Another set! A lot of mercy floating in the air
A nonenvious and gentle couple, Victor and Alejandra, approached my book table, asking for the four Vedas. I asked him jokingly why he wants to read the four Vedas and what he knows about them. He said, “I don’t know much about the Vedas. I’m a Christian, but I want to discover my roots.” So I explained to him that to understand the four Vedas, he needs four heads like Lord Brahma. He interrupted me, smiling and asking, “But since I have only one head, what do I do?” I recommended, “Then you read the essence of all the Vedas,...
read moreIntense suffering followed by new hope
On Thursday (Sept. 20th) I was walking around the center city of Hamilton (Waikato, New Zealand), I came across a man sitting alone on a bench. I said hello and introduced myself as a volunteer for the Mantra Lounge, a meditation centre on Hood Street. He then asked me something like, “What does life mean to you?” I sat down next to him, and we started talking. Turns out that Jean had just finished a night shift. And instead of going home to bed, he had come into town, had two coffees, and was sitting there trying to make sense of...
read moreFavorable professor – Part 2
Some of you may remember the encounter that Ananda Kirtan Prabhu recently wrote about. He met a professor at Orange Coast College and was invited to speak in his class that day on the Bhagavad-gita. A few days ago, I was at the same college, and the same professor come to my table. He told me that he was encouraging the students who received books from Ananda Kirtan to read them. Looking at the table of books, he saw a book that he was interested in and asked me whether he could give a donation for it. It’s not very often that we meet...
read moreTranscendental salesmanship
Earlier this year, Arcita Prabhu, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada who serves with the North American BBT, was visiting Latvia. He asked the devotee who met him at the airport how he had joined ISKCON. This devotee, Adi Deva Dasa, said, “I knew a friend, a salesman, that for many months had seen devotees selling books. So he thought, ‘I’ll buy them from them for the least amount that I can and then resell them and make a profit.’ Whenever he saw devotees, he bought all the books from them at the cheapest price. After he...
read moreThe Ballad of a Sankirtan Devotee
Brhat-mrdanga drumming with a sacred mighty force Meant to keep your mission on its elevated course Not graced to travel with you as your servants or your cooks We dedicate our lives to you, passing out your books This life is very precious, nothing more that one can give Than ease the suffering of lost souls and show them how to live Clad with faith as armor, we wield the sword of truth Enlisted in your army, we sacrificed our youth One becomes compassionate by being kind to all Lifting every jiva from its downward tragic fall The sankirtan...
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