Book distribution: a summary of the first wave
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A Golden Opportunity
The Sankirtana devotees are very very dear to Krsna. Because you are doing the field work of book distribution, Krsna 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 Krsna immediately recognizes a preacher of Krsna consciousness who takes all risks to deliver his message. (Srila Prabhupada, letter to Uttamasoka, 11 December 1975)
Compassion: our ticket back to Godhead
One of the most sublime characteristics of the gopis is their mood of compassion and renunciation. The gopis don’t strive to see Krsna themselves, but they use all their energy to make arrangements so that others may see Krsna and be engaged in His service. In other words, instead of being concerned with their own comfort, they just want to make Krsna happy.
Krsna needs His associates to enjoy Himself, therefore He has an unlimited number of associates. Yet, Krsna is so expert that there is no limit to how much or how many He can reciprocate with. The love and reciprocation are always increasing; and as it increases, Krsna’s pleasure increases unlimitedly. When Krsna comes to this material world, He shows His pastimes to attract us, conditioned souls. When the gopis see someone who has a sincere desire to associate with Krsna, they teach this jiva how to love Krsna, and make arrangements that this soul can finally re-attain his eternal position as Krsna’s associate. Srila Prabhupada says that when Srimati Radharani sees a devotee chanting Krsna’s name sincerely, She tells Krsna, “Please accept him, see how he is sincere? He is a better devotee than I am“, so Krsna can’t refuse. This selfless love makes the gopis very dear to the Lord.
How e-books and new mediums affect book distribution
Nowadays, almost everybody has internet access. There are social networks, e-books, etc. Amongst all of this, physical books may look increasingly old-fashioned and inefficient. Why then are we still distributing books instead of focussing on e-books and other new mediums?
Naturally, devotees who have talents for electronic mediums and the ability to present the philosophy in such a way that millions of people will share on Facebook or watch on Youtube, should go for it and use their talents for Krsna. As Srila Prabhupada wrote in a letter to Bhagavan dasa (24 November 1970):
“So go on with your organization for distribution of my books through press and other modern media and Krsna will certainly be pleased upon you. We can use everything — television, radio, movies, or whatever there may be — to tell about Krsna and outside of devotional service all these modern paraphernalia are just so much rubbish”.
One example is HG Audarya Dhama Prabhu who is attracting thousands of new people in Russia and other countries through his audio and video classes. By using his special talent for Krsna, he is being hugely successful in attracting new people to Krsna consciousness.
Still, there are many reasons to uphold the fact that books continue to be the most fundamental part of our efforts. Despite the increase in the popularity of e-books, 2015 was the biggest year in book distribution in ISKCON (highest score in book points) since 1979, and 2018 was the second.
Continue readingDifferent ways of distributing books
“A devotee is pleased when there is difficulty, for in these difficulties he is forced to remember Krsna. We cannot expect that the people of Kali-yuga will welcome our attempt to spread Krsna consciousness. It is just like a lunatic asylum: The patients are running around madly and when the doctor tries to give them treatment, they insist that they are not crazy. Sometimes the patient even strikes the doctor. So our task is like that. We cannot stand to see people suffering due to ignorance. What is that ignorance? They do not know that they are not their body. This Krsna consciousness movement is meant to deliver people to the proper understanding that they are not their body, that they are pure spirit soul. We may or may not be appreciated, that is not our concern. We must execute the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu which is: “Yare dekha tare kaha krsna upadesa amara ajna guru haya tara ei desa.” “Whomever you meet, instruct them to follow the orders of Sri Krsna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way by My order become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.” So our business is to satisfy the acaryas and Krsna. If they are pleased then we know our work is successful. Go on spreading the sankirtana movement more and more.” (Srila Prabhupada, letter to German disciples, 6 May 1977)
How did book distribution start?
In the very early days of ISKCON, there was almost no book distribution. There was only Srila Prabhupada, personally selling the few copies of the first canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam that he brought from India. In October 1966, he obtained two second-hand mimeograph machines, which allowed devotees to print the first Back to Godhead magazines in the west, as described in the Lilamrta:
“Downstairs, the printing of the first issue had been going on for hours. Raya Rama had typed the stencils, and during the printing he had stood nervously over the machine, examining the printing quality of each page, stroking his beard, and murmuring, “Hmmmmm.” Now it was time to collate and staple each magazine. The stencils had lasted for one hundred copies, and one hundred copies of each of the twenty-eight pages and the front and back covers were now lined up along two of the unvarnished benches Raphael had made that summer. A few devotees collated and stapled the magazine in an assembly line, walking along the stacks of pages, taking one page under another until they reached the end of the bench and gave the assembled stack of pages to Gargamuni, who stood brushing his long hair out of his eyes, stapling each magazine with the stapler and staples Brahmananda had brought from his Board of Education office. Even Hayagriva, who usually didn’t volunteer for menial duties, was there, walking down the line, collating.” (Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta, vol.2, ch. 21)
The sankirtana tree of Mahaprabhu
Lord Caitanya thought, “My name is Visvambhara, ‘one who maintains the entire universe.’ Its meaning will be actualized if I can fill the whole universe with love of Godhead.” Thinking in this way, He accepted the duty of a planter and began to grow a garden in Navadvipa. Thus the Lord brought the desire tree of devotional service to this earth and became its gardener. He sowed the seed and sprinkled upon it the water of His will. (Cc. Adi 9.7-9)
Lord Caitanya thus addressed the multifarious varieties of branches and subbranches of the tree of devotional service: “Since the tree of devotional service is transcendental, every one of its parts can perform the action of all the others. Although a tree is supposed to be immovable, this tree nevertheless moves. All the parts of this tree are spiritually cognizant, and thus as they grow they spread all over the world”. (Cc. Adi 9.31-33)
In the Sri Caitanya Caritamrta (Adi-lila, chapter 9), it is described how the sankirtana movement descended from the spiritual realm. When manifested in this world, the sankirtana movement grows like a tree that emanates from Lord Caitanya personally. This tree has many branches connected to the main associates of the Lord, and from them grow various sub-branches that correspond to the main acaryas of our sampradaya. One of the biggest of such branches relates to Srila Prabhupada who created ISKCON and connected all of us in the form of numerous twigs and leaves.
