Krishna Never Abandons Us
by Omkara Dasa Last Wednesday we went out on books as usual, but the day was by no means usual. It usually takes me some time to surrender to Krishna before any books go out, at least a solid hour. On this day people started accepting books immediately. I was surprised. I began distributing in terminal 7 at the Los Angeles airport and worked my way along the sidewalk to terminal 1. Although there were few people in the airport because it was off season, most of the people I met were taking the Bhagavad-gita and giving a nice...
read moreWrong Number Buys Full Set
by Divya-prabhanda Dasa Danavira Maharaja recently told me a story from the early days of book distribution in Amsterdam: Devotees were so enlivened by book distribution that almost no one stayed back at the temple. Only one devotee occasionally stayed back. Once when she was there, the phone rang. It turned out the caller had dialed the wrong number. Since even the devotee staying back was enthusiastic about book distribution she started a conversation with the caller, who finally he agreed to come to the temple and buy a set of Srila...
read moreThe Temple Has Come to You
by Vaisesika Dasa Yesterday while we were distributing books in a parking lot in front of a Walmart, I met a young Indian couple just getting into their car. I asked them if they were from San Jose. When they said "Yes," I handed them each a book and gave a brief explanation of the contents. At some point in our converstion the young man said, "We'll just come to the temple sometime and get these." I replied, "Actually, the temple has come to you!" He and his wife smiled, so I went on to explain that Lord...
read morePrescribed Duties and Sankirtana Yajna
By Dayananda das “Material prescribed duties” are simply honest, responsible work.(1) Regarding sva-dharma (prescribed duties), the Gita, Bhagavatam, and Cc all explain dharma and sva-dharma, and their teachings should be coordinated for a good understanding. Krishna and Prabhupada teach that karma-yoga is the preliminary stage of bhakti.(2) For ISKCON followers, karma-yoga means that devotees offer the results of their work, from one to one-hundred percent, to the sankirtana movement. To the extent that they offer their wealth...
read moreWhat comes around goes around
by Vijaya Dasa While distributing on the mall in Moscow, Acala Dasa, the regional Sankirtan Minister for Russia, approached a woman and offered her a book. He explained some of the contents, and she enthusiatically took it. Seeing her enthusiasm he invited her to the temple, and a few weeks later she visited. By coincidence, she arrived on the day the devotees were holding a book distribution seminar. Seeing her come as a result of having received a book, Acala Dasa praised her sincerity: "Krishna says in...
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