Enthusiasm is all we need
Today, outside Tottenham Court Road Station, I met Carl, originally from Paris. I asked him what his proudest achievement in life is. He smiled & said it was arriving in London some years ago, learning English from scratch, completing his MBA & now serving as Head of Sales at a Finance Technology company near the London Bridge Monument.
I offered him a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, however, Carl declined to take it. He explained that he had already read Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch & that book had answered all his life’s questions. He then emphasized that he never stops for street vendors and would never give money on London’s pavements.
Carl then handed me his phone and asked me to read a few of his favourite transcripts from Conversations with God. As I spoke the words aloud, I simultaneously cross-referenced them with verses from the Bhagavad Gita, offering Srila Prabhupada’s deeper & transcendental insights on duty, consciousness, love, surrender, selfless action & divine devotion.
Carl’s posture shifted. The rush of commuters blurred around us as we spoke for 15 minutes, discussing Srila Prabhupada’s powerful words. To my astonishment, Carl not only accepted the Bhagavad Gita with genuine enthusiasm but also donated double the amount I had jokingly suggested.
This morning, in Govind Krishna Prabhu’s Srimad Bhagavatam class & in the Soho Brahmacaris’ Monthly Sankirtana Festival presentation, we were reaffirmed of Srila Prabhupada’s teaching that genuine enthusiasm is all we need. Both classes were supercharged with ecstatic enthusiasm & fired our spirits for service on the streets.
In that instant, I witnessed Srila Prabhupada’s teaching come to life. Genuine enthusiasm opens the door to mercy. Carl’s unexpected receptivity & generosity proved that when the heart is truly open & enthused, miracles unfold.
Flabbergasted that he had not only accepted the book but donated double what he had originally intended, Carl immediately offered me a position in his sales team. I politely declined & instead presented him with an even more compelling opportunity: to join us on the streets, distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books!
In a matter of minutes outside Tottenham Court Road Station, a single conversation introducing Srila Prabhupada had transformed a passerby’s mind, touched his heart & even redirected his career ambitions. Srila Prabhupada, you continue to enthuse and blow us away, moment by moment!
ys,
Gurushakti Dasi
