The Nectar of Book Distribution in Bharat Varsa
This year in India I had my most ecstatic time. First off, usually I don't distribute books in Mayapur during the festival, because there's so much going on. But upon seeing so many book distributors this year, I got inspired to distribute.
Interesting: there were so many devotees, so what I found was that I had to look for the people who didn't have beadbags and didn't wear dhotis and kurtas. They had to be wearing pants and shirt and no tilak.
It was pretty easy. I would just ask, " Do you like Krsna?"
They would always say, "Yes!"
Then I'd say, "Well, this is about Krsna, so please take this with you and give a donation."
An ISKCON devotee-family (four children and their father) has been distributing books in Mayapur for the past eight years and has distributed over 20,000 books. It would be hard to beat that example of an ideal family. I must have seen fifteen devotees distributing books in Mayapur this year. One girl, eight years old, came up to me and offered a BTG saying, "Only fifteen rupies." I couldn't say no. Distributing books in Mayapur brings with it an inconceivable spiritual benefit. Also, purchasing books is pretty auspicious.
Then I went to Kolkata and was inspired to go to the appearance place of Srila Prabhupada and distribute books in front of the jackfruit tree under which he was born (both the tree and the house under the tree in which he was born are also still there). The devotees distribute prasad there every night. I'm sure Prabhupada is pleased by this, and also that some books were being distributed.
Then I thought, "Why stop now? I may as well go to the Radha-Govinda Temple that Prabhupada would visit when he was a child and distribute some books there as well. While I was distributing there, I met a man who graduated from Scottish Churches College (which Prabhupada also attended). The year he graduated (1971), Srila Prabhupada went there to give a lecture on the Bhagavad Gita. This was so inspiring to him that he became a devotee.
To distribute books at these transcendental places was special. I'll have to do it again.
Then on my way to Prayag I decided to distribute books at the airport. Navina Nirada Prabhu mentioned to me some time ago he had done quite well as he traveled around in India, so I gave it a try, as I had four-hour wait in New Delhi. It was nice. I distributed ten books in an hour and still had time to read. One man said he was just asking a friend of his the day before where he could find a Gita. I didn't have one, but I gave him the information on how to get one. Another guy was so happy to see someone distributing the vedic literature in the airport that he gave me $100. Traveling can be a pain, but if it's mixed with distributing Prabhupada's books it becomes transcendentally nice.
The transcendental journey wasn't over yet. The president of ISKCON Prayaga had asked me (while I was in Mayapur) if I could visit Prayaga. That is where Srila Prabhuapda was initiated in 1933. The devotees showed me where Srila Prabhupada's house was, so we distributed books there for a while and then went into town to distribute. We werenn't too far from where Prabhupada had his Prayag Pharmacy.
Your Servant,
Vijaya das
