Los Angeles SD Newsletter, Vol. 4, Issue 11
TURN A MUNDANE ERRAND INTO A VISIT TO THE SPIRITUAL WORLD
By Bhaktin Sara Bock
If you are living and working outside the temple community, you probably perform many daily activities like going to the bank, grocery store, or gas station, or driving your kids around. When these activities are done in Krishna Consciousness, they are not mundane. But how to maintain this Krishna Consciousness with all the distractions and responsibilities of family life?
Even those who are living in the ashram sometimes have to run errands that seem mundane. One thing that helps me think of Krishna when I run errands is to bring a few of Srila Prabhupada’s books with me to distribute on behalf of Sastra Dana.
For example, a few weeks ago I had to go to the bank, and I thought, “What a chore how boring.” Then I remembered that the bank is on a street full of nail and hair salons and coffee shops ideal places for donations of Sastra Dana books. My consciousness at once changed. As I drove to the bank I didn’t think about my transaction but about where and how to distribute the books. The bank errand became incidental while the book distribution became the main objective, and the whole event became spiritualized a service for Srila Prabhupada.
Anyone can distribute these Sastra Dana books. It doesn’t take much time, and it’s very simple and ecstatic! It’s fulfilling because it’s helping our spiritual master with his mission, which he worked so hard to accomplish. Individually we are not as empowered as he, but collectively, if we each just distribute a few books a week, we can accomplish so much. Imagine if just twenty devotees were to distribute one book a week while running some errand. That’s twenty more books a week going out, and over 1,000 a year. That’s a lot! So please don’t think that it’s useless to distribute just one book it all adds up. If you would like to participate, please contact myself, Bhaktin Anastasia, Bhaktin Mo, or, of course, Mahat-tattva Prabhu. Please participate. Life is so short; let’s not be selfish, but let’s make the effort to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books and share the supremely valuable gift of transcendental knowledge with others less fortunate than we.
