This Is Hare Krishna?
by Vaisesika Dasa
Today was the first time anyone had worked at this particular Walmart in Mt. View, since Malini had opened the spot for us.
The ‘Free Speech' area is next to the entrance, rather than near our favorite spot by the exit. Despite our location, many people were coming and going, so we had no problem staying engaged.
The very moment we had set up the table, an American man who lives nearby had just driven over to the Walmart. He immediately asked us about what we were going to sell. I opened the boxes, and seeing the books, he asked for a Gita. Then he immediately went to his car to get some money. After he bought the Gita, I started teaching him the maha mantra and he said, "This is Hare Krishna? Why didn't you tell me? I love this stuff. Why aren't you wearing your robes?"
After finding out that we were Hare Krishna devotees, he also bought an MP3 of the Bhagavad-gita for his son who lives at home.
Additionally, I met a young man from England who is going to college in America. I showed him the books and told him all about the mantra and how it could wake up our pure love for God. He gave a donation for a few books and then revealed that he had been a vegetarian since birth, and that he is now searching for spiritual knowledge.
We met many sincere people during the course of the day, and since we were totally engaged, several hours flew by before we even stopped to have a drink of water, or realized what time it was!
As Srila Prabhupada said, "Sankirtana is practical samadhi".
I can't wait until the next Monthly Sankirtana Festival!
