By Gauragopala dasa
June 14 1983, An Historical Auspicious Event In Iskcon History.
The day Australia became Krishna Conscious
A quarter of a century ago today (June 14 1983) Hari Sauri Prabhu and the Aussi devotee organised the distribution of 1.6 million magazines to go out as a lift out called âThe wonderful world of Hare Krishnaâ in one day that was inserted in all the Australian major Newspapers! To this day, this is still the biggest distribution of magazines in ISKCON’s short History.
The after effect was even more incredible because not only was our magazine flooding the paper media, but also, there were hundreds of radio talk back shows discussing the magazine.
That night I will never forget because ever Television network around the County covered ‘The Wonderful World Of Hare Krishna Magazine insert ‘ and the effect it had on unsuspecting Australian citizens.
The ABC showed all the Politicians in the Nations Capital in Canberra and there was the newly elected Prime Minister the Right Honourable Robert James Lee (Bob) Hawke reading through âThe Wonderful World Of Hare Krishnaâ.
Over the following week there were editorials, more Radio talk back, and two mini documenters on the New Govardhana farm that went nation wide and even âPlayboy Magazineâ did an article on the benefits of chanting Hare Krishna and eating Krishna Prasadam.
Further more, Doctor surgeries, Dentists, clubs, eateries, Shopping Malls, Football clubs, hospitals, and even police stations and jails, ALL had the magazine circulation around for everyone to see. They could not ignore it because the magazine was there right in front of them and most picked it up to satisfy their inquisitiveness âWow, what is this beautifully presented magazineâ many âmillionâ would ask.
In short, the teachings of Krishna Consciousness reached ALL sections of society on that special winters day, 25 years ago today. June 14th 1983 will forever be a day to remember in the annals of ISKCONâs History of Book distribution.
The following is some nice quotes on distributing Srila Prabhupada’s Books
“Now I am trying for printing arrangement and this book also can be nicely printed provided you take charge of distribution. I am very much anxious for sale of my books. It has to be organized; please think over this matter. If the books are not properly sold how can I print so many books?” [Letter to Kirtanananda, 27 April 1967]
“Although I am practically on the path of death, still I cannot forget about my publications. I wish that if I live or die you should take very serious care for my publications”. [Letter to Hayagriva, 10 June 1967]
“When these books arrive to your Montreal Temple, it will be great service if you can help your god-brothers in arranging for widespread sales of these books. We are writing so many literatures and this is very good, but also we must make arrangements for distribution to the public at large”. [Letter to Jayapataka, 1 December 1968]
“You are trying for the new Temple, but our main business is Sankirtana and distribution of literature. If Krishna gives us a better place, that is all right. Otherwise we can remain at any place never mind hell or heaven; but we shall only be very cautious about propagating our Sankirtana movement”. [Letter to Madhudvisa, 26 March 1970]
“And then we take the books and publish them in French and German languages. My Guru Maharaja liked the publication of books very nice. He liked publications of books more than construction of Temples”. [Letter to Tamal Krishna, 15 May 1970]
“I am very glad to know that your sales of our literature and books are very good and improving more. It is natural that such distribution of literatures should increase as the people hear more about Krishna Consciousness Movement, so distribution of our books and literatures is our major propaganda program”. [Letter to Hamsaduta, 29 June 1970]
“Whenever I get report of my book selling I feel strength. Even now in this weakened condition I have got strength from your report. You should know that in this work you have Krishna’s blessings”. [Letter to Satsvarupa, 8 September 1974]
“The book sales are very encouraging, increasing, increasing. It is very good news. Thank you, I want this. Record selling is temporary… A book sold becomes a permanent matter for enjoyment. We read the scriptures again and again and it is still fresh; when there is time, I go on reading my own books.” [Letter to Hamsaduta, 1 October 1974]
“Preaching means book distribution”. [Room Conversation, Bombay, 31 December 1976]
“If there is any credit to my activities of translating, it is all due to His Divine Grace [Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura]. Certainly if His Divine Grace were personally present at this time, it would have been a great occasion for jubilation, but even though he is not physically present, I am confident that he is very much pleased by this work of translation.
He was very fond of seeing many books published to spread the Krishna Consciousness Movement. Therefore our society, The International Society for Krishna Consciousness [ISKCON], has been formed to execute the order of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktsiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura”. [Concluding words to Sri Caitanya caritamrta]
“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, 21 December 1974]
“In spite of war Srimad Bhagavatam will be distributed. We don’t care about war, our preaching business will go on”. [Letter to Radhavallabha, 21 August 1975]
“Simply read my books and repeat what I have written then your preaching will be perfect”. [Letter to Ksirodakasayi, 4 September 1975]
“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 to Uttamasloka, 11 December 1975]
And here is more nectar
“Books are the basis of our Movement. Whatever appreciation we are getting on account of our books, it is because we are following the path chalked out by exalted devotees. We are not writing something whimsical”. [Letter to Tusta-Krishna, 9 January 1976]
“The results show that there is no limit to our book distribution. Our books are qualified to be distributed unlimitedly”. [Letter to Ramesvara, 18 January 1976]
“The main thing is to distribute books more and more”. [Letter to Balavanta, 4 October 1976]
“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”. [Room Conversation, Bombay, 31 December 1976]
“I want that every respectable person has a full set of Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrta in his home”. [Letter to Drdhavrata, 24 January 1977]
“Be assured that there is no more direct way to preach than to distribute Krishna conscious books. Whoever gets a book is benefited.
If he reads the book he is benefited still more, or if he gives the book to someone else for reading, both he and the other person is benefited.
Even if one does not read the book but simply holds it and sees it, he is benefited. If he simply gives small donation towards the work of Krishna consciousness he is benefited.
And anyone who distributes these transcendental literatures, he is also benefited. Therefore Sankirtana is the prime benediction for the age”. [Letter to German disciples, 6 May 1977]
Hare Krsna. Everyone we meet, lets give them Prabhupada’s Books
Thank you, Gauragopala prabhu, for this great story from the annals of ISKCON history and for the many quotes from Srila Prabhupada emphasizing the importance of book distribution. I’ll never forget his instruction that, “Everyone should go with the Sankirtana party as soon as possible.” Chanting Hare Krishna, distributing prasadam and passing out transcendental literature to educate the conditioned souls about their relationship with Krishna is certainly the prime benediction.
When devotees would tell Srila Prabhupada about the success of a preaching program they had organized, he would ask how many books had been sold at the event. At every speaking engagement, he insisted that there be a display of his books. He also instructed that temples should have all of his books available for sale in all of the languages that were in print. In those days, the focal point of all temples was to increase the number of full-time devotees and train them well so they could properly represent the spiritual master when distributing his books.
One of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples was Buddhimanta prabhu. He was brought before Srila Prabhupada because he was distributing the most books. Srila Prabhupada asked him how many books he had distributed that day, and Buddhimanta prabhu answered that he did not know. Srila Prabhupada said, “He has sold so many books today that he could not count how many.” Srila Prabhupada noticed that Buddhimanta prabhu did not have a kurta, so he gave him one of his own kurtas to wear. I think it is safe to say Buddhimanta prabhu had gotten Srila Prabhupada’s mercy by his amazing service on the field of battle.
Two devotees in Germany declined to attend the Mayapur festival one year so they could continue their service of distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books to their countrymen. Srila Prabhupada wrote to them that he would pray for their long life. He was so grateful that his young disciples were performing this great sacrifice all over the world. He said that the printing and distribution of his books would create unlimited preaching opportunities.
Thank you, Gauragopala prabhu, for this story from the annals of ISKCON history, and many more thanks for the wonderful quotes from Srila Prabhupada emphasizing the importance of distributing his books.
I remember telling Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk in London’s Russell Square that his Krishna Book had been translated into the French language by an interpreter who had worked at the United Nations. The tears in his eyes convinved me that this vital service was most dear to his heart.
When Srila Prabhupada visited Paris, France for the first time in 1971, I had the honor of introducing each of his disciples to him by name before a press conference at the Office of Indian Tourism was to begin. Each disciple stood up in turn, and when I introduced a French devotee named Ganesyama dasa who was translating Srila Prabhupada’s books, he personally thanked him for his kind help.
A few years later, when I was in Amsterdam, Srila Prabhupada wrote to us that translating the Bhagavad-gita into Dutch was very important work and should be done carefully. Srila Prabhupada commented that the Christian world has the Bible, and just see the influence this one book has had. We have so many books, and their effect cannot be estimated. “These books are qualified to be distributed unlimitedly,” means the entire world can be changed by the distribution of this transcendental knowledge.
Srila Prabhupada once wrote to me about a prediction that had been made by a Japanese philosopher who said that if the Hare Krishna movement continued to grow at the present rate, it would become the world religion in ten years. Srila Prabhupada agreed with him. That was in 1972. The growth of our movement was geometric at the time; it was doubling each year. Our movement is still growing, but its growth appears to be arithmetic, not geometric. Srila Prabhupada said to maintain what he had given us. That would at least guarantee its arithmetic growth. If our society could generate the kind of enthusiastic participation that occurred in those early years, with its emphasis on attracting and training full-time devotees who would them become full-time preachers and book distributors, we would soon return to a geometric growth rate. It’s something to aim for.
Hoping this finds everyone in the best of health and spirits during this Rathayatra season, I beg to remain
Your servant,
Locanananda dasa
NYC
Locanananda prabu said “Srila Prabhupada said (About Buddhimanta prabhu), âHe has sold so many books today that he could not count how many.â Srila Prabhupada noticed that Buddhimanta prabhu did not have a kurta, so he gave him one of his own kurtas to wear. I think it is safe to say Buddhimanta prabhu had gotten Srila Prabhupadaâs mercy by his amazing service on the field of battle”.
How fortunate we were in Australia to be trained by the great pioneer of Book distribution, Buddhimanta Prabhu in 1973. I remember travelling with him, Hari Sauri, Gopikanta, Yasomatinandana, Balarama, Gopinathacarya, Somendrinath, and myself. We would stop in our orange Kombi-Van distribute hundreds of Books then chant in all the towns we visited.
My God, those kirtans were ecstatically powerful and unbelievable. On a Saturday night we would also distribute books at Kings Cross to 3âoclock in the morning. I was down one end of Kings cross and I could hear Buddhimanta prabhu yelling out IN HIS American accent emulating the Aussies â
âHARE KRSNA!! GGGâDDDDAAYY MATE!! How ar ya! You want happiness? Then the answers are in THIS book, it will tell you how to find REAL pleasure that lasts forever!â Then you would hear,
âYouâve kindly given 20 bucks mate, beauty, hereâs two more Books, read them and then give them to a friendâ
Then he would move on to the next person, calling out again,
“Hare Krishna Gâday mate, or Gâday anchor or axial”, what ever Aussi saying would get their attention. It went on like this since 7 PM the previous night, he lead the way in distributing Prabhupadaâs books. He acted more Aussi, even with his American accent, than all of us.
Without any doubt, Buddhimanta was empowered by Krsna to distribute Books. He was so empowered that I often saw him go up to a person, speak so fast that it was like stuttering and incoherent, give them the book, receive 10 bucks (That was a lot of money in those days, petrol was only 12 cents a litre backing 1973) then go to the next person and do the same thing.
A few weeks later a few of us experienced that same transcendental wave of ecstasy in Pitt Street Sydney as we also distributed Books without saying anything.
Actually I have so many stories about Buddhimantaâs enthusiasm and dedication to Srila Prabhupada.
Hari Bol!