Lecture by HG His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu
The following is a lecture given by His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu at the May 2003 North American GBC meetings/festival of inspiration in New Vrindavan:
Vaisesika Prabhu:
So many good qualities come out of those devotees who are engaged in this process of faith, the transferring their faith to other people. Book distribution is itself an act of faith, otherwise why would you bother? You wouldn't do it if it wasn't a complete act of faith. Many times when I am on Sankirtana I ask, "Why am I here? Why am I doing this?" And I realized that if it weren't for the fact that we believe in the power of the Holy Name that is written in these books, and in the power, the flavor, of Srila Prabhupada's personality as it comes through his purports, and how, by divine arrangement, these books have come down so beautifully, we wouldn't have the inspiration to go out on Sankirtana, to go out on book distribution. This is our basic impetus. I meet with many Sankirtana devotees, and I become inspired to see how they become inspired themselves.
I would like to read to you several passages from a few different purports from Srila Prabhupada's books that I have been reading recently and that are in line with this theme that I am now addressing.
The first is about permanent value. Everyone is trying to get permanent value, otherwise they wouldn't be working hard. Everyone is working hard, driving somewhere, studying to get a degree, to make some money, why? Because they think they'll get some permanent value out of that activity. Otherwise they wouldn't do it, would they? So Srila Prabhupada writes:
"In Bhagavad-gita (9.27), the Lord demands that whatever one may do in one's daily activities, such as worship, sacrifice, and offering charity, all the results should be offered to Him only. This offering of the results of pious acts unto the Supreme Lord is a sign of devotional service to the Lord and is of permanent value, whereas enjoying the same results for oneself is only temporary. Anything done on account of the Lord is a permanent asset and accumulates in the form of unseen piety for gradual promotion to the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord. These undetected pious activities will one day result in full-fledged devotional service by the grace of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, any pious act done on account of the Supreme Lord is also recommended here for those who are not pure devotees."
(SB 3.9.14 purport) So anything done in connection with Krsna as an act of devotional service is permanent. This means when we go to distribute books, when we go to introduce people to Krsna Consciousness, to the Holy Name, by distributing books, that interaction is completely transcendental, and people get permanent value every time they see or touch a book. Every time they meet a devotee, they get some benefit, what to speak if they have some appreciation for the book or for the devotee, and they offer a donation from their heart, feeling, "let me give something; it's a good idea; I like what this person is doing." That person's spiritual benefit and progress is off the chart! It's indescribable how much good fortune comes to a person who comes in contact with one of Srila Prabhupada's books.
In the new volume of Brihat Bhagavatamrita, there is the story of a simple brahmana from Northern India. In the beginning, he's thinking of how to gain wealth. He is a simple person who simply wants to become wealthy and happy in life. One night, in a dream, his revered Deity, Kamakya devi. appears to him revealing a mantra, the Gopal mantra. Sanatana Goswami narrates that when this simple brahmana receives the mantra, he sees it as if it were a treasure-chest opening to him. Learning that mantra, by the instruction of Kamakya devi, he realizes his true wealth in life. It so overcomes his mind that he loses his interest in material wealth. If you read the rest of the book, you'll see that, as Srila Prabhupada says here, any bit of devotional service done is for permanent benefit, and by that, one will eventually come to full-fledged devotional service by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So this book distribution is such that we are taking the greatest treasure, the greatest object of permanent value, and we are introducing it to people, offering them the greatest benefit they can get in this life. And everyone is looking for this.
Actually this is what everyone is seeking: They are going here and there, searching, hankering for some permanent value in life; we are offering them the real thing.
Srila Prabhupada explains that there are three types of people in this world: The karmi, the jnani, and the bhakta. All three are searching for happiness. He gives the example of the mirage in the desert. The karmi runs towards the mirage optimistically thinking it to be water. As Prahlada Maharaja describers, "mrga trsni rupa," it's a mirage. But with material happiness, the closer you get to it, even you think you've approached it, still it's a little bit off. It looks like water, you're almost there, but you didn't quite get it. So the karmi keeps going life after life; he sees the water, but he never quite gets to it, and he dies trying, just like an animal.
And then the jnani, he figures it out. He figures it out, as Srila Prabhupada says in the first Canto, that it's a colossal hoax. It's a scam. It's the "mrgu trisni rupa scam," it's the "disappearing water scam"; it's just ahead, but even as you run towards it, it retreats and you just can't quite get it. So the jnani figures it out, and he stops going for it. He stops and sits down, unwilling to run towards it. But he can't stop permanently; that's the problem.
But the bhakta, he figures out that, because this is fake or illusory water, it must be a reflection of some real water. "So let's get that real water." So this is what we are doing: We are getting and then giving people the real water of the spiritual world. We are introducing people to something that will actually quench their thirst. It gives them permanent value, the real water that which they have been looking for, life after life. So remembering this is our impetus. When I go out on book distribution, I find it vital to remember just how powerful these books are and how anyone who comes in contact with them will be permanently benefited.
In this regard, Srila Prabhupada writes, "Suppose you are going to distribute books. But what is the idea? It is Krsna' books; it must be distributed. So Krsna is remembered there. At the same time, because it is Krsna' book, if somebody purchases, if he pays something, he'll look at it, something, that "What this nonsense has written? Let me see." Then he will get some idea. And if he reads one line, he comes hundred times forward to Krsna consciousness. This is the idea. If you want… Svalpam apy asya dharmasya träyate mahato. This is preaching." [Lecture, Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.47 Vrindavan, April 2, 1976]
They'll taste this real water; even if they read one line, if hey look at a single page page, they see one picture, they'll taste it. It will be like the simple brahmana from the Brhat Bhagavatamrta seeing the treasure chest opening to him. So people have this experience. They see the book and the treasure is before them. Their material life is finished. It's too late. Srila Prabhupada wrote the following in a letter to Tamal Krsna Goswami about the effects of mass book distribution: "Now we have set fire. It will go on, it cannot be stopped. You can bring big, big fire brigades but the fire will act. The brainwash books are already there. Even if they stop externally, internally it will go on. Our first class campaign is book distribution. Go house to house. The real fighting is now. Krsna will give you all protection. So, chant Hare Krsna and fight.."
So this is the idea. We have the real water, but we must realize it ourselves.
Prabhupada taught us, "The main technique, no, the only technique, for book distribution, is your strict sadhana." You are tasting the name of Krsna, thinking that, "this is the real water!"; You are chanting Hare Krsna, chanting good japa,, becoming accustomed to not making the ten offenses to the Holy Name, and you are actually getting deeper and deeper appreciation that this is not a material sound vibration; simultaneously you are losing interest in the material world; at this point you know for yourself that this is real water. You can understand that. For this you don't need a certificate, and you don't need a technique to distribute books other than this. This understanding is what impels the devotee to go out to distribute Srila Prabhupada's books. That person can understand the necessity.
Just like in Iraq, since the war, Iraq's infrastructure has been blown up, and they are trying to build it up again. Due to lack of clean water, people are suffering from cholera and there are children in the streets of Baghdad begging from members of the foreign press, "Do you have any drinkable water? Anything we can drink? Anything?" They are thirsty, but if they drink the polluted water, the will get sick. It is a dire situation. So this is the same situation for the conditioned soul in the material world. Krsna says that this world is "Dukhalayam." It is the place of suffering. It is the place where everyone is dying of thirst. Imagine you are in Iraq, and a thirsty child is begging you for some clean water, and you have some back in your room. You'll want to give it. So we have that. And this is our mission to distribute that water, to let people drink the real thing becoming revived and healthy. But we must understand for ourselves that this is the real thing; then we'll want to taste is more and to distribute it more. And if people see the satisfaction in our eyes, they'll understand that we have something substantial and they'll want to purchase it from us.
In the second Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Brahma says that you get three benefits from Krsna Consciousness, from surrendering to the Holy Name. When people go to the store to buy something, they want to know the benefits, they want to know, "What am I going to get out of this." This is what sales experts say: "People buy benefits." So Brahma names three benefits we'll get from re-gaining our Krsna consciousness. The first is, bhava-chiddam, we get free of material life, and all our suffering is cut. Secondly, we get su-sukham, the experience of the highest happiness complete happiness. And thirdly, he says we obtain su-mangalam, or complete auspiciousness. In summary, we get good fortune, complete happiness, and freedom from all miseries.
Imagine if you had a bottle of pills, and someone asked, "What do you get when you take one of these pills?" You could answer, "You'll get freedom from all miseries, complete happiness, and unlimited good fortune will pour down upon you." Who would not want to take one of those pills? You could sell a lot of them! That's why people take drugs; they ask, "What will this drug do for me? And even though there are side effects, they think, "That's good enough for me; I'll take it." But we have the REAL drug with no side effects. Only benefit. So this is what we are offering. This is our program.
Srila Prabhupada also writes, "The highest perfectional gain of humanity is to engage in discussions of the activities and glories of the Pious Actor. Such activities are so nicely arranged in writing by the greatly learned sages that the actual purpose of the ear is served just by being near them.
PURPORT The impersonalists are very much afraid of hearing the activities of the Lord because they think that the happiness derived from the transcendental situation of Brahman is the ultimate goal of life; they think that anyone's activity, even that of the Personality of Godhead, is mundane. But the idea of happiness indicated in this verse is different because it relates to the activities of the Supreme Personality, who has transcendental qualities. The word guëa-vadam is significant because the qualities of the Lord and His activities and pastimes are the subject matter for the discussions of devotees. A devotee like Maitreya is certainly not interested in discussing anything pertaining to mundane qualities, yet he says that the highest perfectional stage of transcendental realization is to discuss the Lord's activities. Çrila Jiva Gosvami, therefore, concludes that topics regarding the transcendental activities of the Lord are far beyond the transcendental realization of kaivalya happiness. These transcendental activities of the Lord are so arranged in writing by the great sages that simply by hearing of those narrations one becomes perfectly self-realized, and the proper use of the ear and the tongue is also achieved. Çrimad-Bhagavatam is one of such great literatures, and the highest perfectional state of life is attained simply by hearing and reciting its contents." [SB 3.6.38 purport]
I really like this passage because it indicates that just by being near these transcendental literatures and their narrations, just by being associated with them, we'll attain the highest perfectional stage. It is so nice that even liberated souls are attracted to this.
On the practical side of distributing books, I would like to talk about how to care for the people we meet. Some call this "customer care." Over the years, I have come to realize more and more through my personal experience on book distribution the importance of how I deal with each and every person I meet. I think this is part of the self-realization process in Krsna consciousness. We must realize the immense effect that we have in everything that we do and all that we think. We can understand this from Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Lord Rsabadeva says, karmatmakam yena sarira bhanda: "If your mind is colored with fruitive activity, you have to take another birth in the material world."
As devotees, we become more and more aware of this. One of the gifts of going out on book distribution and interacting with people in this transcendental way is that we can come to understand almost immediately how important it is to deal with people in a gentle, transcendental, caring, loving way. And that in itself, that approach, that mentality of going on Sankirtana with the goal of making each person, as much as possible, a completely satisfied individual when they go away, regardless of whether or not they take a book or give anything. Making this our goal and mentality is actually a very exciting challenge. And also, in it of itself, this particular type of approach, this particular type of mentality, helps to lift us to the transcendental realm. v
So there are a couple of practical things that I've learned over the years in regard to customer care. For instance, we know that there are mantras to introduce a book. For example, devotees say, "This is a book on yoga and meditation. It helps you to get free from stress and anxiety."
Incidentally, we were just reading in the Gita Mahatmya yesterday that if one follows carefully the instructions of Bhagavad Gita, he will become free from all the miseries and anxieties of life. So this mantra is exactly from sastra and it is true. If you read any of these books and follow their instructions, you will become free from the miseries of life. So this is a mantra. Everyone knows about mantras.
But there is also another type of mantra that I've been using. I call it an "exit mantra." As an example, when I finish speaking with somebody, I look them squarely in the eyes, I shake their hand and I tell them, "I want to thank you very much for taking your valuable time and I want to tell you how much of an honor it was to meet you."
People really like that. So much so that I've had people who at first told me, "No, I'm not interested in this, I don't want to give a donation. I'm a Christian and I don't believe in this." I thanked them from the bottom of my heart, telling them, "I want to thank you very much for taking your valuable time and I want to tell you how much of an honor it was to meet you." And while I'm saying that, I'm thinking of the verse in Sri Isopanisad that says that we should see every living entity as a spiritual spark, and that for a person who sees like that, where is there any anxiety or any fear? This is the transcendental meditation on Sankirtana. It is a meditational activity to meet people like that. So sometimes I've had these people who have said, "I'm not interested, I don't want to give anything," but who after hearing my appreciation for them taking their time come back a half hour later and tell me, "We would like to donate."
So that has really had a heavy impact on me and has made me realize that, "Wow, everything I do and say, and the way I say and do it, and even the way I think it when I'm saying it, has a distinct and definite impact on the people I am speaking to. So there is nothing more important. Even big marketing directors will tell you that there's nothing more important for creating a lasting impression than a very personal meeting between two people. All types of persuasion take place when two people have a conversation. But in the end, it is a person's subtle qualities that change our minds either positively or negatively. There are statistics: (reading) Only 4% of dissatisfied customers actually complain; 96% walk away quietly. 91% will never come back to that place. 68% leave because they were treated indifferently. A dissatisfied customer will tell 8 to 10 people about a bad experience. One in 5 will tell 20 other people.
So these are some important ideas. The positive side for us is that by going out in the public to preach, we have the perfect opportunity to leave a wonderful impression with everyone we meet. There are so many ways to do this. One of them is to get into the practice of taking the extra time to make eye-contact with the people, to really appreciate something about them, to think of them as a spirit soul, to say something nice to them even when, especially when they don't want to give a donation, or especially when they are indifferent to us. Give them a good feeling. This is yoga remaining equipoised.; keeping your balance through spiritual vision and practice. This is actually the yoga of Sankirtana, to come to this level. Then you'll leave the atmosphere in which you work, without harmful residue. Otherwise if you bring your envy from your heart, or if you feel motivated or attached to a particular person you meet, thinking, "Why can't he help so that I can have a better score," you'll leave a toxic residue in the air, and that residue will get all over you as well as on everyone around you. You make an environmental impact by the way you think.
So to come to this platform of Sankirtana by practicing yoga. It will bring you to a new level and is an exciting challenge.
Now here are some of things that I tell people while presenting a book: I tell them that this book will bring them good fortune. So many times, I' found after presenting someone with a book, they'd say, "Why don't you give it to someone else who will read it?"
After hearing this repeatedly, I started thinking, "Well, why wouldn't I give it to someone else who will read it?" Then I realized that there is an answer to their question. Now when someone asks me, "Why don't you give it to somebody else who will read it," I answer, "Okay, I'll tell you why: The reason is that this book is so powerful, it doesn't matter whether you read it or not. Even if you don't read it, but just put it in your house, it will attract good fortune into your home."
Then I tell them, "If you bring two magnets close to each other, they'll attract, right?" The people answer, "Yes." I say, "You can't see the magnetic force, but you can see the effect of it, right?. So in the same way, when you put this book in your house, it will attract into your life unlimited good fortune and good luck."
I then ask them, "Do you know where good luck comes from?" Most people think for a half a second and then answer, "No, I don't know where it comes from." Then I tell them, "Well I'll tell you where it DOESN"T come from. It doesn't come from working harder; because, isn't it true that plenty of people work hard but they don't make more money than people who work less hard and that they don't get good luck by working hard?"; to this they usually agree. Then I say, "But this book, will bring you good luck." So people want to know the benefits. And Lord Brahma says that three things naturally come from devotional service, namely freedom from all distress, unlimited happiness, and good fortune. Reading this I thought, "Yes! This IS where good fortune comes from! How else can we become fortunate?!" So that's one thing that I talk about.
I asked Brigupati Prabhu, who is a very prolific, experienced and successful book distributor, and he wrote me back. He distributes a lot on college campuses. He tells the students, "Excuse me, are you a student or do you work here? Great, you get a copy. I'm going to sign it for you. Are you a graduate or an undergraduate? Are you a good one? This is about yoga and meditation. It helps reduce stress. You've heard of stress, right? Join the club. I'm a monk. You know what a monk is, don't you? Not a punk, not a skunk. So this is for you. We don't sell them. We just ask everyone to make a donation. So can you make a donation to help out?" This is Brigupati Prabhu.
Vijay Prabhu wrote, "Recently, I've been using a line from a poem by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, 'the flesh is not our own alas, a mortal frame, a chain. The soul confined for former wrongs should try to rise again.' I tell them this when I show them the picture of the changing bodies. People love it."
Isn't that a beautiful line? One thing is that when you read Srila Prabhupada's books, look for these things. You can find gems everywhere. Underline them, take them out, make a note of them. Write them on a card and take them out, like you do to learn a sloka, and practice your newly discovered mantras. People love to hear these things from sastra. It attracts their minds, and it's also a wonderful way for us to imbibe what we are reading. Vijay continues, "Then I tell them, 'this book teaches the art of internal pleasure.' Since everyone is looking for pleasure, this is another one they appreciate."
Personally, I go around collecting these different lines. When I meet devotees active in book distribution, I ask them, "What do you tell people? What do you say?" Devotees all have wonderful and unique things that they tell people. You can take those right out of their mouths and use them. Any comment or question?
e: The "C" words such as "Can you do this," or "Could you do this," are not nearly as effective as the "W" words such as, "Will you give a donation," or "Would you give a donation?" Those words empower those who use them, and people respond, "Yes, I Will give a donation, I Would give a donation." So this is just a small point.
Vaisesika dasa: There are many ways to distribute books. More and more I am finding that devotees are not going out every day of the week. Only a small percentage do. There are many devotees who would like to go out on book distribution, but they have a mental block. They think, "What will happen if I go out, how will I go out, what shall I do?"
So there's an emerging class of very successful book distributors that we call "Weekend Warriors." There is even a new category on the newsletter called "Weekend Warriors." So those who go out on Saturday or Sunday can report their scores in the Weekend Warrior category. One way to distribute books is to find a spot where you can legally set up a table. You can have a table with a nice display, like a mini-festival. In Washington D.C.
Bhakta Steve Prabhu (as well as Lokadyaksa and Vidarbhasuta), who are here, are some of the master-minds behind this. They have been very successful at it. Organization is so important. I've noticed that to be effective you must have your infrastructure ready, meaning, you must be organized like a well-run business. If you want to go out on Sankirtan today, and you ask, "Where are the books?", and someone says, "Bhakta Freddy had the keys." "Well, where is he?"
"Oh, he blooped."
You can't do it like that. You have to make a list or an outline and then make sure you have everything you need in place. You can see an example of such a list on our newly made website called "distributebooks.com." It has just started and we're placing relevant book distribution information there which you can download and use to advance your own programs. It is basically for anyone who wants to get information or inspiration about book distribution. There is a discussion section. We just started it recently. It is practical. The Sastra Dan program, for example, is another example. In Los Angeles, for example, 25 000 dollars are collected a year solely for book distribution, because there are a lot of devotees who have a deep sentiment for book distribution but who may not go out, but who would be glad to sponsor books.
