Generousity came as a surprise
After going through a relatively tough day at Foothill College, I met a student at the table who didn’t look like he would take or give anything. I explained to him about all the books and had asked for a donation. He gave a fifty-dollar donation, saying, “I want to be generous.” It was kind of a surprise to see this happening. We can’t judge, based on the externals. We never know who Krishna inspires and how. Your servant, Madhava Govinda...
read moreMystical Krsna again comes through
We heard that 10,000 people were expected to attend a Navratri festival this evening, so I went with two new devotees to distribute at the Sakti Mandir. It was a super late-night festival. I wanted to distribute at least one Bhagavatam set to mark my Gurudev’s (Devamrta Swami) appearance day, the following day. So I made a deal with the sankirtan team: one set of Bhagavatams or 2 a.m., whichever comes first. So at 2 a.m., with no set distributed, painfully we started packing the books to leave. And, sure enough, Krishna sends a pious lady to...
read moreMystical Sankirtana – it can happen in any way
In today’s world, many people in both the younger and older generations have individual Facebook accounts. For devotees, this is useful as a platform to preach the glories of harinam sankirtana. On October 4, 2018, I posted on Facebook an excerpt from a lecture by Srila Prabhupada at the University of Nairobi, in 1972, from the book Science of Self Realization. Therein Srila Prabhupada mentioned that knowledge of the soul is the most important knowledge, and this intrigued the heart of a Muslim colleague of mine at work. He commented on...
read moreThe nectar of book distribution!
Recently, I was distributing at Orange Coast College, and a student came to the table and showed an interest in getting Bhagavad-gita. I explained it to him a little. Then he opened it, to see what he could get out of it. He opened it to text 4.22: “He who is satisfied with gains that comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady in both success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions.” When he read that he said, “All right, I’ll take it.” Krsna is the wisest,...
read more“What’s my favorite book?”
I was standing on Queen Street in central Auckland. A Maori lady saw the books in my hand, approached me, and exclaimed, “Is that “Hiding In Unnatural Happiness”? I’ve got that book. In fact, it’s my favourite book!!” By way of confirmation, she then shouted to her partner on the other side of the sidewalk: “Oi! What’s my favourite book?” “Unnatural Happiness!” he responded. “See? I told ya.” Seizing the opportunity, I replied, “That’s amazing, because I have the follow-on book with me!” As I placed a hardbound Gita in...
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