Marathon Inspiration talk, Los Angeles, Continued.
Lord Caitanya expressed His anxiety to Haridas Thakura. He had so many fruits of love of God to distribute but there were so few taking. So Haridas Thakura tried to console Him by telling Him, "Don't worry; we'll preach. We'll relieve You from Your anxiety." In the purport Srila Prabhupada says that it is the duty of the devotee of Lord Caitanya to try to relieve the anxiety of Lord Caitanya. So when we go out and distribute books, with every book we distribute we are relieving the anxiety of Lord Caitanya.
There is one devotee who moved Lord Caitanya so much. It was Vasudeva Datta. He was feeling so much compassion for the conditioned souls that he wanted all the suffering of all the souls in the universe to go on his head so that they could become free of all their sinful reactions and take to Krsna Consciousness. He wasn't just talking lightly as we sometimes do when we say, "I am the most fallen." Actually, he truly felt this and he really wanted it to happen. Lord Caitanya became so touched by this that tears flowed from His eyes and He embraced him. He was so much appreciative of the mood of Vasudeva Datta. Bhaktisidhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that this means that Vasudeva Datta was a million times greater than Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ said that he would deliver only those who would surrender to him, but Vasudeva Datta was ready to take on the sufferings of all living entities. Therefore by going out and distributing books, we are giving people an opportunity to become free from the miseries of the material world. These books are like tickets to the spiritual world, and we are simply asking for a little donation.
Devamrta Swami got a little pamphlet called, "Krsna, the reservoir of pleasure." And now look at the result: he is traveling all over the world, preaching. So we should not underestimate these books, big or small. Srila Prabhupada said right here in Los Angeles, "There is no comparison. There is no literature throughout the universe like Srimad Bhagavatam. There is no competition. Every word is for the good of the human society. Each and every word." He said that if they read one line, it could completely change their life. That's why he said, "Therefore I am always stressing, please distribute books, distribute books, distribute books." He also said that these books are the "brihat mrdanga." Just like in this temple, one can play the mrdanga and people can hear it a few houses away." But the brihad mridanga can be heard ten thousand miles away. Just like Candrasekhar: He got a book here in L.A. He flew to France and became a devotee in France. The brhad Mrdanga was beating here, and it went all the way to France. This happens a lot. They get a book somewhere and become a devotee somewhere else. Or, someone may get a book and not read it. It may stay in their house, even for fifty or a hundred years. It is possible. But then this persons' great-great grandson may pick up the book and say, "Wow, this is great," and becomes a devotee. And you get the benefit. A hundred years later you still get the benefit. We cannot lose. There are no losses in preaching Krsna Consciousness. There is only gain.
