From the temple to the airport, it was book distribution to all
At the Sakshi Gopal temple, my son and I were approached by a very elderly gentleman who was pleased to see us with Srila Prabhupada’s books. He spoke in Oriya, describing how beautiful and well-organized ISKCON is, how wonderfully and systematically the devotees are distributing knowledge about Krishna, and how Prabhupada has done such a lasting service to Krishna. He then took books for himself, even though he claimed to be uneducated. Some nearby locals told me that the man spends his days and nights writing spiritual poetry and singing it...
read moreMeeting drunks
Today I started very late from my office and came running to the metro station, fearing that I might miss the last metro. There was only one person on the platform at that hour. I sought his attention to show him the books, and he immediately said that he is drunk and cannot take the books. I told him that he can get these books for a small donation to the temple and he will immensely benefit by doing so. This triggered a conversation, and he asked me whether I can help him get rid of the habit of drinking. I told him that he can develop a...
read morePoliceman gets a book, then gets another one
While we were out in Noida, on the streets, a policeman passed by with a smile. That is unusual, because mostly Indian policemen ignore you or they have a scowl on their faces, fed up with all the nonsense they deal with. This one stopped. Then he got a Gita, donated, and went on his way. On his way back, he got another Gita and made another donation! He told me that he is glad to see us, because the more we can come into society and bring spiritual culture, the less troubled society will be. He said that most Indian policemen lead very...
read morePersuading a person with problems
When I reached the Metro station in Gurugram (Harayana, India), the display board said that the next metro would arrive in six minutes. But when I reached the platform, the metro was already there, and I ended up missing it. So I started approaching people and offering them books, but no one was interested. Then I came across a young lady who patiently listened to my glorification of the books. When I mentioned the law of karma, she politely declined the books and mentioned that she doesn’t believe in karma. She explained that she is...
read moreBuddhists like the books
During my Nepal yatra (19-25 February 2023), I visited the birthplace of Lord Buddha in Lumbini. There are several temples to Buddha there, built by various countries that follow Buddhism: Singapore, France, China, etc. In one temple, I came across a nice family and particularly one nice girl, Sauravi. Sauravi, being young, I knew for sure would know English, unlike the vast majority of Nepalese, who know only Nepali. When I informed her of a book on yoga (The Perfection of Yoga), she was interested. When I asked for a donation, she...
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