The “Real Thing”
I was distributing door to door: I rang the bell, and a middle-aged woman opened the door. When she saw me she opened her mouth and eyes wide.
Slightly laughing, I said, “I’m a missionary, do not worry”.
In the meantime her husband came, saw the situation and invited me to enter the apartment.
After few moments the woman “woke up” and told me,“ Please excuse me if I did not let you in immediately but I was very shocked to see you here, it is the first time…. you are a Hare Krishna right?”
“Yes it is, and yes I am” I answered back.
She continued,“ I am simply in love with Srila Prabhupada and His more than wonderful books.”
Then I asked which books she had and she showed me six books of S.P that she bought in a used books store. I presented to her the Caitanya Cairitamrta set and other introductory books that she immediately accepted.
I felt very encouraged after this because I saw the potency of the SKT movement and in particular of S.P. books. I used to say sometimes to the people I meet: “I know you do not read but take this book anyway because these are the only books with legs….” The only contact she had with Krishna Consciousness was Srila Prabhupada books. Actually, “They” are doing sankirtana we may be or not be there but S.P’s Books are there, and they’re the “Real Thing”.
Your Servant,
Anakadundubhi Das
Wonderful story! I hope to emphasize something that many of us may overlook. We think that young people in their late teens and 20s are the best preaching field, because it is a time when most of us were "searching" for truth and a way to live.
But, lo and behold, the older generation is "awake" to spirituality and none should be neglected. As compassionate Vaishnavas, all are to be seen as having taken the rare form of human life with the rare opportunity to seek higher truth, and the most rare opportunity to get the association of a Vaishnava Acharya…in the form of the transcendental instructions presented by Srila Prabhupada. Wonderful, wonderful.
Pusta Krishna das