Another set! A lot of mercy floating in the air
Oct13

Another set! A lot of mercy floating in the air

A nonenvious and gentle couple, Victor and Alejandra, approached my book table, asking for the four Vedas. I asked him jokingly why he wants to read the four Vedas and what he knows about them. He said, “I don’t know much about the Vedas. I’m a Christian, but I want to discover my roots.” So I explained to him that to understand the four Vedas, he needs four heads like Lord Brahma. He interrupted me, smiling and asking,...

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Intense suffering followed by new hope
Oct06

Intense suffering followed by new hope

On Thursday (Sept. 20th) I was walking around the center city of Hamilton (Waikato, New Zealand), I came across a man sitting alone on a bench. I said hello and introduced myself as a volunteer for the Mantra Lounge, a meditation centre on Hood Street. He then asked me something like, “What does life mean to you?” I sat down next to him, and we started talking. Turns out that Jean had just finished a night shift. And...

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Favorable professor – Part 2
Oct03

Favorable professor – Part 2

Some of you may remember the encounter that Ananda Kirtan Prabhu recently wrote about. He met a professor at Orange Coast College and was invited to speak in his class that day on the Bhagavad-gita. A few days ago, I was at the same college, and the same professor come to my table. He told me that he was encouraging the students who received books from Ananda Kirtan to read them.  Looking at the table of books, he saw a book that he...

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Transcendental salesmanship
Sep30

Transcendental salesmanship

Earlier this year, Arcita Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada who serves with the North American BBT, was visiting Latvia. He asked the devotee who met him at the airport how he had joined ISKCON. This devotee, Adi Deva Dasa, said, “I knew a friend, a salesman, that for many months had seen devotees selling books. So he thought, ‘I’ll buy them from them for the least amount that I can and then resell them and make...

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The Ballad of a Sankirtan Devotee
Sep30

The Ballad of a Sankirtan Devotee

Brhat-mrdanga drumming with a sacred mighty force Meant to keep your mission on its elevated course Not graced to travel with you as your servants or your cooks We dedicate our lives to you, passing out your books This life is very precious, nothing more that one can give Than ease the suffering of lost souls and show them how to live Clad with faith as armor, we wield the sword of truth Enlisted in your army, we sacrificed our youth...

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Just like a postman delivering a letter
Sep29

Just like a postman delivering a letter

We saw a person walking to his car in the parking lot with his small kid in one arm and a bag in the other. We hesitated to approach him, as he would feel uncomfortable talking to us with his hands full. Soon, the man had settled in his car, so we went to him and showed him the “Krishna” book and the Bhagavad-gita. Seeing the books, he immediately said, “Let me call my wife, as she is into all these readings.” She was in an Indian...

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