Under the influence

A young couple was walking towards me and they looked liked they were under the effect of some sort of drugs but I thought I should talk. So I crossed the street to talk to them and started to talk. They were really young and explained that both their mothers were reiki healers and they were into yoga meditation etc. I started to show them the Bhagavad Gita and they simply loved the pictures on reincarnation, karma and admired Srila Prabhupada's picture. They were enthusiastic about the Gita and to my surprise they actually had laxmi to get it. I asked them what their goal in life was and they said 'we want to go to New Zealand'. I was amused by their goal but we talked a little about it and they left promising to come for the Gita class. Please pray that they can actually make the journey to the workshop.

The effect of Japa

I was in Kensington this week and the cold would not allow me to stand at one place, so I was walking around trying to stay warm. That’s when I saw 3 ladies I had seen a little while ago and wanted to talk to them but missed the opportunity. So this time I said Hi and introduced myself. The slightly older lady seemed interested and told me how she was into meditation and then stopped. So I showed her the books and when she finally decided to take the book, I decided to probe deeper. So I started to ask her about what kind of meditation she was doing? She told me a few years ago she had heard a mantra at some program Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Rama ...and then she told me she had been chanting this mantra for a year and then life got busy and she stopped for a while and now recently she wanted to chant again and was looking to join some meditation program. I explained to her how she had met the right people and got the right book to fulfill her desires. It was magical to see how Krishna arranges these sankirtan encounters.

Intoxication interrupted

We were at Eaton centre and battling the cold. It was hard to stop anyone and that’s when I saw a man who was smoking. I asked him about yoga and he said he wasn't going to do yoga. When I inquired further he said he believes in dope to get higher and so yoga did not fit in. Not knowing what to say i said ' Wow - so that’s your thing' and handed him a chant and be happy. The lecture I was hearing in the morning went into 'Auto Play' in my mind and I remembered how 'staying high forever' was an old punch line we used. So I tried to talk to him but he was saying 'I only take marijuana'. I once again tried to be positive and asked him what happens the day after and he told me he felt sick. So I explained that the Chant and be happy would help him 'stay high forever' and never feel sick. He got very interested and immediately gave some laxmi.

It was like the day for intoxicated people. Soon after I met a guy who was carrying a whole box of alcohol and slowed down to talk to me. When I showed him the book - he asked me how much it was and pulled out some laxmi. As he gave me laxmi he said 'I am feeling generous today' and off he walked with book and a bag of alcohol.

Beyond barriers

I was on a road trip to Chi-chin-itza, an ancient Mayan ruin and the driver and his assistants spoke very minimal English. In the villages no one spoke English – and I don’t speak Spanish. Amidst this situation I was praying to Krishna to create a situation so I could find someone who could take a book from me. That’s when I ran into a young boy who was assisting the driver and he could squeeze in a few English words. Actually I didn’t do anything, this boy just turned around and asked me if I had called for him. While I was praying internally that he showed interest, I hadn’t uttered a word so I was pleasantly surprised. I jumped at the opportunity Krishna had created and responded saying that I hadn’t said anything but perhaps it was the soul. Instantly he started talking and described what he knew about the soul. I asked him about Karma and Yoga and he explained with the few words he had. He talked about the soul and out of body experiences and I gave him the one copy of Spanish Perfection of yoga I was carrying. I tried to show a picture of Srila Prabhupada and he promised to read it. Later I was how this little kid was reading the book non-stop all day and even when the sky was dark and I was struggling to see words on my Chaitanya Caritamrita copy, he was bending over and trying to soak in last few words. I felt a great happiness because on my way up I was hankering for devotee association almost feeling lost and on my way back just through one book; I suddenly had another devotee in the vicinity.

From Windsor to Toronto

I was entering Kensington market and saw a young couple walk out with smiles on their face. I started a conversation with them and they were really open to the idea of meditation. We discussed how the body changes but something non-material about us remains the same. They told me they had recently moved downtown and I requested them to stay in touch and join us for our programs. We continued to talk and the discussion drifted into the realm of Karma and then Vegan food and I learnt that they were both Vegan. Then as I started to show them the Bhagavad Gita the girl told me that three years ago when she was in Windsor, she had met someone on University campus who gave her a Bhagavad Gita. I asked if she had read it and she said off and on over the years but not cover to cover. I asked her to come for our Gita discussions and perhaps re-take up the study of these books. For me it was an inspiring moment to know Krishna’s plans to get us back home never stops!

Krishna's sweet tricks

I was walking home after sankirtan, almost freezing and dragging some books with me. In the middle of Spadina Avenue I saw a girl walking in my direction with a big smile. As she came closer I asked her what the secret to her happiness was. We started to talk and I gave her a Chant and be happy explaining that it was for all happy people. As she heard the philosophy she was appreciative so I told her to repeat a happiness mantra with me and she happily repeated ‘Gauranga’. We continued to talk about her work and then I asked her if she liked to sing and she said she liked to dance. We worked it out so that she would dance and sing with me. As I showed her the Maha mantra she repeated it right after me. When the Maha mantra ended she said ‘oh this is Rama, I was looking for Rama’. She explained that yesterday she was wondering what to do with herself and not knowing what she took the first alphabet of the name of every employee that worked with her and connected them together to decipher a message. The message ended with the word Rama and implied something to the effect that she should connect with Rama. She said after she saw this last night she repeated the word Rama several times and was wondering where to find it and now she ran into us. Krishna truly is the Supersoul in everyone’s heart 

Crazy crazy world

I was near Yonge and Dundas yesterday and I saw two men with a big built walking as if they were slightly drunk. They were talking amongst themselves and walking towards my direction and my mind went through the extremes of stay out of their way or they will create trouble or try to reach out to them as they seem to need it the most. Finally as they were close enough, these words came out of my mouth - Have you heard of meditation or yoga. These two stopped and one of them turned towards me, looked right at me and opened his mouth as big as he could and let out a shriek on my face that could wake even the dead. My hands moved towards my heart and all I could say in disbelief was - Hare Krishna. I was expecting the worse was yet to come but the other guy interjected his friend and said - Man you are crazy. What are you doing to her? Then he came towards me and said you have spoken to me before. As the other friend had come in touch with Srila Prabhupada books he was a totally different person. I prayed for strength and gently showed the other friend a perfection of yoga which he happily took to read. It was a great example of how people change in association of Prabhupada books.

A book in the bag

I met a young boy in University of Toronto last week and I showed him the chant and be happy. He responded saying he already had a book from me and was reading it. To my surprise he said he carried it everywhere and opened his bag to show me his copy. sankirtan yagya ke jaya!

30 years later

I was in Kensington market trying to reach out to people and I saw a man with two very little 7 year old (approximately) girls. I spoke to him and showed him the perfection of yoga and a picture of Srila Prabhupada and he really appreciated it. I requested a donation and he readily parted with some change. Then to know him better I tried to speak with his daughters and told him - I was their age when I got my first book. To my greatest surprise he replied "I was their age when I got that book (pointing to the chant and be happy in my hands". I was extremely surprised and asked him details of how he got. He had it and had read it and today 30 years later he was picking is second Srila Prabhupada book. Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam

Every minute can make a difference

I had a flight to catch to Harrisburg next morning and had not even started to pack my bag - but its marathon time so I had to try at least for a few minutes. I practically ran from my home and while i was running towards the closest major intersection I stopped to talk to a girl who had just stepped outside a sushi restaurant. I asked her if she had heard of yoga and she responded immediately saying " I have spoken with you before". I was not sure how this would turn out now but I asked her to remind me of our last meeting. She described how we met outside Starbucks and she got a book from me. I asked her if she had read the book and she explained that she had loved the perfection of yoga and wanted to come visit us, but she had lost our card. So I handed her a Chant and be happy and requested her to come visit us. She gave me some more donation and took the book promising to read it. We were discussing the rare chance of us running in like this and I knew for sure that this was no random event.

Shopping on the street

Submitted by : Mahabhagvat Das
A lady hurried by, something about what she said in response to my call "Yoga and Meditation?" made me follow her a few steps. She stopped and asked me what was yoga and why people say different things about yoga. I started explaining, and showed her the books. She kept looking through one, then another one, then another then back to the first one, then another, flipping pages, trying to absorb something from them, frantically switching from one book to the next to the next.

During the conversation, She told me her name, Gladys, that she was from Nigeria, that she had seen and heard this "Hare Krishna" many times. Eventually it got so cold that I offered to step into the mall, she agreed. She looked through the Bhagavad Gita again and again, and kept flip-flopping whether to take it or not. She expressed concern, what if she doesn't get anything out of it. I said what did she have to lose then anyway, as at the moment it didn't seem that she had anything any way, no loss. She expressed she didn't have much money. I handed her the softcover and said she could give me whatever she had. She expressed concern that she was not able to understand anything of what she read. I said that's because she kept flipping back-and-forth... that if she sat down and read carefully, few pages every day, she would understand, because the book was written for people like us who had trouble understanding complex things

Somehow or the other she counted out little coins, holding on to one particular toonie, which looked shiny, identifying it as her "new coin" which she did not want to spend. Then she took the Bhagavad Gita softcover, and said that if she didn't understand it, she would bring it back. I said I'd give her something even simpler to read in that case, and that simply keeping the book in her home would bring her good luck, but reading would help her more.

She resisted chanting the Mahamantra for some reason, but kept the invite to the Sunday feast.

I wondered how it was that someone would be very much attached to a shiny coin that had the same value as a dull-looking coin, but had so much trouble beating down the mind which kept posing objections, that kept urging her to shop and shop, even in spiritual books. Then I wondered how long I had been in that very same situation before somehow being fortunate enough to accept some little bit of devotional service, and I felt great compassion for this poor soul.

One beggar to another

Submitted by : Mahabhagvat Das

One scruffy young man stood about 10 feet from me, begging. A passerby gave him a cigarette. As I approached him, he lit the cigarette and began to inhale deeply that poison. I had asked him if he was interested in yoga and meditation, and he said without hesitation "yeah man, sure, I am interested". Having stood for a long time and heard different forms of negatives, I was pleasantly surprised. So I asked him if he'd practiced yoga, and he said no. I showed him the Bhagavad Gita which he appreciated. As I showed him the pictures, he said I was preaching to the choir. I asked him where he'd heard all this - he told me his friend had told him this when he was high on acid once. He said he didn't have any money, and I believed him. So I asked him if he had even some change, as little as one cent, for a smaller book that costs us less to print. He pulled out all the little coins, likely he'd begged them by standing on the street. It wasn't a lot, but he picked up Bhakti Yoga, the Art of Eternal Love, saying his girlfriend was really into this, that she would love that book. He chanted with me the Hare Krishna Mahamantra, told me he was a musician. Before he left, I gave him Chant and Be Happy, thinking he would really be attracted by George Harrison. I also gave him an invite to the Sunday feast, and he said he'd come with his girlfriend.

He took the book, shook hands, and left. In another 2 minutes, I saw him about 50 metres up the street, showing the book(s) to someone else. The people looked at the books but didn't take them. He moved on.

I don't know if the man will read the books, or will distribute them in exchange for some worthless pieces of sense gratification, but regardless, he has participated in the Sankirtan movement of Lord Chaitanya in his own way, now my prayer is that Lord Chaitanya should please pick up this scruffy young man from the stress and confusion of trying to get high by artificial means, and become a devotee of the Holy Names of God, and stay High up for ever.

Anger management

Submitted by Mahabhagvat Das

I met this young boy who was rushing by but something (or Someone) made him stop and said "yeah man, yeah, actually, what am I doing, just walking around, yeah, I will hear what you have to say". I spoke a few sentences about the Bhagavad Gita, the people who read it and benefited from it, yoga, meditation, and I asked him for his name. He replied with his name - Sebastian. I then asked him what he did. He began to tell me how he was in a special school working off issues with anger. I told him I had issues with anger also, and it got me into a lot of trouble. He said he was getting out of those troubles now. He then spoke about how everyone should have an open mind, about how everyone should be free to speak, and there should be more patience and tolerance in this world. I gave him a mantra card and asked him to chant. Half-way through the mantra, he stopped and asked me if I was tricking him into glorifying Krishna. I said I will tell him what the mantra meant as soon as we finished chanting once without interruption, and we chanted together. Then I told him that the mantra would help him totally conquer anger, that it helped me a lot. he compared it to counting to 10, and said, that doesn't really work, but this was more majestic. I said it was magical, it always calmed one down, and I said I'd been practicing for many years and had personal experience of its power. I told him that reading the book will also help him conquer anger also, on a deeper level too. He said he'd surely read it. He gave me a donation, practically all he had at the time, wished he had more to give. I invited him to the sunday feast, asked him to come with friends and have a great experience with food, drumming, chanting, music and singing... he shook hands and departed.

I just reflected upon this bright spark, part-and-parcel of Krishna, and wondered if it was being out of touch with Krishna that was making him so angry, and what made him stop and chat with me, take the book, chant the Mahamantra. I pray he reads, I pray he chants. I pray he pursues devotional service wholeheartedly.

Keeping up with an image

I met a very young exchange student and initially was staying aloof not admitting any interest in the books. I asked him if he was the 'cool guy' not wanting to be seen with this stuff. He immediately backed off and said he was a simple guy not a cool guy and as we talked a little more - his expressions changed a little. I could see he was struggling with something so I inquired politely what the matter was. A few minutes later he told me he was struggling to keep up with the expectations people and friends have of him - the burden of keeping up with an image. It seemed to me like his eyes were teary so I handed him a Bhakti Yoga and showed a picture of Prabhupada encouraging him to read it. I explained that the body changes so no point trying to keep up, he should raise his consciousness. He then explained he was an exchange student and would leave in a few months. He took the book and I showed him the temple address for Mexico City in his home country. Praying he reads it.

Lord Krishna or Lord Rama

I met a girl at University of Toronto and when I was showing her a book; she reminded me that she had already taken a Bhagavad Gita from me before. I was happy to hear that and inquired if she had read it. She explained that her elder sister had taken the book from her and was reading it as she herself wasn’t as religious. I told her I wasn’t religious either but it was a matter of genuine experience and handed her a Science of self realisation. I explained to her the topics in there and she agreed to take it. I asked her more about her life. She revealed she was more into Lord Ram and wanted the Ramayana. She said Krishna was her sister’s interest but she wanted to know about Ram. Just that morning I was reading in Chaitanya Caritamrita
“yei yei rüpe jäne, sei taha kahe
sakala sambhave krishna, kichu mithyä nahe
In whatever form one knows the Lord, one speaks of Him in that way. In this there is no falsity, since everything is possible in Krishna. Adi 5.132”
Remembering what I read and knowing that I did not have a Ramayana, I handed her a Krihsna book. I tried to explain to her that this was the last day of Kartik (she really did not know what it was) and that she should read it. So somehow she agreed to take it and we exchanged numbers so I could get her a Ramayana later. Later that day she texted me asking for Ramayana and another copy of the Bhagavad Gita. We now plan to meet on Thursday and I wonder Lord Caitanya has in store for this young girl.

Mysteries of the space - a sankirtan learning

A few days ago I met a student at University of Toronto who at first maintained his distance saying he was not really into yoga and related stuff. I asked him where his interests lay and said he was into Ice hockey. I knew nothing about Ice hockey so I showed him a Beyond birth and death trying to explain how rare the book is. He listened as I told him that the body changes, mind changes but something about us remains the same and yoga is not only the process of keeping a healthy body but realising we are more than the body. He agreed to take the book so I wanted to know him better and asked him about what he was studying at University. He started to explain that he was a PhD student of Astrophysics and instantly I thought Vedic Planetarium project in Mayapur and how it would be nice to have him serve. He started to explain about Supernova explosions he was researching and I asked if he had heard about Vedic Cosmology. I tried to describe briefly what Prabhupada explains in Bhagvatam and he described it as classical Astrophysics. I then asked him if he could explain why 99% of matter astrophysicists study is dark matter. He corrected me and said that actually “75% of the matter was dark matter while 25% was observable matter. This dark matter is expanding very rapidly and some force is propelling it out but that is a great mystery no one knows about.” I told him how Krishna explains material world is ekamsha and that there is so much more that cannot be observed by material body. I asked him to keep in touch and come sometime to see Srimad Bhagvatam. Speaking to him I was realising if we just studied Bhagvatam properly it gives us thorough information about everything without having to go through the grills of modern education.

An interfaith discussion

Submitted by : Yogendra das

I was distributing books at Dundas Square a few days ago, when I stopped one young man on vacation from Germany. I showed him a copy of Beyond Birth and Death, and said a little something to garner his interest. I wasn't sure if what I was saying would keep him for very long. In the middle my speaking, an elderly man distributing free copies of the Quran walked over from the corner and tried to hand him some books on Islam. Here is how we sometimes receive an opportunity to analyse our crisis management skills:

The Islamic representative encouraged the German to take his books, saying "You should research all religions." Rather than getting angry at his unscheduled behaviour, a second option presented itself: try and sympathize with where this older man is coming from; having a desire to share spiritual and cultural values for the benefit of others is purifying for any heart. Then came the reply from the German side, "No thanks, I am fine with this one [referring to Prabhupada's book]." Rather than becoming proud of having won the bout of the books, a second option presented itself: quickly try and use whatever compassion you have to minimize the rejection that this person could be feeling; I prayed for a swift end to any agitation he might have suffered." When the dejection hit the elderly man, the German boy gave me 10 Euros and walked away. I turned away from the elderly man, silently trying not to acknowledge his defeat. I had a few moments to reflect on how often I have tried to go out on a limb to present Krishna consciousness to someone and have received a big lump on the head in return.

At that time Joseph walked right up to me. He introduced himself as someone who has visited our temple on 243 Avenue Rd in Toronto. He was eager to purchase a few books. I was curious about how funny the flow of interactions on book distribution can sometimes be. As he was explaining his interest, he let his true intention slip out. He had come as an ambassador for the Islamic man. Joseph told me that the Islamic man asked him to approach me; according to Joseph, the Islamic man wanted to know what exactly we were all about. Rather than be cold about the situation, a second option presented itself: go over yourself and bring the book to him yourself, and make him your friend. He took a Bhagavad-Gita As It Is, on Joseph's donation. I walked away with some books on Islam. It was a cultural exchange and a successful, real-time interfaith dialogue.

A perfect arrangement

We had been packing up stuff all morning and now I thought we can try to meet some people. That's when a guy who actually just passed me, somehow stopped to talk. He wasn't super enthusiastic about yoga but seemed interested a bit in meditation. As I showed him the books he realized he had one and told me that a 5 days ago his girl friend had bought a chant and be happy from me and they were both reading it together. I was so happy to hear that and thanking him for that I showed him the Bhagavad Gita. I started to show pictures inside and some of the mantras. I requested him to read it and he went to get some laxmi from an ATM. When he returned I told him how I wasn't planning on staying but just came here a few minutes back to stay for a bit. He told me he was home being lazy, and didn't want to leave home but because his girlfriend was sick and he just decided a few minutes back to come down and ran into me. I told him about our programs and asked to come visit us.

Param dhrishtava nivartate

Standing near University of Toronto, battling the first real cold sankirtan day of the winter for me, I was praying someone would come inspire me. That's around when I saw a guy who walked up to me and said - so you have the Bhagavad Gita. I was quiet taken aback as it’s not commonplace for someone to just come up and ask that question. Smiling and excited I asked him why he was looking for it. He told me how one year ago he had met two girls around Bloor and ST George and bought a Bhagavad Gita from them. I thought it was me and asked him if it was me. As it was a while ago, he could not remember. He had opened the Gita and tried to read it and was appreciative of it, so I gave him a Science of self realization and explained the contents. I showed him the reincarnation picture and asked him to think about the soul. Somehow the topic of soul drifted into vegetarianism and we started to discuss the latest veg.ca campaign to save animals. He started to tell me that he was eating most of his life and his parents would not have it any other way, but somehow 2 weeks ago, suddenly he had the thought of being vegetarian. He wasn’t sure where it came from. I explained to him the nature of super soul and how he guides from heart. Explaining param drishtava nivartate I asked him to develop higher taste by reading these books and he took the science of self realisation. He said he liked the fact that we were not those religious groups who look down upon others and that’s why he was taking the book. I showed him the picture in the Gita of the wise man who sees equally every being, even animals. He really appreciated it and left saying he would return.

Battle of life

After a really long wait of doing nothing, by Krishna's grace I met a young girl near Bloor and Spadina. She was in great rush like everyone else around downtown, but somehow she agreed to spare a minute to look at what I had. When she saw what the books were about she started to say how she really needs meditation and was looking badly for this. She explained that she had just lost her boyfriend who died from a 3 year battle against cancer, and it made her look at life differently. She herself wasn't very old, not over 25, and I started to think perhaps she went through a lot. Tried to show her the picture of reincarnation in the Bhagavad Gita and asked her to study it and keep in touch. She gave a generous donation for the book and left saying that she was looking forward to reading it.