Book distribution can quite often be an adventure……..

ISKCON Book Distribution

Hare Krsna,

Please accept my humble obeisances, all glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I just returned from a few hours of sankirtan in downtown Toronto. I'm really excited about this year's December marathon. I'm recalling with great feeling a special outing last year that I am now inspired to finally share.

On a cold and wet day last year we went to the Eaton Centre. And within an hour we got the boot by security. It was as we were exiting that I turned to the devotees and suggested, “Let's go ride some trains!” The Toronto subway system, TTC, is notoriously strict, and there are NO SOLICITATION signs everywhere. But a few of us felt a hankering to try, anyway.

Here's how it went down.

We strategically split up, entering the train at opposite ends. Upon boarding, we began distributing books by sitting or standing with passengers. At both ends we moved along toward the middle until we met again, and then exited the train. Waiting on the platform for the next train we would share stories, then separate going to the opposite ends again to repeat the same process. That day we must have done this about twenty times over.

One fond memory was the challenges of getting donations before the passengers had to get off at their destinations. One young man informed me that his stop was next, just seconds before the train stopped.

I scrambled and blurted out, “Okay, no problem. Please take this book and give a donation.”

The young man was fully interested but time was of the essence. He searched his pockets while simultaneously backing out of the train to exit, Bhagavad Gita in hand. I simply stood exhilarated in suspense. Then the chime chimed for the doors to close.

Standing in the doorway, I hollered. “JUST THROW IT IN!” So he started hurling dollar coins into the train to the disbelief of everyone on that car. I turned, laughing hysterically, at the joy of the sankirtan movement. I then saw that two devotees had come to meet in that compartment. We all laughed, trying to keep our bodies stabilized as the train rocked. They helped me gather the loose change.

On our way off the TTC we decided to continue to distribute outside of the subway station at College and Yonge. Then I got a strange call on my cellphone.

An unknown man said, “Are you missing anything?”

Realizing I didn't have my backpack any longer, I begrudingly said, “My backpack…” with conern about the nature of the person who had recovered it. He encouraged me to come to Finch Station where I could find him in the conductor's office. I decided to take the rest of our books with me and distribute while riding back up the line to go retrieve my bag.

When I got off at Finch Station I had a few Bhagavad Gitas left, a Krsna Book, and Srimad Bhagavatam. So I took the opportunity to distribute two books to the cleaners and repairmen working on the northbound platform. One was named Dino, and he told me that his boss would really appreciate this philosophy because he sometimes teaches him about Indian culture. When I was introduced to his boss, Jiva, I was feeling pretty blissed out so I boldly opened up the First Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam and quoted the purport wherein Srila Prabhupada states that Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has asked everyone, especially those born in India to become gurus and preach these glories to the whole world. Then I congratulated him that he was already doing so at work with his colleague Dino. Jiva then admitted that his wife was really devoted to Lord Krsna. He was easily convinced to bring her home the Krsna Book. Funny enough, other workers got pretty interested in this conversation and jealously began accusing Jiva of not sharing his spiritual knowledge with them, too! So I ended up distributing all the books I had

left in the conductor's lounge of the TTC.

I noticed that one worker was monitoring all of the cameras on the trains, and I found it amusing that the same man accepting these transcendental books is the very person paid to limit this kind of transaction on TTC properties!

Truly grateful to our sweet Lord Krsna who says, “I am adventure.”

Your humble servant,
Kathamrta Dasi
Bhakti Lounge, Toronto

Author: admin

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