Reading and Distributing Srila Prabhupada’s Books
Recently, while reading the Bhagavad-gita before going out on book distribution at a local university in LA, I read these two sentences from the purport to 2.47:
"One who is attached to the result of his work is also the cause of the action. Thus he is the enjoyer or the sufferer of the result of such actions."
So while on book distribution I meditated on this reality and prayed to Krsna that I be allowed to just work for Him without attachment to the result. Due to this meditation, so many people were taking books — it was amazing. Then I thought of something Srila Prabhupada wrote in the purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.29:
"Anyone who does some responsible work successfully but does not give credit to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is certainly falsely proud and cannot execute anything nicely."
With this in mind I was meditating on how Krsna is distributing all these books and I'm just trying to be an instrument — everything is happening by His arrangement. Two minutes after having this thought I showed a Bhagavad-gita to a student. He found it interesting and said he'd like to give a donation for it. He looked in his wallet and pulled out a five-dollar bill, put it back, and then pulled out a fifty dollar bill and gave it to me. I was surprised by this kind gesture and gave him some more books. I've been distributing books at universities for the past fourteen years, and this is the first time a student gave $50, interesting.
Quite often when I give seminars on book distribution I mention that 95% of our ability to distribute books is the state of our consciousness. We receive the proper consciousness from reading Srila Prabhupada's books and sincerely chanting the holy names. Don't get me wrong, though; I don't want to paint a false picture here. I don't chant the holy name sincerely, but I'm just repeating what I've heard, and I pray to the Vaisnavas that I may one day be able to chant the Hare Krsna mantra sincerely.
So from my recent experiences in distributing at the university, I appreciate again how one of the most attractive features of book distribution is the reciprocation a book distributor has with Krsna when distributing books. He encourages us and purifies us — both of which we need very much.
Your servant,
Vijaya das
