Book Distribution Realizations
Radhika Gopinath Das
Sudha Chennuru
I felt extremely happy during Nagar Sankirtan last Saturday.I would like to share my feelings through this mail.
When I was grouping up,driven by other devotees I felt very miserable and scared.As soon as I got down the car I prayed Krishna for help and started distributing prasadam .But nobody took from my hands .I took help of senior devotees and prayed for Nityananda prabhu's mercy .From that magic moment I never looked back asking for help ,I happily disturbed prasadam.
Acquaintance with an old lady:
I gave prasadam to an old lady and asked her to join our Holi festival where there will be lot of colors,music and free prasadam.She looked at me and said "sure I will join".I chanted Hare Krishna maha mantra with her and she said that she felt good now.Later on I became busy distributing flyers and suddenly I heard a beautiful kirtan from Amritananda prabhu and couldn't control my feet so started dancing with other devotees leaving flyers on the bench.Then I saw the same lady still watching us resting on to the pole of traffic sign and I asked her "would you like to join us "she said "I don't want to miss this. This just feels so blissful to see you all happily dancing".Later on when we wanted to move from that place we both crossed the crosswalk holding our hands together chanting Hare krishna.
I still remember her eyes watching us and telling us" you are all so happy",I hope I see her again someday as a devotee of Krishna.
St. Patrick's Day souvenir vendor :
I waited near the shop for seller for five minutes and asked him "would you like to have a free burrito".He didn't pay much attention to me and asked "what's in there".I told him it has healthy beans and rice.He grabbed from my hands and thanked me for a free healthy vegetarian burrito and smiled at me and chanted Hare Krsna maha mantra.
A man praising "My sweet lord" cafe:
While we are moving ahead whole group, some carrying burritos,some carrying books and kids chanting ,playing kartals and dancing I saw a person at the corner of a shop and gave him the card of My Sweet Lord and as soon as he saw that he said "I went to this place before and I like the food and lectures."
I gave him prasadam and he honored it with a great respect and chanted the maha mantra.
A shy man turned to be happy and joined us most of the time:
Later on leaving from market and we all made a big circle at Seattle center and dancing for the beautiful kirtan of Harivilas prabhu.I saw a man struggling to talk ,I asked him "would you like to join us".He said I don't know how to dance. Mataji next to me heard what he was saying and asked him to follow her steps and he danced with us for whole kirtan .I saw his face he is laughing and chanting Hare Krishna maha mantra with us.
We all moved ahead from that place and Harivilas prabhu was on the top of some steps, doing ecstatic kirtan. It's been 20 to 30 minutes, since we moved from the previous place but I saw the same person happy and joyful this time .This time Mataji gave him Hare Krishna maha mantra card he felt much better and went away happily with krishna in his hands.
I have lots to share but I shared the most heart touching events I had during Nagar sankirtan .
I thank Harivilas prabhuji for giving us wonderful opportunity to spread the glories of Radha Neela Madhav.
DeviKishori and Priya Mataji
We met one lady who just had a fight at home and due to stress she left home, we were amazed to hear from her " I left home and heard drums and felt something ....this is my situation( when told about BG how comforting it is when not even you see one ray of hope, she identified it with her situation). I just want to stand here(in kirtan) and listen to it". we saw her standing with us smiling, feeling blissful and light.
When approached with BG to a man to our utter surprise he told " I know BG
and I have read 1st 3 chapters and I liked it most... esp the philosophy. If
somebody challenges me I ask them first to read those 3 chapters and then talk
to me".
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Anamika Mataji
I consider myself Blessed, Lucky or what ever you may call it in the "Kal Yuga".
It was for the first time that i joined my Devotee brothers and sister to witness this massive Sankirtan in down town Seattle.
I was instructed to distribute the Prasadam along with the Chanting The Maha Mantra book, the Maha Mantra Lucky Card along with some other fliers.
Never did i realize that this would change the way I look at Life totally.
We moved to Red Hawks community in the last couple of months and have been Lucky enough to be associated with the Devotees ever since our eldest son was 6 months old (that's when we moved to Seattle from Minneapolis in 2008)
I have been going to the Temple ever since, and have been listening to the lectures and attended few classes DYS and Bhakti Geeta ( to mention a few ).
But never knew that i have that "Something" in me that a trespasser on the road of a busy downtown might like.
I met this lady on the day of the SanKirtana, and when i approached her i had no clue what was going inside her mind.
AS with the others on the road whom i met, my first step was to offer the free Prasadam (Hot Burritos), which i was pretty sure that most of us would accept on a cold day!
I offered the Prasadam to this Stanger Lady (whom i would call a Eye opener Lady for me, as untill then i did not realize what Krishna had got for me) which she most humbly accepted and Thanked me.
Then i told her about Krishna's free food service provided in the restaurant, and then gave her The Maha Mantra Lucky card.
I told her to keep it in her purse and to chant it when ever she feels depressed or stressed out.
To my surprise she began crying in the middle of the street, and she began filling my bag with Best of Blessing i might have ever got from a stranger. In her own words, " I bless you and Your Mission that you all are doing on the road today. No one has ever spoken to me this way all through out my life. I feel so happy that i met God's people like you" She kept on blessing me, her tears could not stop falling throughout our conversation.
Then i told her why don't you try chanting this Maha Mantra with me today, and then we chanted the Mantra together. And i assured her that her troubles would surely fade away and to keep the fate!!!! I also promised her that whenever i Bow my head to the Almighty i would surely Pray for her.
I might meet her one day again on the same downtown road, or might not, but i am hoping and am confident that by Krishna's grace her sufferings might have already reduced if not gone!
Why did i call her an "Eye opener Lady", because untill i had met her i did not realize the Seriousness of this Mission, in Helping spread the word of the Lord!!!!!
On the same day i met another gentleman, who was laughing at me when i told him to Chant The Maha Mantra with me.
But after forcing a bit he began repeating it, after me.
He was continuously laughing while chanting, as though making fun of himself (atleast that's what i felt), but as we approached the end of the Mantra i could feel the warmth in his talk.
May be he too felt something unique/different because he at the later part kept calm and was poised!
I Pray to the Lord for guiding these people and many like them and Me ,so that we realize our purpose of being born as a Human and Try our Best in getting closer to the Lord no matter what form of service we can perform to please Him!
Looking forward to Serve More!!!!
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