“YOU HAVE MADE MY DAY!”
This is what a freshman at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis said after he accepted Bhagavad-gītā & a few smaller pieces of literature from us last week. He was so nice that after expressing his interest in reading this philosophy, he spent a few minutes thanking us for coming to his campus. He said he understood it must be a great sacrifice for us to travel & preach, & he offered his respects repeatedly.
A girl who received BG from us a year ago at IUPUI happily received a few other books this time.
While I was showing the BG to one student, another student enthusiastically interrupted & asked, “Is that the original BG w/ Sanskrit? I’ve been wanting to find that book in its entirety!” Both students accepted a copy.
An older-looking student walked by, stopped, & asked what I was doing. He ended up taking a BG & admitted, “I have no idea why I was walking down this path. I never come this way, for I have no reason to.” I told him nothing happens by chance.
Next we visited the Univ. of IL. One of the first persons to accept a BG from me was an articulate young man. He explained that he grew up in the Muslim tradition but felt dissatisfied w/ its theology. He also felt dissatisfied w/ modern science’s claim that consciousness is a product of matter. Thus in addition to the BG, he eagerly took a copy of the magazine “Origins–Higher Dimensions in Science,” which has an interesting article entitled “The Mystery of Consciousness.”
More than other campuses we visit, we also find staff & faculty members at the U of I taking home some of our literature. This trip was no exception, as three professors accepted a copy of BG.
The first was in the department of Earth Sciences. She expressed her interest in meditation & Eastern thought & gave a generous donation. The second was in the department of Geology. She said, “Oh, BG. I’ve always wanted to read that book.”
The third professor was from Africa & teaches Linguistics. He speaks a half dozen languages & has high regard for Sanskrit. He graciously accepted the BG.
All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!