Godess Kali Priestess Gets the Mercy
October 14, 2002
Haribol,
Please accept my obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Here is one small book distribution story.
Three of us from New Vrindavan had stopped off at a renaisance festival between Columbus, Oh and Cincinnati last weekend. As we were distributing from car to car during the incoming, I approached a really open minded looking young guy with his friends. I presented the Bhagavad Gita and started to explain, and they were really interested. Then I noticed their mother was there. I was thinking, oh no, she'll probably put a stop to the whole interaction as protective parents sometimes do in that situation. She asked who I was and what I was doing in a somewhat skeptical way. I replied, politely, that we were monks from the vaisnava tradition and were trying to make our books available. Then I continued to explain the books to the boy and his friends who then all eagerly gave donations and took Bhagavad Gitas in ecstacy. I turned to the mother before walking off as I was curious to see what her reaction would be. She then reached for her purse and said, "oh all right, I'll take one too". She said, "have you heard of the goddess Kali?" At that time I remembered I had seen on the calendar that it was Durga Puja that weekend. I said, "sure, did you Know that today is a special day where she is honored called Durga puja?". She said, yes and then began to show me her necklaces, which I hadn't noticed at first, a pentagram and a small locket containing a picture of Mother Durga with eight arms. She then told me that she was a Kali priestess and was interested to learn what we were teaching. She then gave a donation and took a book, too.
