My dear Diksa, Siksa, Shelter, Aspiring disciples and well wishers,
Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada whose books can
save the entire world.
In this month of the book distribution marathon, I would like to share a few
thoughts with you and encourage you to implement them in your daily Krsna
Conscious life.
In a letter dated April 17 1970, Srila Prabhupada personally wrote the
following words to me:
“The books are being written specifically for my students and I am so glad
to learn that you read them so carefully. The words are ambrosial because
they are not my personal words, they are instructions of my predecessors and
I am just trying to administer them to my best knowledge. That is the way of
Parampara system.”
I desire that those who are inspired by me take these instructions from
Srila Prabhupada very seriously. I want that all my followers read Srila
Prabhupada’s books very carefully. Srila Prabhupada in his letter to me
informs us that he becomes very glad by that. We all have to please Srila
Prabhupada and our success in Krishna Consciousness is measured by how much
we can please him.
We should not only read these books carefully but also regularly. In a
letter to Urvasi Patel dated July 25, 1975, Srila Prabhupada writes:
“Be sure to read my books very carefully, Bhagavad-gita, then
Srimad-Bhagavatam, and then Caitanya Caritamrta. You should read every day
without fail and become fixed in our philosophy.”
In this month of Book Distribution Marathon, I request all of you to begin
serious and regular study of Srila Prabhupada’s books and simultaneously
preach by distributing these books profusely:
“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.” Srila Prabhupada [Letter to German disciples, 6 May 1977]
Mokshada Ekadasi usually falls in the month of December every year. It is on
this holy day that Lord Sri Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna. I was
informed that this year, a very nice program was arranged in Sri Mayapur.
Devotees assembled in the Pancha Tattva Temple and from 8.30 am onwards
began to recite each verse of the Bhagavad-gita beginning with the first
chapter. The temple room was packed. The recitation took about four hours.
There was a fire yagna towards the end and beginning with it the entire 18th
chapter was recited while offering oblations unto the fire. HH Bhakti Caru
Maharaja and HH Bhakti Purusottama Maharaja were present in Mayapur during
this event. The devotees who recited the entire Bhagavad-gita were all very
ecstatic. Maybe other parts of the world may also be interested to organise
this program in their yatras in future years.
Srila Prabhupada trancendental book distribution ki jai!
Bhagavad-gita ki jai!
Your well wisher always,
Jayapataka Swami