he is like an animal.”
Closely observing Gurudeva, relatives of the brāhmaṇa said, “Can’t you recognize this young man? This is Nārāyaṇa Tiwārī! We used to go to his home and hear hari-kathā from his father and grandfather. We always revered them as our gurus. Now Nārāyaṇa Tiwārī has come as a beggar to our little village.”
The brāhmaṇa family welcomed Gurudeva into their home and convincingly washed his feet. Neighbors and friends gathered and watched curiously as the villagers honored Gurudeva with great regard. Before Gurudeva and the brahmacārīs left, they were given a large amount of rice, cloth, and other paraphernalia for the temple and were invited to come back monthly.
When they returned late that night, Ācārya Kesarī said, “You brought so much back today. How did you collect all of this?”
The brahmacārīs replied, “Wherever Gaura Nārāyaṇa goes, people recognize and honor him. The villagers of one area requested us to come back every month to collect donations.”