Vraja Bhakti and bookdistribution

[Paramananda das]

PAMHO
AGTSP
In Vrindavan there is many devotees that like the distribution of Srila Prabhupadas books but does not give it much credit.
Surely they will not leave Vraja to distribute his books nor even do it in Vraja,
This is their own ignorance, of course most are not willing
to take Srila Prabhupadas important instruction about this to heart.
This said the Krsna Balarama Mandir in Vrindavan
has always set a very good example,and has many dedicadet bookdistributors.present and past.
But the more that joins in Prabhupadas Marathon etc the better.I used to once pray to Krishna I will take birth again and again
to assist in bookdistribution , but seeing the averseness of so many devotees and even ISKCON leaders to do this themselves
I have no desire to be born ever again in this material world.Plus I can not stand appasiddhantas they drive me crazy with anger.(Jaya Narasimhadeva)
The fact is ISKCON is build to promote the distribution of Srila Prabhupadas books, not only promote but do, to be very specific:
SB 7.9.44 purport:
"Rather, every member of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is interested in going door to door to try to convince people about the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, the teachings of Lord Caitanya. That is the purpose of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. The members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must be fully convinced that without Kṛṣṇa one cannot be happy. "

Srila Prabhupadas instruction is every member no one is excluded, not even members of the BBT.

To become a GBC, Guru and TP is not as important than this instruction, but actually all the leaders and managers in ISKCON
should not only encourage it but do it themselves, the importance of setting a good example for others is explained in the
Gita in detail, and this is our duty to Srila Prabhupada and Krishna to set a good example in this:

yad yad acarati sresthas
tat tad evetaro janah
sa yat pramanam kurute
lokas tad anuvartate
.

Whatever action is performed by a great man, common men follow in his footsteps. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.

Prabhupada: No, that is missionary activities, that they do not understand, but you have to make them understand. They are not calling you, “I am suffering. Please come,” but it is your business to go and let them know that “You are suffering. You take this method.” That is the way of becoming very quickly recognized by Krsna. Otherwise, if you think, “They are not understanding, what is the use of going there? Let me sleep,” that is not good. They are not understanding; still, you have to go. Then Krsna will take that “He is laboring so hard for My sake.” Never mind he is successful. It doesn’t matter. But you are working hard for Krsna. That is noted down. So our business is to be recognized by Krsna. Whether one man is converted or not converted, that is not our business. We shall try our best. But Krsna must see that I am giving service to Krsna. That’s all. That is wanted. Not that you have to judge that you have approached so many men; nobody became Krsna conscious. That doesn’t matter. But you have gone there. You have endeavored your sincere effort. That is recognized by Krsna. That is the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa: [Cc. Madhya 7.128] “Whomever you meet, you give him, you inform him the instruction of Krsna.” Caitanya Mahaprabhu never said that “You see that he has actually become Krsna conscious.” Never says. You simply say and go and say. That is your business. It is not that you have to see that he has become Krsna conscious. It is not so easy to become Krsna conscious. It is not so easy. It will take, bahunam janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19], after many, many births. But you have to do your duty. Go and preach. Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Your duty is finished. Of course, you will try to convert him. If he is not converted, that is not deviation of your duty. You have to simply go and speak. Just like when I came to your country, I never expected any success because I knew, “As soon as I will say, ‘No illicit sex, no meat-eating,’ they will reject me immediately.” (laughter) So I was not hopeful at all.
Devotee (1): They are so attached.
Prabhupada: Yes. But it is your kindness that you accepted me. But I never expected. I never expected that “These people will accept.” I never expected.
Hari-sauri: So simply if we rely on Krsna…
Prabhupada: Yes, that is our only business.
Hari-sauri: And if we look for results, then…
Prabhupada: And we should do our duty as prescribed by the spiritual master. Guru-krsna-krpaya [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Then both sides, you will be favored, from the spiritual master and from Krsna. And that is the success. My Guru Maharaja was publishing one paper, Dayinika (?) Nadiya Prakash. It was worth two paisa or one paisa. So if a brahmacari could sell a few copies, he would have been so glad. You see? The collection was not even four annas. Still, he was so glad that “Oh, you have distributed so much.” Our business is to carry out the order, not to see success. Success is not so easy. That is not so easy.

Prabhupada: Preaching must go on vigorously.
Gopala Krsna: Especially book distribution is getting very strong with Indians.
Prabhupada: Yes. Preaching means book distribution.

BOOK DISTRIBUTION IS OUR SUCCESS
Devotee (4): We were thinking about how everyone knows about Krsna now. In the United States they didn’t know before, but when they see this little picture on the book, they all know, “That is Krsna.” We hand them the book, and we say, “We’re passing these out.” They say, “Oh, that is Krsna.” …(Book distribution) is so successful that everyone has learned about Krsna.
Prabhupada: Oh, as soon as they see the picture, they understand it is Krsna.
Devotee: When they see the book they think, “Oh, the Hare Krsna devotees. I saw them on the street.” When they see the picture of Krsna on the book, they think of the devotees chanting.
Devotee: Sometimes, Srila Prabhupada, people travel from one airport to another, and they’ll get a book in Chicago and then they’ll come to Atlanta and we’ll approach them to give them another book, and they’ve already gotten one book in Chicago. And they ask, “How many of there are you around the world?” Because everywhere they go, in every airport they are getting books. So they think that there must be millions. They think that there must be millions of Hare Krsna devotees, because everywhere they go they’re being approached to take a book.
Devotee: I once asked a boy in Washington temple how many devotees he thought we had, and he said, “Oh, I cannot guess.” And I said, “Make an educated guess.” And he said, “Well, I’ve seen you here and I think maybe two million.” (laughter) And I said, “Three thousand. Now just see the potency of Hare Krsna. You’re thinking we’re two million, and we’re simply a handful.” He became a little convinced. So our books make us millions. People think we are millions because of the books.
Prabhupada: Push this on. Then our movement is successful. All Americans should have at least one set of books. That is not very difficult for them, to purchase one set books. But it will be a good asset for them if they keep and see sometimes. Any line he reads, he will get transcendental knowledge. Anyone who reads Krsna book, he will become Vaisnava. That’s a fact.
Devotee: But we have no attraction for Krsna. You are attracting us to Krsna.
Prabhupada: (laughing) Actually Krsna is attracting. Like one magnetic stone is attracting one piece of iron, and then another, then another.
Devotee: We are becoming happy by distributing your books.
Prabhupada: Thank you. They are Krsna’s books. (Conversation with Srila Prabhupada 3/2/75)

Even pujaris can sell Srila Prabhupadas books ,this service is for everyone.Now why will some devotees not do it?.In his speech 2009 to glorify
Vraja Bhakti ,Aindra Prabhu made a strong point that if we distribute Srila Prabhupadas but do not become KC then he said to hell with it and if we do not develop Vraja Bhakti to hell with it.However bookdistribution is in the line of Vraja Bhakti:
nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai
ya yalibhir yuktir apekshaniya
tatrati-dakshyad ati-vallabhasya
vande guroh sri-charanaravindam
The spiritual master is very dear, because he is expert in assisting the gopis, who at different times make different tasteful arrangements for the perfection of Radha and Krsna's conjugal loving affairs within the groves of Vrndavana. I offer my most humble obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada and Bhaktivinoda Thakura are both manjaris in Krishnas lilas they asked for this distribution of Bhakti sastras, Srila Prabupada fullfilled their desire, and if we follow this line and distribute Srila Prabhupadas books we are pleasing Lord Caitanya and Radha Krsna.
The sat Guru brings conditioned souls to the lotusfeet of Radha Krishna,this is part of this tasteful arrangements, and then they will not longer be conditioned
but become servants of Vraja Bhakti.Aindra Prabhu also recieved Srila Prabhupadas and he told me how he was so fond of Krsna books and Bhagavad Gita when he bought them. So I had some disagreement over this issue, that I strongly see Vraja Bhakti as part of bookdistribution.But yes one can distribute Srila Prabhupadas books for many births and not get Vraja Bhakti if one is not sincere ..why for example should a devotee never go to Vrindavan and visit Krsnas many places of pastimes ,and chant 64 rounds there etc?
http://nimaipandit.ning.com/profiles/blogs/gbc-proposal-to-chant-64
The real mercy of distributing Srila Prabhupadas books is to develop Vraja Bhakti:\
The Gopis themselves has glorified those who distribute Srila Prabhupadas books:

tava kathāmṛtaḿ tapta-jīvanaḿ
kavibhir īḍitaḿ kalmaṣāpaham
śravaṇa-mańgalaḿ śrīmad ātataḿ
bhuvi gṛṇanti ye bhūri-dā janāḥ

The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one's sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.
(SB 10.31.9)
One member of Aindra Prabhus 24 hours kirtana party told me recently that distributing Srila Prabhuapdas books is like being a Bibles sales man,this is very offensive and neophyte, Srila Prabhupada and his Guru maharaja called it Brhad Mrdanga.
Recorded chanting.Yes , Harinama sankirtana should go on more and more but so should bookdistribution and this will please Srila Prabhupada, Lord Caitanya and Radha Krishna.And Aindra Prabhu was right without developing love for Radha Krsna life is useless, but life is also useless if we do not distribute Srila Prabhupadas books, both has to be there.
your servant
 Paramananda das

 Book distribution is spreading love of Krsna, and that some fail to understand this is very sad:

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who personally tasted the nectar of ecstatic love for Krsna and then instructed His devotees how to taste it. Thus He enlightened them about ecstatic love of Krsna to initiate them into transcendental knowledge. (Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Goswami- C.C. Antya lila 16:1)

The greatest service one can render to the Lord is to try to infuse devotional service into the heart of the conditioned souls so that they may be released from conditioned life. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has said that a Vaisnava is recognized by his preaching work -- that is, by convincing the conditioned soul about his eternal position, which is explained here as nija-dharma.

CC Madhya 20.6


"Print as many books as possible, this is my real pleasure. By printing these books of our Krishna conscious philosophy in so many languages we can actually inject our movement into the masses of persons all over the world, especially there in the Western countries and we can literally turn whole nations into Krishna conscious nations."

Letter to Hrdayananda Dasa, December 21, 1974

(printing and distributing ,printing is part of if but without distributing them there is no more printing)

Therefore BBT devotees should also distribute them


In response to Vaisekas Prabhus article about free books,that is important guidelines to giving
free books ,
http://www.prabhupada.org/rama/?p=3402#more-3402
we can give everyone a free set of books by giving them online links to Prabhupadas books
http://nimaipandit.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-power-of-vedabasenet

plus there is sastradana a great powerful program to distribute Srila Prabhupadas books
http://www.sastradana.com/
This program should be there all over the world more and more
and sets of Srila Prabhupadas books placed in libraries, schools ,universities etc ,it is ok if they are donated
someone will read them,and the placing Srila Prabhupadas books in libaries

This, our book distribution is the most important task in our society. Therefore I am giving so much stress and I am working so hard on this. Because this is my life and soul according to the order of my Guru Maharaja. And by his grace it is to some extent successful. And I took it seriously. I take it seriously still now. That is my life and soul. I never tried in India to construct big temples or even in your country we didn't. I never tried. But I was selling personally books. That is the history. Sometimes they are criticizing, "What kind of sannyasi? He is doing book business."

Room Conversation -- December 31, 1976, Bombay



lecture Jan 5, 1976

Our first business is this book distribution. There is no need of any other business. If this book distribution is managed properly, pushed on with great enthusiasm and determination and at the same time if our men keep spiritually strong, then the whole world will become Krishna conscious.



Non violence is generally taken to mean not killing or destroying the body, but actually nonviolence means not to put others into distress. People in general are trapped by ignorance in the material concept of life, and they perpetually suffer material pains. So unless one elevates people to spiritual knowledge, one is practicing violence. One should try his best to distribute real knowledge to the people, so that they may become enlightened and leave this material entanglement. That is nonviolence.

BG 13.12 purport


"The Sankirtana devotees are very dear to Krishna. Because you are doing the field work of book distribution, Krishna has immediately recognized them as true servants. Just like during war time, a farm boy or ordinary clerk who goes to fight for his country on the front immediately becomes a national hero for his sincere effort. So Krishna immediately recognizes a preacher of Krishna Consciousness who takes all risk to deliver His message"

letter, December 11, 1975
In summary this is Srila Prabhupadas instructions on bookdistribution of his books:
1.Book Distribution is the greatest welfare activity to this world.
2.What is the use of your 2 minutes preaching. The person will hear and go away. If you distribute one book to him means, he will be eternally benefitted.
3.Book distribution is brhat mrdunga ( biggest mrdunga).
4. chanting Hare Krishna Mahamantra is Kirtana. Book Distribution is also kirtana.
5. If we do kirtan means it will hear within this room. But if we do book distribution means it will hear home to home, country to country, community to community.
6.My books are time bombs. We have to drop these millions of millions of these bombs (books) on the lap of conditioned souls.
Oh shame! Brother, aren't you at all embarrassed Behaving like businessmen to increase your followers? 30. Our master has said to preach;Let the neophytes go in the temples to do nothing but ring bells
Srila Prabhupada 1961

Srila Prabhupada:There is no doubt about it, to distribute books is our most important activity. The temple is a place not for eating and sleeping, but as a base from which we send out our soldiers to fight with Maya. Fight with Maya means to drop thousand and millions of books into the lap of the conditioned souls. Just like during war time the bombs are raining from the sky like anything......

Srila Prabhupada once told Harikesa , you please fill up all my temples with my books and if everyone wants to sleep there they have to make space by distributing them

Srila Prabhupada declared war against maya, the weapons against illusion is his books, prasadam distribution and , Harinama and proper vaisnava conduct


Srila Prabhupada told one devotee that wanted to take sannyasa, that
by distributing my books you are doing more service than 1000 sannyasis and there is really no need too, and Srila Prabhupada was worried this devotee would stop distributing his books, he took sannyasa continued for a while longer to distribute Prabhupadas books, then joined Gaudiya math...

“There is no doubt about it, to distribute books is our most important activity.” (to Ramesvara, August 3, 1973)

CC Adi lila 7.164 purport
Now that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has taken up this task of preaching the cult of Lord Caitanya, its members should not only construct temples in every town and village of the globe but also distribute the books that have already been written and further increase the number of books. Both distribution of books and construction of temples must continue side by side in parallel lines.



I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Being especially ordered by Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and being very merciful, he placed in the Western countries, where English and other such degraded languages are spoken, the auspicious treasure house of devotional literature written by Srila Vyasadeva, Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja, and others. (written by Kusakrata Prabhu)