The right medicine
The other day, I was distributing books on the walking street of Oslo, the capital city of Norway. Usually, I do not often go to the walking street, only when we also have a harinama party. This time, as very often lately, another devotee came with me and did the harinama all alone, sometimes playing the harmonium, sometimes the mrdanga. I distributed books around him. As Srila Prabhupada wrote in a letter to Ravindra Svarupa on January 5, 1973: “It is always better if there are also some devotees chanting loudly in the street. If there is even one man to two men or a small party who are chanting Hare Krishna, that will also increase the book sales.”
I stopped a man who was interested. He was reflecting a lot on spiritual topics, and actually he had met me before and bought a Bhagavad-gita from me. I could not clearly remember him. I generally distribute the Bhagavad-gita, and that was the book I had in my hand, so we just talked about different spiritual subjects and other authors he had read.
I must give him some time, I thought. At one point he said: “I am an incarnation, having come here to save people.” I was a little shocked, but smiled mildly and explained to him all that we have learned about such “incarnations” from Srila Prabhupada’s books: it’s the last snare of maya; you can never become God, God is always God; God’s greatness, even as a child, etc. I explained that an incarnation is always mentioned in the scriptures. I then suddenly thought of the one extra book I always have with me in the book bag, just in case: the Tenth Canto. I showed him the book and how it was all about the real incarnation.
“I can feel the good energy coming from this book,” he said. “I will take this.” He gave a very good donation, and happily went away with his new book. I was also happy, thinking that he got just the right medicine for his disease.
Your servant,
Mahabhavi Dasa
