Celebrating the Advent of Bhagavad Gita
By Pancharatna Dasa
Dear prabhu,
Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Today is the auspicious celebration of the advent of Bhagavad-gita, delivered by Sri Krishna to Arjuna in Kuruksetra more than 5000 years ago.
For me it is especially a day to thank Srila Prabhupada for bringing us Bhagavad-gita As It Is. We all know how much of himself Srila Prabhupada gave to his books.He stayed up at night to write them. He said they were the essence of his mission.
We've all read them, been inspired and enlightened by them. We've distributed them and shared their message with others. We've all felt Srila Prabhupada's presence in his books.
For those books, he founded his own publishing house, The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust: The BBT. The BBT, he said, was his heart.
Through his BBT, Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is has been published in 55 languages. This means that nearly 80% of the world’s 6 billion people can now read Bhagavad-gita in their native language.
Today, on the glorious advent day of Bhagavad-gita, I invite you to help the BBT spread Bhagavad-gita and its message even further by becoming a member of Friends of the BBT – a community dedicated exclusively to serving and supporting this heart of Srila Prabhupada's mission.
The BBT is sustained by the enthusiasm of devotees around the world distributing BBT books.
But with your additional help, the BBT can do things today that would otherwise take years or might not get done at all.
Like training and supporting new translators, writers, editors, and artists to serve the BBT.
With funding from Friends of the BBT there are now nearly 20 full-time Sanskrit students studying in Govardhan, under the expert guidance of BBT veteran Gopiparanadhana Prabhu.
In Vrindavan, with funding from Friends of the BBT, the first BBT Artists Seminar has just been completed by Dhriti and Ram das Prabhus. Eighteen promising new artists received intensive training in painting for Krishna.
Friends of the BBT also supports book distribution, working with Vaisesika Prabhu to develop the Smart Box program and a new distributebooks.com website, to be launched later this month.
Many more projects are possible with your support, including funding new translations, expanding Krishna.com, and more.
Your support can bridge the gap between what the BBT is able to do on its own and what it needs to do.
Srila Prabhupada's December marathon is now in full swing and devotees everywhere are looking for opportunities to serve Lord Chaitanya's mission and please Srila Prabhupada by distributing transcendental literature.
By becoming a Friend of the BBT you help Srila Prabhupada's book distribution mission by supporting its foundation – the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
Membership starts at just $36 per year (only $3 per month), making it easy for everyone to join.
And, in the spirit of the season, we have special thank-you gifts (displayed on the enclosed sheet) for members who join us this month. Members also receive a 10% discount at the Krishna.com store.
Please visit us at www.friendsofthebbt.org/membership and join our community of service to Srila Prabhupada's Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.
In 1975, Srila Prabhupada addressed a crowded temple room in Los Angeles with these words:
“So kindly help me. This is my request. Print as many books in as many languages and distribute throughout the whole world. Then the Krishna consciousness movement will automatically increase.”
The BBT’s only mission is to fulfill this request. Please join us in this mission as a Friend of the BBT today.
