Prabhupada Marathon Message
Prabhupada Marathon Message
"Wonders Can Happen" By Giriraj Swami
In the course of service to the spiritual master, to Srila Prabhupada, we are placed in situations that are not very congenial for our material comfort. But sometimes in those situations we feel the connection with the spiritual master even more, and so we feel even more ecstatic in Krsna consciousness than when we are in more comfortable situations.
In doing something materially difficult or unpleasant we may experience the connection with the spiritual master more. His Holiness Sacinandana Swami gave a beautiful talk in which he said that when one receives an order from the spiritual master and tries to execute it, wonderful things happen. Krsna does help. In his book The Art of Transformation, Sacinandana Swami writes, "Do something in your devotional service for Krsna. Take a little risk. Stay away from your lokika-sraddha, the worldly sraddha that is based on sensual experience and what other people say. Trust in the scriptures. You will see that wonders can happen. I want to tell you about one of these wonders. Devotees told me, 'Go out and distribute books!' I thought, 'No, please not this service, any other but not this, please. I joined very young, and I am a little sensitive. I can't meet with these tigers and lions on the street.' 'No, no, have a little faith. By surrendering to Krsna He will give you whatever you need and maintain what you have,' said the devotees. I did so. I distributed books, and Krsna came to help."
There are many devotees who are taking risks to further the Krsna consciousness movement in different parts of the world. And some of these countries are not favorable to this mission. Still, the devotees are meeting so many people who otherwise would not have been exposed to this process–bhakti-yoga–and they are inducing them to chant the holy names of Lord Krsna. And many of these people are actually becoming krsna-bhaktas. So devotees take risks at the expense of personal comfort–and even their very lives.
These things are happening. If you take the mission of the spiritual master to heart and take risks for the mission of the spiritual master, Krsna will help in wonderful ways that you might never expect.
And Krsna provides. My godbrother Amoghalila Prabhu was a brahmacari for many years, and then he got married. He got a PhD and for two or three years worked as an adjunct professor. And on the weekends he would distribute books; that mood was always in him. From his young brahmacari days he would distribute books.
He was most enthusiastic about book distribution, and he soon found that he could fulfill his family obligations by distributing books fulltime. And he liked the book distribution a lot better. Finally he decided, "Let's skip this professor business and just distribute books." At first his wife was a little sceptical, because she didn't think this sounded very respectable, but when she saw that the family wouldn't suffer, she came to accept it. And Amoghalila is always enlivened and inspired. He is always enlivened because he is always distributing books and preaching.
So, my dear devotees, during this December marathon we should try to come out of our comfortable spaces and take a little risk and distribute these books. Just take a little risk for Srila Prabhupada, for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and the results will be all-auspicious and glorious.
Thank you very much.
Hare Krsna.
