Openheimer Distributes The Gita
Reading a few pages of Vaisesika prabhu's wonderful book 'Our Family Business' before going on the street has been transformative for my waning sankirtan spirit.
On one day I had read the first chapter in my car before going to Queen St. in Auckland.
Vaisesika, ISKCON's sankirtan legend, had recalled how, as a 16 year old, he had come to receive Back to Godhead magazine while fasting all day, observing a vow of silence and praying to God to reveal the true path in life. On opening Back to Godhead and seeing the picture of Srila Prabhupada, he felt this was his spiritual master.
While remembering his joy of contacting devotees and Srila Prabhupada's books, I had two exchanges back to back. They reminded me that if we have the strong faith that people do want these books and that there are sincere souls just waiting to contact the parampara, Krishna will send people our way.
A nice French traveller stopped for me fairly easily. When I said I was promoting yoga, her facial expressions revealed her interest, which I pursued in the conversation. She had recently done yoga training in India. I introduced the Gita as the yoga handbook, asking whether she knew of it. Turns out her teacher in India had recommended her to read it, and she had been searching just recently in book shops for a copy without luck. She donated $20 and took a copy of Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
Saved from getting a copy with no purports——the usual yogi style!
About two minutes later, a young art student also easily stopped for me. As I was showing him the Bhagavad-gita I asked whether he'd ever heard of it.
He told me that it is on his reading list. I congratulated him for having it on his reading list and asked where he had heard of it.
An interesting answer we get every now and then: Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, had quoted a verse from the Gita (11.32) "Time I am the great destroyer of the worlds" and had claimed that, “access to the Vedas is the greatest privilege this century may claim over all previous centuries.”
Everyone has different ways of approaching Krishna! This boy happily received a copy of the Gita.
Your servant,
Gokula-lila Dasi
