“The cult” of Caitanya Mahaprabhu and a book distribution story.
Bhakta Pratham: “Queen Street is one of New Zealand’s busiest streets. On one of the not so busiest of days, around an hour in, I spotted a young adult who seemed like a death-metal fan. She had pink hair, dark makeup, tattooed arms and legs, and piercings all over her face.
Usually, I would not try to stop a person like that, because in the past all I have received back were four-letter words and middle fingers. So with no hope of stopping her, I still decided to say something as she walked past.
I said “Hey, miss, nice hair color. Is that natural?” She was walking really fast, and she didn’t even look at me. With hate and disrespect in her voice, she said: “I don’t want to be part of your cult.”
I instantly responded, “Why not? It’s a beautiful cult!”
She somehow found that really funny and started laughing. She stopped and walked back toward me and said, “You know what? You’re the first Hare Krishna who ever made me smile.”
I replied, “Really? I’m not even the funny one.”
Then she started talking about how she sees people trying to stop her and bother her every time she walks on Queen Street. We are everywhere, and she basically just hates to see us on the street. I told her a few things about us, like how we are just trying to help.
And then I presented a copy of “Hiding in Unnatural Happiness.” After spending a few minutes talking about the book, she said she had been going through lots of anxiety and nothing seemed good about life. I asked her to read the book and invited her to The Loft. She happily took the book and gave a donation. Before leaving, she also said, “Thank you for doing what you are doing” in a really polite and friendly voice.
What started out as arrogance and ignorance was blissfully transformed by “the cult” of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. All glories to the sankirtana movement!
Your aspiring servant,
Bhakta Pratham