World Enlightenment Day & the Prabhupada Marathon

[Guest guest]

Dear Prabhu,

 

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

 

Could you put the article below on Cakra to promote the "Prabhupada

Marathon" coming up. My name is Vijaya das, I'm the Minster of Book

distribution for ISKCON and the article below is to let devotees know that

the Prabhupada Marathon is around the corner, hopefully it will encourage

some.

 

Hoping this meets you well, I remain

Your servant,

Vijaya dasa

 

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Dear Prabhus,

 

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

 

On December 17th is World Enlightenment Day.

 

As you may have noticed this day will be in the middle of the marathon. Some

devotees won't be able to participate in the marathon due to various reasons

but this one day is for everyone. To commit to a month of sankirtan is not

possible for many due to various reasons. Therefore on this one day during

the Marathon everyone can participate in pleasing Srila Prabhupada by

distributing his books. Even if you only distribute one book Prabhupada will

be pleased. So please, on this one day try to distribute as many books as

you can.

 

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I was thinking of writing something about the marathon a week before the

Prabhupada Marathon starts which is usually today, but I was pleasantly

surprised to recently receive news that the German Yatra has already dived

into the nectar!

 

Srila Prabhupada said, "In our Krsna consciousness movement all our

activities are concentrated upon distributing Krsna literature. This is very

important. One may approach any person and induce him to read Krsna

literature so that in the future he may also become a devotee. Such

activities will always remind the devotees of the Lord's lotus feet. By

fully concentrating on distributing books for Krsna, one is fully absorbed

in Krsna. This is samadhi."

 

Srimad-Bhagavatam purport 10.2.37

 

In this letter Prabhupada uses the word "concentrated" this is the meaning

of "Prabhupada Marathon" complete absorption in the activity of distributing

Prabhupada books. One thing I wanted to point out is that we want to do this

in a way that is pleasing to Prabhupada. Lord Kapiladeva says that there is

devotional service in the mode of goodness, passion, and ignorance.

Similarly there is book distribution in the modes of nature. During this

marathon let us try to be as pure as we can. Purity is the force! Pray to

Krsna to be a pure representative of Prabhupada so that people will be

inspired to receive this special mercy. We have the purest knowledge so it's

natural that we should have the purest people presenting this knowledge.

Prabhupada said, "In the beginning they will laugh at us, then they will

hate us, then they will love us." If we distribute with a pure motive to

give Krsna consciousness to others, and to please Krsna and his

representatives, they will appreciate the purity and from that they will

come to love us. This will happen if we, with great sincerity, pray to be

free of our old enemies: attachment, lust, greed, anger, etc., and just go

out to the people to give them an opportunity to meet Srila Prabhupada and

Krsna, their long lost Friend.

 

Your servant, Vijaya das