{"id":12828,"date":"2014-08-05T15:19:08","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T15:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=12828"},"modified":"2014-10-08T13:50:05","modified_gmt":"2014-10-08T13:50:05","slug":"waves-of-sankirtana-india-sankirtana-newsletter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=12828","title":{"rendered":"Waves of Sankirtana, India Sankirtana Newsletter"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nhttp:\/\/www.wavesofsankirtana.blogspot.in\/2014\/07\/waves-of-sankirtana-volume-1-issue-2.html<\/a><\/p>\n

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Get Sets and Go!!!<\/i><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nHare Krishna! Welcome to the second issue of the India Sankirtana Newsletter “Waves of Sankirtana.” The aim of this newsletter is to assist in expanding book distribution across India by facilitating communication and inspiration among devotees across India. This month, we present topics related to the distribution of Srimad Bhagavatam sets. Our goal is to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad Bhagavatam so much so that the Srimad Bhagavatam set takes over the esteemed place of the TV set in all the living rooms of homes across the nation! <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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A couple from Gudur, Andhra Pradesh, receiving a Telugu Srimad Bhagavatam set from HH Sukadeva Goswami Maharaj <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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\nIn this issue, we cover the following highlights:<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n1.       Srila Prabhupada
\nSpeaks: “I want that every respectable gentleman…”<\/div>\n
\n2.       India Sankirtana
\nReport Card – June 2014<\/div>\n
\n3.       Sankirtana News: ISLT Conference call, book distribution stories from Bangalore, Gudur, Hyderabad, and Swanka, a remote village in Kashmir!<\/div>\n
\n4.       VIDEO: How to distribute a full set of Srila Prabhupada’s books<\/i><\/div>\n
\n5.       Sankirtana
\nInsights: Interview with HG Raas Govinda Prabhu (ISKCON Chowpatty)<\/div>\n
\n6.       FAQs: “I don’t have time to distribute books.What do I do?”<\/i><\/div>\n

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\nSrila Prabhupada Speaks<\/h4>\n
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\n“I have also heard that you are making plans for a very
\nlarge order of my books from the BBT to be sold on a door to door basis on the
\nstyle of the encyclopedia sales. If you can do this it will revolutionize our
\nbook distribution and afford greater spreading of Krsna Consciousness than any
\nbook distribution thus far. I want that every respectable person has a
\nfull set of Bhagavatam and Caitanya Caritamrta in his home<\/u><\/i>. I have given some
\nsuggestions how this book distribution in the homes can be done to one of my
\nsecretaries, Satsvarupa das Goswami…” — Letter
\nto Alex, Bob, Drdhavrata, Gupta, Rsabhadeva, Stan — Bhuvanesvara 24 January,
\n1977<\/b><\/a> <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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\nIndia Sankirtana Report Card – June 2014<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\nThe chart below shows Indian temples ranked by book points
\nfor June 2014, as per the World Sankirtana Newsletter<\/div>\n
\nHorizontal: Temple name and Worldwide rank (temple size in brackets)           Vertical: Book points <\/div>\n
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\nAll glories to the wonderful service by devotees across
\nIndia! The table below lists individual book distributors for June 2014 with name, world rank, book points, and temple affiliation. <\/div>\n
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\nDr. Harsha Vardhan, the Union Minister <\/div>\n
\nfor Health and Family Welfare, India, receives<\/div>\n
\nSrila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita As It Is <\/div>\n
\nfrom HG Rohini Suta Dasa  (29 July 2014)<\/div>\n
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\nSankirtana News<\/h4>\n
\nISLT Conference Call<\/u>
\nThe Indian Sankirtana Leaders Team hosted a conference call to discuss goal setting and team building for enhancing book distribution. During the 1-hour conference call, several Temple Presidents and Sankirtana Leaders from across India shared brief updates and realizations on book distribution
\nand joined a common platform to discuss strategies for enhancing book distribution at their respective temples\/centers. HG Vaisesika Prabhu briefly
\naddressed the conference citing quotes from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati
\nThakur and Srila Prabhupada on the foundational role of book distribution in
\nboosting all other facets of devotional life. HH Sukadeva Goswami maharaj highlighted the importance of distributing Srimad Bhagavatam sets and stated that we should encourage life members to take a set of Srimad Bhagavatam along with their membership since it makes a relatively small difference in the fees. Attending devotees resolved to determine goals in relation to book distribution before meeting for the next call in August.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nSrimad Bhagavatam sets enter homes and hearts in Hyderabad:<\/u> — Bhakta Vinodh<\/p>\n
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Early evening on last ekadasi, HG Srirama prabhu, HG Maha mantra prabhu, and I went out knocking doors in the Miyapur suburb of Hyderabad. We reached the home of a neighbour, who had previously been friendly and interested in the Krishna book. We took the permission of the elderly couple who owned the beautiful and clean home and performed harinama sankirtana for a few minutes. We complimented the clean and sattvic look of their home and the presence of Tulasi plant in front of their main entrance. We had hardly begun speaking, when the elderly lady asked if we could get her a Bhagavatam book; this was even before we had done anything to try and distribute a set! I was pleasantly surprised, and Sriram prabhu concluded that Krishna, in the form of His literary incarnation, Srimad Bhagavatam, goes wherever He wants to, our job is just to carry Him there! Mahamantra prabhu got the rest of the set and we places a few copies on a clean pedestal at their altar. The elderly man arranged for a few flowers, bananas, incense sticks, and a ghee lamp, and Sriram prabhu worshipped the Srimad Bhagavatam, welcoming the Lord into the home of this couple. I could feel the natural devotion in their act of offering something to the Lord, who came as an unannounced guest. We left feeling ecstatic and particularly grateful to the Lord for His kind reciprocation to our meager efforts.<\/p>\n

Weekend Warriors Bangalore<\/u>  — Shanta Lakshmi Narasimha Dasa<\/div>\n

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\nRecently, we were distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books
\nin front of a prominent mall in Bangalore.  We were approaching all the
\npasserbys, and we were not too successful in distributing the books. When I
\nstarted losing heart, a person passing by stopped and smiled at me, ” Very nice! You people are doing very nice work.” He asked, “Where do
\nyou work?” I said I am working in software company and I am doing this book
\ndistribution as a temple service. He was impressed with us. He said that he
\nwill come back from the mall, as he has some shopping to do. We all
\nknow that only 1% people return to take books. As such, I was not hoping that he
\nwould return.When we were starting to pack up, against all hopes that
\nsame person came, and started asking me various questions about our lifestyle.
\nIt seemed that he had already read some Srila Prabhupad’s books, and thus was
\nappreciating. Later he gave his business card, and he turned out to be the Head
\nBusiness Manager of a prominent motor vehicle company, and told us to meet him
\nin his house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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New Bhaktas and Bhaktins at ISKCON Gudur pose for photograph on a blissful day of book distribution<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

\nNew Bhaktas and Bhaktins taste the bliss of book distribution:<\/u> — HG Srirama Dasa
\nThis year at the Gudur Rath Yatra, Andhra Pradesh, something amazing happened. Around ten new bhaktas and bhaktins who had recently begun coming to the temple at Gudur, formed an impromptu book distribution team. I joined them for around half and hour, and then, they distributed books individually, talking to people and showing the books with eager desire to serve. The energy and sincere intention of the devotees was impressive; at the end of the day, the team had distributed almost 10,000 ruppees worth of books! What is more impressive is that all of them became blissful by distributing transcendental literatures. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n“Taking Srila Prabhupada’s books to a
\ndistant Kashmir village” <\/u>— Bhakta Rahul<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
\nI
\nvisited a village named Swanka near Vijaypur, which is nearly 25 km from Jammu, along with my cousin Ashish and friends, Varun and Amam. A fair was being held
\nin this place commemorating a great saint, and we decided to distribute
\nSrila Prabhupada’s books there. We started in the morning around 7 a.m. and
\nloaded our car with 50 copies of Bhagavad Gita As It Is and several small books. I sat at
\nthe book table, while the others went out to do one-on-one distribution
\nand preaching. I was finding it very difficult to bear the scorching heat of the day. After a couple of hours, we found that most of the crowd
\ncomprised of poor families. However, they
\nwere spending money to buy balloons, toys, and other things that don’t have much lasting value. I had the realization that the same money that people would spend on trivial things would become a significant spiritual investment, if they purchased Srila Prabhupada’s books.<\/p>\n

In the afternoon, we took some food which was being distributed at a free food
\ndistribution booth there in the temple (because it was a temple, the food
\nwas good for us to eat). After that, we continued doing book distriution in the
\nscorching heat till 6 pm when we decided to pack up and to call it off
\nfor the day. We distributed around 40 Bhagavad Gitas and several small books; not a lot but we were satisfied and
\nprayed to Lord Krishna that He may be happy with whatever little we were able to
\ndo to serve Him. Then, we packed all the books and closed the stall and took a
\nbath in the holy lake lake there, which is believed to be the samadhi place of
\na great saint. We put all our books in the car and went back after a wonderful day of book distribution.<\/p><\/div>\n

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\nSankirtana Training VIDEO: How to Distribute a Full Srimad Bhagavatam Set:<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
\nAs daunting as it may seem, distributing a full set of
\nbooks such as a set of Srimad Bhagavatam can be a fun and easy thing to do. The book distribution team at ISKCON Silicon Valley (California) has been distributing sets of Srimad Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita for a few years now. They have put together an inspiring video presenting guidelines on distributing a set of books. Check it out!  <\/div>\n

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