Guru Dev was known for his self-sufficiency and would not accept donations from anyone, whether rich or poor. In fact, a sign was erected at his ashram which said,
"Worthy of Worship, Infinitely Bestowed, The Universal Guru Shankaracharya Jyotirmath, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati Maharaj prohibits any offerings of wealth." Among the sages of India, the concept of self-sufficiency has a special meaning. First, it means one who is filled with love of the Divine and beyond personal human relationships. Second, it means one who is beyond personal attachments and cannot be swayed from right action. And third, it means one who lives without any earthly means of support. Often people tried to curry favor with Guru Dev by offering money or other valuable goods, but he maintained his independence and never accepted gifts. On one occasion, a merchant confided to Guru Dev that he was involved in a legal problem and was being sued. Guru Dev listened to his story without making any comment. During the next few days, the law suit was settled in the man's favor. Assuming that Guru Dev had mysteriously helped in some way, he returned to the ashram bearing an offering of gold coins. When Guru Dev learned of the offering, he said to the man, "You offer me money but you don't offer it to those poor who ask you for it. To those who need it, you offer nothing. You offer it to me? Do I have a son or daughter I need to marry off? Take the money and go. Give it to those who need it. If you want to give me something, give me your greed, your lusts, your weaknesses. That is what you really hold dear above all else. Give me everything that stands between you and God." As Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, Guru Dev took on the responsibility of restoring the Shankaracharya tradition throughout Northern India. This was a huge task involving many tours as well as the acquisition of property and reconstruction of temples and monasteries, with costs running into the millions of rupees. Several times large fund raising campaigns were planned but Guru Dev always vetoed these proposals. In mysterious ways, sufficient resources always appeared, when and as needed, to accomplish the projects at hand. The question foremost on everyone's mind, "How does Guru Dev accomplish this? He seems to have no access to money and as a Dandi Swami, he doesn't even touch money. How can a person who has been a renunciate from the age of 9 and who never accepts donations, arrange for these expensive transactions?" When pressed for an answer, Guru Dev simply said, "No human being has been involved in these things". When begged by his followers to elaborate, he went on to say, "During the time of the Mahabharat, when the Kauravas unabashedly tried to strip Draupadi naked, wherefrom did come yard upon yard of the sari she was wearing?? And it was of the same color and pattern, thousands of yards. Not a different color. Not a different pattern. Same color and pattern, yard upon yard. When God gives, He gives all that is required: the whole thingÂ…the real thing. What could happen at the time of the Mahabharat, can take place now. God has not changed. He is ever the same." On at least one occasion, Guru Dev spoke openly about his ability for attracting resources. It was in December 1952, that Guru Dev was visited by then President of India, Dr. Rajendra Prasad. When making a point about the master/disciple relationship, Guru Dev related one of his own experiences as a disciple of Swami Krishnanand. "When I first met Guruji in Uttar-Kashi, my first request was, 'Please give me that knowledge which will make me self sufficient so that I do not have to beg anything from anyone.' It is my Guru's grace that to this day I have never had to stretch my hands before anyone." Thus, by the grace of his guru, he fulfilled the promise he had made to his mother many years earlier when he left home [that he would never beg]. http://srigurudev.net/gurudev/biography.html
