Old Srila Prabhupada Story..
Now it is the end of the marathon, and you must be exhausted. Please note that My realizations (being that I am a pujari-cook by nature) of book distribution is: you can only enthusiastically distribute the book that you personally love. Unless that book has changed your life personally, You will not be able to continue to change other peoples lives with that book for very long time. some devotees distribute for a few years, but because they only sell and don't read, they cannot continue it.
Srila Prabhupada in 1976 told us members of Radha Damodara TSKP in Mayapur during His darshana the same:
"so You are distributing the books but do you read them also?" Prabhupada asked us upon entering his room.
"Oh yes srila Prabhupada!" our sannyasi leader Tamal Krsna Maharaja (confidentally white lied!_he knew we'ld not dare speak out and challenge our sannyasi leader verbally.
yet we gave him such an incredulous look, all of us 80 boys.. it was obvious, Tamala Krsna Maharaja who was well intentionally trying to hide the fact, was not truthfully forthcoming on it.
when 80–90 boys all young say 18-20 years old. all Heard that, it was like we all crained our necks and looked at Tamal Krsna maharaja with shocking surprise,, like silently speaking "You said what???"
Srila Prabhupada was smart, clever, he could clearly understand that Tamal Krsna Maharaja was hiding the real truth, (due to intense competition from Jayatirtha in London and elsewhere).
Srila Prabhupada was Indignant with Anger…
"So you are distributing the books, and suppose you come up to me and you give me a book. and I ask you, "You are selling me this book but do you know what is written inside this book," what will you reply to him.
He wanted a reply directly from us, we got scared and kept our mouth shut.
"what will you say!!!" he demanded. Ohhh we got really scared and we didn't reply.
Srila Prabhupada's heart got soft. he didn't want to intimidate or scare his surrendered disciples, just wanted to instruct us… "nooooooooo (like the father he is) "You must readddddd!!!
then we all hung our heads downwards. reading was like sense gratification for us, we read only when there was no one to sell books to, or when wew slinkered down in between two cars to hide, if the police were looking to catch us in shopping centres.
reading? only van leaders amongst us were reading! we were selling books 9 am to p pm who's got time to read?
yet those very van leaders were the most steadfast ones' who never left Iskcon, not like the ones who don't read the books.
Yours in the service of Krsna Balarama,
Tridandi Bhiksu, Bhakti Visrambha Madhava
