A Pleasant Surprise Going Door to Door
On June 24th, our book distribution team decided to go door to door in the residential area called Asherville, just outside the Durban CBD in South Africa. The slow start quickly turned into many sales, resulting in the distributors retreating to their cars to restock.
Being weary of dogs and moving in pairs, they reached a rather quiet street called Zinnia Road. Nearing the end of the road, the team members were enthusiastically invited into the home of a friend named Pravin Ram. He quickly arranged his family in the lounge: two sons, his wife, and his mother. He explained that he had purchased a Bhagavad Gita in 1989 at a programme held in Newlands. He remembered the devotee who sold it to him Raghunath Bhatta, who was among us and now present in his lounge. Pravin also had subsequently purchased a Srimad Bhagavatam set. He is currently reading the Tenth Canto.
He said, "I started reading the Srimad Bhagavatam purely as an academic study, but by the time I reached the Tenth Canto, I realized you cannot read these books without aquiring some devotion.î
He further emphasised how all his questions get answered in the Srimad Bhagavatam, and he reads every morning before he leaves for work. He is now fully aware of the actual position of the demigods. The team sat amazed, listening to his realisations, which also gave them inspiration to continue book distribution. Pravin explained that his mum had a collection box used by ISKCON many years ago, and they are still in possession of it. His wife fetched the old collection box which still contained money. He handed the box over to the team. The team bid farewell to their new friend, and a new energy for distributing Srila Prabhupads books had been infused into their hearts. A total of 32 transcendental books were distributed in Asherville that day.
Your servant,
Bhakta Amit
