Nectar Stories from Down Under
Bhakta Theo and I have just returned from a two-week traveling Sankirtan mission to Svargaloka (Queensland, Australia), where the palm trees blow in the warm breeze and everything moves in slow motion.
Theo had just bought a $100,000 luxury camper van and wanted to use it in Lord Caitanya's service by beating the Brhad Mrdanga. So we took it for its maiden voyage to Queensland. Here are a few nectar stories from the journey.
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In Mackay I saw a young lad smoking outside the Kebab shop where he obviously worked. As I approached to show him the Bhagavad-gita his eyes widened, and before I could say a word he exclaimed, "WOW!! What book is that? I just love reading!" So I showed him the book, and it didn't take much to convince him to buy it. He ran inside the shop to ask his boss if he could take $20 out of the till (the boss agreed) and came back to gave me the laxmi. I learned his name was Damien.
A few days later we returned to Mackay. As I was walking past the Kebab shop I saw my friend Damien through the window. He waved to me to come in and speak to him. When I went into the shop I saw he had tears in his eyes. He said, "I'm reading the book, but I just can't remember any of the names!" I told him that remembering the names of the warriors and their conch shells is not so important; he should just keep on reading. He felt a little better, and we had a long discussion about the Bhagavad-gita. Such a nice boy! I really hope I can stay in touch with him.
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In Gladstone I was distributing in a big Westfield shopping mall when I saw some charity collectors working from a stall between the shops. One African guy named Abdul stopped me and asked if I could help them with a donation. I explained to him that I couldn't because I was a monk and didn't have any money of my own. He said, "Really? You're a monk? Please tell me what you do as a monk." So I told him in a nutshell about my lifestyle and showed him the Bhagavad-gita. He couldn't believe it! He used to work with an Indian gentleman in Sydney who had promised so many times to get him a Bhagavad-gita but never got around to giving it to him. So Abdul was very happy to take the Bhagavad-gita and give a nice donation.
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Just after I met Abdul I saw a man selling Kangaroo skins in the same mall. As he talked to a customer I could tell his accent was different. So I struck up a conversation: "Hey, where are you from?"
"West coast, Perth," he replied.
"You know," I said, "today we're showing these books to all the nice people we meet from Perth." As I showed him the Bhagavad-gita, he told me that he was in no way religious or spiritually inclined. I said, "Anyway, check out the cool pictures." As I showed him the pictures, he expressed his appreciation for the beautiful artwork. He ended up giving $15 and taking the book, just for the pictures!
Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam Ki! Jai!!
Your Servant,
Stambha-bhava das
