Dallas Neighbor gets Prabhupada at thresehold of death
Dear Prabhus,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
During one recent evening, my missus, Sri Rangavati Dasi, cleaned out an old basket containing knickknacks and filled it with Srila Prabhupada's books. She announced that the next day we would be going door to door around our house and distributing books. I was not very hopeful about this Little Red Riding Hood approach in our middle-class neighborhood, but I went along to see what might happen.
At the first house we approached, a lady picked out a "Chant and be Happy" from the basket. This was an auspicious start, but the next house would provide a truly memorable experience. After "ding dong," there was a long wait. Eventually an old-looking young lady named Judith came to the door. Her bald head and skeletal frame told us she was dying from cancer, though her sparkling eyes showed she could have been a model at one time.
Sri Rangavati Dasi held out the basket and told her, "I have come to show you some books. They are ancient works of Vedic literature that tell about the difference between the body and the soul, and also reincarnation and karma."
Judith was impressed and invited us to sit down on her porch and tell her more. After some further discussion, she bought the big blue "Science of Self Realization," along with "Perfection of Yoga," "Beyond Birth and Death," "Bhakti: the Art of Eternal Love," and "Chant and Be Happy." We invited her to the Sunday Feast at Sri Sri Radha-Kalachandji's temple, and she said, "I would like to go where people are chanting, and dance."
She recited the Hare Krishna maha-mantra on the card and then said, "I would like my own 'Bhagavad Gita.'" So I added it to her stack of books. Then she wrote out a check for all of them. The final poignant moment came as we helped support her while she got up and went back into the house. She earnestly said, "It's very interesting how you've come to show me these books at this time of my life."
I hope this meets you well.
Your Servant,
Mishra Bhagavan Dasa
