Srila Prabhupada’s books do the heavy lifting
We cast our books to the public, not knowing where they’ll go. It’s nice to see them take root and grow.
Recently, I visited Matthew’s house in Lynchburg, Virginia.
It was the first time I’d seen him since our brief encounter at a music festival nine years ago.
He proudly showed me his Bhagavad Gita, “This is the book you sold me. I read the whole thing. It took me a year.”
The book was full of colorful marks highlighting points he liked. Practically every page had marks on it.
“This book brought about a major change in my life.”
His wife agreed.
I didn’t get to ask for details.
Matthew opened his shirt, “I’ve got a tattoo of NARA SIMGHA across my chest. He’s holding items in his hands that mean things to me. See, he’s got some roofing tools here.”
Matthew is a roofer.
I was impressed what one book has done to his life. He hadn’t met any other devotees in nine years. This one book was his only connection.
I stayed overnight and we read with Matthew, his two brothers, and a friend. We read and discussed till late at night, as they drank beers and stepped outside occasionally for a cigarette.
I didn’t say anything about the beer and tobacco. Srila Prabhupada’s books do the heavy lifting as far as changing habits.
They didn’t want to stop reading and discussing.
I left them with a stack of new books and plan to visit again.
We’ll let the books work their magic.
Mitrasena Dasa
Prabhupada’s Village, North Carolina
