Diary
of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 16, No. 6
By Krishna Kripa Das
(March 2020, part two)
Tallahassee
(Sent from Tallahassee on April 4, 2020)
By Krishna Kripa Das
(March 2020, part two)
Tallahassee
(Sent from Tallahassee on April 4, 2020)
Where
I Went and What I Did
For
the third week in March, we continued chanting Hare Krishna three
hours a day in downtown Tallahassee and at Lake Ella since the campuses were dead
because it was spring break. The final week of March, we were
confined to the ISKCON Tallahassee porch as Hare Krishna temples in
North America were keeping their residents in the temple to reduce
the chance of devotees getting infected with the coronavirus. We have a couple chairs on the lawn for nonresidents who want to participate
in the kirtans, and we require people to bring their own instruments
and not use ours. On our porch harinamas
the
attendance ranged from five to ten participants. On the third day, we
started putting the kirtans as live videos on Facebook, where they
got from 120 to 475 views,which was more people than we would reach downtown or at Lake Ella.
I
share quotes from the books and lectures of Srila Prabhupada and from
the books of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share quotes from Back
to Godhead magazine
articles by Mahatma, Nagaraja, Urmila, Caitanya Candra, and Tirumala
Prabhus. I share many, many inspirational stories and realizations
from senior devotees and book distributors from Vijaya Prabhu’s
soon-to-be-published book, Treasures
of the Brhat Mrdanga, and
I share notes on classes by local devotees, Brajananda Prabhu and
Daniel.
Thanks
to Daniel for his generous donation of foreign and American currency
and for the video he took of me dancing as Brajananda Prabhu led the
chanting of Hare Krishna.
Itinerary
April–?:
Tallahassee temple porch
harinamas
May
12?: Sheffield harinama and program
mid
May?–mid July: Paris harinama
July
28–August 1: Pol’and’Rock festival
August
7–8: Liverpool harinama
August
9: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
August
19–23: Canada Vaishnava Sanga Festival
August
24: Montreal harinama
September
16?–December 31: Yuga Dharma Ashram harinama
party
Chanting
Hare Krishna in Tallahassee
Originally we chanted in downtown Tallahassee and at Lake Ella, but now we are constrained to the porch of the temple.
Shanti Prabhu of Bengal chants Hare Krishna at Tallahassee evening kirtan (https://youtu.be/IbmhLuIxvZI):
Dharmaraja
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Kleman Plaza, and a young couple plays
shakers (https://youtu.be/rxP4jP8WthE):
Curious
as to why the girl was so very
eager
to chant with us, I inquired and learned she once got three Hare
Krishna books at Okeechobee Music Festival.
On
a Friday night, the
main bars in town were closed because of the coronavirus, so we
roamed the Tallahassee streets looking for people to hear the holy
name, and we
found one
enthusiastic couple. Here
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, while
the
man
dances and his wife films (https://youtu.be/n4RWb21N7m0):
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna in Serenity Coffee and Kava Bar
in Tallahassee, and customers and staff, numbering five, played
instruments and even chanted (https://youtu.be/RWQpPVwsOX4):
Over
the weekend, at least seven people either played the shakers, chanted
with us, or did both while we chanted Hare Krishna at Lake Ella, our
weekend venue.
Here
Daniel chants Hare Krishna at Lake Ella, and a father and son play
shakers (https://youtu.be/chIdNLG0_q8):
Linda
chants Hare Krishna at Lake Ella, and a girl tries chanting along
(https://youtu.be/G7L-niMI1gc):
Jorge
chants Hare Krishna at Lake Ella, while the same girl continues
chanting with us (https://youtu.be/M9lpak8CXYE):
Daniel
chants Hare Krishna at Lake Ella, while the girl glances at
Perfection
of Yoga (https://youtu.be/j6J8H3tZs8k):
One of the days, Daniel invited a girl to chant Hare Krishna with us for
five minutes. She experimented with chanting and playing the
instruments for half an hour. Then she told us she was tripping on
acid. Daniel said we were just going to chant a little over an hour
more, and he encouraged her to stay with us. I told her if she
stayed, she would have a good trip. Daniel showed her the pictures in
Science
of Self-Realization, Bhagavad-gita, Perfection of Yoga, and
Easy Journey to Other Planets.
She especially liked the Vishnu on the cover of SSR
and the effulgent photo of Srila Prabhupada sitting at a table with
the painting of Govinda above him in the Gita.
Commenting on the illustrations in the books, she said, “These are
the trippiest pictures!” Because she stayed for almost two hours of
harinama,
Daniel gave her the Science
of Self-Realization and
Easy Journey to Other Planets
for free as she did not have any money with her, and I gave her the
“On Chanting Hare Krishna” and the temple invitation. We can only
hope some day she is telling her how I came to Krishna consciousness
story: “I was tripping on acid in this park in Tallahassee, and
some Hare Krishnas invited me to chant with them.”
Here
Linda chants Hare Krishna on the Tallahassee temple porch, our venue
for harinama
during our coronavirus lockdown which began on March 23
(https://youtu.be/S7ID3ME1kr0):
On the first day of chanting on the porch of the temple, three devotees chanted
the whole three hours, and all seven of us were there for the last
forty minutes. During the three hours, thirteen neighbors got in or
out of cars, twelve walked nearby (five were walking dogs), two
jogged by, and one rode a bicycle. Two cats walked nearby, and a lady
across the street sat on her steps and talked on her phone. Thus
various living entities heard the chanting of Hare Krishna, but fewer
humans than when we sing at FSU, Lake Ella, or Kleman Plaza, our
usual spots. The chanting was more focused for me, as there were
fewer people to interact with, and the time went by faster.
Jorge
chants Hare Krishna in front of the Tallahassee temple
(https://youtu.be/MEXnrIkKxmM):
While
Jorge was
chanting
Hare Krishna, a kid danced
in the street (https://youtu.be/KBQUy_zcM8U):
When
Dharmaraja Prabhu chanted
Hare Krishna on the
Tallahassee temple porch,
we had enough
instrumentalists that I could focus on chanting the response and
dancing to the music which is my favorite thing to do on harinama
(https://youtu.be/gqXazgmQ9-A):
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, Brajananda Prabhu, plays
guitar, and Jorge and Lexi dance outside the Tallahassee temple
(https://youtu.be/Q7GOSmfynE0):
Later
Arjuna Abhimanyu Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna in the evening kirtan we
did on the Tallahassee temple lawn to benefit our congregational
members, who are not allowed in the temple because of the coronavirus
lockdown (https://youtu.be/LxgOe53JFNk):
Lexi
also led the Hare Krishna chant on the Tallahassee temple lawn
(https://youtu.be/TcIi3k9F4Io):
Brajananda
Prabhu, our temple president, chants Hare Krishna and plays guitar in
several Tallahassee temple porch kirtans
(https://youtu.be/9E3Rcwx6hWQ):
Arjuna Abhimanyu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Tallahasssee temple porch (https://youtu.be/0Tkcap2R3_8):
Brajananda
Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the porch of ISKCON Tallahassee, and
devotees dance (https://youtu.be/mBVGVNZ-MJQ):
Dharmaraja Prabhu chants Hare Krishna and Brajananda Prabhu plays guitar on Tallahassee temple porch (https://youtu.be/-89ZNCHOtgw):
Arjuna
Abhimanyu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the Tallahassee temple porch,
and a student who was walking by and who accepted Daniel’s invitation
to join us, listens, accepts an “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlet and later mentions he has been to Krishna Lunch and
discusses the relationship between our teachings and those of
Christianity (https://youtu.be/Fd1LVHUzrM4):
Brajananda
Prabhu plays guitar and chants Hare Krishna on the Tallahassee temple
porch, and
I dance
(https://youtu.be/QB6GrITpfkA):
Kumari
Sakhi Devi Dasi plays drum, and chants Hare Krishna on the
Tallahassee temple porch (https://youtu.be/ZN8Tb-pMw3U):
Insights
Srila
Prabhupada:
From
Srimad-Bhagavatam
8.5.47 verse
and purport:
“Karmis
are always anxious to accumulate wealth for their sense
gratification, but for that purpose they must work very hard. Yet
even though they work hard, the results are not satisfying. Indeed,
sometimes their work results only in frustration. But devotees who
have dedicated their lives to the service of the Lord can achieve
substantial results without working very hard. These results exceed
the devotee’s expectations.
“Purport:
We can practically see how the devotees who have dedicated their
lives for the service of the Lord in the Krishna consciousness
movement are getting immense opportunities for the service of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead without working very hard. The Krishna
consciousness movement actually started with only forty rupees, but
now it has more than forty crores [four hundred million rupees] worth of property, and all this
opulence has been achieved within eight or ten years. No karmi
can expect to improve his business so swiftly, and besides that,
whatever a karmi
acquires is temporary and sometimes frustrating. In Krishna
consciousness, however, everything is encouraging and improving. The
Krishna consciousness movement is not very popular with the karmis
because this movement recommends that one refrain from illicit sex,
meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. These are restrictions that
karmis
very much dislike. Nonetheless, in the presence of so many enemies,
this movement is progressing, going forward without impediments. If
the devotees continue to spread this movement, dedicating life and
soul to the lotus feet of Krishna, no one will be able to check it.
The movement will go forward without limits. Chant Hare Krishna!”
From
“Prepare
to Go to Krishna” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
54, No. 4 (July/August 2020):
[This is an edited
transcript of a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam
2.3.1
in Los
Angeles on
May 19, 1972.]
“Krishna
is within your heart. If you kindly continue to hear about Him, as
you are doing, then Krishna will be very much pleased. ‘Oh, this
person is now interested in Me.’ Because nobody’s interested in
Krishna. So Krishna is also silent to them. But as soon as you become
interested, oh, Krishna becomes very active. ‘Oh, he’s trying to
do something. I shall help him.’”
“Sometimes
people say in India, ‘Swamiji, you have done a wonderful thing.’
I do not know. I’m not a magician. But I am confident that I did
not adulterate the words of Krishna. That’s all. That’s my
credit. I did not like to take the position of Krishna. I remained
the servant of Krishna, and I spoke what Krishna said. That’s all.
This is my secret.
“Everyone
can do that. There is no magic. The magic will act as soon as you
become a pure devotee of Krishna. The magic will be done by Krishna,
not by me or you. He will do it.”
From
Isopanisad,
Mantra
Two, purport:
“There
is no harm in becoming a family man, or an altruist, a socialist, a
communist, a nationalist or a humanitarian, provided that one
executes his activities in relation with isavasya,
the God-centered conception.”
From
Caitanya-caritamrita,
Madhya 22.39, purport:
“Surrender
means not that we demand something from the Lord but that we
completely depend on His mercy. If Krishna likes, He may keep His
devotee in a poverty-stricken condition, or if He likes He may keep
him in an opulent position. The devotee should not be concerned in
either case; he should simply be very serious about trying to satisfy
the Lord by rendering Him service.”
From
an arrival lecture in Los Angeles on May 18, 1972:
“I
came to your country single-handed, with this pair of cymbals. Now
you are so many chanting Hare Krishna. That is my success.”
Satsvarupa
Dasa Goswami:
From
Free Write Journal #83:
“We
Krishna conscious persons should not become obsessed on the topic of
coronavirus. Wash your hands and sip water and chant Hare Krishna.”
From Soul Eyes:
From Soul Eyes:
“Oh, give me the guarantee!
If
You want to, I will
take
whatever
You
give. I’ll have to be
satisfied
with
whatever
You give me.
“Please
give me
a
happy grateful heart
to
accept whatever You
give
and to work
for
You in whatever capacity I have,
to
preach Your message.
Give
me a tongue to
chant
Your holy names,
and
I will give You my
guarantee
to try my best
to
give You loving service.
All
my day, all my
remaining
months in
this
life and the future and all
the
future . . . whatever it is.”
“Radha
with the Laughing Eyes”
“Radha
with the laughing eyes,
to
Krishna She’s always a surprise.
She
enchants Him in every way
that
He doesn’t know what to say.
“She’s
His enchantress, though
He
rules Her heart:
They
are never apart.
Radha
with the laughing eyes
is
more than Krishna can surmise.
“She
stuns Him with Her glances,
but
He keeps on taking chances
to
keep Her conquered by His love.
“Radha
with the laughing eyes
is
Krishna’s favorite gopi,
and
She’s His only Queen.
Not
even in a dream
will
He forsake Her.
Krishna
with the loving glance
enchants
Radha, and She’s
conquered,
but always
ready
for another ruse.”
“I
want to keep performing small acts of devotional service. I want to
preach for another springtime, another summer. We belong to the
earth, at least while we’re here, and then we go away. It’s
Krishna’s place and His trademark is the singing of the birds.”
“A
Catholic priest once told a story that when he was a child, there was
a man who stopped into the church every day, even if only for a few
minutes. He entered the church and said, ‘Hello, God, it’s me,
Billy.’ When the man was dying, God came to him and said, ‘Hello,
Billy, it’s Me, God.’ The priest was encouraging us to go to
church and pray; don’t forget God or the house of God. The Samadhi
Mandir is Prabhupada’s ‘church.’ Hello, Srila Prabhupada, it’s
me, Satsvarupa.”
“Don’t
be enamored by the beauty of this world or you’ll have to taste
ugliness. Service to Krishna the all-attractive. See Him manifest in
this world.”
From
Srila
Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume 7, Chapter 2:
[On
the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati
Thakura
in 1968 in Los
Angeles.]
“After
the feast the devotees followed Prabhupada into his room. He sat at
his desk and read letters aloud to the small gathering of his
disciples seated on the floor before him. The letters were of
appreciation. And these letters became Srila Prabhupada’s offering
to his spiritual master. Prabhupada read aloud statements like ‘We
really like chanting,’ ‘We’re happy since we met you,’ ‘We’re
trying to teach other people how to chant Hare Krishna’—simple
sentiments.
“Reading
the letters, Prabhupada became very happy. He then put the letters
along with the flowers before the picture of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati. Then looking at Nandarani, he asked, ‘Have you become
happy since you have been chanting
Hare
Krishna?’
“‘Oh,
yes,’ Nandarani replied, ‘my life is wonderful.’
“Looking
at the others, Prabhupada asked, ‘And what about you? Do you feel
more satisfied since you have been chanting Hare Krishna?’ They all
answered yes.
“‘Then
I have only one request,’ Prabhupada continued. ‘Whatever
happiness you have felt, you simply tell someone else about that.
That is all you have to do. You don’t need to teach anything. You
don’t need to teach the philosophy. You just explain to people that
because you chant Hare Krishna you have become happy, and if they
chant, they will become happy. Then I will be satisfied, and my
spiritual master will be satisfied.’”
From
Passing
Places, Eternal Truths: Travel Writings 1988–1996:
“Time
marches on, and we’ll all be scraped off the plate like peas before
too long. We are helpless in the face of time.”
From
Geaglum
Free Write Diary:
“Lord
Krishna, Lord of the flies,
ornament
of Radharani,
object
of affection of all Vrajavasis –
so
much that their whole lives are
placed
in You –
Lord
of demigods, Shiva and Brahma,
Supreme
Controller who allows
us
to do what we want
but
reminds us what is best –
I
pray to You through my service.
I
write, I write and
give
it to Srila Prabhupada and the devotees
that
the devotees may feel free
and
hopeful of the possibilities for
their
own growth and expression
in
Krishna consciousness.”
“Krishna
twist in all things. In His pastimes and teachings and names, in His
order to His devotees, He’s the most sacred and powerful. Don’t
adulterate or trifle with His teachings. Don’t hide Him. Don’t
try to take His place. Don’t neglect His Bhagavad-gita
in your life. Don’t use the body He gave you for sense
gratification except as necessary to keep healthy – while you serve
Him.
“Best
use of a bad bargain – brief existence on a merry-go-round a few
more years.”
From
Srila
Prabhupada-lilamrita, Volume
4, Chapter 33:
“My
books are like gold,” Prabhupada replied. “It doesn’t matter
what you say about them. One who knows the value, he will purchase.”
From
Mukunda
Mala, text
13, purport:
“It
is not an easy thing to wake up from the complacency of ordinary
life. Everyone knows that life is full of difficulties, but we tend
to think that our family members and friends are our only solace. . .
. Several times in the Mukunda-mala-stotra,
the poet compares the material world to the sea, and the Lord (or His
lotus feet) to a boat that can rescue us. The metaphor is excellent,
for no matter how expert a swimmer a person may be, he cannot survive
on his own in the rough and vast expanses of the ocean. So our
attempt to swim the ocean of material life on our own strength,
encouraged by our family and friends, is as futile as the attempt of
the lone swimmer at sea. We should turn to our only rescuer, the
Lord, and with utmost sincerity thank Him for coming to save us.”
Mahatma
Das:
From “Maya is Going to Test You” an excerpt from Living
the Wisdom of Bhakti: Life As a Spiritual Practice, Vol.
1
to
be printed in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
54, No. 4 (July/August 2020):
“Obstacles
are those things we focus on when we lose sight of our goals.”
“Actually,
there’s no way we can directly win a fight with Maya. Krishna says
in Bhagavad-gita
7.14, mama
maya duratyaya:
‘My material energy is insurmountable.’ She has a million tricks
up her sleeve to illusion us and keep us away from Krishna. She can
even convince us that we are conquering her while we are fully in her
clutches.”
“What
you focus on is more important than where you are at.”
Nagaraja
Prabhu:
From “When God Loses Control” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
54, No. 4 (July/August 2020):
“One
of the most amazing things we learn about God from the Vedic
scriptures, especially Srimad-Bhagavatam
and other scriptures that focus on Krishna, is that even though He’s
God and therefore unlimitedly powerful, He enjoys being controlled by
His devotees. This quality of His shows that love is at the core of
ultimate reality.”
“In
the ultimate sense, Krishna is always in control of everything, but
because love is essential to His nature, He arranges events in which
He is free to ignore that He’s God so that He can savor the pure
love of His devotees.
“Krishna’s
dealings with His devotees go on eternally in the spiritual world. In
His transcendental land of Goloka Vṛndavana, He lives with His
eternal associates in an atmosphere of love and intimacy. His Godhood
is not displayed there. His friends climb on his back, His parents
scold Him when He’s naughty, His girlfriends rebuke Him out of
jealous anger – all because He wants things that way. And because
He’s God, He always gets what He wants.”
Urmila
Devi Dasi:
From “Devotional Surrender: An Embracing of Truth” in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
54, No. 4 (July/August 2020):
“While
words such as surrender
and submission
seem to imply a kind of military or forced conquest with concomitant
painful suppression of one’s own interests, the spiritual reality
is entirely opposite. Any thoughtful person can quickly ascertain
that all creation
is fully dependent on the Lord in all respects and at all times.
Surrender is, therefore,
an embracing of truth. And when we understand ourselves and others in
truth, our actions bring us the happiness, meaning, and satisfaction
we all desire.”
Vijaya
Prabhu:
“But
book distribution is an austerity only in the beginning. Eventually
it becomes the most ecstatic experience. Book distribution is by far
the most ecstatic experience I have ever had. When you feel that you
are just a soul approaching other souls to help them in the most
profound way, and that Krishna is overseeing the whole encounter, it
just becomes so wonderful.”
“When
Krishna was in Hastinapura to negotiate peace with the Kurus, he
visited Vidura. Vidura didn’t want Krishna to go to the assembly of
the Kurus because Vidura knew they wouldn’t take Krishna’s
advice. The Lord then said to Vidura, “The wise have said that if a
person attempts a virtuous act with all sincerity but fails, he will
still receive the merit of that act.” Even if you fail to
distribute a book to someone, you still get the merit. By performing
this austerity we can only benefit.”
“They
are not calling you, ‘I am suffering, please come,’ but it is
your business to go and let them know that ‘You are suffering; You
take this method.’ That is the way of becoming very quickly
recognized by Krishna. Otherwise, if you think, ‘They are not
understanding; what is the use of going there? Let me sleep,’ that
is not good. They are not understanding; still, you have to go. Then
Krishna will take that ‘He is laboring so hard for My sake.’
Never mind he is successful. It doesn’t matter. But you are working
hard for Krishna. That is noted down. So our business is to be
recognized by Krishna. Whether one man is converted or not converted,
that is not our business. We shall try our best. But Krishna must see
that I am giving service to Krishna. That’s all. That is wanted.
Not that you have to judge that you have approached so many men,
nobody became Krishna conscious. That doesn’t matter. But you have
gone there. You have endeavored your sincere effort. That is
recognized by Krishna. That is the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
[Morning Walk, 20 May 1975, Melbourne]
“When
we go out on sankirtana,
it’s
very common to meet people who’ve already had some contact with
devotees, and usually a very nice exchange ensues. But sometimes we
meet people who are familiar with us but are unfavorable.
“Once
I was distributing in the Miami airport with several other devotees
when a man saw us and basically went nuts. He started shouting at us
and calling us all kinds of names. After a minute or so he went on
his way.
“But
he wasn’t through with us. He watched us distribute, and after a
person had received a book he would approach him and ask if he wanted
it. After he found a person who didn’t want the book, he asked him
for it, walked over to us, and ripped it up
in front of us. After he did that a second time I couldn’t take it
anymore. I went and found a friend of mine in the airport and told
him what was happening. He said, “Show me where he is.” I brought
him over and the person ripping up books immediately walked
over to my friend and said, “Don’t buy a book from him! They’re
with a cult!”
“At
that, my friend pulled out his police badge (he was an undercover
policeman!) and told the man, “You have five seconds to get out of
my sight and leave these people alone, or I’m going to arrest you
for disturbing the peace!” The man’s jaw dropped and he left the
area in a big hurry. The undercover cop, who had
many
of our books, was familiar with us, and so was the envious man. One
benefited and the other got his appropriate reactions.”
“Srila
Prabhupada once said, ‘If someone says “Good morning” to a
devotee, he’s begun
his devotional service.’”
“Krishna
has a problem—us conditioned souls. And when real religion becomes
too much eclipsed and irreligion too predominant, He comes here to
solve the problem. If we perform the austerity of trying to help
Krishna solve this problem, then how much pleased He is! Everyone has
to do something, so why not help Krishna solve this problem of
forgetfulness of the conditioned souls? He says that there is no one
more dear to Him than one who preaches the message of Bhagavad-gita,
and that there will never be anyone more dear.”
“Srila
Prabhupada once said, “If you want to be inspired to distribute
books, you should chant the Sad-Gosvamyastakam,
because it is in the mood of preaching.’
“Another
time I was at a college campus sitting behind a table displaying the
books. An old janitor came by, rolling his trash bucket. He saw the
books and asked me, ‘What’s that all about?’
“‘Yoga,
meditation, philosophy,’ I replied. ‘It gives inner peace.’
“‘All
right, sounds good.’
“He
gave a donation, took the Bhagavad-gita,
put it in a plastic bag to protect it from the trash, and put it in
his trash can. I would never have spoken to him. That’s the nice
thing about doing a book table: So many types of people come to the
table that sankirtana devotees
usually don’t approach.”
“Lord
Shiva and Parvati went to a village dressed as ordinary village
people. While they were walking around, a beggar came and asked for a
donation. Lord Shiva said he didn’t have anything, but Parvati told
him he should give something. He ended up giving him a watermelon.
The beggar was not very satisfied, however, because he didn’t like
watermelon, but he took it anyway, thinking he could get something
for it in the village. He found someone who would give a few cents
for it, and then he went on his way. When the person who bought the
watermelon cut it open, he was surprised to find that it was filled
with priceless jewels. The beggar who received the melon didn’t
know its great value, so he effectively just gave it away.
“This
is the situation we find when we distribute books. People receive
these great treasures of knowledge, but because they don’t know how
priceless they are they give them to someone else or throw them away
or keep them in their house for years and years but never read them.
As far as possible we should try to help them understand how
important the books are so that they don’t make the same mistake
the beggar made.”
“One
verse I chant quite often on sankirtana
is Bhagavad-gita
13.23:
upadrastanumanta
ca
bharta
bhokta mahesvarah
paramatmeti
capy ukto
dehe
’smin purusah
parah
‘Yet
in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer, who is the
Lord, the supreme proprietor, who exists as the overseer and
permitter, and who is known as the Supersoul.’ I find that this
verse helps me remember that Krishna is the controller and that He is
always with us in all circumstances. It helps me depend on Him more.”
“It’s
not easy to get free of this attachment to the result. Srila
Prabhupada once said, ‘There are two things that go very deep in
the heart: attachment to the result and sex desire.’ Book
distribution helps us become free of both, and therefore the
sankirtana-yajna
and Krishna consciousness go well together.”
“We
should always remember we’re not just distributing books: we’re
distributing the most profound knowledge on the planet. As we learn
at the beginning of the Srimad-Bhagavatam,
the Vedic literature is like a tree and the Bhagavatam is its ripened
fruit (nigama-kalpa-taror
galitam
phalam).
When we go on book distribution we are distributing the most valuable
fruits of Vedic wisdom. We want to deliver these fruits to every home
on the planet.”
“I
highly recommend that all devotees learn the tat
te ’nukampam
verse [Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.8]. As Srila Prabhupada writes in The
Nectar of Devotion:
‘This statement of Srimad-Bhagavatam
should be the guide of all devotees.’”
“Krishna
very much wants to give His mercy. But we have to want it. And what
is in the way? Sense gratification—poison for the soul. It is just
a disturbance to our actual happiness. As Srila Prabhupada says in
his purport to Bhagavad-gita
3.39, ‘While one enjoys sense gratification, it may be that there
is some feeling of happiness, but actually that so-called feeling of
happiness is the ultimate enemy of the sense enjoyer.’ Why? Because
it takes us away from actual happiness. But book distribution is the
real pleasure of the soul, because helping the conditioned souls get
closer to Krishna pleases Him the most. We should pray to Krishna for
His mercy so we can distribute books steadily.”
“When
Srila Prabhupada was asked about the secret of his success in
spreading Krishna consciousness all over the world in just twelve
years, he said, ‘I have presented Krishna as He is.’ Krishna is
all-attractive; so if Krishna is presented as He is, then people will
be attracted. If we go out and preach, understanding our position,
understanding Krishna’s position, and understanding the position of
everyone we meet, then people will be attracted. Our position is that
we are servants of Krishna. So if we go out on sankirtana
with that mood and just try to please Krishna by distributing books,
then people will feel that purity and sincerity and will want to
reciprocate. So the main point is that we have to try to please
Krishna, and if we do, then people will reciprocate.”
“Traveling
with the Vaishnava
Youth Tour to Thunderbay, Canada, I met a devotee named Prema, a
doctor from Pune, India. There were no devotees in this remote place,
so he had decided to do some preaching and maybe make devotees. By
the arrangement of Krishna, a professor at the local university had
heard about a drama of the Ramayana
and wanted it to be performed at the university. She learned from
Prema that Bhakti Marg Swami in Toronto had the script. She got in
touch with him and persuaded him to come to Thunderbay to organize
the play.
“There
were no devotees to play the parts, so he asked local students to be
in the play. He had about eight people in the cast. They performed
for three nights, and each night three hundred people paid eight
dollars. They loved it. Prema had a table of Prabhupada’s books
available and distributed two hundred dollars’ worth of books every
night.
“What
really impressed me was that all eight actors now have their own
Bhagavad-gita’s
and attend a class on it every other week. They became devotees!”
“Many
people are interested in Prabhupada’s books. We just have to go out
and pray to be Krishna’s instrument.”
“I
explained that these books change people’s lives by presenting a
positive alternative to our degraded society.”
“Manidhara
Prabhu
“If
I understand that my eternal nature and the eternal nature of
everyone else is to be a servant of Krishna, it is simply bliss to go
soul to soul every day to help them understand who they are.
Sankirtana
is austere only when we think we’re the material body.”
“Hridayananda
dasa Goswami
“Due
to the false ego, one may find book distribution difficult, but don’t
give up the book distribution, give up the false ego. The
difficulties one undergoes in one’s service are the price one pays
for pure devotional service.”
“Vaisesika
Dasa
“Sometimes
devotees are afraid to go out on book distribution because they think
so many horrible things may happen, but if we overcome the tricks of
the mind and just go out, we’ll find that so many wonderful things
will happen.”
“Aja
Govinda Dasa
“We
were distributing books in Boise, Idaho, downtown. Three of us. Every
Wednesday there’s a ‘live after five’ concert there. We tried
about fifty people but nobody would even listen. We were very much
disheartened. Almost everyone was drunk. We prayed hard to Radharani
for Her blessings. Then miracles started happening—one book after
another was going out. All of us were engaged, talking to different
people. We were busy distributing and at the same time trying to hide
what we were doing from the security personnel, who were patrolling
the event.
“Suddenly
a policewoman called me over. Her face looked tough. I prayed to
Radharani and also to Lord Nrsimhadeva,
who never fails to protect His devotees. She gruffly asked, ‘What
are you doing? What do you have in your hands?’
“Almost
trembling and collecting all my strength, I boldly said, ‘We’re
Hare Krishnas. We’re distributing these transcendental books for
the benefit of mankind. These books will save humanity from suffering
in the cycle of repeated birth and death.’
“As
I looked into her eyes, they softened, and to my surprise she said,
‘Yes, you can distribute these books without fear.’
“Since
that day, on the authority of this policewoman, whom Srimati
Radharani sent to endorse and encourage our book distribution, we
boldly and freely distribute books in downtown concerts. All glories
to Radharani, who sent Her messenger to help us! Devotees of ISKCON,
please do not fear or hesitate. From my personal experience I can
assure you that Srimati Radharani is with us.”
“Ayodhya
Dasa
“Prabhupada
once said, ‘You can hire a cook, you can hire a pujari,
you can hire a cleaner, but a preacher you cannot hire, because that
comes from the heart.’”
“Madhumangala
Dasa
“When
I’m struggling and only a few people are taking Srila Prabhupada’s
books, I often pray in desperation for Prabhupada’s mercy. In that
mood I’ll introduce myself and say, ‘My spiritual master has told
me to distribute these books. He told me that if I distribute these
books sincerely to whomever I meet, I will attain spiritual
perfection. I’m just sincerely trying to follow his orders to the
best of my ability.’ Often, upon hearing what I say the person will
become interested in Srila Prabhupada’s books, take some, and give
a nice donation.”
“Jagannatha
Dasa
“I
was walking down a street in downtown Kansas City when I suddenly
felt an incredible force inside me, pushing me to give a book to a
woman walking on my left. I handed her a Science
of Self-Realization
and told her what the book was about. She said, ‘Sure I’ll buy
this book. Let me give you a donation.’ As she handed me five
dollars she said, “Actually, I’m a Christian, see? [She pointed
to a little cross hanging around her neck.] I was just praying to
Jesus that I want to love God more than anything else in my life. At
that time I felt a more intense connection with God than I’ve ever
felt in my life. I thought, ‘What’s going to happen next?’ Then
I walked out here and you handed me this book!”
“Lila-Madhava
Dasa
“I
was distributing on a sidewalk at an intersection in Barcelona,
Spain. Every day I would try to stop the same young lady, but she
would ignore me. One day I walked with her a few meters, pleading
with her in a friendly way: “Come on! Just take one book!”
Pointing to the Teachings
of Queen Kunti
I was holding, I said, “Here, please take the teachings of the
queen!” But to no avail; she wouldn’t stop.
“However,
the next day when I saw her she humbly approached me and asked, ‘Can
I buy the Teachings
of Queen Kunti?’
“Surprised,
I replied, ‘How did you know the name of the queen?’ I clearly
remembered not having mentioned Queen Kunti’s name to her but
saying only ‘Please take the teachings of the queen.’ But here
she was, asking explicitly for the Teachings
of Queen
Kunti.
She replied, ‘Actually, I had a dream of this Queen Kunti last
night. She told me, “Go buy my book from that man.”’
“Queen
Kunti ki
jaya!
“The
young lady gave such a nice donation that I also handed her a
Bhagavad-gita.
When
she saw it, she exclaimed, ‘The Bhagavad-gita!
I can’t believe it! My boyfriend has been telling me about this
book for a whole year!’ Then I showed her all the books I had. She
gave even more laksmi
and ended up buying my entire selection.
“Book
distribution is mystical.”
“Yasodeva
Dasa
“With
a bright smile I hand the Christian the Bhagavad-gita
and employ Ramadasa Prabhu’s perfect tactical maneuver: ‘Please
take one. Christians always give the best donations.’”
“Bhakta
Eben
“I
was distributing at an Ozzfest concert in Virginia. I approached a
car to show the occupants some of Srila Prabhupada’s books. As they
were checking out the literature, a girl in the front seat began to
tell me a story she was reminded of by seeing the books.
“She
told me that the previous July 4th she’d been in Washington, D.C.,
at the National Mall and had seen these guys in dresses dancing
around chanting and playing ‘bongo drums.’
“I
realized she’d been at the DC Ratha-yatra and said to her: ‘Ok, I
confess. We Hare Krishnas are the guilty party. Did you like the
festival?’
“At
that she got really excited and told me she’d hung out there for
about an hour and was totally amazed by the chanting and dancing and
the whole vibe of the scene. She even had a piece of prasadam
cake but put it down after one bite because she felt like
she was tripping on drugs from eating it. Must have been some pretty
potent prasadam!
“Meanwhile
all her friends in the car were listening in and getting very excited
as the conversation got more animated. She then got even more
animated and told me ‘I even climbed up onto the altar and fanned—’
Just then I opened one of the books and showed her
a picture of Prabhupada. ‘That’s him!’ she shouted. ‘I fanned
him!’
“Everyone
in the car went nuts, but then I had to tell her that it wasn’t
Srila Prabhupada himself but a lifelike statue. Still, doing some
service for the pure devotee had its effect, and everyone in the car
went home with one of Prabhupada’s books and an invitation to
visit the festival again next 4th of July.”
“Tulasi
Devi Dasi
“I
approached a lady whose brother and sister-in-law are devotees in the
Brooklyn temple. After we’d talked for a few minutes, she told me
what really impressed her: ‘When my brother and his wife joined the
temple, they couldn’t keep their big dog in the temple, so they
left it with me, our mother, and our little brother in North
Carolina. But the dog immediately ran away, and for days no one could
find him. They looked everywhere. Then my little brother figured it
out. He went into the forest loudly singing “Hare Krishna, Hare
Krishna” just as my brother and his wife would. Then lo and behold,
the dog started barking and ran to him. So now everyone has to chant
Hare Krishna or the dog becomes miserable and runs away.’
“She
was impressed. This experience helped her get some realization of our
philosophy. The dog is not a dog but a spirit soul, and chanting Hare
Krishna is not material. She bought a book and a music CD, which she
said she was going to play for the dog. She also took some prasadam
for herself and her devotee dog.”
“Sivarama
Swami
“When
I met George Harrison, he said he had become interested in devotees
because they were on the streets chanting and selling books under any
condition—rain, snow, hot sunshine. He knew they could do this
austerity only by getting a higher taste. Thus he respected devotees
before he even met them.”
“Vaisesika
Dasa
“But
there is also another type of mantra that I’ve been using. I call
it an ‘exit mantra.’ For example, when I finish speaking with
someone I look the person squarely in the eye, shake the person’s
hand, and tell him or her, ‘I want to thank you very much for
taking your valuable time, and I want to tell you what an honor it
was to meet you.’
“People
really like that. Sometimes they’re miraculously affected. They may
have originally responded with something like ‘No, I’m not
interested in this; I don’t want to give a donation; I’m a
Christian and I don’t believe in this.’ I thank the person from
the bottom
of my heart, telling him, ‘I want to thank you very much for taking
your valuable time, and I want to tell you how much of an honor it
was to meet you.’
“And
while I’m saying that, I’m thinking of the verse in Sri
Isopanisad
which says that we should see every living entity as a spiritual
spark, and that a person who sees like that has no anxiety or fear.
This is the transcendental meditation on sankirtana.
And
after my ‘exit mantra,’ the same person who said ‘I’m not
interested’ sometimes comes back a half hour later and tells me,
‘We would like to donate.’ Several such experiences have really
had a heavy impact on me and made me realize that ‘Wow, everything
we do and say, and the way we do and say it, and even the way we
think when we’re saying it and doing it, has a distinct and
definite impact on the people we’re speaking to.’”
“Khela-tirtha
Dasa
“We
should try our best to assure that everyone walks away with a good
impression. A famous saying goes ‘There’s no second chance for a
first impression.’ Understanding this is so important. Our
meditation should be to bring people closer to Krishna. If a person
doesn’t take a book the first time around, maybe he or she will the
next time or the time after that. We can slowly soften their hearts
through genuine care, concern, and detachment.”
“Visvambhara
Dasa
“If
the person is not ready to receive the book, we shouldn’t force
him. Whether favorable or not, the person will get purified first by
looking at the devotee. If someone insults a devotee or swears at
him, the devotee should be tolerant. Next time, by the mercy of
Krishna, the person may meet another devotee and become favorably
disposed. He may have darsana of the book but not take it. And the
next time he may touch the book but not purchase it. And the next
time, when sufficiently purified by the previous encounters, he may
purchase the book. A book distributor understands that all these
incidents are part of sankirtana;
they gradually uplift the nondevotee to the point of being ready to
receive the mercy and buy the book. If we realize this, we will
always leave people with a good impression.”
“Bhakti
Vikasa Swami
“One
time in America, at a book table, an old man approached the book
distributor and asked
him, ‘Do you have the Bhagavad-gita?’
“‘Yes,
sir,’ the devotee replied.
“‘Let
me see it.’ He took the book in his hand, turned it around, saw
Srila Prabhupada’s picture, and said, ‘Yes, I’ll buy this one.’
“‘Why,
sir?’ the devotee asked.
“Pointing
to Srila Prabhupada’s picture, the man replied, ‘This man has
been coming to me in dreams for years and telling me, “Buy my
Bhagavad-gita,
buy my Bhagavad-gita.”
When I saw you dressed in the same color as him, I thought that maybe
you would have his Bhagavad-gita.
Now I’ve found it.’”
“His
Holiness Bir Krishna Goswami
“While
I was in Mayapur in 1975, a leading Venezuelan book distributor came.
I wanted to introduce him to Srila Prabhupada, so I took him up to
Prabhupada’s darsana
room. Several devotees were showing him pictures of temples that had
recently opened. Prabhupada was politely acknowledging the reports,
graciously looking at the pictures. When I had the opportunity, I
said, ‘Srila Prabhupada, this devotee has distributed ten thousand
copies of your Bhagavad-gita
in Venezuela.’
“Prabhupada’s
eyes opened wide. ‘Really?’ he said, looking at the devotee.
Prabhupada then pointed at the devotee and said, ‘He has the mercy
of Krishna!’
“The
other devotees were a little taken aback that Prabhupada was more
pleased by this report than theirs. Prabhupada could sense their
discouragement and said to them, “You also have the mercy of
Krishna. In Vrindavan
there are the cowherd boys, Krishna’s mother and father, and the
gopis,
and all of them are dear to Krishna, but of all the devotees the
gopis
are special. Similarly, in our Society there are so many types of
service a devotee can do, but the book distributors are special.”
“Devamrita
Swami
“For
two years in the early ’70s I did sankirtana
seven days a week in New York, and I couldn’t do anything. I would
do a few books here and a few books there, very small. They used to
call me ‘the hard-luck kid.’ I was even a party leader. I was
trying hard, but I just couldn’t get any results. Then one
marathon, at the start, I prayed to the Deities because for two years
I had not been able to do any big books. That was the supreme goal
back then—to be able to do a Bhagavatam
volume or a Gita—and
I was just doing small books, paperback Krishna
book trilogies. So I prayed to the Deities: ‘Please. It’s two
years now. I’m begging You, just give me a chance.’
“I’ll
never forget it.
“I
went out to a shopping-center parking lot and said, ‘OK, I’m just
going to do like the big guys do, the airport distributors—Tripurari,
Svavasa, all the others. As soon as I drive into the parking lot, I’m
just going to open the trunk of the car and pull out the big books,
and whoever is right near, I’m going to approach them, without even
loading up my book bag.’ So I did that: the first person took
hardcover book, and so did the second person and the third person. By
the time an hour or two had passed, I had done fifteen hardcover
books. I was just trembling in ecstasy because I knew this wasn’t
me! After two years, seven days a week, doing nothing, there was no
way I was going to think I was the doer. I never forgot this
realization all my life.
“I
remember Bhrgupati and another devotee coming up to me and asking
‘What’s going on? What’s come over you? What’s happened?”
because here you have somebody who was just doing a few little
magazines and small books a day for two years, and all of
a sudden I distributed so many hardcover books. When I got back to
the temple the sankirtana
leader— Romapada Prabhu, he was a brahmacari
then—he was astonished: ‘What’s going on?’
“I
said, ‘I prayed for the mercy and He gave it.’
“This
can happen to anyone. You should not think that you’re totally
bound by your circumstances and it will always be the same thing.
Make some kind of endeavor to go to a higher level for Krishna. Beg
for His help in your service.”
“His
Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami
“I
said, ‘Srila Prabhupada, this is the perfect reciprocation: You are
working so hard day and night to write these books, and all the
devotees are working hard day and night to distribute them.’
“Prabhupada said, ‘I am writing the drama, and they are playing on the stage.’”
Brghupati
Dasa (ACBSP):
“Imagine
you have a pot of water on the stove and you light a flame under it.
After thirty seconds you won’t see anything—it will look exactly
the same as it did at the beginning. After one minute of heat you
still won’t see anything. After two minutes you may still not see
anything. But after three or four minutes you’ll see some bubbles
on the inside of the pot. And after five minutes or so it will
suddenly break into a boil. Thirty seconds before the water boiled,
it looked like ordinary cold water. The water had to absorb all that
heat, and at a certain point, when it reached the critical
temperature, BOOM, it broke into a full boil. But thirty seconds
before that you would not have been able to recognize it as very hot
water. At that point it would have been foolish to say, ‘Oh, the
fire is not having any effect on the water.’ It may superficially
appear that nothing is happening and that the water is not getting
warmer, but it is factually becoming increasingly hot, to the point
where it eventually breaks into a boil at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Similarly,
the books are having their effect. It appears as if nothing is really
happening as a result of book distribution. No nations are declaring
themselves to be Krishna conscious states. But it is having its
effect. The more the books go out, the more the effect is building
up, just as the longer you leave the pot of water on the stove, the
hotter the water becomes. If the books keep going out, going out,
going out by the hundreds and thousands and millions, a point will
come at which something dramatic happens, just like water starting to
boil when it reaches the boiling point. If the books keep going out
in big quantities, as has been happening, a point is going to come at
which everybody will say, ‘Oh! I guess this book distribution
really is all that it was cracked up to be.’ But until that
happens, the tendency is to think, ‘Oh, nothing is really
happening. Look, we’ve distributed so many millions of books but
human society remains the same.’
“But
this is the same as saying that the heating water on the stove is not
getting hotter because we haven’t seen it come to the boiling point
yet. Only a fool would say that. But an intelligent person, one who
has common sense, knows that at every second the water is coming
closer to the boiling point.
“In
the same way, if the books keep going out in large quantities, as was
Srila Prabhupada’s desire, at every second human society will come
closer to some dramatic positive transformation. And what is that?
The fulfillment of Lord Caitanya’s prediction that His name will be
heard in every town and village. Therefore we should be very
confident that if we just keep pushing on this movement by
distributing books, Krishna consciousness will spread to every town
and village. As Srila Prabhupada put it, ‘Print and distribute as
many books in as many languages as possible, and the Krishna
consciousness movement will automatically spread.’”
“Vaisesika
Prabhu
“Rupa
Goswami says that those who hear the sankirtana
party even once immediately become washed of sins and gain an inkling
of their spiritual identity. And as we’ve already seen, people who
are especially fortunate also eagerly join our sankirtana
party upon seeing and hearing it.”
“Karuna-Dharini
Devi Dasi
“That
is perhaps the single most truly beautiful and addicting quality of
book distribution: the more you work for others, the more it works on
you. It puts you in an altered state of awareness. If you are truly
out there for the purpose of benefiting the people you meet, if that
is actually your pleasure, your happiness, and your meditation, you
are the luckiest person in the world, and Krishna is in your hand.”
“Navina
Nirada Dasa
“I
met a simple man, your ordinary 9-to-5 worker, in a chemical company
in Basel, Switzerland. He was not really interested in the topics I
tried to explain to him. But he had a great fortune: in his company
worked a really nice devotee. He preached to the workers, brought
them prasadam
cakes, and also distributed books. The worker I met was very
impressed with this devotee, telling me that he worked the hardest,
that he was the best at his job, and that he helped other workers
too.
“Now,
this man was by no means a philosopher, but because he was so
impressed by the good example of that devotee, he understood that
Krishna consciousness is something extraordinary. And he happily
bought three books.
“So,
whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever you’re doing, if
your character is first class you can convince people about Krishna
consciousness just by your example. That is actual preaching. It is
not easy to convince someone simply by words, especially if one is
not an expert speaker. It takes both acara
and pracara,
perfect behavior and perfect speaking.”
Himavati
Devi Dasi
“One
day I distributed a few books on a street in Prague. Then I headed
back to the temple on a completely full metro train. I was reading a
book, and after some time I noticed that everyone had left the
carriage except the woman sitting next to me. I immediately thought
of something Kadamba Kanana Swami had related during a class—how he
had met a devotee when he was a karmi.
That devotee had been sitting next to him on a bus but didn’t say
anything to him. Maharaja said, ‘Because that devotee didn’t talk
to me, I wasted a lot of time till my next meeting with devotees.’
“So,
I thought, I must address this woman. As it turned out, she was
really interested in the books and took several of them.”
“Moral
of the story: ‘Whomever you meet, tell them about Krishna
consciousness and try to give them a book.’”
“Samapriya
Dasi
“The
Ballad of a Sankirtana Devotee
“Brhat-mrdanga
drumming with a sacred, mighty force
Meant
to keep your mission on its elevated course.
“Not
graced to travel with you as your servants or your cooks,
We
dedicate our lives to you, passing out your books
“This
life is very precious; nothing more that one can give
Than
ease the suffering of lost souls and show them how to live
“Clad
with faith as armor, we wield the sword of truth
Enlisted
in your army, we sacrificed our youth.
“One
becomes compassionate by being kind to all,
Lifting
every jiva from its downward tragic fall
“The
sankirtana
devotee gives everyone a chance,
Awakening
a love supreme that lifts all hearts to dance
“Taking
up this service, one must be strong and brave,
To
see the soul in everyone, not choose whom she will save—
“Leaving
our ego far away. From the holy site
Where
these books of truth emerge, some will run in fright.
“A
sacrifice for your desire is our only claim
We
thrive upon your sacred text and chant the holy name
“Not
graced to travel with you as your servants and your cooks,
We
dedicate our lives to you, passing out your books.
“They
were written for all souls, and we are all the same
These
books ignite within the heart a transcendental flame
“Enlightened
words of ecstasy exist on every page
What
could be more valuable in this fallen age?
“In
silent hours of the night, absorbed in meditation
writing
down the Lord’s decrees of secret revelation
“As
He spoke to the Pandavas, a battle though it took
The
essence of the Vedas is captured in your book
“The
gurus always present, but we must play our part
They
come to teach that love of God begins within the heart
“An
intimate connection, awakening that place
Hearing
with sincerity awards internal grace
“Krishna
knows the selflessness that one accepts to serve
and
awards accordingly; we get what we deserve
“But
in proportion to one’s love, the Lord is ever ready
to
give Himself to His dear friend whose service has been steady
“And
of those gentle souls engaged in serving all these years
Not
many of us know their names and fewer know their tears.
“They
did not travel with you as your servants or your cooks,
Their
love for you is nurtured by the wealth within your books.”
“Radhakunda
Dasi
“One
guru in India who came to our Vrindavan temple with some disciples
took a Bhagavad-gita
from me and came back a few days later to tell me that he had taught
the Bhagavad-gita
for fifty years, but had never known what it was until he read
Bhagavad-gita
As It Is.
He said, ‘Your guru, Srila Prabhupada, saw the very beginning of
the Battle of Kurukshetra—Krishna and Arjuna talking—and then
only He wrote his edition.’ With tears in his eyes, he said, ‘When
I read this, I cry. This never happened to me before while reading
the Gita.’”
“Indradyumna
Swami
“‘Don’t
worry,’ said the old man [who was cleaning the toilets near our
festival site in Poland]. ‘I know it’s not the best work, and it
doesn’t pay well, but we get by.’
He
paused. ‘And do you know how?’ he asked.
“I
was afraid I would put my foot in my mouth again, so I didn’t
answer.
“‘By
reading the Gita,’
he said slowly.
“Gaura
Hari, Nandini, and I looked at each other in amazement.
“‘Yes,’
he continued, ‘your Gita makes sense of everything. You can clearly
understand the soul by reading it. No other religion has such a
concise explanation of the soul, reincarnation, and karma. If a man
kills someone and then himself dies soon after, how will he be
punished unless he’s born again? Reincarnation explains why some
people are born into misery and others into good fortune.”
“For
a moment I thought I was dreaming. Was the old cleaning man really
speaking Vedic philosophy?
“‘Take the material body,’ he continued. ‘It is only dead matter. How can it be activated unless there is the presence of the soul? That’s why it’s wrong to kill animals. They also have souls. God created beings so they could live, not so they could be killed.”
“‘A
man works all his life,’ he continued, ‘and he gets a pension to
live out his remaining days, but the cow gives milk all her life, and
then people kill her. It’s wrong. And the whole world is suffering
the reaction in the form of wars. Therefore God sends messengers
at different times to enlighten us to these truths, but people just
don’t listen. What can be done?’”
“Akunthita
Dasi
“Distributing
one day, I noticed that a businessman was watching me. After I’d
talked with a couple, he approached me and said, ‘May I have a
book? I travel a lot. In the past three days, I have been to five
airports in five cities, and in each place one of your members
stopped me and offered a book. The first time, I got angry and
refused it. The second time, I just said no. Then I was curious about
what you do, so the third time I briefly looked at a book, but didn’t
get it, because I’m a Christian. At the fourth airport, I talked
with one of you and asked some questions, but I still didn’t take a
book, though what I heard interested and impressed me. En route to
the fifth airport, I thought about it, and now I want to get a book.’
“He
took a Gita
and a Lilamrta,
impressed as he was by Srila Prabhupada’s work. I was the only book
distributor at that airport, but suddenly I felt the protection and
support of our spiritual family. Five of us invisibly worked together
to start this man on his way back to Godhead.”
“Some
American Christians can be extremely fanatical, nasty, and
unimaginably bad. One even spit at me. I stopped talking to them a
long time ago. One man definitely didn’t want to take books, and he
said the usual thing: ‘Jesus is the only way! You will go to hell!’
He said he had to catch his flight.
“I
said, ‘All right. Let me give you something.’
“I
gave him a photocopy of a BTG article called ‘A Christian Tribute
to Krishna Consciousness.’ It was written by a theologian, who
compares the devotees to Saint Francis of Assisi. He accepted it and
left. I stopped other travelers and forgot about that man. But an
hour later, I saw him running by to catch his plane. As he passed me,
he handed me back the article. It was just one sheet of paper. Now it
was folded. I just put it in my bag and thought that maybe he didn’t
like it.
“When
I got back to the temple and sorted through my stuff, I found that
paper again. I opened it, and there was $50. Since then I always
carry that article and give it to Christians.”
“Aisvarya
Dasa
“At
the festival in Cherry I stop a young Christian couple, who respond
with the usual routine: ‘Can I ask you some questions?’
“I
succumb. Eventually they ask, ‘What would you do if you found out
that what you’re doing is false?’
“I
decide to tell them that to convert someone to Christianity, it’s
good to respect the person’s intelligence, to gain his respect for
your mission. This has the desired effect of encouraging them to
leave.
“Later,
they reappear and offer a dollar bill for an Isopanisad.
On top of that, I receive the Bible.
“When
I see them a third time, they tell me that they are reading the
Isopanisad
and liking it.”
Caitanya
Candra Prabhu:
From “Absurdity, Abdication, and Abuse: Lessons from the Mahabharata”
in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
54, No. 4 (July/August 2020):
“Before
the Kurukshetra war, Krishna went to the Kuru kingdom with a peace
proposal on the most accommodating terms. Duryodhana not only
rejected the proposal but also tried to arrest Krishna. This attempt
was reprehensible because it violated all diplomatic conventions that
guaranteed the safety of a peace envoy.
“Krishna
foiled Duryodhana by expanding Himself to gigantic proportions and
displaying His universal form. The form emanated such fire and anger
that everyone was blinded. Overcome by fear, the soldiers who had
charged forward to arrest Krishna fell on their backs, rose
falteringly, and fled.
“Hearing
the chaos, the blind Dhrtarastra asked Sañjaya, ‘What is
happening?’
“Sañjaya
replied in an awestruck tone, ‘Krishna is showing His universal
form.’
“On
hearing this, Dhrtarastra said to Krishna, ‘O Kesava, I have
never seen anything throughout my life. You are revealing a form that
few can see. Please bless me with the vision to see this form.’
“Krishna
replied, ‘So be it.’
“Soon Dhrtarastra could see for the first and only time in his life.
And what a majestic sight he saw: the blazing form pervading all
directions, containing luminaries from all over the universe,
reducing everything around it to insignificance.
“Thus Dhrtarastra experienced Krishna’s unparalleled power through
two benedictions. First, he got the power to see. Second, he got to
see the awe-inspiring universal form.”
Tirumala
Devi Dasi:
From
“The
Spiritual Highway”
in Back
to Godhead, Vol.
54, No. 4 (July/August 2020):
“We
may wonder how to identify what really is best for us and what to do
to be in that ideal situation. But the bad news is that there isn’t
an angelic harp that mysteriously plays when we make a life-changing
decision that’s the right choice. The good news, however, is that
the Bhagavad-gita
teaches us that Krishna already knows what is in our best interest
and affectionately places us in the right situation whether we
realize it or not.
“A
story highlights this point well. The residents of a small town
constantly complained to the mayor about their problems.
“Eventually
the mayor said, ‘I have a brilliant idea. We’re going to have an
exhibition of problems. Everyone can bring their problems, we’ll
put them on display in the town hall, and everyone can come and see
them.’
“So
everyone playfully had a look at everyone else’s problems.
Eventually it was time to leave, but then the mayor said that no one
could leave without taking a problem with them. So when they had to
choose a problem, they thought very seriously about which problem to
take. Guess what problems everyone ended up taking? Their own! It was
easier to take back their own problems than anyone else’s.”
Brajananda
Prabhu:
Narada
is always participating in the Lord’s pastimes and appears
throughout the Bhagavatam,
even
from the beginning.
Srila
Prabhupada wanted to do another Bhagavad-gita,
based
on a different commentary.
Brahma’s
day of 4,320,000,000 years of ours is unfathomable to us, but it is
just another day for him.
Most
people who realize they are the soul do not know what they should be
doing as a soul.
All
the seven purposes of ISKCON are educational.
Even
in the West, music originated from songs of worship.
Bhakta
Daniel:
I
find it is very inspirational to have some regular contact with Lord
Caitanya’s pastimes through reading or hearing.
-----
In
the material world people tend to equate happiness with sensual
enjoyment, but Krishna in Bhagavad-gita
5.21 tells of a superior happiness that
derives from concentration on the Supreme rather than bringing the
senses in touch with their objects. This superior happiness is
declared by Krishna to be unlimited. Now that is something valuable
to aspire for! In the Krishna consciousness movement we generally
concentrate on the Supreme by concentrating on the name of the
Supreme, especially in the form of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
And that is something simple to do. One merely has to
practice.
bahya-sparsheshv
asaktatma
vindaty
atmani yat sukham
sa
brahma-yoga-yuktatma
sukham
akshayam ashnute
“Such
a liberated person is not attracted to material sense pleasure but is
always in trance, enjoying the pleasure within. In this way the
self-realized person enjoys unlimited happiness, for he concentrates
on the Supreme.” (Bhagavad-gita
5.21)
