Subway meeting

I was in the subway and had prashad with me-then I saw this nice lady come sit near me. I know we aren't allowed to sell on the subway and I was wondering what to do. Knowing the power of these books I thought they would sell themselves :). So I placed the chant and be happy on the seat between me and her. Then slowly I kept the fliers on it and tried to look away. Within seconds she picked the flier and I immediately said hi. We started talking and I showed her the chant and be happy. She started to tell me she had just returned after 10 years in Germany where she was studying spirituality and theatre. I told her how the Beatles studied yoga with prabhupada and she happily took the book with a donation. Then she learnt to say Gauranga as she was leaving.

Samadhi is possible

The word kriyäsu, meaning "by manual labor" or "by work," is important in this verse. One should engage in practical service to the Lord. In our Krishna consciousness movement, all our activities are concentrated upon distributing Krishna literature. This is very important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Krishna literature so that in the future he also may become a devotee. Such activities are recommended in this verse. Kriyäsu yas tvac-caranäravindayoù. Such activities will always remind the devotees of the Lord's lotus feet. By fully concentrating on distributing books for Krishna, one is fully absorbed in Krishna. This is samädhi.

SB 10.2.37

Padam padam hi vipadam - danger at every step

It was almost 10pm and we were running out of UEY and I saw these two men having a serious conversation so i walked upto them. And asked them if they had ever tried yoga or meditation. They explained that they had heard but not tried, so i offered them a Bhakti yoga each. By then Sam and Rashmin joined too. They were really into it and started to ask about George Harisson and mantras he chanted. Each one of them started to share their story. I kept speaking with one of them and he just came out honest. He started to tell me he had lost everything, his family, his job, his relations everyone. He had not seen his daughter for 3 years due to his addictions. So i asked him how did that happen and he explained it was addictions. And I just asked him what addiction and he said he was fighting cocainne addiction. He started to explain he has lost everything and really wants to get it together but he cant. I told him to give up something lower, he needs something higher. He wanted to be happy and I told him to feel that he needs to know who he is. He then started to tell how he was also a guitarist - and his friend was schocked to hear that. Then he said he was a poet and read out two of his poems with sound effect. I was thinking it is so tough a world we live in, someone who is a poet and muscian and a father ends up alone fighting a deadly addiction. He very deeply appreciated Prabhupadaès book and it made us realise how much work we have to do. There are so many talented people, just struggling up in this world that we can reach out to with these beautiful gems of Srila Prabhupada.

This movement will only grow

"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion — at that time I descend Myself." In this age, at the present moment, there are inordinate discrepancies in the discharge of human duties. Human life is meant for God realization, but unfortunately the materialistic civilization is stressing only the senses of the body, not understanding the living force within the body. As clearly stated in Bhagavad-gītā (dehino 'smin yathā dehe [Bg. 2.13]), within the body is the body's proprietor, the living force, which is more important. But human society has become so fallen that instead of understanding the living force within the body, people have become busy with external things. This is a discrepancy in human duties. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has taken birth or taken shelter within the womb of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Men of Kaḿsa's class, therefore, are very much afraid and are busy trying to stop this movement, especially in the Western countries. One politician has remarked that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading like an epidemic and that if not checked immediately, within ten years it may capture governmental power. There is, of course, such potency in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. As stated by authorities (Cc. Ādi 17.22), kali-kāle nāma-rūpe kṛṣṇa-avatāra: in this age, Kṛṣṇa has appeared in the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading like wildfire all over the world, and it will go on doing so. Men who are like Kaḿsa are very much afraid of the movement's progress and acceptance by the younger generation, but as Kṛṣṇa could not be killed by Kaḿsa, this movement cannot be checked by men of Kaḿsa's class. The movement will go on increasing more and more, provided the leaders of the movement remain firmly Kṛṣṇa conscious by following the regulative principles and the primary activities of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra regularly.

Vaishnavanam yatha shambhu

I met a guy at Kensignton and he said he was a yoga teacher. He seemed like he would say he knew everything but Krishna had a plan. As I showed him the Bhagavad gita he appreciated it but said that they read about it in their Shivananda school. I had little hope but I casually asked his name and he said 'Shambu'. My response was ah Vaishnavanam Yatha Shambu. Suddenly I had his attention and he started to ask me what that meant. I translated it for him and explained how Shambu was the topmost of Vaishnavas. So then he asked me what is Vaishnava and we started to discuss that. I handed him an Isopanshad and told him this will enhance his study of Bhagavad gita. He asked me if the Iso had all details about that mantra and I said yes ! I also explained that Shambu is another name for Siva which means auspicious. He left smiling with the Iso - all glories to Lord Siva. This movement is so glorious that all demigods help with it.

Every minute is an opportunity

The other day we were looking for a place to rent and walked into a parlour. This was cutting right into my sankirtan time and I was praying for a miracle. That’s when the owner of the parlour walked in and started to speak with us. She started to ask us about what we do and that was the way in. One thing led to another and she mentioned she chanted the Aum. So told her to add another small mantra to her repository ‘Gauranga’ and there she was chanting Gauranga repeatedly. She started to talk about mantras and how she likes it and the next thing you know she had a Bhagavad in her hand. Rishi prabhu taught her the Hare Krishna mantra and was asking us several questions. She was very appreciative and gave a donation for the book. It was a lesson that every minute is an opportunity for Sankirtan – like Vaisesika Prabhu said, always keep a book with you.

Perfect teacher - nivritta trishna

A Vaiṣṇava is nivṛtta-tṛṣṇa; that is, he has no material purpose, for his only purpose is to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So-called scholars, philosophers and politicians exploit the importance of Bhagavad-gītā by distorting its meaning for their own purposes. Therefore this verse warns that kṛṣṇa-kathā should be recited by a person who is nivṛtta-tṛṣṇa. Śukadeva Gosvāmī epitomizes the proper reciter for Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Parīkṣit Mahārāja, who purposefully left his kingdom and family prior to meeting death, epitomizes the person fit to hear it. A qualified reciter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives the right medicine (bhavauṣadhi) for the conditioned souls. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is therefore trying to train qualified preachers to recite Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā throughout the entire world, so that people in general in all parts of the world may take advantage of this movement and thus be relieved of the threefold miseries of material existence.

SB 10.1.4