The glories of Hotel Gita
One hotel owner was initially very reluctant to keep Bhagavad-gitas, worrying that guests would react negatively. Devotees convinced him to put the sacred books in just some of his rooms as an experiment.
Soon after, a guest approached the hotel owner. He shared that he had checked into his hotel room in a depressed state of mind, planning to commit suicide. When he found a Bhagavad-gita in his bedside drawer and began to read it, however, the book opened up his mind, showed him a different perspective and gave him a reason to live. “Thank you so much,” the man said. “This book saved my life.”
The owner immediately called devotees and ordered Bhagavad-gitas not only for all the remaning rooms of the hotel, but for all his other hotels as well.
On another occasion a woman, Beryl, had to live in a hotel for several months when there was a fire at her apartment. Reading the Bhagavad-gita during her stay, she was so inspired that she reached out for more information, became a devotee and is now initiated as Bhavani Dasi.
Other hotel guests have stopped drinking and eating meat after reading the Bhagavad-gita, one tracked down a Harinama Sankirtana party to tell them how the Gita brought him peace, and many have asked to take the book home.
This December marathon, including Gita Jayanti on the 18th, Motel Gita volunteers aim to distribute 21,000 Bhagavad-gitas to hotels and motels all over the United States. In 2019, they will cross the half million mark.
