For Devotees traveling by train to Mayapur and Vrndavana festivals
Sri Sri Guru Gaurangau Jayatah
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
We attended the Vyasa Puja of His Holiness Bhakti Vikasa Swami in Dwaraka. From Tamil Nadu in South India to Dwaraka it takes almost 50 hours by train. Usually such long journeys are quite exhausting and boring but this time it was different.
This time we took with us a full box of Srila Prabhupada's books for distribution. We experienced an incredible journey. We met many nice people who took books, so in Bombay we had to get another box of books. In the evening some Indian students joined us in kirtan in our compartment. We even had a Bhagavad-gita lecture for them. At the big stations we would go out to do Harinam. After the book distribution when we would walk through the different compartnents of the train many fortunate souls would already be reading Srila Prabhupada's books, some would wave at us smilingly saying Hare Krishna and we would happily reply Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna! We felt like all the passengers are our friends. It was a Vaikuntha atmosphere. At night we were so blissful that we didn't want to go to sleep. We wished that this journey would never end. In this way the journey itself was as enlivening as the Vyasa Puja Festival.
Why I'm sharing this experience?!
Soon many devotees will be traveling to the Mayapur and Vrndavan Festival by train, so take it as an opportunity to distribute Prabhupada's books. It's very simple. Just take one box of Srila Prabhupada's books at the wholesale price from any ISKCON Temple. Take some English books for the educated people and the rest in local languages. Book distribution in India is very sweet. People are very much attracted by Western devotees and if you learn a sentence or two in some local language, then you will immediately win their hearts. Another advantage is that you have the best answer to their "nitya" question, "What Country?" Just give them the book along with the answer. In this way usually meaningless conversation can turn into the most significant moment of their lives.
By book distribution you can also cover for all your travel and prasadam expenses. Please keep some prasadam for the beggars and floor sweepers also. Don't chase them away without giving them some mercy.
In India you don't have to hide anything. You can freely travel in Vaisnava dress and tilak. Even in the train you can have a full morning and evening program. Many people will join and clap and sing with you. Even if you travel alone or if you are very shy by nature, you can always keep a few small books in your shoulder bag. In India people sitting next to you will surely ask you some questions about you. Then you have a chance to show them the books.
In this way a usually tiresome train travel can become a most blissful preaching experience.
I apologize to all the senior devotees if some parts of this letter sound like instructions.
Indian train book distribution ki Jay!!
Praying for the mercy of devotees,
Your servant,
Vasudeva Datta dasa
