published by dandavats.com used with permission
By Niranjana Swami
I was recently inspired. It was the 2nd day of our GBC meetings. I was completely absorbed the whole day, which for me is not something very easy. I am not so inclined to meetings, but on this 2nd day of our GBC meetings, there was only one subject, and that was book distribution. It was affirmed by other GBC members with whom I spoke that this was the most enlivening day ever spent in a GBC meeting because the subject matter was just about Srila Prabhupada’s books.
We got the opportunity to hear a presentation from one of our BBT trustees about books published and distributed, about the history of our distribution and its’ evolution over the years, about the number of languages in which Srila Prabhupada’s books are being translated. He provided us with a very wonderful presentation, filled with so many statistics which at least caught my attention. It awakened the memories of the days when I was distributing books.
I was actually starting to taste the nectar of some of those austerities once again, just by hearing about book distribution during the whole meeting. Many devotees were asked to speak and to give their realisations to the GBC members. His Grace Svavas Prabhu told a very nice story about his association with Srila Prabhupada. Devamrta Maharaja also addressed the assembly, speaking about the importance of reading Srila Prabhupada’s books.
He is very exemplary. He is a devotee who puts book distribution as a priority for the management of his zone. He is always encouraging book distribution. I was very much inspired to hear him speaking. He places great emphasis on the necessity to focus our attention on Srila Prabhupada’s books, not only for distribution, but also for our own self-realisation, which is certainly an integral part in becoming a successful book distributor. One should gleam the depth and wisdom that is contained within Srila Prabhupada’s books. When we actually devote our lives to studying them and reading them, we see how Srila Prabhupada has given everything within his books.
Certainly this gives us a greater inspiration to give them to others. When we have something very valuable, and when the more we appreciate its’ value, the more we actually want others to experience it. When you have something very valuable, you want to share it with others. When Maharaja spoke, I was very enlivened and reminded again, and again, and again, as it took place throughout of day, of the importance of book distribution.
What was particularly inspiring for me was various audio and video clips of the words emanating from the lotus lips of my spiritual master. These same words that would literally drive me crazy in the 1970s’ to go out and distribute books like a madman, day after day, week after week, month after month, sometimes spending 16 hours a day distributing books. Hearing these words again, seeing Srila Prabhupada speaking them, hearing his desire for distribution of his books, was very inspiring. Srila Prabhupada said that he would live forever in his books.
In the Lilamrita it was described how Tamal Krsna Maharaja was making the statement that when Srila Prabhupada hears the results of the book distribution, it is the only time when he doesn’t feel a headache. And Srila Prabhupada said, “No; hearing the book distribution scores gives me life.” This was a time when Srila Prabhupada was very ill. But he was placing the emphasis that to hear these book distribution scores was actually giving him so much life.
Certainly during those days, it was our centre; it was our focus. At least for myself and for many other devotees in our society, there is no doubt that we felt pushed in so many ways with the need to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. It became the ultimate necessity of our lives to see that his books were being distributed.
There is an expression I often think of, namely “necessity of life.” We often tend to think that the meaning of necessity of life is something that sustains life in the body. We often think necessity of life to be food or shelter or maybe air. Water and air are necessities of life. They are necessities that sustain life in the body. But life is eternal, and Srila Prabhupada would often use this term, “necessity of life.” If life is eternal, if life exists outside and beyond the body, then what is the real necessity of life? Life also has a necessity, even without a material body.
Srila Prabhupada would say that this preaching, this book distribution, gave him life. Srila Prabhupada showed by his own example that this is what sustained his life and what continues to sustain his life. It is what he was so much absorbed in. It was his mission to give us this transcendental wisdom in the form of Srimad Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrita, and to study these books ourselves, and by realising the contents of these books, to go out and make others similarly fortunate to appreciate the great value of Srila Prabhupada’s books. This is life.
If we ask how to actually realise what is our necessity, how do we live, how we can be successful, what is real life, the answer is in preaching and spreading the message of Krsna Consciousness. Just like it was mentioned by Bhakti Vikasa Maharaja how the devotees in Slovenia put book distribution in the centre and as a result everything came back to life. The same point is that we come to life when we remember how dear Srila Prabhupada’s books were, when we see pictures of Srila Prabhupada’s smile coming on his face when he would see a newly printed copy of the 5th canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, when we see the smile from ear to ear on Srila Prabhupada’s face when he would hear the stories of devotees going out to distribute his books, when he would hear the results. The devotees were coming back and were selflessly offering the results of their hard labour.
This is Mahaprabhu’s mission. Just like it is explained that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakura to go out and to distribute the Holy Name of the Lord. When they would go out, He would say, “You bring back the result. Every day you come back and you tell me how many living entities have chanted Hare Krsna today.” Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes that it is not a very high platform to go out to the streets simply to beg for some milk or for some rice. But when these two patrolmen, Nityananda Prabhu and Haridas Thakura, would go out on the streets, they would beg, “Please, bolo Krsna, bhaja Krsna, koro Krsna siksa.” They are begging, “Please, make Krsna your life!” And what was the fruit that they offered to Lord Caitanya? The fruit is the result. It was not milk and rice. It was what was most pleasing to the Lord. The Lord wanted to hear who chanted Hare Krsna today, who became a devotee today. This is what gave Him great pleasure.
I remember in previous years, when we used to go out on book distribution marathons, we took all the empty boxes of the books that were distributed, and we put them in front of Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasasana. That was our offering to him. Every day we would come back and place all the empty boxes in front of him. Once we filled up the whole temple room with empty boxes.
[haribol!]
This was our offering to Srila Prabhupada. When devotees go out with a desire to somehow please Srila Prabhupada and distribute his books, there is certain special mercy that becomes manifest. Srila Prabhupada gives his extra special mercy. I remember in 1975, I was the Sankirtan leader. Srila Prabhupada said, I think in Atlanta, “The devotees who go out in vans and distribute my books, they get my extra special mercy.” I remember, I was going out every day in a van, distributing books, and Srila Prabhupada said, “They get EXTRA special mercy.” I thought, “So much mercy I am already getting! But Srila Prabhupada is saying, ‘EXTRA special?’ I remember making this my meditation. ‘I want it!! EXTRA special mercy? I gotta get it!!!’” That day, when I got that quote from Srila Prabhupada, I actually made a vow. I prayed to Srila Prabhupada, “Please don’t ever let me do anything more than simply be the president of this white Dodge van so that I can go out distribute your books every day.” Of course that didn’t continue in that way; Krsna had some other plans for me. But Srila Prabhupada will give that mercy.