Battlefield Bhajans Vol. 8
Dedicated to Srila Prabhupada and all the Vaisnavas
Not Only Cleaning Clothes
Whereever I go, I try to bring some books to place in a library or a recreation center, etc. On one mission we had to pick someone up at another base, and when we picked him up he reminded me that I had to retrieve some laundry I'd dropped off the last time I was there. So off we went. I walked in and gave my ticket, and the fellow behind the counter found my bag and had this huge grin. "Sir," he said, "does this bag belong to you?"
"Yes, it does."
"Please come into the back."
I was a little worried. Did I leave a thumb drive in my clothes or some money. What could it be? As I went into the back, everyone stopped and looked at me. I asked the man, "What is this about?"
Another man smiled and said, "Hare Krsna!"
Very surprised, I said, "Hare Krsna!" back.
He said, "Sir, we have all been wondering who could be wearing this saffron cloth and also a US Army uniform. To our surprise, it's you." They went on to tell me they knew of our Krsna Balarama Temple, and they knew of the Maha Mantra. I asked how they knew I was in ISKCON.
He laughed and said, "Well, the shirt with Bhaktivedanta Swami on it let us know." Laughing, I then explained to them that "Yes, I am a devotee and trying to spread this ancient message to everyone I meet in Iraq." When I asked them if they'd ever read Srila Prabhupada's books, some indicated they had, others that they hadn't. I asked someone to come with me and came back with a case of books, some incense, and some other maha goodies. Everyone in the laundry center stood in line to take a book! Two gentlemen asked me to take a photo of them, and we exchanged e-mail addresses. Then I went on my way.
On the road I thought, "I deal with so much austerity here — no decent food, extreme heat, no association — but experiences like that make it worth the hardships." Srila Prabhupada will always be the number one book distributor in ISKCON, and we can all simply pray to assist him in some manner.
Sankritan:
BG Hard — 20
BG soft — 10
TLC — 15
ISO — 10
POY — 65
Total books in Iraq: 1650
Your servant,
Partha Sarathi dasa
