Malawi, Africa, Discovers Prabhupada’s books – Part 01

A ten-day international trade fair held in the nation of Malawi, in south central Africa, concluded yesterday. A well-wisher from India who is a managing director of a Malawian company had offered to hire a stall for ISKCON because he's keen to help spread Srila Prabhupada's teachings in Malawi. And so I showcased almost all of Srila Prabhupada's books to those who visited our stall, people from a diverse section of society: students, businessmen, professionals, and even an ex-minister. There were some memorable moments.

One elderly man came up to me, and as I told him about ISKCON he said, "Oh! Krsna and the gopis!" I was surprised because I hadn't told him anything about the gopis. Anyway, trying not to become diverted from my mission of putting a "Science of Self-realization" in his hands, I continued attempting to convince him to take an SSR. After some discussion, he agreed to take the book. I then asked him how he knew about Krsna and the gopis, and he said that in his college days he had studied oriental religions and had liked the part about Krsna and his pastimes with his different devotees.

A young person came by to look at the books and exclaimed, "Oh, Krsna consciousness!" I asked him where he was from and how he knew about Krsna consciousness. He said he was from Nairobi and had come to Malawi for the trade fair; his stall was on the other side of the pavilion. On the street in Nairobi he had once bought a book from someone whom he had taken to be an Indian lady. He had liked the book, so he took "Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers" from me.

Two friends came who said that they were self-employed. I decided to speak to the one who looked more serious. His friend looked a little frivolous and was always making jokes. While I was talking to the other man, explaining Krsna consciousness, his friend picked up "Beyond Birth and Death," read a section, and started laughing. He interrupted us and showed his friend how Srila Prabhupada was saying that people who concentrate on the body and material things are less intelligent since these things are temporary. He laughed and said, "How can someone write in a book that we are less intelligent?" As I continued speaking to the other man, his friend interrupted again, this time wanting to read aloud something from the SSR he found amusing: "Some people think that they are God, or that there is no God or that everyone is God, and so they refuse to actually accept God. To these people God comes in the form of cruel death." He seemed really impressed by this statement. I was thinking that this person was spoiling everything because he wouldn't let me sell a book to his friend. Finally, the man I was speaking with said that he was impressed with the knowledge but didn't want to take a book. While he was telling me this his friend interrupted once again and asked me, "How much for these two books?" I told him and he purchased both "Beyond Birth and Death" and "The Science of Self-realization."

You can never predict the outcome of any encounter on sankirtan.

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