I spoke at a gathering of devotees. The talk went all right, but I didn’t do well in the questions afterwards. Lila-Avatara asked me why devotees aren’t going on harinama in the streets and why they aren’t distributing books like they used to. I had no good answer. I said they were doing it in some places. Someone volunteered that a new kind of sankirtana is evolving where devotees go into yoga centers and perform kirtana there. Sastra said that Krishna consciousness is flourishing in India, and if one feels discouraged, he should go to the holy dhamas. He will see that things are enlivening there. But I had nothing much to add to the remarks that others made. Bhagavatananda mentioned that the tactics for book distribution had grown excessive and that there was cheating. My inability to address comments effectively left me feeling depressed and out of the mainstream. In asking why we don’t go out and do harinama more, Lila-Avatara quoted the Sanskrit to the first verse in Siksastakam: ceto darpanam marjanam bhava maha-davagni nirvapanam. She said we could have gone out today and done harinama in town, but probably there were good reasons for not doing so. She said she herself does not have good health. I said I also am not able to go out.
(_Japa Transformations_)
Distribute books. They’re out on the
street with a big stack of Prabhupada’s
books and non-larcenous lines,
just repeating what he’s said in his
writing, “this Bhagavata Purana is
as brilliant as the sun,” and the
people listened and handed a volume
from the stack.
“Just give a donation.” He gave
five dollars. That’s enough. Someone
else gave them ten. The books went out.
The distributor lost his fear and grew
confident and happy in his heart, and
remembered the things Prabhupada said
about book distribution.
“They will certainly go back to Godhead . . .
everyone should go out
with the sankirtan party.”
(_Soul Eyes_)