A new answer to the question, How much should I give?
Every summer in Slovenia we organize a three-week Padayatra (Eco-Caravan). It is a harinama-sankirtan with Sri Sri Nitai-Gaura-Nataraja in a different city every day. This year was the twentieth Padayatra. The first was in 2002. Maha Vishnu Swami and Kadamba Kanana Swami both visited for a day. Candramauli Swami came along on a number of days, and Prahladananda Swami attended almost the whole Padayatra. One day we were in downtown Ljubljana. I was walking behind to see the reactions of people. I saw a young couple crossing a bridge with...
read moreVictoria’s surrender
While I was distributing books at Balboa Park in San Diego, three ladies come to my table, all crying. Fifty feet away from my table a violinist was playing, and they were listening to him before coming to my table. He’s good, so good that he brought them to tears. I showed them the Gita. They all loved it, and one said, “The violinist was good, but this is the cherry on top of the cake.” They all took Gitas, an SSR, and a SB. One of them lives in San Diego, the other two in the LA area. I invited Victoria, the one living in...
read moreKrsna sends a Hare Krishna to the preaching center
A really nice, young African-American man, a hip-hop artist with dreadlocks and a tattoo, from our neighborhood walked in for lunch and said, “I’m a Hare Krishna. What religion y’all practice?” Just to tease him, I asked, What is a Hare Krishna? He says, “It’s the original consciousness. I asked how he became a Hare Krishna. He said that he found the audio of Srimad Bhagavatam online and he’s listening to the Ninth Canto. So I pointed to the bookshelf and told him, “Those are the Srimad...
read moreA sweet sankirtan story from Coventry, England
The penultimate day of the book marathon ended on a fabulously high note. I stopped Karl on the street and handed him a Bhagavad Gita. I explained that it is a book of ancient wisdom that provides a comprehensive understanding of life’s true meaning and purpose. Karl replied by saying that he did not want to read any book about the purpose of life other than a book written by Prabhupada. His pronunciation wasn’t wholly accurate, yet I immediately understood his reference, and I was quite simply stunned. I turned the Bhagavad Gita over...
read moreThe mystical direct mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Jesus
I returned to Reading today, where I met Noddy, aged 83. Having successfully stopped him in his tracks, I introduced him to the Bhagavad Gita. I explained that it contains the oldest sacred writings known to man. This attracted Noddy’s interest, and he was fascinated by our scriptures, wanting to know more. We spoke for some time whilst I expanded on the essence of the teachings. Noddy revealed that his wife had passed away three years ago and he still feels incomplete without her. Although being a Christian, he said he is amenable to the...
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