“Hitting up”
All Glories to Sri Guru and Gauranga!
May 17, 2001 Krishna Era 5228
Dear Vaisnava book distributors,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you for sharing your nice stories of selling books. Recently a devotee posted a story where the term "hitting up" a lady was included. In humility I will take the liberty to mention a few things which come to mind.
The term "hit up" carries many unpleasant connotations:
hit up. Slang. To approach and ask (someone) for something, especially for money. (American Heritage Dictionary)
Besides being crude slang, the term "hit up" implies an act which might be fradulent, tricky, irreverent or bothersome. These are not the impressions we want purchasers of Srila Prabhupada's literature to have towards the books' sellers nor visa versa.
By using such derogatory terms such as "hit up" when refering to the most sacred act of imparting transcendental wisdom to conditioned souls, we create an unfavorable attitude in the mind toward the literature, the purchaser of the literature and the service itself. Therefore devotees wishing to elevate their realization of the all-auspicious activity of sankirtana and desiring not to demean themselves, would do well to avoid using such terms in thoughts, words and action.
Your humble Servant,
Danavir Goswami
