The Lord, Gaurasundara, puts His devotees in various difficulties and associations to test their patience and strength of mind. Success depends upon their good fortune.
If we are following the order of the Spiritual Master very strictly, then that is our dharma. So one is following dharma, but now the material dharma becomes replaced with the instruction of the Spiritual Master.
A brāhmana should always fear homage as if it were poison; and constantly desire to suffer scorn as though he would long for nectar. For he who is scorned may sleep with an easy mind, but the scorner utterly perishes.
Kali-rāja knows: you break down restriction, you break down relationships. You break down relationships, people can't work together. People can't work together, you cannot have saṅkīrtana.
It is true, we just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but what does that mean? How do we apply that as a conditioned soul? That we have to understand. We do chant, that is our main focus, yes. But since we are not satisfied with that, therefore there are other processes.
The whole mood of the vrata is that it’s about Kṛṣṇa, but here it’s just all about their inconvenience of fasting. So better they not fast. They will get more spiritual benefit.
For Kṛṣṇa, spending time with the devotees - that is what is important. Just getting things done, He is already doing that as Paramātmā, and He is not with the devotees, that's why it is considered a lower level.
"What I am and the reason people come to me, and what you are doing is inconsistent with that. How you are behaving and focusing is consistent with a sādhu who is focused on the Supreme Lord."
We are trying to find out what it is that you are interested in and why you are doing it. Because 'why' much of the time will establish what actually is the nature.