The 2010 Prabhupada Marathon and WED

[Vijaya Baladeva das]

Hare Krsna Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

How the Prabhupada Marathon evolved is interesting. The most
successful
three days in book distribution history up to 1972 took place at the
end
of that year in Los Angeles. Three days before Christmas, the Los
Angeles devotees distributed more than 17,000 pieces of literature!
Because they distributed the most books ever just before Christmas, it
became known as the Christmas Marathon. The next year it became a
ten-day marathon. Before too long it became a month-long marathon --
the
December Marathon. Then some temples stretched it further so that it
became a six-week marathon. To this day the length of the marathon
varies from temple to temple. In LA it is still ten days, in some
places
it lasts a month, and some stalwart temples still go out for six
weeks.

Many years ago the GBC changed the name to "The Prabhupada Marathon."
That was appropriate, since Srila Prabhupada was on a constant
marathon
to please Krsna and save us, literally sacrificing his life. We go on
only a short marathon. What an example he set for us! This is a
marathon
to please Prabhupada, to show some gratitude for what he has done for
us
and for the world. He wanted everyone to hear about Krsna, and we want
everyone to hear about Krsna and Srila Prabhupada. In the Bhagavad-
gita
(9.29) purport he says, "When a diamond is set in a golden ring, it
looks very nice. The gold is glorified, and at the same time the
diamond
is glorified. The Lord and the living entity eternally glitter, and
when
a living entity becomes inclined to the service of the Supreme Lord he
looks like gold. The Lord is a diamond, and so this combination is
very
nice."

During this Prabhupada Marathon let's meditate on giving these
valuable
jewels to as many souls as we can so that they can also become golden
and bright-faced. This is the Iron Age of Kali, but we are within Lord
Caitanya's 10,000-year-long golden age.

One devotee recently made a snide comment while we were honoring
prasadam together: "This is supposed to be the golden age. I'm still
waiting for it."

I said, "The proof that this is the golden age is that we are chanting
Hare Krsna and sitting here honoring Krsna-prasadam in Kali-yuga."

We were born mlecchas. It's a miracle that we are part of the divine
movement Srila Prabhupada established. Sometimes people would ask
Prabhupada, "Can you perform miracles?" Prabhupada's response was, "I
have turned mlecchas into Vaisnavas; that is my miracle." That there
are
thousands of devotees all around the world chanting Hare Krsna and
distributing the message of Krsna is further proof of the golden age
of
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We were all ironlike before coming in contact
with Srila Prabhupada and Krsna, but now because of that contact
devotees all around the world have become shining jewels .

In a purport in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.13.55) Srila Prabhupada says, " A
pure devotee of the Lord does not live on any planet of the material
sky, nor does he feel any contact with material elements. His so-
called
material body does not exist, being surcharged with the spiritual
current of the Lord's identical interest. . . ." By distributing
Prabhupada's books, we also become surcharged. In this connection
Prabhupada gives the example of a copper wire conducting electricity.
Anyone who touches such a live wire is shocked, and if that person
happens to be touching a second person, he also gets shocked. The
books
we distribute are surcharged with the Krsna consciousness of Srila
Prabhupada, and whoever receives one of those books is connected to
the
transcendental current of Krsna and Srila Prabhupada. We may not see
the
effect of that person's receiving a book, but the connection is made
and there
will be some transcendental result. Rest assured.

I know there are many devotees on this BDN conference who aren't
full-time book distributors, and maybe not even part-time. For this
Prabhupada Marathon, I request those of you who are occasional book
distributors to please distribute 31 books -- a book a day for the
month
of December. You will be happy you did. For those of you who are
part-time distributors due to other services, try to do more. And for
those who are full-time: no distractions, go for it, give it all you
have.

World Enlightenment Day is on Saturday December 11th. The goal: A
million books
in one day! I have heard from reliable sources that there are a
million
devotees in the Hare Krsna Movement; that's with congregation and
temple
devotees, most of the devotees are in our congregation of Vaisnavas.
So if
every one of us distribute just one book on that day, a million would
be
distributed. We just have to get the word out to everyone. At the
Sunday Feast,
announce World Enlightement Day and enthuse everyone to give a book to
a friend
or distribute one to an unknown friend—we're all friends on the
spiritual
platform. Every temple that has a congregational newsletter should
advertise
World Enlightenment Day. This is our family business so let's try to
get the
whole family into it. Prabhupada and Krsna will be very pleased.

Your servant,
Vijaya das