where there’s a will there’s a way
The Shoe-stall
by Bhakta Bharat Balsawar
One early morning during the December Marathon, in ISKCON Chowpatty, I came to the temple. I had a number of Hindi Bhagavad-gitas, which I wanted to exchange for Gujarati Gitas. The book storage room was open, but when I reached there, the devotees had piles of account books heaped on the table.
"Sorry, Prabhuji," they told me, "we're taking care of the accounts now, so kindly come after the Srimad-Bhagavatam class."
"OK," I said, and went to the shoe-stall, where I sat on a bench to chant. I placed the bundle of Hindi Gitas next to me.
After a short time, a group of ladies dressed in white came to the stall. They were members of a sect based in our neighborhood and had come for morning darshan. As they collected their shoes from the stall, they eyed my bundle curiously.
"Can we see these Bhagavad-gitas?" they asked.
"Why not?" I replied, and gave them the books.
"How much?" they asked.
"You want to buy them?" I asked.
"Yes."
It was early morning and the book stall was closed. So it was a good excuse to pass out the books to interested people. I gave them the books and received the laxmi. The shoe-stall attendant, Bhakta Vijay, a college student, watched me very closely.
"It is a great idea, Prabhuji," he said. "I want to distribute books but don't get time to go out. Now I think Lord Krishna has answered my prayers."
I could only understand the meaning of his words when I returned the next day. The same bench on which I had made the transaction was now turned into a neat book table with heaps of Gitas and Krishna Books. "When someone comes to the stall," said Bhakta Manoj Prabhu, the shoe-stall attendant during the evening shift, "we tell them about the marathon and the discount offer. Many end up buying the books."
Many?
During the December marathon, the devotees at the shoe-stall distributed more than 300 maha-big books!
Where there is a will, there is an express highway!
